The Times' Top 30 Performances of the 2021-22 high school sports season: 30-21

This week, the Beaver County Times' sports staff will rank the top 30 performances of the 2021-22 high school sports season. From gutsy championship efforts to individual milestones, the athletes in the Beaver Valley kept us busy all year. Now, we reflect on which performances stood out the most. Our list starts with numbers 30 through 21.

30. Freedom Area's Renae Mohrbacher nets four goals in WPIAL Class 1A consolation match

Just a few days removed from a hat-trick in a painful WPIAL Class 1A semifinals loss to Greensburg Central Catholic, Freedom Area senior Renae Mohrbacher took her game to the next level in the consolation match against Springdale at North Allegheny High School. With a berth in the state playoffs on the line, Mohrbacher poured in four goals in a dominant 6-0 win to send the Bulldogs to the PIAA playoffs. Once in the PIAA playoffs, Freedom defeated District 5 champion Windber, 4-2, before then again falling to Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals.

MORE: Ambridge boys, Freedom girls advance to PIAA postseason

29. Rochester's Corynne Hauser scores career-high 44 points in win over Ambridge

Throughout her illustrious career at Rochester, star guard Corynne Hauser had some great individual performances. None can top her performance against Ambridge Area in a 57-38 win for the Rams in the regular season. That night, The Times' 2022 Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, who was also the WPIAL’s leading scorer this past season at 25 points per game, poured in a career-high 44 points to pace the Rams' attack offensively. Hauser did all that against Ambridge Area just six days removed from suffering a significant knee injury against Bishop Canevin. The 44-point output helped play a part in the Rochester star finishing her career as the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,718 points — a mark that’s only nine points shy of Sherry Hogue’s first-place spot (set in 2001).

MORE: The Times' 2022 Girls' Basketball Player of the Year Corynne Hauser is never satisfied

28. Alena Fusetti hits eight 3-pointers to send Blackhawk to WPIAL Class 4A title game

Six words uttered to head coach Steve Lodovico by sophomore guard Alena Fusetti foretold exactly what was coming from the Blackhawk sharpshooter in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinal matchup against Elizabeth Forward. "Coach, I’m going to dominate tonight." Those six words were two less than the number of 3-pointers (eight) the sophomore drilled against Elizabeth Forward, scoring a career-high 28 points in the process, sending Blackhawk to the WPIAL Class 4A championship game with a 76-53 win — marking the first time the Cougars reached the championship game since 2017. “My mindset was just to go out and dominate,” said Fusetti, whose eight 3-pointers tied a Blackhawk school record for most 3-pointers made in a game, a mark set by former Cougars stars Mackenzie Amalia (2020) and Chassidy Omogrosso (2015). “... (Lodovico told us), ‘You should have no nerves, no butterflies.’” Safe to say she didn't have any butterflies, and instead made Warriors defenders dizzy with the display she put out on the court.

MORE: Fusetti's career night helps Blackhawk return to WPIAL title game for first time since 2017

27. OLSH's Iseia Fields-Schultz rises to the occasion in WPIAL playoffs, strikes out 15 in one-hitter win

The stage in the WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinal matchup against West Greene wasn't too big for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart first-year varsity pitcher Iseia Fields-Schultz. In fact, the stage looked a bit too easy for him. That day against West Greene, Fields-Schultz had a, well, field-day on the mound for the Chargers, striking out 15 hitters in a one-hit, complete-game 6-0 win. Though he was nervous in the first few innings, the freshman settled in for the dominant start on the mound. “I feel like I’m pretty good with pressure,” Fields-Schulz said. “I know there was a lot of pressure on me. I feel like that helped me do well in this game.”

MORE: OLSH rookie Fields-Schulz shines in big game, leads team to WPIAL playoff quarterfinal win

26. Wyatt Ringer runs roughshod over Chartiers Valley in Beaver Area's 35-28 overtime win

When members of the Beaver Area football team look back on the 2021 season, one of the first games that will come to mind is the thrilling win over Chartiers Valley in overtime on Pat Tarquinio Field at Gypsy Glen Stadium in Beaver. That night, quarterback Wyatt Ringer had a performance of a lifetime in the Bobcats' old-school offense. Ringer, a running back in 2020 before switching to quarterback, carried the football 48 times against the Mustangs, gaining 164 yards while scoring four touchdowns. Not to be outdone in his performance on the ground, Ringer added 94 yards passing and one score on 3-of-5 throws in the thrilling victory, which saw the Bobcats' defense record a goal-line stand in overtime to give Beaver Area a pivotal win in a huge Class 4A Parkway Conference tilt.

MORE: Friday night Beaver County football highlights, Week 7

25. Quaker Valley's Justin Richey wins 100th career match, claims first-ever WPIAL Class 2A wrestling championship

It was a special senior season for Quaker Valley's Justin Richey on the mat for the powerhouse Quakers' program. Just days removed from helping the Quakers shock the WPIAL with a stunning win by fall over Burrell's Stephen Hasson in 37 seconds, ending a 15-year run by the Buccaneers, Richey headed to Canon-McMillan High School for the WPIAL individual wrestling tournament. Building off of his historic win on the mat, Richey rolled through the WPIAL Class 2A bracket at 152 pounds. Richey claimed his first-ever WPIAL Class 2A individual championship in the 152-pound weight class with a thrilling two-point reversal late in sudden victory, pulling out a 3-2 win over Bethlehem Center's Tyler Berish to stand alone on top of the championship podium. Richey's individual championship came on the same day the Quaker Valley standout recorded his 100th career win, defeating Avonworth's Joey Boughton in the semifinals in a 9-3 decision.

MORE: Richey brothers bring Quaker Valley wrestling full circle

24. Jake Gardinier has career night in PIAA Class 4A second-round win over Belle Vernon

Throughout the 2021-22 season on the hardwood, the names Adou Thiero and Markus Frank were synonymous with the Quaker Valley boys' basketball program. For one night, though, senior guard Jack Gardinier made sure his name stood above the rest. Taking on Belle Vernon in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs, Gardiner recorded a career-high 36 points, leading the Quakers to a 86-75 win over the Leopards — allowing the program to punch its ticket to the PIAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. “I went four years kind of just playing my role and staying in the shadows,” Gardinier said. “To come out and score 36 in a state playoff game, it was an awesome feeling. It’s something I won’t forget.”

MORE: Gardinier's career night sends Quaker Valley to PIAA quarterfinals for first time since 2018

23. Moon Area sophomore Serayah Leech stops pair of shots in PKs, sending Tigers to WPIAL championship game

With a berth in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game on the line and a shooter from Peters Township awaiting her opportunity in penalty kicks of the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals, Moon Area sophomore goalkeeper Serayah Leech couldn't hide her smile. She gave the Tigers something to truly smile about shortly after flashing her pearly whites in the pressure-packed situation. The sophomore came up with a huge stop on the final shot of the night — her second save in PKs — sending Moon Area to Highmark Stadium for the WPIAL Class 4A championship game. Leech's heroics in PKs came after a thrilling pair of saves in a pair of overtime periods that kept the Tigers alive under head coach Bill Pfeiffer. "The whole time, I just kept reminding myself that I just had to do my job," Leech said. "I knew my defense had my back in overtime; I knew we'd score on most of our penalty kicks. I just had to do my part."

MORE: Clutch saves from Leech lead Moon girls soccer to WPIAL Championship game

22. Moon Area's Jacob Puhalla dominates at WPIAL Class 3A Track & Field Championships

One year after winning the WPIAL Class 3A title in the 1600-meter run, Moon Area junior Jacob Puhalla came back to defend his gold medal. He did that and then some, setting a new WPIAL record with a time of 1:51.49, shattering the previous record set in 2015. Along with his dominant performance in the 1600 meter, Puhalla also won gold in a thrilling 800-meter sprint for his second WPIAL Class 3A title, finishing with a WPIAL record time of 1:51.49 to come out on top over Butler standout and Notre Dame commit C.J. Singleton. Two gold medals, two WPIAL records...not a bad haul for the junior.

MORE: Boys' Track & Field WPIAL Championship roundup: Big finishes bring gold to Beaver Valley

21. OLSH's Jake DiMichele scores 51 points in win over Shady Side, honoring "Big Al"

One day after the Our Lady of Sacred Heart's boys' basketball team made history by winning its 53rd consecutive game with a victory over South Side — marking the most wins in a row by a WPIAL team ever — senior standout Jake DiMichele made history of another fashion. DiMichele poured in 51 points in a win over Shady Side Academy on Day 1 of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame Classic at Montour High School on January 29, honoring the life of Al Magnelli Sr., a member of the Chargers’ community who died in January from injuries he suffered in a December car accident and breaking a PBC Hall of Fame Classic record. Magnelli Sr., called "Big Al" by many who knew him, was the father of Al Magnelli Jr., a senior on OLSH’s basketball and football teams. The elder Magnelli wore No. 51 in his high school football playing days at nearby Sto-Rox. DiMichele didn't go into the matchup against Shady Side aiming for 51 points, but late in the game after being alerted by a member on the ground that he was just eight points away from the mark, DiMichele went after it in the 81-54 win over Shady Side. Magnelli Jr. called DiMichele’s performance (which surpassed his previous career-high of 39 points) “one of the greatest things as a friend he’s ever done.”

MORE: Here are four takeaways from Day 1 of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame Classic

Contact Joshua Carney at jcarney@gannett.com or 724-681-9136. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @ByJoshCarney

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: The Times' Top 30 Performances of the 2021-22 high school sports season: 30-21