VALLEY SPORTS HISTORY

2013

• The Belle Vernon Area girls soccer team’s record speaks for itself. They have made 10 straight playoff appearances, six section titles in eight seasons and many players who went on to have successful college careers. The one thing that has eluded the team and ninth-year coach Paul Sasko – until last year – was a slot in the PIAA playoffs. So what will the Leps do for an encore? With seven starters returning this year, Sasko is feeling good about the coming season. “Our first goal is to make the playoffs, we want to win the section title, make a deep run at the WPIALs and make states again. Expectations are high.”

2004

• Sports editor Brian Herman took a shot at predicting the outcome of this weekend’s local high school football games. He predicted Charleroi over Monessen by 13 points, Thomas Jefferson over Belle Vernon Area by two touchdowns, Moon over Ringgold by 15 points, Mount Pleasant over Elizabeth Forward by eight points, Riverview over California by four points, Frazier over Wilkinsburg by just two points, Mapletown over Bentworth by nine points and Yough over Southmoreland by 13. He also predicted Cal U will defeat Mansfield by seven points.

1994

• Step II ended Charleroi Slovak Club’s 14-game winning streak by beating them in a Belle Vernon-Rostraver Softball playoff game. Step II ended the Slovak’s season by defeating them 8-7 in 10 innings in the deciding game of their best-of-three quarterfinal series.

Troy Patton’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Bill Grau from second base to deliver the winning run. Grau lead the winners with four singles while

Chris Babirad had a home run and two singles. Patton and Dave Winwood had three singles each. Charleroi Slovak Club was led by Mark Simsic with five singles.

Daryl Lazar with four and Tom Hartman with three.