Ted Sarneso stories, Page 9

Hempfield competitive spirit coach Suzannah Mayer trusts her team has gotten the routine down. The Spartans have attended the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) national championships held in Disney World every year since competitive spirit returned to Hempfield in 2013. They make sure to take an early flight a couple of...

Handling the rigors of a high school sport and maintaining a 4.0 GPA is a tough balancing act. Burrell’s Chloe Walton achieved her 4.0 by managing her time wisely between academics and swimming. “Chloe is someone that always places academics first and athletics second,” coach Samantha Callen said. “I, as...

Swimmers by their nature are super competitive, both in practice when challenging teammates and at meets against other schools. The Hampton swim team has added another outlet in which to stoke that competitive fire — the video game Fortnite. “Before the high school season would start, we would play three...

A season of ups and downs came to an end for the Hampton girls basketball team Feb. 20 with a loss to No. 2 seed McKeesport in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. “Our girls put forth a great effort after a good week of preparation,” said...

When someone accomplishes a feat no other person has, it’s said they’re in rarefied air. Leah McCandless of the Burrell bowling team is breathing that air after she became the only girl in the WPIBL this season to roll a 300 game. McCandless’ perfect game came in the third match...

Coming into basketball season, Jackson Pribanic set three goals for the year. The first was to be named a team captain. He was voted to the position by his Springdale teammates at the start of the season. “He leads by example, from the front,” coach Kobe Phillippi said. “It was...

For Hempfield bowling coach Robin Ross, the message to his bowlers is the same as it has ever been. “Strikes are going to come; you have to make spares to keep yourselves in the match. If you stay on top of making your spares, we’re going to win,” Ross said....

There is no one with more passion and fire for the sport on the Apollo-Ridge bowling team than senior Mia Ament. “She cares so much about the sport; she wants to help everybody out,” girls bowling coach Michelle Cominos said. “She wants the same drive from everyone else on the...

Kevin Clougherty is coaching his 27th season for the Hempfield swimming teams. This is the youngest roster he’s had. “Most years, you always teach, but you focus more on work,” Clougherty said. “This year has been a lot of teaching, instruction and refining.” This year’s young swimmers have a lot...

The only way last season could have been improved for the Latrobe swim team is if the Wildcats had done just a little better in the WPIAL and PIAA championships. The girls team went undefeated at 13-0 overall and 5-0 in section meets, and the boys finished 8-5, good for...

Abby King has learned much in her four years with the Kiski Area swim team. Her progression, mentally and physically, has given her a better understanding of how to swim, but more importantly, how to keep things in perspective. “I got real beat down when I didn’t qualify for WPIALs...

Another year, another captivating performance from the Mt. Pleasant girls swim team at the WCCA championships. The Vikings won 12 of 22 events to claim the 2A trophy in the boys and girls competitions Saturday at Derry. Franklin Regional won both 3A titles. “Everyone knew this season was going to...

Swimming, by its nature, is a physically demanding sport, filled with long distances, marathon meets and tough practices. Jeff Kelly, Derry’s swim coach for 31 years, knows the mental aspect is most critical and preaches it daily. “Maybe I’m getting a little philosophical on them,” Kelly said. His witticisms have...

Freeport girls basketball senior center Brooke Kmetz’s role hasn’t changed, but whether she starts or comes off the bench varies based on the opponent. “At the beginning of the season she was a starter for us, but then there were a few games where we felt the matchups warranted a...

The third Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association bowling championship was held Saturday at Hillview Lanes in Greensburg. Hempfield sophomore Amelia Droste took home the girls individual title after finishing second in last year’s competition. Senior Mike Mullaney of Greensburg Central Catholic earned the top spot on the boys side. Droste started...

Anna Kreinbrook had been one of the key components to the recent success of the St. Joseph’s girls basketball team. At 6-foot-3, she is a dominating presence on the inside. “It’s pretty fun to be this tall,” Kreinbrook said. “It helps defensively but also comes with a lot of pressure...

Franklin Regional’s bowling team dealt with a major change before the season began. The Panthers, last year’s Northeast section and WCCA champions, were moved to the more competitive East section. “That raised a lot of eyebrows in our area because it puts us in the same section with two strong...

Going into his senior season, Mason Wilkes knew there would be challenges ahead for the Plum hockey team. First, the team would have a new coach in Jon Gratton. Second, the Mustangs would be a young, inexperienced unit coming off a disappointing 3-14-1 record a season ago. But Mason has...

Last season, current Highlands senior guard Jordyn Tavarez was a versatile role player for the Golden Rams. Tavarez was the point guard and best defender on a squad that made the WPIAL semifinals two years in a row: in Class 5A in 2021 and 4A a year ago. “Jordyn knew...

Practice makes perfect. But what happens when you’re perfect in practice? Junior Dylan Megliorino of the Greensburg Salem bowling team has the answer. On Dec. 6, Megliorino bowled his first 300 game for the school, but it wasn’t the first time he had rolled a perfect game. His first came...

Valley senior wrestler Charles Perkins comes from a family steeped in wrestling. His father, Chuck, runs the Valley Youth Wrestling program. His three younger brothers wrestle in the program or did when they were younger, and his sister handles the media for the program. Charles even helps referee the program’s...

As a 5-foot-11 freshman, Olivia Vigna was going to be a focus of the Leechburg girls basketball team right from the start of her varsity career. However, a dislocation of her kneecap in her freshman and sophomore years delayed her chance at playing. “Olivia is like a unicorn,” said Blue...

The beginning of Section 3-3A play was a tough, low-scoring affair between Shady Side Academy and host Burrell. The Bucs came into the game allowing only 39.7 points a game and were faced with a challenge in shutting down a Bulldogs offense led by Eli Teslovich. “We preach defense. Our...

Highlands forward Jocelyn Bielak quietly has become a leader on a team striving to bring home a section title for the first time in 48 years. “She is a joy to coach. Her work ethic and commitment to improve is on an extremely high level,” coach Shawn Bennis said. “She...

Valley youth wrestling had meek beginnings when Moe Quin started the program in 1968 at a local YMCA. Today, the growth of the program has led it to be a feeder system for Valley’s middle school and high school wrestling teams. “Consistency and communication have helped drive our increase in...