Top performers of the fall season
Carmichaels' Katelyn Schooley sets the ball during Tuesday's WPIAL Class A preliminary round playoff match against Bentworth at Peters Township High School.
Carmichaels' Liam Shea hits from the fairway during the Section 8-AA qualifier Tuesday at Linden Hall Golf Course. Shea was medalist with a 78 to advance to next week's WPIAL Class AA Individual Golf Championships at Allegheny Country Club.
Waynesburg's Madison Clayton (6), pursued by Yough's Kim Nuttall (7), kicks the ball against Yough in Saturday's WPIAL playoff game that Waynesburg won 2-1.
Holly Tonini
Above, Carmichaels’ Liam Shea hits from the fairway during the 2015 Section 8-AA qualifier at Linden Hall Golf Course. Shea was medalist with a 78 to advance to the WPIAL Class AA Individual Golf Championships at Allegheny Country Club.
As we close the book on the final chapter of the 2015 Fall Sports season in Greene County, let’s take one last look back at those memorable two and half months.
Now I’m all about the team and not the individual. I know there’s no “I” in “Team” and I strongly believe in the “We” over “Me” when it comes to high school athletics.
But with that being said, sometimes individual performances are so memorable and unforgettable, that you have to take time to acknowledge them.
So I’m taking a look back at the fall season and dishing out my Top 15 Student-Athletes of the 2015 Fall Season.
These are in no particular order and they go all around the sporting landscape.
Madison Clayton
School: Waynesburg Central/Jefferson-Morgan
Sport: Girls Soccer
Year: Sophomore
Memorable Moment: Clayton netted three goals at Elizabeth-Forward to open section play with a 3-0 win. The win was the launching point for a strong year for Waynesburg, as the Lady Raiders captured their first ever playoff win. Clayton finished the season with 29 goals in 17 games.
Dylan Rush
School: Mapletown
Sport: Football
Year: Sophomore
Memorable Moment: Week 5 was a truly magical night for this tailback, as Rush broke two schools records for rushing yards (387) and touchdowns (eight) in a game. Rush added a pair of two-point conversion runs and kicked four extra points for a grand total of 56 points.
Morgan Simkovic
School: Jefferson-Morgan
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: Simkovic was a versatile player for J-M and had her best games late in the season. In their home finale against Frazier, the Lady Rockets battled to a dramatic 3-2 loss and Simkovic had a stellar match with 18 service points, 13 kills and nine aces.
Liam Shea
School: Carmichaels
Sport: Golf
Year: Junior
Memorable Moment: At the WPIAL Class AA Boys Championship, Shea battled the elements, the course and his opposition for a spot in the PIAA Championships with a 16th-place finish. Shea won a playoff hole to get the 16th seed and finished ninth at the state tournament.
Ben Bumgarner
School: Waynesburg Central
Sport: Cross Country
Year: Junior
Memorable Moment: At the WPIAL Championships at Coopers’ Lake Campground, Bumgarner finished seventh with a time of 16:53 and garnered his second trip to the PIAA Championships. At the state tournament, Bumgarner grabbed another seventh-place finish.
Katelyn Schooley
School: Carmichaels
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: As a setter, Schooley was a key component to the offense and led the Lady Mikes with her strong passes. Schooley’s breakout performance in 2015 was at Geibel Catholic with 22 assists and 16 service points.
Nick Fox
School: Waynesburg Central
Sport: Boys Soccer
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: Fox was the anchor for the Waynesburg defense in between the pipes in 2015. The multi-year starter had a steady season in net and recorded four shutouts. His game of the year came against Laurel Highlands at home, where he stopped 10 shots in a 2-1 triumph.
McKenna Lampe
School: West Greene
Sport: Cross Country
Year: Freshman
Memorable Moment: At the CXC Championships, Lampe became the second-ever Lady Pioneer to place in the WPIAL race and took home an 18th-place finish in Class A with a time of 21:34. Lampe placed 83rd (out of 226 runners) in the PIAA Championships.
Joe Headlee
School: Jefferson-Morgan
Sport: Football
Year: Junior
Memorable Moment: Headlee was a strong contributor in all phases of the game. The junior running back was the leading scorer for J-M and had one of his strongest nights against Bentworth with a pair of touchdown runs (54, 51) and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score.
Taylor Staley
School: Waynesburg Central
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: Staley was one of the key cogs in a successful season for the Lady Raiders, as Waynesburg made it back into the postseason and recorded a preliminary round victory over Mohawk. Staley was clutch with seven aces and six kills in the prelim round win.
Madison Bogden
School: Mapletown
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: Bogden was one of the senior leaders for the Lady Maples and showed great leadership both on and off the court in 2015. Her key moment this fall was in her last home game of her career when she registered 27 kills in a 3-2 triumph over West Greene.
Shawn Dulaney
School: Carmichaels
Sport: Football
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: After missing four games to start the season with a knee injury, Dulaney bounced back and was in fine form in the regular season finale against rival Jefferson-Morgan. Dulaney scored three touchdowns as the Mikes clinched the playoffs with a 28-0 win.
Camryn Dugan
School: Jefferson-Morgan
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: The senior setter was the captain of J-M’s offense in 2015 and led the Lady Rockets with her precision passes and clutch serves at the line. Her biggest game of the season was against rival Carmichaels, when she collected 40 assists and 14 service points.
Josey Evans
School: Waynesburg Central
Sport: Girls Soccer
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: The senior goalkeeper was a consistent force for the Lady Raiders in net. Evans recorded five shutouts and only allowed 22 goals in 17 games. One of the key matches for Waynesburg this year was a 1-0 win over Ringgold and Evans had five stops in the shutout win.
Abby Cutwright
School: Carmichaels
Sport: Volleyball
Year: Senior
Memorable Moment: Cutwright was the vocal leader for the Lady Mikes and one of the key reasons for the turnaround of the program. From her libero position, Cutwright had her match of the season versus California with 15 digs and 10 service points in a 3-2 victory.