Jerin Steele stories, Page 5

Going into the season, first-year Pine-Richland boys volleyball coach Tyler Trimbath was confident his team was going to surprise some people after going winless in section play in 2023. Well, just two games in, the Rams certainly pulled off a shocker. Pine-Richland scored a 3-2 win over Seneca Valley, the...

On the heels of his team being swept by Shady Side Academy last week, first-year Burrell coach Jay Miller focused on executing fundamentals in situational baseball with his team. Extra-base hits are exciting, but moving runners over with a sacrifice bunt, hitting the ball to the right side of the...

Some of the faces have changed, but the goal remains the same for the Pine-Richland girls lacrosse team. They want to win a championship. After claiming the WPIAL Class 3A title for the first time since 2018 last year, the Rams will have to replace seven seniors who graduated but...

The past couple of years, the Pine-Richland boys lacrosse team took its lumps early before gaining momentum with late-season winning streaks prior to the playoffs. This season, the Rams have come out of the gates strong, which could be an indication of special things to come. The Rams were 5-1...

After Saturday’s scoreless draw with the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley and his players had a mostly positive outlook. That’s not only because they secured their first point and first clean sheet, but it was how they did it. The Hounds were the aggressor...

Winning a state championship is obviously special on its own, but the way the Pine-Richland hockey team did so will be retold over and over again. Down a goal in the final two minutes, Josh Lanyard scored to tie the game and send it to overtime against favored LaSalle. Then,...

The last couple of years, a young core of Pine-Richland baseball players helped contribute to back-to-back section championships. Now that group has become the upperclassmen and with the meaningful situations they’ve been in, they are well-equipped to try to make it three section titles in a row. “They understand the...

Player of the Year Billy Schaeffer 6-2, Sr., G, Deer Lakes Billy Schaeffer was a 3-point artist last year, playing a role that helped Deer Lakes win its first WPIAL basketball championship. But as the lone returning starter coming into his senior season, he knew he had to evolve his...

It’s a season that Valley baseball coach Jim Basilone and his players have been building for. A team that was once made up of mainly freshmen and sophomores has grown into an experienced group. With eight starters returning to forge a deep lineup and pitching staff, the Vikings have visions...

Vibes are high for the Pine-Richland softball team and for good reason. The entire starting lineup returns from last year’s team that made it to the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals. Experience is always nice to have, but what really excites Rams coach Sam Hartzberg is how well everyone on the...

Chad Walsh has experience turning around struggling football programs. He did so at Valley a dozen years ago, and now he will look to do the same at Springdale. Walsh officially was hired as coach of the Dynamos on Tuesday at the Allegheny Valley School Board meeting. “I live in...

Cameron Lindsey doesn’t eat much chocolate, but he sure loves making trips to Hershey. No matter what sport he’s playing. Lindsey, a Pitt football recruit, showed his soft touch around the rim on the basketball court Tuesday night, scoring 18 points to help Aliquippa defeat Fort Cherry, 65-53, in the...

Burrell’s run in the PIHL Division 2 playoffs ended in heartbreaking fashion Monday night with a 6-5 loss to Neshannock in the championship game at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, but it wasn’t hard for the Bucs to find highlights from a stellar season. The current group of Bucs...

Burrell thought it had the potential game-winning goal late in the third period until it was waved off. A couple minutes later, Brian McConahy scored to keep Neshannock’s impressive run going. McConahy’s goal with just over two minutes left in regulation propelled the Lancers to their third PIHL Division 2...

Burrell finished one spot ahead of Neshannock in the PIHL Division 2 standings, but the Lancers have loads of championship experience. They are looking for their third championship in the past four years. The Bucs are looking for their first, and they know they will have to earn it when...

It’s only two games, and there’s a long way to go, but the Pittsburgh Riverhounds have yet to find the back of the net. It wasn’t for a lack of opportunities Saturday night, but the Hounds didn’t have their finishing touch. Add in a couple defensive lapses, and it made...

As a young team of freshmen and sophomores, the Pine-Richland boys volleyball team took their lumps last season. Now, a year older and more seasoned, they are looking to earn respect in WPIAL circles. “Our guys are excited to show what they can do because they knew that last year...

The morning of his state championship wrestling match, Vaughn Spencer was sitting in his hotel room, rubbing Icy Hot on his knee. During his semifinal match the previous day, he got his knee twisted before finishing off a pin of Owen J. Roberts’ Sam Gautreau. It was almost fitting that...

It was another banner year in 2023 for the Plum baseball team. The Mustangs used a walk-off win against Fox Chapel on the final day of the regular season to earn a split of the Section 1-5A title with Penn-Trafford and went on to make the WPIAL semifinals before falling...

Deer Lakes and Forest Hills both wear green and gold, so Lancers coach Albie Fletcher wasn’t exactly sure what the supporter breakdown was when he first walked into the gym Wednesday night at Armstrong. He quickly learned that the majority donning the colors were Deer Lakes supporters. “I wasn’t sure...

Deer Lakes had a five-on-three power play late in the second period and a chance to get back into the game, but Aidan Petroff was having none of it. After his goalie, Kooper Price, robbed Mark Rauenswinter on a point-blank shot, Petroff went the other way and scored on the...

It was another banner year in 2023 for the Plum baseball team. The Mustangs used a walk-off win against Fox Chapel on the final day of the regular season to earn a split of the Section 1-5A title with Penn-Trafford and went on to make the WPIAL semifinals before falling...

Billy Schaeffer has been dreaming of reaching 1,000 points since he began his high school career. Doing so on a big stage and helping Deer Lakes put away Forest Hills made the moment all the more sweet. Schaeffer had a game-high 22 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and...

After a half in which his team made five shots and scored 13 points, Bethel Park coach Dante Calabria said he kept his message brief. He just asked his players to bring more energy and leave it all out there in the final 16 minutes. The Black Hawks responded accordingly....

When Albie Fletcher got the Deer Lakes boys basketball coaching job two years ago, he asked Todd Rodgers to join his staff. At the time, neither could’ve forecasted they’d watch their sons win back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A championships, but Aiden Fletcher and Collin Rodgers have provided plenty of proud dad...