Jerin Steele stories, Page 25

Pine-Richland hockey enters the final month of the regular season in a tight race for playoff positioning with only nine points separating second place from seventh in the PIHL Class 3A standings. Considering how many close games the Rams have been in, they’ve already got a taste of what the...

Melaina DeZort Class: Junior School: Freeport Sport: Basketball Report card: DeZort scored 18 points and aided Freeport in a 49-42 comeback victory over Derry in an important Section 1-4A game Monday. The Yellowjackets evened their section record at 4-4 and moved into third place by a half game with the...

Hempfield competitive spirit coach Suzannah Mayer could sense the nerves in her team Friday at Day 1 of the PIAA championships and it impacted their routine, but the Spartans were still able to finish third in the preliminaries and advance to the finals. With a championship on the line Saturday,...

Reese Hasley Class: Senior School: Deer Lakes Sport: Basketball Report card: Hasley eclipsed 1,000 points in style Monday by hitting the winning shot in a 39-37 win over Freeport. Hasley had 15 points in the game. She has been a four-year starter for the Lancers. How’d it feel to reach...

Joey Schneck pinned his way to the 285-pound Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament title recently, but that title wasn’t just won in the two days he spent at Fox Chapel High School. For Schneck, a junior at Pine-Richland, the journey to being a county champ started with a conscientious decision in...

Sarah Anne and Elizabeth Shaffer’s times are pretty close in the pool. And that’s made them even closer outside of it. Sarah Anne, a freshman, and Elizabeth, a junior, are sisters and members of the Pine-Richland swim team and the bond they’ve formed around the sport has enhanced their relationship...

Vinnie Clark had a senior night to remember forever. With the score tied and 2 seconds remaining, Clark took an inbound pass from Ben Lane and drained a 3-pointer in the corner to lift Freeport to a 56-53 home victory over Burrell on Friday night. “I joked with Ben, because...

When Nate Zavasky has an open look, Pine-Richland boys basketball coach Bob Petcash is typically yelling “shoot it.” Zavasky showed why late in the third quarter in a game with North Allegheny Jan. 14 when he drained a deep 3-pointer that put the Rams ahead, and they went on to...

Ava Boyd boarded a plane to Florida knowing she was going to play in a soccer game with some of the best girls in the country. She came home with an experience to remember. Boyd, a junior at Pine-Richland, showcased her talents in the Elite Clubs National League U16/17 national...

Ryan Reinsfelder Class: Senior School: Springdale Sport: Basketball Report card: Reinsfelder sank eight 3-pointers and scored 27 points to lead the Dynamos to a 78-63 win over rival Riverview on Tuesday. He missed six weeks with an ankle injury, but has returned to form as an outside shooting threat. How’d...

With every win, the North Hills boys basketball team has seen the target grow on its back as an emerging favorite in Class 6A, but it hasn’t been a deterrent. The Indians went into a hostile environment at Pine-Richland on Friday night and were in a tight game for most...

Grant Walters has seen a lot during his 32 years in wrestling, but his Highlands team has shown the coach something unique. The Golden Rams have four sets of brothers. It’s a unique twist that has helped the team’s depth and improved its results. The Rams are 8-0 in dual...

Last year, the Pine-Richland competitive spirit team did not qualify for the state championship for the first time in school history, so the 2021-22 season was a mission to return to form. There were some obstacles along the way like getting a late start and injuries, but the Rams accomplished...

Vinnie Clark Class: Senior School: Freeport Sport: Basketball Report card: Clark had a game-high 22 points to lead Freeport to a Section 1-4A victory over Keystone Oaks. He is one of four seniors in the Yellowjackets’ starting lineup who have helped the team achieve more wins this year (seven) than...

Ted Tomson has a special connection with TSM Photo Bugger, starting all the way back at the racehorse’s birth on his farm in Natrona Heights. The horse was stuck in an awkward position in the womb of his mother, Rewarding Wink, and Tomson had to help guide him out. “Normally,...

A major focus for Kelin Laffey lately has been the mental side of wrestling. He has received advice and motivation from the Pine-Richland coaches on believing in himself and his abilities every time he steps onto the mat. Now, he has some tangible evidence to build confidence going into the...

Brandon Coury Class: Senior School: Burrell Sport: Basketball Report card: Coury scored 30 points, including 18 in the second quarter, to help Burrell earn a 53-45 win at Section 1-4A rival Deer Lakes. He is 120 points shy of 1,000 for his career. How’d it feel to help the team...

Rylen Campbell Class: Sophomore School: Plum Sport: Wrestling Report card: Campbell won the 106-pound title at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic on Tuesday. He was the sixth seed but worked his way through the bracket and upset top-seeded Ana Malovich of Butler via a pin in the second period in the...

For the majority of his coaching career, Terence Parham has favored a stack 2-3 zone defense, but this summer, he and his assistant Albie Fletcher made a change to their tactics. The Deer Lakes boys basketball team is employing a 1-3-1 zone, and early returns show it has been a...

Darren Miller already has had success at Bucknell, making the NCAA Championships as a sophomore last year, but he may be finding another level. That’s in part, because he feels he has found his proper weight class for optimal performance on the mat. Miller, a former state wrestling champ at...

Gage Johnston Class: Junior School: Apollo-Ridge Sport: Basketball Report card: Johnston scored 30 points, including 21 in the first half, to lead Apollo-Ridge to a 58-46 victory over Steel Valley on Tuesday to improve to 2-0 in Section 3-3A. He hit a half-dozen 3-pointers in the win. Johnston was the...

The Burrell hockey team already has exceeded its win total from last year, which is a sign of the progression since the PIHL season started in October. The Bucs won only three games in 2020-21 but this year have a 5-2 record. It’s a good start, but first-year coach Luke...

The record boards at the Pine-Richland natatorium had plenty of changes after last year with several new school marks set. Many of the record breakers are returning, and the Rams are looking forward to another exciting year in the pool. “I have 16 seniors this year, so it’s going to...

A pair of Pine-Richland football players, Jalen Klemm and Jeremiah Hasley, made their college commitments official during the early national signing day Wednesday. Klemm signed his letter of intent with Kansas State and Hasley signed with Duke. Klemm, an offensive lineman, committed to Kansas State on Dec. 9, choosing the...

Ryan Lang Class: Senior School: Knoch Sport: Basketball Report card: Lang surpassed 1,000 points for his career with a 39-point effort in a 66-52 win over Latrobe. He averaged 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists last year and was a Valley News Dispatch first-team all-star. How did it feel...