2021 Sports Year In Review
Despite the availability of vaccines combating COVID-19, the virus has continued to rage worldwide. Yet athletic activities attempted to endeavor onward at all levels during 2021.
Fans returned to the stands to cheer on players who grappled with mask mandates and various other restrictions in their efforts to achieve excellence. For the most part, they succeeded.
The NFL welcomed back spectators and a crowd of 24,835 watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and South Fayette native Justin Watson defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl played Feb. 7 in Tampa Bay. The area also cheered on local hero Eric McElvenny from Bethel Park during the ParaOlympics that followed the successful Summer Games held in Tokyo, Japan. The WPIAL and the PIAA, governing bodies for scholastic sports in the region, also relaxed its rules for attendance and participation resulting in a semblance of normalcy returning to athletic venues across the state.
As the New Year is ushered in, The Almanac pauses to take a look back and presents its annual list of Top 10 sporting events for 2021.
1. Gridiron giants: Mt. Lebanon football dominated the headlines as the Blue Devils posted an undefeated season in Class 6A.
Lebo’s 15-0 campaign culminated with a victory over powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep, 35-17, in the PIAA Class 6A championship contest played Dec. 11 at Hersheypark Stadium. The Hawks were three-time state champions and winners of six of the past eight titles.
It was the first state title in Mt. Lebanon history.
Joey Daniels passed for 203 yards and two scores, including an 86-yard strike to Mike Beiersdorf on Lebo’s opening possession. Alex Tecza provided three touchdowns and 89 yards rushing in Hershey.
Daniels, Tecza and Eli Heidenreich fueled an offense that averaged 38.7 points per game, managed 277 yards rushing and 164.87 yards passing while surrendering just 11.5 points on defense. All were three-year starters under Bob Palko, who ran his career coaching record to 243-81 complete with two state titles and nine WPIAL championships.
Daniels completed 112 of 189 passes for 2,118 yards and 31 scores this fall while Tecza rushed for 2,079 yards on 259 carries. He also had 27 receptions for 209 yards. He tallied 29 total touchdowns.
Heidenreich led the Blue Devils in receptions and in tackles. On offense, he finished with 54 receptions for 1,330 yards and 20 scores. He also rushed for 647 yards and 7 touchdowns. He contributed 29 touchdowns, 20 via the air, seven on the ground, one on an interception returned for a score and one via a pass.
Heidenreich also totaled a team-high 60 tackles, one sack and four interceptions.
After completing their first undefeated regular season since 2010 and claiming the Quad-County Conference championship, Lebo dominated the WPIAL and PIAA postseason. The Blue Devils defeated North Allegheny, 28-17, in the district semifinals before blasting Central Catholic, 47-14, to claim its first WPIAL title in 21 years.
The Blue Devils rolled through the state tournament. They picked up huge wins against McDowell, 47-14, and State College, 49-28, before knocking off St. Joe’s Prep in the PIAA final.
Other football highlights during 2021 included Bishop Canevin winning its first WPIAL football championship in 31 years when the Crusaders used a 102-yard, three-touchdown effort by Xavier Nelson to defeat Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 42-7, in the Class A final played Nov. 26 at Heinz Field; Peters Township reaching the Class 5A semifinals after an 0-3 start in Allegheny Six Conference play; and Chartiers Valley graduate Christian Kuntz making the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster as the team’s long snapper.
2. Diamond dominance: Diamonds were Bethel Park’s best friend in 2021 as the Black Hawks made names for themselves at all levels from the scholastic to the professional.
In the PIAA Class 5A championship game played June 17, there may have been no future Major League Baseball draft picks in the Black Hawks’ starting line-up when they stepped onto Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the Penn State University campus to face Red Land.
But Bethel Park (22-4) defeated the defending state champions, 4-2, and captured its second PIAA title in school history, and first since 1988.
Eric Chalus quieted a Red Land line-up that featured outfielder Benny Montgomery, who was selected eight overall in the MLB amateur draft by the Colorado Rockies, and Cole Wagner, a former Little League World Series star who graduated first in his class and is now playing for the University of Georgia.
In six innings, Chalus scattered seven hits, struck out six and walked three batters, one more than he had allowed all season. A current Kent State freshman, he threw 109 pitches en route to picking up his 11th win of 2021.
Cody Geddes earned a save in relief, registering the final outs on the mound. At the plate, Geddes tagged a two-run triple, scoring Chalus and David Kessler in the first inning. Geddes later scored on a ground out by Zachary Sackett to complete the scoring in the three-run frame.
BP tacked on its fourth run in the second inning. After back-to-back base hits by Jason Nuttridge and Ben Hudson, Kessler’s ground out to firrst drove home the final tally.
The PIAA title came in Patrick Zehnder’s first full season as head coach as the 2020 campaign was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. His assistant coaches included Joe Ranalli and Kyle Nicholson, a San Francisco draft pick who earned Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2008.
The Hawks’ female counterparts made history, too, as Bethel Park captured its first WPIAL softball championship.
Sandra Soltes smashed a first-inning grand slam, a two-run homer and a two-run double to lift the Black Hawks to a 9-2 victory over Canon-McMillan in the Class 6A championship game played June 3 at Lilley Field on the California University of Pennsylvania campus.
Bethel Park also left a mark professionally as two graduates were selected in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft. On July 12, the Oakland A’s picked Mason Miller in the third round while the Pittsburgh Pirates took Justin Meis in the 10th round.
Earlier in April, the Colorado Rockies signed Mt. Lebanon’s Austin Kitchen to a contract. He debuted with the Fresno Grizzlies, striking out 38 batters in 50.2 innings and compiling a 1-4 record to go along with a 4.97 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.
3. Swim sensation: Josh Matheny of Upper St. Clair dominated the swimming scene before matriculating to Indiana University, which has produced Olympians such as Mark Spitz, Lilly King and Cody Miller.
A breaststroker in the mold of Miller and King, Matheny capped his scholastic career by participating in his first U.S. Olympic Trials held June 13-20 at the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb.
Matheny, 18, hit a best time of 1:00.06 when he qualified for the finals in the 100-meter breaststroke race and moved into second all-time in the 17-18 age group. He finished fifth in the finals with a time of 1:00.22. He also competed in the 200 breast and closed out his Olympic Trials run, clocking a 2:13.88 and finishing 20th in the prelims.
The top two finishers per individual event advanced to compete in the Summer Games, which were held July 23-Aug. 7 in Tokyo, Japan.
During the Speedo Sectionals held March 25-28, in Indianapolis, Matheny won the 200 breast in 2:11.05 and tied Miller for first in the 100 with a 1:00.31 time.
During district and state championship action, Matheny also ruled the pool.
At the PIAA Class AAA meet held March 20 in Cumberland Valley High School’s natatorium, he ran away with Swimmer of the Meet honors after a three-gold medal performance. For the fourth year in a row, Matheny won the 100-yard breast and shattered his PIAA and NFHS record in the process, clocking a 51.84 time. Matheny won the 200-yard individual medley, winning by nearly three seconds over rival Daniel Simoes from Seneca Valley with a 1:47.54 mark. He also steered the medley relay team of Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan (back), Jason Zhang (butterfly) and Ryan Senchyshak (freestyle) to victory in 1:33.33.
At the WPIAL championships held March 6 at USC’s new natatorium, Matheny lowered his district record in winning his fourth title in the 100 breast with a 54.50 time. With a silver in the IM and a gold in the medley relay, Matheny helped the Panthers to their first team title in 10 years. As in 2011, when USC edged North Allegheny for the championship, the Panthers eked out a win, 276.5-275, over runner-up Seneca Valley.
4. Wrestlemania: Nino Bonaccorsi of Bethel Park dominated the national and world wrestling scene in 2021.
Bonaccorsi was one of two NCAA finalists for the University of Pittsburgh along with South Park’s Jake Wentzel. Both secured runner-up honors and gained All-America status in leading the Panthers to an 11th-place finish as a team with 40.5 points. It was Pitt’s best finish since 1970 and the first time in eight years the university had two All-Americans in the same season. Matt Wilps, a Chartiers Valley graduate, and Zac Thomusseit achieved the recognition in 2013.
In his debut as a 197-pound wrestler, Bonaccorsi compiled a 13-2 record and captured an ACC championship. Gold eluded him at nationals when he dropped a 4-2 decision to AJ Ferrari, a true freshman from Oklahoma State, during the finals of the NCAA wrestling championships held March 18-20 in St. Louis. Bonaccorsi beat his former wrestling partner and North Allegheny graduate, Jake Woodley, 4-1, in the semifinals.
During the summer, Bonaccorsi won the 92-kilogram freestyle title at the United World Wrestling Under-23 National Championships held in Lincoln, Neb.
After winning his first matches, he defeated NCAA qualifiers Thomas Penola from Purdue, 7-0, in the quarterfinals and Cameron Caffey from Michigan State, 5-4. In the best-of-three championship match, Bonaccorsi defeated Missouri’s Rocky Elam. He won the first bout, 2-2, on criteria and the second, 8-1.
Bonaccorsi then represented Team USA when it traveled to Serbia in November for the World Championships in Belgrade.
On the scholastic level, Dylan Evans of Scott Township ruled the mats. The Almanac’s Wrestler of the Year, he entered his junior season this winter with a 69-20 career record.
For the second time in his career, he reached the podium during the PIAA wrestling championships. As a freshman in 2020, he placed eighth in the 126-pound weight class. In 2021, he capped his sophomore season with a fourth-place finish at 138 pounds. during the state finals held March 12-13 at the Giant Center in Hershey.
He opened state competition with a thrilling 3-1 victory over Council Rock North’s Kyle Houseman, who came into the match undefeated and as the District 1 champion. Though Evans dropped his semifinal bout 5-1 to Waynesburg’s Cole Homet, he rebounded and won a 3-0 decision over Trent Kochersperger from Kennett in his consolation semifinal. Evans lost to Houseman in the third-place bout.
During the summer, Evans earned two bronze medals at the USA Wrestling 16-and-under nationals held at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University. He competed in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments.
5. Feats in cleats: South Fayette sprinters Amy Allen, Amanda Marquis, Olivia Renk and Melana Schumaker made school history in track when they combined to win the 4×100-meter relay during the PIAA track and field championships May 29 in Shippensburg.
South Fayette had never qualified a 4×100 relay in the state competition.
During the historic race, the foursome lowered its school record with a winning time of 47.87. The unit clocked a 48.17 in winning a WPIAL title event May 19 at Slippery Rock University.
Allen, Marquis, Renk and Schumaker went on to compete in the National Scholastics Athletics Foundation Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. On July 3, the group finished eighth while SF’s 1,600 relay, which included Bailey Carpenter, Emma Fleck, Marquis and Allen, placed 13th.
SF’s speedy six compiled an impressive resume during the 2021 track season. In addition to their gold-medal performances at the WPIAL and PIAA championships, the Lions girls team enjoyed an undefeated regular season and won the school’s first section title since moving up to Class AAA seven years ago.
Individually, Allen left her mark on the program before matriculating to Duquesne University. She captured four gold medals at the WPIAL championships and shattered a personal record in her marque event with a time of 56.01 in the 400-meter dash. In the 200 dash, she edged Upper St. Clair sophomore Dani Prunzik, the 100-meter champion, before anchoring two relays to victory.
In addition to her gold-medal performance, Allen sprinted to a third-place finish in the 400 and a seventh-place finish in the 200 at the state championships. She also helped the 1,600 relay gain All-State honors with a fourth-place medal.
For her athletic achievements, which included honors playing defense on the South Fayette soccer team, Allen was named the 2021 female athlete of the year for the Observer-Reporter and The Almanac.
6. Colts control courts: The Chartiers Valley girls basketball team again ruled the courts, winning its third straight WPIAL title and reaching the PIAA finals for the second time in three years. COVID-19 stopped the Colts in 2020 when the state tournament was canceled in the quarterfinal round.
The Colts also set a state record for consecutive victories in 2021. They had won 64 straight before falling to Trinity, 49-42, Jan. 27.
CV avenged that loss when they defeated the Hillers, 62-40, in the WPIAL Class 5A championship contest held March 15 at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena. Aislin Malcolm scored a team-high 19 points in the win, while Perri Page scored 18, Hallie Cowan contributed 13 and Helene Cowan added12. Page pulled down 14 rebounds.
The Colts dropped a 51-27 decision to Cardinal O’Hara in the PIAA final played March 27 at the Gian Center in Hershey and ended their championship season with a 25-4 record.
All five starters returned for the 2021-22 campaign with scholarships in tow: Malcolm to the University of Pittsburgh, Page to Columbia, Marian Turnbull to Northeastern and the Cowan twins to Seton Hill.
Meanwhile, the CV boys (22-4) could not duplicate their female counterparts success as they lost their championship bid.
The Colts, who were seeking their seventh title in program history, suffered a 61-45 defeat to New Castle in the Class 5A championship game played March 13 at North Allegheny. Brayden Reynolds fired in 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the losing cause.
Both Reynolds and Malcolm earned The Almanac MVP honors.
7. Panther Pride: If it involved twine and netting, Upper St. Clair dominated. For the first time since the turn of the century, the Panthers won WPIAL titles in basketball and tennis.
On March 13, the Panthers claimed their third championship in boys basketball and first since 2005 when they edged Pine-Richland, 5-6-53, in the Class 6A final played at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena. Luke Banbury fired in 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace the Panthers. Ethan Dahlem scored 16 points and David Pantelis added 7.
COVID-19 hit the squad shortly after their championship and the Panthers were forced to play in the PIAA tournament with a limited roster. With six players, they dispatched Erie, 62-57, in the opening round.
Meanwhile, the Panthers girls tennis team defeated Greater Latrobe, 4-1, at the Janet Swanson Tennis Center on the Washington & Jefferson College campus on Oct. 20 for its first WPIAL title since 2003 and 15th in school history.
Maggie Stief and Claire Loomis won No. 1 and No. 3 singles in straight sets while Hope Krawczyk and Leah Lund as well as Izzy Yoos and Victoria Semenov combined for straight set victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Evie Ellenberger competed at No. 3 singles for USC, which lost its bid for a PIAA crown, falling in the quarterfinals to Unionville, 4-1.
In girls basketball, USC succumbed to North Allegheny, 70-36, in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game played March 13 at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena. Sam Prunzik and Paige Dellicarri each tossed in eight points in the losing effort. The Lady Panthers finished 15-3 overall and tied rival Mt. Lebanon for the section banner.
8. Link leaders: The Peters Township girls golf recovered from a runner-up showing at the WPIAL championships in 2021 to finish second in the state for the second year in a row. The Indians had been district winners and PIAA runners-up in 2020.
After falling to Fox Chapel in this year’s WPIAL finals played Oct. 14 at Cedarbrook Golf Course, the Indians compiled a 238 score to finish two strokes off the winning pace of 236 set by Downington East in the PIAA Class 3A team championships played Oct. 25 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.
Delaney Kern led the charge. She shot a 1-under-par 71. Her round included four birdies, registered on the Nos. 2, 3, 17 and 18 holes.
Allison Poon, Brooke Vowcheck, Amelia and Sophia Severns contributed to the strong showing while Chang Yun served as the alternate.
During individual competition, Poon had the strongest showing for the Indians with sixth at states and districts but it was Marissa Malosh who dominated the competition. A South Fayette junior, Malosh shot an even-par 72 from the white, 5,477-yard tees at Hannastown Golf Club in Greensburg and captured the Class AAA girls individual title on Oct. 7. She finished tied for 14th, carding an 80, during the PIAA championships.
On the boys side, Peters Township took third during the WPIAL championship for the second straight season. Fox Chapel edge Central Catholic, 376-377, to sweep the team titles while the Indians carded a 390 score and Mt. Lebanon tied Seneca Valley for fourth with 402 totals.
Kyle McClintock, the lone senior in the lineup, birdied the final two holes to shoot 79 for the Indians. Junior Austin Malley as well as freshmen Ryan Watterson and Colton Lusk also finished in the 70s with 72, 77 and 78, respectively. Junior Nick Wentzel and freshman Nick Haught carded 84 and 86.
Individually, McClintock tied with Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan as runner-up to Penn Trafford’s Nick Turowski. A sophomore, Turowski shot an even par 70 to capture WPIAL medalist honors ahead of the duo that carded 74s.
9. Fleet feet: The Chartiers Valley girls team and Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter commanded attention in cross country.
During the WPIAL championships held Oct. 28 at Roadman Park on the California University of Pennsylvania campus, the Colts made school history with a second-place showing in the Class AA team standings. They also earned their first-ever berth in the PIAA championships. Montour won both the WPIAL and PIAA titles.
Lilac Turnbull was CV’s top runner. A freshman, she placed sixth in the district and earned a medal during the state competition.
St. John Kletter capped a sensational sophomore season by finishing runner-up to three-time state champion Mia Cochran in the PIAA Class AAA finals held Nov. 6 in Hershey. She clocked a personal record of 18:21.3 but that was not enough to each Cochran, who finished in 18:08.5.
St. John Kletter was also WPIAL runner-up to Cochran, who will run for Arkansas next year. A sophomore, she also was the champion at the Foundation Meet.
She also guided Mt. Lebanon to its highest finish since 2014 in the PIAA competition. The Blue Devils took sixth in the Class AAA team standings. Lebo finished third at the WPIAL championships.
Brett Kroboth of Peters Township earned top marks among area male runners. A junior, he grabbed fourth overall with a 16:53 in the WPIAL championships. He ran his best race of the season at the state finals. Kroboth clocked a 16:15.5 to finish fifth overall.
10Rackets & rifles: Bethel Park’s Mia Gorman and South Fayette’s Jacob Patterson captured WPIAL singles tennis titles while Travis Zeis of Bethel Park won a WPIAL rifle title.
Gorman swept past Kat Wang, 6-2, 6-1, in the WPIAL Class AAA championship match played Sept. 24 on the North Allegheny High School tennis courts. It was her second district title in a row. Gorman took third in the PIAA tournament held Nov. 5-6 at the Hershey Racquet Club. She was the state runner-up as a junior.
Patterson defeated Colin Gramley from Shady Side Academy, 7-5, 6-3, to claim the WPIAL Class 3A boys singles title. A junior, Patterson was eliminated in the second round of the PIAA tournament held May 28-29 in Hershey.
After opening action with a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Justin Minerva from Lower Merion, Patterson lost to David Marmalat from Northeast, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.
On Feb. 19, Zeis bested a field of 84 shooters to capture the district individual rifle championship at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen Club. He became the third champion from BP but the first in almost 20 years. Zeus won by the narrowest of margins as the top three finishers all scored 200-18x. Zeus, however, scored six centers to slip past Hympfield’s Lydia Dunn, who had five bullseyes.
During the WPIAL team championships, Zeis shot a 99-5x as the Hawks finished fourth overall with a 797.50 score. Hempfield won the team title with a score of 799.60.
Among the other sporting highlights in the area in 2021 were:
• Peters Township soccer. It was Deja Vu for the Indians as the boys lost to Seneca Valley, 3-1, in the WPIAL Quad-A championship game played Nov. at Highmark Stadium and the Lady Indians lost in a shootout to Moon in the district semifinals. It was the third time this season the PT girls lost to the Tigers. The PT boys lost to the Raiders in last year’s final. They also lost their bid to compete in the PIAA championships, falling again to Seneca Valley in the state semifinals.
• Mt. Lebanon ice hockey. The Blue Devils participated in its own March Madness. They won six of their last seven games, earned a No. 7 seed for the playoffs and advanced to the PIHL Class AAA finals only to fall to North Allegheny, 4-1, in the finals played at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center. In the Class A championship contest, Chartiers Valley dropped a 3-2 decision to Indiana
• Bethel Park product Justin Glock coached Baldwin to its first Pennsylvania Cup since 1988 when the Highlanders defeated Haverford, 4-1, in the Class AA championship game played April 24 at the UPMC-Lemieux Sports Complex. Glock also guided the Highlanders to a PIHL Penguins Cup with a 2-0 win against Franklin Regional. As a player, Glock won three Penguin Cups and three state titles at Bethel Park High School
• Mt. Lebanon lost its bid for WPIAL titles in lacrosse. The Lebo ladies dropped a 9-8 decision to Shady Side Academy in the Class 3A final played May 26 at Robert Morris University. American University recruit, Reagan Murdoch tallied six goals in the losing effort. Lebo ended the season with a 17-3 record after falling to Sewickley Academy, 9-8, in the PIAA quarterfinals. Meanwhile the boys succumbed to North Allegheny, 14-7, in the semifinals played May 24 at Canon-McMillan. NA claimed the Class 3A title with a 9-8 win against SSA.
• Chartiers Valley placed third in girls softball after edging Fox Chapel, 2-1, in the WPIAL Class 5A consolation contest played May 27 at Mars. The win came on the hills of a loss to North Hills, 3-0, in the district semifinals. North Hills went on to beat Armstrong, 12-2, for the title.
• Canevin volleyball. The Crusaders won their fifth straight WPIAL volleyball title when they defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 3-1, in the finals played at the UPMC Events Center on the Robert Morris University campus. Olivia Thomas led Canevin with 13 kills. Sani Jones provided 33 assists.
• After 37 seasons as Upper St. Clair baseball manager, Jerry Malarkey hung up his cleats. Malarkey, 68, owned 433 career wins and a WPIAL championship in 1992. He also saw three of his former players ascend to Major League Baseball, including including Sean Casey, Kevin Orie and Kevin Slowey as well as several Division I college standouts.