South Hills notes: TJ’s Shaw, Brentwood’s Barker compete at PIAA meet

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, November 9, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Notebook items from around the South Hills:

• Two local runners, Thomas Jefferson sophomore Lydia Shaw and Brentwood junior Aidan Barker, qualified for the PIAA cross country championships.

Shaw finished 21st in 21 minutes, 1 second at the WPIAL Class AA girls meet at Cooper's Lake Campground in Slippery Rock. Barker placed 14th in 17:38 at the WPIAL Class A boys finals.

• Angelica Campano, a senior midfielder on the TJ girls soccer team, received both All-WPIAL and all-section honors this season.

“Our team played every game (this season) like it was our last,” Campano said. “Our quote that we lived by was, ‘If your not playing for yourself, play for the player beside you.' I truly believe that that's what our team did.

“I'm going to miss the girls and the coaching staff, because at the end of the day we become a part of a family. During the season, I see that group of people more than my actual family. I love every single one of them with all my heart, and I'm going to miss, most of all, being a part of the soccer program at TJ. It was almost like my identity, so having that gone is so sad.

“But I am so happy to have been able to experience the past four years of high school soccer; it's something I'll never forget.”

Campano was joined on the all-section squad by her twin sister Angelina, a senior forward/defender; and teammates Lia Manning. a senior forward/midfielder; and Dalaney Ranallo, a sophomore midfielder.

• Several Baldwin soccer players were Big 56 conference selections this year — seniors Alina Stahl (F) and Haley Huber (MF) on the girls team; seniors Launthar Eh (MF) and Janvier Ramson (F) and junior Jackson Brandwene (GK) on the boys team.

Stahl also was chosen all-section and All-WPIAL.

Eh and Ramson were named to WPIAL AAAA section “Finest Fifteen;” Raymond Thomas, a sophomore midfielder, received honorable mention plaudits.

Baldwin's Allen Duda also was voted section co-coach of the year with Bob Dyer of Peters Township.

• Seton LaSalle senior running back Lionel Deanes ranked third in the WPIAL in rushing and scoring during the regular season.

Deanes rambled to 1,776 yards on 243 carries, and reached the end zone 22 times.

Other area players who finished among the WPIAL's regular-season leaders were TJ running back Justin Vigna, with 1,364 yards and 20 touchdowns; Brentwood quarterback Michael Trent, who completed 132 of 248 passes for 1,748 yards and 17 scores; Brentwood wideout Austin Veatch, with 52 receptions for 843 yards and 12 touchdowns; and TJ wideout Garret Fairman, who nabbed 40 passes for 742 yards and nine scores.

Deanes, Vigna, Trent, Veatch and Fairman are seniors.

• Cole Lutz and Liam Giger received back-to-back United Soccer Coaches recognition in the Thomas Jefferson boys soccer program.

Giger was named as a recipient of the organization's High School Senior Excellence Award in 2017, after Lutz landed the same honor in 2016.

• Senior Morgan Dryburgh (MH) and two juniors, Anna Betz (MH/DS) and Abby Wolf (S), served a co-captains of the Brentwood girls volleyball team this season.

• Dean O'Toole, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound junior, is the biggest player on the Seton LaSalle football team.

Two other hulking linemen for the Rebels are senior Josh Blamer (6-4, 250) and junior Rob Matthews (6-3, 290). George Mike is a 6-3, 245-pound senior tight end.

• There were three kicking specialists listed on the Baldwin football team this season — senior Jake Monore, junior Jackson Brandwene and sophomore Emma Brandwene.

The Brandwene siblings also were goalkeepers on the Baldwin boys and girls soccer teams.

• The only game the TJ football team lost during the regular season — at Belle Vernon — had a 7 p.m. starting time. The Jaguars' eight other games — all wins — began at 7:30 p.m.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin, Brentwood, Thomas Jefferson