Michael Love stories, Page 109

Michael Love
Michael Love
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Kiski Area freshmen to square off at WCCA swim meet
Freshmen Parker Sterlitz and Levi Hansen are no strangers to head-to-head competition as the Kiski Area teammates grew up battling each other at various club meets. “Levi and I go way back with racing,” Sterlitz said. “We were up there as the top two most of the time.” Sterlitz and...
Freshmen making impact all over A-K Valley girls basketball scene
From the first game of this season, Nina Shaw was a focal point of the gameplan for the Knoch girls basketball team. The freshman point guard was slowed by a concussion, which cost her a couple of games, but she returned and has helped keep the Knights entrenched in the...
A-K Valley basketball notebook: Plum’s Kennedie Montue eclipses 1,000 points
Kennedie Montue has shown a keen scoring touch the past three seasons for the Plum girls basketball team. This winter, the junior forward is averaging more than 20 points for a Mustangs squad (10-4, 6-1) leading Section 2-5A. In Monday’s 44-37 victory over Franklin Regional, Montue surpassed 1,000 career points....
Knoch rallies from early deficit to take down Indiana in section action
With just three minutes gone in Monday’s Section 1-4A matchup at Knoch, the Indiana girls basketball team held a 10-2 lead and hoped to take control. But the Knights shook off their slow start and made their move. Eleven minutes of game time later, Knoch was in front by 18....
Cheswick Christian girls playing inspired basketball 
Veteran experience, team balance and ongoing inspiration from its former coach are just a few things, first-year Cheswick Christian Academy girls basketball coach Jacque Willis said, that have contributed to the team’s strong performance. The Chargers entered the week 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the Southwest Christian Athletic Conference, and...
Gateway girls refocus for 2nd half of section play
After a 14-point loss to Section 2-5A rival Plum on Jan. 13 at Furrie Sports Complex, Gateway girls basketball team members held a players-only meeting to share their thoughts about the game and the overall state of the season heading into the second half of section play. “We just talked...
Apollo-Ridge rolls past Burrell for fourth straight victory
The Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team is about to embark on a crucial stretch of Section 1-4A games with matchups against North Catholic, Indiana, Knoch and Freeport. The Vikings will enter that gauntlet with momentum after Thursday’s 61-42 victory over Burrell, their fourth straight win overall and third consecutive triumph in...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Moon’s Nicholas Settembrine
Nicholas Settembrine collected four medals — two individual and two in relays — at last year’s WPIAL Class AAA championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Moon senior has returned as a favorite in his events, including the 100-yard backstroke, and Tigers head coach Jeff Berghoff said Settembrine is on a...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: Thomas Jefferson’s Hallie Findlan
Thomas Jefferson junior Hallie Findlan owns the top time in the Class AA girls 50-yard freestyle, according to the qualifying lists recently posted at WPIAL.org. She recorded a time of 24.91 seconds in the Jaguars’ Dec. 20 meet against Seton-La Salle. On Tuesday against Baldwin, Findlan swam a time of...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Big game with Butler up next for Fox Chapel
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team opens the second half of Section 1-6A play Thursday at Butler in a game head coach Marty Matvey called crucial for its chances at a WPIAL playoff spot. The Foxes, who suffered a 58-51 loss to the Golden Tornadoes on Dec. 12, are 3-4...
Improving Riverview girls excited to tackle second half of section schedule
With a collection of experienced varsity players returning for this season, Riverview girls basketball coach Keith Stitt voiced an optimistic tone throughout preseason practices and scrimmages. With 14 games now under his team’s belt, he feels that his players are rounding into form and ready to tackle the challenges of...
IUP men’s and women’s basketball teams solidify national rankings
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s men’s and women’s basketball teams remain in the top 10 of their respective national Division II polls released Tuesday afternoon. The Crimson Hawks men, coming off Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference victories over Mercyhurst, Slippery Rock and Gannon, moved up two spots to No. 7 in...
Plum limits section rival Gateway to win battle for first place
The Plum girls basketball team got defensive Monday against rival Gateway in a battle for first place in Section 2-5A. The Mustangs held the Gators 24 points under their season scoring average in a 41-27 victory at Gateway’s Furrie Sports Complex. “We knew this was a huge game, and we...
Knoch swimmer Braden Zukowski takes nothing for granted in WPIAL title quest
Knoch’s Braden Zukowski finished third overall in the boys 100-yard breaststroke at last year’s WPIAL Class AA championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. He is the top returner from that race, as both the champion, Belle Vernon’s Robert Spekis, and the runner-up, Greensburg Salem’s William Crites, graduated. While Zukowski figures to...
St. Joseph grad Bowman wants to cap swim career at St. Francis (Pa.) in style
Sabrina Bowman won multiple WPIAL swimming championships during her days at St. Joseph. When she arrived at St. Francis (Pa.) in the summer of 2016, she set her sights on winning more gold. The decorated, Division-I performer immediately established herself and has made an impact at numerous meets and invitationals....
A-K Valley high school bowlers score big
Kristin Womeldorf capped 2019 with one of the highest girls averages in all of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League. The seasoned Apollo-Ridge senior produced a 211.83 score over 12 games through four weeks of play and upped it to 212.13 Wednesday after a 640 series, including a pair of...
McKeesport’s Swin Cash named finalist for Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Former McKeesport basketball standout Swin Cash-Canal, who went on to star in college at Connecticut, in the WNBA and for Team USA in the Olympics, is one of 12 finalists for induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The list of finalists, announced Thursday evening during the ESPN broadcast...
Kiski Area tops Burrell in annual mat battle between neighboring rivals 
Kiski Area senior Jared Curcio understands the rivalry. He appreciates the close matches each time the Cavaliers and Burrell Bucs get together, and he sees the respect the two championship programs have for each other. “It’s a grind every time, a battle year in and year out,” the 195-pounder said...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: South Fayette’s Abbie Duncan
Abbie Duncan sees the potential for a memorable final season with the South Fayette swim team. The Lions senior committed to swim in college at Ohio University, and she finalized her decision during the national letter of intent signing period in November. Now, with six weeks of preparation remaining until...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Indiana’s Isaac Griffith
Isaac Griffith finished all alone at the top in the boys 100-yard butterfly at the West Allegheny Invitational on Dec. 28. The Indiana junior swam to a time of 53.22 seconds, a new pool record. He was five seconds clear of the rest of the field. The time also was...
Players selected for PIHL all-star games
The players selected for the PIHL all-star games Jan. 26 at the Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center have been released. The selections for each of the four games — Class AAA, Class AA, Class A and Class B — feature 24 forwards, 12 defensemen and six goaltenders. The Class...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Knoch, Freeport set for key section game
The Knoch and Freeport girls basketball teams took care of business in their respective Section 1-4A games Monday evening. Now, the rival Knights and Yellowjackets will clash for the first time this season with a lot on the line in the first cycle of section play. Thursday’s game is scheduled...
Prolific Plum playmaker Kennedie Montue growing her game
Kennedie Montue has not slowed down in the new year. In three games in 2020, the Plum junior forward scored an average of 25.7 points to help the Mustangs to victories over Armstrong, West Allegheny and Hampton. Plum finds itself 6-4 overall and 3-1 in Section 2-5A, and Montue said...
IUP, Cal U (Pa.) women’s basketball teams move in national Division II rankings
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team moved up three spots to No. 8 in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 poll released Tuesday afternoon, while Cal U slipped six spots to No. 15. The poll is the first released since Dec. 17 because of...
Deer Lakes rolls to section win over East Allegheny
The Deer Lakes girls basketball team plays three Section 3-3A games this week, and the Lancers got off to a good start Monday with a 62-41 victory over East Allegheny. “I told the girls that it’s one game at a time at this point,” said Lancers coach Dave Petruska, who...


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