Pine-Richland teams filled trophy case during memorable 2022-23 school year

By: Jerin Steele
Sunday, June 18, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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What a year it was for Pine-Richland athletics. Five Rams teams won WPIAL championships, the football team returned to state champion glory, and there were several individuals that won district and state championships.

Inside a newly renovated gym for 2023-24, there will be plenty of updated banners.

Below is a look at the 2022-23 sports year by season.

Fall

The school year got off to a flying start with four district championships and one state championship.

The state champion was the football team, which took down Upper St. Clair, 34-3, in the WPIAL Class 5A final and went on to stun perennial power Imhotep Charter, 28-14, in the 5A state title game.

Ryan Palmieri had a huge night in the state title game, rushing for 184 yards and two touchdowns, threw a TD pass and on defense, he returned an interception for a touchdown.

He received high praise from Rams coach Jon LeDonne after the game.

“He’s one of the greatest individuals as a high school kid that I’ve ever met,” LeDonne said. “What he does for our program off the football field first is just significant. And then there’s who he is on the football field, what he does. Teams try to key him but they can’t stop him. I put him up there with some of the best in Western Pennsylvania.”

The Rams field hockey team upped its district title run to four in a row with a 3-0 shutout of North Allegheny in the 3A title game. The seniors on the team finished their entire careers undefeated against WPIAL opponents. They had 16 shutouts.

Rams coach Donna Stephenson was emotional after her girls completed their four-peat.

“These kids owned it,” She said. “They put their heart into it, and they put the team first. It’s not about any individual player. It’s about the team. I never thought we’d get four in a row.”

The other two fall team champions pulled upsets over major rivals.

The girls volleyball team took down two-time defending champ North Allegheny in a five-set thriller at Robert Morris.

About 18 miles east, the Rams boys soccer team was pulling off a stunner of its own, beating two-time defending champion Seneca Valley, 1-0.

Kaili Doctor led the charge for the girls volleyball team with 26 kills.

“This is amazing,” Doctor said after the win. “I’ve been wishing for this moment since my freshman year.”

The volleyball team ended up making it to the state semifinals, where it fell 3-1 to North Allegheny.

Ben Rishel was the hero for the boys soccer team, scoring in the 60th minute for the match’s lone goal.

Pine-Richland also had an individual state champion. Natalie McLean won the first PIAA cross country title, which was the first in school history.

Winter

When the calendar turned to December, it was Vaughn Spencer’s time to make up for a lost season and show he was one of the best wrestlers in the state.

Spencer blazed his way through the WPIAL and won the 189-pound individual title after missing his freshman year due to multiple injuries. He was on his way to adding a state title to his resume, but an injury forced him to bow out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

Anthony Ferraro (133 pounds) was third at states and Joey Schneck placed fifth at heavyweight.

Annamaria Samuels gave the Rams a WPIAL gymnastics title. She won on vault in the Intermediate I division.

The girls basketball team and hockey team fell short in the playoffs, but both had memorable seasons.

Under the direction of first-year coach Gabby Baldasare, the Rams girls qualified for the playoffs for the first time in two years, falling to North Allegheny, 69-56, in the quarterfinals.

The hockey team was mired at the bottom of the standings after the first month of the season, but won nine of its last 10 to get into the playoffs. They upset Seneca Valley, 2-1, in the first round of the 3A Penguins Cup playoffs before losing to Upper St. Clair in the semifinals.

Spring

The Pine-Richland girls lacrosse team won the WPIAL Class 3A title in a 13-12 thriller over Mt. Lebanon, giving the school its fifth championship of the school year.

Oddly enough, the Rams also defeated the Blue Devils, 13-12, in the final game of the regular season.

“It’s kind of weird how it worked out that way,” first-year coach Shannen Drennon said with a laugh following the championship. “We knew coming in it was going to be a tough game.”

The Rams also won a state playoff game for the second time in school history, defeating McDowell 20-2.

The baseball team earned a second consecutive Section 1-6A title, grinding its way past rivals Seneca Valley, North Allegheny and Butler to do so. The Rams made the WPIAL semifinals before falling to eventual champion Mt. Lebanon.

The Rams softball team also made the semifinals. They pulled a 5-1 upset over North Allegheny in the quarterfinals before losing to Seneca Valley.

Izzy Sulesky pitched a complete game four-hitter with one strikeout in the win over the Tigers and Mackenzie Gillis hit a go-ahead two-run double.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland