Highlands’ Reigard, Fox Chapel’s Katz, Kiski Area honored with Positive Athlete awards

By: Michael Love
Friday, June 16, 2023 | 5:51 PM

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Each year, Positive Athlete Western Pennsylvania seeks out those high school student-athletes who are making a difference in the arena of their chosen sport and also in the classroom and in their community.

The Alle-Kiski Valley is home to many of those whose goal it is to make where they are from a better place.

A pair of athletes — Highlands’ Cam Reigard and Fox Chapel’s Trevor Katz — and Kiski Area High School recently were recognized for demonstrating Positive Athlete’s tenets of high character, overcoming difficult circumstances and giving back with their time and talents all while doing so with positive attitudes.

Reigard, Katz and Kiski Area are three of 32 recipients of this year’s Western Pennsylvania awards.

Positive Athlete president and CEO Scott Pederson said the award nominees and the eventual award winners with their stories of passionate work and determination to do good things never cease to amaze him.

“Each year when we do this, we always wonder if we are going to get the kind of stories we got the year before, or if they could ever top them,” Pederson said. “But each year, we get some truly amazing and inspiring stories of student-athletes doing great things in their schools and communities or they are going through things no one would ever wish to go through.

“They all handle things so maturely. A lot of times, kids who go through those difficult circumstances continue to give back and serve. Through Positive Athlete, the schools have done a great job of letting us know who those dedicated kids are and telling their stories.”

Pederson said Positive Athlete again received close to 1,000 nominations, and the review process for the awards is a great challenge because the stories are more and more impactful.

Reigard, a rising senior at Highlands, is this year’s Positive Athlete for Cross Country. Also a difference-maker on the basketball court and soccer pitch, he maintains a 4.0 GPA with plans to attend college and major in international business with a minor in Spanish.

“Cam works very hard,” said Richard Bogaty, Reigard’s cross country coach at Highlands through the 2022 season. “He is motivated to do what is necessary to excel. He has always supported everyone on the team and is just as excited for a team win as he is for an individual victory. He loves competing. His attitude is always upbeat.”

Reigard earned Valley News Dispatch second-team all-star honors for basketball this past season.

“Cam is very energetic, and he always has a good mindset when he comes into the gym,” Golden Rams boys basketball coach Corey Dotchin said. “He is well respected by his peers for what he does on the court and who he is off the court. They gravitate towards him because of his personality and his leadership.

“He knows when to have fun, but he also knows when it is time to work and do the things that help make him successful.”

Katz, a newly minted Fox Chapel graduate, recently earned academic All-American honors in wresting as he maintained a GPA higher than 4.0. On the mat, he was named a team captain, earned a medal at sectionals and advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A individual championships.

Activities and causes in school and beyond have been top priorities for Katz. This spring, he signed up to become a student visionary for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and he achieved a new student fundraising record of $250,000 for the region that includes Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Cleveland, Western New York and New Jersey.

“In wrestling, you can never give up,” Katz said. “I thought wrestling was tough, but when I see these children help their parents remain positive during one of the toughest battles they’ll ever face, it definitely was something harder than anything I’ve ever done in my life.

“It’s been really special seeing them always happy. A lesson these very sick kids taught me is that no matter what it is, you need to try your hardest. If you do that, you won’t live with any regrets. So, when it came to my campaign, I thought, ‘How can I go halfway when they are fighting their hardest each day?’ ”

Kiski Area was selected the Most Positive School for the second year in a row.

Cavaliers athletic director John Peterman said he sees the school’s student-athletes deliver the core values of competitiveness mixed with sportsmanship in their chosen sports and leadership in the classroom and community.

He again was not surprised that more than 40 nominations of athletes from the school were submitted to Positive Athlete.

Pederson said nominations were received from 13 boys and girls sports, and several were considered top-five finalists for the various individual awards.

“I commend all of our coaches for the time they take out of their day to nominate all of our worthy student-athletes,” Peterman said. “It also is a tribute to the athletes where the coaches are realizing those positive contributions.”

Peterman said he also is proud of the athletes’ dedication to academics. He said of all the members of the Kiski Area Class of 2023 who achieved a GPA of 4.0 or better, 60% were athletes.

Positive Athlete Western Pennsylvania last held an in-person awards ceremony at the Sen. John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in June 2019.

For the past several years, Positive Athlete award winners have been celebrated with video recognition highlighting their achievements, and Pederson said that continues this year at positiveathlete.org as well as on the organization’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

“The feedback from the schools and sponsors has been that the videos we do for the kids have a huge share rate and that more people are able to enjoy the celebration than would be able to come to an event,” Pederson said.

“It’s a lot more work for us to do the videos. But we love the fact that more people are inspired by the stories we’re telling a greater audience. With that said, we still haven’t ruled out a ceremony again.”

Other Positive Athlete Western PA award winners were:

Football: Chris Rourke, North Hills

Boys Volleyball: William O’Bryan, Canon-McMillan

Girls Volleyball: Abigail Goncher, Purchase Line

Baseball: Tyler Hawk, Uniontown

Softball: Morgan Piatt, New Castle

Girls Cross Country: Kate Rarrick, Bellefonte Area

Boys Basketball: Parker Lyons, Rochester

Girls Basketball: Hanna DeJidas, Shaler Area

Cheer and Gymnastics: Moriyah Chancey, Woodland Hills

Boys Swimming and Diving: Jacob Burton, Mt. Lebanon

Girls Swimming and Diving: Ella Menear, Mapletown

Ice Hockey: Clayton Kepperling, Central Catholic

Field Hockey: Mallory Gilberg, Mt. Lebanon

Boys Golf: Aiden Hanna, Hampton

Girls Golf: Alaina Hogue, Cranberry Area

Boys Lacrosse: Kyle Gill, Norwin

Girls Lacrosse: Mia Case, State College Area

Boys Soccer: Beaux Lizewski, Seneca Valley

Girls Soccer: Arley Wilson, Connellsville

Boys Tennis: Shaun Fernando, North Allegheny

Girls Tennis: Sophia Hernandez, Gateway

Boys Track and Field: Dominic Salvini, Fort Cherry

Girls Track and Field: Sydney Taylor, Keystone Oaks

Boys Alternative: Dakota Totsky, Beaver Area

Girls Alternative: Chelsea Patrick, Washington

Boys Mult-Sport: Dashawn Carter, South Allegheny

Girls Multi-Sport: Viva Kreis, Belle Vernon

Boys Coach: John Rende, Central Catholic, Baseball

Girls Coach: Abby Latona, Mars, Girls Lacrosse

In addition to the 32 Positive Athlete award winners, several others will receive annual scholarship awards.

The Knichel Logistics Title IX Award for female leadership, the UPMC Male and Female Comeback Players of the Year and the Jeff Boynton Memorial Scholarship, Pederson said, are being finalized and will be announced within the next week or two.

The Boynton scholarship of $2,200 that recognizes Boynton’s No. 22 football jersey during his playing days at Plum is presented each year, as stated by the selection committee, to an individual who displays the qualities Boynton expressed including a positive attitude, courage, grace under fire, the ability to overcome obstacles and enjoying life to the fullest.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Beaver, Belle Vernon, Canon-McMillan, Central Catholic, Connellsville, Fort Cherry, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Hampton, Highlands, Keystone Oaks, Kiski Area, Mapletown, Mars, Mt. lebanon, New Castle, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin, Rochester, Seneca Valley, Shaler, South Allegheny, Uniontown, Washington, Woodland Hills