Bethel Park notebook: Owen Peters named U.S. Lacrosse All-American

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, July 10, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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Owen Peters, a junior goalkeeper on the 2021 Bethel Park boys lacrosse team, was lauded as a U.S. Lacrosse All-American following the spring season.

Peters also was voted all-WPIAL and all-section in Class 3A. He made 182 saves and averaged 6.8 goals allowed.

“The goalie’s job is to be the general of the defense,” Owens said. “I try to be a leader for my teammates.”

In the offseason, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Owens competes for The Dukes Lacrosse Club in Philadelphia.

Two of his teammates at Bethel Park, junior midfielder Troy Volpatti and senior defensive midfielder Jason Muench, were chosen all-WPIAL and all-section this year.

Volpatti, the leading rusher on the football squad last fall, ended the spring season as the lacrosse team’s leading scorer with 32 goals and 21 assists.

The Black Hawks ended up third in Section 1-3A. After receiving the sixth seed for the WPIAL playoffs, they edged No. 11 Fox Chapel, 5-4, before losing to No. 3 North Allegheny, 14-7, to finish 10-6 overall.

“We plan on using this year’s experience to motivate us to work even harder during the offseason,” Peters said. “I think we will come back stronger and smarter about the game. As a team, the goal should be to watch film and work on developing individual skills.

“I am looking forward to a WPIAL championship run next year. Personally, I’m going to give everything I have to make that happen.”

Sparked by Volpatti’s offensive exploits, the Black Hawks outscored the opposition 148-120 in 2021.

“The future is bright for next season,” coach Tim Schreiber said. “We are returning a lot of our core contributors from this season and are excited to see how our younger players grow and develop between now and next season.”

Softball honors

Two members of the softball team — shortstop Reagan Milliken and catcher Sandra Soltes — were honored as Trib HSSN Softball all-stars this season.

Milliken, a senior, hit .660 (33 of 50) with 11 home runs, 28 runs scored and 37 RBIs. She had a .712 on-base percentage, a 1.460 slugging percentage and a .923 fielding percentage.

Milliken was also Trib HSSN’s Softball Player of the Year in Class 6A.

Soltes, a junior, batted .500 (26 for 52) with eight home runs, 18 runs scored and 26 RBIs. She recorded .581 on-base and 1.057 slugging percentages and racked up three home runs and eight RBIs in her team’s WPIAL championship game win over Canon-­McMillan.

Milliken, an Ohio State recruit, and Soltes, who has committed to Pitt, helped Bethel Park win its first outright section title and first WPIAL championship.

The Black Hawks outscored three WPIAL playoff opponents by a 27-3 margin and finished 18-1 overall. Heather Semplice-Scott was named Trib HSSN Softball Coach of the Year in 6A.

Additionally, five BP players were named to the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association all-state team in Class 6A, led by Milliken as the player of the year. Milliken (SS), Soltes (C) and Delaney Nagy (P) were first-team selections. Gianna Sciullo (1B) and Lauren Caye (OF) made the second team.

Did you know?

Dominic Cortopassi, a junior in 2020-21, broke a 28-year-old school record at the PIAA Class 3A swimming and diving finals held earlier in the year at Cumberland Valley.

Cortopassi shattered the 100-yard butterfly record, posting a time of 50.54 and placing eighth. He also finished 10th in the 100 backstroke in 50.87.

The team had another top 10 showing at the state meet, as the boys 400-yard freestyle relayers splashed to 10th place in 3:10.9. Cortopassi, Lenny DeMartino, Eammon Anderson and Nathan Stutzman competed in the relay.

College Hall

Nominees for the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class include an athlete with Bethel Park roots.

Joe Skladany, a standout linebacker for the Black Hawks and at Lafayette, was a first-team All-American in 1981.

Members of the 2022 class who receive enough votes will be inducted Dec. 6 at the 64th National Football Foundation awards dinner and permanently enshrined at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Lend a hand

If you have information, highlights or other notes that could be included in a future notebook in the Bethel Park Journal, please forward the details to Ray Fisher at fisher1016@comcast.net.

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