A visit with WPIAL soccer & track champion Joe Kearney


Background Info: North Catholic junior Joe Kearney is a WPIAL champion in two sports. Kearney was a member of North Catholic's boys soccer team which won the WPIAL Class 1A title in 2017. He also earned an individual WPIAL gold medal by winning the Class 2A long jump title in May with a jump of 22-8. In soccer, Kearney has become North Catholic's all-time scoring leader with 108 career goals and 60 assists, and he still has one year left. As a freshman, he recorded 29 goals and 19 assists. As a sophomore, he led the WPIAL with 55 goals and added 18 assists. This season, he scored 24 goals and 23 assists in only 15 games. In track & field, Kearney placed seventh in 200 dash and 8th in the long jump as a freshman. Last season, he won the long jump, placed fourth in the 200 dash, and third in the 400 relay.

Joe Kearney on his WPIAL playing experience as a soccer champion.
We made it to the WPIAL title game in my freshman year, but lost 1-0 in overtime to Sewickley Academy. Nobody expected us to get that far. Last year, we came back as the top seed and knew we could win the title. The experience of playing in the title game the year before really helped us. We also made it to the PIAA title match, but lost in double overtime to Camp Hill. It was a huge accomplishment to get that far.

Kearney's thoughts on the 2018 season
We moved up to Class 2A this season. The competition was more intense, along with the pressure of winning another title. It was tough challenge. We came up short in the first round [a 3-2 loss to Shady Side Academy], which was a surprise. We have to make up for that next season.

Kearney on his experience of winning a WPIAL long jump title.
The long jump title was a surprise. I've been running track since middle school, but mostly the sprint events. I wasn't expecting to win the long jump title. I truly enjoyed the experience, but it was different than winning a soccer title. I was able to celebrate that title with my teammates. But winning a gold medal in two different sports is something I will always remember.

Kearney and his college plans
As a junior, I haven't considered my future plans much yet. I will wait until after track season to begin that process. And I'm not sure which sport I will choose.