Shawn Annarelli stories

Pine-Richland’s daily goal is to get 1% better, a mantra coach Caleb Kolb often repeats to his wrestlers. He recently learned the Rams may be a little ahead of schedule after their third-place performance out of 15 teams at the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament Jan. 16 at the Monroeville Convention Center....

Pine-Richland’s Joey Dudkowski can drive to the hoop for a layup, pull up for a mid-range jumper and get off a quick 3-pointer from the perimeter, each with a fluid ease. Down 45-36 late in the third quarter against No. 5 Butler on Jan. 19, the 6-foot-3 junior put his...

When Alex Erlain’s skates touch the ice, his Pine-Richland teammates and coaches know he’ll make every second of his shift count. The junior forward has emerged as an offensive playmaker with a team-leading 11 points through five games this season after scoring all of four points one year ago. He...

Pine-Richland wrestling coach Caleb Kolb scanned the room during the Rams first in-person practice of the new year with a big smile. It had been more than three weeks since the team was together for a workout, and he couldn’t contain his excitement. “Just out of nowhere he says, “Man,...

Pine-Richland’s youthful swimming and diving teams hope to have breakout seasons built on one more year of experience and new additions. Coach Pete Barry’s confidence in them grows with every practice. “We’re taking advantage of every day we can be together, and we’re going to treat every meet like it...

Pine-Richland’s new girls basketball coach Kyle DeGregorio routinely tells his players they will be an elite team. He always adds that it’s just a matter of how long it takes. “I live day-to day, and I just want us to get better, compete every day, mature as competitors and learn...

Joe Petcash was riding in the car with his dad in mid-June when they got a call that would put into motion the next era of Pine-Richland’s basketball team. Bob Petcash answered discreetly, opting not to take it on speaker, and hung up after a few brief words with the...

If Pine-Richland could rewrite history, it would be competing for a three-peat this season for the Penguins Cup and state championship. The Rams, led by 14 seniors, instead feel an emptiness they can’t quite shake. Captain Dominic Desjardins and alternates Sam Perry and Griffin Roth are still upset about last...

Every sports dynasty has a core molded long before its recognized, a foundation rooted in its relationships and, in Pine-Richland’s case, a “secret sauce.” For the Rams field hockey team, the foundation stems back to the days that seniors Ella Rottinghaus, Elaina Camino, Natalie Loftus and Jordan Landreneau first took...

Pine-Richland’s cross-country program had its best season since joining Class 3A in 1998 with the boys team finishing fifth at WPIALs and the girls being runners-up to North Allegheny. Victor Williams, Meredith Price and Angelina Hunkele also individually qualified for states despite less available spots available due to covid-19 restrictions....

Jared Miller and Coleman Mazur paused a drill during a Pine-Richland practice before the Class 5A WPIAL championship game to explain gap responsibilities against a specific Peters Township offensive set. The Rams’ defensive line coaches positioned each of the starters and repeated their roles until Miller addressed the group. “I...

Pine-Richland’s volleyball program has had three head coaches in four years, and the most recent season was temporarily in limbo, not only because of covid-19 but also because of a coaching change two days before tryouts. To say the team’s seniors have been through a lot might be an understatement....

Pine-Richland’s field hockey team can call itself a dynasty. The Rams won their second consecutive WPIAL Class 3A championship and third title in four years. “This feels amazing,” senior captain Elaina Camino said as she held on to the championship trophy. “Coming in as a freshman three years ago, I...

Most teams don’t account for blocking the kicker on returns, but a player such as Zach Waryanka doesn’t give them much of a choice. He does, after all, top Pine-Richland’s charts in tackles. “He’s awesome,” coach Eric Kasperowicz said. “I think he’s the only ‘mike’ linebacker that wears one football...

Pine-Richland’s girls soccer team had an early exit from the playoffs, a 1-0 loss to Moon, but the players weren’t quite ready to disband. Two days after their season officially ended, the Rams held one more practice filled with more ghouls than goals. “I think every senior is getting ready...

Cole Spencer and Eli Jochem quietly played catch on the sideline in their sophomore season while Pine-Richland played defense, getting in as many throws as possible before trying to replicate their connection on offense. It wasn’t obvious at the time, but the two would become one of the most explosive...

Pine-Richland’s volleyball season has been a series of glimpses into the team’s potential. Two wins over No. 7 Seneca Valley and taking one set each from North Allegheny and Shaler, the top-ranked teams in WPIAL, showed early in the season the Rams were at least a good team. To be...

Rylie Wollerton is like the last side of a Rubik’s Cube that can’t be solved no matter how much opponents try to twist and turn her away from the cage. Recently named the September Player of the Month by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, she shows how difficult she...

Meredith Price will focus on every hard workout, sprint and time trial it has taken to get to the WPIAL championship race to motivate herself to finish strong. On the rare occasion she looks to either side of her, she’ll spot teammates like Angelina Hunkele, Natalie McLean, Elizabeth Hunkele and...

Katharine Kelly might not look the part, but there was a time when she played left guard in youth football. Had she played receiver, she might have found her calling under Friday night lights. A little less than 10 years later, Kelly’s niche is goalkeeper for Pine-Richland’s soccer team. “I’d...

Pine-Richland junior Alex Gochis has found himself in a situation he didn’t anticipate: playing alongside and excelling with Eli Jochem, one Pennsylvania’s top receiving prospects. Through three games, Gochis had 15 receptions, 208 yards and three touchdowns. That’s one fewer catch and touchdown than Jochem. “It’s awesome to have a...

Sadie Baratka knows what it’s like to face North Allegheny in overtime, and she made sure not to do it again. With her team up 1-0 with four minutes to go, Baratka lost track of the ball, which was deflected 15 feet away to the waiting sticks of two Tigers...

Elaine Qian has spent most of her youth career on the United States Tennis Association stage as a singles competitor, a result of being one of the top players in the Mid-Atlantic region. The weight of nearly every loss and win has rested squarely on her shoulders. That’s why Qian,...

North Allegheny seemed poised to slam the door shut on Pine-Richland. Down 2-0 to the three-time defending state volleyball champions, the Rams weren’t willing to give in. “We were playing very well and with lots of emotion, and we knew we just needed to make a couple more breaks for...

A new dynasty in WPIAL field hockey could be on the horizon. Pine-Richland has won two of the last three WPIAL Class AAA championships, and this season’s team may be the best yet with seven returning starters, a junior transfer committed to Louisville and a goalie who is replacing her...