Spring Sports Articles

Girls Softball

Coached by Rich Sensenig, the softball team includes one senior, Elyssa Sellers. Some key players include Gabby Leone and Brooke Angstadt, who were named to the All Division 3 Team last season. Ella Martin made Division 3 Honorable Mention. One of the goals is to have the team produce wins and have a winning season. A team strength is that they have smart, aggressive batters. They have said that theirthere hittershitteres are strong and they have some solid hitters throughout the lineup, and the defensive plays are a strong part of the game behind their pitching staff. The goal for the team this season is to head to the playoffs. 

1. How was your high school softball career up to this point?

Ella- My high school softball career has been a fun experience. I enjoy learning more about the team each year and forming bonds with people I was never able to have a relationship with before. 

Elyssa-

Brooke- My softball career in high school has been an amazing experience! I have loved to see our progression through the years so far, and I am excited to see what’s to come! I have met so many amazing people, and they are some of my best friends! At every practice and game, we bring intensity and 110% to them.

2. What is your goal and the team's goal heading into the season?

Ella- A personal goal I have is to make sure I am always there to support my teammates during both games and practices. A goal for the team is to have another winning record season and compete well in the playoffs with hopes of advancing past the first round.

Elyssa-

Brooke- A goal I have is to help the team the best I can. Whether that is being a leader, making defensive plays, etc. I always want to be there for my teammates and also cheer them on when they accomplish certain goals set. Also, of course, a goal for the team this year is to make it to the playoffs this year, and make it far!

3. What are your team’s strengths?

Ella- The team has an overall strong defense with strong arms throughout the field. Offensively, the team has aggressive batters who put the ball into play.

Elyssa-

Brooke- One of our best team strengths is our defensive plays. We have a very strong defense and work together well in the field supporting our pitchers. With batting, we have many strong hitters, and we have smart, fast baserunners.

UnderClassmen Spotlight

Name: Leigha DeLong

Grade: 10

Position: 1st and P

Years of Experience: 9

Other Activities/ Clubs: Velocity Softball Team

Personal Goals this season: Hit a homerun.

Favorite part about the sport: Getting to know the girls more.

The Schuylkill Valley Boys Baseball team, coached by Mr. Grim, includes 5  seniors: Austin Gilmer, Tristan Goda, Derek Grim, Chase Keller, and Wisten Ramos.  Last year, the team went 6-13 overall and they’re determined to make a comeback this season by having a winning record. The seniors all agreed that their main goal is to win their division. Derek Grim believes that the team's strengths are their fielding ability and experience of having a majority of upperclassmen. Senior Chase Keller says the team's weakness is the absence of trust that they have in each other. The seniors all said they prepared as a team for the season by putting in work in the off-season, which laid the foundation for this season's success. Good luck, boys! 

Underclassman highlight 

Name: Rowan Gilmer 

Position: Pitcher and Infielder 

Years of experience: 11

Other Activities/Clubs: Golf, Basketball, and PYEA

Personal goals: Make an impact and play varsity 

Favorite part about the sport: Bonding with the team

Number of seniors: (5) Asher Clery, Julian Dorleus, Xavier Dorleus, Jacob Raifsnider, Tanner Staus, Josiah Sterner, Nate Wickersham.

Interviewing: Jake, Asher, and Nate

Coach: 

• Head: Mr. Heffner

• Assistant: Mr. Drake

• Assistant: Mr. Emerson

Expectations: The team went 9-9 with qualifications to Counties and Districts. They had first-round exits but performed strongly until their season ended. This year, they aspire to make a strong comeback and advance even further into their playoff season. 

Previous records/playoffs: 9-9 / county and district qualifier. 

Counties: Lost against Exeter (0-3)

Districts: Lost against Berks Catholic (0-3)

Key players: Division 2 honorable mention: Alec Vitalo. 

Jake Interview Q&A: 

What games are you looking forward to? Jake is looking forward to his game against Brandywine, since he considers them their hardest rivals. The two teams have been known to go back and forth between sets, making them a challenge to overtake. 

What are your team's strengths? The offense is considered a team strength this year due to the hard hitters they have at the net. 

Nate Wickersham Q&A: 

What are your team's goals this season? The recurring goal this season is to win against Brandywine Heights during the season and postseason.

How did your team prepare? They had a lot of open gyms beforehand, and they had some people play club beforehand. They also had players do recreational leagues with their church and many other practices.

Asher Clery Q&A: 

What are the things your team could improve on this season? He said they can be better at picking each other up after tough losses and better at building more chemistry within the team.

What is your personal motivation for the year ahead? It is senior year and am looking for a successful last year playing volleyball.

The Schuylkill Valley Boys Volleyball team had an active 2024-2025 season with a range of grade talents. The team is coached by Mr. Heffner, with assistant coaches being Mr. Drake and Mr. Emerson. The team went 9-9 with qualifications to Counties and Districts. At the county playoffs, they had a tough loss against Exeter, going 0-3. During the district round-one playoffs, they also had a first-round exit against Berks Catholic.  Even with first-round exits, the Panthers performed strongly until their season ended. This year, they aspire to make a strong comeback and advance even further into their playoff season. Key players highlighted in their past season include Cooper Hohenadel and Caden Thompson receiving the All-Division 2 team. Josh Hill and Alec Vitalo also received the Division 2 Honorable Mention. Going into their spring 2026 season, the team is led by seniors Asher Clery, Julian Dorleus, Xavier Dorleus, Jake Reifsnyder, Tanner Staus, Josiah Sterner, and Nathan Wickersham. Reifsnyder  states that their team's strength has been offense due to their hard hitters at the net. He also exclaims that they are looking forward to their match against Brandywine, as he considers them their hardest rivals. The two teams have been known to go back and forth between sets, making Brandywine a challenge to overtake. Nathan Wickersham also explains that the team's goal this season will be to defeat Brandywine Heights in pre- and post-season games. Nathan also highlighted the hard work the team has been doing to prepare for their season. He states that multiple athletes have been attending open gyms, club teams, and recreational leagues for preseason training and preparation. Asher Clery expresses his optimism of being successful during his last year of high school volleyball. Clery further stated the team is committed to supporting one another after tough losses while continuing to strengthen their chemistry. All in all, the team expects to perform great this season.

Underclassman Spotlight: 

Name: Alec Vitalo

Grade: 11

Position: Outside hitter

Year of experience: Coming onto three years

Other activities/clubs: Soccer in the fall

Personal goals this season: Get offers this season

Favorite part about the sport: Being surrounded by good people willing to grow with each other, and the complexity of the sport.

Alec Vitalo, a junior outside hitter, is highlighted as this year’s underclassman spotlight. Vitalo is entering his third year playing volleyball and has already made an impact on the team, earning Division 2 Honorable Mention last season. Outside of volleyball, he also participates in soccer during the fall. When discussing his goals for the upcoming season, Alec shared that he hopes to earn college offers while continuing to develop his skills on the court. He explained that one of his favorite parts of volleyball is the environment created by his teammates, noting that being surrounded by people who are willing to grow together makes the sport even more enjoyable. The outside hitter also appreciated the complexity of volleyball as a part of the sport he enjoys, saying it makes the sport equally challenging and rewarding.

Girls Track

By: Charlotte Maisie Engleman

The girls’ track team has two head coaches, Allyson McKechnie and Terry McKechnie, and assistant coaches include Mrs. Cammauf and Mr. Reinert.  The team is led by eight seniors: Isabel Consugar, Lillian Emerson, Amelia Falsone, Aliah Fox, Mackenna Holben, Eve Kalinowski, Julia Lassandro, and Keira Stork. When asked how they prepared for this season, Keira Stork said: “I prepared for this season by attending private hurdling/strength sessions multiple times a week following the end of field hockey season and regularly competing at meets throughout the winter during indoor track.” Lillian Emerson stated, “I think one of our team’s strengths is how hard-working we are. Everyone I can think of on the team is incredibly talented and motivated to succeed in their individual events, and they put in the work to show for it. Also, the team environment is very supportive, even during practice when a certain group is doing a hard workout on the track, others will cheer them on and shout words of encouragement.” On the question of “what do you think that you and your team could improve on”, Isabel Consugar said that “I think our team could benefit from complaining less. It’s not too bad so far because the season just started, but once we get into the meets every Tuesday and Saturday, the complaining tends to ramp up, which gets in the way of productivity.” The girls’ track team looks like they have a lot of potential for this upcoming season. We wish you the best of luck!

Underclassman spotlight:

Name: Darasimi Janet Adeyemi

Grade: 11

Position: Thrower(discus and shot put)

Years of experience: 3ish years

Other activities/clubs: Boxing

Your personal goals this season: 130ft in discus and 40ft in shotput

Your favorite part of your sport: Making new friends, hanging out with old friends, and door dashing random food to invitationals. I also love that even though I go through some ups and downs distance-wise, I learn that everything happens for a reason, and putting in the work helps me grow. 

The boy’s tennis team has grown in numbers this year, with many returning players. Brian Miller coaches the team and aims to improve both the team's record and individual performance. The team has two seniors this year, Oliver Messner and Tristan Waruszewski. Tristan said that they prepared for the season by “working on stamina and conditioning,” so we know they will be well prepared for matches. Oliver followed by saying that his goals for this season are “to make districts and compete in districts”. These boys are hoping to make a run at districts, with Tristan, Oliver, and Casey leading the team. Casey Reifsnyder, a Junior, said that he's really looking forward to playing Reading, because “we get to play under the lights”. These boys are looking strong this year, and we are hoping they can have a good season.

UnderClassman Spotlight: 

Name: Logan Henne

Grade: 9th

Years of experience:  8 Years

Other Activities/ Clubs: Mt bike club

Personal goals this season: Make the top 3

Favorite part about the sport: Playing in matches

Senior Names Schuylkill Valley Girls High School Lacrosse Spring 2025-2026 Team Roster

Lainy Crespo

Addison Kehres

Giana Kaylor

Katlin Kier 

Olivia Webb

Grace Wysocki

Coach: 

Robie Newpher 

Expectations: 

With a previous record being 7-8, the girls' team is looking for a winning season this year. 

Previous records/Playoffs: Last year, the girls lacrosse team was 7-8; they did not make the playoffs.

Key Player 

Returning All-Conference 2nd team is Giana Kaylor 

Girls Lacrosse

                                  Coached by the Newphers, the girls' lacrosse team contains seniors Lainey Crespo, Addison Kehres, Giana Kaylor, Katlin Kier, Olivia Webb, and Grace Wysocki. The last couple of seasons have fulfilled memories for all six seniors. With their previous record of 7-8, the girls' lacrosse team is striving this season for a winning record. They are motivated and confident to make a statement this year. Addison Kehres says another goal of the team this season is to “continue making our team bond stronger, and motivating others to play. The girls haven’t been taking preseason light, training full body workouts, and conditioning, even in the rain.  With games around the corner, Giana Kaylor was asked what games she was looking forward to the most, “Senior night and playing BC, which is always a good game for us.” Lainy Crespo was asked what the girls' lacrosse team is looking to improve on tactically, “This year we could improve on timing offense, defense, and definitely field awareness"awarness” The Girls Lacrosse Team is wished the very best of luck for the 2025/2026 season, with hopes for a successful season filled with dedication and hard work.

Underclassman Spotlight

Name: Elie Kehres

Grade: 10th

Position: midfield 

Years of experience: 5years

Other clubs/activities: Roar travel team, pyea, soda, mental health, student council

Personal goals this season: accomplish more, draw control, not get in her head and do her best to improve

Favorite part about this sport: Playing with her friends and being able to play with confidence. 

Boys Lacrosse

By: Ella Martin ‘27 & Delaney Angove ‘27

Coached by Josh Pokrywa, the SV Panthers Lacrosse team is aiming high this season. They face strong opposition but remain eager to work as a team. They are ready to work hard. Dedication, hard work, and fun are expected from this team. Seniors Kameron Boyer, Joshua Gigliotti, Nickolas Moyer, Alejandro Rubinos, and Peyton Woods are stepping up as leaders of the team. Some may ask, what are the things this team could improve on? Alejandro Rubinos has answered, “Other than the fundamentals, we need team bonding. Our team is freshmen and seniors, a very big age difference, so we don’t all share common opinions;  we need to learn to be one big-minded team.” In the upcoming season, which game is going to be the most challenging for the team? Nickolas Moyer answered, “The most challenging game in the upcoming season will be Twin Valley; they are a very talented team.” Kameron Boyer was asked how the team has begun to prepare in the offseason. “We participated in a winter league in the offseason that helped our team work together and start building a strong team.” Overall, this team is looking forward to a great season. 

Underclassman Spotlight:

Name: Landen Steinke

Grade: Freshman

Position: Midfielder

Years of experience: 5 years

Other activities or clubs: Soccer

Personal goals: Win some games

Favorite part of the sport: Being able to play