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2/11/2026 0 Comments column: records being broken doesn't denigrate local legends, it renews interest in themFormer Allderdice girls basketball coach Janet Davis feels that the legacies of Mary Myers and Edna Campbell have been done a disservice. Davis, who led the Dragons' program for more than 30 years and won 445 games, emailed this week because she said some of the alumni wanted her to reach out and set the record straight. Current Dragons senior guard Bailey White set the school's all-time scoring record earlier this season, breaking the mark set by Myers, and the record for points in a game, which was set by Campbell. Myers, who held the record for 46 years, went on to play for Kansas. Campbell would play collegiately for Maryland and Texas before embarking on a lengthy professional career. Myers finished her three seasons with the Dragons with 1,707 points. White recently topped 2,000. "Records are legitimately meant to be broken," Davis wrote. "A disservice has been done to Mary and Edna. They were both All-Americans and Division I players. Edna was USA Today's No. 3 player in the nation her senior year and went on and played in the ABL (American Basketball League) and WNBA, as well as on USA national basketball teams. Again, Mary only played at Allderdice three years, and Edna less than three years. I might also add that there was no 3-point shot when they played. Had Mary played four years at Allderdice, she clearly would have scored well over 2,000 points!" That's true. With another year, Myers could have made the number even bigger. But calling a record illegitimate is wrong. Setting records in sports can be a funny thing because athletes across different eras don't play the same game. No Major League Baseball pitcher will break Cy Young's record for career wins. Young pitched from 1890 to 1911 and won 511 games. The modern player who got closest to him was Greg Maddux, who won an impressive 355 games over 23 seasons before retiring in 2008. Even Maddux's win total seems out of reach now. It's not fair to people in the past or present to use records as a barometer of comparison. Asking for proper context to be applied is appropriate, but calling the career record being broken not legitimate is silly. It isn't Myers' fault she didn't get to play in more games, nor is it White's fault she played more. Instead, White topping the mark was the perfect opportunity to revisit what Campbell and Myers accomplished. Campbell spent seven years in the WNBA and averaged 7.1 points per game. Her best season came in 2001 with the Seattle Storm, when she averaged 13.9 points per game. Myers helped Kansas win the Big 8 Conference Championship in 1981. She finished with 137 assists during the 1984-85 season, which is still the fifth most in a season in Jayhawks' history. Davis, who was the Dragons' first coach, only left Allderdice because she wasn't given a choice. Davis was forced out as coach in 2008, despite saying she would coach for free. When she retired as the head of the Health and Physical Education Department at Allderdice, Pittsburgh Public Schools told TribLive in 2008 it was district policy to open up any extracurricular jobs that employee also holds when they retired. Dave Walchesky was chosen to replace Davis, who reapplied for her position. Davis later sued the district for discrimination, retaliation and deprivation of her Constitutional rights. More about the case can be read here. Davis wrote she didn't feel the current coaching staff put the records in proper context. Davis, who led the program to 445 wins, pointed out that Campbell's record for points in a game occurred during a 71-60 win over Seton La Salle in the PIAA playoffs, while White's mark came in an 81-13 blowout win over Perry. "While Allderdice girls basketball alumni applaud Bailey White’s scoring success, some of the alumni have asked me to set the records straight regarding Mary Myers’ scoring record and Edna Campbell’s 40-point game scoring record," Davis wrote. "I coached Allderdice for 35 years. Our statistician, Diane Hill, kept meticulous records over the years. I want to thank her for compiling an official program in 2006 detailing 35 years of statistics and records. Allderdice Assistant Coach, Mattie Collins-Wood, contacted an alumni wanting Mary Myers’ phone number anticipating Bailey breaking Mary’s record. Mattie was told, in no uncertain terms that Mary had only played three years at Allderdice whereas Bailey was in her fourth year. Had Bailey done this in three years, breaking the record would be legitimate. Mattie chose to ignore the discrepancy and proceed with 'breaking Mary’s record.'” It is nice to know that people deeply involved with a program care about it long after they are directly involved. But people from the past don't have agency to say how things are defined. White's accomplishments aren't more impressive than Campbell's or Myers' numbers. They are different because the world is different. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo
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Allderdice's Bailey White became the school's all-time scoring leader during an 81-13 win over Perry Friday afternoon. White scored 41 points to pass Mary Myers' on the Dragons' all-time scoring list by reaching 1,708 points. The 41 points in a game was also a Pittsburgh City League record for points in a game by a girls' player. Allderdice has won five consecutive games and is 6-1 on the season. Josh Rizzo is editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo 10/10/2025 0 Comments WPIAL/City League week 7 football quick reactions: butler earned its sixth win on the field, kemon spell not 100 percent on penn state, what's up with Westinghouse?While an administrative error handed Butler its first winning season since 1997 on Wednesday night, the Golden Tornado left no doubt on Friday they planned to earn it on the field. Butler bullied Allderdice from the outset of its matchup, building a 21-point first-quarter lead before blowing by the Dragons 35-8 at Cupples Stadium. The Golden Tornado (7-1) were led by quarterback Nicco Baggetta, who passed for 183 yards and threw two touchdown passes. Mark Klemz led Butler with 114 yards on 15 carries. Tre Turner scored the lone touchdown for Allderdice. What’s up with Westinghouse? Westinghouse’s streak of 21 consecutive wins in the City League came to a halt Friday night. University Prep was able to pick up a 20-14 win over the Bulldogs. Westinghouse have now lost consecutive games. Including the forfeit to Butler for using an ineligible player, the Bulldogs are now 5-3 on the season. Mckeesport's Kemon Spell goes off McKeesport standout Kemon Spell scored six touchdowns to help the Tigers gain control of first place in the Greater Allegheny Conference. Spell, who told MVI reporter Liam Belan after the game he isn’t 100 percent to Penn State anymore, piled up 420 yards of total offense in a 56-31 win over the Planets. Hopewell's Marcantonio attempts to get record back Hopewell kicker Rocco Marcantonio had an opportunity to try and get his WPIAL record for the longest field goal in WPIAL history back. Marcantonio’s attempt came up short, but the Vikings kicker has twice made a 55-yard attempt in his career. With Hopewell’s offense going off in a 48-20 win, the Vikings had plenty of cushion to give him a shot at a make. Fox Chapel's Harran Zureikat, a Georgia recruit, broke Marcantonio's record by making. a 57-yard field goal against Franklin Regional earlier this week. Don Barclay gets first conference win Things have been rough for Seneca Valley alum Don Barclay during his first season leading the Raiders program. But the Raiders showed some progress Friday night by beating Hempfield, 47-8. The Raiders (3-5, 1-3) halted a two-game losing skid with the win. Seneca Valley won’t get a chance to build on this win, as the Raiders will have to contend with Central Catholic and North Allegheny to close the season. Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on @J_oshRizzo 10/6/2025 0 Comments Western pennsylvania football games to watch for in week 7: USC-Bethel Park fight for allegheny 6 conference position, Butler seeks first winning season since 1997, mars readies for mckeesportThe Allegheny Six Conference is once again the most hotly-contested conference in the WPIAL’s Class 5A division. Bethel Park wants to make sure it doesn’t become the forgotten team in a tight race.
The Black Hawks were tripped up by Moon two weeks ago, but will have another tough test when it travels to Upper St. Clair (6-1, 1-1) on Friday. The Panthers also suffered a loss two weeks ago, dropping a closer game with Peters Township. Bethel Park (5-2, 1-1) has a balanced offense led by running back David Dennison, who has 990 yards on 144 carries. Quarterback Evan Devine has thrown for 17 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Devine has 1,403 passing yards. The Panthers also have an excellent quarterback under center. Ethan Hellman has thrown for 1,784 yards and 23 touchdown passes. Hellman has only been intercepted once. Bryce Jones (478 yards) and Nico D’Orazio (411) have 400 or more receiving yards for Upper St. Clair. This will be a good matchup. Butler attempts to end 30 years of suffering The Golden Tornado (5-2) made the move to become an independent program for the 2020 season. Since then, Butler, which had a brief two-year flirtation with District X, has gone 19-27 as an improvement. It’s a big improvement for the Golden Tornado, which were 6-42 in the five years preceding this stretch as a WPIAL program. The question is can Butler find that elusive sixth win? The Golden Tornado haven’t had a winning season since 1997 and will have three chances to put that stigma behind them. The first challenger will come this Friday in Allderdice from the City League. The Dragons (4-3) have had an up-and-down season. Allderdice beat Fox Chapel to open the season, lost to Hollisdaysburg and then ran off three consecutive wins against Perry, Uniontown and Brashear. The Dragons have struggled to get their offense moving against tough competition. Nassir Scott leads Allderdice with 308 rushing yards. Butler quarterback Nicco Baggetta leads the Golden Tornado with 939 passing yards and has thrown nine touchdown passes. Mark Klemz leads the team with 747 rushing yards. Butler beat Allderdice 7-0 last season and it could be the Golden Tornado’s best chance to break the streak. Butler wraps up the season against Wheeling Park (W.Va.) and Central Clarion. Mars readies for McKeesport The Planets have won six of their first seven games and are ready to try and spring an upset on the road against McKeesport, which is considered one of the favorites to win Class 4A. The Tigers (4-3, 2-0) have been inconsistent this year as Penn State recruit Kemon Spell has battled to stay on the field due to injuries. When Spell plays, he’s hard to take down. McKeesport struggled against West Mifflin last week, rallying to a 28-21 win on the road. Mars pounded West Mifflin 46-0 two weeks ago and beat Butler County rival Knoch last week. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.
New coach, new results for the Allderdice baseball team. The Dragons beat West Allegheny 11-8 Tuesday afternoon on at ome to pick up their first section win since 2019. Allderdice was led by Lukas Stead, who was 2 of 2 with 3 RBis, while Kingston Mangkoski had two hits.
Zack Shook had a team-high three hits. It was a nice bounce back for the Dragons, who lost the first game of their 2-0 Section 3-5A series 10-0 on Monday. Allderdice, which is now 2-1 on the season, is in a section along with Pine-Richland, West Allegheny, Shaler, Fox Chapel, Mars and New Castle. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] 3/4/2025 0 Comments Pittsburgh-area players help Fairmont State women's basketball win Mountain East Conference regular season crown
The Fairmont State women's basketball team earned the regular season crown in the Division II Mountain East Conference by finishing with a 24-4 record, including a 17-3 record in conference play. The Falcons have done so with two Pittsburgh-area players on their team.
Guard Alyssa DeAngelo, a Thomas Jefferson graduate, was named first-team All-MEC. She appeared in all 28 regular-season games for the Falcons this season. She averaged 14.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Taylor Allderdice graduate Zaniya Murray is also a guard for the Falcons. Murray averages 3.5 points per game and has made 27 appearances this season. Fairmont State is ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings. The top eight make the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons would like to win the MEC Conference Tournament to ensure a bid to the tournament. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas an be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo. 3/1/2025 0 Comments Allderdice Girls Basketball Wins Class 6A Subregional, Extends Winning Streak to 16 gamesEllen Guillard always has the desire to push the Allderdice girls basketball program forward. The Dragons took the next step in their development process when they beat Erie High School 64-48 to win the District 8/10 PIAA subregional championship. This is the first time Allderdice (20-5) has won the subregional to advance to the PIAA Tournament.
The Dragons, who have won 16 straight games and were the City League champions, will open up the state tournament against the WPIAL's third-place finisher, Canon-McMillan, on Friday. "It meant a lot to the program," Guillard said. "It was great to witness the girls play with confidence and their handywork that they put forth all season paid off." Bailey White led Allderdice with 23 points, while Peyton Lynch added 16. Seena Teshome also scored 10 points for Allderdice. The Dragons lost by 17 points in the subregional game last year. To try and halt Allderdice's struggles on the road, Guillard scheduled a game with Erie McDowell in early January. The Dragons won that game in overtime. Allderdice didn't need overtime this time around. The Dragons built a 16-8 lead by the end of the first quarter against the Royals. "We played really good defense and really played as a team on the road to secure a win," Guillard said. "Thankfully, we had the experience of playing Erie McDowell earlier this season. It prepped us for the long ride, the atmosphere and the refs." Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo.
Rashan Murray built his reputation as a standout defensive back with California (Pa.) University. The Obama Academy graduate recently announced that he will test himself at the next level after accepting an offer from Pitt. Murray was recently named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Squad List.
Murray helped the Vulcans win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title this season. Cal reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs before losing to Slippery Rock University. Murray, a junior, was named second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Don Hansen Football Committee. Murray was second in Division II with 18 passes defended and grabbed a team-high four interceptions. Murray also recorded 39 tackles and forced a fumble. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or to @J_oshrizzo on Twitter. Summit Academy sophomore Gavin Sunnafrank pins Riverview's Cole Brunn during the first period of their 172-pound championship match on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Penn Hills Holiday Tournament. It was the first time Sunnafrank had ever won a wrestling tournament. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges Gavin Sunnafrank always wanted to be more involved with wrestling. The Summit Academy sophomore has two brothers who wrestle and he believed he may enjoy the sport too. But outside of wrestling at the youth level, Sunnafrank hadn't been involved in the sport much. When Sunnafrank, an Erie native, landed with Summit Academy this fall, he chose to join the team and has found some success. After entering the Penn Hills Holiday Tournament with a 2-1 record, Sunnafrank significantly increased his win total during his run through the 172-pound weight division. Sunnafrank collected three pins and a techincal fall to win a tournament for the first time in his life. "I definitely need to work harder," said Sunnafrank, who is 6-2 on the season. "But this is a big boost for my confidence." Summit Academy was one of three schools, along with Highlands and Washington, to have more than one wrestler bring home a championship. The Golden Rams had an event-high seven winners, while the Little Prexies also had two champions. Summit Academy coach Arthur Stewart was proud of Sunnafrank's effort. During the champion match, Sunnafrank was taken down first by Riverview's Cole Brunn. Brunn was able to trap Sunnafrank on the edge of the mat going for a pin, but Sunnafrank worked his way out of bounds. "It's all heart," Stewart said. "No one can coach heart. I can't coach heart. He has heart." Sunnafrank defended another takedown attempt from Brunn before ending up on top. He was able to wrap up a pin 1 minute, 20 seconds into the first round. "I had to listen to my coach," Sunnafrank said. "I don't even remember to be honest. I was on bottom. I got up and got out of there." Sunnafrank collected four wins on the day. He pinned teammate Brent Toy in 1:19 in the first round before sticking Woodland Hill's Brendan Luptak in 1:51 to reach the semifinals. Stewart said he was proud of his team's overall effort. Rocco Zugai also won a championship at 127 pounds. Zugai is a much more experienced wrestler than Sunnafrank. Zugai had a 15-11 record last season at Yough. Sunnafrank said he wanted to make his dad and brothers proud. He wasn't sure if a championship was possible at the start of the tournament. "I was thinking if I was going to do good or not," Sunnafrank said. "It felt good to wrestle my hardest." Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Any story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo. Summit Academy's Rocco Zugai tilts McKeesport's Evan Morgan during the second period of their match on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 at the Penn Hills Holiday Tournament. Zugai, who wrestled at Yough last year, is off to an excellent start with the Knights. He won this tournament by technical fall, which was his second tournament win of the year. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges The Penn Hills Holiday Wrestling Tournament saw Highlands win the team event. The Golden Rams had the most champions with seven. Washington and Summit Academy also produced two winners. There will be more coverage later in the evening. Here's a look at the rest of the winners: 107 pounds: Javeon Chambers (Highlands)* 114: Daemon Phipps (Penn Hills) pinned Caleb Mcfarlane (Allderdice), 1:47 121: Noah Patton (Washington) p. Levin Dickson (Highlands), :38 127: Rocco Zugai (Summit Academy) technical fall Evan Morgan (McKeesport), 16-1 4:48 133: Burton Babinsack (Highlands) p. Javen Woods (Allderdice), 1:32 139: Aiden Burford (Highlands) p. Levi Smith (Penn Hills), 1:53 145: Elijah Elser (Brashear) p. Dylan Mains (South Allegheny), :52 152: Caleb Patton (Washington) injury default Darnell Jackson (Penn Hills), 4:40 160: Kyren Vesaley (Highlands) injury default Alex Wylly (Riverview) 172: Gavin Sunnafrank (Summit Academy) p. Cole Brunn (Riverview), 1:20 189: Jayden Calhoun (Highlands) p. Tom Paternoster (Allderdice), :59 215: Joshua Battocchi (Highlands) p. Quentin Ainsco-Brevvard (Woodland Hills), 1:01 285: Caden Dadowski (Highlands) p. Kar'zell Daugherty (Washington), 1:30 *No tournament held, Chambers was winner of five-wrestler round robin |
AuthorMy name is Josh Rizzo, I am a sports writer who has worked for a variety of print and online media publications since 2008. I specialize in community journalism, focusing on regular people who happen to play sports. Archives
February 2026
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