Ray Fisher stories, Page 44
Preston Zandier joins list of Thomas Jefferson Big 33 players
Preston Zandier has joined an exclusive club as a senior member of the Thomas Jefferson football program. A sturdy 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver/linebacker and Youngstown State recruit, Zandier has been selected to participate in the 2021 Big 33 Football Classic. He is one of two players labeled as “athletes” on...
Baldwin girls basketball honors senior class that has seen it all
They have been friends and teammates throughout their high school careers, sticking together through thick and thin. The seniors on the Baldwin girls basketball team were honored at home Feb. 17 during pregame ceremonies with Canon-McMillan. The 2020-21 senior hoopsters are guards Lexi Bernotas, Sydney Carr, Anna Lucarelli and Taylor...
Senior duo builds impressive resumes for Thomas Jefferson wrestling
Thomas Jefferson wrestlers Kale Buckiso and Michael Zacur burst onto the scene as freshmen in 2017-18. Both won 27 matches and recorded double-digit pins. Following their sensational varsity debuts, Buckiso and Zacur posted 26-10 and 28-12 records as sophomores. Buckiso logged 16 falls and repeated his freshman performance by not...
Hard-nosed approach carries Thomas Jefferson boys to strong season
Hard work does have its benefits. “Our team has worked as hard as any team I have coached,” said Dom DeCicco, Thomas Jefferson’s veteran boys basketball floor boss. “We always take the approach of one game at a time and try to get a little better each day. “After losing...
Thomas Jefferson swimmers maintain success through pandemic protocols, coaching change
Thomas Jefferson’s first-year coach is a familiar figure to the many members of the swim program. Brian Peters, former assistant to longtime mentor John Penn, has taken over as head coach following Penn’s retirement. “Wow, I have been coaching a long time, but I have never felt more like a...
Baldwin junior dives into 5-sport schedule
Baldwin junior Abbey Herrle doesn’t have time to waste. After all, she’s a five-sport athlete with a 3.6 GPA. “Every time anyone asks about my sports and how I manage five of them, I always tell them that if you love something enough, you’ll always be committed to it,” Herrle...
Hampton eager to compete in open WPIAL basketball playoffs
WPIAL Hall of Fame basketball coach Joe Lafko’s 25th season at Hampton has been like no others. After dealing with the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic, the Talbots, playoff qualifiers for 16 consecutive years, ended January with just one win. But because of the unique circumstances surrounding this season, the...
Hampton boys head into WPIAL swim championships with great expectations
It’s official. The WPIAL swim finals will take place March 6-7. Hampton’s boys swim team has the dates circled on its calendar. “Everything is gearing up for us to have a great showing at WPIALs,” coach Morgan Zweygardt said. “Now that the date has been confirmed, the boys are even...
Led by senior duo, Brentwood boys surge into first place
The Brentwood boys basketball team flourished in January, posting a 7-1 record, including a perfect 5-0 run in Section 4-3A. The Spartans ended the month on a five-game winning streak, including a key 55-54 section win Jan. 29 at home against Washington, ranked fourth in Class 3A. “This team plays...
Numbers up, enthusiasm abounds for Baldwin swim teams
Baldwin swim coach Kim Klinger basks in optimism, in and out of the pool. “I am constantly proud of how the athletes are performing this season,” Klinger said. “The season started with conditioning outside with no pool usage. The swimmers loved the cardio conditioning and strength training. We had a...
Brentwood’s Mallory Daly, other freshmen make instant impact
Mallory Daly has had a major effect on the Brentwood girls basketball team. You could say she has helped the team improve on a daily basis — at practice and in the Spartans’ games And she’s only a freshman. The 5-foot-7 Daly, a backcourt sensation as a sharpshooting point guard,...
Baldwin competitive cheer squad pivots to virtual routine, makes nationals
The Baldwin competitive cheerleaders have entered the land of the unknown. Baldwin qualified for the Universal Cheerleaders Association nationals again this year, but this time virtually. It marks the eighth consecutive year the Highlanders have made the national event under the guidance of coaches Taryn Madden and Dena Mihalsky. This...
Thomas Jefferson’s Finnerty off to strong start with tournament titles
Months of painstaking preparation and grueling practice proved beneficial for Thomas Jefferson junior Brian Finnerty. The 172-pound grappler took first place in his weight division Jan. 9 at the season-opening North Allegheny Invitational. “Brian had a great start, winning the tournament and really opening up his offense,” TJ coach Michael...
Thomas Jefferson set for another rivalry matchup with Chartiers Valley girls
The rivalry continues. No two girls basketball teams in the WPIAL have met as many times over the past two seasons as Chartiers Valley and Thomas Jefferson. The Colts have won seven in a row against the TJ girls, including a 64-48 victory in 2019 at the WPIAL Class 5A...
Thomas Jefferson gymnasts happy to compete, aim to defend WPIAL title
The Thomas Jefferson gymnastics program has climbed quickly to elite status. Last year, TJ won its fourth section title in a row, second consecutive WPIAL championship and finished as the state runner-up in the gold division. “We hope to defend the WPIAL title,” coach Jodi Cummings said, “and we hope...
Baldwin gymnasts ready to defend championship
The tag “defending state champion” provides awe-inspiring incentive for the Baldwin gymnasts in 2020-21. This season, the Highlanders are looking to retain their Pennsylvania Classic team title in the silver division. “We hope to be able to qualify for WPIALs and defend our state title,” coach Jodi Cummings said. “Each...
Thomas Jefferson hockey making strides against tougher competition
Thomas Jefferson’s hockey team is on the rise. After competing in the PIHL Class A division for several years, the Jaguars moved up to Class AA this season. At the end of December, TJ owned a 2-1-1 record in the Varsity AA Southwest Division. “The league uses a fair-play formula...
Baldwin in prime position for another shot at Penguins Cup championship
The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound effect on the Baldwin hockey team. After winning its first 15 games last year, Baldwin advanced to the PIHL Penguins Cup Class AA finals with a 19-1 record and was set to play 18-1 Latrobe in the championship game. The PIHL season was...
Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin, Brentwood girls basketball teams have playoff ambitions
Here’s a look at the high school girls basketball teams for the South Hills Record coverage area: Thomas Jefferson The Thomas Jefferson girls won’t soon forget the wild ride that was the 2019-20 season. The Jaguars started out 7-1, won three and lost three midseason games, and wrapped it up...
Brentwood, Thomas Jefferson, Baldwin boys basketball teams look to develop chemistry
Here’s a look at boys basketball teams in the South Hills Record coverage area: Brentwood Graduation losses hit the Brentwood boys basketball program hard. The Spartans were stacked with seven seniors in 2019-20, led by four-year starter C.J. Ziegler, a flashy 5-foot-11 guard and 1,000-point career scorer who is a...
Baldwin basketball teams take fresh approach
Location, location, location. Veteran coach Jeff Ackermann has returned to his South Hills roots. A Brentwood native who has won five WPIAL titles and one PIAA championship at various schools, Ackermann was hired in May to oversee the boys basketball program at Baldwin. “We have a fairly young team with...
Senior class helps Thomas Jefferson football add to overflowing trophy case
Two PIAA championships, three WPIAL titles, three conference crowns. In a nutshell, that describes the four-year varsity careers of the seniors in the Thomas Jefferson football program. The Jaguars topped previously undefeated and District 4 winner Jersey Shore, 21-14, in the PIAA Class 4A finals Nov. 28 at Hersheypark Stadium....
Thomas Jefferson football A to Z: Another special season for Jaguars
An anatomy of a state champion, or it takes a village to build a successful football program. Thomas Jefferson (10-1) won its 10th WPIAL title in school history and fifth state crown in 2020. The Jaguars held off previously undefeated and District 4 winner Jersey Shore (10-1), 21-14, Nov. 28...
Baldwin’s Gina Bolla leaves lasting mark on cross country program
Gina Bolla entered the Baldwin cross country program in 2017 as a quiet, unassuming freshman. Four years later, she’s emerged as the crown jewel of the program. Bolla is a cross country, indoor and outdoor track athlete. She placed 20th at this year’s PIAA Class AAA meet with a time...
Thomas Jefferson’s McClain Flinn shows flair for dramatic
It was an emotionally charged atmosphere at North Allegheny. Thomas Jefferson squeaked past Aliquippa, 35-28, in a WPIAL Class 4A overtime thriller Nov. 14. The Jaguars built on their championship culture with the 10th WPIAL championship in school history. The overtime period belonged to junior McClain Flinn, a 6-foot-1, 182-pound...
