In 1965, the Arnold baseball team played David to a slew of Goliaths in winning the WPIAL championship.
Twenty years later, Deer Lakes conquered its own giant on the way to capturing a state girls basketball title – a feat that still hasn’t been replicated by an Alle-Kiski Valley school.
Members of the 1985 Lancers and ’65 Lions will be honored for their memorable seasons at the A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 55th induction banquet May 16 at Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar.
1965 Arnold baseball
The WPIAL didn’t have any enrollment classifications in baseball in 1965. As a result, the Lions played many larger schools, including section foes New Ken, Har-Brack and Springdale.
“We might have been the smallest school in the WPIAL at that time,” said John Mazur, catcher on the Arnold team. “Being that young, I don’t think we thought about playing against larger schools. We just went out and played. We had a good group of athletes, and (Jim) Marino was a great coach who always had us prepared.”
When asked what made the Lions special, Mazur didn’t hesitate.
“Pitching and defense,” he said. “On offense, we didn’t score a lot of runs. If you keep it close, you have a chance to win. Coach Marino liked to play small ball, advancing runners, and we got some key hits.”
Behind a pitching staff featuring Jim Fantuzzo, Chuckie Johnson, Joe Unites and Tony Silvestrin, Arnold posted a 9-1 record while allowing only nine runs in section play.
“Every game was critical. There was no margin for error,” said Mazur, who was a long-time teacher and coach at Valley.
Back then, the WPIAL only allowed section winners into the postseason. Arnold qualified in a big way, with Unites tossing a no-hitter against Har-Brack in a 3-0 victory.
“The last game against Har-Brack was do-or-die, and Joe pitched a no-hitter,” the 78-year-old Mazur said.
In the playoffs, the Lions rattled off victories over bigger schools Greensburg (3-2), Gateway (3-1) and North Hills (8-0). That set up a showdown against Beaver Falls in the WPIAL title game at Forbes Field.
Arnold was considered a heavy underdog against the Tigers and star pitcher Jim Suskiewicz.
“He was a big left-hander, about 6-foot-2, who averaged 14 strikeouts per game,” Mazur said.
After staking Suskiewicz to a 1-0 lead, Beaver Falls had another runner in scoring position early in the game.
“There was a base hit to center and Alan Baroni threw the guy out at home,” Mazur said. “It was a one-hop throw to me and I tagged out the runner. It was a bang-bang play. That really picked us up.”
Arnold erupted for five runs in the third inning, then knocked Suskiewicz out of the game on the way to a resounding 11-1 victory.
“We just played basic baseball,” Mazur said. “We put down some bunts, stole some bases and got some key hits. It was a great experience playing at Forbes Field.”
Fantuzzo earned the victory in the final. Johnson had two RBIs each in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final game.
Besides Mazur, the Lions starting lineup included first baseman Chester Napierkowski, second baseman Johnson, shortstop Fantuzzo, third baseman Danny Coyle and outfielders Dan Barbiaux, Baroni and Unites. Depending on the pitcher, John Ciciarelli played second or short and Johnson moved to right.
Napierkowski, who coached football at Burrell for many years, nominated the Arnold baseball squad for A-K Hall consideration and was instrumental in contacting team members for the banquet. Unfortunately, he died March 21.
“Chester and I worked together to reach everyone that we could,” said Mazur, who lives in Monroeville. “We were best friends growing up since the seventh grade.”
1985 Deer Lakes girls basketball
With a wealth of experience, the Lancers had great expectations for the 1984-85 season.
The Deer Lakes lineup featured four seniors: guards Terri Gizienski and Missy Overly, forward Erica Goodrich and center Kathy Savoy. Shawn Rearick started at forward, while fellow junior Valerie Chauvin shared time at center.
“Our four seniors were very mature and intelligent,” said Don Favero, who coached the Lancers. “They kept everyone in line.”
During the preseason, Favero and assistant coach K.C. Ladish installed a defensive scheme passed along by Pitt men’s basketball coach Roy Chipman at a summer camp.
When the games commenced, the Lancers used a swarming defense and a balanced scoring attack to overwhelm their first nine opponents.
But two-time defending state champion and section rival North Catholic proved to be Deer Lakes’ match, and then some.
The Trojanettes handed the Lancers their first loss in dominating fashion, 79-56.
In the rematch about a month later, Favero instructed his team to slow the tempo. While effective, the Trojanettes pulled out a 14-6 victory.
“After the second game, I told the girls that if we played again, we’d beat them,” the 79-year-old Favero said.
Deer Lakes bounced back to win its final two regular-season games, then eliminated Swissvale and Carlynton in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. That provided the Lancers with a third crack at North Catholic in the final at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House.
Trailing by two at halftime, the Lancers turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Trojanettes scoreless while taking a 10-point lead after three quarters. Deer Lakes then weathered a North comeback to score a stunning 42-32 victory.
Rearick scored 11 points and Goodrich added 10 to lead the Lancers to WPIAL gold.
In the state playoffs, Deer Lakes knocked off Franklin, Turtle Creek and Sharon to reach the western final. When Bishop Guilfoyle beat North Catholic, the Lancers avoided a fourth matchup with the Trojanettes.
Against Guilfoyle, the Lancers rallied in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. They outscored the Marauders 8-3 in the extra session to secure a 55-50 victory and a spot against Palmyra in the state final in Hershey.
Palmyra boasted Division I recruits at point guard and center. The Cougars built a 17-point lead over the Lancers at halftime.
“We were ice cold in the first half,” Favero said. “We couldn’t get our press going because we weren’t making any shots.”
In the locker room, Favero pulled aside Gizienski and challenged his star point guard to up her play in the second half.
“She totally turned around the game,” Favero said. “Everyone bought into her energy and fight. The other seniors fought hard and we played a tremendous second half.”
Deer Lakes cut the deficit to five entering the fourth quarter. The Lancers finally tied the score at 43 in the final minutes.
Gizienski then grabbed Palmyra’s 23rd turnover of the game. She pushed the ball upcourt, dishing to Rearick for the winning basket with nine seconds remaining.
Rearick and Gizienski led the Lancers with 11 points apiece in the 45-43 victory. Goodrich and Suvoy each pulled down seven rebounds.
“I’ll be forever grateful to the girls on that team,” said Favero, a retired teacher and administrator who led teams to the WPIAL playoffs in four classifications over a 35-year coaching career. “At the time, I told them to not let this championship be the most important thing they do in life. Terri became a doctor. They all had that type of maturity.”
Deer Lakes finished the season with a 25-2 record. Forty years later, the Lancers remain the only A-K Valley team to capture a state girls basketball championship.
“There’s a lot of talk about public versus private schools these days,” Favero said. “We would never have won the state title without North Catholic being in our section. They made us better.”