After capturing long-awaited section title, Baldwin boys fall in WPIAL 1st round

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Athletic talent overshadowed by grit and determination carried the Baldwin boys basketball team to a banner 2024-25 regular season.

Baldwin defeated South Hills rival Bethel Park, 64-55, on Feb. 4 to clinch the Highlanders’ first section title since 1986 — 39 years ago.

“We set goals at the beginning of each season. Our first goal was to win the section championship,” Baldwin coach Jeff Ackermann said. “I’m very proud of my guys for their dedication and determination this season.

“That’s a long time between section championships. We definitely want to win another section championship way before 39 more years.”

Back in 1986, Ronald Reagan was president, Lady Gaga and Usain Bolt were born, Microsoft went public, “Out of Africa” won an Oscar for best picture and Penn State won the national championship.

Also, the average price of a gallon of gas was 93 cents, a gallon of milk was $2.22, a dozen eggs cost 87 cents, and a first-class stamp was 22 cents. The sticker price of a Ford Mustang was $8,479 and a Dodge D-50 pickup truck was $5,595.

Baldwin actually captured back-to-back section championships in 1985 and 1986 under then-head coach George Mazur.

The Highlanders had eight players 6-foot-4 or taller in 1985, including 6-7 Dr. Randall Lutz, who has served as superintendent of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District since 2012.

The team’s key contributors included Steve Dadig, a 6-2 senior; Kevin Meis, a 6-foot junior; Dave Siford, a 6-foot junior; Sean Snaith, a 6-5 senior; Mike Weir, a 6-5 junior; and John Schindler, a 6-2 senior.

Baldwin went 25-0 that season and played in the WPIAL finals against Latrobe at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House. The Highlanders ended up 27-2 overall, which represents the most wins in one season in program history.

“All five starters averaged in double figures for the season,” Lutz said. “They were five really good athletes, playing a fast-paced offense combined with a full court man-to-man pressure defense.

“I see the current (Baldwin) team as modeling the up-tempo play of the 1985 team, with solid defense and great athletes.”

The 1986 squad captured the section title with a 7-3 record and finished 13-8 overall. Several players rotated in an out of the lineup that was led by Siford, Weir and 6-8 Rick Pfaff.

The ‘86 team played in the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament and one of its opponents was Simon Gratz (Pa.) led by Brian Shorter, who later went on to play for Pitt. The Highlanders lost to Laurel Highlands in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

The 2024-25 Baldwin hoopsters were paced against Bethel Park by the team’s leading scorer, 6-foot senior guard Nate Wesling, who cashed in for a game-high 26 points. The four-year starter eclipsed 1,000 points for his career earlier in the season.

“It was a huge step for our ultimate goals this season,” Wesling said. “It’s pretty cool bring to bring something back to Baldwin that hasn’t been achieved in the last 39 years.”

Wesling indicated being a big believer in “our team, our mindsets, and our will to achieve our goals.”

He was complemented against the visiting Black Hawks by 6-foot junior point guard and second-year starter Max Marzina who contributed 10 points to the Highlanders’ cause.

“It’s a very exciting thing to accomplish for us,” Marzina said of the section championship. “It has been a goal of coach Ackermann’s since he got to Baldwin, and we have never been able to do it until now.

“I think there are a lot of factors going into the wins, but it is mostly our defense. Many games were close and we needed a stop, and we have gotten them when we needed them.”

It was Baldwin’s 10th win in a row and 19th in 20 games. The Highlanders ended up 11-1 in Section 3-5A and 21-1 in the regular season, racking up 10 consecutive victories prior to the playoffs.

“We have many reasons why we have been successful,” Ackermann said. “These guys have really been dedicated to attending everything we do in the offseason. We also have a great culture in our program right now. These players are all best friends. We also have really good depth on this team.

“I am very proud of my team for how consistent they have been this year. For us to be preseason No. 1 and finish 21-1 is amazing.”

Rounding out the starting lineup this year were Caden Cherico, a 6-1, senior guard/forward; Evan Golvash, a 5-11 sophomore guard; and Matt Schenk, a 6-5 senior forward.

Golvash added additional intensity and offensive punch to the Highlanders’ cause in his first year as a varsity starter.

“It was awesome clinching our first section title in 39 years,” he said. “We had that as one of our goals since the end of last year.

“We have been playing well together on offense and playing great team defense.”

Schenk, a third-year starter, and Cherico did the bulk of the work on the boards for the Highlanders, who advanced to the WPIAL championship game last season.

“It is an amazing thing to be a part of making Baldwin history. I’m proud of all my teammates for working so hard and getting the job done,” Schenk said. ”The key is our grit and determination to win. Every night, we come out fired up and ready to go get a win. We can’t let down for anyone.”

Cherico, son of Baldwin athletic director Anthony Cherico, was a two-year starter.

“The main thing we focus on as a team is working together and playing team defense while sharing the ball on offense,” said Cherico, the son. “We work hard in practice every day and work on becoming better as a team every day.

“I think (winning the section) is an amazing accomplishment.”

Providing some of the depth Ackermann referred to was the senior backcourt trio of Jaden Duttine, Gabe Barakat and Jackson Sgattoni.

“All of our guys off the bench can produce,” Wesling said. “They pushed us every day at practice and play really hard when on the floor.”

The Highlanders received the No. 2 seed for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs but were upset in the first round Feb. 18 by visiting Penn-Trafford, 60-45, in front of a packed house at Baldwin.

Ackermann may have been a victim of his own foresight.

“Our goals all year have been to win the section championship and get back to the Pete and win the WPIAL championship,” he said prior to the game. “That goal will not be easy because 5A is very deep.”

Cherico paced Baldwin with 13 points, followed by Sgattoni with 10. The Highlanders ended up 21-2 overall. P-T, the fourth-place team in Section 1-5A, improved to 14-9 with its sixth win in seven games.

“Overall, we are very thankful for the Baldwin-Whitehall community and how amazing our fans have been all year. They are truly amazing,” Ackermann said. “Our home game atmosphere is amazing, and we have a tremendous student section.”

The No. 15 Warriors finished with three players in double figures led by 6-4 junior forward Zach Feldman with 20 points. Senior guards Brayden Stone and Evan Gross added 16 and 10, respectively.

Tags: Baldwin