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November 16, 2019

Panthers Playoff Run Ended, Defeated by Avonworth

Riverside’s magical playoff run was thwarted Friday night, falling 41-14 to #2 seed Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinal at West Allegheny Friday night. The vastly underseeded Panthers knocked off #3 seed Burgettstown and #6 seed McGuffey to enter the contest as the first No. 14 seed to reach the WPIAL semifinals since Central Valley did it in 2010. Riverside only trialed 13-0 at halftime, unable to capitalize on two possessions reaching inside the Antelopes 10 yard line. The Panthers were denied twice on fourth down from the Avonworth 2- and 4-yard lines. Josh Bishop had two interceptions defensively…

November 15, 2019

Parents Demand New Head Coach for Ellwood City Girls Varsity Softball

A group of parents attended the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors meeting Thursday night and demanded consideration of a new varsity softball coach. Despite leading the girls softball team at Lincoln as the head coach since 2006 and bringing home numerous titles during that time, Gary Rozanski was under strict scrutiny. Softball parent Doug Balin, said his daughter has come home from practice in tears. He believes that with better guidance, the girls would love the sport more and have a better chance at getting scholarships. Jeff Barnett said his daughter Kali is a starter for every…

November 15, 2019

PHOTO: Justin Hand Signs With Tiffin University

Riverside senior and golf standout Justin Hand signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, November 13th to play collegiate golf at Tiffin University in Ohio. Hand played well and qualified for the PIAA Western Regional golf finals in September and also participated in the 2019 US Junior Amateur Championship in July. RELATED COVERAGE: www.ellwoodcity.org/?s=justin+hand Tiffin University men’s golf team recently took the top spot in the 15-team Kyle Remar Memorial Championship in October. (View More) Pictured below with Justin are his parents, grandparents, swing coach Kevin Shields, trainer Dave Piecuch, and Riverside athletic directors. Photo courtesy of J…

November 13, 2019

PHOTO: Austin Walley Signs With Bucknell University

Wrestling standout and Ellwood City student-athlete Austin Walley has signed his letter of intent to wrestle at Bucknell University.  Walley signed Wednesday morning at Lincoln High School as part of NCAA Division 1 National Signing Day. Walley finished his junior season with a 36-5 overall record and finished 4th overall in the 182-pound weight class in the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Tournament held at the Hershey in March. (Read More)  In May, Walley finished third in both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman Pennsylvania/USA Wrestling State Championships held at Central Mountain High School in Lock Haven. His career record entering his senior…

November 9, 2019

Riverside Upends McGuffey, Advances To WPIAL Semifinals

The Riverside Panthers offensive onslaught continued as it trounced sixth-seeded McGuffey, 41-27, on Friday night in their WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal contest at Montour. Riverside (8-3 overall) rolled for over 330 total yards of offense in their victory over McGuffey (9-3 overall) one week after dropping a 40-spot on #3 Burgettstown. After exchanging scores to begin the contest, Riverside’s offense answered and then used a defensive pick-six to stretch their first half lead to a comfortable 27-6 margin. Nate Sciarro picked off McGuffey quarterback Marshall Whipkey and took it 70 yards for his second touchdown. Riverside ran away with the…

November 2, 2019

Riverside Roars Back Late, Upsets Burgettstown

Riverside overcame a 15-point second half deficit to rally back and upset #3 seed, and host Burgettstown 42-35 in overtime Friday night in WPIAL Class-AA opening round playoff action. Riverside (7-3 overall) roared back with Ben Hughes tallying the game tying score and two-point conversion midway through the 4th quarter. After the teams exchanged unsuccessful possessions late, the game bled to overtime where the Panthers secured the upset. Riverside went ahead for good on Nate Sciarro’s fourth touchdown of the game – an 11-yard catch from Hughes. The Panther defense responded and stuffed the Devils on their fourth and goal…

October 30, 2019

Wolverines Ousted By Defending Champion Trojans

The Ellwood City Lady Wolverines volleyball team fell to top-seeded, and defending champion North Catholic (17-0) in WPIAL quarterfinal action on Tuesday. The Trojans captured the victory in straight sets, 25-13, 25-11, 25-19, to advance to the Class-AA semifinals on Thursday. [VIEW BRACKET] Ellwood City (13-3 overall) was led by Danielle McCowin’s 11 kills. The Wolverines jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the second set but ultimately fell victim to a string of 10 straight service points from North Catholic libero Sophia Elias in the set. The team entered the playoffs receiving votes in the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball…

October 22, 2019

Skyler Fox Wins PIAA Class 2A Golf Championship

Riverside senior Skyler Fox has won the 2019 PIAA Class 2A Golf Championship held at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, PA this week. Fox fired a 1-over round of 72 on the second day of the tournament, separating himself from the field in winning by three strokes. Fox, who shared the first-round lead with Elijah Ruppert of Brandywine Heights and Cam Colbert of Hickory, collected two second-round birdies Tuesday en route to a 144 two-round total (72-72).  A shotgun start placed Fox off the back-nine to begin play and, after a slow start, played one-under on the front nine…

October 19, 2019

PHOTOS: Panthers Air Attack Helps Defeat Valley On Senior Night

The Riverside Panthers used another air attack to defeat Valley Friday night, 24-14 on senior night. Ben Hughes threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns to lead Riverside (6-2) to the nonconference win against Valley (1-8). Nathan Sciarro caught eight passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns and added a 27-yard field goal. The victories places the Panthers in a win-and-get-in playoff scenario next week against New Brighton.  The winner of the Week 9 contest between the Panthers and Lions will clinch a WPIAL playoff berth with several other playoff implications on the line next week. The top four teams…

October 17, 2019

PHOTOS: Ellwood City Girls Volleyball Defeats Laurel On Senior Night

The Ellwood City Girls Volleyball team capped senior night in victorious fashion, defeating the visiting Laurel Spartans Tuesday evening. Five Wolverine volleyball seniors were recognized before the match. After dropping the first set, Ellwood City rebounded with three consecutive set victories to take the match (19-25, 25-23, 25-26, 25-22) For the seniors, they experienced many wins and some losses on the playing court. They’ve left their blood, sweat, tears, and emotions on the court and they’ve learned how to compete with each other but still root for each other. The Wolverines (10-2 overall, Class-AA) have one remaining regular-season game scheduled…