Ray Fisher stories, Page 23
Quaker Valley golfer enjoys breakthrough junior season
Quaker Valley junior Ethan Dai took his golf game to the next level in 2023. In an unforgettable season, Dai finished as the WPIAL runner-up in Class 2A then went on to tie for fourth at the PIAA tournament at Penn State. Coach Greg Vecchi said Dai has improved by...
Fisher’s Files: Quaker Valley athletes enjoy fantastic fall
Eight varsity sports teams. Four section championships. Quaker Valley has had a flourishing fall athletic season, to say the least. Section titles were won in boys golf and soccer and girls tennis and volleyball. The league championship in girls volleyball was the first in school history. Coached by Mike Vavrek,...
Dominant regular season sends Quaker Valley boys soccer into playoffs
The numbers 42 and 28 stand out for the Quaker Valley boys soccer program this season. The Quakers qualified for the postseason for the 42nd consecutive year (starting in 1982) and earned their 28th section championship in school history. QV finished 11-1 in Section 4-2A, tied for first with Avonworth,...
Thomas Jefferson girls soccer hits playoffs in stride after back-to-back section titles
The Thomas Jefferson girls soccer team was expecting a banner year on the pitch in 2023. And that mindset has been met, at least through the regular season. The TJ girls, after losing their season opener to West Allegheny, won all 16 other games on their regular season schedule. “I...
Thomas Jefferson boys overcome injuries to reach WPIAL playoffs
Michael “Doc” Kulish performed a juggling act this year as head coach of the Thomas Jefferson boys soccer team. “Overall, I am happy with the season so far,” Kulish said prior to the WPIAL playoffs. “I’m disappointed we did not win the section, but overcoming the (knee) injuries we had...
Sewickley Academy tennis looks ahead to PIAA tournament after WPIAL runner-up finish
Sewickley Academy was looking to win its ninth WPIAL championship in girls tennis. The second-seeded Panthers, however, settled for second place, losing a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Knoch in the Class 2A finals Oct. 18 at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Center at Washington & Jefferson College. “Obviously, today’s...
Doubles team’s WPIAL championship highlights special season for Bethel Park tennis
Both are talented tennis players. One is a freshman at Bethel Park. The other’s a senior. Together, they’ve developed into quite the dynamic duo on the tennis courts. Bethel Park’s Cami Fisher and Lily Sierka this season became the first WPIAL doubles champions in girls tennis in school history. “Lily...
After winning Section 3 title, Bethel Park boys look forward to postseason run
Bethel Park didn’t lose a section game in boys soccer this season. The Black Hawks rang up a 13-0-1 mark in Section 3-3A to narrowly finish first ahead of runner-up Thomas Jefferson (12-1-1). And perhaps most impressive, Bethel Park allowed just seven goals in 14 section games with seven shutouts...
Quaker Valley cross country teams enjoying special season
The Quaker Valley cross country program is having a magical season. QV’s boys team recently took first place in the 5,000-meter Class 2A race at the Bald Eagle Invitational on Oct. 7 at White Oak Park. The Quakers also won the River Trail and Blue Devil invites this season along...
Quaker Valley volleyball looks to carry momentum into postseason
The Quaker Valley girls volleyball team picked up where it left off last season. In 2022, Quaker Valley won 11 of 14 section decisions, advanced to the WPIAL semifinals, finished fifth in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs and ended up 18-5 overall. This year, through Oct. 9, the Quakers were...
State championship soccer team takes center stage at Quaker Valley hall of fame induction
Quaker Valley held its celebratory sports hall of fame weekend for the first time since 2019. Three former QV athletes — Justin Hughes (basketball), Darren Rogers (football) and Catherine Stewart (tennis) — and three teams were lauded that year. The 2006 boys hockey and girls tennis teams also were inducted...
Trio of captains leads young Sewickley Academy girls soccer roster to promising season
The captain’s role on the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team has proven invaluable for the younger players this season. Behind co-captains Libby Eannarino, Katherine Varghese and Quincy Sirko, the Panthers recently won four games in a row by a whopping 34-2 margin after an 0-2 start. “I am very happy...
Quaker Valley girls tennis team comes together to capture 1st section title since 2010
It had been more than a decade since Quaker Valley won a section title in girls tennis. But the Quakers rolled through league play this season to claim their first section championship since 2012. “To say this season from the very beginning back in August to now has been a...
Basketball team that laid foundation for program’s success joins Quaker Valley hall of fame
John Gaetano took over as Quaker Valley’s boys basketball coach in 1987-88. He was employed as a guidance counselor at Northgate and brought 26 years of coaching experience with him. “I was a different type of coach than they were used to (at QV),” Gaetano said. “I wasn’t easy to...
After section showdown, Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy golfers go on to postseason success
Quaker Valley and Sewickley Academy have well-established golf programs and traditions. Another chapter in the long rivalry took place Sept. 20 when the QV golfers defeated the Panthers, 200-211, in a critical section match at Allegheny Country Club. With the win, QV clinched a tie for first place with Eden...
3-sport star completes family trifecta in Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame
The covid-19 pandemic in 2020 delayed Dr. Christa Rogers-Pettie’s entrance into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Inductions for the HOF were shut down for three years from 2020-2022 because of the pandemic. The 2008 QV graduate waited patiently for that much-anticipated phone call from her former track coach,...
With senior-loaded lineup, Thomas Jefferson in position to claim another section title
Thomas Jefferson has won 25 section titles in girls volleyball in school history. The Jaguars are well on their way to No. 26 this season thanks to a fast start in Section 3-3A. They are seeking their third straight section crown and 11th in the past 12 seasons. TJ was...
Advance scout Jim Smoyer, an ‘invaluable’ part of Thomas Jefferson’s football program
Thomas Jefferson football aficionado Jim Smoyer is like most high school fans. He rarely misses a game on Friday nights. But Smoyer, a 1988 TJ grad and a former football player for the Jaguars, doesn’t attend a myriad of games involving his alma mater. Instead, Smoyer checks out the team...
Thomas Jefferson boys soccer overcomes injuries to get off to strong start
Thomas Jefferson, expected to be a contender for a section title in boys soccer, found itself reeling from injuries in the first month of the season. Two returning starters and a top underclassman expected to be a big contributor missed the early part of the schedule recovering from offseason knee...
Despite graduation losses, Sewickley Academy boys soccer off to fast start
The 2023 season would be considered a time to rebuild for most soccer programs after losing nine seniors to graduation. Not so at Sewickley Academy. The Panthers, minus co-section player of the year Adin Zorn and three other graduated all-section players — midfielders Hudson Colletti, Michael DiSantis and Lucas Mendoca...
Furman South honored to be 1st Quaker Valley hockey player inducted into school’s hall of fame
Furman South’s brilliant hockey career has been filled with a series of firsts. • The 2006 Quaker Valley graduate skated on the first state championship hockey team in program history. • South ranks first in numerous statistical season- and career-long categories, including most goals in a season, career goals, most...
Bethel Park volleyball ‘young but competitive’ so far this season
Bethel Park was a veteran girls volleyball squad in 2022 with eight seniors and three juniors. The Black Hawks finished 10-6 overall and 6-4 in Section 2-4A as Peters Township and Canon-McMillan tied for first at 9-1. “This year’s team is young but competitive,” coach Brooke Muraco said. “We are...
Strong start fuels Bethel Park boys soccer toward postseason run
If the first month of the season was any indication, the Bethel Park boys soccer team was looking at a fantastic finish in 2023. As of Sept. 17, Bethel Park was undefeated at 6-0 and in first place in Section 3-3A, one game ahead of Thomas Jefferson (5-1) and Ringgold...
New Quaker Valley hall of famer Justin Shegog raised basketball program’s profile
Justin Shegog was a mover and a shaker in the gym as well as for the entire Quaker Valley boys basketball program. Athletic director Mike Mastroianni, who doubles as the coach for the QV boys hoops team, coached Shegog from 1996-2000. Mastroianni said Shegog laid the foundation for success for...
Senior standouts set tone for Quaker Valley soccer
Two of the stars on last year’s boys soccer team at Quaker Valley are back for their senior season. Defensive specialist Nick Allan, the reigning player of the year in Section 4-2A, and midfielder Matteo Castellini were named section all-stars in 2022. The 5-foot-9 Allan is third-year starter, second-year captain...
