Times' high school notebook: Beaver volleyball wins MAC tourney, Frosh QB leads WPIAL in passing
Just before the season started, Beaver High School girls volleyball coach Susie Pollins had a good feeling about the Bobcats.
“I think we are in for a special year,” she said.
Now that the season has reached its halfway point, it looks like Pollins’ prediction is spot on.
Going into tonight’s WPIAL Class 2A Section 1 home match against Ellwood City, Beaver is a perfect 8-0 in dual match competition and 6-0 in section play.
On Sept. 16, they won the Midwestern Athletic Conference tournament. In that 12-team tournament, they beat Montour, a 3A, in the championship round.
And in the latest Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association state rankings, the Bobcats rank No. 4. No other Beaver County area program is ranked in the state rankings.
When the season started, Beaver wasn’t listed among the top 10 teams in those rankings. They first appeared in the rankings two weeks ago as No. 6 and have since moved up two spots.
“People are starting to realize the talent we have and how good we’re playing right now,” said Pollins, who’s in her third season as coach.
The past two years, Beaver made it as far as the WPIAL quarterfinals.
This year, the Bobcats expect to reach the WPIAL championship round, where, if the current rankings hold up, they could face Freeport, the reigning WPIAL champs. Freeport is currently ranked first in the state rankings.
“We have a great group of girls back this year,” Pollins said.
Among them is Chloe List, a 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter. She’s the younger sister of Payton List, a 2022 Beaver graduate who played volleyball, basketball and softball. After starting her college career playing softball at Virginia Tech, Payton List has since transferred to James Madison.
Chloe List, who earned all-state honors last year, recently recorded the 1,000th kill of her career. She’s verbally committed to Cleveland State to play volleyball.
“She’s definitely a big-time player,” Pollins said of List. “She’s turned into a great leader on and off the court. It’s really nice to see her grow not only as an athlete but as a young lady as well.”
The rest of Beaver’s starting lineup includes junior setter Zoe Ringer, 6-2 sophomore middle hitter Kailyn Connelly, sophomore opposite hitter Anna Vinopal, sophomore outside hitter Jaedyn Brown and sophomore libero Aubrey Bumblis.
Besides Beaver, the only other girls volleyball team in the Beaver County Times coverage area that’s leading its section is Quaker Valley. The Quakers are 6-0 in Section 4.
WESTERN BEAVER QB LEADS WPIAL IN PASSING YARDS
Last week before its WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Conference game at Ellwood City, Western Beaver coach Ron Busby spoke highly of the play of Golden Beavers’ freshman quarterback Jaivin Peel.
“A year ago, he was playing middle school football,” Busby said. “He’s gotten a lot better every week … we’re happy with his progression. He’s on schedule. When we look at his future, we certainly think it’s very bright.”
Well, on Friday, Peel put together an outstanding performance in a 41-18 win over EC. He only threw 17 passes, but he completed 12 of them – that’s 70 percent – for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
To be sure, the Golden Beavers (2-3 overall, 1-1 conference) have some talented pass catchers. That corps includes 6-foot-3 Mikey Crawford, Dorian McGhee, Chris Kirkland and 6-foot-4 Dontay Green. That being said, WB definitely has a rising star at quarterback, who despite only being 14 years old, is among the WPIAL’s best QBs.
In fact, Peel unofficially leads all WPIAL quarterbacks in passing yards with 1,228. He’s completed 58 of his 104 passes (56 percent).
At this rate, Peel has a chance to break the WPIAL’s all-time passing record for freshmen. It is believed that record is held by former East Allegheny QB John DiNapoli who threw for 1,728 yards as a ninth grader in 2019. DiNapoli spent two years at East Allegheny before transferring to Elizabeth Forward.
A resident of Midland, Peel attends Lincoln Park, a performing arts charter school. He’s playing football for the Golden Beavers because Lincoln Park and Western Beaver have cooperative agreements in multiple sports for boys and girls.
TWO MOON GIRLS ADVANCE TO WPIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
On Tuesday when the WPIAL Girls Individual Golf Championships get underway, a pair of Moon underclassmen will tee it up.
One of them is freshman Liv DeGori, who qualified last week by shooting an 81 and tying for fourth place last week at the Class 3A Section 1 qualifier. The target score was 88.
Of the 33 girls in the two-round WPIAL Championships at Diamond Run Golf Club – the second round will be held next week – there are only five freshmen, DeGori among them.
Also qualifying was sophomore Angelina Schild, who shot an 88.
“Ang and Liv have been our No. 1 and No. 2 players all season long,” said Moon girls golf coach Ken Firmstone. “They’ve done a terrific job considering how young they are. They’ve been very consistent. We can do big things with those two leading the way.”
Firmstone has coached the Moon girls since the program started eight years ago. This year, despite graduating five seniors, the Tigers won their second section title and qualified for the team playoffs for the fifth time.
Moon’s first section title came three years ago when Firmstone’s daughter, Rhianna Firmstone, was a senior. Rhianna now plays golf at Ohio Northern University.
DeGori is the first Moon freshman to qualify for the WPIAL Championships Rhianna Firmstone made it as a ninth grader in 2017.
On Sept. 12, DeGori put on one of the best performances in the eight-year history of Moon's golf team. That’s when she won the Midwestern Athletic Conference individual title with a sizzling 3-under 69 on the third and fourth nines at Black Hawk Golf Course. On the third nine, DeGori made five birdies and shot 31.
The only other Moon girl to win a MAC title was Rhianna Firmstone in 2018.
Schild also played well when Moon repeated as MAC champs. She finished fourth by shooting a 79. Sophomore Aubrey Marasco’s 84 earned her a sixth-place finish.
QV’s ETHAN DAI LEADS WPIAL 2A GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ethan Dai, a junior at Quaker Valley, holds the lead after the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A Boys Individual Golf Championships.
Dai shot a 3-under 69 Monday at par-72 Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo.
He has a two-stroke lead over Aaron Didjunas, a freshman from Elizabeth Forward, and Brownsville senior Daniel Sethman. They both carded 71s.
Dai started off with a bogey-5 on the first hole but played mistake-free golf the rest of the way. On his last 17 holes, he made four birdies and 13 pars.
The low 36 scores plus ties from the first round advance to the final round which will be played next Monday at Butler Country Club.
The winner will be based on scores from both the first round and final round.
Four other boys from the Beaver County Times coverage area advanced to the 2A final round.
Jonah Schollaert, a sophomore at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, tied for fifth with a 73.
Sewickley Academy junior Severin Harmon is in seventh place after shooting a 75.
Quaker Valley junior Nolan Wagoner is tied for 26th after shooting an 82.
Karan Kad, a junior at Sewickley Academy, is tied for 31st after carding an 84.
The only local boy to advance in 3A was Moon senior Zack Ross who’s tied for 23rd after shooting an 81 at Latrobe Country Club. The low 36 scores plus ties advance to next Monday’s final round at Valleybrook Country Club in McMurray.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Times' high school notebook: Beaver volleyball wins MAC tourney, Frosh QB leads WPIAL in passing
