Local Sports

BC3 Volleyball Team Wins Opener In National Championships

(Rochester, Minn.) Lincoln High School graduate Breanna Reisinger had 10 kills, including six in the third set, and Morgan Jack had 29 assists as the Butler County Community College volleyball team swept Rockland Community College on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III championships at the Rochester Regional Sports Center. Aslyn Pry added seven kills, Abby Granato six and Morgan Frishkorn five for BC3 in the program’s first national championship tournament appearance since 2009. The Pioneers moved to 17-1 with the 25-17, 25-22 and 25-16 victory and advanced to the championship quarterfinals….


Parents Demand Change for Football Program

A group of parents urged the Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors to consider naming a new head coach for the football program. The parents place the blame for three seasons in a row with a losing streak to current head coach Joe Lamenza. The main complaint expressed was a lack of inspiration and encouragement. The parents claim that the environment of losing has had a severe impact on the mental health of the players and that it is preventing future generations of players from wanting to play. Lamenza, a 1996 graduate of Lincoln High School, was named…


Ty Fluharty Finishes 2nd Overall In PIAA Cross Country Championships

Riverside Panther runner Ty Fluharty finished 2nd overall in the PIAA Class-A Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Hershey, PA. The Panther senior finished with a time 16:39.50 for his second place finish among 259 runners. [VIEW VIDEO] Junior Thomas Smigo of Palisades finished 16:31 to win the Class A boys state title. In team competition, Hughesville took the team win with 97 points, followed by Winchester Thurston (2nd), Riverview (3rd), and Trinity (4th overall). [VIEW FULL RESULTS] Last month, Fluharty finished in 1st place overall in the Tri-County Championships with a time of 16:35 and also finished third overall…


Riverside Boys Soccer Face Winchester Thurston In WPIAL Semifinals

The Riverside Boys Soccer team is set to face the 2-seed Winchester Thurston Bears Tuesday evening in the WPIAL Class A semifinals. The Panthers, who entered the playoffs as an 11-seed, have knocked off two higher seeds en route to their semifinals appearance. Riverside defeated Trinity Christian 2-1 last Tuesday in the opening round and then upset #3 Sewickley Academy 2-1 on Saturday to continue their playoff journey. On Saturday, Noah Zelch scored off a penalty kick and Evan Burry buried the game winning goal with a rocket from inside the box to lead the Panthers. Riverside will meet Winchester…


Ellwood City Youth Basketball Clinic Planned

A basketball clinic is scheduled this month for Ellwood City boys and girls in grade 3-6. The clinic will be held over two weekends, Saturday, November 6th and Saturday, November 13th, and is garnering some attention according to Girls Varsity Head Coach Dena Noble. “We have over 80 ECASD students signed up to participate,” says Noble. Elementary students were sent home from their respective school with the registration earlier in October. It is too late to register and earn a clinic t-shirt, but it is NOT too late to register to participate. The price has been reduced to $20.00. The…


CROSS COUNTRY: Five Local Runners Qualify For PIAA State Championships

Ellwood City and Riverside Cross Country teams had a collective five runners qualify for PIAA State Championships as a result of their individual finishes at the WPIAL Championships held Thursday at California University of Pennsylvania. For Ellwood City, Colton Crizer and Joel Brooks earned qualifying times while Ty Fluherty qualified in the WPIAL Boys Championships. Fluherty finished in 3rd place overall in the Class 1A Finals with a time of 17:31.7. Crizer (19:01.6) finished 30th overall and Brooks (19:12.2) finished 36th overall in their qualifying efforts. Brooke Wissinger and Lexi Fluherty finished in 7th Place and 15th Place in the…



Fifth-ranked BC3 Volleyball Team Wins 3rd Consecutive Region 20 Title

Arnold, Md. – The unbeaten and fifth-ranked Butler County Community College volleyball squad’s perfect season continued Saturday with a regional title in Arnold, Md., and a berth in a three-team district tournament whose top two squads will advance to the national championships in Rochester, Minn. Ellwood City standout Breanna Reisinger had 14 kills, Morgan Jack 32 assists and Lainey Tobolewski 20 digs as the Pioneers (15-0) won their third National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region 20 title in a row. BC3 swept host Anne Arundel Community College 25-10, 25-21 and 25-19 in the Region 20 finals at Jenkins…


RHS Girls Soccer Collects Opening Round Victory, Await #1 Greensburg C.C.

The Riverside girls soccer team vanquished some past playoff exits on Saturday, collecting an opening round victory over Winchester Thurston to advance to WPIAL Class A quarterfinals. After four straight first round exits, the Lady Panthers scored a 8-4 victory and have advanced to play #1 Greensburg Central Catholic on Wednesday. With seven seniors on the roster, including six starters, the Panthers posted their best section record in team history this year with an 8-2 mark (10-7 overall). On Saturday, Riverside earned another victory. Sophomore Emma Thellman netted three goals while Megan Zelch also scored three times to lead the…


PHOTOS: Panthers Fall To New Brighton On Senior NIght

The Riverside Panthers fell to the visiting New Brighton Lions 34-0 Friday night during its Senior Night game at Riverside Memorial Stadium. After defeating rival Ellwood City for their first victory of the season last Friday, the host Panthers found a tough match-up against New Brighton and quarterback Gary Pugh, Jr.  The Lions QB accounted for five offensive touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing) accounting for all the evening’s offense. Riverside (1-7 overall) next travels to Beaver Falls for its season finale. WOLVERINES FALL TO LAUREL, 54-13 Ellwood City’s Zach Gatto returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half…