Shawn Annarelli stories, Page 4

Ruby Chen has two part-time jobs, plays two instruments, volunteers at Forbes Hospital, is on the tennis team and still finds time for one of the fullest course loads at Penn-Trafford. With everything packed into each day until a self-set midnight deadline, she ranks No. 1 academically in her senior...

Pine-Richland’s offense operates at a speed nearly as fast as Formula One race cars. The N0. 1 Rams rarely wasted time between snaps and marched down the field behind the precision passing of Cole Spencer, who left the game at halftime with the next two quarters a formality in a...

Gateway’s cross country teams are showing more cohesiveness heading into second half of the season, coach Tom LaBuff said, which has resulted in improved times. The Gators are made up of mostly young runners on each team, and their training over the last year has started to show flashes of...

Quaker Valley’s football team entered the season with a disclaimer attached: Its thin roster had to be healthy to compete. The Quakers entered 2018 with 36 players and have had as few as 24 players dress for games this season, causing some to change positions each week and others to...

North Hills won against Hampton, 35-14, the only way it knows how Friday night — with a selfless effort. The Indians didn’t have a player with more than 100 yards passing, rushing or receiving, but it didn’t matter for an offense that enables skilled players to share the spotlight. “We...

The 17th annual Red, White and Blue Classic crowned winners that were among the favorites and a newcomer who never had run the course. Brownsville sisters Gionna and Jolena Quarzo ran their first race at Schenley Park and put regional cross country runners on notice after posting the best two...

Hampton topped Shaler, 31-28, on Friday in a showcase of old-school football in the Northern Conference. Running back Luke Lindgren led the Talbots (2-1, 2-0) for the second consecutive game with a ground attack that gained 244 yards.Lindgren finished with 23 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Hampton, a...

Norwin’s volleyball team was back to its winning ways in its first section game of the season against Plum. The team hopes it will be the first of many victories en route to another playoff run. “We won in four sets, but the games were very close,” Norwin coach Mary...

Coming off of a 2-12 record in Section 1-3A last year, Gateway’s girls volleyball team hopes the rough road it endured has set the stage for a bounce-back season. The Gators felt a Tuesday game against Armstrong, which went undefeated in the section in 2018, showed their potential in a...

A Shaler rushing attack that struggled in Week Zero made a statement in the Titans’ first Northern Conference game against Kiski Area. Titans running back Jake Miller carried 13 times for 124 yards — the first 100-yard game of his career — and scored on a 1-yard run in a...

Gateway’s seniors know too well how difficult it is make the playoffs and how challenging it is to stay there. The Gators girls soccer team earned playoff berths twice in the last three seasons — by winning a play-in game and by tiebreaker — only to lose in the first...

The Valley girls soccer team has the foundation for a bright future in Section 2-AA. The freshman class, Valley coach Aaron Smith said, is comparable to the group who led the Vikings to the postseason three years ago. “This freshman class is even better early on in terms of skill...

Optimism can be hard to come by following an 0-16 season, but a new coaching staff has rejuvenated the hopes of players in Valley’s boys soccer program. Senior Michael Odrey said he hasn’t felt this eager for a new season in years. “I’m very excited, because I’m realizing the potential...

In a tit-for-tat football game, New Castle coach Joe Cowart knew who had to get the ball with time ticking away. The call for a designed pass to Demetris McKnight shouldn’t have surprised anyone. McKnight scored on runs of 40 and 73 yards in the first half and had an...

Forget that Gateway has won five of its last 22 conference games. Everyone in the boys soccer program believes the balance of power in Section 4-3A will start to tilt in their favor. The struggles of the last two seasons were growing pains, players said. “I think our coach just...

Zaier Harrison has endured hard times, but he hasn’t been alone. Cornell’s Class A football program has gone from barely afloat to nonexistent to reborn in the last decade. The Raiders returned in 2016 when Harrison was named the starting quarterback as a freshman, a year in which the offense...

Quaker Valley was already going to have a thinner-than-usual roster this season, and then its starting quarterback moved to another state in July. Senior Cameron Wolf said the Quakers will still aim for another deep postseason run. “Every team is going to be different year-to-year, and we understand that,” Wolf...

Dominic Reiter was in disbelief, so he called his twin brother, Fritz, to share that Pitt soccer coach Jay Vidovich offered him a spot on the team. The shock didn’t wear off for about a week — the time it took for Dominic to commit to his dream school —...

Expectations are “relatively high” for Quaker Valley’s American Legion baseball team — and for good reason. The team is led by veteran pitchers Jake Commens and Isaiah Piatt — recent graduates — and has a core of juniors and sophomores that has won more than a dozen tournaments in Western...

Quaker Valley’s boys lacrosse team entered the season with aspirations to win the WPIAL Class AA championship and make a lengthy PIAA run. The Quakers fell short of each of those goals but came away from the experience proud of what they accomplished after facing adversity throughout the season. “It...

Quaker Valley’s lacrosse teams experienced deja vu Monday. The Quakers’ quests for WPIAL Class AA championships were crushed by Hampton, the fourth consecutive year each team has made it to at least the WPIAL semifinals only to fall short of a title. The girls last won a WPIAL championship in...

The shallow fly ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity. With a trip to the WPIAL Class A championship game on the line, No. 3 Union (12-5) coaches in the dugout begged for it to stay airborne long enough for someone — anyone — to get a...

Sewickley Academy’s last moments on the field this season were filled with celebration, just not the way they had envisioned it. The girls lacrosse team’s dreams were dashed Thursday, one season after losing in the WPIAL Class AAA championship game. The lost to Shady Side Academy, 12-5, in the quarterfinals....

Quaker Valley’s girls lacrosse team has been right on schedule with its goals this season. The team went undefeated in Class AA competition to win its section and picked up wins against Class AAA playoff teams like Canon-McMillan, Bethel Park and Sewickley Academy. “The main thing I’ve learned about this...

With a young, small roster, Sewickley Academy boys lacrosse coach Trevor Adams has made this season all about executing fundamentals. The team has proven it can be successful after a two-win season a year ago in a higher classification, but there have been growing pains. “If we miss clears, it’s...