This is part two of a two part series featuring area athletes in fall 2023 sports. For Part One featuring Ellwood City athletes, CLICK HERE
The start of fall sports is upon us, so we took the opportunity catch up with the athletes of those teams to see what they are doing to prepare for the upcoming rivalries and to offer some perspective on the season ahead and their plans for the future.
Riverside Athletes
Alyssa Gibbons
Sport? I play soccer
Grade? I am in 12th grade, Senior
How many years have you have played? I have been playing for 11 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? My biggest strength is defense
What is your favorite part of it? My favorite part is the younger girls looking up to us seniors and feeling comfortable enough to ask us for help.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Our biggest rival this year is Freedom
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? My favorite memory is the bus rides home after a big game
What are your future plans after graduation? I plan on going to ccbc for 2 years for my bachelors and then another 2-year college for my associates in nursing
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I do not plan on playing after high school
Izzy D’Alessandro
Sport? Soccer
Grade? 12th
How many years have you have played? 6 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? Defense
What is your favorite part of it? Getting to be a part of a team filled with my friends, that can always make me happy whether we win or lose.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Freedom
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? Bus rides home when we win a game!
What are your future plans after graduation? I Hope to attend college to study pediatric occupational therapy
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I haven’t decided yet.
Sianna Falk
Sport? Soccer
Grade? 12th grade
How many years have you have played? This is my 6th year playing soccer.
What do you feel is your biggest strength? My ability to keep the teams head up and bounce back after getting hurt.
What is your favorite part of it? Getting to grow and watch the team grow as a person and as an athlete. I love the celebrations and challenges that I get to have with my entire team.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? I would say Freedom is and has been our biggest rivals for my entire varsity career.
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? My favorite memory over the years is the week of 4 hour practices my freshman year and getting to laugh with my team.
What are your future plans after graduation? I hope to attend a college to study psychology or be involved in social work.
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I don’t believe I would play for a college but I definitely want to continue playing soccer in my future.
Emma Thellman
Sport? Soccer
Grade? Senior
How many years have you have played? I have played soccer for approximately 14 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? I feel my biggest strength is my leadership role.
What is your favorite part of it? My favorite part of soccer is being surrounded by, and playing with my best friends.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Our biggest rivalry this year is Freedom. Freedom has always been one of our biggest rivalries.
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? My favorite memory is beating Winchester Thurston in the WPIAL playoffs.
What are your future plans after graduation? My plans after high school are to attend Geneva College to major in Elementary Education or Speech Pathology.
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? My goal is to participate in Geneva’s track program as a pole vaulter. I know it will be difficult as I am currently in physical therapy after ACL surgery in January.
Maddie Prestia
Sport? Volleyball
Grade? 12
How many years have you have played? 3 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? Work ethic and discipline
What is your favorite part of it? I have made a lot of close friends and memories through volleyball.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Ellwood or Beaver
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? Our first actual conference win
What are your future plans after graduation? My goal is to go to Geneva college for accounting.
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I would like to, but I’m worried about the balance between volleyball and college work.
Sara Kaelin
Sport? Volleyball
Grade? 12
How many years have you have played? 7 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? I feel my biggest strength is being able to adapt quickly to changes during games.
What is your favorite part of it? I have been able to meet some of my closest friends through volleyball.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Either Ellwood or Beaver
What has been your favorite memory over the years? My favorite memory is winning our first conference game.
What are your future plans after graduation? I am still not completely sure what I want to do after graduation.
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? I would like to continue to play after high school, but I also want to focus on school. I will definitely still play with my friends for fun.
Brooke Dougherty
Sport? volleyball
Grade? 12th
How many years have you have played? this will be my 3rd
What do you feel is your biggest strength? In the game I’d say my greatest strength is my voice, cause sometimes I have days where I’m not hitting so well, or passing right, or even serving over the net. But I can always count on my voice to be loud and vocal. In everyday life I’d like to think my greatest strength is either perspective or being able to self-reflect. Good or bad reputation really doesn’t mean much to me, I care about how someone asks in that moment and in the future. As for being able to self-reflect I’ve tried to make it a habit to acknowledge when I am in the wrong and to also see other sides of the story.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Western Beaver no doubt, they have some quick, smart and strong players. I hope we get the chance to show them that we aren’t the same team they played last year.
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? Our first year of volleyball we had a Halloween theme night in October, that night was a blast. We dressed up, played games and had competitions.
What are your future plans after graduation? the college I’m attending is unknown however I’ve narrowed it down to three I believe I’d like to apply for. As for future plans, I’m very passionate about fitness, I hope to get a degree in something revolving around that. I could research for hours on how to guide people properly on their path to fitness and love to even research sports related injuries in order to find the best ways to treat them.
Do you plan to continue to play sports after high school? a part of me wishes maybe to continue sports, but I think I may prefer to join a club or co- ed team. However, that doesn’t mean if given the chance I wouldn’t consider playing for a team post high school. If that opportunity was given the me and I accepted I would absolutely work to put in 100% effort.
Robbie Janis
Sport? Football
Grade? Junior
How many years have you have played? 9 years
What do you feel is your biggest strength? Being hard to tackle.
What is your favorite part of it? Being able to better myself as a player and person.
Who do you feel is your biggest rivalry this upcoming season? Ellwood
What has been your favorite memory been over the years? Being ranked #11 on the Beaver County Times top 30 in the beaver valley and getting player of the game against Mohawk last year.
What are your future plans after graduation? Go to college and play football.
Love these! So proud of my granddaughter, Brooke Dougherty.