William Whalen stories, Page 3

Canon-McMillan must make up for loss of more than 20 graduates

Almost on a daily basis, Canon-Millan coach Mike Evans will get stopped by people and asked the big question. “People ask me every day who do I have coming back,” said Evans, who is entering his fifth season as the Big Macs coach. “I say, ‘I have two people coming...
South Park grad Cam Bramer takes BMX talents to Pan-American Games

Cam Bramer was just doing what kids do when he was poking around his parents’ basement as a little kid. Digging through boxes, looking on top of shelves and then he came across a box buried way in the back. As it turns out, the box was loaded with gold....
Kiski Area’s McGuire finds calling: Pro esports, specifically “Fortnite”

High school athletes across the WPIAL are beginning preparation for the fall scholastic sports season. All will pursue a championship and try to earn a college scholarship with the hopes of turning pro and making the big bucks. Kiski Area rising junior Nick McGuire has them all beat. In a...
Passion for golf grows into career for Norwin grad Vonderkall

Sometimes all it takes is a tiny spark to launch a career path. For 1996 Norwin grad Chris Vonderkall, the spark came early and caught fire. He let his passion for golf lead the way. “As a kid, I was doing a book report and I did it on Arnold...
Springdale girls soccer hopes new coach is a hit

A lot of hit songs have come out of Liverpool, England. Bands like the Beatles, A Flock of Seagulls and 1980’s sensation Rick Astley all claim the city as home. Springdale’s betting it found the next big hit in new girls soccer coach and Liverpool native Marc Bentley as the...
Pittsburgh RBI program embraces being part of Freeport International Baseball Invitational

The Freeport International Baseball Invitational hits the sweet spot in the youth summer schedule: near the end. For most teams, the five-day invitational marks the final days of the season. When Pittsburgh Pirates RBI 18-under coach Nelson Cooper IV learned an invitational was being played just 40 minutes north of...
Team from Puerto Rico makes Freeport baseball invitational regular stop

The echos from the fireworks grand finale had yet to roll out of the valley to bring last year’s Freeport International Baseball Invitational to a close, and FIBI president Chuck Sarver already was thinking about this year’s invitational. As soon as the lights to historic Swartz Field kicked back on,...
Swim clubs offer valuable offseason training for high school standouts

WPIAL gold medals in swimming might be won in early March, but they are earned during the offseason. The end of the high school swimming season marks the beginning of a long offseason where swimmers almost immediately jump back in the water with local swim clubs and get back to...
Bushy Run completes sweep of Unity, advances to District 31 Legion finals

Drop by the field before a Bushy Run District 31 baseball game, and it sounds like a rock concert. Speakers blasting 80s music out of the home dugout have set the tone this season for Bushy Run. Bushy Run didn’t need special effects for its stage show Saturday afternoon. The...
Isaly’s summer-time tour big hit with junior golfers

From chipped-ham sandwiches to sand-wedge chips, the Isaly’s Junior Golf Tour has carved its niche on the Western Pennsylvania junior golf scene by attracting top talent and playing at some of area’s most prestigious courses. “When I took the job in January 2018, I looked at the venues — and...
Penn-Trafford’s Faith Anthony eager to play collegiate hockey at Franklin Pierce

The Franklin Pierce women’s hockey team hasn’t been around long. Just like every fledgling sports program, the Ravens took it on the chin the first few years but have built a winning program over the past seven seasons. Now, all the Ravens need is a little Faith, as in Penn-Trafford...
Yough Legion surging toward district playoffs

The 18-game District 31 Legion baseball season is coming to a dramatic conclusion this week … weather permitting. And like nearly every other season, the seeding for the postseason bracket will be determined in the last few regular-season games. “There’s a lot of parity in the league,” said Yough Legion...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Colbert puts offseason focus on fundamentals

It’s been nearly six months since Bret Colbert was hired to lead the Greensburg Central Catholic football team to its next era of gridiron glory. Spend a few minutes talking football with the rookie head coach and one will immediately get a sense the former college wide receiver is in...
Norwin, Serra Catholic grads help Bethany baseball get back to playoffs

Ryan Anselmino and Noah Rady grew up playing backyard football and Wiffle ball together. They went off to play college baseball together and have been roommates for the past three years. They also traveled home for the holidays with one another. So it is only fitting Bethany junior standouts Ryan...
Westmoreland County trio to play in elite youth hockey tournament

Murrysville youth hockey standouts Anthony and Alex Sargo couldn’t help but drift off and daydream while watching the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft a few weeks ago about hearing their names called some day. The twin brothers are on the same path many professional hockey players have travelled....
Kiski Valley Legion still searching for consistency on offense as playoffs near

In baseball, it takes being solid in all three phases of the game to make a serious run at a championship. Playoffs are where weaknesses are exposed. The Kiski Valley District 31 Legion team is set with pitching, but the hitting has been inconsistent and the defense has been suspect...

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