Waynesburg still riding wave of success
CANONSBURG – While the season ended last month, the awards keep pouring in for Waynesburg High School’s wrestling team.
Kyle Szewczyk won the Wrestling award at the Tri-County Coach of the Year Banquet held Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe.
The Waynesburg wrestling team was named the Observer-Reporter Sports Headliner and two Raiders wrestlers – Mac Church and Rocco Welsh – were part of the Special Recognition Awards handed out.
Despite losing one of their best wrestlers in Cole Homet in an automobile accident and head coach Joe Throckmorton last summer, the Raiders won their third straight WPIAL Team Tournament title and finished in third place in the two PIAA Team Tournaments before having two wrestlers win gold medals and three others take home medals.
In other awards, Richard Krause of Carmichaels was named Baseball Coach if the Year and Bill Simms of West Greene was named Softball Coach of the Year.
Terry Fetsko of Chartiers-Houston was honored with the Football Coach of the Year.
Bob Dyer of Peters Township was voted Boys Soccer Coach of the Year and Bob Acor was selected Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.
Renee Pascoe of California was honored with the Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Eugene Briggs was named Boys Basketball Coach of the Year and Bryan Bennett of South Fayette took home the Girls Basketball Coach of the Year plaque.
Laura Grimm was named the Roy Gillespie Memorial Special Award.
John Krajnak of Carmichaels (2021) and Kurt Kesneck of Chartiers-Houston (2022) were received the Tri-CADA Athletic Directors’ Award. Dick Kreiger and Gary Swart received the Bill Christy Memorial Award for Excellence in officiating. Kyle Slesh of Washington was given the Bill Christy Sportsmanship Award.
The Tri-County Athletic Directors’ Association Scholarship winner were girls Taylor Dusenberry of Mapletown, Emma Blickendorfer of Fort Cherry, Madeline Newark of Burgettstown and Sarah Grace Porter of Cherleroi. The boys winners were Corey Wise of West Greene, Nathan Kirby of Waynesburg, Jack Sacco of Monessen and Alex Siege of Chartiers-Houston.
Special Recognition Awards went to Church, Welsh, Rodney Gallagher of Laurel Highlands, Bella Hess of Chartiers-Houston, Eben McIntyre of Charleroi, Kiley Meek of West Greene, Taylor Shriver of Waynesburg, Jersey Wise of West Greene, Amanda Marquis, Melana Schumaker, Olivia Renk and Amy Allen of South Fayette, Rylee Evans, Jensyn Hartman and Rune Lawrence of Frazier, Ella Menear of Mapletown, Jolena Quarzo of Brownsville, Olivia Ullam of Canon-McMillan, and London Whipkey of West Greene.
The Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year was sponsored by the Moore Family Foundation and Wrestling was sponsored by Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi.