Ray Fisher stories, Page 53
Norwin girls cruise to another county track title
The Norwin tracksters — particularly the girls team — shifted into cruise control April 27 at the annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association championships. The Norwin girls dominated at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, more than doubling their closest competitors in team points and repeating as county champions. The Knights racked up 130...
Franklin Regional’s Todero leaps into spotlight at WCCA meet
Franklin Regional’s Rayna Todero leaped into the spotlight at the annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association outdoor championships. The Panthers sophomore took first place in the girls triple jump at the invitational held April 27 at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, hitting a mark of 37 feet, 3 inches. Todero has proven that...
Thomas Jefferson’s Maheshwari looks forward to PIAA singles tournament
Yash Maheshwari, a talented junior athlete at Thomas Jefferson, repeated as a section champion and WPIAL finalist in boys tennis this season. “Yash is one of the top players in WPIAL Class AA and has qualified for state singles for the second time,” said Chuck Correll, TJ’s veteran coach. “Yash...
Brentwood track teams turn focus toward big-meet success
The Brentwood girls track and field team wrapped up its section season with a 6-2 record. “We are in the midst of a really solid season,” said coach Mike Cramer prior to the WPIAL playoffs. Seniors Natalie Murrio, Rebecca Dirling and Quintasia Streeter and junior Mandy Race have led the...
Gateway searches for consistency during WPIAL playoff push
It’s been a case of feast or near-famine for the Gateway softball team. In their six wins, the Gators scored an average of 14 runs per outing. In the five losses, Gateway averaged 2.4 runs per game. “We have been working every day on hitting,” said Scott Lewis, the Gators’...
Thomas Jefferson softball recovers from mini-skid to win 3 straight
Thomas Jefferson’s softball team experienced a blip on their midseason radar, losing two games in section play. But the Jaguars recovered and logged a 9-2 overall record into the second half of their Section 2-4A schedule. A WPIAL finalist and PIAA semifinalist last season, Thomas Jefferson opened the year with...
Thomas Jefferson baseball heads into second half of section play on roll
Thomas Jefferson ended the first half of its section schedule as one of the hottest baseball teams in the WPIAL. The Jaguars won six of seven games in early April, including a 1-0 Section 3-4A victory April 18 at home against rival Belle Vernon. Junior hurler Dylan Mallozzi was masterful...
Columbus’ scoring helps Norwin girls lacrosse to impressive start
Maura Columbus is a steady goal-scorer for the Norwin girls lacrosse team. Through nine games, the senior midfielder had accounted for a team-high 23 goals, which included a seven-goal outburst April 18 in a 14-13 win in overtime against Indiana. Columbus scored five goals against Baldwin and Hempfield and four...
Norwin softball hopes to continue momentum into second half of season
Norwin’s softball team opened the season with a tough 1-0 section loss at Seneca Valley. The Knights shook it off by winning six of their next seven, including a rousing 6-1 victory April 11 against four-time defending WPIAL champion Hempfield, which also has won three state titles in a row....
Victory at Tri-State meet helps Thomas Jefferson’s Wagner build toward WPIALs
Fresh off her banner basketball season at Thomas Jefferson, junior Molly Wagner exploded out of the gate to start the outdoor track and field season. Wagner, one of the top sprinters in the WPIAL, took first place in the girls 200-meter dash at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association outdoor championships...
South Hills notebook: Thomas Jefferson’s Territ named player of the week
Notebook items from around the South Hills: • The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its latest rankings Monday based on a vote of all 39 WPIAL coaches. Thomas Jefferson senior outside hitter Alex Territ recently was named as Class AA Player of the Week. The TJ netters are ranked...
Gateway softball competing for WPIAL playoff spot
Gateway softball was a member of Section 1-5A last year, going 8-7 and qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs. The Gators are still in Class 5A this spring but have moved into Section 2, tackling the likes of Hampton, Mars, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Shaler and Woodland Hills. On April...
Gateway softball captains passionate about sport, duties
Their passion is softball. They display it regularly at practice and on the field before, during and after games. That’s just one of the reasons seniors Gionna DeLuca, Jordan Henderson and Mykaila Jackson were named captains of the Gateway softball team this season. Another is they are talented athletes. DeLuca,...
Baldwin girls relay team dazzles at South Hills Classic
Lena Barakat, Kaylee Garofalo, Devon Schroeder and Gina Bolla are tireless distance runners on the Baldwin girls track and field team. Schroeder is a senior, Barakat and Bolla are sophomores and Garofalo is a freshman. The four girls banded together to win the 3,200-meter relay at the 15th annual South...
Baldwin’s O’Malley takes 4 golds at South Hills Classic track and field meet
Brendan O’Malley is one of the most talented, dedicated and well-respected track and field athletes in the region. His athleticism was on full display April 6 at the 15th annual South Hills Classic held on a pleasant, sunny day at Baldwin Stadium. O’Malley, a senior, won four events, taking first...
Fundamental approach pays off for Norwin girls lacrosse
Norwin’s girls lacrosse team worked diligently on fundamentals last year. This season, the Knights are more fundamentally sound, splitting their first four decisions to start 2-2. “The other coaches and I are extremely pleased with the team’s performance this season,” coach Drew Polczynski said. “Because we had so many players...
East Region all-star squad wins 2019 Junior Roundball Classic
Offense was the name of the game at the Junior Roundball Classic held recently at Seton LaSalle. The East Region all-star squad won the 2019 championship, defeating the South and North in the two-night event. The two teams clicked for a total of 23 field goals from 3-point range East-North...
Sopata, Dolan return to lead Baldwin baseball team
The Baldwin baseball team is aiming to make a stronger playoff push this season despite losing 10 seniors to graduation from last year’s club. The Highlanders started out 0-4 and 1-8 in 2018, then went 5-3 down the home stretch to end up 6-11 overall. “We expect to be improved...
Yekich takes control of Baldwin boys volleyball program
Milan Yekich is in his first season as head coach of the Baldwin boys volleyball program. But his background in the sport goes back to his grade school days. Yekich started playing volleyball as a fifth-grader at St. Elizabeth. He continued his career through middle school and high school, and...
Norwin track and field teams expecting another strong season
The Norwin girls have advanced to the WPIAL Class AAA final four in track and field in 13 of the past 14 years. “The expectations for both the girls and boys are always the same,” coach Brian Fleckenstein said. “Win all the section meets, win the Westmoreland County team title,...
Thomas Jefferson athletes sign letters of intent, break records
Notebook items in and around the Thomas Jefferson High School campus: • The senior class has hit double digits. No less than 10 seniors have signed letters of intent for college, where they will continue their academic/athletic careers. They include Darius Barrett (Clarion/football), A.J. Meshanko (California, Pa./soccer), Jenna Clark (Yale/basketball),...
Registration open for new Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League
Planning began last June for the inaugural Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League. Now, it’s close to becoming a reality. The flag program is the initiative of Baldwin Whitehall Athletic Association Football and Cheer and is targeted for youngsters ages 5 to 14. Age divisions will be 7U, 9U, 11U...
TJ girls basketball revels in historic season
March Madness for Thomas Jefferson meant a trip to the WPIAL girls basketball finals and historic run to the PIAA semifinals. It was the first time the team went that deep into the state playoffs. The Jaguars finished 22-8 overall, which included 3-1 records in the WPIAL and PIAA tournaments....
Thomas Jefferson baseball starts fresh with new coach
First-year coach Tim Vickers and his staff are looking to turn around the fortunes of the Thomas Jefferson baseball program. TJ finished 6-14 last season, coming in sixth place in Section 3-5A. The Jaguars are hoping to rebound behind four returning starters. “We have been working on every single facet...
Brentwood softball team rebuilding on fly with 10 freshmen
Brentwood will field one of the younger high school softball teams in Western Pennsylvania this season. The Spartans have 10 freshmen and one first-year sophomore looking to fill the gaps made by the graduation of four seniors from last year’s playoff squad. “Our team is very young but very eager,”...
