Michael Love stories, Page 119
Kiski Area’s Potter returns to lineup after recovery from wrist injury
Hannah Potter is back. The Kiski Area senior guard and team captain returned to the lineup for the Cavaliers girls basketball team Friday after missing 15 games because of a broken wrist suffered in the season opener against Saltsburg on Dec. 6. Potter came off the bench, entering the Section...
Trib HSSN girls swimmer of the week: Upper St. Clair’s Taylor Connors
Longtime followers of swimming at Upper St. Clair and throughout the WPIAL will remember the exploits of freestyler Merel Hommen. The multi-time WPIAL and PIAA champion graduated from USC in 1994, and in addition to her gold medals, she also left the program with a trio of school records —...
Trib HSSN boys swimmer of the week: Montour’s Alex May
Alex May was on a mission Monday as he set out to break the Montour school record in the boys 100-yard breaststroke. The versatile Spartans junior had the established mark of 1 minute, 2.99 seconds in his sights. When he touched the wall against Central Valley and Beaver Falls, he...
Plum’s Kvortek looks forward to WPIAL gymnastics championships
Sarah Kvortek fell in love with gymnastics after being introduced to the sport during a friend’s birthday party at Gymkhana in Plum while in first grade. “It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved swinging on the bars and the feeling of just flying through the air.” In...
Freeport girls run win streak to seven, top Burrell to clinch playoff spot
The Freeport girls basketball team hasn’t lost since a Jan. 2 setback at North Catholic. The Yellowjackets ran their winning streak to seven games Thursday with a 61-33 Section 1-4A victory at Burrell and remained on a roll heading into Monday’s rematch with the Trojanettes. “I was pleased with the...
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 basketballVideo
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 rivalsVideo
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...
