Nathan Smith stories, Page 2

Paul O’Donnell might be entering his first season as St. Joseph’s soccer coach, but he is no stranger to the program. O’Donnell was an assistant the previous five seasons under previous coach Matt Skoda. He is also a former Spartans player. “I know where I want to see the team...

It is a new era for the Norwin field hockey team. Will Kelly has taken over as the Knights’ coach, and while he does not have field hockey coaching experience, he is well versed in what the Norwin field hockey program is all about. His daughter, Bailee Kelly, is a...

The Sto-Rox football team enters the season with plenty of motivation. The Vikings made strides in LaRoi Johnson’s first season as coach. The team achieved a winning record for only the second time since 2013. The offense improved its points-per-game average from 17.8 in 2017 to 41.6 in 2018. Quarterback...

Outside of the locker room at Bishop Canevin, there is a plaque that honors legendary coach Bob Jacoby. The quote on it features six words that showcase what he demanded from his teams: “48 minutes of tough Canevin football.” First-year Crusaders coach T.J. Wiley wants to bring that mentality back...

It wasn’t how the Norwin Little League team wanted to end the season. The squad reached the 9-11-year-old Pennsylvania State Tournament in Hermitage. After topping DuBois, 11-1, in the opening round, Norwin fell to Keystone, 4-3. The team’s season then came to a close with a 20-2 loss to Aston-Middleton....

With the summer in full swing in Western Pennsylvania, the Chartiers Valley Baseball Association is back in action. The under-16 league features several teams with players from Chartiers Valley and Carlynton. The Chartiers Valley 2 squad is off to a 3-2 start and battling on top of the South Division....

It has been a slow start for the Norwin PAL Junior Legion baseball team. The squad opened the summer season with a 1-4 record. But the more time the team sees on the field, the more good things coach Ken Lindsay is seeing. “We are young and trying to get...

Dan Krivanek’s passion for the outdoors has been a way for him to give back. A teacher with the Chartiers Valley School District, a few students took notice of fishing photos on his desk. The students asked if Krivanek would take them fishing and teach them about the outdoors. He...

The senior players of the South Fayette softball team made sure to leave a lasting impression on the program. A year removed from a 7-12 season that saw the team miss the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2013, the seniors rallied the Lions for a return to the...

The Charters Valley boys lacrosse season is ready to hit the reset button. After finishing the regular season with a 7-6 record, the Colts are returning to the WPIAL playoffs after a one-season hiatus. “It is huge for us to get back into the playoffs after not being there last...

The Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team might be peaking at the right time. After a season of ups and downs, the Warriors had a breakthrough week with Section 3-3A wins over Armstrong, 3-1, and Hempfield, 3-0. “I think we have improved a lot from the beginning of the season,” senior setter...

It was a rough start for the Carlynton baseball team. The Cougars started the season 1-6, getting outscored 74-21 during the stretch. But Carlynton weathered the storm. The team bounced back in Section 4-2A play. Now, with a 5-3 section mark, the Cougars are on the prowl for a WPIAL...

Coach Curt Cairns knew the Chartiers Valley baseball team was in for an uphill battle this season. The team entered the year with a lack of experience. With only four seniors, the coaching staff turned to inexperienced juniors and underclassmen for production. Despite a 3-9 record, Chartiers Valley is winning...

There are many ways for a coach to measure success. For Norwin volleyball coach Nick Fallone, it comes down to how much has his team grown. So far this season, the Knights have been on a bit of a growth spurt. The second-year coach said his team has improved in...

Shawn Leydig’s time as South Fayette’s boys lacrosse coach got off to a late start. The school hired Leydig in August. But he was unable to work with the team until January after a deployment to Afghanistan for several months as a member of the Air National Guard. Once he...

The Chartiers Valley girls lacrosse team is experiencing a youth movement. The Colts have turned to several underclassmen to fill key roles on the field. Chartiers Valley coach Jordan Burkes is happy with their play so far and only expects the team to improve. “We are definitely giving younger players...

The Chartiers Valley boys lacrosse team entered the season with a mission. After missing the playoffs last year, the Colts return motivated with a strong senior core and a group of maturing underclassmen. The team got off to a strong start with a 2-1 overall record. “This senior class came...

There are few words that can describe this past season for Annie Katonka. The Chartiers Valley grad helped lead the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team to the NCAA Division III title. The Cardinals topped Hamline, 4-0, in the championship game March 16. “It is an awesome feeling when you work...

The Norwin boys lacrosse team is growing up. Last season the team relied on several underclassmen in key positions. Despite a slow start, the Knights won six of their final seven games to clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. A year later, Norwin enters the season with experience on...

It was breakthrough season for the Norwin softball team in 2018. After going 10-6 during the regular season, the Knights put together their most successful postseason run in recent memory. The team reached the WPIAL Class 6A semifinals and finished one game away from the state tournament. It was the...

Experience should be on the Norwin baseball team’s side this season. The Knights are looking to rebound from going 7-8 in 2018. While that team entered the year with little experience, the 2019 squad returns six starters. “We will still have a mix of older and younger guys, but most...

The Bishop Canevin girls basketball team suffered a roster shakeup in the postseason. The team lost one of its starting five in Alyssa Pollice. The junior guard transferred from Seton LaSalle last year but was ineligible for the postseason because of a new PIAA rule regarding transfers. The Crusaders put...

The Norwin wrestling team walked away from the WPIAL Class AAA individual tournament with some serious hardware. The Knights had two wrestlers capture gold at the tournament: junior Kurtis Phipps at 120 pounds and junior Ryan Weinzen at 220. “I thought we wrestled well as a team,” Norwin coach Vince...

The Carlynton football program is starting a new era in 2019. Rich Piccinini will take over as the Cougars coach this season. While the team has struggled recently, Piccinini knows what Carlynton can be. He was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2001, the last time the team made the WPIAL...

Blackhawk started hot and never let up. The No. 3 Cougars topped No. 6 Southmoreland, 61-42, in the WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball quarterfinals at Moon. Blackhawk advanced to its third straight semifinal appearance, and a hot-shooting first quarter got the Cougars there. “All the credit goes to the girls,”...