A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Serena Carnahan, Cade Schimmer

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, February 8, 2025 | 2:24 PM

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Serena Carnahan

School: Plum

Class: Senior

Sport: Basketball

Claim to fame: Carnahan, a guard/forward, scored 15 points in a 48-17 win over Gateway in Section 1-5A on Monday night. She followed that with a 14-point performance Thursday in a 46-37 win against another section foe, Fox Chapel. The Mustangs finish their regular season with road games against nonsection opponents Indiana and Greensburg Salem.

Your team is on a four-game winning streak. How important is it to play well heading into the playoffs?

We just want to get the best record we can to improve our seeding. We also want to keep a strong focus going into playoffs so we can have a good first-round game.

The team stumbled into the playoffs on a losing streak last season. How different does it feel to win going into the postseason, and how confident is the team?

It’s helped winning these past four games, especially on Thursday against Fox Chapel. We want to keep up the focus in practice. We have a lot of confidence as the regular season ends.

What’s been a crucial element to the streak?

Finishing our shots and making sure we are moving the ball well with each other, running the plays correctly and making sure we start the game strong. A lot of times, I think we were close in games, but we lost our focus in the middle of the game or started out slow, so we have to remain focused.

How did you score your points in these last two contests?

Once we start moving the ball well, we find we have a lot of opportunities to score. When we do move the ball, it opens the middle up, and I like driving to the basket, so it’s nice to have a clear path to the basket.

You guys had a tough schedule to open the season. Are you seeing the fruits of your labor through that tough test?

For sure. We did have a bit of a rocky start, but it made us realize what the games the rest of the season were going to be like. All the work we put in at practice is starting to pay off.

What did the group learn through that tough stretch?

We learned that we need to finish our shots and do away with the silly mistakes like too many fouls, not running the plays or knowing the plays, as well as communication. Just to be sharper when it comes to the little details. We’ve worked on it in practice and have gotten better as the season has gone on.

The team was looking for consistency at the start of the year. How tough has it been to find it on both sides of the ball, and do you feel like you are locked in now?

It was tough to play well and find a balance both defensively and offensively in some games. We had some really good defensive games but couldn’t score as much, but in these last few games I think we found a bit of a rhythm and we’ve been more consistent.

Three straight playoff appearances for you in your career. Are you just as excited now as you were for the last two?

Oh yeah. I’m really excited, especially going into this postseason with the rest of these seniors. We’ve worked really hard the last four years with the coaches, and we’re excited to see the playoffs again.

What have you learned from those previous appearances?

Going into the playoffs with the consistency and focus that we’ve been playing with recently. The games are really fast and when you get into the playoffs, like I did a few years ago, it really surprises you when you see it for the first time. But I think we’re better prepared for it because of our tough early schedule.

What were some highlights for you throughout the season?

I scored a career-high 19 points against Franklin Regional the second time we played them on Jan. 22. We ended up losing that game due to being unfocused in the second half, but even though we lost, we started that game off strong and it did feel like we played a lot better than the last time we played them.

What were your individual goals at the start of the year?

I wanted to score more points and create more opportunities for my teammates. I wanted us to do our best in the section and make it to the playoffs.

What have you learned from playing sports?

Communication really matters and how much you have to work both during practice and on your own outside of practice.

What gets you in the zone before a game?

I listen to music and talk to my teammates before the game, especially the seniors, so we can focus in on what we need to do to win.

Which opponent do you look forward to playing?

Franklin Regional because it’s a big rivalry for us.

Do you play any other sports at school?

I play soccer, and I did track and field my freshman and sophomore years.

Favorite subject in school?

Biology or any sort of science.

People would be surprised to know ___.

I have a twin brother, and I’m pretty close with him. We spend a lot of time together, play a lot of sports together.

What are some of your favorite hobbies other than basketball?

I like reading, and I play the viola in the school orchestra. I’ve been playing since fourth grade when they introduced us to instruments, and I just picked it.

What was the last book you read?

“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood.

What are your future plans?

I don’t know which college I’ll attend, but I do want to play soccer, and I’ll major in something to do with biology.

Cade Schimmer

School: Plum

Class: Senior

Sport: Bowling

Claim to fame: Schimmer bowled a 300 game in his third and final match Wednesday against Gateway on senior night at Nesbit Lanes. Schimmer led the team with a 735 series as the boys team clinched second place in the section. Schimmer finished the regular season with a 211.23 average, with his 300 game as his high game and a high series of 736.

How did you get started with bowling?

I was 8 or 9, and I had just quit baseball. I wasn’t doing a lot of sports, and my dad had just joined a church league. He said, “You should give bowling a try.” And I did and never stopped doing it.

Was this the first time you’ve ever bowled a 300 game?

I bowled a 300 a year-and-a-half ago in practice, but that was my first ever 300 game in actual competition.

What were your thoughts and feelings when you looked at the board and saw you had a chance to get 300?

It was something I was hoping would be possible. It’s always a dream to end senior year with a 300, and I had been praying and hoping that just one time I could have that happen. So having a chance in the 10th and final game of the year, I was nervous but very excited for it.

Did it mean even more doing it on senior night?

For sure. It was pretty much storybook the way I did it: last frame in the last game of my final match my senior year.

What were your scores in the other two games?

I shot 201 in the first game and 234 in the second.

Could you feel yourself building toward a perfect game as you bowled your first two games, or did it sort of come out of nowhere?

The first game I started really slow and threw the back six strikes to get the 201. The second game I think I had strikes from the fifth frame all the way to the first shot in the 10th frame. I knew I had a decent look. I just had to hit my spot, and I did it 12 times my last game. I knew I could if I bowled well.

When you’re in that sort of groove, were you thinking about it at all, or were you just going solely on muscle memory?

I try not to think about it too much because I tend to bowl a lot worse when I put added pressure on myself. It was hard not to because I was well aware of what I was doing in that last game, and everyone else behind me knew what was going on. I tried to go up there and not overthink it and rely on muscle memory from my hours of practicing.

Were you nervous at all as you got closer?

I was, especially because going into the 10, I still needed a strike to win the match, so there was that added pressure. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous with all that was riding on that game.

What can you say about the team’s second-place finish in the section?

I’m proud of us as a team. Unfortunately, we lost to Gateway at their place early in the season, so it was nice to get a win over them at our home lanes. We always want to defend our home lanes when possible, and Gateway is always a good, talented team, so there’s no shame in losing to them. I’m very proud with the way we bowled this season.

You guys took first at the Bearcat Challenge earlier in the year. What was it like to win that in back-to-back years?

It’s very nice because that tournament is very challenging, and there are a lot of good teams that attend. It showed that we can compete with anyone on any given day. It’s always a confidence booster to bowl well in the tournament, but to win it gives you much needed momentum for the second half of the high school season.

Do you remember how you bowled at the Bearcat Challenge?

I know in the two individual games I did not bowl well. I don’t remember my exact scores, but they were very low. Once we got into the Baker games I — and the whole team — bowled a lot better, which was the complete opposite of last year where we did great individually but struggled in the Baker games.

Do you have a routine before you bowl or how do you prepare for a match?

Pre-match I don’t have anything I do specifically, but I do have a routine before every shot. I dry off my hand with air, then wipe off my ball. I’m trying to work on breathing techniques as well, but I don’t always remember to do them. I used them in the 10th on Wednesday because I wanted a strike real badly. So I’m really trying to focus on incorporating them into my pre-shot routine.

Are those breathing techniques an important aspect?

I think it is because there’s always pressure on some of the shots I throw and my heart rate can get up, so it’s always good to relax your body before you throw a shot. It allows for more comfort when you bowl and really makes a pressure situation feel as comfortable as when you’re just practicing on a Tuesday.

Have you bowled at Junior Gold?

I went up the last three years. My first year, me and my whole family had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. In 2023, I bowled pretty decent. I just had an unfortunate Day 1 and a little disappointing Day 4, and I missed by 50 or 60 pins. Last year, I was very happy with how I bowled in two of the days, and I knew on one of the days I didn’t exactly have a great look, but still rolled decent. The second day I struggled last year, and that put me out of it. Just one unfortunate day is all it takes to knock you out up there.

What were your goals at the start of the year?

I wanted to average over 220, which I wasn’t close to. I also wanted to lead the team and try to keep them motivated the entire year. My goal was to win section MVP, and we’re not quite sure if I’ve done that yet. They’ll announce that at WPIAL singles, but I’m hoping my last series on Wednesday will propel me to win that, but I’m proud with how I ended the season even though it didn’t start like I wanted it to.

Do you play any other sports?

I ran cross country all four years. This will be the first year I won’t be playing a spring sport. I played a different one the last three years. First it was tennis, then track and volleyball.

Do you have a favorite subject in school?

Statistics.

Any hobbies outside of bowling?

I play a decent amount of video games every now and then. I enjoy hanging with my friends.

What are your future plans?

I plan to attend college. I have it narrowed down to four universities, but I haven’t made my final decision yet. I do want to bowl in college, and I am looking to major in accounting.

Tags: Plum