Fox Chapel’s Mason Friday (left) and Frank Siegel finished third at the WPIAL Class 3A doubles tournament April 23 at Bethel Park. The Fox Chapel duo nearly did more than that reached the semifinals before taking on Mt Lebanon’s Luca Ritivoi and Mark Summers Friday and Siegel won the first set before falling 3-6 The Fox Chapel pair bounced back in the third-place match rallying after losing the first set to beat Upper St Clair’s Ari Plutko and Shawn Khurana Only two teams from the WPIAL moved on to the PIAA championships Siegel said he felt the semifinal match could have gone either way and the match could have gone either way,” Siegel said “I’m proud of how Mason and I responded the next day by beating a tough Upper St Fox Chapel’s other doubles team in the tournament seniors Henry Stallings and Charlie Larsen were seeded ninth and upended the eighth-seeded Mt Lebanon team of Evan McGill and Noah Klaber Stallings and Larsen then lost to Plutko and Khurana they reached the semifinals with a 10-4 win over Peter Township’s Kritin Sharma and Tyler Urbanic and a 10-5 win over Franklin Regional’s Colin Stalnaker and Shanshiro Ogawa Friday said after the pair won the section doubles championship they hadn’t played much doubles before Both play singles at Fox Chapel and weren’t available to team up during the regular season and Siegel played effectively at the net to win points said the players he routinely practiced with helped him be prepared for the postseason “I’m used to competing against older kids so the fact that I’m a freshman didn’t faze me,” Siegel said I knew we’d have a good showing.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase. Fox Chapel’s Megan Delaney works against Shady Side Academy’s Ananda Minutolo during their game on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at SSA. There was plenty on Meg Delaney’s mind when she was preparing for Fox Chapel’s lacrosse match with rival Shady Side Academy. The senior wanted to win to get back at the Bulldogs for eliminating Fox Chapel from the playoffs last season. Delaney and teammate Caroline Grimsley were closing in on the 100-goal mark for their careers and were hoping to hit the milestone together. Delaney scored four times to reach the milestone and had an assist to help the Foxes beat the Bulldogs, 11-10, in overtime. “Last year, we faced them in a section game and won by one,” Delaney said. “We lost them in the playoffs by one. It was a 20-20 score. Getting this win was to prove to ourselves from last year we were the better team.” Grimsley ended up hitting the 100-goal mark in Fox Chapel’s next game, a 9-8 loss to Walsh Jesuit (Ohio). Grimsley said she was disappointed not to hit the milestone the same night as Delaney. She is happy with how they work together. “I think mainly our positions, I’m in the low attack, and she’s up top,” Grimsley said. “She passes low down to me, and I can feed her through a cut. Those positions help us work well together. We’ve had a strong bond like that since our freshman year.” Delaney said she and Grimsley communicate well with each other. They don’t always need to be shouting out instructions to understand what is going on. “We give each other the look that I’m going to cut, or she’s going to cut,” Delaney said. “We’re able to pass off each other and score off each other.” Fox Chapel (8-4, 5-2) developing a strong one-two combination at the top of its offense has helped open up the entire field. Coach Kellee Cribby said Fox Chapel’s attack has proven to be more dynamic this season. “We’ve found a more fluid offense,” Cribby said. “The girls are learning to trust each other and work with each other.” That continuity on offense has been important as Fox Chapel worked in an inexperienced defense. The Foxes entered this season with three new starters on defense and also a first-time goalie, Emilia Sutkowski. Grimsley said the entire team has adjusted after some expected learning pains to start the season. “The beginning of the season was a rough start. We lost a couple of games we could have won,” Grimsley said. “We switched up how we played on defense and attack. The losses helped us realize that we are a stronger team and can work more effectively together. It was a wake-up call that helped us work harder during practices and games.” Fox Chapel grad Dante DiMatteo started the season 8-0 with one save. Fox Chapel graduate Dante DiMatteo is posting good numbers for the Washington & Jefferson baseball team this season. DiMatteo recently was named Presidents’ Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing seven scoreless innings against Allegheny. This season, DiMatteo has done a little bit of everything, compiling an 8-0 record in nine starts. DiMatteo also was called on out of the bullpen to record a save for the Presidents. Opponents are hitting only .187 against DiMatteo, and he has struck out 59 batters in 56 2/3 innings. Fox Chapel was seeded fifth in the WPIAL Class 3A boys tennis playoffs after winning the section title. The Foxes lived up to their seed by knocking out Norwin, 5-0, in the first round. Then they dropped a close match to Upper St. Clair, 3-2, in the second round. Shady Side Academy, which was seeded seventh, knocked off Pine-Richland, 4-1, in the first round. The Bulldogs then were eliminated by Gateway, 5-0, in the next round. Fox Chapel boys volleyball slowly has gained steam after being beset by injuries and misfortune to start the season. After having multiple matches postponed, the Foxes have won enough to move into a tie for third place in Section 4-3A. The Foxes (5-7, 4-3) won a pair of matches against Penn Hills to keep up with the top teams in the section. Fox Chapel was tied with North Hills, a team that tripped up the Foxes in five sets earlier this season. The WPIAL moved to setting up section play in baseball as a series instead of one-off games throughout the schedule a few years ago. Fox Chapel had a lull from the grind of trying to collect wins in the section during a six-game stretch that ended May 1. Fox Chapel won four of the first five games of that stretch, including a 4-1 victory over North Allegheny. The Foxes (12-4, 5-3) split a pair of games with Allderdice, which has shown significant improvement this season. Fox Chapel’s game with Shady Side Academy was too late for this edition. Fox Chapel’s Megan Delaney drives to the goal against Shady Side Academy’on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at SSA. Fox Chapel’s Anna Mohn works against Shady Side Academy’s Ellis McEnroe during their game on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at SSA. Fox Chapel’s Caroline Grimsley works against Shady Side Academy’s Ananda Minutolo during their game on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at SSA. The senior wanted to win to get back at the Bulldogs for eliminating Fox Chapel from the playoffs last season Delaney and teammate Caroline Grimsley were closing in on the 100-goal mark for their careers and were hoping to hit the milestone together Delaney scored four times to reach the milestone and had an assist to help the Foxes beat the Bulldogs we faced them in a section game and won by one,” Delaney said “We lost them in the playoffs by one Getting this win was to prove to ourselves from last year we were the better team.” Grimsley ended up hitting the 100-goal mark in Fox Chapel’s next game Grimsley said she was disappointed not to hit the milestone the same night as Delaney and she’s up top,” Grimsley said Those positions help us work well together We’ve had a strong bond like that since our freshman year.” Delaney said she and Grimsley communicate well with each other They don’t always need to be shouting out instructions to understand what is going on “We give each other the look that I’m going to cut or she’s going to cut,” Delaney said “We’re able to pass off each other and score off each other.” 5-2) developing a strong one-two combination at the top of its offense has helped open up the entire field Coach Kellee Cribby said Fox Chapel’s attack has proven to be more dynamic this season “We’ve found a more fluid offense,” Cribby said “The girls are learning to trust each other and work with each other.” That continuity on offense has been important as Fox Chapel worked in an inexperienced defense The Foxes entered this season with three new starters on defense and also a first-time goalie Grimsley said the entire team has adjusted after some expected learning pains to start the season “The beginning of the season was a rough start We lost a couple of games we could have won,” Grimsley said “We switched up how we played on defense and attack The losses helped us realize that we are a stronger team and can work more effectively together It was a wake-up call that helped us work harder during practices and games.” If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase The Official Source of North Allegheny Sports North Allegheny traveled to Fox Chapel High School to take on the neighboring Foxes in a non-section matchup The Foxes jumped in front and held the Tigers to one run The first two innings were clean before Fox Chapel got a two-out RBI triple from Antonio LeDonne to give the Foxes a 1-0 lead going into the fourth Fox Chapel got another run in the bottom of the fifth when a couple of errors led to an RBI groundout from Jeremy Haigh and it was 2-0 Foxes after five North Allegheny responded in the top of the sixth inning when Mason Dratfinsky led off the inning getting hit by a pitch Miles Pealer singled getting Dratfinsky to second Mason Smith grounded in a fielder’s choice to get Dratfinsky to third and Dratfinsky finished it off scoring on a wild pitch to make the score 2-1 Fox Chapel replied with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and shut the door on the Tigers in the seventh Liam Cooper started for North Allegheny going five innings two runs (one earned) and struck out a batter Pealer was 2 for 3 to lead the Tiger offense The Tigers return to action tomorrow when they start a massive three-game series with second-place Seneca Valley Game one is at Seneca Valley with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at bbozzuto@northallegheny.org © Copyright 2013 North Allegheny School District Fox Chapel goalie Jacob Amster makes a save against Upper St. Clair on April 22 in Fox Chapel. Fox Chapel’s John Ruane works past Upper St. Clair ’s Gianni Disora to score during their game on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Fox Chapel. missed a season because of the restrictions that put a pause on sports the Fox Chapel junior attack/midfeidler went about improving in his own fashion While gathering together was still frowned upon there was nothing wrong with spending time working on his own “I went out in the backyard and was practicing throwing the ball against the wall,” Matthews said “I would do so many with my right hand and so many with my left It helped me be better with both hands.” 2-2) have started to build momentum out of section play with a roster that is built with players who have come a long way since middle school Fox Chapel has won four straight matches since losing to North Allegheny on April 15 including a 12-10 win over Bethel Park on April 25 Matthews said he is happy with how the team’s attack has clicked into place Fox Chapel’s scoring picking up was important to support an already stout defense The Foxes have allowed just 6.9 goals per game Only North Allegheny has a better mark in Section 2-3A Junior goaltender Jacob Amster also started playing lacrosse in middle school Amster chose his position in a pragmatic way and that was the only way I would play,” Amster said Amster’s confidence grew slowly throughout the next few years He said Fox Chapel’s defense had played so well this season because of how they communicate Foxes coach Jordon Hodder said the way the defense played allowed the offense time to branch out and grow The Foxes hope their total team effort will help them glide into the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs and cause some problems when they get there “We have been locking things down,” Hodder said “It has given our offense time to get going.” Fox Chapel’s Mason Friday (left) and Frank Siegel finished third at the WPIAL Class 3A doubles tournament April 23 at Bethel Park Mason Friday and Frank Siegel protected their seed during the WPIAL Class 3A boys doubles tennis championships and the match could have gone either way,” Siegel said “I’m proud of how Mason and I responded the next day by beating a tough Upper St Fox Chapel’s other doubles team in the tournament they reached the semifinals with a 10-4 win over Peter Township’s Kritin Sharma and Tyler Urbanic and a 10-5 win over Franklin Regional’s Colin Stalnaker and Shanshiro Ogawa Both play singles at Fox Chapel and weren’t available to team up during the regular season so the fact that I’m a freshman didn’t faze me,” Siegel said This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time Fox Chapel Area School District officials announced school is canceled for students Friday due to power outages There will also be no online learning from home The district will offer free meals to all students and their families on Friday Anyone wishing to participate in the “take-and-go” meal distribution is set for 10:30 a.m Visitors are asked to follow the bus loop to the back of the building Meals will be distributed in a drive-thru manner More information about district activities is available at fcasd.edu TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Fox Chapel and O’Hara officials recently approved this year’s paving projects Both communities authorized contracts with Bakerstown-based Shields Asphalt Paving The company was the lowest of six bidders for a joint project that included Fox Chapel said the entities joined forces to get a better deal on road repairs “We’ve found there’s some economies of scale,” he said April 22 We’re able to get more competitive pricing Fox Chapel Authority’s work is typically in the borough patching from waterline improvements.” Construction is expected to begin mid-June and be completed in the fall Fox Chapel Council unanimously voted April 21 to award an estimated $1.357 million contract to repair 13 streets The borough budgeted $1.5 million for paving this year “Unspent budgeted funds are reserved for the future and used for budgeted expense line items that are over budget or to assist with revenue line items that come in under budget,” Koehler said “These options will be determined during the 2026 budget process.” Kurpakus said roads are evaluated on an annual basis and the ones that need the most work move up on the list “We build the road program around the available budget funding,” Kurpakus said “We try to maximize the length of road based on what we have for budgeting We attempt to stay on schedule with our road repaving Each year requires a review of the roads that are in-line with the age of the road for repaving They’ll be moved up on the list if necessary We’d like to look at somewhere between the 10- and 15-year-mark (to repave a road) Condition of the road really has an impact on priorities.” Public works crews will handle a variety of stormwater management projects including catch basin repairs and upgrading inlets Fox Chapel has invested at least $1.5 million in each of the past few years for road repairs “By investing in the maintenance now on the roads it’s going to be a long-term savings on the residents,” Kurpakus said “It’s less expensive to do a minor repair on a road than it would be to do a major reconstruction because it hadn’t been maintained in many years.” Shields Paving was awarded the 2023 joint paving contract O’Hara Council approved an estimated $1.122 million road repair contract on April 8 The township budgeted $1.2 million for paving this year Township engineer Charles Steinert said there will be no leftover funds because of engineering and inspection costs in connection with the 16 streets to be paved “These roads have been scheduled based on their condition,” Steinert said April 22 “I do an annual review of the roads and decide which ones must be repaved and which ones can be postponed.” Blawnox Council unanimously voted April 9 to award its estimated $143,700 paving project Shields will be paving North Avenue sometime this summer Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service Fox Chapel’s Maria Stiger hits against Penn Hills on April 21. Fox Chapel starting pitcher Jillian Haigh throws against Penn Hills on April 21. Fox Chapel’s Bri Hnatow hits against Penn Hills on April 21. Fox Chapel softball coach Larry Troutman saw his team learn the hard way plenty of times once Section 1-5A play started this season The Foxes used those growing pains to eventually catch their footing in a competitive section While Fox Chapel lost its last section game 6-2 to North Hills on April 23 the Foxes entered that contest having won five of their previous six section games to shoot to fourth place Fox Chapel (9-4,5-4) lost its first three section games by a combined score of 41-9 “It’s rough because it’s the stuff we practice all winter and all spring,” Troutman said “Then the game comes and you go out and do something you know you shouldn’t do and it leads to runs it’s because they are thinking too much and not just playing they aren’t mentally locked in.” Fox Chapel was without three starters — shortstop Maria Stiger first baseman Heidi Stiger and right fielder Summer Burkhart — during its most recent loss to North Hills Troutman has been encouraged by how the Foxes have played teams the second time around “It’s definitely a tougher section than it has been in the past,” Troutman said Mars gave us fits earlier this year.” Fox Chapel’s 7-6 win over New Castle was important for the Foxes’ positioning in the playoff chase Jillian Haigh leads the team with a .568 batting average and has driven in 22 runs Haigh also has been counted on to do a majority of the pitching for Fox Chapel Ella Eisner and Bri Hnatow are also both hitting .378 for the Foxes Troutman believes if Fox Chapel can be solid on defense the Foxes are capable of stacking up more wins “I think we struggled because we were making too many errors,” Troutman said Fox Chapel’s Dom Rothmeyer scores past Upper St. Clair goalie Tyler Newton on April 22. Fox Chapel’s Brady Matthews drives to the goal past Upper St. Clair’s Charlie Bywalski on April 22. Fox Chapel’s Brady Matthews (1) celebrates with John Ruane after scoring against Upper St. Clair on April 22. What Foxes coach Jordon Hodder hopes is that the attack has finally found its footing Fox Chapel scored 19 goals in a win over Norwin on April 21 The Foxes followed that up by grinding out a 9-8 win over Upper St The Foxes have the second-best goals-allowed average in Section 2-3A by conceding 6.8 per contest Only North Allegheny has been more effective Goalkeeper Jacob Amster has put together a strong string of performances especially offensively,” Hodder said “The win over Norwin propelled us into the game against USC but otherwise led the entire way against Norwin.” 2-2) would like to find a way to avoid being stuck in a logjam in the middle of the section North Allegheny and Shady Side Academy are both unbeaten in section play The Foxes are a half-game behind Pine-Richland Hodder said he expected sophomore Tucker Cullen to pick up where he left off as one of the team’s top scoring options What Hodder has been pleased with is how other players have developed as well Brady Matthews has displayed good versatility “He’s developed into a phenomenal two-way midfielder,” Hodder said “He is able to use his right and left hand They are starting to gain confidence.” Dominic Rothmeyer and Tyler Goldstein have also found ways to play important roles in the attack they are able to help put their teammates in good spots to contribute Hodder said the lineup has started to blend together well “We had a lot of new starters,” Hodder said “There are a lot of new guys in the spotlight We have been passing and moving the ball well and trying to help everyone out Hodder said that he thinks the team is built well to win late in the season This team hasn’t folded down the stretch Fox Chapel proved its mettle in close wins against Seneca Valley and Upper St “We want to continue to put four quarters together,” Hodder said “This year we’ve dealt with adversity better than in the past.” Fox Chapel tennis players Mason Friday (left) and Frank Siegel won the section doubles title April 16. Fox Chapel’s Mason Friday teamed with Frank Siegel to win the section doubles title. When Fred would go to the park and play with his older brother he didn’t expect him to take any heat off the ball “He would hit balls at me when I was at the net and I would try to get them back,” Siegel said “That helped me out a lot getting that older brother coaching I got a good feel for playing on the net.” coupled with the hot play of senior Mason Friday allowed Fox Chapel’s top doubles team to win the section title April 16 at Fox Chapel and they beat the second-seeded Shady Side Academy team of Sai Chaudhry and Kiran Tevar they didn’t play together much before the doubles tournament “We both get to everything and are solid at the net,” Friday said We played at the racquet club when we were younger but not much recently.” Fox Chapel’s other doubles team of Henry Stallings and Charlie Larsen finished third after knocking off Shaler’s Liam Creagh and Roman Vizzoca That means the Foxes were scheduled to have two doubles teams playing in the WPIAL Class 3A championships April 22 at Bethel Park Friday had good vibes going into this year’s tournament He lost in the section doubles final last year and felt his performance was improving this season as the postseason approached “I’ve been serving the ball well recently,” Friday said “I’ve been hitting my ground shots well Friday and Siegel received a bye into the semifinals Siegel said they used their strong chemistry to play well in the final “I was most proud of our last match for sure,” Siegel said “Mason and I support each other a lot We are always saying good work and good job We have a lot of dedication and showed a lot of grit.” Central Catholic’s Xxavier Thomas scores past Fox Chapel’s Caden Kaiser during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Central Catholic’s Calvin Vento fouls Fox Chapel’s John Rehak during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Central Catholic’s Enzo Khalil fights for a rebound with Fox Chapel’s Caden Kaiser during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Fox Chapel’s Ike Moser scores past Central Catholic’s Jordan Ray during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Central Catholic’s Xxavier Thomas grabs a rebound from Fox Chapel’s Caden Kaiser during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Central Catholic’s Calvin Vento is fouled by Fox Chapel’s Asher White during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Central Catholic’s Xxavier Thomas defends on Fox Chapel’s John Rehak during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Fox Chapel’s John Rehak scores over Central Catholic’s Christian Williams during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Fox Chapel’s John Rehak scores past Central Catholic’s Ryan Hower during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. Fox Chapel’s Ike Moser scores under Central Catholic’s Enzo Khalil during 6A WPIAL quarterfinal action Thursday. A tie-breaking 3-pointer by Central Catholic’s Christian Williams sparked a late run for the Vikings, which was just enough to squeak past Fox Chapel, 52-45, in a WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal that drew a capacity crowd. Points were hard to find. No player scored more than 13. “Our two styles of play mirror each other,” Central Catholic coach Brian Urso said. “Tough. Hard-nosed. Physical. I think both programs take pride in their defensive intensity.” The teams entered with the second- and third-stingiest defenses in WPIAL 6A, each holding opponents to fewer than 50 points per game. “We knew Fox Chapel was definitely going to bring it that way,” Urso said. “They’re a team that likes to have games played in the 40s and early 50s. But so do we.” No. 5 seed Central Catholic advances to face No. 1 Upper St. Clair in the semifinals Monday at a site and time to be announced. Only four WPIAL teams from 6A qualify for the PIAA playoffs, leaving Fox Chapel out of states. Calvin Vento scored a team-high 13 points with three 3-pointers for Central Catholic, and Williams had 11. Caden Kaiser led Fox Chapel with 13 points, and Ike Moser had 11. Central Catholic led 14-6 after one quarter, 26-18 at half and 37-32 after three quarters in a game dictated by the defenses. “We kind of knew that coming in,” Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar said. “Our teams are very similar in that regard and in style of play. We expected that.” Central Catholic built an 18-6 lead early in the second quarter on a layup by Xxavier Thomas and was ahead eight at halftime. But Fox Chapel clawed back in the third, and a free throw by Kaiser forced a 37-37 tie with 5 minutes, 12 seconds left in the fourth. But Williams’ tie-breaking 3 sparked a quick 10-2 run for Central Catholic. Thomas was awarded a basket on goaltending, Enzo Khalil made a layup and Vento followed with a 3 to lead 47-39 with 1:17 left. Central Catholic went 7 for 17 from beyond the arc including a buzzer-beater by Khalil to end the first half. Fox Chapel went 3 for 13 from 3-point range. “They all just seemed to come at really critical times,” Skrinjar said. “Even that one right before the half was a tough one. … We just couldn’t seem to find our rhythm from back there.” Central Catholic led 3-2 with more than 5 minutes gone in the first quarter. But the Vikings found an offensive spark, scored seven consecutive points and soon led 14-4 after a layup by Williams. The Vikings’ lead peaked at 18-6 on a steal and layup by Thomas less than a minute into the second quarter. Free throws helped Fox Chapel cut into its first-half deficit. The Foxes made seven foul shots in the second quarter, accounting for more than half of their points. Those shots shrunk Central Catholic’s lead to five points, until Khalil made a buzzer-beater entering halftime. Fox Chapel won the third quarter 14-11 and carried that little bit of momentum into the fourth. A 5-0 run by the Foxes to start the final quarter forced a 37-37 tie. “There was more urgency,” Skrinjar said. “You see the clock kind of winding down. You know you’ve got to do a little bit more.” Fox Chapel’s run started with baskets by Moser and Rehak, leading to a tying free throw by Kaiser with 5:12 left. But Central Catholic, which never trailed, responded by outscoring the Foxes, 15-8, in the closing minutes. “I said, ‘That was their run,” Urso said. “’From here on out, let’s take back control of the game.’ … We still had the belief that we were going to finish it out.” Several Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School students placed at the 2025 Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference Senior Gabriella Hample; junior Mikayla Feder; sophomores Aiden Drucker Noelle Fouron and Ainsley Goode; and eighth-graders Dyutit Patro and Anaia Shehzad won first places Junior Michael Costello and eighth graders Zoey Liu and Maya Vyas won second places Junior Joanna Li and eighth-graders Rishabh Krishnamurthy and Chloe Pick won third places Zinta Jacob and Joshua Shah and sophomore Braxton Bielawski all won fourth places All 17 students qualified to participate in the FBLA National Leadership Conference that will be held in Anaheim Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School state place winners in open events (not eligible for the national competition) were seniors Kai Edwards (sixth place) and Milan Golla (eighth place); junior Michael Costello (second and seventh places); sophomore Sienna Mort (10th place); freshman Purv Patel (fourth and sixth places); eighth-graders Brooke Nalevanko (second place) and Zhiqing Hou (second place); seventh-grader Matthew Bartolacci (second place); and sixth-grader Sang Nguyen (fourth place) Other state place winners included seniors Zoean Chittur (sixth place) and Rachel Pegher (sixth place); sophomores Jolie Cessna (sixth place) and Dashel Wilson (ninth place); freshmen Filamena LeDonne (10th place) and Ayden Wang (10th place); seventh-graders Annon Edwards (fifth place) and Shiva Subramanian (fifth place); and sixth-graders Oskar Guttridge (fifth place) and Sang Nguyen (fourth place) as part of the state leadership conference Junior Nicholas Krist was inducted into the National Business Honor Society Big 33 Community Service Awards went to juniors Samantha Dinh Nicholas Krist and Kalsey Thom; sophomores Aiden Drucker Sera Filar and Ella Golomb; freshmen Andrew Dinh Sydney Gibel and Purv Patel; eighth-grader Rishabh Krishnamurthy; and seventh-grader Russell Gardner Business Achievement Awards were given to seniors Caleb Shirk and Gabriella Hample; junior Ross Calig; and sophomores Aiden Drucker The Fox Chapel Area High School chapter of the FBLA also received ninth place in the Local Chapter Membership award with a total of 148 students There are 260 active high school chapters in Pennsylvania The Dorseyville Middle School chapter of the FBLA won third place in the Local Chapter Membership award with 37 members There are approximately 35 middle school chapters in the state The FBLA State Leadership Conference was held in Hershey More than 6,200 students from high schools and middle schools across the state participated in the competition The Fox Chapel Area High School FBLA sponsor is business education teacher Christina Congalton Two teams of Fox Chapel Area School District students placed first and second as part of the 2025 Children’s Choice Awards competition sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Allegheny County Library Association The Hartwood Elementary School team of fifth-graders McKenna Anderson and Elizabeth Moudry and fourth-graders Eli Holmes and Henry Smith won first place in the competition The team of Fairview Elementary School fifth-graders Samuel Barritt Asya Isbiliroglu and Nolan Riordan placed second The event was held April 9 at Commonwealth Charter Academy in Homestead Students were asked to read novels and then participate in a trivia event where they answered questions about the books the students also heard a keynote from author Matthew Holm who created (with his sister They also attended a session with a local graphic artist/storyteller Joe Mruk The day concluded with a live concert by local duo Josh and Gab who provided a kindness and bullying awareness musical comedy program Approximately 65 students in grades three-six from Allegheny and Washington counties participated in the Children’s Choice Awards event Beattie Career Center and Fox Chapel Area High School senior placed at the SkillsUSA Pennsylvania competition Gretchen Shelestak won a third-place bronze medal Gretchen competed in the cosmetology category and is enrolled in Beattie’s cosmetology program Gretchen qualified for the state contest after placing first at the SkillsUSA Pennsylvania District 8 competition that was held Feb 17 at the Parkway West Career & Technology Center The state contest was held April 2-4 in Hershey A Fox Chapel Area High School junior placed at the annual Westminster College High School Model United Nations Conference Ori Goldin won the Outstanding Delegate Award (equivalent to first place) in the Contemporary Security Council A total of 250 students from 20 public and private high schools from Western Pennsylvania Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia participated in the Westminster College High School Model UN Conference The competition was held April 9 at Westminster College in New Wilmington The purpose of the Model UN conference is to enable students to role-play and simulate the countries in the United Nations students debate and try to solve global problems from the perspectives of other countries Ori was also named the first-place winner of both the state and Allegheny County American Legion Essay Contest The essay topic was “Why is the 1st Amendment Important in America?” Essays were judged on proper English structure the extent of the information and originality along with a trip to the PA American Legion Convention in July where he will read his winning essay to the assembled delegates Ori was also invited to the American Legion Allegheny County & the American Legion Auxiliary Allegheny County Council 2025 Youth Achievement Awards dinner held at SNPJ Lodge 106 in Imperial on April 13 where he received a medal and a certificate Eight Fox Chapel Area High School students were selected by audition to perform with the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Ensembles The students chosen for the PMEA All-State Chorus are seniors Alaina OKunewick and Mya Wilson The students selected for the PMEA All-State Orchestra are senior Marina Dunham (bassoon) and juniors Elliott Broyles (trombone) The PMEA All-State Ensembles bring together the top student-musicians from across Pennsylvania The PMEA All-State Festival was held at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center in the Poconos in conjunction with the PMEA Annual In-Service Conference April 9-12 Fox Chapel’s Ethan Filter competes for the boys volleyball team during the 2025 season. Fox Chapel’s Owen Long competes for the boys volleyball team during the 2025 season. That’s all well and good when the lineup is relatively healthy But the Foxes had more than a dozen players out with the flu which severely impacted the first few weeks of their season That’s why Fox Chapel’s rallying to beat Gateway during its first section win April 15 was a big deal 1-2) desperately needed to find a way to win section matches if they wanted to find a way to the Class 3A playoffs “It means you have to earn your way to the playoffs,” O’Keeffe said We would have had to find a way to beat North Hills and I’m not sure what will happen against Penn Hills.”Fox Chapel middle hitter Ethan Filter said the Foxes were determined to get back on track Fox Chapel couldn’t develop chemistry with many of the team’s key players missing “We had like 14 guys out with the flu O’Keeffe said the Foxes are nearly back to 100% One freshman middle blocker is out with a concussion Fox Chapel has been trying to be more effective by rotating through different systems the Foxes lack the size to overpower their opponents “We’ve been going through a number of different lineups with a 6-2 and 5-1,” O’Keeffe said “I’ve been trying to tell them to keep it simple We’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit Fox Chapel had to worry about slowing down Darious Fararr putting down more than 15 kills against Fox Chapel Fox Chapel bounced back by winning the next two sets “We figured out their hitting,” Filter said The Foxes struggled to pass in the fourth set While Fox Chapel lost five consecutive match points the Foxes’ early run gave them such a cushion that they were able to take the final set 15-10 to pick up a much-needed win Filter was happy with the progress Fox Chapel made we ran the middle well tonight,” Filter said “We haven’t done that in the past If the setter finds our hitters and puts more balls down Brian Papich dunks against Bethel Park in 2014. Erin Mathias grabs a rebound over Chartiers Valley’s Katie Doyle in 2014. Six inductees will be honored during a banquet May 31 Fox Chapel’s Milo Chiu was selected from a pool of 158 students around the WPIAL to be one of the recipients of the 34th annual WPIAL James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award he collected 12 varsity letters: four each in soccer Chiu finished second in the section wrestling tournament He also excelled in the classroom with a 4.4 GPA Chiu was also heavily involved in the community and did volunteer work Appalachian State freshman runner Rowan Gwin has been working on finding a way to climb the rankings in the NCAA Southeast Regional He has the 37th-fastest time in the 1,500-meter run Virginia’s Gary Martin leads the regional with a time of 3:33.71 The Foxes have maintained their position in the playoff race thanks to their excellent scoring attack Fox Chapel continued to pile up the goals during a section win over Butler Caroline Leland led the Foxes with four goals in a 15-7 win over the Golden Tornado Caroline Grimsley added three goals and two assists and Zehra Ozkaya and Meg Delaney also added three goals apiece Shady Side Academy graduates Rachel Jones and Sydney Birchard are working on finding their footing in college lacrosse Jones has made three appearances in goal for Franklin & Marshall which is 12-2 overall and 4-0 in Centennial Conference play Birchard has appeared in four matches and has collected four ground balls this season Pitcher Patrick Monteverde is on his way to the big leagues The 27-year-old left-hander out of Fox Chapel received a call-up Saturday to the Miami Marlins He had been with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp of the International League who played at Seton Hill and is the first Griffins player to receive a promotion to MLB has appeared in three games this season and is 1-0 with a 4.82 ERA in 9 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and four walks He will join the bullpen and replace struggling George Soriano who swaps spots with him after being optioned to Jacksonville Monteverde was an eighth-round pick of the Marlins in the 2021 MLB Draft He began his college career at Virginia Wesleyan before transferring to Seton Hill as a sophomore this time at the Division I level in Texas Tech he is 23-17 with a 4.26 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 77 games He spent 2021 in the Rookie League before jumping to Advanced Class A and Double-A in ’22 he split time in Double-A and Triple-A before going down to Class A then climbed back to Double-A and Triple-A again in ’24 Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com Penn-Trafford’s Robert Thatcher (67) skates past Fox Chapel’s Niko Vavpetic during the first period of a Class 2A PIHL Penguins Cup semifinal on Tuesday. Fox Chapel celebrates a goal by Dominic Casile during the first period of a Class 2A PIHL Penguins Cup semifinal Tuesday at RMU Island Sports Center. Penn-Trafford’s Aiden Drotis (23) and Brock Bienemann (57) celebrate the tying goal against Fox Chapel goalie Grant Watson (80) on Tuesday in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup semifinals. Fox Chapel got that midway through the third period Tuesday to earn a trip to the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup final. Hayden Ferra happened to be at the right spot at the right time. After teammate Lian Wiseman dumped the puck behind the net, the Penn-Trafford defense whipped the puck blindly to the stick of Ferra, who buried it into a wide-open net with 7 minutes, 24 seconds left. After that, Fox Chapel goaltender Grant Watson had a few big saves, and the Foxes killed off a penalty with 4:02 left and advanced to the final with a 3-2 victory Tuesday at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center. They will play Erie Cathedral Prep at 6:15 p.m. March 18 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. Fox Chapel has never won the Pens Cup title. It was in the 2023 Class A final and lost to Kiski Area. Fox Chapel coach Ryan Loebig was an assistant coach that year, and he reminds the team that the school has yet to win a Pens Cup. “We bent but did not break,” Loebig said. “Penn-Trafford brought it, and we just hung in there. We got some good bounces and were able to capitalize on them. Grant also made a lot of great saves. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.” It did not take too much time for Fox Chapel to take a 1-0 lead 2:43 into the game. Dominic Casile scored from the right circle on assists from Tucker Cullen and Trip Goehring. Penn-Trafford answered as sophomore Brock Bienemann picked up a loose puck behind the net and chipped it past Watson 6:54 into the first period. The Warriors grabbed a 2-1 lead when Marco Ferraccio got the puck past Watson at the 11:06 mark. Both Warriors goals were unassisted. Penn-Trafford had a couple of good scoring chances but was stoned by Watson. “I’d hate to say a bad bounce cost us because Fox Chapel played an outstanding game,” Penn-Trafford coach Brian Zagorac said. “We just did not capitalize on our opportunities. I wish some of our chances would have gone in.” But Fox Chapel, which outshot the Warriors, 15-10, in the opening period, got the equalizer when Casile beat Penn-Trafford goaltender Tyler Funk at the 13:09 mark. Neither team scored in the second period thanks to some big saves by the goalies. Penn-Trafford was 0 for 2 on the power play in the second period. “We never backed down from them when they took the lead,” Zagorac said. “It was a street fight. I was proud of their effort. Fox Chapel, the top seed, defeated Penn-Trafford twice during the season: 4-1 on Nov. 21 and 3-2 on Feb. 17. “This is exciting,” Loebig said. “Some of the guys who played two years ago want to reverse the outcome.” Erie Cathedral Prep advanced to the PIHL Class 2A Pens Cup finals by defeating Latrobe, 2-0. Erie Prep took a 1-0 lead at 4:45 mark of the first period when Ethan Cunningham snapped a shot past Latrobe goalie Brock Pflugh. Late in the second period, the Ramblers made it 2-0 when Chris Bruschi scored on a rebound during a power play with 11 seconds left in the period. Latrobe was 0 for 5 on the power play thanks to a strong defensive effort from the Prep defense and goaltender Ian Brown, who stopped numerous point-blank shots. Erie Prep took both meetings during the regular season, winning 4-2 on Oct. 3 and 6-3 on Oct. 29. After the second loss, the Icecats won 11 consecutive games. Fox Chapel beat Erie Prep in both of their meetings this season. The Foxes won 4-2 on Nov. 26 and 3-1 on Jan. 20. Coming upWho: Fox Chapel Area School DistrictWhat: Community Safety, Health & Wellness EventWhen: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 26Where: Aspinwall municipal parking lot, 217 Commercial Ave.Admission: freeInfo: fcasd.edu call 412-967-2448 or email joseph_kozarian@fcasd.edu Fox Chapel Area School District’s annual Community Safety Health & Wellness Event is fast approaching Its fourth installment will take place on April 26 at the Aspinwall municipal parking lot It intends to create camaraderie among area residents Hundreds of people have routinely turned out for the event Organizers believe this year will be no exception “I always love seeing our students and our families and other members outside of the school walls engaging with one another,” said Jill Leonard event co-organizer and district community engagement specialist “This event is really an extension of relationship building.” The district and its school resource officers are sponsoring the event in conjunction with the district’s municipalities — Aspinwall O’Hara and Indiana Township – and their police departments Firefighters from these communities and Foxwall EMS staff are also expected to participate free bike helmets for children and other giveaways “Our school resource officers look forward to this event every year,” said school district police Chief Joe Kozarian said via a news release “It gives them an opportunity to connect with our local residents and our community first responders The residents of the Fox Chapel Area School District communities have always supported our efforts to keep our students and staff safe and wellness event is a way that we can reach out to thank them.” The vendor area has been expanded to allow more safety demonstrations and informational booths from UPMC and Allegheny Health Network as well as local youth organizations will have CPR manikins and will demonstrate some basic first-aid techniques Foxwall EMS has been involved in a variety of school programs both with Fox Chapel Area and Shady Side Academy Ben Shopland took over as EMS chief less than a year ago His staffers are expected to bring one of Foxwall’s ambulances and provide health screenings “I haven’t been to one of these yet so I’m looking forward to seeing how it all runs,” Shopland said “Aspinwall is very invested in making sure that the community and the public safety organizations are connected We’re down there quite often in various community events ”I’m looking forward to taking it all in building relationships with all the other agencies in the area It will be nice to see everybody in one place.” Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services which formed from the merged Aspinwall and Sharpsburg volunteer fire departments is expected to bring a fire demonstration trailer Firefighters will be showing the importance of fire safety and the benefits of having an escape plan a nonprofit partner with the school district Other activities include a basket raffle and various games Tickets for Fox Chapel Area’s May 28 Kennywood Day will be sold There’s a good chance safety day attendees will see Kozarian and another officer grilling hot dogs and other food Arnold’s mayor and Hartwood Elementary school’s resource officer Her healthy options such as fruits and chicken kabobs were a big hit last year “The district overall is very grateful for that rich spirit of collaboration with all our first responders,” Leonard said ‘We don’t really have to beg anybody to come It’s a good way to reach out to the community and it creates those ties and forges those relationships.” Cathedral Prep’s Ethan Cunningham beats Fox Chapel goaltender Grant Watson for the winning goal in overtime during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday, March 18, 2025, at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Fox Chapel players react after losing to Cathedral Prep in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Cathedral Prep’s Ethan Cunningham celebrates after scoring the winning goal in overtime during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Cathedral Prep celebrates with the Penguins Cup after beating Fox Chapel in overtime in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Cathedral Prep’s Ethan Cunningham (left) talks with Fox Chapel goaltender Grant Watson after Cunningham scored the winning goal in overtime during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Cathedral Prep celebrates after beating Fox Chapel in overtime in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Cathedral Prep’s Ethan Cunningham celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Fox Chapel’s Dominic Casile celebrates his first-period goal against Cathedral Prep during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Fox Chapel’s Tucker Cullen celebrates his first-period goal against Cathedral Prep during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. Fox Chapel’s Tucker Cullen beats Cathedral Prep goaltender Ian Brown during the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday. wanted to help Casile be a part of the first Foxes team to lift the PIHL’s Class 2A Penguins Cup Cathedral Prep forward Ethan Cuningham brought everything crashing down Cunningham took a pass from Michael Corritore and completed his hat trick in overtime by snapping a shot over Fox Chapel goalie Grant Watson’s shoulder to give the second-seeded Ramblers a 5-4 win The Foxes also lost in the Class A final in 2023 to Kiski Area “I feel terrible for him,” Cullen said Casile and Cullen scored all four goals for the Foxes Casile finished the regular season with a league-high 32 goals in Class 2A Cullen gave Fox Chapel (18-4-0-1) a spark early He got loose in the Ramblers’ zone and put home a shot 70 seconds into the game Fox Chapel finished with a 47-34 edge in shots on goal “We were able to get shots throughout the game,” Fox Chapel coach Ryan Loebig said “They weren’t always able to go in.” Cathedral Prep (16-4-2) evened the score with a goal by Cunningham nine minutes later Fox Chapel responded with a pair of goals by Casile to extend the lead to 3-1 “When I was in sixth grade and he was in eighth grade we won a middle school championship together,” Cullen said We finally got an opportunity to show it on the big stage.” This was Cathedral Prep’s fifth Pens Cup victory and first since 2016 The Ramblers had to battle back several times to earn the title Cunningham started the comeback with a goal with 4 seconds left in the first period “They were the ones on the bench calming each other down,” Ramblers coach Mark Sprickman said “We didn’t have to say anything to them They looked at each other and started picking each other up.” Tucker Kinnear evened the score for the Ramblers in the second period with another wrister that went fluttering by Watson “They never give up,” Sprickman said … They are a family from the start to end and it shows.” Cullen again answered a minute later to give Fox Chapel a 4-3 lead entering the third period the Foxes opened up by killing off a penalty Liam Wiseman drew a penalty shot but saw his effort go over wide “I think we were a little less aggressive than I would like us to be,” Loebig said “We know they like to get the puck behind the net and push it up the wall Cathedral Prep forced overtime when Kinnear scored with 1:09 remaining The Ramblers had just pulled their goaltender and Kinnear launched a wide shot that found its way in “That was all luck,” Sprickman said Antonio Cardinali and his Fox Chapel teammates will play in the Class 2A Penguins Cup final Tuesday. Fox Chapel’s Grant Watson has made two playoff starts with a .912 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. his desire was to tinker with some small things to make the team more productive The Foxes will see if that is enough to get over the top when they take on Erie Cathedral Prep in the Class 2A Penguins Cup final at 6:15 p.m It was good the players knew each other,” Loebig said “The process has been implementing what I like to do and getting the guys to buy in The Foxes (18-3-0-0-1) won 10 of their last 11 games to close the regular season to earn the top seed finishing three points ahead of the Ramblers which was 14 more than the next closest team “We like to cause havoc and create turnovers,” senior captain Tyler Goldstein said Cathedral Prep (16-4-2) has made a strong run through the playoffs as a No The Ramblers didn’t concede a goal during their two playoff wins Tucker Kinnear is Cathedral Prep’s leading scorer Chris Bruschi (12 goals) and Ethan Cunningham (11) were also double-digit goal scorers for the Ramblers Fox Chapel swept Cathedral Prep during the season and we know it will be a tough game.” The Foxes made the Penguins Cup in 2023 when they were in Class A It was Fox Chapel’s first appearance in the championship game in 20 years Losing to Kiski was a difficult pill for Goldstein to swallow “There will be a lot of urgency,” said Goldstein who finished with a goal and 10 assists during the season The Foxes have plenty of firepower in their lineup Dominic Casile led the Foxes with 32 goals and 25 assists Hayden Ferra (14) and Liam Wiseman (12) also reached double-digit goals for the Foxes Casile leads Fox Chapel in the playoffs with four goals Grant Watson has made two starts in goal for the Foxes and has a .912 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average Goldstein said this is an opportunity he doesn’t want to miss “I thought when we moved up to 2A that we had the talent base to win,” Goldstein said “Winning would be great because Fox Chapel has never won a Penguins Cup It would be history for the organization.” Fox Chapel pitcher Tristan Blum delivers against Mars on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at Fox Chapel. Fox Chapel’s Tristan Blum steals second base next to Mars’ Danny Murray during their game on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at Fox Chapel. Fox Chapel pitcher Franco Pistella celebrates after getting a strikeout with runner on base against Mars on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at Fox Chapel. Fox Chapel’s Jeremy Haigh celebrates after driving in a run next to Mars first baseman Hayden Reisinger during their game on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at Fox Chapel. and Jeremy Haigh singled in the game’s only run in the first inning as Fox Chapel defeated Mars and Pistella fanned three in three innings for the Foxes (8-3 Hard-luck losing pitcher Roman Brunsell gave up three hits in six innings for the Fightin’ Planets (4-6 Central Valley 2 – Winning pitcher Joe Leseiko doubled and drove in a run and Carter Mason went 2 for 3 with an RBI as Ambridge (7-4 Nathan Angleo knocked in a run for the Warriors Beaver 0 – Carter Davis tossed a no-hitter and was 2 for 3 at the plate with a double and an RBI to lead Blackhawk (5-1 4-1) to a Section 1-4A win over Beaver (8-4 doubled and had three RBIs and Steve Knallay doubled and had a pair of RBIs for the Cougars Springdale 1 – Jackson Maddix doubled and drove in three runs and winning pitcher Tyler Maddix struck out seven in three innings while going 2 for 3 with a double and a pair of RBIs as Bishop Canevin (6-4) rolled to a nonsection win Alex Wylly plated a run for Springdale (2-5) doubled and knocked in a run for the Crusaders Hempfield 2 – Preston Richter brought home three runs and Jett Cuffman doubled and had an RBI while Nolan Stefaniak earned the win as Butler (7-3) beat Hempfield (5-7) in nonsection play Drew Jones knocked in a run for the Spartans Maverick Clement picked up a save for the Golden Tornado Seton LaSalle 3 – Braeden Todaro drove in two runs and Jacob Gelder got the win as Charleroi (6-4 Roman LoNero went 2 for 2 with an RBI and Brody Torchia doubled for the Rebels triple and three RBIs and Gage Blystone and Michael Hanz hit a double apiece for Freeport (6-5) in a nonsection win Cody Stull and Dylan Roth singled and scored for Knoch (8-6) Derry 5 – In the resumption of Tuesday’s suspended game Kristian Kocon smacked a two-run single as a part of Highlands’ six-run top of the eighth to get past Derry (4-4 Troy Bielak was 3 for 5 with an RBI and Beckham Ochoa got the win for the Golden Rams (6-5 Mason Fridley doubled twice and drove in four runs and Cason Long added an RBI for the Trojans Greensburg Salem 0 – In the resumption of Tuesday’s suspended game 5-0) got a home run and two RBI from Rocco Cosentino and a double and an RBI each from Caden Force and Ethan Shank for a Section 3-4A win Sullivan VanHoose gave up one hit in 4⅓ shutout innings and struck out five and Greg Minnick struck out five in 2⅔ innings for Indiana Robert Visnick’s single was the only hit for Greensburg Salem (5-5 Armstrong 8 – Tylar Hanley delivered a two-run double in the top of the eighth to lift Kiski Area (2-8 John DeLuca doubled and knocked in two runs Dimitri Spagnola tripled and had an RBI and Dom Hand got the win for the Cavaliers Chase Jablonski and Kade Rupp each doubled for the River Hawks Neshannock 4 – Bobby Fadden went 3 for 4 with a triple and Drew Wrona drove in three runs to lead Mohawk (4-4) to a nonsection win Cole Hutchinson hit a double for Neshannock (7-3) 2-4) swept a Section 2-2A doubleheader from Aliquippa (0-8 Billy Hurley tripled and knocked in a pair and Caleb Weiss had two hits and two RBIs for the Flames Anthony Barron and Sam Stiteler each had two hits and two RBIs and Dwayne Reed added two hits and an RBI for Northgate Bethel Park 1 – Winning pitcher Zach Miner struck out six in six innings and went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs to help Peters Township (8-5 doubled and drove in two runs and Brody Takacs also had two RBIs for Peters Mike Bruckner doubled and Jack Bruckner drove in a run for Bethel Park (8-4 South Side 0 – Eli DeVita went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs Rece Stempfer tripled and drove in two runs and Miles Duncan and Rex Roberts each doubled and knocked in a run for Riverview (9-2 Carter Wilson had two hits for South Side (7-3 Lukas Duncan gave up three hits and struck out nine in six shutout innings and Tyler Aftanas struck out three in an inning for the Raiders North Hills 0 – Winning pitcher Andrew Malichky gave up two hits and struck out eight in a Section 1-6A win for Seneca Valley (7-3 Micah Olayer went 1 for 3 with a triple while plating three runs Ryan Piekutoski doubled and had an RBI for the Raiders Hopewell 5 – Matt McNeal knocked in four runs Tyler Skaggs went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI and Owen Dumbrosky picked up a win as Serra Catholic (10-2) defeated Hopewell (2-10) in nonsection play Charles Smetana doubled and plated three runs for the Vikings East Allegheny 0 – In the resumption of Tuesday’s suspended game Hunter Fulmer struck out four in three no-hit innings in a Section 2-3A win for South Allegheny (4-6 doubled and drove in two runs while Fischer Lelase doubled and plated two runs as well for the Gladiators Cedric Mack went 2 for 3 for East Allegheny (0-10 Connellsville 0 – Tyler Lesko pitched four innings allowing three hits and striking out seven in a Section 4-5A win for Thomas Jefferson (7-3 Eli Graff went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs while Andrew Brnusak contributed two hits and two RBIs as well for the Jaguars Matthew Firestone (2-for-3) doubled for Connellsville (8-3 winning pitcher Christian Stefankis doubled and had two RBIs Ethan Wilson knocked in two runs and Sawyer Chaffee doubled and drove in a run for the Golden Beavers Jalen Peace and Keeghan Kupka each had two RBIs for the Scotties.In the second game Vinny Ross and Wilson each drove in a run and Brendon Fortner got the win for the Golden Beavers North Catholic 5 – Rhiannon Rabassi had an inside-the-park grand slam and Abby Hojdila doubled for Beaver (8-2 Kennedy Brown hit a triple and Natalia Rushak doubled for North Catholic (6-5 Mapletown 5 – Allison Lynch had a triple and four RBIs to lead Beth-Center (2-7 Makenna Lotspeich tripled and drove in a run for Mapletown (3-7 Peters Township 9 – Sia Spano went 4 for 5 with a double and six RBIs Madison Timms hit a home run and Audrey Campbell tripled for Bethel Park (8-2 Lucy Wicker and Avery Carson had a double and two RBIs apiece for Peters Township (2-9 East Allegheny 4 – Carma Coberly went 3 for 3 with a double home run and two RBIs and Paige Boehm hit a triple and home run for Brentwood (2-5) in a nonsection win Mercedes Benz hit a home run and Mylayja Hicks tripled for East Allegheny (0-7) Washington 0 – Ava Clark struck out 16 and allowed one hit in seven innings for Brownsville (6-3 3-1) in a Section 4-2A win over Washington (4-3 Zaydee Downer hit a home run and Alexa Pellick and Skyler Gates hit a triple apiece for the Falcons North Allegheny 0 – Skylah Steban and Kadence Merigo had a double and RBI apiece to lead Canon-McMillan (7-6 Leah Carlson and Zoe Rychel doubled for North Allegheny (5-6 Jefferson-Morgan 2 – Bailey Barnyak struck out 12 and allowed two runs on four hits to lead Carmichaels (8-0 Ashlyn Snyder had a double and two RBIs and Gabby Marmie doubled for Jefferson-Morgan (5-3 Ashton Batis doubled and drove in a run for the Mighty Mikes Steel Valley 8 – Nori Stringa-Smith went 2 for 2 with a home run and four RBIs Rya Dipietrantonio doubled and Zoey Charlton drove in three runs to lead Charleroi (4-4 home run and five RBIs for Steel Valley (3-7 Clair 2 – Alana Woods went 3 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs and Chloe Tenney drove in three runs to lead Chartiers Valley (6-3 Brooklyn Kemp and Kiley Reber each singled and drove in a run for Upper St Valley 1 – Haylee Myers and Marie Razopotnik combined to throw a four-inning no-hitter for Derry (7-1 5-0) in a Section 1-4A win over Valley (0-9 Myers struck out seven in 3⅓ innings Sophia Doherty hit two home runs and Bailey Legge homered and drove in four runs for the Trojans Uniontown 2 – Sophie Pasinsky hit a two-run homer and Aubri Cimba doubled to lead Elizabeth Forward (7-2 Emmaleigh Noah hit a home run for Uniontown (6-5 McKeesport 0 – Ciara Camacho hit a home run Chloe Lancaster tripled and Bella Salas and Toryn Fulton had a double apiece for Franklin Regional (9-3 Addison Homer singled and walked for McKeesport (2-6 Blackhawk 1 – Winning pitcher Marissa Snyder struck out 14 for Hampton (6-3 Eva Parris hit two doubles for Blackhawk (5-3 Eden Lawrence went 2 for 3 with a double and RBI for the Talbots Lebanon 0 – Riley Miller struck out nine and allowed two hits in four innings for Hempfield (10-0 Rebecca Davis and Sarah Stroh singled for Mt Lauren Howard went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs and Claire Mitchell went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs for the Spartans Greensburg Salem 0 – Samantha Martin threw a complete-game four-hitter with 11 strikeouts for Indiana (3-8 Marley Perrone went 2 for 3 for Greensburg Salem (6-4 Addie Stossel went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs for the Indians Monessen 1 – Mia Sarpolis hit two doubles and winning pitcher Grace Stein and Josie Shaw hit a double apiece for Jeannette (5-3 Amirra Brewer singled and drove in a run for Monessen (0-6 Gateway 3 – Alyssa Perona had two doubles a triple and two RBIs and Kyla Hutcherson and Samantha Matson drove in two runs apiece for Kiski Area (3-7 Rylee Beavin singled and knocked in a run for Gateway (3-8 Freeport 1 – Winning pitcher Emersyn Jones went 4 for 4 with two doubles Brooke Bastin hit a grand slam and Kaila Purcell doubled to lead Knoch (10-1 Ali Smith hit an RBI single for Freeport (4-7 New Brighton 3 – Hailey Fell had a double Maddie Evans homered and Ivy Pancher and Jayme Weisenstein hit a triple apiece for Laurel (9-3 Kylee Kwidis hit a triple for New Brighton (2-6 Ringgold 6 – Gianna Miller went 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs and Payton Rambo had a single double and three RBIs to lead Laurel Highlands (4-6 Addison Jenkins had two singles and three RBIs for Ringgold (0-11 Keystone Oaks 6 – Courtney Bedillion Miley Main and Mackenzie Shrader hit a double apiece for McGuffey (6-3 Eveline Kyper doubled for Keystone Oaks (4-5 Beaver Falls 0 – Winning pitcher Reagan Magno tossed a four-inning no hitter and struck out 10 to power Mohawk (9-2 6-0) to s Section 2-3A win over Beaver Falls (1-4 Gianna Pezzuolo went 3 for 4 with four RBIs and Mylie Pistorius doubled twice and plated two runs for the Warriors Ligonier Valley 2 – Gianna Stanek had three doubles and four RBIs and Dani Trainer hit two doubles for Mt Abby Springer and Allison Heffelfinger hit two singles apiece for Ligonier Valley (2-6 Penn Hills 0 – Keara Mangieri hit a grand slam Aliyah Stalczynski hit two doubles and Zoe Shields doubled for New Castle (5-6 3-3) in a Section 1-5A win over Penn Hills (2-10 Shady Side Academy 3 – Bayleigh Hooper went 3 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs Kayleigh Hooper doubled and Morgan Gannon drove in two runs for Northgate (7-3 2-2) in a Section 2-2A win over Shady Side Academy (1-5 Butler 9 – Makenna Black hit a double and triple Diem Wardzinski tripled and Miley Harrison drove in three runs to lead Norwin (5-6 Mikayla Crouch and Shylee Karenbauer hit a double apiece for Butler (2-9 Carlynton 1 – Sophia Wasko went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs Ava Ciummo tripled and Julia Pinter drove in two runs for OLSH (6-3 4-0) in a Section 3-2A win over Carlynton (2-8 Armstrong 4 – Cameron Ponko hit a grand slam home run and four RBIs and Bella Rubbe and Kylie Anthony also homered to lead Penn-Trafford (10-1 Isabel Prazenica went 2 for 3 with an RBI for Armstrong (7-5 Woodland Hills 0 – Iliana Aggelou went 3 for 4 with a double Calle Henne homered and Abigail Skripac and Serafina Julio drove in two runs apiece for Pine-Richland (7-3 6-3) in a Section 1-6A win over Woodland Hills (0-8 Mars 1 – Danielle Pici had a double and three RBIs double and two RBIs and Jaiden Gentile drove in two runs to lead Plum (10-2 Freedom 0 – Jasmine Ewing had a three-run triple Emma Stockton tripled and Charlie Bissell and Adelaide Burry drove in three runs apiece to lead Riverside (3-6 3-3) to a Section 1-2A win over Freedom (0-10 Ellis School 1 – Kelly Morrissey went 3 for 3 with a double and Bailee Dayton drove in three runs for Serra Catholic (4-4 4-0) in a Section 3-A win over Ellis School (0-3 Fox Chapel 1 – Bria Bosiljevac threw five one-hit innings with 10 strikeouts for Shaler (8-2 Ella Eisner hit a double for Fox Chapel (6-4 Addy Aleski doubled and Emily Spears drove in three runs for the Titans Aliquippa 0 – Kennadi Lynn hit a home run Sydney Byerly hit a double and triple and Zoe Offie doubled and drove in two runs for Shenango (6-4 5-1) in a Section 1-2A win over Aliquippa (0-7 Moon 4 – Evie Vuono hit a home run and Maddie Cavenaugh hit a double and triple for South Fayette (8-3 Macy Trost and Sydney Ray tripled for Moon (4-5 Chartiers-Houston 3 – Sydney Dubyak hit the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the seventh for South Park (11-0) in a nonsection win Taryne Drilak hit a double for Chartiers-Houston (10-1) Winning pitcher Sydney Sekely struck out 13 for the Eagles Rochester 0 – Winning pitcher Maya Ringhoff pitched a three-inning perfect game and went 2 for 4 with a double and four RBIs to lead South Side (5-6 2-3) to a Section 1-A win against Rochester (1-7 Karis Dunham and Brooke McNary each knocked in three runs for South Side Baldwin 5 – Allie Chalovich had two home runs and four RBIs Alayna Grese hit a home run and Adalina Bracco and Rylee Nemchek had a double and two RBIs apiece to lead Thomas Jefferson (6-3 Gabby Jaquay hit two singles for Baldwin (10-3 Albert Gallatin 0 – Hanna Suhoski went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs Riley Venick hit two doubles and Remmie Seitz had a double and three RBIs for Trinity (8-5 Hanna Dunham went 2 for 2 with a double for Albert Gallatin (2-6 Montour 2 – Alexis Santucci went 2 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs Anna Henry hit a two-run homer and Irena Santoro and Ava Benish hit a home run apiece for West Allegheny (7-4 Danielle Terpack hit a home run for Montour (2-8 Avella 1 – Winning pitcher Payton Gilbert gave up one run on four hits and struck out eight in six innings and knocked in two runs as West Greene (10-1 Marissa Tharp doubled and drove in three runs and Katie Brudnock plated a run for the Pioneers Belle Vernon 6 – Mia Bey hit a grand slam and Kaleigh Tatters had a double and three RBIs to lead West Mifflin (8-4 Lauren VanDivner hit a three-run homer for Belle Vernon (5-7 Ambridge 2 – Izzie Lefebvre went 4 for 5 with a double and three RBIs and Kaitlyn Zele tripled and drove in two runs for Western Beaver (4-6 Caylin Fedora had two singles and an RBI for Ambridge (2-6 Section 1-3A – Top-seeded Zidaan Hassan and Logan Memije of Gateway defeated the No 2 pairing of Collin Stalnaker and Sanshiro Ogawa from Franklin Regional in straight sets Franklin Regional’s Prem Nadasen and Arnesh Parua took home third place after defeating Latrobe’s Blaise Bukovac and Eli McKeever 6-2 The top four teams in each section advance to the WPIAL tournament Tuesday and Wednesday Section 2-3A – North Allegheny’s top duo of Adhav Ramadas and Nick Scheuring defeated teammates Ronit Ginde and Shivum Telang Mars’ Ethan Palmer and Cal Johnson beat Butler’s Andrew Bocci and Ryan Conaway Section 3-3A – The top-ranked Fox Chapel duo of Mason Friday and Frank Siegel defeated Shady Side Academy’s Sai Chaudhry and Kiran Tevar in straight sets Henry Stallings and Charlie Larsen of Fox Chapel defeated Liam Creagh and Roman Vizzoca from Shaler Lebanon’s Luca Ritivoi and Mark Summers defeated top-seeded Ari Plutko and Shawn Khurana of Upper St The Blue Devils were also represented in the consolation match as Evan McGill and Noah Klaber defeated Kritin Sharma and Tyler Urbanic of Peters Township Section 1-2A – Top-seeded Landon Harclerode and Tyler Quinn of Valley took down No 2 Gabe Nettleton and Michael Dubetsky of Indiana in straight sets Pleasant defeated Silas Morris and Tommy Shrum from Greensburg Salem Section 2-2A – Jonah Jasek and Steven Duing swept teammates Praves Wagley and Cole Hammack Jonah Camardese and Trey Varga from Montour earned third place after defeating Seton LaSalle’s duo of Vincent Chen and Collin Zhang Section 3-2A – Second-seeded Alex Weber and Alex Fouber from North Catholic toppled the top-seeded combination of Will Meagher and Matthew Henry from Quaker Valley AJ List and Zane List of Hampton defeated Jake Sinclair and Paddy McCabe of North Catholic Section 4-2A – Third-seeded Cody Clayton and Hunter Hazelwood of Central Valley upset the top duo of Ben Crefeld and Jack Hanlon of Blackhawk Zack Masters and Sean Perez for Beaver defeated Donovan Matsook and Charles Vuckovich from Central Valley North Hills 2 – Cate Gentile had five goals and three assists and Claire and Madeline Mill each added four goals to lead Pine-Richland to a Section 2-3A win Mallory Boivin collected three goals and four assists and Kendyll Jerry scored twice for the Rams Baldwin 7 – Ella Pedley had five goals and two assists Carly Venanzi finished with four goals and an assist and Natalie Wagner and Madi Stewart each scored three times to lead Plum to a Section 1-3A win Canon-McMillan 5 – Anna Capobres and Mea Musillo had four goals apiece and Riley Powell and Sarah McShane each scored twice to help Upper St Molly Powell and Katie Sweeney each had a goal and two assists and Charlotte Swanson made five saves for the Panthers Bethel Park 0 – Landon Patterson had nine kills and Justin Peters collected eight kills 18 assists and three blocks for Canon-McMillan in a Section 1-3A win Jack Steele added six kills and three blocks Aydin Winkelblech dished out eight assists and Nolan Rosing had four digs for the Big Macs Student orchestra to perform Disney concert at library The Cooper-Siegel Community Library is hosting the Fox Chapel Area High School orchestra for a Disney Pop-Up Concert from 11 a.m and children are encouraged to dress as their favorite Disney character The youngsters will have an opportunity to learn about the students’ various instruments as well as conduct the orchestra Registration is required. To register, visit coopersiegel.librarycalendar.com and click on the event The Fox Chapel Garden Club is organizing a Gardenfest from 9 a.m May 10 in O’Hara Township Community Park The event will feature a variety of offerings from local organizations and artisans • Fox Chapel Garden Club: perennials • Fox Chapel Girl Scouts: garden art; • The Green Foxes Garden Club: O’Hara Elementary’s kids garden club and bake sale; • Guyasuta Garden Club: hanging baskets • Men’s Garden Club: tool and knife sharpening; • North American Rock Garden Society: mini conifers • Penn State Master Gardeners: perennials and tomato plants The inaugural Chalk the Wall Sidewalk Arts Festival is set from 10 a.m May 3 in Aspinwall’s business district — on Commercial and Brilliant avenues and Alley A families and teens are invited to create chalk art on the district’s sidewalks while neighbors and visitors enjoy the live creations Funding for the event was provided in part by a grant from Aspinwall Neighbors and support from the Merchants of Aspinwall To sign up, visit tinyurl.com/ym3bn3jc Design challenge to kick off Remake Learning Days Nearly 16,000 elementary students in Pennsylvania are set to participate in discoverED 2025 a collaborative design challenge led by the Fox Chapel Area School District discoverED 2025 will mark the official kickoff of Remake Learning Days in Pennsylvania a learning festival for students and families students in first and second grades will work to Save the Salamander After receiving a lesson on animal migration and the importance of wildlife crossings to keep animals safe students will sketch a bridge prototype and construct it using marshmallows About 550 students from 11 area school districts — Avonworth South Park and Wilkinsburg — will gather at the David L Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh for an in-person version of the design challenge Other schools from across the state will partner virtually for the design challenge DiscoverED 2025 is just one part of Remake Learning Days in Pennsylvania from May 1-23 To learn about other educational opportunities Blawnox is hosting a Centennial Bar Crawl fundraiser on May 17 T-shirts are $20 and must be worn during the bar crawl to receive drink specials at each establishment The fundraiser is open to everyone 21 and older Student leaders sought for environmental program Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Seeking Student Leaders for Young Ambassadors Program is seeking civic and environmental leaders in 10th through 12th grades to keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful through the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program The Young Ambassadors program empowers young community stewards and civic leaders to become ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania Ambassadors will have the oppurtunity to train and network with industry leaders local media and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful network They will recieve a taste of life in the public service sector “I’ve been in public service a long time and I can say that community leaders are the key difference makers between getting things done and just talking about it,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said “Every new generation has more to lose with enviornmental damage so I invite every young Pennsylvanian to be part of the solution.” Applications are being accepted through June 10 Students will be chosen through a competitive application process visit keeppabeautiful.org or contact Kylie McCutcheon at 724-836-4121 Indiana Township will host a touch-a-truck event from 11 a.m There will be vehicles from the police and public works departments emergency services as well as tow trucks and other machinery More information is available on the township’s website Best of Blawnox is looking for volunteers to help in the community garden at Blawnox Community Park Registration is open for Indiana Township’s summer camp Early bird registration with discount admission must be made by May 30 Summer camp is at Emmerling Park from 9 a.m It is open to children who have completed kindergarten through age 12 Early bird resident cost is $260 for a family of three or $110 for one or two children each Early bird nonresident cost is $520 for a family of three or $220 for one or two children each Regular resident registration is $310 for a family of three or $140 for one or two children each Regular nonresident registration is $620 for a family of three or $280 for one or two children each The township is in need of counselors as well Counselors must be at least 16 years old and available for all five weeks of camp Applications are due by May 9 via Indianatownship.com or submitted at the Town Hall Call 412-767-5333 or go to the township’s website for more information The HPC Big Band is back in the swing of things and brings the sweet tunes through the decades All are welcome on May 16 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m Free swing dance lessons will be given by professional instructor Jared Clemens followed by live music from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m including hot and cold snacks and hors d’oeuvres Eli is a former comedic writer for Jay Leno when Leno was the host of “The Tonight Show.” Tickets are $15 each and include a lunch and the show The church is located at 2942 East Hardies Road in Gibsonia Call the church office at 724-443-3201 for details or questions More information can be accessed online at hamptonpresbyterian.net Margaret Foundation Brian Demchak Hope Challenge & Paws for Patients New this year is the invitation to have your pets participate for a bandanna and a chance at prizes Do so with people or pets you enjoy while filling in the gaps with hope for patients and employees at UPMC-St on the dance floor or in a pool to complete a virtual 5K at 3.1 miles or a distance you prefer swim or play racket sports for those who can’t There will again be a Lunchtime Wellness Walk in RIDC O’Hara from 11:30 a.m New in 2025 is an invitation for registrants to include their pets in their challenge and be entered to win the Paws for Patients Cutest Pet Contest The first 200 participants will receive a race shirt and a finisher’s medal Those fundraising online to help fill in the gaps with hope for patients and employees receive free registration if they raise $50 Designate your participation in honor or memory of someone special with a free wind spinner personalized by the Foundation and displayed in the hospital courtyard For more information or to register, visit stmargaret foundation.org/challenge or call 412-784-4205 The Lauri Ann West Community Center has 10 weeks of fun for kids ages 5-12. Summer camps run from June 9-Aug. 15 with different themes each week. Families must pay 50% of camp fees at registration and be paid in full by May 1. For more information or to register, call 412-828-8566 or visit laurianwestcc.org/summer-camps-2025 Lauri Ann West Community Center will offer 10 exciting weeks of camp Two new programs this summer will be Dominic the Magician and a “Fire and Ice” show by Mad Science Campers signed up for the Mad Science specialty camp that week will join our full-day camp for the “Fire and Ice” Show visit lauriannwestcc.org/summer-camps-2025 Aspinwall Tee Ball is announcing its third season for children aged 3-8 Games will start on June 14 and run for 10 Saturdays with an optional Under the Lights game at the end of the season New this year is a more experienced group for ages 6-8 but will graduate to coach pitch within a few weeks Ages 3-6 with little to no experience will continue to use the tee The registration form can be found on the Aspinwall Tee Ball Facebook page or you can register in person at the Borough Building during business hours A Trailside Tasting will be offered by participating wine and spirit vendors from 1 to 5 p.m This fundraiser is to help raise money to add to the special needs programs the camp provides to youth with disabilities The only way to purchase tickets is online or at the door Participants must be 21 or older to attend and have a valid state driver’s license campers are grouped in co-ed squads with children of similar ages campers have the chance to make lifelong friendships and enjoy a full day of age-appropriate activities Campers may attend all nine weeks if interested Registration forms must be completed by May 1 For more information or to register for either event, visit campguyasuta.org The fifth annual Fox Chapel Day is planned for noon to 4 p.m Local community organizations will have informational and activity booths Craig Sorg at 412-850-5025 or email csorg@fox-chapel.us for more information Lauri Ann West Community Center’s upcoming community programs have something for everyone kids 12 to 15 are invited to Teen After-Hours Takeover checkmate their opponent’s king and more Registration is required and there is a small fee The free communitywide Silent Disco will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m All ages are invited to break out their dancing shoes and move to the beat of their favorite station for the night For more information or to register, visit lauriannwestcc.org To have your news or event listed in our briefs section email editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com Fox Chapel’s Tucker Cullen battles for possession of the puck against Penn-Trafford on Nov. 21, 2024, at Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar. Fox Chapel’s Tucker Cullen celebrates with Mason Driskill after scoring against Penn-Trafford on Nov. 21, 2024, at Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar. January is an important month in the season how a team plays in that month is a harbinger of how successful they will be in the playoffs Going into the final game of the month on Jan the Foxes were on a six-game winning streak and hadn’t lost since Dec “Each game we’ve built upon something different and continued to coalesce as a group,” said Loebig and it instills a confidence our guys need.” The matchup was a battle for first place in Class 2A as the Foxes came in with 40 points and Latrobe with 39 46 points) came away with a 5-2 win on Latrobe’s senior night at Kirk Nevin Arena in a game that had a playoff-type feel “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that arena so packed,” said Loebig “That’s what we will encounter in the playoffs: playing a very good team in an environment where there’s a lot of emotion That’s crucial experience to have and we responded well.” Senior Dominic Casile scored the only goal in the first period to give the Foxes an early advantage Sophomore Tucker Cullen and junior Hayden Ferra found the net in the second while senior Liam Wiseman scored a power-play goal and junior Spencer Goehring buried an empty netter the Foxes looked to continue their winning streak against Armstrong on Feb it was the same script as Casile found the net in the first Cullen scored a shorthanded goal in the second and the Foxes exploded for five in the third “Sometimes when pucks don’t go in but I wanted to see how our guys responded,” said Loebig “Winning seven in a row built confidence in our guys and their game which they stuck to and we blew the doors open in the third.” Casile scored a power-play goal and Cullen added two more for the hat trick while Wiseman scored on the power play and Ferra added another shorthanded goal for the 7-2 win The Foxes have outscored their opponents 110-50 this season Forty of those goals have come in the first period the Foxes have been driven by Cullen and Casile Cullen leads the team in points with 57 (27 goals 30 assists) and Casile leads the team in goals with 30 to go with 23 assists 14a) and Wiseman has scored 11 goals and has 11 assists Senior defenseman Trip Goehring is third on the team in points (33) and has scored five goals Loebig enjoys the offensive production but knows it’s a byproduct of the style and structure his team plays with “Our guys understand that puck possession is gold because it means the other team doesn’t have it,” Loebig said Strong puck management and strong defensive zone play is going to be critical the rest of the season and into the playoffs.” The Foxes also have the luxury of having a strong goaltending depth chart with juniors Xing Carlough Carey has seen the bulk of playing time and has a 1.73 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 16 games played Watson has seen action in 15 games and holds a .863 save percentage who got the win against Armstrong has a save percentage of .861 That’s been the leading reason why the Foxes are second in Class 2A in goal differential (plus-60) looking to win their own defensive zone first before advancing into the neutral and offensive zones It’s a formula that helped them beat Penn-Trafford earlier in the year with a rematch set for Feb The game will also feel like a playoff game as the Warriors look to end the Foxes’ eight-game winning streak and Fox Chapel looks to claim first place and the top seed for the playoffs “Penn-Trafford brings it in every zone and it won’t be easy for us anywhere on the ice,” said Loebig “Winning battles in every zone will be magnified But it will also be another fun test and we’re looking forward to another chance to learn.” 27 and will look to shore up any details before the playoffs start Loebig also wants his players to continue to have the right mindset and they have the skill and structure to make a deep playoff run but he wants to make sure they walk that fine line between cockiness and confidence “We haven’t lost a game in a long time but we could at any moment,” Loebig said “We need to make sure we’re going into the postseason with a certain humility and the reality is that any team can beat you on a given night the one seed in Class 2A got upset by the eight seed There’s no reason it can’t happen again.” The playoffs are always a different game as teams become more defensive and open ice becomes a premium as teams are trying not to make mistakes that could lead to goals Asked if he’s worried that the Foxes potent offense could struggle but I think we have the faculties to put up a lot of offense and to keep the puck out of our net,” said Loebig “If you take a couple of goals off the board As long as we have that confidence and commit to playing defense first I think we’re ready for any variation of the game that we could face.” Fox Chapel’s Jillian Haigh plays in an early-season game in 2025. Fox Chapel’s Maria Stiger plays in an early-season game in 2025. Fox Chapel’s Heidi Stiger plays in an early-season game in 2025. The first-year Fox Chapel softball coach has had excellent weather to get settled into the job the Foxes’ new coach didn’t want to waste the opportunity to get to know his team quickly Troutman worked with Fox Chapel athletic director Michael O’Brien to reschedule some nonsection games and get them in before Section 1-5A play started The Foxes have responded by winning their first three games and outscoring their opponents 33-6 “We got our two scrimmages and three games in,” Troutman said “We wanted to take advantage of the warm weather Monday (March 17’s win over Butler) was cold but it was an opportunity to see live-game action There’s nothing that can replace that It gives us a better understanding of how the girls handle the pressure How do they handle a 3-2 count or seeing a changeup early in the count?” Fox Chapel will open section play at home against Plum on March 27 Foxes pitcher Jillian Haigh struck out nine batters in the Foxes’s 10-0 win over Butler Haigh also went 3 for 4 at the plate and drove in two runs Haigh and Ella Eisner will do a majority of Fox Chapel’s pitching During Fox Chapel’s 18-2 win over Kiski Maria Stiger went 2 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs While Troutman enjoyed his two years coaching at Leechburg he feels spoiled by what he has at his disposal with the Foxes “There were a couple of things that brought me here,” said Troutman “One was the amazing facilities that Fox Chapel has to offer It’s almost like a Division III program Fox Chapel’s Bella Urso makes a pass during the 28th annual Alle-Kiski Cager Classic on April 5, 2025. Fox Chapel’s Bella Urso takes a shot during the skills competition before the 28th annual Alle-Kiski Cager Classic on April 4, 2025. to help the West team beat the East team 66-60 in the 28th annual Alle-Kiski Cager Classic on April 5 at Highlands High School Urso also participated in the skills competition “It was fun to represent the school,” Urso said “I played with a lot of the girls that I grew up competing against I hadn’t played with any of them before.” The West team fell behind by six points early but eventually was able to rally by using its speed The West team didn’t have any players who were 6-foot or taller It was a physical contest that saw both teams hit the floor trying to retain possession and hold onto loose balls West coach Dana Pestruska said she was impressed with the team’s overall effort I love coaching because there are no excuses either,” Petruska said “It says a lot about the programs that they are coached well and how well they sacrificed.” the West team pulled away by making clutch 3-pointers knocked down two right after halftime to stretch the lead out Urso made her 3-pointer in the second half as well Urso was happy to compete in the skills competition who was the West’s MVP in the all-star game “I really enjoyed that,” Urso said we came up with a strategy for how to compete.” who helped Fox Chapel return to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs this winter will have a busy schedule when she heads to Franciscan University in the fall She is planning to play soccer and basketball “I’m excited to go to school there because it is a Catholic school and I want to deepen my faith,” Urso said JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com Shaler’s Troy Leas celebrates after driving in a pair of runs against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Max Saban scores under Fox Chapel catcher Joey Geller during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Landon Schiffhauer celebrates after scoring against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler pitcher Colby Weber delivers against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Fox Chapel pitcher Blake Krushinski delivers against Shaler during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Max Saban (11) celebrates with Ben Yeckel Jr. after scoring against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Brendan Fitzgerald makes a running catch in right field against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Luke Jarzynka breaks up a double play under Fox Chapel’s Tyler Golembiewski during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler second baseman Colby McGuire throws to first base for the final out of the second inning against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Shaler’s Logan Bauer (2) celebrates with Max Saban after they scored against Fox Chapel during their Section 3-5A game Tuesday in Fox Chapel. Troy Leas doubled and knocked in two runs for the Titans (3-2 Jeremy Haigh homered and drove in four runs for the Foxes (2-2 West Allegheny 8 – Lukas Stead doubled and knocked in three runs while Kingston Mankoski and winning pitcher Zack Shook each doubled and drove in a run as Allderdice (2-1 Jonah Buglak finished with three RBIs and Brody Malatak plated a run for the Indians Donovan Snelsire picked up a save for the Dragons North Catholic 3 – AJ Gerace hit the go-ahead RBI single in the fifth for Ambridge (3-1 Landon Roedler went 3 for 3 and Jake McKee doubled for North Catholic (2-1 Liam Baker drove in two runs for the Bridgers Summit Academy 2 – Luke Crawford doubled and knocked in three runs Jonah Burchill slashed a double and drove in a pair of runs and pitcher Jack Stanton picked up a win as Aquinas Academy (1-1 1-0) cruised to a Section 2-A win over Summit Academy (-02 Ian Patterson and Zach Yohe each doubled and plated a run for the Crusaders West Greene 7 – Jordan Moore went 2 for 5 with five RBIs Bryce Wright homered and knocked in three and Hayden Gatewood finished with two RBIs to boost Avella (6-0 Will Shipman and Patrick Durbin each had a pair of RBIs for West Greene (0-2 Va.) 3 – Cooper Scharding hit a three-run homer and Alex Rowe belted a two-run double as Avonworth (4-1) scored six times in the top of the eighth to win at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach Jack Dolan singled and doubled and Sam Hustwit drove in two runs for the Antelopes Hopewell 1 – Logan Hill struck out 11 walked one and allowed only four hits in seven innings for Beaver (3-0 2-0) in a Section 1-4A win over Hopewell (0-3 Ty Butler went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs and Tanner Wilson doubled for the Bobcats Uniontown 2 – Winning pitcher Parker Lind gave up two unearned runs on two hits and fanned 12 while Lucas Judy doubled and knocked in three runs and Jaden Johnson doubled and drove in a run to lead Belle Vernon (3-0 Gary Smitley III had an RBI for Uniontown (1-2 Frazier 2 – Ezekiel Malanosky and Craig McDonald doubled and Sam Wade had two hits and an RBI for Bentworth (1-1 Fort Cherry 8 – Chase Bebout went 2 for 3 with two RBIs to lead Beth-Center (2-1 1-1) in a Section 1-2A win over Fort Cherry (1-3 Tyler Wolfe knocked in four runs and Shane Cornali drove in two for the Rangers Clair 0 – Ryan Walsh hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and Ryan Petras went 3 for 3 with two doubles two RBIs and three stolen bases as Bethel Park (5-1 0-2) in the first game of a Section 2-5A doubleheader The Black Hawks won the second game in a three-inning rout Petras went 3 for 3 with an RBI and Walsh went 2 for 2 with a triple and two RBIs Sewickley Academy 2 – Kole Olszewski hit three doubles Aaryn Edwards hit two doubles and Kellen Andruscik doubled and had three RBIs for Bishop Canevin (2-2 2-0) in a Section 3-A win over Sewickley Academy (0-2 Hampton 4 – Dylan Smith went 3 for 3 with a double and three RBIs and Carter Davis doubled and drove in two runs to lead Blackhawk (3-0 Carter DelGrosso went 2 for 3 with three RBIs for Hampton (0-3 Chartiers-Houston 1 – Trent Stevens went 3 for 3 with a double and five RBIs Brian Charles collected three hits and four RBIs and Sam Elich doubled and knocked in a run to lead Burgettstown (2-0 Paul Williamson drove in the only run for Chartiers-Houston (2-1 Matt Bredel picked up the win for the Blue Devils Yough 3 – David Kleckner delivered a walk-off single in the seventh to lift Burrell (1-2 Isaac Lasinski tripled and Brayden Mell got the win for the Bucs Hayden Eicher knocked in two runs for the Cougars Boden Lenyk and Mavrik Clement each drove in a run and pitcher Nolan Stefaniak earned the win as Butler (3-0) defeated Baldwin (0-1) in nonsection play Matt Nowicki doubled and knocked in a run for the Highlanders Thomas Jefferson 1 – Alexander Shank doubled and drove in two runs while Collin Yeager and Massimo Falconi each doubled and knocked in a run as Canon-McMillan (3-1) beat Thomas Jefferson (2-2) in a nonsection matchup Tyler Mitrisin doubled and had an RBI for the Jaguars Michael Stafford earned the win for the Big Macs Mapletown 0 – Dayton Reynolds was 2 for 2 with three RBIs while Ryder Kreig and Robbie Wilson-Jones each doubled and knocked in a pair of runs as Carmichaels (1-1 Jordan Davis doubled and drove in a run and Brayden Andrews earned the win for the Mighty Mikes Lebanon 1 – CJ Proch hit a three-run homer in the top of the sixth and Joshua McFadden went the distance allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts to lead Central Catholic (2-0) to a nonsection win Washington 3 – Jace Pager and Kaje Corrin each drove in two runs and pitcher Brock Henderson earned the win as Charleroi (3-1 Dylan Klinger went 3 for 5 with the Cougars Trinity 4 – Michael Switala and Colton Prosperi each drove in two runs and Jake Federouch got the win as Chartiers Valley (3-3 1-1) fought for a walk-off win over Trinity (1-2 Jase Hartley knocked in two runs and Matthew Robaugh hit a double and had an RBI for the Hillers Laurel Highlands 5 – Linkon Keller went 4 for 4 with a double and four RBIs and pitcher Ethan Porreca picked up a win as Connellsville (3-1) defeated Laurel Highlands (1-1) in nonsection play Sevi Vecchiolla homered and drove in two for the Mustangs Southmoreland 4 – Nolan Danka drove in three runs Brady Plummer doubled and knocked in two and Jake Fleisher plated two as Deer Lakes (2-2 Jake Govern and Brenden Geho each drove in a pair of runs for Southmoreland (1-3 Anthony Smith picked up a win for the Lancers Penn Hills 3 – Brady Yarabinetz doubled and plated three runs Ramchandran tripled and knocked in two while Etahn Raver went 3 for 3 with an RBI as Franklin Regional (4-1 Anthony Sipple doubled twice and drove in a run for the Indians Anthony Mitchell and Trey Muhitch each doubled and knocked in a run as James Templeton got the win for the Panthers Northgate 1 – Boden Hilliard struck out 10 for Freedom (3-1 2-0) in a Section 2-2A win over Northgate (0-4 Hilliard also drove in three runs at the plate Mason O’Donnell doubled and Anthony Taddeo had three RBIs for the Bulldogs Jefferson-Morgan 0 – Winning pitcher Tyler Samide tossed five scoreless innings allowed one hit and struck out nine while Jackson McMullen went 2 for 2 with three RBIs as Greensburg Central Catholic (3-1 Ian Shipley and Alec Martin each doubled and Anthony Grippo went 3 for 3 for the Centurions Amos Alonzo Stagg (Ill.) 1 – Owen Shuglie went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs and Chase Sikorski had two hits and drove in three to lead Hempfield (1-2) at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach Winning pitcher Dylan Firmstone added a double and Evan Dunlap had two hits and an RBI for the Spartans Capital City (Mo.) – Dylan Firmstone homered and drove in three runs Owen Shuglie and Quinn Wilkins each doubled and knocked in a run while Kevin Bender picked up the win for Hempfield (2-2) at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach Colin Polechko went 4 for 4 for the Spartans Shady Side Academy 0 – Winning pitcher Kristian Kocon threw a complete game shutout allowing four hits and striking out nine while helping his cause with a home run and three RBIs as Highlands (2-0) bested Shady Side Academy (0-3) in nonsection play Jake King and Carson McGraw each went 2 for 3 for the Golden Rams East Allegheny 0 – Winning pitcher Evan Yargeau threw five no-hit innings while striking out 12 to lead Jeannette (1-2) to a nonsection win over East Allegheny (0-2) Jayden Kennedy doubled and knocked in three runs and Amari Thomas doubled and drove in a run for the Jayhawks Union 3 – Mason Bertino tripled twice and drove in two runs while Jaxson Vargo and Brady Rollinger each finished with a pair of RBIs as Leechburg (2-1 Cole Harper doubled and knocked in a run for the Scotties Jake Cummings went 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI and Garrett Jones picked up a win for the Blue Devils South Fayette 4 – Andrew Cross homered and knocked in two runs Nick Machusko tripled and drove in a run and pitcher Joey Marasco earned the win as Moon (1-4 Trey Skeen finished with a pair of RBIs for the Lions Connor Kunkle went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI for the Tigers Ellwood City 2 – Jake Rynd went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs and Adam Rickel drove in two runs for Nehsannock (1-0) in a nonsection win Jordan Keller doubled for Ellwood City (3-2) Aiden Circle and Gaige Kovach drove in a run apiece to lead New Brighton (1-3 Alex Medved drove in two runs for Laurel (1-2 Knoch 4 – Andrew Rojik and Cooper Ravenstahl homered and Cayden Cutler doubled and drove in two runs for North Hills (2-2) in a nonsection win Mars 2 – Tanner Cunningham homered and drove in two runs and Sam Heckert doubled while Drew Boivin got the win and Carson King picked up a save for Pine-Richland (4-0 Vinny Gottschalk and Zachary Rozman doubled for Mars (0-2 Armstrong 6 – Jake Domkowski doubled homered and drove in three runs while John Nonnenberg Timmy Ruggiero and Max Vollmer each drove in a pair of runs and Michael Tedrick earned the win for Plum (6-0 Hunter Reed doubled and plated two runs and Jacob Bowser finished with two RBIs for Armstrong (1-3 Elizabeth Forward 2 – Sam Allen hit two doubles Alex Kolano doubled and Andrew Sprinkle drove in two runs to lead Ringgold (2-3 Cy Herchelroath hit a double for Elizabeth Forward (2-1 Carlynton 0 – Lukas Duncan threw a complete-game two-hitter and struck out 11 for Riverview (4-0 2-0) in a Section 3-2A win over Carlynton (2-3 Eli DeVita went 2 for 3 with a double and Rex Roberts drove in two runs for the Raiders Monessen 0 – Jake Holmes knocked in three runs Owen Dumbrosky and Jake Anderson each doubled and drove in two runs and Bodi Rieger tripled and knocked in a run as Serra Catholic (5-1 Matt McNeal added two RBIs and Chris Johnson picked up the win for the Golden Eagles Keystone Oaks 1 – Winning pitcher Mike Cejrowski gave up two hits and one unearned run with three strikeouts in six innings and helped his cause with a solo home run to lead Seton LaSalle (2-2 Connor Rothhaar and Dacien Loman each drove in a run for the Rebels Ethan Shartle went 2 for 3 with an RBI for Keystone Oaks (2-1 Aliquippa 6 – Sam Patton and Trey Ross had a triple and two RBIs apiece for Shenango (4-1 2-0) in a Section 2-2A win over Aliquippa (0-2 Christian Anterock and Joey Campoli doubled and drove in three runs apiece for the Wildcats California 0 – Ryan Spitznagel went 3 for 4 with a double triple and two RBIs to lead South Park (2-0) past California (0-2) in a nonsection win William Hays and Cooper Hochendoner doubled for the Eagles Apollo-Ridge 2 – Ryder Goe went 3 for 3 with a double and Ryan Shaw drove in two runs to lead South Side (3-1 Alexander Clawson hit a double for Apollo-Ridge (0-3 Brentwood 7 – Wyatt Warywoda went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs and Luke Bramson hit a home run for Springdale (2-1 Michael O’Leary went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs for Brentwood (1-3 Brownsville 7 – Alex Van Sickle went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs Grant Pack drove in two runs and winning pitcher Austin Surber doubled as Waynesburg (4-0 Jeremiah McDonald finished with two RBIs and Noah Petroff doubled and knocked in a run for the Falcons Tyler Groves tripled and added two RBIs for the Raiders Albert Gallatin 3 – Dakota Leister drove in two runs and Hunter Horne Caden Wills and Ryan Buchleitner had two hits apiece for West Mifflin (3-3 Luke Wilson hit two doubles for Albert Gallatin (1-2 Rochester 3 – Christian Stefankis hit a double and Brendon Fortner went 2 for 2 with three RBIs for Western Beaver (2-1 2-0) in a Section 2-A win over Rochester (1-2 Sawyer Chaffee and Ethan Wilson also drove in three runs apiece for the Golden Beavers Joseph 1 – Lucas Picher went 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs Austin Lenhardt-Barley doubled and drove in two and Sam McComb collected two hits and two RBIs as Winchester Thurston (3-1 Owen Pakulski and Luke Hill each had a hit for the Spartans McKeesport 2 – Aaron Concepcion doubled Marcello Fagnelli went 3 for 3 with three RBIs and winning pitcher DeVaughn Earl-Hayden doubled and drove in two to lead Woodland Hills (1-1) to a nonsection win Ashawn Young tripled and knocked in a run for McKeesport (0-4) Trustin Hart doubled twice and plated a run for the Wolverines Springdale 3 – Lizzy Fuchs went 2 for 3 with a double and four RBIs Bella Lane tripled and Ava Washington drove in two runs to lead Bishop Canevin (1-2) to a nonsection win Reese Federbar went 2 for 4 for Springdale (0-1) Winning pitcher Macie McClain struck out nine for the Crusaders Johnson Creek (Wis.) 0 – Ava Clark threw a two-hit shutout with 19 strikeouts to lead Brownsville (3-1) at the Ripken Experience in Pigone Forge Mia O’Hern went 2 for 2 for the Falcons Gianna D’Agostino doubled and had three RBIs and Samantha Robi drove in two runs to lead Gateway (2-0) to a nonsection win Jayda Rose hit a home run for Carrick (0-2) Yough 1 – Alle Scarpa threw a five-inning one-hitter and struck out seven for Greensburg Salem (3-0) in a nonsection win over Yough (2-2) Cate Waugaman and Hannah Olbeter went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs apiece and Marley Perrone hit two doubles for the Golden Lions North Allegheny 3 – Lauren Howard went 4 for 5 with a double Josephine Cline went 3 for 3 with a triple and four RBIs and Claire Mitchell went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs for Hempfield (4-0 Zoe Rychel hit a double for North Allegheny (1-3 McGuffey 2 – Emilee Bazzoli hit a home run and Ashlynn Snyder Karlee Crockard and Addyson Teagarden each doubled for Jefferson-Morgan (2-0) in a nonsection win Miley Main tripled and Nicole Klages and Sidney Dobrzynski hit a double apiece for McGuffey (1-2) Brentwood 3 – Kyle Stahl and Nina Buckley each went 3 for 4 with a double to lead Keystone Oaks (1-2) to a nonsection win Kailyn Brannon tripled and Kennadi Smith singled and doubled for the Golden Eagles Abbey Fickley went 2 for 2 for Brentwood (0-1) Ligonier Valley 3 – Sarah Blossey went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs and Natalia Scekeres and Sophia Drnjevich doubled for Latrobe (2-2) in a nonsection win Adelynn Witcoski went 3 for 4 and Natalie Bizup doubled for Ligonier Valley (0-4) Sto-Rox 0 – Adalyn Zanotto threw a three-inning no-hitter and struck out eight for Leechburg (2-1) in a nonsection win over Sto-Rox (0-3) Ava Ferretti went 3 for 3 with two doubles and six RBIs Danica Sopcak doubled and Emily Kostyak drove in four runs for the Blue Devils Waynesburg 7 – Izzie Carroll and Rachel Perry each went 4 for 4 to lead New Richmond (Ohio) at the Ripken Experience in Piegon Forge Avery Davis went 2 for 2 with a triple and three RBIs and Gina Tedrow singled and doubled for Waynesburg (1-4) Burrell 9 – Winning pitcher Jadyn Johnson went 4 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs to lead Northmont (Ohio) at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach Bella Stewart went 4 for 4 with three doubles and four RBIs and Braelyn Jones went 3 for 4 and drove in three for Burrell (2-2) Freedom 0 – Elaina Tichon went 2 for 2 with a homer Darwin Burns had a triple and two RBIs and Lily Wright doubled and knocked in a run for Steel Valley (1-2) in a nonsection win over Freedom (0-1) Belle Vernon 6 – Allie Chalovich went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run Adalina Bracco homered and Morgan Alisesky doubled and drove in three runs to lead Thomas Jefferson (1-1) to a nonsection win Lauren VanDivner and Maddie Grisnik hit a double apiece for Belle Vernon (2-3) New Castle 3 – Nora Stutzman singled Geneva Eisinger had two hits and two RBIs and Brooklyn Kemp earned the complete-game win for Upper St Aliyah Stalczynski had three hits and Keara Mangieri tripled and drove in a run for New Castle (2-2) Beth-Center 12 – Aniya Glendenning went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs Tateionna Warren doubled and drove in three runs and Faith Partozoti drove in two runs for Washington (4-0) in a nonsection win triple and drove in three runs for Beth-Center (0-3) Charleroi 2 – Rayna Hoover went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs for Weir (W Lyla Brunner hit a home run and Ariahna Blouse and Taryn O’Neil hit a double apiece for Charleroi (1-2) Waynesburg 3 – Ava Borz went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs to lead West Geauga (Ohio) at the Ripken Experience in Pigeon Forge Ellie Makel doubled and Aidan Snider drove in a run for Waynesburg (1-4) Va.) 0 – Payton Gilbert went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs and Emmaline Beazell doubled and drove in two runs for West Greene (2-0) in a nonsection win over Cameron (W Blackhawk 8 – Juliana Betts scored six goals Megan Witte collected three goals and four assists and Mal Lagamba also scored three goals to lead Chartiers Valley to a Section 2-2A win Franklin Regional 7 – Ava Galuska scored a hat trick while Lizzy Saponsky and Dillon Perry each added a pair of goals as Hampton defeated Franklin Regional in Section 1-2A Taylor Whitman made six stops for the Talbots Yough 9 – Lizzie Dorley collected five goals and seven assists Riley Woods scored seven goals and Megan Kelley added four goals for Seton LaSalle in a Section 1-2A win Carly Fitzgibbons scored eight goals for Yough Pittsburgh Union Progress When a star player goes down with an injury it is often said that their teammates have big shoes to fill — but that is especially true in the case of Peters Township’s Natalie Wetzel As it turns out, no Wetzel, no problem for Peters Township. Fueled by 21 points from Bri Morreale and 20 from Daniela Radulovich, the Indians withstood a spirited upset attempt by the Foxes while gaining some valuable big-game experience for their younger players in a 66-58 home win. Layla Jablon scored a game-high 23 points for Fox Chapel (13-10), while Bella Urso added 20 in the defeat. Freshman Taylor McCullough tacked on 10 points for Peters Township (20-3), and fellow freshman Jordyn Welsh finished with 9 points while providing top-notch defense. “It’s not easy being a freshman playing big-school basketball in [Class] 5A and [Class] 6A. It’s hard to do,” said Indians coach Steve Limberiou. “I can’t say I was surprised that Fox Chapel played well. Give them a ton of credit. They made a lot of really tough shots. Sometimes the intensity just rises a notch in the playoffs.” While result Friday was encouraging, Limberiou and the rest of Peters Township’s fan base eagerly are awaiting some good news regarding Wetzel’s recovery — and they might soon get it. Limberiou said that the injury isn’t nearly as severe as initially feared, and there is a chance Wetzel might even be cleared to return for the Indians’ quarterfinal clash Wednesday with No. 7 Indiana. “The night of, it was a very gloomy outlook,” Limberiou said. “The next morning, she got really good news from the doctor. I would still categorize her as questionable going into Wednesday. I feel good about her trajectory and how she has progressed.” With or without Wetzel, though, Limberiou has full confidence in each of his players to do their job to the best of their ability, and he couldn’t be more proud of the way his team performed Friday in the face of adversity. “I think sometimes we actually need those other players to be more aggressive than they are, and tonight, they were forced to be aggressive,” Limberiou said. “They probably earned their stripes in a different way tonight.” • Most would have pointed to No. 8 Chartiers Valley‘s showdown with No. 9 Baldwin as the best girls matchup on the schedule, and the Colts and Highlanders made sure to deliver, as Baldwin emerged victorious in an action-packed affair with a thrilling 73-72 road victory. Julianne Ott led all scorers with 30 points while Lynsey Bernotas added 22 for the Highlanders (15-8). Emma Reynolds led four players in double figures for Chartiers Valley (15-8) with 23 points. • In one of the most eye-opening upsets of the opening round, No. 13 Mars (14-9) used a suffocating defensive effort to take down No. 4 Shaler (20-3) on its home court, 44-23. Cecilia Christy paced the Planets with 13 points to go with 11 points apiece from Alexis Cashdollar and Carmella McDole. • In another major upset, No. 12 Bethel Park (12-11) eked out a narrow 46-45 victory against No. 5 Franklin Regional to set up a showdown of double-digit seeds in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Ella Sabatos led the Black Hawks with 16 points along with 11 from freshman Fiona O’Neill, while Madison DeRiggi scored a game-high 23 points for the Panthers (15-7). • Three-time defending WPIAL champion South Fayette had no trouble dispatching No. 16 Greensburg Salem in a 57-30 home win. Haylie Lamonde led all scorers with 19 points and Juju Leroux added 13 for the top-seeded Lions (22-1), while Vienna Javicky led the Golden Lions (13-10) with 11 points. • Kaylee DeAngelo drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points for No. 6 Thomas Jefferson (19-4), followed closely by 19 points from Maggie Spell as the Jaguars used a 27-point third-quarter surge to pull away from No. 11 Latrobe for a 68-47 home win. Carley Berk led a trio of double-digit scorers for the Wildcats (11-11) with 15 points. • Serena Carnahan scored a game-high 19 points and Riley Stephans added 17 for for No. 14 Plum (10-13), but it wasn’t enough to overcome a balanced offensive attack by No. 3 Penn-Trafford in a 63-46 home win for the unbeaten Warriors (23-0). Lauren Marton paced Penn-Trafford with 15 points to go with 14 from Bella Klobucar and 12 from Torrie DeStefano. • Delaney Sturgeon scored a game-high 28 points for No. 12 Ellwood City (14-8), powering the Wolverines their first playoff victory in 30 years with a 49-41 upset win over No. 5 Seton LaSalle at Chartiers Valley. Tiara Curry tallied a team-leading 19 points for the Rebels (16-7). • Richmond recruit Erica Gribble led all scorers with 27 points for No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic (18-5), which also received 16 points from Jayla Peterson in a comfortable 66-31 win against No. 15 Brownsville (13-10). Skylar Gates led the Falcons with 17 points. • Greta O’Brien continued her stellar senior season with a 33-point outburst for No. 6 Avonworth (16-7), leading the host Antelopes to a convincing 67-35 romp over No. 11 Beaver Falls (12-8). Emma Obersteiner tacked on 15 points for the Antelopes, while Taylor Pullen paced the Tigers with 24 points. • In one of the most hotly contested matchups of the night, No. 7 Quaker Valley squeaked past No. 10 McGuffey (13-9) for a 39-35 home win. Coveted 6-4 junior forward Mimi Thiero led all scorers with 25 points for the Quakers (15-8). • Emma Meyer poured in a game-high 26 points and Camryn Friello followed with 17 for No. 8 Riverside (15-8), helping the Panthers cruise to a 56-26 home win against No. 9 Deer Lakes. Tessa Hollibaugh tallied a team-high 9 points for the Lancers (14-9). • Picking up right where he left off with his school-record 46-point performance in the regular-season finale against Northgate, No. 6 Central Valley‘s Isaiah Jeter knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 33 points in an 80-55 triumph against No. 11 Derry (12-10). Angelo Conti added 12 points for the Warriors (19-4), while Stanley Rajkovich tallied a team-leading 18 points for the visiting Trojans. • After winning back-to-back WPIAL titles in Class 3A, No. 7 Deer Lakes (17-5) started off its bid for a three-peat with an impressive 83-58 victory over No. 10 Quaker Valley. Nate Moore led three players in double figures for the host Lancers with a game-high 27 points, followed by 14 from Ethan Farr and 11 from J.T. McCue. Sam Chapman finished with a team-high 14 points for the Quakers (15-8). • Jackson Bauman fell one point shy of matching his career high for No. 5 Knoch, racking up a game-high 30 points while outscoring No. 12 West Mifflin (8-15) in a lopsided 56-23 home win. Teegan Finnucan tacked on 12 points in the victory for the Knights (17-6). Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 56, South Allegheny 8 Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com. Shaler’s Luke Jarzynka breaks up a double play under Fox Chapel’s Tyler Golembiewski during their Section 3-5A game March 25. Shaler’s Max Saban scores under Fox Chapel catcher Joey Geller during a Section 3-5A game on March 25. They weren’t far behind where they wanted to be but if Fox Chapel wanted to make noise in the Class 5A playoffs “We’ve been doing a lot of situational stuff in practice,” LeDonne said “It helps us knowing that we can do it 10-inning win over Pine-Richland on March 31 that turned into a three-game winning streak The Foxes also swept a pair of games against another Section 3 foe “We didn’t play badly against Shaler or Pine-Richland in the first game,” Foxes coach James Hastings said “We didn’t come up with timely hitting We’ve had a ton of hits during the last two games.” 3-3) score an average of 6.4 runs per game Jeremy Haigh leads the team with a .535 batting average Kristofer Bandurski and Nick Seifried have all been hitting well to start the season “They are bigger and stronger,” Hastings said “They put a ton of work in the offseason The pitching we faced early was incredibly difficult Pine-Richland has a pitcher who is going to Baylor and their No 2 kid was throwing in the upper 80s.” LeDonne hasn’t been happy with the way he has started the season at the plate He is hoping to continue to get on base as the leadoff hitter to provide opportunity for batters behind him “My approach is to get on any way I can,” LeDonne said I want to get on even if I walk or get hit by a pitch I want to get on and steal a couple bases.” The Foxes’ hot streak came right before Fox Chapel got a week off from section play Fox Chapel had only a game scheduled against Valley before resuming section play at Mars on April 14 Results of the games with Valley and Mars were unavailable for this edition “We want to stay loose and not overwork ourselves before we get back to section play,” LeDonne said Beating Pine-Richland and preventing a sweep was important for Fox Chapel’s confidence The Foxes would have started 0-4 in the section with a loss “They are the second-ranked team in the state,” Hastings said “For us to be 0-3 and getting that win was a big confidence builder but you still have to go out and beat them.” Fox Chapel’s Pierce Osterholm celebrates with Dominic Casile after scoring during their game against Penn-Trafford on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar. Fox Chapel goalie Miles Carey makes a save on Penn-Trafford’s Brock Bienemann during their game on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar. Fox Chapel’s Tucker Cullen (right) celebrates his hat-trick goal with teammates during their game against Penn-Trafford on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, at Alpha Ice Complex in Harmar. After suffering back-to-back one-goal losses against Canon-McMillan and Bishop McCort the Foxes were 3-2 and were about to face always tough and talented Penn-Trafford where we made a collective decision on the style of hockey we wanted to play,” coach Ryan Loebig said and we really buckled down and played them tough.” The Fox Chapel players embraced the style of play Loebig knows wins games “We wanted the guys to play a style that was more than just making the pretty plays,” Loebig added “Playing that gritty style is what’s going to benefit the team and the guys have taken it in stride.” the Foxes have won seven of their last eight games which sees them sitting in third place in Class 2A with 31 points They’re behind first-place Penn-Trafford (39) and Latrobe (36) which was the only team to beat the Foxes in the last eight contests “I hope that them putting seven on us doesn’t sit well with our guys,” Loebig said Avenging the loss to Latrobe when the teams meet again Jan 30 would help the Foxes climb a little higher in hopes of getting the No but it’s not a pressing issue for Loebig at the moment “I don’t necessarily look at standings all the time because seeding to me is just a ticket into the postseason,” he said “You’re going to play a worthy team no matter who you play Doesn’t matter to me who we play.” The Foxes have seven games left on the schedule including Latrobe and another game against Penn-Trafford be coming after us because we did beat them,” Loebig said “It’s another great challenge against a worthy opponent that’s going to make us better.” it could spell trouble for the rest of Class 2A The Foxes are second in the class in goals scored with 81 Leading the way for Fox Chapel is senior forward Dominic Casile but he has made his presence felt in other ways but he’s been an emotional leader for us,” Loebig said “He began the year with some tough instances But he’s responded well and taken it upon himself to be that guy in the room who shows the younger guys how the game should be played.” Casile has left his mark on sophomore Tucker Cullen who is second on the team in goals (18) and points (37) has a great hockey sense,” Loebig said “Both he and Dom were instrumental in getting the rest of the guys to embrace that team-first mentality but there are other players that I could talk about for days in our lineup.” One such player is senior defenseman Trip Goehring He gets the Fox Chapel offense started by pushing the puck through the neutral zone he creates something out of nothing,” Loebig said responsible way and doesn’t put the team in trouble.” Other standout players include senior captain defenseman Tyler Goldstein and senior forwards Pierce Osterholm and Liam Wiseman and junior Spencer Goehring “All three of those guys provide leadership for us in their own ways,” Loebig said senior goalie Miles Carey has been having a stellar year with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage “He’s made a lot of saves that he didn’t have any business making and that’s kept us in a lot of games,” Loebig said “When we’ve gone through tougher stretches but Loebig wants his players to continue to use their talents in a way that benefits the team-oriented style of play that has helped them succeed “We need to stick to our identity and who we want to be,” Loebig said “That means playing sustainable hockey so things like puck management and playing gritty and as a team will be important We can play that way and beat any team as long as we show up to work “We want to continue to push as we go through these tough challenges to nourish that mindset so that we’re clicking and firing on all cylinders once March rolls around.” Fox Chapel Area School District families have an opportunity to weigh in on a proposed school calendar for the next school year Administrators presented a draft of next school year’s schedule on Jan It is available for review on the district’s website and scheduled for formal approval on Feb Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the district would need to make up a day if a snow day is later required Makeup days would be added on to the end of the school year Students may learn virtually in the event of bad weather The proposed calendar has 182 days of student instruction two more than the state minimum requirement along with most districts that look a little bit like ours have more than 180 days because we value the extra instructional time that we could get from that and the other opportunities that provided for us,” Reljac said “I don’t want to think of those days as extra days Those are valuable instructional days that all of our contractual bargaining agreements are built around All of our schedules are built around them and I think that there is an importance to maintaining that instructional time.” The administration has traditionally introduced the following school year’s calendar in January District spokeswoman Bonnie Berzonski said the advance notice helps parents and staffers plan their schedules “We often get calls from parents that want to set up summer vacations things for their students to do in the summer,” she said “They do kind of want to know: when will the year end in order to plan their own calendars.” Kerr Elementary fifth graders presented board members with gifts and talked about how their decisions impact their learning and happiness The gift was a picture frame with two young foxes playing together on a crisp morning Principal Katelyn Toth also showed a video of other elementary students expressing their appreciation for the board People can watch the school board recognition on the district’s YouTube page It starts shortly before the 12-minute mark of the Jan Board members and the superintendent thanked the students for their efforts Luca and Laila were nominated by Fox Chapel Area High School social studies teacher and interscholastic strength and conditioning head coach Brandon Peifer. According to Peifer, Luca and Laila are both team leaders who are well-respected by others. Fox Chapel Area High School junior Ulyana Kubini was named a 2025 Carson Scholar, and junior Joanna Li had her status as a Carson Scholar renewed and was named a Recognized Carson Scholar. Both students were invited to attend the Carson Scholars Fund’s Annual Pittsburgh Awards Banquet on April 6 at Acrisure Stadium, where they were honored for their accomplishments. Each year, the fund awards $1,000 college scholarships and the coveted honor of being named a Carson Scholar to a select group of high-achieving students in grades 4-11 who not only demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, maintaining at least a 3.75 GPA, but also display strong humanitarian qualities. The students also receive an Olympic-sized medal. Luminari Award Scholars are selected based on an annual essay competition that challenges teens in grades 7-11 to explore what diplomacy means to them. This year’s essay competition highlighted the importance diplomacy plays in our daily lives, and, according to Luminari, the winners truly embody this spirit. Mariana’s essay reflected on navigating cultural differences with empathy and understanding. “This program will give me the opportunity to gain new skills, expand my knowledge and show that immigrants can succeed,” Mariana said. As a Colombian immigrant, she passionately described her journey to challenge stereotypes and inspire others to pursue their dreams. Mariana plans to use these lessons to grow as a leader and pursue a career in nursing. With a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives, she hopes to use diplomacy to build connections, foster mutual respect and honor her parents’ sacrifices. Mariana is already making a positive impact at Fox Chapel Area High School, according to her teachers. “Mariana approaches every challenge with perseverance, supports her peers with genuine compassion, and consistently puts in the effort to achieve her best,” said English as a Second Language teacher Kathy Rombach. “Her dedication and positive attitude make her a joy to teach and an inspiration to those around her.” Science teacher Jennell Wolfe said, “Mari’s genuine desire to learn, confidence, and leadership qualities have earned her this well-deserved award. Her dedication and resilience throughout high school have truly set her apart.” “Mariana is a dedicated student who consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic and a positive attitude,” said math teacher Gail Hetu. “Her commitment goes beyond simply completing assignments – she shows a genuine drive to understand the concepts behind the math. Her determination and thoughtful approach to learning make her a standout in the classroom.” Additionally, the Dorseyville Middle School eighth-grade team placed second locally and fifth in the state, the seventh-grade team placed third locally and 12th in the state, and the sixth-grade team placed second locally and 15th in the state. The annual PAML Contest is a mathematics competition offered to students in grades 4-12. The students have a limited amount of time to answer 35 high-level math questions. The purpose of the competition is to give students the opportunity to challenge themselves and build problem-solving skills. Fox Chapel’s Antonio Cardinali plays against Canon-McMillan in the PIHL Penguins Cup quarterfinals. Fox Chapel players celebrate Tucker Cullen’s empty-net goal against Canon-McMillan in the PIHL Penguins Cup quarterfinals March 3, 2025, at Alpha Ice Complex. Fox Chapel’s Grant Watson makes a save against Canon-McMillan in the PIHL Penguins Cup quarterfinals March 3, 2025, at Alpha Ice Complex. Fox Chapel reached the Class A Penguins Cup two seasons ago After being bounced in the first round last year after taking the step up to Class 2A the Foxes showed they had what it takes for sustained success this season Fox Chapel moved onto the semifinals this year by beating Canon-McMillan The Foxes were scheduled to play Penn-Trafford in the semifinals earlier this week First-year Fox Chapel coach Ryan Loebig has been happy with his team’s performance “We have to keep on trusting each other,” Loebig said We just have to the attitude to go along with it.” The Foxes flexed their muscles on defense from the second period on Canon-McMillan appeared ready to threaten Fox Chapel by scoring 51 seconds into the second period to even the game at two the top-seeded Foxes responded with three goals in the next four minutes to put the game out of reach Hayden Ferra and Dominic Casile each scored twice for Fox Chapel The Foxes finished with a 40-24 edge in shots on goal Casile said the Foxes showed their determination from early in the game “We were all hard at work,” Casile said “When you were able to get to the defense put a body on them and have the second guy come in and support them we were able to put together a good forecheck.” Shady Side Academy girls stunned in WPIAL finals The Bulldogs won’t need any extra motivation for the state playoffs Shady Side Academy lost 56-51 to Greensburg Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 3A finals The Bulldogs played without 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer Shady Side Academy had defeated GCC twice during the regular season Karis Thomas led the Bulldogs with 24 points Fox Chapel’s Jeremy Haigh celebrates a base hit against Plum last season. Fox Chapel’s rotation will be led by a one-two punch including West Virginia commit Blake Krushinski and Jeremy Haigh “I think we have four or five kids who could be a No 1 for somebody,” Fox Chapel coach James Hastings said “Blake has matured mentally and emotionally He’s developed a few new pitches.” The Foxes finished in a four-way tie for the Section 3-5A crown with Franklin Regional Fox Chapel finished the season with a 14-7 record before falling 2-0 to eventual WPIAL champion Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL quarterfinals Hastings said the Foxes got a lot of valuable experience from last season “We were inexperienced,” Hastings said “We had five kids who started for the first time I think our lineup will be improved.” The PIAA’s two-year realignment cycle put Fox Chapel in with a new group of teams this season The Foxes will be in a section with Allderdice Fox Chapel will be bringing back first baseman/pitcher Kristofer Bandurski along with fellow infielders Antonio LeDonne Nick Seifried plays third base and can pitch Joey Geller can catch and play in the outfield as well Franco Pistella also played in the outfield and can pitch “It’s hard not to say our pitching,” said Hastings when talking about Fox Chapel’s strength “We have a lot of depth on the mound and they’ve been doing it for a while now I think we’ve been strong defensively too.” The Foxes will want to get some more punch of their offense to support their pitching Fox Chapel were fourth in its section by producing 5.6 runs per game The Foxes’ were second in runs allowed Hastings stressed that he thinks Fox Chapel will be a better hitting team It’s not like we didn’t hit last year,” Hastings said A big reason for that is the guys we have coming back have another year of experience.” Fox Chapel’s Jack Viti looks to pin Brashear’s Antonio Roa during their 172-pound match at the 2024 Allegheny County tournament. For the first time in the larger classification wrestlers must qualify for a regional instead of going straight from the WPIAL tournament to states Fox Chapel wrestling coach Michael Frank said he isn’t sure how he feels about it It will be good for 121-pound Foxes senior wrestler Michael Worsen who will have more opportunities to hit the 100-win mark But the grind on the wrestlers will be immense “The section tournament was a week earlier but getting five kids out of the West region to states offers more opportunities for WPIAL kids than we had before,” Frank said they will be wrestling the same kids over and over again at sections Battling the same group of kids will take its toll physically.” Worsen was one of nine Fox Chapel wrestlers to qualify for the WPIAL tournament He is 96-39 in his career and 26-7 this season Worsen is one win away from equaling a career best for wins in a season “I would love to see it,” Frank said It would be a deserving honor for him to get there It would be fun for him to get it at a big tournament.” Landon Funk is another WPIAL qualifier for the Foxes at 127 pounds He will be making his third trip to the tournament The Seton Hill recruit is hoping to make a big splash after winning his first match and bowing out last season “You have to save as much energy as you can,” Funk said “You don’t want to waste all of your energy on one match You want to go out and wrestle every match as best as you can.” Joseph Geller (215) and D’Angelo Hamilton (285) also qualified for WPIALs for the Foxes Fox Chapel would like to see a good number of those wrestlers advance to the regional “Getting nine kids through was a good accomplishment,” Frank said “The guys competed hard all day long There were a couple of matches we have to clean up going into this weekend especially since the competition is going to increase in strength.” New Castle’s Damian Harrison dunks against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Damian Harrison celebrates after scoring against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Kai Cox scores against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Ralphie Blundo defends against Fox Chapel’s Ike Moser during their game on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Ralphie Blundo scores against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Kyrell Harris brings the ball upcourt against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Kai Cox scores past Fox Chapel’s John Rehak during their game on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Damian Harrison is fouled by Fox Chapel’s Asher White during their game on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. Fox Chapel’s John Rehak works against New Castle’s Jayden Shaffer during their game Friday in New Castle. Fox Chapel’s Caden Kaiser pulls down a rebound next to New Castle’s Jayden Shaffer during their game on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. Fox Chapel head coach Zach Skrinjar talks with an official during the Foxes’ game against New Castle on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. The New Castle student section sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to head coach Ralph Blundo before a game against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle head coach Ralph Blundo watches from the bench during the Red Hurricanes’ game against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. New Castle’s Damian Harrison drives to basket past Fox Chapel’s Asher White during their game on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. The New Castle student section celebrates after the Red Hurricanes scored against Fox Chapel on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in New Castle. That disparity showed just how well New Castle played after halftime Friday night. Freshman Kai Cox scored 13 of his game-high 19 points after the break, and the Red Hurricanes used a dominant third quarter to hand Fox Chapel its first section loss, 72-41, in a tight game that suddenly turned lopsided. The Foxes began the day alone atop the Section 1-6A standings but ended the night in a three-way tie that included New Castle. “We needed a win like this against a really good basketball team,” said New Castle coach Ralph Blundo, whose team suffered its first section loss last week. “Obviously, the loss to Seneca Valley stung pretty good. I don’t know if tonight happens if that doesn’t happen last week.” Senior guard Ralphie Blundo and junior Damian Harrison scored 17 points apiece for No. 3 New Castle (10-1, 5-1). Senior Caden Kaiser led No. 5 Fox Chapel (10-3, 5-1) with 14 points, and senior Asher White added 11. The student section serenaded the New Castle coach with “Happy Birthday,” before the game, and the now 52-year-old counted the win among his gifts. “It’s a good one,” Blundo said. Tied 27-27 at halftime, New Castle pulled away with successive 3-pointers by Cox, Harrison and Kyrell Harris in a three-minute span in the third quarter. The big shots helped the Red Hurricanes outscore Fox Chapel, 21-7, in the decisive quarter, breaking from a first half that featured six lead changes and five ties. Overall, New Castle won the second half 45-14. “I wasn’t displeased with the first half either. They’re good,” Blundo said of Fox Chapel. “Sometimes you’re playing well, but the other team is playing well, too. So you have a tie ballgame at the half. Nothing changed. We just played better basketball in the second half.” New Castle made 8 of 15 shots in the third quarter, forced six turnovers and rebounded better. Fox Chapel went 2 for 7 shooting. As a result, New Castle led 48-34 after three. The Red Hurricanes scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, quickly pushing their lead to 19 points. The final quarter started with a breakaway dunk by Harrison. “We quit playing physical, and we settled for jump shots,” Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar said. “They kind of got in their rhythm. We just didn’t do a good job. … We just kind of quit defending.” Fox Chapel had led 14-11 after one quarter. The teams were later tied at 27 after a 3-pointer by Fox Chapel’s White with 10 seconds left before half. The Foxes rebounded well in the first half and used second-chance points to keep pace with New Castle. Those chances became harder to find after halftime. “Look at the board right there,” said Blundo, pointing at the dry erase board in New Castle’s locker room, where rebounding was circled. “We know they’re coming (for rebounds), and they obviously did a good job in the first half,” Blundo said. “I thought we got a lot of challenged rebounds in the second half that got us out in transition and got some easy buckets.” Fox Chapel was making its first trip to New Castle in almost two decades. The teams hadn’t met since Feb. 3, 2006, which was the last time they shared a section. Ralphie Blundo sparked New Castle’s offense with nine points in the first half on three long 3-pointers. Kaiser had eight first-half points for Fox Chapel. The back-and-forth pace defined the first half. Harrison scored the game’s first two baskets, the second being a breakaway dunk to lead 4-0. Fox Chapel answered with a layup by Kaiser and a 3-pointer by Grant Fenton to take a 5-4 lead. The teams were tied at 7, 14, 18, 24 and 27. New Castle scored the first four points after halftime and never trailed again. The Red Hurricanes’ lead reached 30 points late in the fourth quarter, enacting the mercy rule. “The score is what the score is,” Skrinjar said. “I thought we played a really good half, but they took it to us pretty good and we didn’t do enough in that second half to put up any resistance.” A former treasurer of a local youth organization is accused of stealing about $147,000 from the club access device fraud and misapplication of trusted property Charges stem from an investigation by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office township police and the Fox Chapel Area Baseball Softball Association O’Brien served as association treasurer from 2019-2024 Its board members met with police last October Association income consists of registration fees fundraisers and donations with funds deposited into five PNC bank accounts maintaining the debit cards and reconciling bank statements New association officers were elected last July and O’Brien was being replaced as treasurer Court documents state the new president and treasurer attempted to meet with O’Brien to update banking information and help familiarize themselves with the organization’s expenses but then made multiple excuses to push the meeting until September Court documents state O’Brien called a board member on Sept 18 and told them she took money and “messed up big time.” The board member told police O’Brien admitted to taking funds when she was in a rough spot and she and her husband could not work due to a vehicle accident The board member told the president about her conversation with O’Brien The president said O’Brien was crying and very upset and admitted to stealing about $20,000 to $30,000 to pay credit cards including Sam’s Club O’Brien told the president she had closed the PNC Bank accounts and opened a new account at First National Bank O’Brien gave the president two envelopes with money totaling nearly $3,500 The association closed O’Brien’s FNB account and opened new ones An investigation showed O’Brien started taking money for personal use soon after she became treasurer in 2019 Court documents state there were about $147,408 in “transactions that would not have been for the benefit of the association.” credit card payments and purchases at various businesses including Amazon A preliminary hearing before District Judge Matthew Rudzki is set for April 23 The Fox Chapel Area Baseball Softball Association released a statement Thursday evening: cooperate with law enforcement related to this matter We respect the legal process and trust the authorities to handle the matter appropriately we are unable to provide further comments and will continue to look for updates from the District Attorney’s Office “This situation does not impact FCABSA’s ability to provide the best youth baseball and softball experience possible.” Messages left for O’Brien’s attorney Thursday afternoon were not immediately returned Fox Chapel diver Jackson Hagler competes during the 2024-25 season. Fox Chapel diver Ellie Dering competes during the 2024-25 season. Fox Chapel diver Georgy Pistsov competes during the 2024-25 season. Fox Chapel diver Noelle Dick competes during the 2024-25 season. Fox Chapel diver Ainsley Anderson competes during the 2024-25 season. Fox Chapel diver Finn Kress competes during the 2024-25 season. The Fox Chapel senior and Bucknell commit followed that first WPIAL experience three years ago with a fourth as a sophomore and a silver medal last year while adding two additional state-meet trips to his future home. Hagler will take his wealth of experience in championship meets with him to North Allegheny High School on Saturday afternoon as he attempts to reach the top of the podium and go for WPIAL gold. “It’s kind of bittersweet, too, that it is the final WPIAL meet for me. I am looking forward to being strong against some really good competition. There’s a good chance that I don’t win, and there’s a good chance that I do win. I am just anxious to get there. It’s always a fun competition.” Hagler will lead a sizable contingent of Fox Chapel divers into Saturday’s championship meets. Five of the six, including sophomore Finn Kress on the boys side, and seniors Ainsley Anderson, Elle Dering and Noelle Dick for the girls, are returning with previous WPIAL competition experience. Only sophomore Gosha Pistsov is new to WPIALs. He came up just short in his qualifying attempt last year. The 3A girls will dive starting at 9:30 a.m., and the boys will take to the pool at 1:30 p.m. There will be a new WPIAL champion crowned in boys Class 3A as the two-time champion, Seneca Valley’s Isaiah Clerkley, graduated and is now a freshman at Penn State. Hagler said he has faced every one of the top divers at one point or another in the season including at the Beaver Bobcats Diving Invitational on Jan. 25. The one he didn’t face there, top seed Malcolm Thompson, a senior from Mt. Lebanon, he went up against in a dual meet. “I also dive with Malcolm, (North Allegheny junior) Ethan (Maravich), and (Upper St. Clair sophomore Carter Wells) at Pitt,” Hagler said. “I am close friends with all of them. We all want each other to do well. The competition Saturday is going to be amazing.” Hagler goes in seeded second with a season-best score of 314, just four points behind Thompson’s 318.95. Connellsville junior William Gillott is the second seed with a top score of 307.30. The top four finishers in the boys and girls meets will advance to states the week of March 12. Sophomore Finn Kress said last year’s WPIAL experience in which he placed 11th overall with a total of 269.65 points should serve him well for his return Saturday. His season-best 216 for six dives achieved in the home finale Feb. 6 places him as the ninth seed. “I have a lot more confidence,” said Kress, who hopes to make his move well into the top 10 Saturday. “I know what to expect and what I have to do to get a good score. I am confident in all of my dives. I know I can go higher (than 269.65) this year.” Pistsov said his experience competing at an 11-dive invitational will serve him well for Saturday. He said being so close last year served as a great deal of motivation to come back, improve his resume of dives and get in the WPIAL lineup. He qualified at the first meet of the season and owns a season-best 200 score, which puts him as the No. 11 seed. On the girls side, Anderson and Dering will compete at WPIALs for the third time, while Dick makes her second appearance at the championships. “All three had the best practice of their lives today,” Fox Chapel diving coach Vernon Yenick said. “They are so ready for WPIALs. They have performed so well all season and have put in so much time in preparation to do well on Saturday. I think they are all going to do really well. “They are so good with each other and are so supportive of each other. I’ve never seen an overall group so cohesive. That bond really carries over into how they compete. They just feed off each other so well. They care for each other, and it is so nice to see that.” Anderson made her WPIAL debut as a sophomore and placed 20th overall. Last year, she made a big leap into contention for a spot at states. She finished seventh in the finals with a total of 364.40 points. Yenick feels Anderson is primed to make a run at one of the top four spots and get to Bucknell. “I definitely think she can do it,” he said. “She has to dive her butt off, but she has the dives to do it. That would be great for her.” Dick finished 11th last year in her first WPIAL meet, scoring 330.00 points. She is gunning for another trip to the finals designated for the top 16 after the semifinal round. Dering took 22nd as a sophomore in 2023 but made a move up four spots and into the semifinals last year, where she finished 18th overall (223.45). “It is really nice to have six divers compete at WPIALs,” Yenick said. “All of the work over the past couple months comes down to this meet. They are ready to represent Fox Chapel well.” Fox Chapel’s Owen Howell is seeded second in the PIAA Class 3A 200 IM. The Fox Chapel senior, a four-year state qualifier in relay and individual events, knows it will be a challenge. But with her eighth-seeded position after posting a time of 56.86 seconds at the WPIAL championships Feb. 27 at Pitt’s Trees Pool, she is confident she can find her way onto the medals podium. “I am super excited,” said Rusche, who will help lead a sizeable contingent of Foxes swimmers to the state meet Friday and Saturday. “It’s my fourth year here, so I am really looking forward to the opportunity and go with all my teammates one last time. Christian (Dantey), Owen (Howell), Sarah (Pasquella), and I have been there together for four years. It will be fun to share this with them one more time, and also all of our younger teammates. We’ve worked hard all season, and especially since WPIALs, to be ready to swim fast at states.” Rusche finished 26th in the in the 100 fly (58.85) at last year’s PIAA meet. “I’ve never been this highly seeded in the fly before, so I am hoping to do what I can to get on that podium. It’s been my goal for four years now. Every year, I have been just off making the ‘B’ final, but I am really confident in my opportunity this year.” She will come back Saturday morning and swim the preliminaries of the 100 backstroke as the 18th overall seed. She clocked a time of 57.96 at WPIALs. It is her first swim at states in the 100 back since her freshman year in 2022. Fox Chapel swimmers and divers will be joined by a group from Plum and Kiski Area. The Class 3A preliminaries begin with the girls events at 8:05 a.m. each day and continue with the boys at 10:55. The consolation and championship finals for those who finish in the top 16 after the prelims will be 4:35 for the girls and 6:55 p.m. for the boys both days. The top eight will receive medals. The finals both days will be broadcast live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. In all, Alle-Kiski Valley swimmers will be featured with eight relay and 21 individual swims in the preliminaries. Fox Chapel senior Jackson Hagler will take center stage in the boys diving finals at 12:40 p.m. Saturday as he shoots for state diving gold. He is the third seed after finishing runner-up at WPIALs to North Allegheny senior Ethan Maravich. Hagler, who scored 515.75 points at WPIALs, was third at last year’s PIAA meet after placing 19th as a freshman and earning an eighth-place medal as a sophomore. Fox Chapel senior Sarah Pasquella, two-time WPIAL champion in the 200 freestyle, swims the event Friday. Third last year, the Michigan commit now is the hunted as the top seed after posting a WPIAL title time of 1:48.79. “I am ready to get to Bucknell and get some best times and see where that puts me,” Pasquella said. “We’ve all been working really hard since WPIALs and are in great shape to race the clock and swim fast.” She also is the No. 2 seed to Pine-Richland’s Sarah Shaffer for Saturday’s 100 breast after the two finished their head-to-head WPIAL swims separated by just four one-hundredths of a second. “Both my (individual) events are pretty deep, and I am sure they will bring the best out of me,” said Pasquella, who also will be highly seeded for the 200 free relay (second, 1:35.14) on Friday and 400 free relay (third, 3:27.93) on Saturday with senior Grace Kovach and sophomores Josie Stanczak and Charlotte Rusche. Charlotte Rusche is well situated in medal contention as the seventh seed in the girls 200 free (1:51.92). Dantey and Howell find themselves in individual medal contention both days. Howell, the WPIAL champion in the 200 individual medley (1:51.40), is seeded second to Central Bucks West senior Blaise Hoffman (1:50.51), last year’s PIAA runner-up. “The 200 IM is a lot tighter this year,” Howell said. “Last year, there was a top guy who was way ahead of everyone else. It should be a much closer race at the top. There also will be a great opportunity for a number of people to make a jump up places.” Dantey and Howell are right next to each other in the 100 breast as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, after they finished three one-hundredths of a second apart at WPIALs. Dantey will seek a podium finish in the 200 free as the seventh seed (1:40.08). “The (two-week) break since WPIALs, with where I have been in my training, was pretty good for me,” Dantey said. “We want to make the best of what we can do at states, so we prioritized resting closer to states as opposed to resting for WPIALs and trying to hold it for states.” Kiski Area senior Justin Tucker hopes to make his mark in a pair of individual events. He is among the fastest in the 500 free as the third seed (4:32.64), and he is in contention to make it back to the evening session in the 200 IM (16th seed, 1:54.27). Last year, Tucker shined at the PIAA Class 2A championships with a fifth in the 200 IM (1:54.29) and a third in the 500 free (4:36.01). Fox Chapel’s Max Melocchi (left) competes for a loose ball against Plum’s Trey McMurray on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at Chartiers Valley High School.  Fox Chapel’s Asher White attempts a 3-pointer over Plum’s Max Grice (1) and Owen Proskin (10) on Dec. 6. Fox Chapel’s Asher White (left) and Plum’s Max Grice react to a fourth-quarter turnover by Plum on Dec. 6 at Chartiers Valley High School. Fox Chapel’s Caden Kaiser scores on a driving layup over Plum’s Darian Slaughter (34) on Dec. 6 at Chartiers Valley High School. The Foxes were bumped up to Class 6A during this enrollment cycle but the basic foundation for Fox Chapel’s success remains the same “It all starts on defense,” Skrinjar said “When we’ve played to our highest potential this year it’s because we are able to get stops in transition.” The Foxes are off to a 3-1 start this season Fox Chapel’s defense has been solid so far limiting opponents to 44.5 points per game The Foxes will need that toughness as section play starts Fox Chapel opened section play at home against Seneca Valley last Friday The Foxes have only played one game against a 6A opponent so far “You always wish you had more time,” Skrinjar said We took the approach like it was a four-game preseason.” The Foxes are searching for balance on offense Fox Chapel lost its two leading scorers from last season to graduation Senior forward Caden Kaiser has picked up the mantle to lead the Foxes in scoring During the first three games of the season Asher White is second on the team in scoring “I’d like to see us get some more balance,” Skrinjar said “I’d like to see three or four guys scoring 10 points per game.” Skrinjar said that he feels like the Fox Chapel is still a work in progress “We have a lot of guys getting comfortable with the system we play,” Skrinjar said “We are continuing to work on communicating and how we are defending times we are showing glimpses of the team we can become.” Building that balance will be important as Fox Chapel gets into section play The Foxes will have some interesting road trips ahead “There are a lot of good teams and coaches,” Skrinjar said you are going to have to bring your best game We are going to enjoy playing at some unique places like Butler and New Castle.” Fox Chapel’s Lyla Jablon (left) and Kiski Area’s Alison Pencak (right) compete for a loose ball during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Lyla Jablon (left) pokes the ball away from Kiski Area’s Maddie Joyce (right) during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Natalia Schaffer (left) rejects a shot attempt from Kiski Area’s Gianna DeVito (right) during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Emily McKee weaves between Kiski Area’s Rikiya Garcia-Broaden (left) and Gianna DeVito (back) during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Bella Urso attempts a 3-point shot during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Lyla Jablon (left) and Kiski Area’s Maddie Joyce (center) compete for a loose ball during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Fox Chapel’s Natalia Schaffer (12) attempts a shot under pressure from Kiski Area’s Isabella Horciak (15) during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. Kiski Area’s Gianna DeVito (13) attempts a shot through pressure from Fox Chapel’s Natalia Schaffer (12) during the Holiday Hoops Classic on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, at PPG Paints Arena. in a game that featured nine lead changes to kick off the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic on Sunday at PPG Paints Arena the Cavaliers went on a 15-6 run to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter 33-32 Fox Chapel senior Natalia Schaffer’s 25 points put the Foxes past the Cavaliers After Rikiya Garcia made a layup on a dime from Gianna DeVito to give Kiski Area a 33-32 lead in the fourth Bailey Sacco responded with a layup making it 34-33 DeVito went right down the floor and took the lead right back 35-34 The ninth lead change of the game came off of a layup from Schaffer After a key stop with less than five minutes to play Fox Chapel’s Bella Urso went 1 for 2 from the free-throw line to make it 39-35 with a little more than three minutes to play The Foxes’ small-ball lineup came up in the clutch putting a lot of pressure on the Cavaliers The ninth lead change was the final one as the Foxes held off the Cavaliers they’re adaptable and they understood that,” Foxes coach Marty Matvey said “We treated this like a playoff game for us We missed the playoffs by three games in two years and they wanted this game on this stage because 99% of kids won’t get to play in this opportunity They just wanted to finish it and do it the right way and I couldn’t be more proud of that.” “She does everything so simply,” Matvey said It’s just not a surprise that she gets those points the most impressive thing about Natalia has been her leadership and the fact that she’s been playing out of position for us all year … I’m just so grateful to have such a great senior leader like that and I’m just glad that she’s getting the recognition that she deserves.” who had a 13-point first half: “There was a little bit of pressure going into the game Urso was another senior leading the charge Urso and Schaffer notched the Foxes’ first 23 points “A lot of my teammates helped set me up for success,” Urso said but they helped get us up and give me the ball Lots of rebounds from Natalia really helped.” Maddie Joyce made a layup to cut it to 39-37 Schaffer earned her way to the free-throw line making both attempts with two minutes left Kiski Area’s Ali Pencak scored to make it 41-39 with 1 minutes Urso was fouled with less than a minute left Garcia made it to the line but missed both free throws with 25 seconds left Urso made one more free throw for a 44-39 win Matvey was amazed at his team’s defense to close out the game and its efforts to hold Kiski Area to five points in the second quarter “Emily McKee did a great job coming off the bench,” Matvey said made some big plays when we were a little stagnant I call it the death lineup because it’s everyone under 5-8 but they’re all fast and they call pressure to the heck out of the ball … They did a good job pressuring and I was really proud of our defense.” The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with five lead changes and Urso notched six points in the first quarter Kiski Area and Fox Chapel ended the first tied 13-13 Schaffer (six points) and Urso (four) continued their scoring runs in the second quarter Jablon hit a 3-pointer for a 26-18 lead to start the third quarter Kiski Area’s offense surged behind the efforts of Joyce who scored seven points on a 13-6 run to cut it to 32-31 going into the fourth The Cavs defense held Urso scoreless in the third in the fourth quarter to take home the win “We needed that win,” Schaffer said she was glad to win it as a senior in front of her family at PPG Paints Arena “It’s a lot of fun,” Urso said “Family and friends came out and watched us play down in the city Fox Chapel’s Kris Bandurski was named first team all-section in the fall. The Fox Chapel senior wanted to find a place that could mold him on the football field throughout his career “The hospitality of the coaches was unbelievable,” Bandurski said “They develop players into who they need to be.” the Foxes halted a lengthy losing streak and were more competitive throughout the season than in past years Bandurski earned first-team all-section honors at offensive tackle Fox Chapel coach David Leasure appreciated Bandurski’s willingness to play on both sides of the ball “He continued to get better every week,” Leisure said but Kris was willing to play on both sides of the ball.” The Vulcans finished last season 10-3 and won the PSAC West Division for the first time since 2016 Cal took advantage of its first opportunity in the NCAA playoffs since 2017 by reaching the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Slippery Rock Bandurski knows that if he wants to play for the Vulcans Cal is a program that has thrived on competition “They told me to get ready to come to work every day,” Bandurski said “I know I will have to earn everything Leasure was impressed by Bandurski’s toughness during his junior season After suffering a high-ankle sprain early in the season Bandurski returned to the lineup during a 0-10 season for the Foxes “He showed a lot of toughness,” Leasure said “He could have decided to shut it down but he came back for the final two games.” Bandurski said he made significant progress during his time at Fox Chapel Where things have changed for him the most has been physical “When I look at a picture of myself from my freshman year it looks like it was taken 10 years ago,” Bandurski said Fox Chapel eighth grader Olympic Serrao is a two-time state champion in different age groups. Serrao was disappointed with his results against Manheim Township’s Frank Leanza at the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling middle school championships When the two met again in finals of the boys 13-14 age division at 132 pounds While it wasn’t the exact result he wanted it was a demonstration that Serrao is capable of learning from the past I didn’t think I was ready,” Serrao said “I hadn’t lost to anyone in my age group or middle school in a while Serrao has built an impressive resume through his youth wrestling career He is a two-time state champion in different age divisions Serrao went unbeaten during the school season and only conceded points twice Serrao trains at the Division I Training Center in Clairton “I’ve learned a lot of new moves,” Serrao said “They’ve taught me a lot of techniques that I don’t get in other places.” Serrao said he is most comfortable when it comes to scrambling He isn’t uncomfortable with being in those positions Serrao runs the mile and also does the 100-meter dash He said that wrestling helped him pursue his desire to be a sprinter “I think I always wanted to do it,” Serrao said “Wrestling helped with becoming more explosive.” Serrao ultimately would like to end up as a Division I wrestler Serrao thinks he will end up at 138 pounds With his ability to learn from past matches Serrao believes he can find success at the next level as well “I think depending on what they are doing I can make adjustments during the match,” Serrao said “I know I can make adjustments if I wrestle them again.”