Trib HSSN Top 20 Stories of 2020: New WPIAL executive director takes over

By: Don Rebel
Friday, January 1, 2021 | 5:02 PM

3383740_web1_gtr-AmyScheunemanKO-062020 — Chris Harlan | Tribune-Review

WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman poses for a photo after a WPIAL board meeting June 18, 2020, at Chartiers Valley.

The most unique year in our lifetime is coming to an end. With so many mass starts and stops, highs and lows, just about all walks of life were affected by the coronavirus in 2020.

High school sports were no different. The first two and a half months of the year were carefree and business as usual. Then the final nine and a half months were greatly affected by the pandemic, whether scholastic contests were played or not.

Trib HSSN will close out the year with a daily countdown and a look back at the top 20 WPIAL stories from the year 2020.

No. 2 — Changing of the Guard

It should have been a much bigger story.

For the first time in more than a decade and a half, there was a changing of the guard of the lead chair in the WPIAL.

However, two things kept the mid-week change in early July from Tim O’Malley to Amy Scheuneman as WPIAL executive director from getting the attention it deserved.

First, everybody was three and a half months into a global pandemic and second, O’Mally had groomed Scheuneman for nearly a year to make the transition seamless.

In July of 2019, the WPIAL hired Scheuneman as associate executive director. She had been the athletic director for the North Hills School District after serving as AD at Avonworth and Bethel Park.

The plan was for Scheuneman to learn the everyday duties of executive director, first by shadowing O’Malley and then by gradually taking over more of the duties.

Then, a week before the holidays last December, O’Malley announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2019-20 school year.

O’Malley was concluding his 14th year as executive director after taking over suddenly in 2006 when Larry Hanley resigned because of a family emergency.

By the time the pandemic shut down the PIAA basketball playoffs and swimming championships and eventually, the entire spring sports season, Scheuneman was leading the way in answering questions and dealing with the mass confusion with the school districts and the media.

The move to becoming the WPIAL’s first female executive director became official July 1.

Scheuneman is the WPIAL’s fourth full time executive director, following in the footsteps of Charles “Ace” Heberling (1976-97), Hanley (1997-06) and O’Malley (2006-20). Heberling passed away at the age of 94 on Dec. 9, 2019.

No. 3 – Streaking Stallions

No. 4 – Perfect Planets

No. 5 – Moving On Up

No. 6 – One and Done

No. 7 — T.J. All the Way…Again

No. 8 – Golden Corral

No. 9 – Perfect Pine

No. 10 – West A Senior Drafted

No. 11 – Covid KOs Champs

No. 12 – Emotional Championship

No. 13 – Outstanding Olivia

No. 14 – The Bucs Aren’t Stopping Here