Knoch tennis shined
While the Mars boys and girls soccer teams polishing off simultaneous perfect WPIAL- and PIAA-championship seasons has been named our Butler Eagle Sports Story of the Year, there were plenty of other notable achievements in the local athletic realm.
The Eagle sports staff voted on its top 15 local sports happenings of 2020, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic that's dominated the headlines for months.
Here is a rundown of our list:
Knoch girls tennis cleans house. The Knights began their season by winning their fifth successive section title, going unbeaten in those matches. They claimed the WPIAL Class 2A crown as well.
Knoch rolled to the state championship by defeating Scranton Prep, 5-0, in the semifinals, then blanking Moravian Academy, 3-0, in the state championship match.
Sisters Ally and Brooke Bauer teamed up to win the WPIAL 2A doubles championship.
Butler boys basketball wins WPIAL title. The Golden Tornado claimed their first district championship in 29 years, defeating Mt. Lebanon in the title game at the Petersen Events Center.
Butler won its final 17 games and actually went undefeated in 2020, winning its season opener last month. The Tornado had a number of come-from-behind postseason wins, including a 77-73 decision over Upper St. Clair in a state tourney game after trailing by 12 in the fourth quarter. The remainder of the state tourney was shut down following that game.
Seneca Valley boys soccer wins state title. For the first time in program history, the Raiders reached the top of the mountain.Zack LaValle scored the game-winning goal 36 seconds into the second overtime for a 2-1 victory over Neshaminy in the state final.The Raiders rebounded from a 3-1 halftime deficit against Peters Township to win the WPIAL crown. SV finished the season at 17-1-1.No. 5-Ethan Morton's postseason hardware. The most productive player in Butler basketball history was named Gatorade Pa. Player of the Year, MaxPreps Pa. Player of the Year and Pa. Class 6A Player of the Year. He scored 2,198 points in his high school career.Now a freshman point guard at Purdue, Morton also tallied 912 rebounds and 682 assists at Butler.No. 6-Ellie Coffield named WPIAL Female Athlete of the Year. The Mars senior soccer standout received the most prestigious award in the WPIAL, along with numerous other honors.She helped the Planets become the No. 1 ranked girls soccer team in the nation. Coffield scored 24 goals and tacked on 36 assists this year. She had 95 goals and 104 assists in her career and is moving on to the University of Pittsburgh.No. 7-North Catholic's championship diving tandem. Trojan senior Kyle Maziarz and Trojanette freshman Maggie Foley won WPIAL diving titles.Maziarz, a Cranberry Township resident, shattered the previous district record by scoring a 558.05. The previous mark was 522.20. Foley won the girls title with a 440.45 — 41.40 points better than the runner-up.No. 8-North Catholic's twin basketball titles. The Trojans and Trojanettes both won WPIAL championships.North Catholic's girls claimed their fourth straight crown by defeating Southmoreland, 61-44. The Trojan boys topped Lincoln Park, 65-56, in the WPIAL final. The Trojanettes were 26-1, the Trojans 26-2, both still alive in the PIAA Tournament when it was abruptly ended.No. 9-Butler rifle team shines in postseason. After barely qualifying for the WPIAL tourney, the Golden Tornado edged Trinity by a single point to capture their first WPIAL title since 1993.Butler wound up taking second in the state meet — its highest finish ever — trailing only champion Everett. Tornado senior Andrew Arbanas placed third out of 390 shooters in the state competition.No. 10-Seneca Valley's Dylan Chappell, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon win WPIAL wrestling titles. Chappell won the 120-pound weight class by pinning Connellsville's Jace Ross 32 seconds into the second period in the finals.Herrera-Rondon knocked off previously unbeaten Gabe Willochell of Greater Latrobe, 4-2, for the 132-pound title. Chappell would place second at the state meet, Herrera-Rondon fourth.No. 11-Butler's Laura Goettler wins district, state swim titles. The Golden Tornado senior won the 100-yard breaststroke at the WPIAL Championships with a strong finish, edging Mt. Lebanon's Maddie Dorish.The title marked the fifth WPIAL gold medal of her career. She led in the breaststroke after the preliminary round of the PIAA Championships and was awarded the state title when the finals were canceled.No. 12-Laura Greb nets fourth consecutive WPIAL tennis crown. The Knoch senior made WPIAL history by becoming the first girl to win four straight tennis singles titles.Greb defeated Nicole Kempton of South Park 6-1, 6-3 to win her fourth championship. She did not drop a set in any of the four district final matches.No. 13-Owen Blazer sets swimming marks. The Seneca Valley senior set the school record in the 100-yard butterfly while winning the WPIAL championship in that event.He went on to top that by breaking the school and district record while winning the 100-yard backstroke crown the following day.No. 14-Butler football team ends 24-game losing streak. The Golden Tornado had to go searching for an opponent when Erie pulled out of a game at Art Bernardi Stadium due to a COVID-19 outbreak at its school. Blackhawk — which had New Castle pull out of its scheduled game — filled in.Cooper Baxter returned an interception and fumble for touchdowns, threw a touchdown pass and scored on two short runs in a 55-14 Butler win. Justin Kabay ran for 128 yards and two scores.No. 15-North Catholic wins WPIAL girls volleyball title. The Trojanettes did not lose a match in the regular season and went on to defeat previously unbeaten Ellwood City, 3-1, in the district finals.North Catholic's season ended with a 3-1 loss to Philipsburg-Osceola in the state semifinals.
