Season in review: Local athletes prove to be among best in state
Another scholastic sports season has concluded, and local athletes made their presence known in every season.
From fall to winter to spring, whether it was on teams or individuals, they proved to be among the best in the state.
Below are some of the highlights of the 2025-26 season.
The year of the Bearcat
The towns of Ellsworth and Bentleyville are located in the eastern portion of Washington County and this year they were put on the sports map by Bentworth athletes.
The Bentworth boys soccer team, led by brothers Ryan and Adam Moessner, won the program’s first state title with a 1-0 overtime win over Delco Christian and completed a WPIAL three-peat with a win over OLSH.
Earlier the same night the Bentworth girls secured their first WPIAL title by beating Sewickley Academy 1-0 in the Class A championship.
In the spring, LSU recruit and ace pitcher Sydney Gonglik led the Bearcats softball team the WPIAL Class 2A championship, giving Bentworth three district titles in the same season.
It’s one of the more fruitful scholastic seasons for a small public school in the state.
It started with the Bentworth girls soccer teams’ win which came on a late goal by Brielle Dillon.
Afterwards an emotional Dillon spoke about what the win meant to her.
“It’s a great day to be a member of the Bentworth community,” Dillon said.
Then the Bentworth boys took the field and dominated to complete their three-peat.
Ryan Moessner had two goals and Adam Moessner scored once and had an assist in a 3-1 win over OLSH.
From there the Bearcats advanced though the PIAA bracket and went to the state final for a second consecutive year. This time they brought home gold when Adam scored a goal in overtime that was assisted by Ryan.
“For us to get here is incredible,” Bentworth coach Nick Malarbi said. “If you would’ve told me a few years ago Bentworth would win a state title I would’ve probably laughed at you, but I’m glad it’s in the sport I love.”
After losing in the WPIAL championship two years ago, Bentworth got another crack at four-time defending champion Neshannock and won the programs first title with a 4-1 victory.
Gonglik pitched a three-hitter hitter with 10 strikeouts.
“We worked so hard for this,” Gonglik said. “We deserve it. The girls deserve to end their senior year like this I do think this means a lot to the community.”
Another special moment for Bentworth was the season Ben Hays had at running back for the football team. Hays won the WPIAL regular season rushing title with 1,757 yards.
South Fayette doubles up
Entering the season with five future NCAA Division I players in its starting lineup, there was pressure on the South Fayette girls basketball team to perform and they delivered.
The Lions successfully defended their Class 5A state title by beating Archbishop Wood, 47-37, in the championship game.
Seniors Juliette Leroux (Florida Atlantic), Ryan Oldaker (Marist) and Haylie Lamonde (USC Upstate) got the perfect ending to their high school careers.
The Lions were dominant, winning all but one game by double digits and most of the margins of victory were 20-plus points.
“It means so much,” Leroux said. “Ending my senior season winning states with some of my best friends is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
The South Fayette girls soccer team also earned state gold. After losing to Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 3A championship, the Lions rebounded to make the state championship and defeated Radnor 3-1 to earn the program’s first PIAA title.
The Lions trailed in the quarters, semifinals and championship matches, but rallied to win each one.
Abbey Spalla, Silvi Rossi and Harper Zapf had a goal each in the second half of the state championship.
South Fayette’s boys golf team earned its first WPIAL title since 2005, giving the Lions three district crowns.
Peters Twp.’s epic rally
Trailing 19-0 at halftime wasn’t ideal for the Peters Township football team, but it set up one of the more memorable comebacks in WPIAL Championship history.
The Indians scored 20-unanswered points and stunned Pine-Richland, 20-19, to win the Class 5A title.
Cole Neupaver scored all three touchdowns for the Indians, including a 1-yard plunge that proved to the game-winner with
Peters Township was held to 38 yards and two first downs in the first half, but dug deep to pull off an improbable rally.
“We’re just resilient,” Indians coach TJ Plack said. “We didn’t say anything big in there at halftime. The kids rallied each other and came out here, made some plays and got some momentum.”
Peters Township girls volleyball made history by winning its first WPIAL title in school history, giving the Indians two titles in the fall.
The Indians swept Pine-Richland, 3-0, in the championship and with most of the team, including Team USA U19 player Alex Knox returning, they look like they’ll be a force in the future.
Canon-Mac girls make history
No Canon-McMillan girls basketball team had ever been to a WPIAL final, let alone win one, until this year.
That didn’t matter to this year’s group. They forged a path that ended with a 50-38 win over Norwin in the Class 6A championship.
Senior starters Madison Clair, Lauren Borella and Sam Miller led the way.
“It’s kind of crazy to think about,” Borella said. “We started literally from the bottom. Freshman year we won one section game and to come to our senior year and win WPIAL’s is absolutely crazy.”
The Canon-McMillan competitive spirit team also won a WPIAL title.
Individual state titles
Local athletes took home individual PIAA titles in each sports season.
In the fall, South Fayette’s Angela Zeng won Class 3A cross country. In the winter, Belle Vernon’s Eljah Brown and Canon-McMillan’s Marlee Solomon successfully defended wrestling titles.
In the spring, Peters Township freshman Katie Froelich won the 1,600 and 3,200-meter Class 3A track titles. Beth-Center’s Deakyn DeHoet was the state’s fastest sprinter, claiming the Class 2A 100 and 200 dashes. Belle Vernon’s Max Henson went back-to-back in boys tennis.