Ray Fisher stories, Page 36

Anna Lucarelli proved to be a rarity in the Baldwin girls basketball program. Lucarelli was a four-year captain for the Highlanders, an uncommon role at any level and one she genuinely embraced. “I am really grateful. I have had some great coaches to help me on and off the court,”...

There is a sunny disposition in both Thomas Jefferson basketball programs heading into 2021-22. The senior-driven boys team will have key players back from this year’s 18-5 unit, while the girls team has high hopes to build off its 12-10 record thanks to a host of talented underclassmen. “I really...

Improvement is a key word in the Penn Hills softball program. After missing last season because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Indians are hoping to improve from their sixth-place finish in Section 2-5A in 2019. The Indians are led by senior shortstop Irlynn Richardson. “She’s a good kid,” coach Rich...

The Penn Hills baseball coaches promote a family atmosphere in their program. “We have really been focusing on proper conditioning, proper weight training and the many different situations that arise during a baseball game,” said Dale Banks, assistant head coach to Rodney Stubbs. “We preach family first, but we also...

Jeannette baseball has been a perennial playoff contender in recent years under the guidance coach Marcus Clarkson. The Jayhawks advanced to the postseason five consecutive years, from 2015 to ’19, and reeled in the ’17 WPIAL Class A title with a 7-3 victory against section rival Greensburg Central Catholic at...

A priority early for the Jeannette softball team was a high-alert search for players at the high school. “There is no feeder program here, and I had to cancel my first scrimmage due to having only eight players,” said Joe Giacomin, the Jayhawks’ first-year coach. “After every practice, I ask...

The Penn Hills boys volleyball team is glad to be back in the gym and is looking forward to competing in 2021. “My expectations for this season are to play,” said Jay Mitlo, the Indians veteran coach. “One year was taken from these guys, and we are elated to get...

The 2021 track season at Penn Hills will be filled with many unknowns. One thing for certain is youth will be served this spring. “I have a very young team this year,” said veteran coach Lee Zelkowitz. “All the coaches are enjoying working with these athletes. They are very motivated...

Brentwood’s basketball season started with a bang but fizzled out at the end. After a 12-0 start in a season delayed a month by covid-related concerns, the girls team dropped its final two games, including a 47-44 decision at home to Beaver Falls in the first round of the WPIAL...

The potential is there for a big 2021-22 season for the Baldwin boys basketball team. Really big. The Highlanders will have several key players back from this year’s team. “We return the majority of our team,” said first-year coach Jeff Ackermann. “We do lose two great seniors, but I think...

It was a great week of sports for the Holzer household. Thomas Jefferson’s hockey team, sparked by senior forward Riley Holzer’s two goals, beat Baldwin, 3-1, on March 9 to climb into a tie for first place in the PIHL Class AA Southwest Division. Two days later, the Jaguars skated...

Nick Johnson has been bowling competitively for only three years. This year has proven to be special. And historic. Johnson, a junior at Thomas Jefferson, is the first bowler in school history to win a WPIBL singles championship. “TJ bowling has had some good bowlers in the past that have...

And then there was one. Luke Pletz, the last of the Pletz siblings, ended his prominent high school career in the pool March 6 at Upper St. Clair at the WPIAL Class AA championship meet. And thus a family legacy of quality swimming at the scholastic level ceased. A senior...

There definitely was a family feel to the Premier Gym high school gymnastics program. At the hub of it all was the venerable matriarch, Jodi Cummings, head coach of the Baldwin and Thomas Jefferson gymnastics teams. Cummings, Becky Revo and Kristen Weber had the good fortune to be able to...

Hard work and dedication in the weight room have paid off handsomely for Penn Hills junior Angelo Allen. And he’s not finished yet. The 5-foot-11, 235-pound Allen recently shattered a Penn Hills track team record in the indoor shot put event established 52 years ago by Jack Poindexter. “I feel...

The Penn Hills girls basketball team will have a new look to its lineup for 2021-22. With five seniors and one junior on this year’s team roster, look for a group of fresh faces to be incorporated into next year’s lineup by coach Robert Cash. It will be a true...

Joey Starzynski has been on center stage in the Baldwin basketball program for the past two years. He’s been the “star” of the show on most nights, none moreso than Feb. 24 when he scored a career-high 30 points in a 68-53 nonsection win over Albert Gallatin. A 6-foot-3 senior...

Thomas Jefferson’s Jake Pugh and Ian Hansen proved to be a near-unstoppable aerial combination last fall. Pugh, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior quarterback, connected with senior wideout Hansen (5-8, 170) 42 times for 785 yards and seven touchdowns. And they aren’t finished making an impact on the football field just yet....

One corner of the South Hills has become prime property for high school hockey aficionados. Baldwin and Thomas Jefferson, located about 6 miles apart, have monopolized the action in the PIHL Class AA ranks since the start of the 2019-20 season. The teams were a combined 23-1-0-1 at the end...

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...

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...

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 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’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 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...