Apr 30, 2020 10 min read

2019 — The Waynesburg Central boys defeated Chartiers-Houston, 94-55, Southmoreland, 86-64, and South Side Area, 120½-29½, to earn a spot into the WPIAL Class AA Team Track & Field Championship at Peters Township. One of the keys to the Raiders’ win was a sweep of the top three places in the javelin with Scott Benco finishing first, Avery McConville second and Josh Galbreath third. Waynesburg’s Caleb Shriver had an eventful, and busy, meet by winning the 100 and 200, and placing second in the long jump and triple jump. Daniel Layton (110 high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles), Caleb Blair (400), Benco (triple jump), and Avery McConville (discus) all had overall first-place finishes for the Raiders.

2018 — Belle Vernon’s Hannah Seitzinger had three first-place finishes, winning the 100, 200, and 400, to lead the Lady Leopards to the Scott Frederick Mid Mon Valley Classic team title. Freshman Grace Henderson won the high jump, clearing 5-4 to break her school record and Ezra Johnson had a pair of first-place finishes, winning gold in the shot put and discus. The Leopards’ Hunter Martin won the 110 high hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Teammates Isaac Evans (800) and Brett Seich (1,600, 3,200) also finished first.

2017 — Elk County’s Matt Lipsey successfully defended his running title, his third overall, in the 35th Mount Summit Challenge, while Belle Vernon’s Belinda Adamec secured her first crown in the women’s run. Pittsburgh’s Jason Cwynar and Christina Stewart, of Mechanicsville, Va., were the fastest walkers. Monroeville’s Don Slusser was second overall in the walk and Youngwood’s Jason Lohr, the defending champion, placed third. Bethel Park head football coach Jeff Metheny won the Clydesdale division and Adah’s Aidan Van Houton finished first in the Cruisers.

2016 — Connellsville’s Devin Pisarski edged Belle Vernon’s Jake Powell by the slimmest of margins to take Track MVP honors at the FCCA Track & Field Championships. Pisarski’s final dash in the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay provided the final points of his 23½ total, a mere ½ point more than Powell. Laurel Highlands’ Chad Livingston was the Field MVP. Belle Vernon edged Laurel Highlands by three points for the team title. Albert Gallatin’s Xavier Stephens won the 800 in a record time of 1:59 and Uniontown’s Josiah Davis set a new mark in the triple jump.

2016 — Alie Seto snapped her older sister Maris’ Field MVP run at the FCCA Track & Field Championships. The younger Seto sister won the discus, was second in the high and triple jumps and placed fourth in the long jump. Maris Seto, the three-time defending MVP, won the high and triple jumps (both county meet records), and finished second in the long jump. Teammate Sara Vance won the 1,600, 3,200 and 800 for the Track MVP. Uniontown won the team title. The LH girls set the county meet record in the 400 relay and the Fillies’ Casey Phelan broke the record in the pole vault. Uniontown’s Dellecia Francis set the mark in the long jump.

2015 — The Jefferson-Morgan softball team clinched a share of the Section 1-A title with a 10-0 win in six innings against visiting Mapletown. The win guaranteed the Lady Rockets consecutive section titles for the first time in program history. Morgan Simkovic and Morgan Gamble both hit two-run home runs and Reagan Rush blasted a three-run shot for the Lady Rockets. Maddie Ludrosky allowed three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in the win.

2015 — The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Alvin “Bud” Dupree with their first pick in the NFL Draft.

2014 — The California baseball team remained undefeated after winning a Section 1-A game over visiting Avella, 15-1. Ron Baron hit a home run as the Trojans improved to 8-0 in the section and 14-0 overall.

2013 — Erica Burns tossed a one-hitter as the Carmichaels softball team maintained a share of first place in Section 2-A with an 11-1 win over visiting California. Lindsey Osborne’s two-run home run sparked an eight-run rally in the top of the third inning. Burns struck out nine and walked one.

2013 — Bailey Bennington pitched a three-inning perfect game and starred at the plate to lead West Greene to a 16-0 Section 2-A win at Mapletown. Bennington struck out six and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle with a single, double and triple.

2012 — The Southmoreland boys tennis team closed the Section 1-AA campaign in style by defeating rival Mount Pleasant, 3-2, to capture the section crown. After the Vikings won two of three singles matches, the Scotties came through with a sweep in the doubles. Luke Zeleznik and John Monroe won their No. 1 doubles match against Tyler Secosky and E.J. DeSabato, 6-0, 6-0. Stephen Nieves and Adam Snyder won their first set at No. 2 doubles, 6-0, but lost the second set to Adam McClain and Alex Temple, 6-0. The Scotties duo rallied in the third set, 6-3, to secure the victory. Tyler Fox won the lone singles match at No. 2 singles for the Scotties, defeating Kevin Chearney, 6-0, 6-0.

2011 — The Laurel Highlands girls swept the MVP honors, as well as the team title, at the FCCA Track & Field Championships at Connellsville Stadium. Kate Fields won the Field MVP, while teammates Melissa McCann and Jerricka Belt shared Track MVP honors. McCann, a freshman, edged Connellsville’s Lauren Harvey to win the 400 and 800. Belt took first in the 100 and 200, and would’ve won the MVP outright had not the Lady Falcons’ Tierra Taylor out-leaned the Fillies’ Anna Pirl to win the 400 relay. Uniontown’s Julie Friend won the 1,600 and 3,200.

2011 — Uniontown’s Torin Kelley took top honors on the track and Connellsville’s Jayson Mulnix was the Field MVP at the 2011 FCCA Track & Field Championships at Connellsville Stadium. Kelley won the 800 and 1,600. Mulnix took first in the shot put (with a personal-best throw) and discus.

2011 — West Greene’s Mikayla Sonneborn finished second in the 1,600 with a school-record time of 5:36.20 in the South Fayette Invitational. Sonneborn broke a second school mark with her third-place finish in the 800 in 2:31.21. Sonneborn, Jessica Black, Emily Courtwright and Rebecca Phillips won the 1,600 relay in a school-record time of 4:21.90. Waynesburg Central’s Peyton Hampson won the 800 in a meet-record time of 2:22.

2009 — Kaitlyn Coles tossed a no-hitter in the nightcap after allowing just one hit in the opener to lead Jefferson-Morgan to a doubleheader sweep in the Cee Bee Bash in Morgantown, W.Va. Coles no-hit North Marion in the second game, a 2-1 victory, and allowed Clay-Battelle (W.Va.) just one hit in the opening game, a 6-0 win. Coles struck out 12 and walked none against Clay-Battelle and struck out seven and walked only one in her no-hit performance.

2008 — The Laurel Highlands girls track & field team made school history by advancing to the WPIAL Class AAA Team Championships for the first time by defeating Hempfield (78-72), West Allegheny (86-65), and Gateway (97-53). Aleesha Washington was first overall in the 100 and 200, as were teammates Lauren Molchan (pole vault), Jessica Zavatchen (high jump), Demi Phillipy (javelin), and the 400 relay.

2008 — The Southmoreland boys returned to the WPIAL Class AA Team Track & Field Championship after defeating Bentworth, 92-58, and Burgettstown, 107-43.

2007 — Albert Gallatin thrust itself back into the Section 1-AAAA playoff race, handing Hempfield its first section loss of the season with a 5-3 upset at home. Ashley Petrone brought home the game-winning runs in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run.

2007 — Rachael Zane hurled a perfect game with six strikeouts in the second game of a Section 2-AA doubleheader for a 14-0 win over Charleroi. Zane also blasted a three-run home run in the fifth. Geri Whitman hurled a one-hitter in the first game, a 15-0 win, with four strikeouts and no walks.

2007 — Noah Pust ripped a grand slam and Josh Harshman added a three-run home run as Jefferson-Morgan cruised to an easy 24-4 win over Frazier in the first game of a Section 1-A doubleheader. Pust went 3-for-5 with six RBI and four runs scored. Harshman also drove in six runs. The Rockets made it a sweep with a 10-0 win over the Commodores. Pust hit a solo home run in the second game.

2007 — Geibel Catholic swept a Section 1-A doubleheader from Mapletown, 14-4 and 17-0. The first game was the completion of a suspended contest. Winning pitcher Nolan Zavora drove in three runs. Losing pitcher Ashley Menear hit a solo home run. Mike Ciarochi belted a two-run home run in the second game during Geibel’s six-run fifth inning.

2006 — Pat Burrell drove in two runs with a home run and a pop fly double to support Gavin Floyd, and the Philadelphia Phillies avoided a three-game weekend sweep by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates and the erratic Oliver Perez, 5-1.

2005 — Kenny King attempted a feat rarely accomplished on the track, winning four distance races — 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200. The Connellsville senior fell one race short, in the 3,200, but his other three victories were enough to repeat as the Track MVP at the FCCA Track & Field Championships at Connellsville Stadium. Laurel Highlands’ Josh Zueger won the triple jump and placed in three other events to win the Field MVP, helping the Mustangs retain the team championship.

2005 — Uniontown distance runner Kelsie Herring came away with the Track MVP at the FCCA Track & Field Championships at Connellsville by winning the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, in addition to running the anchor leg of the Lady Raiders’ 3,200 relay to finish with 26 points. Connellsville senior Amanda Sines repeated as the Field MVP by winning the shot put (with a personal best) and discus. Laurel Highlands retained the team crown behind the fantastic showing by sophomore Breehana Jacobs after she scored a meet-high 32 points with first-place finishes in the 100, 200, 400 and long jump.

2004 — Chelsea Stotka fired a one-hitter and Beth-Center batted around in consecutive innings to roll to a 15-0 victory over visiting Geibel Catholic in a four-inning, Section 6-A game. Courtney Kurowski went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI, and Leslie Kurjanowicz drove in five runs with a pair of two-run singles and a bases-loaded walk.

2004 — Corey Baron was nearly perfect and the Belle Vernon offense pounded out 12 hits for a 10-0 Section 7-AA victory. Baron allowed only Nicole Kerestine’s bunt single to lead off the fourth inning. Baron struck out four and walked one. Jillian Kunka led the offensive assault with three singles and two RBI. Brooke Panepinto also drove in two runs.

2003 — The depth across the Southmoreland boys lineup helped fill the void left by several key injuries to carry the Scots to another WPIAL Class AA Team Championship with wins over Waynesburg Central, 88-62, and Shady Side Academy, 90-60.

2003 — Jessica McMinn scored all five times she reached base as Carmichaels rolled past Jefferson-Morgan, 17-5, to clinch at least a tie for the Section 1-A crown in girls softball action. McMinn was 4-for-4, including a double, while Autumn Willis went 3-for-5.

2003 — Kerri Hiles just missed perfection, but she did help Connellsville’s softball team remain perfect in Section 3-AAA with a 7-0 victory over visiting Laurel Highlands. She fired her third no-hitter of the season and came within a walk of a perfect game. Hiles’ only blemish was a walk to Ashley Capranica to lead off the third inning. She struck out 14.