Ray Fisher stories, Page 21
Deep Quaker Valley wrestling lineup racking up wins
Quaker Valley already has four wrestlers in its 20-win club for 2023-24. Prior to the Allegheny County championships held Jan. 19-20 at Fox Chapel, QV senior Jack Kazalas (22-1), junior Marcus Richey (22-4) and sophomores Bruce Anderchak (21-1) and Matthew Danna (21-3) were 20-match winners. “They all are showing that...
Narrow losses help prepare Quaker Valley boys for 2nd half of section play
Players on the Quaker Valley boys basketball team said “enough is enough.” Three consecutive losses were all they could handle; the Quakers responded with a 54-51 section win against South Allegheny in two overtimes on Jan. 12. The hard-fought victory lifted QV’s record to 2-2 in Section 4-4A and 7-6...
West Jefferson Hills hall of fame set to induct 24 in Class of ’24
There’s a nice symmetry. A group of 24 Thomas Jefferson graduates or district contributors, along with two championship-caliber teams, will be inducted into the West Jefferson Hills School District Hall of Fame in March. It’s the Class of ‘24. TJ graduates who have distinguished themselves in the areas of academics,...
Trio of Thomas Jefferson juniors rises to top of rankings ahead of postseason tournaments
Three of the top wrestlers in the WPIAL — Maddox Shaw, Bode Marlow and Shepard Turk — attend Thomas Jefferson. All three are juniors who were ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 2A in their respective weight divisions by Trib HSSN. Shaw closed out the month of December with a...
Senior joining 100-win club highlights strong season for Bethel Park wrestlers
Mason Kernan, a senior at Bethel Park, came away from the star-studded Powerade holiday wrestling tournament with a seventh-place finish at 139 pounds. Kernan defeated Carter Nogle of Mount St. Joseph (Md.) by a 7-5 score, giving him a 2-2 record in the prestigious national event. It also landed the...
Trio of PIHL all-stars helps Bethel Park remain in contention in Class 3A standings
Three Bethel Park hockey players — forwards Ethan Cooley and Anthony Karner and defenseman Zach Mazzacone — earned all-star status this season. Cooley, Karner and Mazzacone, all seniors, were selected to play for the PIHL Class 3A all-star team. All three were proud of their selections. “It’s a great accomplishment...
Before embarking on future in astronomy, physics at Stonehill, Rena Gilligan has goals to meet for Quaker Valley swimming
Stonehill College is a private Catholic institution founded in 1948 and located in Easton, Mass. It has an undergraduate enrollment in the 2,500 range, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 384 acres. The campus is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29...
Quaker Valley hockey playing strong defense, stacking up wins
The Quaker Valley hockey team started 2024 similarly to 2023. With a win. The Quakers edged Shaler, 3-2, on Jan. 4 at Alpha Ice Complex to improve to 11-0-1. The only blemish on the QV schedule is a 3-2 defeat in OT to Indiana on Dec. 7 at S&T Bank...
Quaker Valley girls shake off growing pains, get in win column
Patience and perseverance finally prevailed for the Quaker Valley girls basketball team, as the Quakers kept plugging away through the first four weeks of the season. With a team comprised of three freshmen, six sophomores two juniors and one senior, the QV girls found it difficult to attain their first...
After strong start, Sewickley Academy boys look ahead to section play
Sewickley Academy’s boys basketball team closed out the month of December most impressively. The Panthers won four consecutive games and six of seven down the month’s home stretch. Their only loss during this time was a tense one-point decision Dec. 8 to Serra Catholic. The Panthers followed up with victories...
Fisher’s Files: Quaker Valley’s Bruce Anderchak, Jack Kazalas among WPIAL’s best wrestlers early on
Notebook items from Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy athletics: Quaker Valley’s Bruce Anderchak (107 pounds) and Jack Kazalas (139 pounds) were ranked first in their weight divisions in the WPIAL 2A individual wrestling rankings for the week of Dec. 25. Anderchak, a sophomore, ended the month with a 15-1 record;...
Quaker Valley swimmers again have high expectations for 2023-24 season
Quaker Valley’s Emily Connors is widely recognized as one of the blue-ribbon swimmers in the WPIAL. She was coached at QV for three years by John Nemeth, who resigned following the 2022-23 season and has been succeeded by former Oakland Catholic/Central Catholic coach Merci McCarthy. “I started coaching Emily as...
Freshmen show potential for Quaker Valley wrestling
Quaker Valley wrestlers Aris Haniotes and Trey Dunlap had a night they soon won’t forget. Both freshman athletes joined the QV wrestling program as varsity starters Dec. 6 at Avonworth in the Quakers’ first match of the season. QV won by a convincing 64-12 final score. Haniotes competed against Tyler...
Quaker Valley hockey out to start new winning streak
Time to kick-start another winning streak. Quaker Valley’s hockey team didn’t experience a loss in the first two months of the PIHL season, posting a 9-0 record through Nov. 30. The Quakers outscored their opponents by a 44-10 margin, allowing 1.1 goals per game and logging three shutouts. No team...
Fisher’s Files: Quaker Valley volleyball players earn all-state honors
Two Quaker Valley girls — Annica Kagle and Vanessa Pickett — were chosen to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association all-state team in the Class 2A division. Kagle is a senior right-side hitter and a two-time all-state selection. Pickett is a junior setter. “I was honored to be chosen again,” Kagle...
Diamond Run golf pro takes on a different kind of course for charity
Adam Morrison had a Sunday to remember last month. Morrison, head professional at Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley, participated Nov. 5 in the world famous TCS New York City Marathon. The 34-year-old Morrison was part of a team of PGA of America golf professionals that ran in the 26.2-mile...
Sewickley Academy boys basketball looks to show growth during challenging times
There’s only one direction the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team wants to go in 2023-24. That is up. After finishing 3-18 last year, first-year coach Jim Dudas said the Panthers have been adjusting well while learning a new system. “I am optimistic we will show significant improvement on both sides...
Quaker Valley volleyball players scoop up awards after memorable season
Talk about a landslide vote. Eight members of the Quaker Valley girls volleyball team were honored as all-section selections in 2023. Two seniors, right-side hitter Annica Kagle and middle hitter Katelyn Clark, and two juniors, outside hitter Molly MacDonald and setter Vanessa Pickett, were named to the first team. Kagle...
Mimi Thiero provides spark for young Quaker Valley girls basketball roster
Oumou “Mimi” Thiero is a still-growing 6-foot-4 sophomore guard/forward who was an all-section selection last year. Thiero was named by Trib HSSN as a 4A player to watch “who has perhaps the highest ceiling of any player in WPIAL girls basketball.” And she showed why with her two-game production in...
Senior guard Joe Coyle, Quaker Valley boys start season on right foot
Joe Coyle is back for his senior year in the Quaker Valley boys basketball program. And what a splash he made to start the season. A talented 6-foot-1 guard, Coyle was the Quakers’ leading scorer and a first-team all-section selection last year. Much is expected of him this season; he’s...
Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy athletics did you know?
Went up to the attic and pulled this column idea out of the dusty cedar chest: Did you know that? • Nora Hammond is a two-sport athlete at Quaker Valley, competing in girls volleyball and softball. A 5-foot-6 junior outside hitter, she was all-section selection and boasts a 4.22 GPA....
Senior 3-sport standout leads young Sewickley Academy girls basketball roster
Libby Eannarino is a preeminent three-sport standout at Sewickley Academy. She is a senior guard in basketball and a midfielder in lacrosse and soccer. SA’s second-year hoops coach Jill Capozzi sees big things for the 5-foot-9 Eannarino on the basketball floor in 2023-24. “Libby will play a huge leadership role...
Quaker Valley wrestling aims to reach new milestones
The strong just keep getting stronger. Quaker Valley’s wrestling team compiled a 15-6 record in 2022-23 that included a section title with a 6-0 mark. And the Quakers have eight wrestlers — including WPIAL Class 2A champion Jack Kazalas — back from last year’s winning group. “We expect to be...
Sophomore trio helps Quaker Valley hockey team to 8-0 start
Let’s tag them as sophomore sensations. Through two months of PIHL action, the Quaker Valley hockey team — led by an all-sophomore top line of Jace Vasbinder, Max Modrovich and Colin York — was undefeated at 8-0 in the Varsity A Gold Division. “Obviously, record-wise we are quite satisfied,” coach...
Thiero, Chapman hope to guide Quaker Valley girls basketball back to WPIAL playoffs
There will be several new players in the Quaker Valley girls basketball lineup this season. However, two returning starters will be instrumental to any success experienced by the team, which was placed fifth in Class 4A in the Trib HSSN preseason rankings. Oumou “Mimi” Thiero is a dynamic, 6-foot-4 sophomore...
