Ray Fisher stories, Page 29
Baldwin spirit squad pleased with WPIAL performance, looks forward to state meet
The 2022-23 season has been a learning experience for many of the girls on the Baldwin competitive spirit cheerleading squad. And they’ve been taught well. The Highlanders placed third in the large squad division at the WPIAL championships Jan. 7, at Hempfield. “We have 21 total cheerleaders this season and...
Quaker Valley swimmers off to strong start, look forward to championship meets
Two up and two down. Both the Quaker Valley boys and girls swim teams opened the season at 2-0, defeating Beaver Falls and Central Valley. “We’ve had a great start,” QV’s third-year coach John Nemeth said. “The kids are training hard and are in a better place compared to last...
5 all-stars have Quaker Valley hockey firing on all cylinders
Five members of the Quaker Valley hockey team have been chosen to participate in the PIHL all-star showcase this year. Only two are seniors. It’s a testimonial to the youth of the QV team and the success the Quakers have experienced so far this season. Two forwards, seniors Ben Carlson...
Bethel Park notebook: Brian DeLallo gets coach of year award as parting gift
Bethel Park’s Brian DeLallo was named coach of the year in the Class 5A Allegheny Six football conference. Call it a going-away present for DeLallo. After coaching the Black Hawks for four seasons, DeLallo stepped down following the team’s final game in 2022. “I retired, or maybe more accurately stated,...
Senior captain leads way as Bethel Park hockey looks to make playoff push in season’s 2nd half
It was a month to remember for Bethel Park hockey player Christian Strang. Strang was named Class 3A Player of the Month in November by the PIHL as the senior left winger scored twice for the Black Hawks. “I am honored to have been named 3A player of the month,”...
Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy soccer standouts pick up postseason honors
Four Quaker Valley athletes were named Section 4-2A boys soccer all-stars in 2022, led by player of the year Nick Allan, a junior defensive specialist. “I was very excited and humbled when I received the award,” Allan said, “because I know this is a big achievement and many great players...
Quaker Valley wide receiver Jakub Pickett recognized for strong senior season
Quaker Valley senior Jakub Pickett has made a name for himself on the football field. Opposing coaches and players have noticed. Pickett, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver/defensive back, repeated as a first-team all-conference selection on offense this year. “Jakub has many strengths as a football player,” QV coach Jason Cappa...
Quaker Valley senior commits to storied Brown University rowing program
Ellie Graham, a senior at Quaker Valley, has opted to extend her rowing career at Brown University of the Ivy League. “I selected Brown because of its culture of academic rigor, but also for the fact that, while it is rigorous, it does not seem to be extremely cutthroat like...
Quaker Valley wrestlers learn from Powerade experience, set sights on WPIAL repeat
A select group of Quaker Valley athletes did some big-time wrestling over the holiday break. Freshman Bruce Anderchak (107), junior Isaac Maccaglia (114) and seniors Brandon Krul (127) and Logan Richey (145) participated in the varsity division of the nationally acclaimed Powerade Tournament on Dec. 29-30 at Canon-McMillan. Following the...
Brentwood’s Kevin Kissel retires after 40 years on sideline
Kevin Kissel is considered a Brentwood institution, particularly in the high school football program. Kissel, 66, has been coaching football for 40 years, or much more than half his life. After working 14 seasons as an assistant (from 1983-96), Kissel has been the Spartans’ head coach for the past 26...
Phenomenal 6-4 freshman Oumou Thiero carries on family tradition with Quaker Valley girls basketball
Basketball is a staple in the Thiero family. As is height. Oumou Thiero, aka Mimi, enjoyed a dazzling varsity debut as a freshman athlete in the Quaker Valley girls basketball program. The 6-foot-4 Thiero led QV to a 50-47 win Dec. 2 against Montour in a tip-off tournament hosted by...
Sewickley Academy cheerleaders bring spirit to winter sports programs
When it pertains to school spirit, Sewickley Academy cheerleaders Nikki Golestan and Alex Cordle rise above the crowd. The senior co-captains promote an intensity spirit-wise that is beyond comparison. “Our captains have amazing school spirit and Panther pride,” said Lindsey Petruska, who shares the cheer coaching duties at Sewickley with...
Quaker Valley thrower’s dedication carries him to Amherst track team
By all indications, Quaker Valley senior Alex MacDonald is a humble guy. His actions, however, speak volumes about his academic and athletic prowess. MacDonald recently received an early decision acceptance letter to prestigious Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., where he will be a throwing specialist on the men’s track and...
Lightning-quick Aquinas Academy guard Vinnie Cugini threatening WPIAL all-time scoring record
Any mention of the Aquinas Academy boys basketball team starts with 6-foot-2 guard Vinnie Cugini. The senior backcourt star led the WPIAL in scoring in each of the past three seasons, averaging 34.2, 39.2 and 35 points per game. Cugini reached the 2,000-point mark in his 55th varsity game Feb....
Quaker Valley plans encore after breakthrough season
It most definitely was a season to remember. Quaker Valley wrapped up the best wrestling season in school history March 12 with four individual medalists at the PIAA Class 2A championships at Giant Center in Hershey. “We qualified five kids to compete in arguably the toughest wrestling tournament in the...
Emily Connors, Quaker Valley swimmers set goals high
Emily Connors has experienced much success in her two years in the Quaker Valley pool. Connors ended her outstanding sophomore season in 2021-22 as a triple medalist at the PIAA Class 2A girls championships held at Bucknell. She placed sixth in the 100-yard freestyle and eighth in the 100-yard butterfly....
South Hills Record girls basketball preview: Teams look to continue to build
Basketball season is underway. Here’s a look at the three girls teams in the South Hills Record coverage area: Baldwin Baldwin lost a big part of last year’s team when leading scorer Morgan Altavilla graduated in the spring. A highly energetic 5-foot-6 guard and four-year varsity starter, Altavilla led the...
South Hills Record boys basketball preview: Baldwin boys thinking big
Basketball season is underway. Here’s a look at the three boys teams in the South Hills Record coverage area: Baldwin Baldwin boys basketball coach Jeff Ackermann has lofty expectations for 2022-23. “Our goals this year are to continue to move the program forward,” Ackermann said. “We want to compete for...
Sewickley Academy boys look to compete in tough section
The Sewickley Academy boys basketball team is a member of Section 1-2A again this season, but the section itself has a different feel to it. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart won the section title last season then went on to capture WPIAL and PIAA championships and finish with a...
Quaker Valley boys flying under radar after massive graduation losses
The Quaker Valley boys basketball team faces a tall order in 2022-23. The Quakers are the defending WPIAL Class 4A and Section 2-4A champions. They posted a 14-0 section record and 27-1 overall mark last season after advancing to the PIAA championship game. It was a banner season to say...
Expectations high for ‘underestimated’ Bethel Park girls
Optimism is abundant in the Bethel Park girls basketball program. “The team is very excited for the season to start,” coach Samantha Loadman said. “We’ve been putting in the work for months and can’t wait to start playing some games. “We expect to show up for every game prepared and...
New coach Dante Calabria working with youthful roster at Bethel Park
Seven seniors. Count ‘em, seven. That’s half a roster, and that’s how many players the Bethel Park boys basketball team lost to graduation. It’s the team that Bethel Park floor boss Dante Calabria inherited from former coach Josh Bears this season. Bears resigned after seven years with the Black Hawks....
New coach expects Sewickley Academy girls to adopt defensive identity
The Sewickley Academy girls basketball team has a new head coach. She is not new to the program, however. Jill Capozzi has taken over as head coach after serving as an assistant to Mark Gaither last season. “I left teaching and coaching to raise my children and last year got...
Returning contributors have Quaker Valley girls in position to make noise
Last season was a learning experience for the coaches and players on the Quaker Valley girls basketball team. The Quakers advanced to both the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A playoffs in Ken Johns’ first year as floor boss. This season, QV is looking to make more noise in the section,...
New coach aims to make game fun again for Plum boys basketball
Justin Walther, a familiar face around WPIAL circles, is the new coach of the Plum boys basketball team. Walther was hired at the end of June and replaces Mark Marino, who went 23-25 in three seasons as the Mustangs coach. Walther graduated from Central Catholic in 1995 as the second-leading...
