powering Fort Cherry to a 12-2 win over visiting Avella in a five-inning nonsection game Friday Trnvasky led a 13-hit attack that scored all of its runs in the first three innings Ben Demascal and Tyler Wolfe also homered for Fort Cherry drove in three runs and pitched three scoreless innings Avella (10-7) did all of its scoring in the fifth inning Noah Kimberland and Tristan Davis doubled for the Eagles Braden Andrews threw a two-hit shutout as Belle Vernon blanked Yough 10-0 in a five-inning nonsection game Connor Bergman drove in three runs and Cole Matusik hit a double and a triple as the Leopards improved to 13-2 If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Jennifer Rose (Steward) Dahlin-Avella, 53, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, November 8, 2024 surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Syracuse and graduated from Fowler High School. Jennifer worked at Syracuse University for... View Obituary & Service Information The family of Jennifer Rose (Steward) Dahlin-Avella created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Send flowers to the (Steward) Dahlin-Avella family Available by phone 24/7 (315) 451-9500 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page AVELLA – Avella opened the door in the top of the sixth inning and John Woodward made the Eagles pay Woodward smashed a three-run home run to right centerfield in a wild frame that saw Avella commit five errors and Jefferson-Morgan cross the plate six times on its way to a 7-5 comeback victory in a Section 1-A game Thursday at Polar Star Field Woodward loved everything about his home run trotting around the bases and being greeted by all 11 of his Jefferson-Morgan teammates when he touched home plate “I didn’t get the ball,” Woodward said He’ll gladly take a win even if he can’t put the ball on a mantle It was the big blow that helped the Rockets turn a 5-0 deficit on its head “Our coach (John Curtis) gave us a talk before that inning,” Woodward said “He told us that just because we’re down 6-3) completed a season sweep of Avella (6-2 The rally started when Dayten Marion reached on an error Avella catcher Brayden Fuller’s attempt to throw him out sailed into left field and Marion came in to score which included a discussion between the umpires about whether or not Jaymison Robinson but the umpires decided it wasn’t a swing stole second and scored on an RBI single by Deakyn DeHoet Another crucial error came in Woodward’s at bat when a popup in foul territory was dropped That gave Woodward new life and he crushed a ball over the fence in left center Drew Adams was hit by a pitch and Tyler McVay came in for him as a courtesy runner McVay made it third on a sacrifice and a ground out Avella starter Logan Fedak was lifted and Fuller took over for him After Fuller’s second pitch Wright’s throw back to him sailed high into the outfield and McVay raced home to make it 6-5 “That was really uncharacteristic of us,” Avella coach Jason Fogg said of the error-filled sixth “I didn’t really see that coming They had the one good hit in the inning and that sparked them.” The Rockets added another unearned run in the top of the seventh stole second and reached third when the throw by Wright went into the outfield He scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by DeHoet Ellsworth pitched the final two innings in relief of Adams and earned a save He stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth by getting a flyout to left field who tracked down a fly ball in the right-center gap which would’ve been extra bases had it fell Instead it was the second out of the inning but that catch he made in right centerfield was a major league catch,” Curtis said Avella seemed to have everything in control Fedak retired 12 in a row prior to the sixth and only two balls made it out of the infield Only one of the six runs on his ledger was earned Fedak went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs He did a heck of a job for us both offensively and on the mound,” Fogg said Tristan Davis had a two-run single in the third for the Eagles Hayden Gatewood plated a run on a groundout in the fifth The good news for the Eagles is that they control their own destiny If they’re able to sweep their final four games – a pair of two-game series against Greensburg Central Catholic (4-1) and Carmichaels – they would win the section “I tell them multiple times a week that you have to play hard for 21 outs offensively and 21 outs defensively,” Fogg said It’s a life lesson for the remainder of the section schedule.” Copyright © Herald-Standard | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Avella baseball coach Jason Fogg got plenty of requests from his players to go hit in the batting cages during the winter months They couldn’t wait to get back on the diamond in the spring and who could blame them after the historic season they had a year ago 6 seed in the WPIAL Class A playoffs to the semifinals and won a PIAA postseason game for the first time in school history They wanted to be ready for the season and so far Avella is 6-0 through Thursday and swept the opening Class A Section 1 series against West Greene Monday and Tuesday “Everyone got a taste of it and they want to get back,” Fogg said “They all worked really hard in the offseason They knew we had lost our top batter and probably our No but we also know that some of our biggest games are at the end of the season.” the team’s top hitter and one of the key starting pitchers last year but Bryce Wright has stepped up to fill both of those roles in the early going struck out nine and yielded only one run but got a no-decision in a 4-3 win in eight innings The next day he hit another home run and drove in three runs in a 15-7 win “Bryce has so far succeeded in every situation imaginable,” Fogg said He’s the straw that stirs the drink right now.” Avella has nonsection wins against Washington The Eagles have outscored their opponents 51-12 2 pitcher and when he isn’t on the mound is the team’s shortstop who’s recovering from an injury sustained in a dirt bike accident Fogg is hopeful to have him back on the mound soon The pitching and defense are facets that Fogg is confident in and he’s pleased to see that his team has swung the bats well early on to compliment the other two “We have a good amount of pitching for a Class A team and play pretty good defense so we will go as far as our hitting takes us,” Fogg said “Usually at the beginning of the year because of the weather and it being early in the season In the offseason you’re hitting off machines and not seeing live pitching hopefully you can hit a hot streak kind of like what we did last year in the WPIAL’s and the PIAA tournament.” Other players that have played key roles are catcher Brayden Fuller Fuller came on in relief in the first game against West Greene and did not allow an earned run in 3 1/3rd innings to get the win is in his first season seeing a lot of varsity action and is someone Fogg said has come up with clutch hits did not play last season but has come in and inserted himself as the team’s starting center fielder and leadoff hitter is another player Fogg said has stepped up right away Moore was on the Washington County Pony League World Series team Avella has a nonsection game at Northgate scheduled for Friday before a section series against Mapletown Monday and Tuesday The Eagles’ final two section series are against Greensburg Central Catholic and Carmichaels Avella played Carmichaels three times last year Greensburg Central Catholic was a top team in Class 2A before dropping down for this two-year cycle “(Greensburg Central Catholic) is going to be tough,” Fogg said “Carmichaels has an excellent program and Jefferson-Morgan has two really good pitchers They’re another team to keep an eye on so we were fortunate to get a sweep against them.” Chas Rush struck out seven over four shutout winnings and Avella remained unbeaten with a 10-0 victory in five innings over Brentwood on Monday scored three times and drove in a pair to lead the hitting for Avella (2-0) Peters Township scored the game’s first six runs then had to hold on for a 6-4 win at Canon-McMillan PT led 2-0 before scoring four times in the fifth inning on three walks and three singles for a six-run advantage Canon-McMillan scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth Jackson Stocker and Reese Clarke each doubled for PT Ben Petersen had an RBI triple for C-M and Teddy Burke doubled PT used three pitchers with Brady Pirosko getting the final four outs for a save Petersburg scored seven runs in the top of the first inning and went on to an 11-6 victory over South Fayette in a game played in Florida The Lions closed to within 8-6 in the sixth inning but St Petersburg scored three times in the top of the seventh Anthony Diodata went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBI for South Fayette Cooper Hochendoner pitched a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts as South Park defeated visiting Ringgold Ringgold avoided a shutout by scoring in the top of the seventh inning when Kennedy Nash singled and scored on a double by Tyler Fisher Frazier scored 13 runs in the top of the fifth inning and defeated Washington 20-7 at Wild Things Park Tyler Morrison drove in five runs for the Commodores Chase Fulmer had a home run and Aidan Hardy hit a pair of doubles Isaac Charnik had a three-run double for Wash High Avella pushed across two runs in the early innings and the pitching of starter Bryce Wright and reliever Logan Fedak made sure they were enough as the Eagles defeated Washington 2-1 in a season-opening game Friday Avella scored single runs in each of the first two innings Wash High answered with a solo home run by Tyler Bainer in the bottom of the second but that was all the scoring the Prexies could muster Fedak had four strikeouts in two shutout innings of relief Bainer was the hard-luck loser as he fired a four-hit complete game Wright helped his cause by going 3-for-3 with a double and Chas Rush tripled South Fayette opened its season with a 6-1 win over Tri-City Christian (Calif.) in a game played in St The Lions broke a 1-1 tie by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Cody Bungert and Chaz Kosko doubled for South Fayette Ryan Speer was the winning pitcher with two innings of scoreless relief Charleroi did all of its scoring in the first three innings and held on to defeat visiting Uniontown Luke Glasser went 2-for-2 with two doubles and three RBi to lead the Charleroi hitting Braeden Todaro and Kaden Woods each added a double The Washington County coroner is holding an inquest Tuesday to review the death of an Avella man who crashed his car while being pursued by a police officer last year Coroner Timothy Warco on Friday announced the inquest into 45-year-old Mark Michael Miller’s death on April 3 A police officer began pursuing Miller after another motorist on Route 50 in Independence Township called 911 to report a reckless driver but he refused to stop and eventually crashed into a guardrail on Route 50 near Caldwell Road in Mt Investigators previously said the pursuit lasted less than three miles Miller was taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital The name of the officer involved in the chase has not been released Tuesday in Courtroom #4 of the Washington County Courthouse BENTLEYVILLE — At the beginning of the season Avella wrestling coach Aaron Margaria said it was just nice to see an Avella singlet again the Eagles returned to the mat this winter and are proving to be more than just a feel-good story the Eagles went to Bentworth and earned a 48-27 win in the preliminary round of the WPIAL Class 2A Team Tournament “These guys have wrestled really hard this year and have gone above and beyond what I could ask them to do,” Margaria said “Just to be in an Avella singlet tonight was a win in our book and to pull this off was even more I couldn’t be prouder of them.” The Eagles have “Restored in 2024” on their warmups but they have done more than just bring a program back to life They’ve advanced to the WPIAL Class 2A first round where they’ll face No The Eagles did so by accruing five pins and three forfeits Darren Ruschel opened the match with a pin in the first period at 145 pounds Paxton Thomas (152) responded with a first-period pin of his own to even the match for Bentworth The momentum swung to Avella in the next two bouts Avella’s Chas Rush and Bentworth’s Racer Lister put forth an excellent battle at 189 Rush got off to a good start with a takedown but Lister used a reversal to get Rush in an uncomfortable spot but he was able to survive the rest of the period Rush got back to his offense in the second period and secured a pin to give Avella the lead “I knew that I could wrestle with him on my feet,” Rush said “I’ve had trouble on bottom all year but just had to keep my head in it Broden Hamm had a similar bout with Bentworth’s Abe House at 189 and came away with a pin in the second period Pins by Dustin Mace and Drake Buzzard (121) helped secure the match for the Eagles “I’m happy for Avella,” Bentworth coach Mike Shrader said “For them to not have a program for a number of years and make it to the team tournament and get a win in their first year back Alex Risulko (heavyweight) and Drake McClure (133) won by fall for the Bearcats and Bryce Crowson (139) earned a 7-4 decision in the final bout the lone match that didn’t end in a pin or forfeit Owen Ivcic (160) received a forfeit for Bentworth The junior has over 100 victories and won a title at the Clarion Tournament over the weekend but Chartiers-Houston didn’t have anybody to put on the mat The Bucs normally would have entered Austin Mruk at 145 pounds but an injury has sidelined him for the rest of the season Ethan Childers received a forfeit and Elizabeth-Forward secured a 42-36 Class 2A preliminary round victory “He’s been one of our main guys this year but unfortunately he got hurt about two weeks ago,” Bucs coach Patrick Jennings said about Mruk “He’s normally one of our better guys and he would win for us so it makes it tougher now for our team.” 4 Quaker Valley in the first round Wednesday at Burrell Chartiers-Houston was in the team playoffs for the first time since 2018 and was hoping to get its first win in the WPIAL tournament since 2017 but had four pins in a row from 107 to 127 to take a 36-24 lead Shane English got a first period pin for the Bucs at 133 and Angelo Mele received a forfeit at 139 which tied the match before Elizabeth-Forward’s final forfeit victory After Elizabeth Forward’s Lucas Bowyer (152) and Chartier-Houston’s Jesus Chavez (160) claimed a first period pin in the first two matches the third match of the night was a spirited battle at 172 between the Bucs’ Owen Straight and the Warriors’ Justin Frank Straight survived a pin attempt from Frank in the first period and then rallied in the third turning Frank over to secure a win by fall “He was worrying me a little bit on the bottom but we went over a lot of bar defense the last couple of days because the last tournament we were at we were getting hit with it a lot,” Jennings said “Thankfully he was able to fend it off get back on top and take care of business.” Ricardo Chavez (189) got a forfeit and Jacob Lyle pinned Logan Cain in nine seconds at heavyweight for the Bucs Chartiers-Houston graduates only two seniors “We would’ve liked to have done better but this is a stepping stone for our program,” Jennings said “We’re hopeful that we can come back with more guys and have a better finish here next year.” Avella ran its record to 6-0 with a 15-7 win over visiting West Greene on Tuesday in Class A Section 1 Bryce Wright homered and drove in three and Jorden Moore had five RBI as Avella improved to 2-0 in the section and swept the two-game series Winning pitcher Chas Rush struck out eight over 5⅔ innings Charleroi scored seven times in the bottom of the sixth inning to finish off a 13-3 win over Washington and sweep the two-game series in Class 3A Section 4 Jake Corrin went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI and Jace Pager was 3-for-4 and also drove in two to lead the Charleroi (2-0 Winning pitcher Brock Henderson went 5⅓ innings Alex VanSickle hit a two-run homer and drove in three Troy Groves added a run-scoring triple and Waynesburg defeated Brownsville 13-7 in Class 3A Section 4 Austin Surber hit a double and pitched 4⅓ innings of relief to get the win Ethan Kiger also had a double for the Raiders (1-0 Burgettstown scored nine runs in the top of the fourth inning to beat Chartiers-Houston 16-1 in Class 2A Section 1 Brian Charles went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs and Trent Stevens was 3-for-3 with a double and five RBI out of the No 9 spot in the batting order for Burgettstown (1-0 Michael Stafford and Sebastian Shulsky combined on a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as Canon-McMillan beat Thomas Jefferson 5-1 in a nonsection game Shulsky threw three hitless innings of relief with seven strikeouts Massimo Falconi and Troy Stimpson each doubled with Shank driving in a pair for C-M Parker Lind struck out 12 over five innings and Belle Vernon defeated visiting Uniontown 11-2 in Class 4A Section 2 Lucas Judy had a double and drove in three and Kole Doppleheuer had three hits and scored three times to lead the undefeated Leopards (1-0 Chartiers Valley scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Trinity 5-4 and split the two-game series in Class 5A Section 2 1-2) scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game Matthew Robaugh had a double for the Hillers Beth-Center scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and beat Fort Cherry 11-8 in Class 2A Section 1 1-3) led 6-0 before the big inning by B-C (1-1 The Bulldogs had only five hits but took advantage of 10 walks and five hit batsmen Hunter Lloyd was the winning pitcher in relief Xander Day and Chase Bebout each drove in two runs for B-C leading Ringgold to a 6-2 win in eight innings over Elizabeth Forward and a split of the two-game series in Class 4A Section 2 Koziel allowed three hits and two unearned runs Ringgold won the game by scoring four times in the top of the eighth Sam Allen hit two doubles and Alex Kolano had one for the Rams Moon scored six times in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally for an 8-4 victory over South Fayette in Class 5A Section 2 Trey Skeen drove in a pair and Cody Bungert had a double for South Fayette Carmichaels beat Mapletown 15-0 in a Class A Section 1 game The Mikes scored nine times in the first inning Ryder Krieg had three hits and scored three times Jefferson-Morgan was held to one hit in a 10-0 loss in five innings at Greensburg Central Catholic Serra Catholic was a 15-0 winner over Monessen in Class A Section 3 South Park was a 10-0 winner at California in a nonsection game John Curtis was more worried about picking up a key Section 1-A baseball victory than a milestone win the afternoon of April 9 when his Jefferson-Morgan team hosted undefeated Avella Both were accomplished thanks in large part to Drew Adams The junior right-hander twirled a five-hit shutout and the Rockets got two hits and two RBIs from Brayden Ellsworth and a double two runs and a stolen base from Jaymison Robinson in handing the visiting Eagles their first loss of the season “We picked a good time to do it because that was a very key section game for us today,” Curtis said “The 400 was secondary when it came to that because you’ve only got 12 of them (section games) so they’re all important.” The Rockets improved to 2-3 in the section and 3-3 overall while Avella fell to 4-1 and 8-1 Deakyn Dehoet added a single and an RBI for J-M The Rockets got the only run they would need in the first inning against hard-luck losing pitcher Bryce Wright who allowed seven hits and one walk with nine strikeouts Robinson led off with a double and scored on a single by Ellsworth Jefferson-Morgan made it 2-0 in the third when Robinson singled went to third on a fly out and scored on another Ellsworth single The Rockets capped the scoring in the fifth when Dayten Marion singled stole second and scored on Dehoet’s single Avella had a golden opportunity in the top of the sixth when it loaded the bases on three consecutive singles to start the inning but Adams got a pop out to shortstop Marion a pop out to first baseman Brenton Barnhart and then a groundout to Marion to escape the jam unscathed “Drew had a lot of first-strike pitches,” Curtis said “He was ahead in the count most of the time He has really good movement on his curveball and his slider His control was good and he keeps the ball down.” All that was left was the celebration for Curtis who wasn’t sure how many of his players or coaches were aware it was his 400th win “More of them knew than I thought apparently,” Curtis said “They had a big banner ready and then they hit me with the Gatorade.” The Rockets entered Wednesday in fifth place in the section behind first-place Greensburg Central Catholic (3-0) “The pitching in this section is good,” Curtis said When you get a single you’ve got to steal second you’ve got to bunt them up or score on a single or score on a fly ball “It’s hard to score in bunches in this section.” The Rockets were scheduled to play the Eagles again at Avella on Wednesday “I’ll celebrate at home by having a nice supper tonight,” Curtis said with a chuckle “Then I’ll sit back and get my lineup ready for tomorrow.” Dolanch’s week: There were admittedly some nerves but Dolanch didn’t show that on the mat on her way to winning the 142-pound title at the WPIAL girls wrestling championships Saturday at North Allegheny Dolanch pinned all three of her opponents in the first period because I do a lot of work,” Dolanch said “I put in the work and I don’t know I just go out there.” The 142-pound championship was the third meeting between Dolanch and Nasman but in the second one I was sick and I almost got headlocked but I ended up pinning her,” Dolanch said “In the championship I was on offense and I don’t really remember what happened Dolanch celebrated with a team dinner and a trip to Starbucks All but six of her pins have been in the first period Her only loss was a 9-7 overtime decision against Honesdale’s Maddison Miller in the finals at Powerade “I just like to make (the matches) quick,” Dolanch said Wrestling revival: Last year Dolanch wrestled for Fort Cherry in a co-op With Avella starting its wrestling program this year There’s four girls on the team: Dolanch “It was amazing,” Dolanch said “We had to go to the school board to get it I had to go to Fort Cherry last year and nobody would really wrestle me there so it’s good to have our own team.” Aiming for states: Dolanch made states as a freshman and placed sixth at 136 pounds If she finishes in the top four of next week’s Western Regional she’ll earn a return trip to Hershey She said she’ll be better prepared in her second trip because those stands (at the Giant Center) are huge and it was packed,” Dolanch said “I have never been in a place that big It’s just another wrestling match.” Bookworm: Dolanch’s favorite subject in school is English She enjoys both writing and reading and isn’t afraid to tackle any homework assignment given to her “I could write a book I write so much,” Dolanch said If I am given an assignment I can turn like five papers in even if we’re only supposed to have like two.” AVELLA — Jefferson-Morgan can now start to think about next week’s regular-season finale for the Class A Tri-County South Conference championship at California on Friday night at Avella and improved to 6-0 in conference play and 9-0 overall The Eagles fell to (2-4) in conference play and (3-6) overall to move to 6-0 in the Tri-County South and 7-2 overall Jefferson-Morgan needed just 70 seconds to score on its opening drive as John Woodward crossed the goal line on a 26-yard run and a 6-0 lead Ryan Baker pulled in a 29-yard touchdown reception from Houston Guesman for a 12-0 advantage with 4:37 remaining in the first period before the Eagles got on the scoreboard when Broden Hamm scored on a 16-yard run and Bryce Wright kicked the extra point to cut the deficit to 12-7 Hamm ran for a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter The Rockets responded to Avella’s touchdown with a five-yard touchdown run by Woodward and Guesman completed the two-point conversion attempt to Jase Bedillion for a 20-7 lead Johnny Gilbert’s 19-yard run at 9:16 of the second quarter extended Jefferson-Morgan’s advantage to 26-7 Bedillion caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Guesman and Ethan Crowe ran in the two-point conversion for a 34-7 lead with 3:53 left in the second period Bryce Wright’s 11-yard touchdown reception from Chas Wright got the Eagles within 20 at 34-14 with 22 seconds remaining before halftime Gilbert and Crowe scored on touchdown runs in the third quarter for a 48-14 advantage Avella’s Sawyer Kramer works out during practice on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, at Avella. Avella’s Chas Rush works out during practice on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, at Avella. The Avella football team works out during practice on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, at Avella. the Bentworth and California previews will be published later in the week Sawyer Kramer is always working toward pursuing the football Avella’s middle linebacker believes their defense is wired to play only one way “We want to hit people,” Kramer said The Eagles are hoping having more bodies will provide some more relief this year Despite never dressing more than 15 players Avella scratched out four wins last season With a move to the Tri-County South Conference the Eagles believe they will be in the mix to compete for a position in the playoffs The Eagles should have 23 players available when the season starts The Eagles will be in a conference with Bentworth “I feel like we will do well in the new conference,” Kramer said “We played in the Black Hills Conference last year and won four games.” Avella coach Ryan Cecchini said he is happy with how the Eagles have prepared for the season “That’s kind of the key,” Cecchini said “We limit the contact and the hitting I tell the kids that I’m never going to let you lose the game because you are out of shape.” Avella will have a new quarterback leading the offense Rush said that getting ready for the season with a smaller roster isn’t a challenge he hides from “I’m used to it,” Rush said.”We go to practice and work hard so we can play on both sides of the ball.” Cecchini believes that Rush will make a good transition to being under center He was the team’s leading rusher last season “I think he’s a great overall athlete,” Cecchini said “It’s not easy to start at running back as a freshman He was doing a multitude of different things Avella will have a number of players with experience on the offensive line returning Cody Day and Kramer all have experience playing in the trenches Kramer said Avella will need to fight for every inch “We have to work for first downs,” Kramer said Ron Kozak and Bryce Wright will play wide receiver Rush said he is working on trying to manage the offense the best he can “I try to study things I can and go from there Broden Hamm will be an important contributor on defense Rush is excited to see what Avella can do in a new conference this year “My goal is to finish in the top two in the conference,” Rush said • Avella’s four wins last season were the program’s most since they went 5-4 in 2020 • The Eagles finished 2-5 in the Black Hills Conference last season • Avella had to forfeit a game against Bishop Canevin due to a lack of players • The Eagles were 3-11 in Black Hills Conference games over the past two seasons If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. Derry’s Ewan Olson works to defeat Burgettstown’s Logan Noyes at 160 pounds Wednesday. Derry’s Rocco DeCario works to pin Burgettstown’s Gage Bradley at 107 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. Derry’s Giovanni Beatrice pins Burgettstown’s Daniel Smith at 127 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. Derry’s Chase Lukon works to defeat Burgettstown’s Adam Baloga, 13-9, at 215 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. Derry’s Mason Horwat works to defeat Burgettstown’s Jason Murray, 19-4, at 152 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. Derry’s Brett Klim works to defeat Burgettstown’s Carter Katus, 13-4, at 139 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. Derry’s Anthony Mucci works to defeat Burgettstown’s Nick Grant, 15-0, at 133 pounds during their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal Wednesday. The second-ranked Trojans rolled over Avella and Burgettstown to advance to the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday at AHN Arena at Peters Township. It is the first time since 2018 that Derry has reached the semifinals. It lost to Burrell in the finals that season. The Trojans also ended Burgettstown’s streak of reaching the semifinals at five, beating the Blue Devils 49-18. In the first match, the Trojans defeated Avella, 68-6. They won the first nine bouts and got pins from Matthew Fernell (114 pounds), Dylan Bateman (121), Jeremiah Gess (145), Mason Horwat (152) and Ewan Olson (160). Avella’s only win was Rob Allison (172) by forfeit. Brady Brown (189), Chase Lukon (215) and Levi Haase (285) won for the Trojans with pins. “We didn’t know much about Avella. We just went out and wrestled,” Derry coach Troy Dolan Jr. said. “There weren’t many common opponents for either team.” Burgettstown got a pin from Darius Simmons (114) to begin the quarterfinal match. Then Derry went to work, winning seven consecutive matches to build a 34-6 lead. The streak stopped because the Trojans forfeited at 172. Brown (189) and Rocco DeCario (107) earned pins, and Lukon won a wild 13-9 decision against Adam Baloga at 215. “It was a good performance from the guys,” Dolan said. “We wrestled hard and won the 50/50 matches. “We came out and took it to both teams. Burgettstown is a tough team and well coached. We knew we had to wrestle tough.” Two of those tough matches were at 127, when Giovanni Beatrice rallied to pin Daniel Smith, and 160, when Olson rallied to defeat Logan Noyes, 5-2. Burgettstown reached the quarterfinals with a thrilling 42-34 victory against Highlands. The Blue Devils got pins from Baloga (215) and heavyweight Teddy Gray to pull out the victory. “I’m really proud how we wrestled,” Burgettstown coach Joey Vigliotti said. “Derry is tough. A lot of people counted us out this year, but we won the section and made it to the quarterfinals. “I would not trade these guys with anyone. They battled hard and are a good group.” Derry will face No. 3 McGuffey in the semifinals. “We’ll get back to work and see what we have to prepare for,” Dolan said. “This was a nice win for us because everyone had to step up. We were firing on all cylinders.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase The coroner’s inquest reviewing an Avella man’s death when he crashed following a police pursuit on Route 50 last year is being delayed after Mt Pleasant Township officials asked a judge to quash the subpoena requiring the police officers involved to testify Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco was prepared to start the inquest at the courthouse Tuesday morning reviewing details of Mark Michael Miller’s death almost exactly one year ago when his row office’s solicitor notified him that there would instead be a hearing later this week to let a judge decide whether witnesses had to comply with the coroner’s subpoenas Solicitor Timothy Uhrich said he met with attorney Mark Hamilton and they agreed to let President Judge Gary Gilman make the final determination during a hearing at 9 a.m Friday on whether the subpoenas must be followed Police and other township officials were at the courthouse before Tuesday’s inquest but Uhrich said it was best if the proceeding was adjourned to allow Gilman time to rule on the matter there has not been compliance with the subpoenas,” Uhrich told Warco who was preparing to preside over the inquest Hamilton said they would follow Gilman’s decision and comply with the subpoenas if that’s what the judge orders them to do “We intend to abide by the court order,” Hamilton said who has not issued a cause and manner of Miller’s death because so few facts have been released to his office who sat in the courtroom with their attorney “I need to make my determination for the cause and manner of death This is almost one year since the decedent’s death,” Warco said of the reason why he called the inquest before looking over at Miller’s parents seated in the gallery “You’ve been through hell waiting for me to make my decision.” Pleasant Township police on a brief chase when officers began pursuing him after another motorist reported a reckless driver on Route 50 but he refused to stop and eventually crashed into a guardrail near Caldwell Road in Mt He was taken by ambulance to Washington Hospital The officer involved in the pursuit has never been publicly named in the year following the crash she was identified as Officer Crystal Metalik in a March 6 letter District Attorney Jason Walsh sent to township police Chief Matthew Tharp in which the prosecutor justified her actions “My office has thoroughly reviewed the entire investigation to include the police report it is my opinion that the officers involved in this incident followed all policies and laws of this Commonwealth in the effectuation of their duties to attempt a traffic stop on a reckless driver who put both law enforcement and the public at large at risk,” Walsh wrote in his letter to Tharp “My office considers this matter closed for investigation purposes.” Walsh stated in the letter that Metalik responded to the report of a reckless driver who was “all over the roadway and.hit a guardrail” near Fort Cherry High School She attempted to stop Miller’s vehicle but he continued driving and later sideswiped another vehicle while speeding before eventually losing control and crashing into a guardrail Walsh said in the letter that an open hard iced tea alcoholic beverage can and prescription medication were found in his vehicle A dashboard video camera in Metalik’s police vehicle is believed to be some of the evidence that was to be reviewed and made public during the inquest It’s not known when the inquest will resume should Gilman require the police officers to testify AVELLA — Chas Rush threw and ran for a touchdown in Avella’s 44-0 win over Springdale on Friday in non-conference play at Avella Rush scored on a 20-yard keeper and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Kozak Darren Ruschel rushed for 57 yards on 4 carries and scored on a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter Logan Fedak and Noah Kimberland also scored for the Eagles (1-2) White Research Society show some of the historical pieces the society has AVELLA — Some Washington County residents may remember A.D As a principal for what is now the Avella Area School District he formed lasting relationships with his students continued to give back to the community in the form of research articles and books about the history of the Avella area I’ve listened to the oral tapes we have He sounds like an incredible person,” said Terry Wiegmann Wiegmann’s mother is from Independence and her father is from Avella giving her roots to the area that date back generations The call-out for additional volunteers in January 2024 is what led Wiegmann to the nonprofit “We’re looking for a board and a new generation to lead the organization into the future,” Wiegmann said we’ve done an inventory … with the intention of digitizing and eventually creating a searchable database.” but he and sisters Kathryn Campbell Slasor and June Grossman-Welch spent years gathering artifacts interviewing residents and telling the stories of those that might have otherwise been lost in the past White Research Society in order to preserve all of their material and with the help of some of White’s sons they secured ownership of the old Avella train station as a home base He’s the youngest of 10 children and said he still encounters people with a story about his father that is new to him and he was appointed the historian of the family at one point He interviewed family members from the 1930s who were still alive and wrote a lot of it down,” White said Wiegmann has heard many of those stories on the 219 cassette tapes packed with interviews and information “So much of the oral history collected are verbatim quotes It’s inspiring and to hear their accounts makes things so real,” Wiegmann said volunteers have worked to organize and file the material they’ll need volunteers to do everything from sorting to scanning information but for now Wiegmann said they are looking for a few targeted individuals with expertise “We need tech support to help build out our website we need administrative support to help organize the nonprofit information and funding to purchase software and equipment to make this information available to everyone,” Wiegmann said Board members and volunteers have a passion for carrying on the legacy of A.D White and are hopeful others will join them but I know what a treasure we have,” Wiegmann said “There are people here that are related to these families White Research Society hosts open houses and attends local events across the county Visit its Facebook page for up-to-date information Today's breaking news and more in your inbox EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine City Schools filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Norfolk Southern on .. WHEELING — New and expectant mothers could take home baby gear and information from local social service agencies .. Copyright © 2025 Ogden News Publishing of Ohio | https://www.heraldstaronline.com | 401 Herald Square Bryce Wright had a game-high 22 points to help Avella win 66-57 and secure victory at Burgettstown for the first time in 26 years in the annual Chuckie Mahoney Classic Saturday The Eagles had a 26-19 lead at halftime and upped the lead to 13 points after a 23-17 advantage in the third quarter Nate Cilia added 14 points for Avella (5-5) Colton County had 14 points for Burgettstown (3-8) and Blake Neal and Parker Rommes scored 10 each Shane Cornali had 26 points to help Fort Cherry storm back from a nine-point halftime deficit and secure a victory at the Mahoney Classic at Burgettstown Saturday Evan Rogers added 10 points for Fort Cherry (4-6) Will Callan had 20 points for Washington (2-8) Tristan Reed contributed 12 points and Tayvonne France scored 10 Sam Deibert and Dane Barber added 13 points apiece for the Blue Devils Michael Detrich scored a game-high 17 points for the Big Macs and Roman Koenemund finished with 11 points Brooke Cornali led three Fort Cherry players in double figures with 15 points in a victory in the Mahoney Classic in Burgettstown Saturday Olivia Kemp and Bella Bianchini added 10 points apiece for the Rangers (9-2) Olivia Woods paced Washington (4-6) with 25 points Haylie Lamonder led four players in double figures with 17 points for South Fayette (11-1) in a nonsection win at Bethel Park (6-5) Saturday Lailah Wright added 11 points and Ella Vierra scored 10 Faith Partozoti singled four times in five at bats to help Washington defeat Avella 20-2 on Thursday Washington scored nine runs in the third and fourth innings to pull away Tateionna Warren hit an inside the park home run for the Prexies and Zkyiah Hines and Jakirah Howell tripled Avrey Rado and Madison Rush hit a double and drove in one run apiece for Avella Bentworth had a two-run lead entering the bottom of the seventh but a rally buoyed by an error allowed Jefferson (Tenn.) to rally for a 6-5 walk-off victory at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge Willow Eckels took the hard-luck loss for the Bearcats in relief Sydney Gonglik started and pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks Devonte Dean ran for a touchdown and threw for two scores to lead Carlynton to a 21-0 victory over Avella on Friday in non-conference play Dean’s seven-yard run with 2:46 left in the third quarter broke a scoreless tie He threw a 26-yarder for a touchdown with 1:00 left in the third before tossing a three-yarder with 8:48 left in the fourth period Avella’s Chas Rush was 4-of-8 for 49 yards Teammate Broden Hamm gained 55 yards on 14 carries The Eagles’ Ronnie Kozak caught two passes for 33 yards MAPLETOWN – Chas Rush ran for two touchdowns and passed for another and Avella avenged a loss in the season-opener to Mapletown by beating the Maples 49-0 Friday night in a Class A Tri-County South Conference game Mapletown defeated Avella 20-6 on the same field — a non-conference game — to start the year but this time it was all Eagles Rush ran for 115 yards and completed all five of his passes for 88 yards He scored on runs of 15 and one yards and threw a 40-yard scoring strike to Bryce Wright Rush also tossed a two-point conversion pass 1-6) to 34 total yards and two first downs the son of the late John & Rose Minda of Avella Mike is also survived by sons; Michael Minda Jr (Tammy) of Follansbee WV and also two “bonus children” a daughter” Also surviving are his brothers; John Minda (Charlotte) of Bethany WV & Darlene Dulaney (James) of Avella whom he kept pictures of on his ” Family wall of love” & his dog AVELLA – Junior running back Ben Hays rushed for 214 yards on 23 carries scored four touchdowns – three rushing and one receiving – and also threw a scoring pass powering Bentworth to a 40-0 victory over Avella in a Class A Tri-County South Conference game Friday night that clinched a postseason berth for the Bearcats 6-4) finished in a tie for third place with Carmichaels and West Greene for the final playoff berth from the conference The automatic qualifying spot goes to the Bearcats based on tiebreaker points It will be Bentworth’s first playoff appearance since 2015 who became Bentworth’s single-season rushing leader in the game two and 36 and caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Tristan Hackinson Hays threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Burt that made the score 33-0 The TD came one play after an injured Bentworth player left the field via helicopter and was transported to a local hospital Ty Watson had a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter that capped the scoring Avella finishes 2-5 in the conference and 3-7 overall AVELLA – One thing Ryan Cecchini is certain of as he enters his 14th season as head coach at Avella: His team will be in shape it is a necessity that every single player can go four quarters without taking a play off one of our goals is to be in great shape,” Cecchini said “We don’t do a lot of hitting in practice because we can’t afford to lose people in practice with such low numbers but make up for it with a lot of running and conditioning.” Avella went 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Class A Black Hills Conference last season “I think our conditioning was evident last year because we were able to win four games Avella will move back to the Tri-County South Conference Cecchini said Jefferson-Morgan appears to be the early favorite but he knows every game will be a battle and the emotions will be higher than playing in the Black Hills “When you are going against the Bishop Canevins who are a threat to win the WPIAL title every year it’s hard for a small school like us walking out with 14-15 players to go against a team with 50-plus guys on the roster,” Cecchini said “I think being in the Tri-County South has contributed to part of the uptick in the interest for our kids.” Mapletown and West Greene in conference action Avella had not made the playoffs in 35 years when Cecchini took over but it has qualified for the postseason four times in the last 13 years Cecchini is fully aware that just being well conditioned won’t get the Eagles in the playoffs but he is confident in the skill players and linemen who will be returning which starts at quarterback with sophomore Chas Rush “Chas has always been a quarterback coming through our system but last year we had a really good senior quarterback in Cole Jaworowski He did get a few reps here and there at quarterback but he is ready to take the reins and run with it this year.” as he was not only the quarterback but a first-team Senior Broden Hamm will start at fullback and wingback He is expected to get the majority of the carries which is a rarity in football at the present time but Cecchini is eager to see what Hamm and Rush can do running what has become an archaic offense “I think running the Wing-T is an advantage for us because people have to adjust to us and prepare for us special because they don’t usually see it any other time during the year,” Cecchini said and Broden and Chas will be a part of that.” Helping to pave the way for Hamm and Rush will be senior Hayden Gatewood and junior Sawyer Cramer who are set to start on the offensive and defensive lines the junior will be counted on as another lineman even with all these complex schemes,” Cecchini said The linemen are the ones that make the engine go.” Mallory Clemmer tossed in 19 points and Ava Henderson followed with 15 as Geibel Catholic fought off host Avella for a 54-49 victory in Section 2-A girls basketball action Thursday night The Lady Gators led 15-12 after the first quarter but the Lady Eagles (2-2 6-5) rallied to take a 28-26 halftime advantage after three quarters and outscored Avella 15-12 in the final frame to secure the win Janiah Darnell added 11 points for the Lady Gators Ava Frank hit four 3-pointers while pouring in a game-high 27 points for the Lady Eagles Mount Pleasant 22 – Ayrianna Sumpter turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Aierra Jenkins scored a game-high 14 points with five boards as Taylor Irvin also hit double figures with 12 points and Righteous Richardson and Chloe Price chipped in with seven points apiece for the Lady Mustangs Jefferson-Morgan 21 – Callie Dorsey scored 15 points and Bailey Bernot followed with 14 as the Lady Bulldogs rolled past the Lady Rockets (0-2 Violet Trump added 11 points for Beth-Center (1-1 Leighana Gooden scored 12 points for J-M (0-2 Monessen 14 – Madelyn Roberts sank four 3-pointers in scoring 20 points as the Lady Pioneers (2-2 accounting for all by two of Monessen’s output West Greene was coming off a 63-29 non-section victory over Jefferson-Morgan on Monday with Kendra Tharp scoring 24 points and Roberts adding 15 Leighana Gooden paced the Lady Rockets with 16 points Brownsville 55 – Taylor Schumacher scored 28 points to help lead the Lady Highlanders past the visiting Lady Falcons in a tight Section 3-AAA battle 5-4) led 16-11 after the first quarter and 29-24 at halftime before McGuffey used a 19-12 edge in the third to take a 43-41 edge into the fourth and held on for the win Lexi Ewig tallied 13 points for the Lady Highlanders Skyler Gates dropped in 21 points for Brownsville (1-3 5-4) which also got 12 points from Zhariah Reed and 10 from Ciara Horabik Belle Vernon 43 – Michelle Jellison led a foursome of Lady Warriors in double figures with 19 points in a Section 3-AAAA win over the Lady Leopards McKenna Bittner (11) and Chloe Zombek (11) also hit double digits for the Lady Warriors (4-0 Aubrey Brown tallied a game-high 20 points for Belle Vernon (2-2 The Lady Leopards were coming off a 43-38 non-section loss to Allderdice on Monday at the Cal Hoopfest Bailey White led Allderdice (5-5) with 18 points and Brown topped Belle Vernon in scoring with 14 points Connellsville 37 – Reagan Fisher scored 17 points in the Lady Spartans’ Section 1-AAAAAA win over the Lady Falcons Allie Cervola followed with 15 points and Madison Pevarnik added 14 for Hempfield (1-1 3-9) with 15 points and Elizabeth Painter had 10 points Albert Gallatin 27 – Lynsey Bernotas scored 23 points in the Lady Highlanders’ Section 4-AAAAA win over the Lady Colonials Isabella Niles added 11 points and Kelsey Meyers chipped in with 10 for Baldwin (1-2 California 23 – Ella Richey scored 12 points as the Lady Bucs cruised past the Lady Trojans in a Section 3-AA game Ava Capozzoli added 11 points for C-H (2-0 Olivia Gibson had 11 points for California (1-1 Mapletown 15 – Bella Dumbrowski rang up 33 points for Serra Catholic (3-1 4-5) which also got 13 from Abby Genes and 12 from Kendy Niedermeyer in a Section 2-A win over the Lady Maples (0-4 Southmoreland 41 – Hailey Bock scored 22 points as the host Lady Cougars beat the Lady Scotties in a Section 3-AAAA game Brooke Weiland also hit double figures for Yough (3-1 Ashley Seder tallied 13 points for Southmoreland (1-3 3-9) which also got 10 points from Olivia Aumer Frazier 22 – DaShae Cochran scored 19 points Jasmine Hollins followed with 14 and Skylar Still had 10 as Winchester Thurston (2-0 7-2) knocked off the host Lady Commodores in a Section 4-AA game Allie Yaugh tossed in 11 points to lead Frazier (0-2 Laurel Highlands 56 – Donovan O’Connor scored 17 points as West Allegheny defeated the Mustangs in a non-section game Monday Tegan Ricketts (15) and Josiah Johnson (10) also hit double figures in scoring for West Allegheny (5-6) Antwan Black paced Laurel Highlands (3-7) with a game-high 22 points and Aiden Black had 11 When Washington County Deputy Coroner Matthew Yancosek was first asked to review an Avella man’s death from a crash following a police pursuit in Mt he was initially told that it was a slow chase that ended with a relatively minor impact “I was told it was a slower speed chase – not a high-speed pursuit – and there was a ‘bump’ into a guardrail,” Yancosek testified during a hearing Monday as the coroner’s office tries to get more investigative information about the fatal crash on April 3 Pleasant Township police Chief Matthew Tharp and another officer about details about the incident after 45-year-old Mark Michael Miller died at Washington Hospital from injuries he suffered in the crash he felt stonewalled until eventually receiving partially redacted videos of the dashboard camera from the pursuing police cruiser and body cameras from officers at the scene in the aftermath of the crash Yancosek said what he saw in those videos was much different than what he was initially told about the police chase and District Attorney Jason Walsh has since acknowledged in a memo to Tharp justifying the officer’s actions that the chase on Route 50 reached 70 miles per hour and Miller’s vehicle went airborne upon crashing violently into a guardrail near Caldwell Road Walsh also wrote in the memo that Miller was driving recklessly and sideswiped another vehicle before crashing his car where an open container of alcohol and prescription drugs were located The coroner’s office is now in a stand-off with the Mt Pleasant Township Police Department and district attorney’s office trying to get investigative information about the pursuit and crash in order to determine the cause and manner of Miller’s death and whether the actions of the pursuing township police officer The coroner’s office said it’s been stonewalled trying to get those investigative materials – such as an official police report – prompting Coroner Timothy Warco to recently schedule an inquest last week into the death that has been delayed police investigators and prosecutors said such information is protected by statute from being released to the coroner since that office is not a law enforcement entity A more than two-hour hearing Monday afternoon before President Judge Gary Gilman at the Washington County Courthouse was held to determine whether police must turn over such investigative information or whether it’s legally protected detectives and county prosecutors – including Walsh and Tharp – packed the gallery inside Gilman’s courtroom listening to arguments and testimony who serves as the coroner’s solicitor told Gilman they called the inquest that was originally scheduled for last Tuesday because they had struggled to get much information from investigators “Because we were unable to visit the (crash) scene we had no facts except for what our chief deputy was able to discern that night,” Uhrich said Uhrich said Yancosek was only told it was a low-speed crash with a light impact into a guardrail “These were the only facts in the case we had,” Uhrich said adding that Miller’s autopsy told a different tale about what happened “His injuries did not match up with what we were told about the severity of the crash.” The coroner’s office originally subpoenaed documents for its investigation – which Gilman granted during two hearings last year – but they moved to hold an inquest in order to get compliance from police Pleasant officials and the district attorney’s office are trying to stop Tharp from being compelled to turn over the official police report Gilman indicated he thought the situation might all be moot now because Walsh wrote in the March 6 memo to Tharp that he justified the police officer’s actions and would not be prosecuting the case “Once the chief law enforcement (official) of this county has made a ruling it seems to me what the coroner wants to do is superfluous,” Gilman said “The complexion of this case has changed substantially his discretion with his professional opinion of what he did.” Uhrich responded that they want compliance with the subpoenas so they can hold an inquest and make a determination on Miller’s cause and manner of death along with whether anyone might be responsible for it “We don’t just serve the district attorney,” Uhrich said mentioning that the state Attorney General’s office or even federal prosecutors could review it “We have other entities that have prosecutorial powers.” said they are cooperating with the coroner and have given the office the police department’s policy on police chases and offered to provide unredacted videos of the incident “We’re getting a picture here that the coroner is being kept in the dark which is patently false,” Krepps said Deputy District Attorney John Friedmann argued that the official criminal investigative records are protected and can only be released to other police agencies or prosecutors involved in the inquiry He added that the coroner’s office can perform its own investigation and ask police for witnesses for its own employee to perform interviews But Uhrich said he expected any cooperation between the coroner’s office and the district attorney to be “very difficult” after the two sides had a protracted dispute in 2023 when a coroner’s inquest for a different incident involving a deadly encounter with Mt Pleasant police ended with Warco suggesting that the officer should be charged with manslaughter Walsh justified the officer’s actions in shooting and killing 38-year-old Eduardo Lee Hoover Jr in April 2023 following a lengthy police chase that ended in Washington That inquest’s findings prompted Walsh to direct his detectives to raid the coroner’s office and Uhrich’s legal office in Carnegie to retrieve investigative files they were holding Gilman asked Uhrich to file a brief on the matter within 30 days and gave Krepps and Friedmann 20 days after that to respond It’s not known when Gilman might rule on the matter of whether the investigative materials must be turned over for the inquest Log in to comment on videos and join in on the fun Watch the live stream of Fox News and full episodes Reduce eye strain and focus on the content that matters