Cheers & Jeers
Courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Cheers: Cheers to Laurel Highlands girls basketball player Aierra Jenkins for putting an off night behind her and bouncing back with a vengeance to help her team keep its season alive. The Lady Mustangs fell in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs to Blackhawk 59-32 and the LH junior was held scoreless in the defeat. But Jenkins regrouped and came through in the next game, a crucial consolation battle at Beaver that Laurel Highlands needed to win to qualify for the PIAA tournament. Jenkins scored a team-high 13 points in a 51-49 victory that guaranteed the Lady Mustangs would be in the state playoffs for the second year in a row. Next up, last Wednesday, Laurel Highlands played at South Park in the WPIAL fifth-place game. The Lady Eagles had beaten the Lady Mustangs on the same floor 48-46 during the regular season, but Laurel Highlands won the rematch on its floor 48-31. In the rubber match the Lady Mustangs dominated again, avenging their earlier road loss, as Jenkins poured in a game-high 19 points in a 55-38 victory. Laurel Highlands (19-6) will next play in the PIAA playoffs at Clearfield High School on Saturday with a 1 p.m. tipoff.
Cheers: The economic ripple will be felt throughout Western Pennsylvania next spring, when Pittsburgh plays host to the 2026 NFL Draft. Organizers are anticipating an influx of 700,000 visitors to the region, generating an estimated $171 million – $105 million of that in direct spending. Last year’s draft resulted in $213.6 million for Detroit and the surrounding area, according to a report commissioned by Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission. In preparation for next year, local county commissioners recently met with representatives of the Pittsburgh Steelers to help with preparations. “They realize that this is going to have to be a regional approach – that the city of Pittsburgh can’t handle this on their own, and nor can Allegheny County,” said Greene County Commission Chairman Jared Edgreen. “So they’re very intent on getting county buy-in and how we can better partner.” Nick Sherman, chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, predicts every hotel in Washington County will be filled to capacity during the draft. “This is a massive opportunity for us to capitalize,” he said.
Cheers: The caretakers of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater are to be lauded for their foresight in preserving the architectural marvel for generations to come. Work is underway to repair the historic home’s flat roofs and terraces, and visitors to the historic house above Bear Run in the Laurel Highlands of Fayette County can get a rare peek behind the scaffolding into the “major preservation intervention.” Justin Gunther, who is Fallingwater’s director and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which operates the house, explained that the work is being done to combat water infiltration issues. “We’re essentially trying to make Fallingwater watertight,” he said in a recent interview. Beginning March 14 and continuing until April 1, the home will be open for “Preservation-In-Action” tours to give visitors a chance to see the work for themselves. Go online to www.fallingwater.org for more information about Fallingwater or to purchase advance tickets for the tours.
Cheers: We couldn’t be more pleased to introduce readers to Molly Mathias, who will represent Pennsylvania in powerlifting at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, scheduled for June 20-26 at the University of Minnesota. The Bethel Park High School senior is the only female powerlifter in the state to be selected, and the first Bethel Park student athlete chosen to participate in the event. Molly qualified for the national competition following her performance at a state contest at Villanova, where she earned three gold medals. We wish Molly the best of luck in Minnesota.