2025 YEAR OF THE COMEBACK
2025 marked the year of the comeback in scholastic sports as area South Hills clubs captured championships in the most thrilling manners. No deficit was too big to overcome. No underdog status was unsurmountable. Athletic teams from South Fayette and Peters Township were prime examples as they dismissed the long odds against them and prevailed.
Listed below are the Top 10 sports stories covered by The Almanac during the year that is drawing to a close.
1. South Fayette wins first state championship in girls soccer
The Lady Lions were the epitome of comeback kids. They rebounded after every setback.
After tying neighboring Peters Township, which won the 2024 WPIAL Class 4A title, in their opening match of the 2025 campaign, the Lady Lions ran the table and captured the Section 3 banner with an undefeated slate of 10-0. They then reached the Class 3A final in the WPIAL tournament but lost their bid for a third straight title when they dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime to Fox Chapel. The Foxes scored the game-winning goal with 68 seconds left before the game could have ended in penalty kicks.
The resilient Lions bounced back in the PIAA tournament. They won three straight state playoff games after falling behind by one goal or more. A pivotal comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the quarterfinals paved the path to the state championship. South Fayette edged undefeated Cocalico, 4-3, in that thrilling match. The Lions then beat Dubois, 6-1, in the semifinals, exploding for six unanswered goals after trailing, 1-0.
In the PIAA Class 3A match played Nov. 15 at Northeastern High School’s Bobcat Stadium in Manchester, the Lions again fell behind, 1-0, but recovered to beat Radnor, 3-1. The Raptors had ridden a seven-game postseason shutout streak into the state final.
Silvi Rossi, whose father (Joe) coached South Fayette to back-to-back state football titles in 2013-14, was the hero. The freshman scored the game winning goal. Abbey Spalla tied the match, 1-1, on a penalty shot after Gabby Beinecke was tackled in the box. Harper Zapf, a sophomore, supplied an insurance tally.
All-American goalkeeper Caitlin Thompson proved the backbone of the defense, which included Spalla and Rylee Binion at center backs along with Zapf, Nora Davidocic and Marie Gabriel. Mia Deramo and Quinn Miller were key, serving as captains along with Thompson for South Fayette, which finished 22-2-1 overall.
2. South Fayette wins first state championship in girls basketball
The Lady Lions, like their soccer mates, experienced an historic season in basketball. South Fayette girls captured the first PIAA hoop title in program history when they defeated Archbishop Wood, 45-37, in the Class 5A final played on March 29 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
The triumph was an upset of sorts as the Vikings had won 24 straight state games and nine titles since 2010. They were trying to be the first team to win five straight state titles. The victory also avenged a previous loss to Archbishop Wood in the 2023 state final.
In this year’s championship game, Juliette Leroux led with 15 points and seven rebounds while Ryan Oldaker finished with 10 tallies, two assists and two rebounds. Both earned All-State honors.
The South Fayette girls also took a similar path to the finals that their soccer counterparts had. They too had suffered a disappointing defeat in the district finals as they attempted to win their fourth WPIAL title in a row. In the Class 5A championship clash with Peters Township on March 1 at the Petersen Events Center, the Lady Lions squandered a 28-17 third-quarter advantage and succumbed to the Indians, 40-36.
The Lions, however, avenged that defeat when they dispatched Peters Township, 50-36, in a state semifinal game played March 22 at Canon-McMillan High School. Lailah Wright and Oldaker fired in 14 and 13 tallies respectively.
South Fayette finished the season with a 29-2 record.
3. Peters Township wins second WPIAL football title in three seasons
The Indians pulled off the biggest comeback in WPIAL football championship history when they defeated top-seeded Pine-Richland, 20-19, in the Class 5A final played Nov. 22 at Acrisure stadium. Peters Township trailed the Rams, 19-0, at halftime before rallying for the victory.
Cole Neupaver ignited the Indians as he rushed for all three touchdowns. His runs measured 74, 22 and 1 yards.
James Spratt led the defensive attack, which shut out the Rams in the second half. He racked up 22 tackles, recovered a fumble and shared in a sack. Reston Lehman followed with nine tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. Nolan DiLucia, who completed two critical 32-yard passes to Lehman and Lucas Rost on offense, added eight tackles on defense. Jeremy Poletti had a key interception.
The WPIAL crown was Peters Township’s second in three years. In 2023, the Indians defeated the Rams, 43-17. They lost to Pine-Richland, 20-9, in last year’s final.
A week later, Peters Township experienced the agony of defeat as the season ended in a 31-28 loss to Bishop McDevitt in a PIAA semifinal game played Nov. 28 at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona. Again the Indians overcame a deficit, 11 points at intermission, but surged ahead, 25-21, on a 70-yard scoring strike from DiLucia to PJ Luke. Lucas Rost also caught an 8-yard score and Reston Lehman 2-point conversion. Anthony Maiello kicked a 24-yard field goal to tie the game at 28 with 93 seconds to play.
For the game, DiLucia passed for 264 yards and two scores. He finished his scholastic career as the No. 2 passer in the WPIAL. His 8,819 yards for 81 touchdowns trail only South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh, who finished with 11,084 career passing yards.
For the season, the Indians were 13-1 overall. They were conference champions and sported one of the best defenses (9.5 points per game and five shutouts) in the WPIAL.
DiLucia was not the only record setter in the region. His rival, Ethan Hellmann, shattered the Upper St. Clair career passing record. Hellmann etched his name in the Panthers record books when he completed a 42-yard pass to Bryce Jones on Nov. 7 in a quarterfinal playoff win against Woodland Hills, 36-26. Hellmann surpassed Mac McArdle’s mark of 5,334 passing yards and finished his scholastic career with 5,511 yards and 68 touchdowns after a semifinal playoff loss to Peters Township, 31-6, at Canonsburg Memorial Stadium.
4. Turning Pro
Jake Casey of Upper St. Clair and Donovan McMillan from Peters Township joined the ranks of local athletes already making a living in the professional sports world.
On July 14, Jake Casey was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft. He was the 442nd player picked. A four-year standout at Kent State University, he earned All-MAC first-team honors after batting .356 with 74 runs, 27 home runs and 55 RBIs in 56 games this spring. Casey solidified his appeal with the Blue Jays with an impressive showing at the MLB Draft Combine held at Chase Field in Phoenix. During the event, Casey ranked seventh in the 30-year dash with a 3.58 time and in the Top 10 in Exit Velocity.
In 23 games and 64 at bats at the Class A level this summer with the Dunedin Blue Jays, he maintained a .439 on-base percentage thanks to 10 walks, and a .531 slugging percentage thanks to three homers, three doubles and two triples.
Meanwhile, on May 9, McMillon was signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns. After training camp, he made the 53-player active roster on Aug. 26 and has been one of the 48 competing on a daily basis in the defensive secondary and particularly on special teams. He had 12 tackles and one sack heading into Cleveland’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. Dec. 28. McMillon enjoyed a homecoming when the Browns visited Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 12.
McMillon played two seasons for the University of Pittsburgh where he led the Panthers in tackles with 115 in 2024 and became the first Pitt player to record consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons since 2008. Prior to Pitt, he played two seasons at Florida, compiling 30 tackles and one TFL in 25 games for the Gators.
An All-State performer, he led Peters Township to a 20-3 record and consecutive WPIAL Class 5A championship appearances and back-to-back conference banners. McMillon also excelled in wrestling for the Indians. He was a WPIAL and PIAA state Class 3A runner-up at 182 pounds.
Other former Almanac standout athletes enjoyed success in 2025.
Chartiers Valley points record-setter TJ McConnell helped lead Indiana to the NBA finals where the Pacers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling seven-game series, 4-3. McConnell’s sister, a Duquesne University standout, was signed by the Phoenix Mercury in June. In her debut, which coincided with Game 1 of the NBA finals, she suffered a tibial plateau fracture. After waived by the Mercury, she signed with the Bendigo Spirit of the Women’s National Basketball League in August.
Mt. Lebanon product, Don Kelly, took over the reins as Pittsburgh Pirates manager following the firing of Derek Shelton on May 8. Kelly, who played nine seasons professionally with the Pirates, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins, was 59-65 at the helm as the Pirates finished fifth in the NL Central. On Sept. 29, Kelly agreed to a contract extension with the Pirates.
In other baseball news, Mason Miller from Bethel Park was picked on Dec. 18 to pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic to be held March 5 to 17 in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and Japan. A MLB all-star, Miller was traded to San Diego earlier this year and finished with 104 strikeouts and 22 saves for the Padres in 60 game appearances. He owned a 2.63 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.
Finally, Rob Mertz from Upper St. Clair helped the Pittsburgh Riverhounds capture their first USL Championship in club history. The Riverhounds defeated FC Tulsa on penalty kicks, 5-3, after playing to a 0-0 draw in the finals played Nov. 22 at ONEOK Field. Mertz was one of five players to convert their penalties for the Hounds, who had not conceded a single goal during the playoffs, ending the year on a streak of 632 minutes without a tally, dating back to the regular season. Mertz finished with five goals and two assists for the Riverhounds.
5. Roy rules the pool
Sylvia Roy capped her WPIAL swimming career in record fashion.
Not only did she claim her fourth straight individual titles in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke races to become the third female swimmer in Class 3A to complete the feat, she also smashed three district records. She won the 50 free in a record time of 22.57. She broke the 100-yard free record on the lead-off leg of the 400 free relay with a 49.13 split. Both records were held previously by Olivia Livingston, a Gateway and Louisville graduate. In her signature swim, the 100 back she shattered the record set by NA’s Jacquelyn Du (53.59) 52.53.
At the PIAA championships held March 14-15 at Kinney Natatorium on Bucknell University campus in Lewisburg, Roy captured her third straight state title in the 100 back when she shattered her own record with a 52.47 time. She finished runner-up in the 50 free for the third time, clocking a 22.86, .42 off the winning place by Molly Workman, who also won the 100 free.
Among other swimming highlights this past season were: Nazar Zoukovski of Upper St. Clair winning his second straight WPIAL tile in the 200 free in 45:38; Peters Township’s Ava Komoroski winning her first district gold in the 200 free in 51.68 and the USC boys finishing fifth as a team at states.
In diving, Malcolm Thompson finished his career as the best diver in Mt. Lebanon history. He placed third in the WPIAL diving championship held Feb. 22 at North Allegheny High School and finished fourth in the PIAA state finals.
6. March Madness
The Upper St. Clair boys and girls along with the Peters Township girls and Chartiers Valley boys captured WPIAL championships in basketball. USC swept the Class 6A bracket while the Indians and Colts dominated the Class 5A division during the finals played on March 1 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
Tyler Robbins had a double-double with 12 points and a dozen rebounds to go along with five blocked shots to pace the USC boys to a 65-43 win over New Castle. Rylee Kalocay scored a team-high 13 points and dished up five assists as the USC girls dispatched Norwin, 45-40, to claim its first WPIAL title in 17 years.
Natalie Wetzel rallied PT to victory, 40-36, over South Fayette. The Indians overcame a 28-17 third-quarter deficit to win. Wetzel scored 13 points and dished up five assists, including the one that produced the go-ahead-for-good 3-point bucket by Brianna Morreale with 61 seconds to play.
CV defeated Peters Township, 73-66. Jayden Davis exploded for 28 points and finished with nine assists and three steals. Nick McCullough led the Indians with a team-high 17 points and four steals. .
USC’s best season in boys basketball history (26-3) ended in a loss, 59-46, to Roman Catholic in the state semifinals played at Chambersburg High School while the Lady Panthers advanced to the PIAA finals. The USC girls lost to Perkiomen Valley, 58-27 on March 28 at the Giant Center in Hershey and finished 23-7 overall.
Meanwhile the CV boys finished 24-3 overall after they lost to Hershey, 66-50, on March 21 in the PIAA semifinals played at Clearfield High School. Davis (14) and Julian Semplice (15) finished in double digits. CV finished 24-3 overall.
7. PT girl power
Peters Township didn’t just dominate on the gridiron. In addition to the girls basketball program, the Indians flexed their muscles in three other female sports. The volleyball and field hockey clubs as well as the golf team added hardware to the trophy case. The Indians did so historically and with relatively young squads.
Peters Township won its first WPIAL title in girls volleyball when the Lady Indians swept Pine-Richland, 3-0, in the Class 4A championship match played Nov. 1 at AHN Arena in McMurray. Seniors Kali Holmes (libero) and Kenzie Langlois (setter) along with Maddie Carroll led the way to a section banner and a PIAA playoff appearance as well, all garnering all-district acclaim. Carroll and Alex Knox led the offensive attack against the Rams, picking up 14 kills each in the championship match. En route to the finals, the Lady Indians swept Seneca Valley and Greater Latrobe. They beat Manheim Township in the state playoffs before ending their successful season at 17-4 overall.
On the links, the Lady Indians regrouped after heavy graduation losses to their back-to-back state championship clubs and, after sneaking into the playoffs, captured their fourth straight district banner to go along with a PIAA runner-up trophy.
During the regular season, Peters Township dropped five matches. The Indians finished 11-5 overall and second in section.
But during the WPIAL Class 3A team golf championships played Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook Golf Course, they edged Fox Chapel by one stroke, 344-345, for the title. Ellie Benson earned medalist honors with a 71 while sophomore Betty Glyptis (80), freshman Autumn Merck (95) and juniors Olivia Ondrejko and Fiona Valley (80 and 100) followed on the scoresheet.
Benson also led with a 1-under-par 71 as the Indians finished runner-up to Conestoga, 228-232, in the PIAA championships played at Penn State. Glyptis shot an even par 72 and Ondrejko added an 89 to PT’s totals while Valley and Merck also participated in the finals.
Individually, Benson shot back-to-back 74 rounds to finish with a two-day total of 148 on Oct. 20-21 at Penn State. Seven strokes off the winning pace set by Mya Morgan from EF, who won her second PIAA title. Glyptis was runner-up to Morgan in the WPIAL championships while Benson placed third.
Meanwhile, Peters Township finished runner-up in the WPIAL in field hockey. The young Indians lost, 2-0, to Fox Chapel on Oct. 29 at Newman Stadium on the North Allegheny campus. PT finished 13-3-2 overall and as section champions. Peters Township, which was the defending champion having beaten the Foxes in the 2024 final, edged Upper St. Clair, 1-0, in semifinals.
8. Fast and furious
When it came to fleet feet, South Fayette as well as Upper St. Clair had them.
Angela Zeng came on fast and furious in just her second season of cross country. The sophomore won the WPIAL Class 3A title this fall at White Oak Park. Her time of 17:49.79 was 17 seconds ahead of runner-up Piper Munyon from Gateway. Zeng helped the Lady Lions to a third-place finish in the team standings behind North Allegheny and Fox Chapel. Madeline Stock, Nina DiMartini, Brenna Schmitz and Abby Poe contributed to the Lions team’s score.
Zeng, who finished sixth in the state cross country championship, helped the 3,200-meter team Emily Sinton, Nina DiMartini, Siya Joshi and Angela Zeng to a gold medal during the district championships held May 14 at Slippery Rock University.
Delaney Schumaker from South Fayette and Sadie Tomczyk of Upper St. Clair were double winners at the track and field finals.
Schumaker won the 100 high hurdles in 14.45 and the 300 race in 43:13 while Tomczyk won the 100 meter dash in 12.25 and the 200 sprint in 25.13, edging Plum’s Gabrielle Layne in that race by a scant 0.10 second.
Other area WPIAL track and field champions included: USC’s Anna Engleman in the triple jump (37 feet, 11.75); Domi Crowley becoming the first-ever pole vault champion from Chartiers Valley with a school record mark of 14 feet, 9 inches; and Mt. Lebanon’s foursome of Lily Cramer, Lauren Krebs, Lucy Tang and Selma Bajgoric in the mile relay (3:56.26).
At the PIAA state championships held May 23-24 at Shippensburg University, Tomczyk finished fifth in the 100 and fourth in the 200 while Schumaker placed fifth and seventh in the 100 and 300 hurdles. Lebo’s and SF’s relays both garnered fifth-place state medals.
9. Sticking it to the competition
While Seton LaSalle experienced a historic season in lacrosse with Lizzie Dorley setting four team records, Megan Kelley moving into position as second all-time scorer and posting a 15-1 season with an undefeated section banner, Mt. Lebanon continued its dominance in the sport, winning both boys and girls championships.
During the Class 3A finals played May 22 at Upper St. Clair stadium, Max Prezioso scored the game-winning goal with 32 seconds to play as the Lebo boys edged Shady Side Academy, 12-11, for their third title in a row and seventh overall. The Blue Devils scored twice in the final 76 seconds of the game and Prezioso finished with four goals.
Meanwhile the Lebo ladies, which started six sophomores and four juniors and featured just two seniors on the roster, edged Pine-Richland, 15-14, for their second consecutive crown and seventh also in program history. Grace Manning scored five goals, including the game winner. Quinn Murdoch and Lauren Tinnemeyer finished with hat tricks. Ireland McFarland scored a goal and Green finished with two tallies.
The Lebo boys lost to Radnor, 11-2, in the quarterfinals of the PIAA state tournament and finished the season at 17-5 overall while the girls lost to Bishop Shannahan, 14-5, and finished 16-4 overall.
In Class 2A, Mars swept the division, beating the Chartiers Valley girls, 15-6, for a third straight banner and the South Fayette boys, 7-5, for a ninth district crown. It was the second straight loss to the Planets for the Lions, who were seeded first in the tournament. Drew Welhorsky had a hat trick for the Lions, who also suffered their loss of the season in the contest.
In the PIAA Class 2A playoffs, the Lady Colts lost to Wysomissing, 16-3, and finished 16-5 overall while the SF boys lost to Camp Hill Trinity, 14-8, on June 7 at Penn State’s Panzer Stadium and finished 20-2 overall.
10. On par with the big boys
South Fayette scored a significant achievement on the links when the Lions captured the boys team golf title during the WPIAL championships held Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook Country Club. The Lions scored 385 on the Gold Course to slip past Fox Chapel and North Allegheny by four strokes. The Foxes and Tigers tied with 389 scores but Fox Chapel garnered the runner-up trophy after winning a one-hole playoff for second place.
While the Lions had won four team titles in a row from 2002 through 2005, they were in the Class 2A division. The 2025 championship is the first in the highest classification since the school jumped up to Class 3A in 2016. Also, the Lions were runners-up in 2024.
Sam Bishop produced the second-best score of the match with a 2-over-73, four strokes off pace set by medalist Carson Kittsley from Fox Chapel, who went on to win the state individual title for the second time in a row.
Other top finishers for the Lions in the team tournament included: Noah Nicholas, Hudson Vennum and Jackson Stephens with 76, 78 and 74 scores. Brady Newman and Hayden Downs finished with 84s.
After a 2-2 start in the season, South Fayette won 10 straight matches to win the section banner. The Lions finished fourth overall as a team on the Penn State Course, with a 296 score. Bishop led with a 3-under 69. Newman and Stephens followed with 73 and 74. Nickolas added an 80.
HONORABLE MENTION
While not making the Top 10 cut for the biggest sports stories in 2025 in the Almanac readership area, there were several significant achievements by individuals and teams that were worth noting. Among them were:
In wrestling:
Nicholas McGarrity placed third during the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships held March 6-8 at the Giant Center in Hershey. Recovered from loss in the semifinals then won two consolation matches to earn the bronze medal. McGarrity was 87-9 heading into his senior season.
Ethan Higgins of Bethel Park finished his scholastic career with a 127-52 record that featured third-place showings in the regional and district tournaments.
Joining Higgins in the Century Club (100 career wrestling wins) were his teammate Darius McMillon, Talan Mizenko from South Fayette and Ben Lloyd from Mt. Lebanon. On Dec. 13, Cole Gibbons joined the group after he defeated Derry’s Ewan Olson, 7-5, during the Moon Duals. A senior, he is committed to New York University.
Grace Nasman from Upper St. Clair and Paige Jox of Mt. Lebanon grabbed silver medals during the second annual WPIAL girls wrestling championships.
In tennis:
Michelle Yang and Jackie Tang of Mt. Lebanon combined for their second WPIAL doubles tennis title when they defeated Brooke Henderson and Alexandra Merkel, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in the Class 3A championship match played Oct. 2 at North Allegheny High School. It was the second year in a row they dispatched the sophomores from Shady Side Academy in the finals. Yang and Tang went on to finish third in the PIAA state championships.
Also from Mt. Lebanon, Luca Ritrivoi and Mark Summers, both singles players, combined for a section title and finished runner-up in the WPIAL doubles tournament. The tandem lost to Gateway’s Zidaan Hassan and Logan Memije, 6-4, 6-1, in the Class 3A finals played April 23 at Bethel Park High School. It was the third doubles title for Hassan, who combined with Memijie’s older brother, Adam, for the win in 2023.
For the second year in a row, Bethel Park finished runner-up during the WPIAL team tournament. The Lady Hawks lost to Shady Side Academy, 4-1, in the Class 3A championship match played Oct. 15 at the Janet Swanson Tennis Center on the Washington and Jefferson College campus. Kiera Ross and Cassie Sierra won at No. 1 doubles for the lone BP victory. Cami Fisher, Hadley Murello and Mackenzie Smock competed at singles while Julia Ross and Mia Hogue played No. 2 doubles for the Lady Hawks, who were undefeated section champions with a 14-0 record.
Individually:
Cami Fisher of Bethel Park finished third in the WPIAL singles tournament. During the Class 3A consolation match played Sept. 18 at North Allegheny, she beat Kuczinski, 6-1, 6-1, for the bronze medal and a berth in the PIAA state tournament played Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Hershey Racquet Club. Fisher won her second section title prior to her district run.
Dylan Donovan of Peters Township surpassed 1,000 points in his basketball career this December.
Natalie Disora and Sierra Dupre, both from Upper St. Clair, along with Caitlyn Thompson of South Fayette were selected to compete in the All-America High School Soccer game played Dec. 13 in Charleston, S.C.