ASHLEY HUANG
North Allegheny tennis
Recently: The North Allegheny junior made it five consecutive state championships for the WPIAL in PIAA Class 3A girls singles as she defeated Eliza Askarova of District 12 George Washington, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, at Hershey Racquet Club. She also helped the Tigers win their fourth state team title in five years.
Check this out: Though she has played on the North Allegheny varsity for three years, she had never competed in either the section or WPIAL singles championships prior to this year. She was the No. 3 singles player for the Tigers in 2015-16 and teamed with Tina Li to finish second in both the WPIAL and PIAA doubles tournaments in 2015. She also had to back out of the state doubles title last season after a second runner-up finish to eventual state champions Amanda Nord and Charlotte James of Fox Chapel. Huang is currently the No. 5 junior in the state.
What was the experience like going up to Hershey in singles? I still can’t believe that I won. It was just amazing and winning a state title is such a big accomplishment for myself and for my team and it was just overwhelming.
You had never played 2016 state champion Maria Santilli of Norwin before until the semifinals. What was it like facing her after only watching her play? I just thought of it as another match. I knew she was the defending state champion and I knew she was playing really good, so I knew I would have to play my best to have a chance and I guess I did. I took the opportunity once she gave it to me.
Your teammate Ava Catanzarite lost to her in the WPIAL finals. Did she help you before that match? Not really on Maria, but she did with Eliza. Since she played Eliza in the first round, she told me how she played and how I should play to have a good chance.
You’ve never been a No. 1 your entire career, so what’s it like to be the No. 1 now after playing in the shadows? I guess it’s a good accomplishment, but I don’t know because it’s hard to describe. It’s all really overwhelming to me still.
What’s better, winning states in singles or as a team? I like both equally because I like being part of a team. Tennis is such an individual sport, so I like having a team to experience it with, but I also like playing singles because you can prove to yourself that you can compete and you’re one of the best.
Considering how much time tennis takes out of your day, what do you do when you’re not playing? I really don’t do much because I play tennis a lot. I play tennis every single day, but when I don’t, I just hang out with my friends.
How much tennis do you play a day? Two to three hours.
Do you sometimes think you’re missing out on things because you play so much? Yeah, I think I am sometimes because, on the weekends, I don’t get to hang out with my friends because I just train a lot. But I have friends that play tennis, too, so it’s fine.
What are your Thanksgiving plans? I’m going to visit my family in New Jersey and my sister has a tournament that weekend, so I’m going to watch her instead of her watching me for once.
What’s one food you have to have on Turkey Day? Mashed potatoes.
— By Keith Barnes
KAVON MORMAN
Montour football
The past week: The senior quarterback completed 15-of-21 passes for 204 yards while rushing for 117 yards and three touchdowns in Montour’s 35-27 win against No. 1 seed South Fayette in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.
Check this out: Morman has led the Spartans to back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks on their way to Saturday’s WPIAL championship game. In the quarterfinals, he completed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lipford with less than two minutes left to clinch Montour’s 35-31 win against New Castle, which led, 28-7, late in the third quarter. In the semifinals against South Fayette, the Spartans trailed, 27-14, in the fourth quarter, but Morman had a long interception return and two rushing touchdowns in the final quarter to complete Montour’s comeback.
After beating New Castle, you said you “definitely have a good game plan” for your team’s rematch against South Fayette. What was that game plan and how were you able to pull it off? We knew last time we played them, they were hitting short routes on us and underneath routes and crossing routes, and [Drew] Saxton was just sitting in the pocket. We changed our game plan a little bit, disguised blitzes, and were able to make them force mistakes, turnovers, get [Saxton] out of the pocket, and we got the job done.
What did you see from Saxton that allowed you to make that game-changing interception in the second half? I saw him looking at me, and my eyes lit up. I knew he was about to throw it and I just jumped the route. I was just trying to find running room, and I thought I broke one. But we got good field position and we scored.
You and Brandon Lipford have played a huge role in both of your team’s comeback wins. What is your relationship like with him? I knew Lipford while he was back at West Allegheny. I really got close with him this year. We hang out a lot. We talk a lot after practice about getting our timing down on routes and stuff. He tells me to just throw it up to him and he’ll go get it, and that’s what we’ve been doing the last couple of games. He’s an unbelievable athlete.
Do you look up to or model your game after any NFL players? I would say Deshaun Watson, because he’s very calm and composed. Whenever it’s a clutch situation, you see he pulls through it. That’s who I model my game after. He’s a very hard-working competitor, he’s calm, and he gets the job done.
What is the one item you have to have in your fridge at home? Got to have milk. Got to keep your bones strong and healthy. I just love milk, too.
What is your go-to TV show? I love Family Guy. Before I go to bed every night, I go on Netflix and turn on Family Guy. That’s how I fall asleep.
— By Steve Rotstein
First Published: November 15, 2017, 12:00 p.m.