Jerin Steele stories, Page 13

The last two years of Leechburg football have been the program’s best in four decades. There were back-to-back postseason appearances after a 32-year absence and a playoff win at their home venue, Veterans Memorial Field, for the first time ever in 2021. Now some of the key members of the...

Behind one of the end zones of Leechburg’s Veterans Memorial Field sits a garage with a gigantic Blue Devil logo painted on it. That’s just one many examples dotted around the community showing how much pride is taken in Leechburg athletics. That pride is not lost on junior quarterback Jayden...

Matt Crummy was an all-around athlete in his high school days at Pine-Richland. He was also an all-terrain athlete. Whether it was on the grass of a soccer field, the ice at a hockey rink or the rubberized surface of the track, Crummy made an impact with the Rams. He’s...

Codi Mullen has a unique opportunity this fall. He has the chance to break his own school record. Mullen, a junior quarterback, threw for 1,660 yards last year, breaking a 35-year Knoch record for passing yards in a season. It was a highlight in a difficult season for the Knights,...

At the first meeting new Valley football coach Mark Adams had with his team, the theme of his message was change. That goes beyond changing the win/loss column for the Vikings after a one-win season in 2022. His goal is to get everything in sync from on-field performance, dedication in...

Last year, Knoch football had one win, but essentially was one point away from qualifying for the playoffs. A 37-36 loss to Deer Lakes ultimately turned out to be the difference for missing out on a postseason berth, but that just scratches the surface of close calls the Knights had...

J.C. Obregon said some of his Pittsburgh Riverhounds teammates played games and others watched Netflix as they tried to relax and wait out a three-hour plus weather delay Saturday night. For Obregon, it was understandable to have some nervous energy because he was about to play against his former club,...

Armstrong has had some standout athletes come through the program since its inception in 2015, including Zane Dudek and Dawson Porter, and the graduation of Cadin Olsen leaves another huge void to fill. For the most part, though, anytime a major contributor has moved on, the River Hawks have found...

Bill Colpo was on a golf course in Idaho when he got a call that he’d be part of the 2023 Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame class. It took a minute for it to sink in. “At first, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Colpo said. “The first reaction...

It was a storybook ending for Pine-Richland football in Jon LeDonne’s first year at the helm. The Rams rebounded from a 1-3 start to rattle off a dozen wins in a row en route to the Class 5A state championship. There will be some key spots to fill this season,...

Plum had one of the youngest teams in Class 5A last season with only a handful of seniors, but showed plenty of promise. The Mustangs moved up from Class 4A and challenged Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford and Gateway in the Big East Conference, but ultimately fell short and narrowly missed the...

After the Pittsburgh Riverhounds fell behind early several times in the last few weeks, Albert Dikwa said the team talked about having a fast start Saturday night. Dikwa played a big part in putting that plan into action by scoring a goal in the third minute. The Hounds saw the...

Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said when a team is in a little bit of a hole, sometimes everything needs to go right before it turns. The Hounds had quite a turn of events Saturday night. On the back of a two-game losing streak the Hounds found themselves down a pair...

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds saw their unbeaten streak within the USL Championship end at 13 with a loss at Charleston. Four days later, another notable streak went by the wayside. The Hounds dropped their first home match of the season in a 3-1 loss to Indy Eleven on Wednesday...

Kyle Larson added to what has become an impeccable run of results at Lernerville Speedway on Tuesday night. Larson passed Buddy Kofoid on lap 18 en route to a second consecutive win in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, earning a $25,000 pay day with the All Star Circuit of...

In May, Sye Lynch got a phone call from Logan McCandless that provided him with an opportunity for which he’s been waiting. McCandless Motorsports recently parted ways with full-time driver Parker Price-Miller and was in need of a replacement for their car in the All Star Circuit of Champions series....

AJ Flick has had some pretty good years behind the wheel of his sprint car at Lernerville Speedway. The Apollo native has won six track championships, with five of those coming in the last six years. But this might be his best season yet. Flick won four features in a...

Autism awareness is a cause that’s close to Jeff Stull’s heart. His youngest son, Cody, was diagnosed with autism as a baby and worked with early intervention specialists, who made a positive impact. He also has a passion for racing, and with the help of some friends from local businesses...

Edward Kizza said it was an emotional week both physically and mentally given the Riverhounds had three games in eight days. After a big 1-0 win at Louisville City Wednesday, he said it was imperative the team come home and finish the job. Kizza helped the Hounds do so with...

Keith Buterbaugh can still remember running routes in the backyard while his brother Mike threw him the ball. Younger brother Joe Buterbaugh took it all in and was happy to catch some passes when called upon. Both got an up-close look at their brother’s work ethic and passion for sports....

On May 24, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds players and coaches were celebrating on the field at Highmark Stadium after a milestone 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16. At the same time, the Hounds’ front office staff was celebrating as well. A record crowd...

The score was the same as last week, but how the Pittsburgh Riverhounds got there was different. They were fairly lifeless in the final third for most of the second half against Louisville City a week ago, but Saturday night, the Hounds had the top team in the Western Conference,...

Kristen Murslack kept a busy schedule in her high school years at Pine-Richland. Her day typically started with swim practice in the morning prior to going to school. After school, there was a soccer practice or game or another swim practice before carving out time to do some homework. It...

Justin Grubb recently moved back to Western Pennsylvania after wrapping up a five-year career playing professional soccer in Florida. He wants to give his kids the chance to grow up in the same environment he did and at the same time stay involved in the game. So he searched for...

The Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame announced its 2023 class last week. Michael Buterbaugh, Bill Colpo, Matthew Crummy, Kevin McCabe, Kristen Murslack and the 1960 Richland football team are the new members that will be inducted this fall. They are the Hall’s fifth class. The class was approved by the...