Golden moments highlighted 2022 county sports year
While Mars’ historic run to the PIAA boys lacrosse championship was selected as the Butler County Sports Story of the Year by the Eagle sports staff, it has plenty of company.
Here is a look at the rest of the top 15 county sports stories of the year, by vote of our sports staff:
No. 2: Butler boys track season. The Golden Tornado followed up its state indoor championship with the outdoor state crown, becoming only the third program in 60 years to claim both titles in the same year. C.J. Singleton won the state championship in the 3,200 meters and the Golden Tornado won eight WPIAL gold medals.
No. 3: David Bednar pitches in All-Star Game. The Mars graduate continued to raise his stock as a major leaguer, becoming the Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer and leading the team with 19 saves. He also represented his team in the All-Star Game, pitching a scoreless ninth inning at the Mid-Summer Classic in Dodger Stadium.
No. 4: Butler football wins court case. The Golden Tornado won out in a year-long battle with the WPIAL and PIAA to become eligible to compete in the District 10 playoffs. The PIAA ruled in January Butler could not compete in the D-10 playoffs even if it qualified. Butler got the ruling overturned in court a day before its playoff game with McDowell in Erie, then won again after that court decision was appealed by the PIAA.
No. 5: Seneca Valley softball. The Raiders, led by slugging pitcher Lexie Hames and hitting sensation Maddie Gross, won the WPIAL 6A championship and advanced all the way to the state championship game before losing to Spring-Ford. Seneca Valley was 5-6 before reeling off 11 straight wins to reach the state final.
No. 6: Seneca Valley boys swimming. The Raiders won their first WPIAL swimming/diving championship in 47 years, then went on to claim the state crown as well. Daniel Simoes in the 100-yard freestyle, Haihan Xu in the breaststroke, won WPIAL titles, as, as did SV’s 400 freestyle relay team of Kevin Donaldson, Gavin Blazer, Zach Lozowski and Simoes.
No. 7: Freeport volleyball. The Yellowjackets completed a stellar season by defeating York Catholic in straight sets — 25-21, 25-15 and 25-18 — to win the PIAA Class 2A championship. The Knights finished the season 23-2, also winning the WPIAL crown.
No. 8: Seneca Valley boys soccer. Closing the books on a tremendous sports year for the school, the Raiders bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Pine-Richland in the WPIAL 4A championship game to pick up the state title. SV soundly defeated Lower Merion, 6-0, in the PIAA championship game. Cole Kamarec scored the first two goals in the title contest.
No. 9. Knoch girls basketball. It was a season of firsts for the Knights, including their first section title in 50 years. Knoch also reached the WPIAL title game for the first time, hosted and won a state tournament game for the first time as well.
No. 10: 2,000 for Devin Carney. Butler’s senior guard joined former teammate Ethan Morton as the only two Golden Tornado boys basketball players to score 2,000 points in high school. Carney later accepted a basketball scholarship to Duquesne University.
No. 11: Drew Griffith. After winning the WPIAL cross country title, the Butler junior finished second in the PIAA Championship. He went on to win the Northeast regional race and placed eighth at the national championship race in San Diego, becoming the first Butler cross country runner to ever reach nationals.
No. 12: Knoch girls tennis. The Knights won the WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A championships, the latter in suspenseful fashion. Ally Bauer, a senior, had to win her singles match in the state semifinals to land a spot in the PIAA final for her team. She did so with a 2-1 victory against Lower Moreland’s Rebecca Kideckel, giving the Knights a 3-2 victory. Knoch then defeated Sewickley Academy, 4-1, in the finals.
No. 13: Jacob Wolak. Slippery Rock High School’s senior golfer placed second in the District 10 championship tournament, becoming the first golfer in the 57-year history of the Rockets’ program to qualify for the state meet four times. Wolak placed second at the state tourney.
No. 14: Prominent passings. Three notable Butler County sports figures passed away in 2022. Legendary Butler football coach Art Bernardi, Butler County Community College athletic founder and longtime athletic director Chuck Dunaway, and Slippery Rock University women’s basketball coach Bobby McGraw lost their lives.
No. 15 (tie): Butler 4x400 relay. The Golden Tornado quartet of Guinness Brown, Brayden Young, Ryder Kriley and Lucas Slear ran a time of 3 minutes, 18.43 seconds, snapping a 53-year-old school record originally set by Tom Paserba, Chick Maffei, Ted Bobby and Frank Hilovsky, who ran a 3:19.18 on a cinder track.
No. 15 (tie): Scott Stoner’s 400th career win. The Butler wrestling coach realized that milestone in 2022 and is still going. Now in his 30th season at the helm, Stoner is the winningest active WPIAL wrestling coach.
