Ted Sarneso stories, Page 7
Burrell boys basketball striving for better results in season’s 2nd half
When the season began, Burrell boys basketball Mike Fantuzzo knew it would take time for his team to mesh. After the Bucs’ 78-46 win against Freeport on Tuesday night, he believes the team finally has learned to play together. “I think it was a game where we’re starting to click...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Cheswick Christian Academy’s Keith Booth
Cheswick Christian Academy senior forward Keith Booth picked a perfect time to go out for the basketball team last year. “I always liked basketball, and all my friends were playing, and I wanted to play with them,” Booth said. “For a lot of my friends, it was their senior season,...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Apollo-Ridge’s Tyler Bartell
At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Apollo-Ridge senior Tyler Bartell is an imposing figure on the basketball court, not just to opposing players but to his own teammates in practice. “Everyone is scared to come down low when I’m in the paint,” he said. When asked why even his teammates are...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Riley Stephans, Deer Lakes’ Nathaniel Moore
Riley Stephans School: Plum Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Stephans scored a career-high 26 points to lead Plum (1-4, 0-1) to a 56-40 upset victory over Kiski Area (5-1) in nonsection play Monday night. What were your feelings after scoring a career high in points in a huge...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Kiski Area’s Bella Horcicak
The last few years for Kiski Area senior Bella Horcicak have been about the search for the right fit. Last year, the guard transferred to St. Joseph as she sought an environment that suited her. “I always struggled, at Kiski and I don’t know why,” Horcicak said. “It was a...
Chartiers Valley wrestling looking to rebound with international flair
When you walk down the steps into the depths of the Chartiers Valley gymnasium and wind your way through the hallways, you’ll eventually find the Colts wrestling practice rooms. On your way to the rooms, you pass a weight room on your right that is partitioned off from the hallway...
Chartiers Valley swimming aims high with largest roster in a decade
Last year, the Chartiers Valley girls swim team fell just short of its goal of winning back-to-back section titles, suffering a single section loss to Montour. Even though it was disappointing, coach Morgan Soulia said the failure to reach that goal did not diminish what the team accomplished during the...
We Serve First all-star event shows continued growth in 2024 event
There is always a fire and good competition at the We Serve First Volleyball All-Star Classic, but some years outshine others. Tim Toy saw first hand after Friday night’s practice just what this year’s group would bring to the event Saturday at Kiski Area High School. “All the girls came...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: St. Joseph’s Kasey Cienik, Deer Lakes’ Ryan Grunden
Kasey Cienik School: St. Joseph Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Cienik scored 22 points in her team’s 47-29 win over Apollo-Ridge on Monday and followed that performance with a 24-point effort in a 71-47 win over Highlands on Wednesday. She scored 14 points Friday night in a 51-21...
Freeport hockey looking to turn season around in 2nd half
Expectations within the Freeport hockey program were high entering this season. Last year’s team went 5-10-3-2 and graduated just one senior, which meant bringing back an experienced team looking to make some noise in Class A. But sometimes the hockey gods just aren’t in your corner. This year’s Yellowjackets have...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Jake Bradley
One of the first things new Deer Lakes hockey coach Ty Ulanowicz noticed when he took over this season was one of the players being all business when he was on the ice. “Time and time again, I saw this player being the first one ready for the next drill,”...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Burrell’s Maggie Nesko
It was a tale of two seasons for Burrell senior midfielder Maggie Nesko. Last year, she lost the majority of her season to a major knee injury, tearing her patellar tendon. “We were playing against South Park, and it was a no-contact injury,” Nesko said. “I was just running, and...
Kiski School earns victories in 6 of final 7 games for 1st winning record in 3 seasons
What a turnaround it was for the Kiski School football program. After going 1-8 last year, the Cougars opened 2024 with losses in their first two games, won two in a row before losing to the Potomac School on Sept. 27 to sit at 2-3. The Cougars rallied to close...
New coach looks to carry on Mt. Pleasant girls basketball tradition of toughness
Meet the new boss, same first name as the old boss. After 19 seasons at the helm of the Mt. Pleasant girls basketball team, Scott Giacobbi retired in June after compiling a 246-192 record and 13 WPIAL playoff appearances. Scott Hillen now takes over after spending the last 10 years...
Mt. Pleasant boys to embark on ‘refocusing year’ after starters graduate
Mt. Pleasant boys basketball coach Annie Malkowiak always tries to find the positive in everything. Despite what looked to be a bad year, with the Vikings finishing 8-13 overall, she saw plenty of growth within the team. “It was about those kids getting used to something completely different from what...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Deer Lakes’ Waylon Schiller
Deer Lakes senior Waylon Schiller came into the 2024 season in a competition for an outside back position. “I came ready to go, came to every practice in the prep week before the season,” Schiller said. “Even though I was battling younger players, the competition was still tough. The coaching...
Chartiers Valley girls looking to make strides, take better care of ball
It’s been a learning process for Chartiers Valley girls basketball coach Mike Semplice and his team since he was hired in 2022. In his first year, the team struggled with adjustments, specifically when those adjustments were drawn up on the fly during timeouts. But last year, and into the team’s...
New coach hopes to put Chartiers Valley boys basketball back on winning track
New Chartiers Valley basketball coach Corey Dotchin was looking for a coaching job closer to home last winter after he and his wife had their first baby. “The round trip was a lot,” said Dotchin. “I was getting up and leaving for work at 6 in the morning, going to...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Springdale’s Baileigh Haas, Burrell’s Mike Morazcyzk
Baileigh Haas School: Springdale Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Haas survived a 3-2 shootout win over Conemaugh Township in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Nov. 5. She allowed one goal in a 2-1 win against Bishop Guilfoyle in the quarterfinals Nov. 9. Haas made 10 saves...
Top-seeded Seton LaSalle starts fast, handles Steel Valley in Class 2A semifinals
Fresh off the victory, it still hadn’t set in for Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino. “I haven’t had time to process it yet,” he said as his players celebrated with friends and family. “It’s a beautiful thing,” Storino added. “We’re excited. The whole school is excited. It’s been a great...
Despite graduation losses, Cheswick Christian boys set goals high
It was mission accomplished last season for the Cheswick Christian Academy boys basketball team. After losing in the Southwest Christian Conference title game at the end of the 2022-23 season, last year’s seniors made it their sole objective to get back and win. “It was a great experience for everyone...
Cheswick Christian girls basketball team looks to build off last season’s division title
The Cheswick Christian Academy girls basketball team knows what it’s about, and that’s functioning as a five-person unit instead of relying on a few stars to get victories. With a small roster, like this season’s that is dominated by sophomores, freshman and grade-schoolers, embracing that team mentality can go a...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Kiski Area’s Maddie Joyce
When Maddie Joyce set foot on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson, she knew it was the right school for her. “People say that when you know, you know,” said Joyce. “Coach David Nguyen is a great guy, a great coach and prioritizes the girls having plenty of bonding opportunities, and...
Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Fox Chapel’s Maddie Grimsley, Plum’s Chase Eber
Maddie Grimsley School: Fox Chapel Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Grimsley had a goal and an assist in Fox Chapel’s PIAA first-round 5-1 win over Hollidaysburg on Tuesday night. She was tough to defend on one-on-ones and had a hand in each of the Foxes’ five goals, whether...
Central Valley rolls past Freeport in WPIAL quarterfinals
Battles are won and lost in the trenches. On Friday night, Freeport lost those battles. The offensive and defensive lines for the No. 7-seeded Yellowjackets (8-4) got zero push against No. 2-seed Central Valley (6-5) in a 35-7 defeat in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals. “They were just bigger and...
