VALLEY SPORTS HISTORY

2014

• California’s offense rebounded in a big way to roll over Sewickley Academy, 16-5, in the Class 1A baseball semifinals to advance to the WPIAL Class 1A title game. First-year California coach Nick Damico said, “We had a solid bunch of guys coming into the year but I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. This is what you work for all season every game leads up to that championship games.

• The Elizabeth Forward softball team pulled out a 3-2 thriller in the seventh to win a playoff victory against Highlands. The EF girls were undeterred by Highlands hitting a game-tying home run in the seventh inning. Elizabeth Forward coach Harry Rutherford said, “Unfortunately, they got that blast in the seventh inning that tied the game up. It was a little disheartening but I have a ninth grader out there in only her second year of pitching. That was a lot to expect out of a freshman.

2004

• Monessen High School girls basketball coach Major Corley and superstar Charel Allen will be together one last time. The Monessen pair will be in Toronto for an all-star doubleheader as part of an American-Canadian challenge. Corley will be coaching a Pennsylvania team with Allen as one of the starters. The team practiced at the Penn State McKeesport gym.

• The Yough High School head coaching team includes two new faces this week. Lou Zadecky landed the girls basketball job after four seasons in the same role at Belle Vernon. Zadecky resigned last week after going 31-62 with the Leps. Zadecky is a physical education teacher at Yough and has coached both the middle school and varsity softball teams there. The other newcomer is Jeremy Zufall. He’ll replace Bill Janiro as varsity wrestling coach. Most recently, Zufall was an assistant at Mt. Lebanon and earlier in his career was the head coach of the Cougars for six years.

1994

• Ninth graders aren’t supposed to win championships but don’t tell that to Ringgold’s Adrian Fischer. A freshman sprinter, Fischer took the 200-meter championship with a time of 25:91 seconds in the WPIAL Class AAA track championships at Baldwin. She finished .07 seconds ahead of Seneca Valley’s Gretchen Cole with Penn Hills’ Nina Carter coming in third. Fischer will also be going to Shippensburg in next weekend’s PIAA Championships after finishing second in the 100-yard dash. Ringgold will also be represented in the state by Emily Kokinos and Jamont Kinds.

• It’s been 15 years since Mitch Bailey has coached baseball at Cal U but he hasn’t been forgotten. Bailey and his players will be honored at the University’s annual Alumni Day. A reception will be held at the Natali Performance Center. Bailey, who still teaches biology at the university, has a long and distinguished academic and athletic career there. He was a four-sport letterman as an undergraduate starring in football, baseball, basketball and tennis. He played on the 1951 Vulcans football team which went to the Pythian Bowl, which was the only postseason game in the school’s history.