Beaver senior Connor Shallcross had never played in the WPIAL singles tournament prior to this season.
Last year was the first time Shallcross played singles for the Bobcats, and being the No. 3 player, he did not compete in the section singles tournament.
But this season, Shallcross was not only Beaver’s No. 1 player, but also the No. 1 player in Class AA Section 2.
Ryan Riordan's feature on Beaver tennis:
"Prior to his freshman season, Beaver Area's Connor Shallcross had never played competitive tennis.
Now a senior, Shallcross is a seasoned veteran ... and a section singles champion.
Shallcross defeated defending section champion Clint Davies of Blackhawk, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, to win the Class AA Section 2 singles title last week.
Shallcross then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class AA singles tournament Monday before losing to Vincentian's Derek Chen, 10-5.
"I'm happy to have made it as far as I have in my senior year," Shallcross said."
Cara De Carlo's feature on Beaver Area's Ruthe Neeley:
"Beaver Area's Ruthe Neeley may only be a sophomore, but she already has earned plenty of respect as a varsity athlete.
Last May at the WPIAL track & field championships, Neeley helped Beaver Area win the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 4:01.94.
Individually, she placed fourth in the 400-meter dash and qualified for a PIAA berth with a time of 59.98 seconds. In the 100-meter dash, Neeley was sixth (12.96). Her sprinting skills also aided Beaver Area in achieving fifth place in the 400-meter relay.
Beaver Area's mile relay ended up taking third place at states, and Neeley placed fourth in the 400-meter dash (57.89). She recalled what it was like to be a freshman at the PIAA championships."
Name: Austin Ross
High School: Beaver Area
Grade: 12
Sport: Baseball
athlete