Michael Love stories, Page 107
Gateway tennis building winning culture with more experienced lineup
With a mix of experienced and younger players this fall, the Gateway girls tennis team hopes to continue its overall development with matches that will help it both now and in the future. “We have different skill levels throughout the team, and everyone is really supportive of each other,” senior...
Alle-Kiski Valley football notebook: Bye week at bad time for Apollo-Ridge
Apollo-Ridge will have a rare, midseason bye week coming up because Summit Academy opted out of the season. With the Vikings steamrolling three consecutive opponents — Ligonier Valley, Freeport and Burrell — coach John Skiba doesn’t want his team to lose any momentum. “We’re not happy about it, but it...
Riverview girls volleyball learning from early season setbacks
Lauren Dugan isn’t taking any of her volleyball practices or matches for granted this fall. The Riverview senior middle hitter said the uncertainty of whether there would be a season because of the ongoing pandemic was a real concern. When the PIAA gave all fall sports teams the green light...
Plum volleyball turns to extensive experience for rebound
The Plum girls volleyball team made the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs in 2017, going 7-5 in section play. The past two years, however, were not as successful as a young group both seasons struggled to find its way in the section and went a combined 3-21. But with a wealth...
Plum keeps rolling, upends No. 2 Mars
Plum averaged 42 points in Greater Allegheny Conference victories over Greensburg Salem and Indiana. The Mustangs kept rolling Friday with seven more touchdowns in a 49-21 victory over Mars in a conference clash of undefeated teams at the Mars Athletic Complex. “We talked all week about the hype surrounding Mars...
Knoch’s Laura Greb claims 4th WPIAL singles title
Laura Greb is all alone in the history books of WPIAL girls tennis. Under sunny skies Friday afternoon at North Allegheny High School, the Knoch senior captured her fourth WPIAL Class AA singles championship. She swept two sets from South Park sophomore Nicole Kempton, 6-1, 6-3. “I am just at...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 3
Class 5A northeast Kiski Area (1-0, 0-0) at Penn Hills (0-2, 0-0) 7 p.m. Saturday, Yuhas-McGinley Stadium, Penn Hills Penn Hills won last year’s meeting in low-scoring fashion, 7-3, after the teams combined for 92 points in a 64-28 victory by the Indians in 2018. … In Kiski Area’s dramatic 36-35...
A-K Valley football players to watch in Week 3
Eryck Moore Plum, soph., RB/LB The Mustangs back has been opening eyes the past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder carried the ball nine times for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Greensburg Salem. Last week, in a rout of Indiana, he picked up...
Plum girls soccer ready to stare down challengers
Plum girls soccer coach Jamie Stewart said his players understand they have bigger targets on their backs this season after making a run last year that produced a trip to the WPIAL Class AAA championship game at Highmark Stadium and the program’s first berth in the PIAA tournament. “We talk...
WPISL teams gearing up for stretch run
With four weeks of action left in the regular season, the varsity teams in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League are preparing for the stretch run to the playoffs. Seneca Valley, Peters Township, Montour, North Allegheny and North Hills swept doubleheaders from their competition Sunday. North Allegheny (6-0) remains the...
WVU announces no spectators for Oct. 3 football game against Baylor
After discussions with local and state officials, the West Virginia athletic department announced Monday the Mountaineers’ Big 12 Conference home opener against Baylor on Oct. 3 at Milan Puskar Stadium will be played without spectators. Athletic officials said with safety precautions being implemented amid the covid-19 pandemic, only essential game...
Top-ranked girls volleyball teams keep positions in coaches rankings
WPIAL girls volleyball competition turns to Week 2, and section races are heating up in the four classifications. The top-ranked teams in each class from last week’s preseason Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association top-10 poll — North Allegheny (Class AAAA), Franklin Regional (Class AAA), North Catholic (Class AA) and Bishop...
Alle-Kiski Valley flush with volleyball prowess
When Plum girls volleyball coach Kelsey Bonk observed her team’s senior night ceremony Thursday before a match with McKeesport, she was reminded of the potential for the season with a rather experienced squad. The Mustangs, who dropped to Class AAA in the offseason, feature eight seniors, including 6-foot-2 all-state middle...
Gateway runners stay dedicated to lowering times throughout season
While the PIAA and WPIAL wrangled with the decision to maintain the fall sports seasons or postpone them to 2021, the Gateway boys and girls cross country teams kept churning out miles to be ready to go when called upon. Veteran Gators coach Tom LaBuff said his runners have made...
Gateway volleyball adjusts to move to Class 4A
Gateway girls volleyball coach Phil Randolph said last season ended with a framework established that can lead to a turnaround in the program’s fortunes. “Last year was one of those things where the scoreboard didn’t really tell the honest story of our season,” said Randolph, whose Gators were 4-10 in...
Fox Chapel girls soccer enters new section with deep, talented roster
With 11 seniors and seven returning starters leading the way for the 2020 season, the Fox Chapel girls soccer team has its sights set on big things in Section 3-AAAA and beyond. “Our senior class is strong and dedicated, and we expect a high bar to be set at practice,”...
Low numbers force Riverview soccer teams to cancel seasons
The Riverview boys and girls varsity soccer teams were unable to overcome a numbers game that halted plans for the 2020 season, but boys coach Mickey Namey and girls coach Sean Abraham, along with athletic director Mario Rometo, are hopeful the teams and their players can return to competition in...
Plum girls soccer ready to stare down challengers
Plum girls soccer coach Jamie Stewart said his players understand they have bigger targets on their backs this season after making a run last year that produced a trip to the WPIAL Class AAA championship game at Highmark Stadium and the program’s first-ever berth in the PIAA tournament. “We talk...
Apollo-Ridge stifles Freeport in nonconference victoryVideo
On its first play from scrimmage in Friday’s nonconference matchup with Apollo-Ridge, the Freeport offense went to the air. Vinnie Clark found Brady Stivenson wide open in the secondary, and the 56-yard touchdown completion stunned the Vikings. But the Apollo-Ridge defense clamped down from there, and the Vikings pulled away...
Indiana’s Beckwith, Kiski Area’s Miller claim titles at unique Kiski Cavalier Invitational
Cool and breezy morning weather gave way to comfortable afternoon temperatures as some of the WPIAL’s top runners kicked off their fall seasons Friday at the Gingerbread Man Kiski Cavalier Invitational at Northmoreland Park in Allegheny Township. Because of covid protocols in place limiting the overall number of people permitted...
A-K Valley football players to watch in Week 2
Logan Dexter Springdale, jr., WR/DB The Dynamos junior was dynamic in the 41-7 triumph over rival Riverview. Dexter accounted for three touchdowns, two on the ground and one in the passing game. All three scores came early as Springdale led 21-0 after the first quarter. Dexter finished with 107 yards...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 2
Class 5A nonconference Franklin Regional (0-1, 0-1) vs. Fox Chapel (0-1, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel Stadium, Fox Chapel Both teams are coming off big losses to two of the top teams in Class 5A – Franklin Regional fell 41-7 to Gateway and Fox Chapel dropped a 53-7 decision...
Bethel Park, Plum, North Allegheny earn WPISL Week 2 sweeps
Bethel Park, Plum and North Allegheny each recorded doubleheader sweeps during Week 2 of the 2020 Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball season. The Tigers offense exploded for 65 runs in its two games Sunday, while the Black Hawks totaled 54 runs in their contests. Montour and Seneca Valley split their doubleheader...
Volleyball coaches association reveals WPIAL Week 1 rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday released its first rankings for the 2020 season. North Allegheny (Class AAAA), Franklin Regional (Class AAA), North Catholic (Class AA) and Bishop Canevin (Class A) have been established as the teams to beat as they are at the top of their respective...
A-K Valley H.S. football notebook: Leechburg’s prize? A matchup with Clairton
It was an explosive debut to the season for the Leechburg football team and a successful debut for coach Randy Walters. Leechburg recorded a 55-37 Eastern Conference victory over Greensburg Salem on Friday, the most points scored by the Blue Devils since 2014, when they defeated Serra Catholic, 61-25. “We...
