Michael Love stories, Page 104
Despite missing out on trip to state meet, Riverview boys proud of 2nd-place finish
Under normal WPIAL cross country circumstances, the Riverview boys team would be heading to Hershey this weekend to compete with the best in the state. But when the PIAA announced new qualifying parameters amid the coronavirus pandemic, it created a unique situation where only the district champions would qualify. Riverview,...
Plum slowpitch softball excited for future
The Plum slowpitch softball team was unable to solve second-seeded Seneca Valley in a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League quarterfinal Oct. 24 at Mt. Lebanon. The Mustangs reached that point with a first-round victory over West Allegheny, but the Raiders ended Plum’s season with a 15-5 win. “We had a...
Plum shuts down McKeesport to reach first WPIAL semifinal since 1996
The Plum and McKeesport football teams were no strangers to each other when they met Friday at Plum’s Mustangs Stadium for a berth in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. The Tigers and Mustangs clashed for the eighth time in the past 10 years. The latest meeting was one of the...
Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Oct. 31
Boys Class 4A quarterfinals 5-Upper St. Clair (8-5-1) at 4-Fox Chapel (10-3) Noon, Saturday, Fox Chapel Stadium, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 9-Baldwin (8-6-1) at 1-Peters Township (11-1-1) in semifinals Wednesday, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m. at a site to be determined. Hat tricks: Two of Fox Chapel’s losses came...
Two fall sports doesn’t slow Burrell’s Brockett
Leah Brockett has logged a lot of miles this fall. As the top runner on the Burrell girls cross country team and one of the leading scorers on the soccer team, the freshman has made an impact while balancing both sports with her academic work load. Brockett hopes to put...
Green Oaks Country Club pro elected to PGA Board of Directors
Ed Habjan, the widely regarded PGA head golf professional at Verona’s Green Oaks Country Club, was elected Friday during the 104th PGA annual meeting to serve on the organization’s board of directors. He will take over as the District 4 Director, one of 17 such individuals who work on a...
Plum girls blank TJ, advance to WPIAL semifinals
Neither a steady rain nor Thomas Jefferson could prevent the Plum girls soccer team from advancing in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs Thursday evening. The undefeated Mustangs scored twice in the first half and added two more goals in the second half to post a 4-0 quarterfinal win, their third...
A-K Valley football players to watch for Week 8
Preston Sunday Plum, sr., RB/LB Sunday has been a difference maker on Fridays for the undefeated Mustangs. His 55 tackles through seven games lead the team with fellow senior Max Matolcsy (54). He was all over the field with 22 stops, including four for a loss, in a 20-7 Greater...
Knoch’s Formica wins WPIAL Class AA cross country title; GS boys victoriousVideo
Mike Formica celebrated his 18th birthday in style. The Knoch senior bested the field in the boys race at Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AA cross country championships at White Oak Park. He posted a winning time of 16 minutes, 15 seconds. “It was pretty amazing to come out here and win,”...
Brownsville runner keeps WPIAL Class 2A cross country gold in family
As a freshman last year, Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo earned a silver medal at the WPIAL Class AA cross country championships at Cal U (Pa.) as older sister Gionna dominated the field to claim gold. With a new setting for this year’s championship meet and Gionna now running at N.C. State,...
North Allegheny defeats Seneca Valley to win WPISL playoff championship
North Allegheny defeated Seneca Valley, 21-10, to capture the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League varsity championship Sunday at Middle Field in Mt. Lebanon. It is the Tigers’ first WPISL title since 2011 and fourth overall since the league’s first season in 2006. North Allegheny entered the two-day playoff tournament as...
Plum girls soccer team routs Gateway in playoff opener
Plum needed penalty kicks in last season’s WPIAL Class AAA first-round girls soccer matchup to get by neighboring Gateway on its way to an eventual championship-game appearance. There was no overtime drama in Monday’s WPIAL rematch. The undefeated and No. 2 Mustangs scored three times in the first half and...
Freeport faces challenging road in quest for another WPIAL volleyball title
The Freeport girls volleyball team finished in a four-way tie for the Section 5-3A title with Mars, Armstrong and Hampton. Each team went 9-3 in section play. Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips said he was surprised Monday when he found out where his team and the other three from Section 5...
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin earn top seeds for WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic and Bishop Canevin were selected as top seeds as the WPIAL girls volleyball committee finalized and released the playoff brackets Monday afternoon. The playoff tournaments begin Tuesday with four preliminary-round matches in both Class 3A and Class 2A. First-round matches Wednesday kick off the tournaments...
North Allegheny, Beaver, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin top final girls volleyball rankings
With the regular season in the books, hopes turn to WPIAL gold as the playoffs begin this week. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday morning released its final rankings for the 2020 season. North Allegheny (Class 4A), Beaver (Class 3A), North Catholic (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class...
Plum girls volleyball claims 16th section title in program history
The Plum girls volleyball team returned to the top last week as they clinched the program’s first section championship since 2011. The Mustangs’ 3-1 victory at Kiski Area on Oct. 20 wrapped up their 16th section crown overall. “That was really exciting for the girls, especially the (eight) seniors,” Plum...
Plum football writes championship chapter in program’s history books
With its 35-7 victory over Knoch on Oct. 16, the Plum football team achieved something the program hadn’t experienced in nearly four decades. The Mustangs captured their first conference championship since 1983, the year of their only WPIAL title. “It feels amazing to represent Plum as a whole team,” senior...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Plum eases to unbeaten year
Plum came into Friday’s regular-season finale against Armstrong averaging 34.7 points. The Mustangs blew past that in the first half of a 63-13 triumph that gave them an undefeated regular season (7-0) for the first time since 1977 (8-0-2). Plum scored 18 seconds into the game on a 63-yard touchdown...
Gateway girls soccer navigates tough stretch of schedule to make playoffs
The Gateway girls soccer team finished its regular season with seven games in 11 days as a stretch of time off because covid issues within the school district created a stretch run more compact than normal. Coach Kelly Bender said she couldn’t have been more proud of the way her...
Strong finish lifts Gateway boys soccer into playoffs
The Gateway boys soccer team last week finished its mission of returning to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2016. Needing a strong stretch run to earn a berth to the postseason, the Gators won their final three section games, including a 4-0 victory Oct. 20 over West...
Quick start propels Plum past Armstrong; Mustangs finish regular season unbeaten
Plum didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard in Friday’s Greater Allegheny Conference game against Armstrong at Mustangs Stadium. Sophomore Eryck Moore took a handoff on Plum’s first play and raced around the right side for a 63-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs the lead just 18 seconds into...
WPISL playoff tournament set for Saturday, Sunday
A Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League varsity champion will be crowned this weekend as 13 teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament Saturday and Sunday. Mt. Lebanon’s WPISL program will host the games on a pair of area fields. The first round and quarterfinals will be Saturday, with the semifinals...
Knoch outlasts Sewickley Academy, wins elusive WPIAL Class AA girls tennis team title
Knoch didn’t want another second-place trophy. After three straight runner-up finishes to Sewickley Academy at the WPIAL Class AA girls tennis team championships, the Knights broke through Thursday on the courts at Shady Side Academy. Knoch senior Brooke Bauer outlasted Sewickley Academy freshman Ashley Close in a third-set tiebreaker at...
A-K Valley football players to watch for Week 7
Thomas Burke Leechburg, jr., WR/DB Burke showed his multi-faceted ability last Friday against Riverview as he hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from senior Dylan Cook in the first half and added a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He finished with two receptions for 67 yards as the...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 7
Class 5A northeast North Hills (2-4, 2-2) at Fox Chapel (2-4, 2-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel Stadium, Fox Chapel North Hills lost to Pine-Richland last week, 59-13, and Fox Chapel suffered a 27-7 loss at Penn Hills. … Zidane Thomas scored the Foxes’ lone touchdown, his first rushing score of...
