John Grupp stories, Page 3

The North Allegheny boys soccer team’s 2024 season started with a loss and ended with heartbreak, but everything in between was exceptional. “The regular season historically was very good,” coach Manuel Montero said. “It was phenomenal.” The season, which opened with a disappointing loss to Wheeling Park (W.Va.) and concluded...

When North Allegheny field hockey coach Michelle Kessler asked her seniors in August what they hoped to accomplish this season, their answer was short and sweet. “Have fun.” “They definitely held true to that,” Kessler said. “Even at times when we may not have gotten the outcome that we wanted...

The greatest season in North Allegheny boys golf began three months ago with a practice and a premonition. At the Tigers’ first workout, assistant coach Bill Medwick inhaled the early August breeze and declared, “I smell a state title is in the air.” The nose knew. North Allegheny capped its...

The seven-time PIAA Class 4A champion North Allegheny girls volleyball team actually had to break a sweat this regular season. The Tigers may be less powerful than usual or, if history is an indication, more prepared for adversity than ever. “We haven’t been a dominant team in every match,” coach...

The North Allegheny girls tennis team entered this season with little experience, a lot of questions marks and no place to call home. “Going into camp in August,” coach Michelle Weniger said, “we were very aware that we were going to be a young, inexperienced team.” The Tigers overcame their...

The Hampton hockey team wasted no time showing how a little belief can go a long way. Hampton, coming off a 5-15 season that included a 0-5 start and a midseason coaching change, opened its 2024-25 campaign with a 5-4 overtime victory against Butler and a 12-0 rout over Richland....

When Hampton’s WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game at West Allegheny went into overtime on Oct. 19, it felt almost regular for the Talbots. It was the fifth OT game of the season for No. 9-seeded Hampton, which escaped No. 8 West Allegheny, 2-1, on senior midfielder Caden Muchenski’s penalty-kick...

Scoring goals was never a problem for the North Allegheny hockey team last season. The goal this season will be preventing them. “We bring back five of the top six (on defense),” coach Andrew Siess said. “So that’s really a point of emphasis for us. We know we’re very strong...

North Allegheny star distance runners Robin and Wren Kucler took official visits to the same schools, but the identical twins ended up on different paths. Robin has committed to run at Wake Forest, while Wren picked Penn State. “I think those are two perfect choices for them,” NA cross country...

North Allegheny’s 0-0 double-overtime tie at top-ranked Seneca Valley on Oct. 7 was emblematic of the Tigers’ season. The defense was again outstanding, while the attack remains a work in progress. “We feel very good about the style of soccer that we play, and we can compete with the other...

Gabby Baldasare found herself in coaching limbo this spring when she resigned after two seasons with Pine-Richland girls basketball. But one phone call from Spencer Stefko changed all that. Stefko, the highly successful North Allegheny coach who stepped down unexpectedly after the 2023-24 season, recommended Baldasare pursue the job opening...

North Allegheny senior linebackers Dylan and Kyle Langdon came into the world at the same time. The identical twins share the exact same DNA, but that’s not all they have in common. “They mean a lot to everything,” NA coach Art Walker said. “They are very good leaders. They work...

The North Allegheny golf team doesn’t spend much time in the high school gym, but the Tigers plan on making some renovations anyway. Coming off one of the best regular seasons in program history, the Tigers are looking to snap a 53-year WPIAL team title drought and update a black...

Hampton senior Grace Stitt was hurting after losing the first set of the WPIAL Class 2A singles semifinals Sept. 18 at Bethel Park. “I was feeling pretty defeated,” she said. “I felt awful.” A little while later, she was crying. But they were tears of joy. No. 2 seeded Stitt...

Hampton coach Steve Sciullo was content to settle for overtime after Chartiers Valley scored a game-tying touchdown with under 40 seconds to play Sept. 20. Hampton running back Evan McAneny had other plans. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior broke loose for an 83-yard touchdown run on the next play, giving the...

Like everyone else, Hampton junior Marissa Bigante has good days and bad days. But lately, there are so many more good ones. Roughly one year since being diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic and suffering a torn ACL in a one-month span, Bigante is blossoming as a first-year cross country...

Hampton graduate Dawson Dietz is already among the most decorated Washington & Jefferson football players in the past 25 years. This season, he can join an elite list on the national level. After earning first-team All-American honors by D3Football.com each of the past two seasons, the senior defensive tackle is...

Angie Raimondi admits her high school career lacked enough to earn a spot in the Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame. Turns out she was just getting started. The former Hampton swimmer and rower developed into an accomplished triathlete with three Ironman competitions and a 321.6-mile Ultraman to her credit. “I...

One of the first things new Aquinas Academy field hockey coach Albert Casas told his players is that “winning is a consequence, not a goal.” But after losing in the WPIAL Class A finals three years in a row, the Crusaders’ goal definitely involves winning. “I know all of them...

When Hampton hosts Upper St. Clair on Sept. 13, the highlights will include much more than a typical WPIAL nonconference football game. “It’s going to be a special night for me, for sure,” Hampton senior wide receiver/linebacker Ray Kirsopp said. “It’s a lot for me to process.” Hampton will hold...

The Aquinas Academy girls volleyball team is a first-year WPIAL program, but the Crusaders plan to grow up quickly. After two seasons as a club sport, the players at the tiny Hampton Catholic school have their sights on a WPIAL Class A playoff berth. “We just put up some new...

The Hampton boys and girls cross country teams are trying to run into the record books this season. But they would take different paths. The boys are looking to become only the second program in 61 years to win four consecutive WPIAL Class 2A cross country titles, while the girls...

Second-team all-WPIAL setter Lilly Muczinski has a message for anyone doubting the Hampton girls volleyball team this season. “We can take anyone, any day,” she said. “We’re scrappy. We are everywhere. We can pick up balls. We can block. We can do everything.” Next up, they get to try to...

The Hampton girls soccer team returns a loaded roster — and one bitter memory — for a 2024 season filled with expectations. “It’s going to be a fun one,” said senior midfielder Gigi Rudy, one of 10 returning starters from a 15-4 team. “Right after the loss, we said ‘We’re...

Rebuilding is a dirty word for Hampton’s Matt McAwley. The 10th-year boys soccer coach doesn’t want inexperience or youth to be used as an excuse at a program that has reached the WPIAL Class 3A finals twice in the past three seasons. “There are a lot of shoes to fill...