Jerin Steele stories, Page 26

If someone told Kris Wright in November of 2019 that he’d be racing full time in NASCAR in three years, he would’ve told them they were crazy. That’s because he had just signed a deal to race in Formula 3 in Europe. Little did Wright or anyone else know in...

When mats need to be cleaned before practice, Pine-Richland wrestling coach Caleb Kolb doesn’t have to seek out a volunteer to get the mop out and start scrubbing. Jake Lukez and Joey Schneck get the job done without anyone on the coaching staff asking. It’s a small detail, but it’s...

As Pine-Richland girls basketball enters a new season, it has a bit of a good-news, bad-news situation. The good news is the Rams have four returning starters, two other returners with experience and a couple of newcomers who will provide help. The bad news is several of those players are...

It wasn’t an easy decision, but with family and work obligations increasing, Seth Napierkowski decided to step down as the Springdale football coach. After a five-year run with the Dynamos, Napierkowski submitted his resignation, and it was accepted by the Allegheny Valley School Board during Monday’s meeting. “It was something...

Burrell wrestling is looking to celebrate a “Sweet 16” this winter. If the 15-time defending WPIAL Class 2A champions are to continue their dominance, they’re going to have to replace a trio of talented wrestlers who graduated: champ A.J. Corrado, state runner-up Ian Oswalt and 24-match winner Aaron Edwards. With...

The Kiski Area wrestling team had some youth in its lineup last year, but it still was able to win the Section 1-3A title. The Cavaliers did lose a couple of key wrestlers to graduation in state medalists Sammy Starr and Braden Roscosky but have plenty of returners that are...

A good word to describe the St. Joseph girls basketball team is potential. The Spartans are a youthful group with only one senior, a bevy of sophomores and a freshman, but coach Dennis Jones feels they have the skill and size to be an intriguing team this winter. “We’re extremely...

Those who followed St. Joseph boys basketball the past four years were treated by Andrew Sullivan to some high-scoring performances, but his 1,000-plus point career ended last season. The challenge for the Spartans this winter is filling the vacuum of scoring Sullivan leaves behind. St. Joseph coach Hart Coleman feels...

The Pine-Richland Rams football team was well represented on the Class 5A Northeast Conference teams. Three offensive and three defensive players made first-team all-conference. Senior tackle Jalen Klemm, senior wide receiver Alex Gochis and junior wide receiver Andrew Mellis were the Rams that made first-team offense. Gochis had 48 receptions...

There are two major themes for the Pine-Richland boys basketball team this winter: They’re experienced and they won’t lack for motivation. The Rams have six seniors — Luke Shanahan, Joey Dudowski, Andrew Alexander, Andy Swartout, Jameson O’Toole and Nate Zavasky — who all played significant roles for a team that...

In one moment, Bishop Canevin went from potentially going up two scores to seeing Redbank Valley tie the game. It was a momentum stealer the Crusaders could not recover from. With the Crusaders driving inside the Redbank Valley 10 early in the third quarter, Chris Marshall intercepted a pass and...

Kiski Area girls basketball coach Nick Dizon likened his team learning and growing to building a puzzle. Once one piece is in place, it’s time to work on fitting in the next one. It’s the theme for the season for a young Cavaliers team rife with freshmen and sophomores that...

The excitement of his first season as the Kiski Area boys basketball coach hasn’t waned an ounce for Corey Smith since the day he was hired back in April. He’s accepted the task of restoring his Alma Mater’s hoops program into a formidable one after some lean years. The Cavaliers...

Coaches never want to use injuries as an excuse, and Pine-Richland football coach Steve Campos is no different in that regard. But what the Rams went through in terms of key players going down this season was something that Campos had never experienced in his long coaching career. The Rams...

Most days after arriving home from elementary school, Dan Mooney would hop off the bus, drop his backpack and jump right into the middle of a pickup hockey game. “My older brother (Tommy) and his friends would always be playing in the driveway,” Mooney said. “They didn’t have a goalie,...

At the elementary and middle school levels, the current group of Cheswick Christian basketball players experienced success, which has given them some confidence coming into the season. Now they hope they can translate those winning ways to the high school level. “They’re eager to break back through at the high...

After a covid-shortened 2020-21 season in which the Cheswick Christian girls basketball team played only nine games, signs are pointing towards a return to a more normal slate this winter. That’s a welcomed proposition for Chargers coach Jacque Willis and her team. Cheswick Christian returns three starters from last year’s...

A few nights after Pine-Richland field hockey’s season came to an end, Rams coach Donna Stephenson said it felt weird sitting at home because she felt like she should be out at practice with her team. Stephenson’s feelings went beyond the everyday routine teams get into during a season before...

There have been times Bishop Canevin coach Rich Johnson has gone with his gut when deciding his quarterback. On Friday night, he made a change to freshman Kole Olszewski early in the second quarter hoping for a spark. Olszewski provided more than just one spark. He came out on fire....

The Kiski Area hockey team lost several key players, including Michael Rayburg and Jonathan Ayres, from a team that made back-to-back PIHL Class A semifinals appearances. If they needed any evidence that they can still play with the top teams in the league, last Thursday’s game against Fox Chapel was...

When Zach Panza’s attempt hit the crossbar and put Hampton on the brink of elimination in round four of penalty kicks, Talbots goalkeeper Thomas Bradfield admitted he thought his high school career was over. It was an understandable thought because the odds of making consecutive saves in penalty kicks aren’t...

Ava Weleski Class: Sophomore School: Plum Sport: Soccer Report card: Weleski scored the winning goal for Plum in a 2-1 victory over Mechanicsburg in the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals Saturday. She also has three multi-goal games in the postseason and a total of seven goals. This season is the first...

Joe Scolaro Class: Senior School: Highlands/Burrell Sport: Hockey Report card: Scolaro scored twice and had an assist to help Burrell’s hockey team top Wilmington, 7-1, last Monday. It was his second two-goal game of the season. He had a team-leading six goals and 11 points entering Monday’s game against Ringgold....

The final hurdle between Freeport girls volleyball and returning to a state championship game is a very familiar foe. In a rare occurrence, Freeport and Hampton will meet for the fourth time this season. This time it’s in the PIAA Class 3A semifinals 6 p.m. Tuesday at Fox Chapel. The...

On Nov. 10, Meredith Price signed a letter of intent for track and cross country at Utah State, so this coming fall she’ll be running in the Rocky Mountains. The last few years she’s proven she’s had no problem navigating the hills of Pennsylvania. Price placed 17th in the PIAA...