Shaler senior Paige Querio didn’t start out playing flag football with any aspirations beyond seeing if she liked the sport or not. The Titans senior started as a defensive player before moving on to playing quarterback.

Querio, who also plays soccer, recently committed to play flag football at Mercyhurst University. The Lakers will play their inaugural season this spring. In December, Mercyhurst announced it will compete in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and the National Collegiate Flag Football League.

The ECAC is the largest women’s flag football league in the country and received a $1 million grant from the New York Jets through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation and Jets Chairman Woody Johnson.

Shaler flag football coach Robby Heinrich said Lakers coach Zack Helsley attended a lot of the Titans’ games last season.

“She really lit the league on fire last year,” Heinrich said. “She took ahold of the team and got better as the season progressed.”

Shaler reached the semifinals of the fourth annual high school flag football championship. The Titans lost to eventual champion Upper St. Clair, 26-6.

Querio’s passing helped Shaler earn the top seed.

“What made her stand out was how quickly she grasped playing quarterback,” Heinrich said. “When you haven’t played quarterback before, it’s hard to read coverage and find an open receiver. She’s getting better at looking players off and finding the open receiver downfield. The way the game’s been played, deception is huge. You need to be a magician in the backfield and be able to throw the ball downfield.”

Just missed

The Shaler girls basketball team did its best to keep things together after losing Reese Smetanka, a junior guard who averages 17.5 points per game, but fell just short of returning to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

The Titans, who lost six of their last seven to close the season, were eliminated when Franklin Regional’s Chloe Pucka made a jumper with 3.4 seconds remaining in their Feb. 5 meeting in Murrysville.

Shaler finished 11-11 overall and 6-6 in section. The Titans finished one game behind the Panthers for the final playoff spot.

Landing spot for London

Shaler graduate Brandon London chose to stick with Saint Francis as it played its final season in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The Shaler graduate chose to commit to Division II Frostburg (Md.) State to continue his career after entering the transfer portal.

Frostburg State plays in the Mountain East Conference for football. London caught three passes and scored two touchdowns for the Red Flashes last season.

The 6-foot-3 tight end caught a career-long 50-yard pass for a score against Stonehill on Nov. 22.