Pine-Richland notebook: Jon LeDonne gets call to Robert Morris Athletic Hall of Fame

By: Jerin Steele
Saturday, September 30, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Before Jon LeDonne became a two-time state champion high school football coach, he had quite a playing career at Robert Morris.

Now he’s going to be enshrined in his alma mater’s hall of fame.

LeDonne, who currently coaches Pine-Richland, was announced as a member of 2023 RMU Athletic Hall of Fame class on Sept. 20. He’s one of four people in the 2023 class along with Sal Buscaglia (women’s basketball coach), April Krivoniak (volleyball and track and field) and Debbie Sutterlin (women’s basketball).

They will be inducted Dec. 1 and honored publicly at the Robert Morris men’s basketball game with Youngstown State the following day.

LeDonne played football at Robert Morris from 2001-04. He was a four-year letterwinner with the Colonials and started 39 games at linebacker.

He owns school records for forced fumbles, four for a single season and six for a career. He also is tied for the second longest interception return in school history at 75 yards.

After his time at Robert Morris, LeDonne guided Penn Hills to the WPIAL and PIAA championships in 2018. Last year he did the same for Pine-Richland in his first season with the Rams.

Girls soccer on a roll

Pine-Richland’s girls soccer team lost its first six games this season, but has rebounded quite well to get back in the postseason conversation.

The Rams had won four games in a row entering a showdown with North Allegheny on Sept. 27. In the last couple weeks, Pine-Richland scored a 3-0 win over Allderdice, topped North Hills, 5-1; defeated Shaler, 1-0; and beat Butler, 3-1.

The Butler win could prove crucial to postseason hopes, because the Rams lost to Butler, 1-0, in overtime the first time around, and the Golden Tornado are ahead of them in the standings.

Lilly De Jesus had four goals in the four-game winning streak. Molly Baker scored three times, including the lone goal in the Shaler win. Abby Satina had two goals. Riley White, Charlie Ozelski and Carly Hoover scored once.

The Rams were in fifth place entering games Sept. 27, a game and a half behind Fox Chapel, who they face Oct. 2.

Boys golfers advance

Wes Calhoun and Will Hilton both made the cut after the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A individual boys golf championship at Latrobe Country Club on Sept. 25 to secure their place in the final round at Valleybrook Country Club in Canonsburg on Oct. 2.

Calhoun, a junior, was tied for eighth with five other golfers after shooting 79 in the first round. Hilton, a junior, shot 80 and was tied for 14th.

The top 36 and ties moved onto the final round.

Fellow Rams golfers Zach Howard, Mike Pifer and Roger Williams qualified out of sectionals, but didn’t make the cut for the final round.

Girls golf duo makes WPIAL tournament

Siena Smith and Sidney Fluhrer were two of the 26 golfers to qualify out of sectionals for the WPIAL Class 3A individual girls golf championship, and both had a solid first round.

Smith, a freshman, shot 86 and was in 11th place, and Fluhrer, a junior, shot 93 and was in 17th place after the first round.

The final round was scheduled for Oct. 4. Both rounds were at Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley.

Smith and Fluhrer advanced to WPIALs out of their sectional at Conley’s Resort in Butler on Sept. 20. Fluhrer shot 85 and Smith carded an 86, both besting the target score of 88.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Pine-Richland