Ron Poniewasz Jr.: Column by County athletes turned in great performances all year long
Jul. 20—Whew!
What a great 2022-2023 athletic season that was just completed.
The spring sports season was fantastic as it usually is. A total of 48 county softball all-stars along with 30 baseball all-stars.
Two softball teams — Neshannock and Union — won WPIAL championships, and Neshannock's baseball team played for a WPIAL title. Those three teams, along with the Union baseball team, advanced to the PIAA playoffs. The Lady Scots played for their first state crown, coming up just short.
Union's run through the softball playoffs capped off quite a year for the school. The football team won the WPIAL championship and finished runner-up in the state championship game. The boys basketball team took silver in the WPIAL championship game and advanced to the state semifinals.
The Lady Scots' girls basketball team won the WPIAL and PIAA championship.
Overall, it led to the culmination of the top 24 student-athletes in the county — 12 boys and 12 girls. Narrowing down the list of athlete of the year candidates was difficult. There were so many great performances.
If that wasn't hard enough, then we had to decide on a winner.
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Union's Mia Preuhs and Laurel's Tori Atkins battled throughout the school year for the top spot among the girls. Both stated their case very well. It was a hard decision, one that resulted in Preuhs and Atkins sharing the girls athlete of the year award. And they both just completed their sophomore years. There will be plenty more memorable moments turned in from both student-athletes.
Laurel's Grant MacKay dominated the wrestling competition all season long. He set out a goal for redemption after losing in the state championship match as a junior.
MacKay was determined to win state gold as a senior and he did just that, along with the WPIAL gold he won. The boys field was stacked as well and MacKay had quite a bit of competition to conquer to win the boys athlete of the year award.
Plenty of memories were made in the 2022-2023 athletic year. We expect Preuhs and Atkins to once again be on top of their games in all of their sports. And for the rest of the county girls to once again turn in fantastic performances.
We wish MacKay the very best as he gets ready for his freshman year at Pitt, where he will compete on the wrestling team.
Who will step up next year on the boys side and break through? There is plenty of talent among the boys field as well.
The 2023-2024 athletic year will be here soon. What do you have in store for an encore, Lawrence County? We'll be ready to witness all of the greatness. And the action starts in just a few short weeks, with the opening of high school football practice on Aug. 14.
(Poniewasz is the sports editor at the New Castle News. Email him at rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
