Michael Love stories, Page 123
Freeport volleyball sweeps Beaver, moves into PIAA semifinalsVideo
The Freeport girls volleyball team is returning to a familiar place. The Yellowjackets fired on all cylinders Saturday in a 3-0 sweep of Beaver in a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal at Shaler, and they will play in the state semifinals for the third year in a row. “We always talk...
Chase Balla does it all for Allegheny’s football team
Chase Balla is a jack-of-all-trades for the Allegheny College football team. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound junior has served as an anchor of the defense as a linebacker/defensive back hybrid since his freshman season, when he earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference honorable-mention honors. Balla, a Valley High School graduate, has been a...
Knoch block party frustrates volleyball foesVideo
In last week’s WPIAL Class AAA semifinal victory over Franklin Regional, Knoch girls volleyball players recorded more than two dozen blocks, with four players leading the way with six apiece. Senior Hannah Rowe tallied 14 blocks in Saturday’s WPIAL title game victory, and fellow senior Skylar Burkett added five. On...
Freeport refocuses, gets set for PIAA volleyball quarterfinals
After two emotional and physically draining five-set matches to cap the WPIAL playoffs, senior outside hitter Lauren Lampus and the other Freeport girls volleyball team members were happy to take care of business in straightforward fashion Tuesday in the first round of the PIAA tournament. The WPIAL champion Yellowjackets took...
Nation’s best martial artists flock to Alle-Kiski Valley tournament
The Pennsylvania Karate Championships is the second-longest running event of its type in the United States, and Saturday’s 47th annual event at Valley High School again is expected to attract the top martial arts competitors from the Alle-Kiski Valley as well as the region, state and country. “It was one...
WPIAL releases field hockey all-star lists
The WPIAL wrapped up the 2019 field hockey season Thursday with the release of its Division I and II all-star lists. North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon, WPIAL Class AAA playoff qualifiers, led the way with three Division I first-team selections apiece, while champion Pine-Richland and runner-up Peters Township each had...
Plum pleased with progress after historic girls soccer season
When Plum girls soccer team members gathered for summer workouts and then came together for official preseason practices in August, a buzz surrounded the talented but youthful group. First-year head coach Jamie Stewart said he saw the potential, but hard work and determination would turn potential into a reality of...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Deer Lakes grad Irvine has hat trick for Saint Vincent
Hannah Irvine was on point offensively for the Saint Vincent women’s soccer team in a 3-1 victory over Thiel to cap the 2019 season. The Deer Lakes graduate, a sophomore midfielder, recorded a hat trick as the Bearcats finished 2-6 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and 2-14 overall. Irvine led...
Plum’s Jackson gives verbal commitment to Pitt volleyball
For Plum’s Makayla Jackson, Pitt is it. The Mustangs standout junior middle hitter paid an official visit to the University of Pittsburgh volleyball program over the weekend, and she came away impressed so much that she gave a verbal commitment to the Panthers. “I loved the campus and the fact...
WPIAL volleyball champs Freeport, Knoch eager to begin PIAA title quests
Shaler Area will be a volleyball hotspot Tuesday as WPIAL champions Freeport and Knoch open the PIAA playoffs with back-to-back matchups. The undefeated Yellowjackets (18-0) will face District 9 champion Brookville at 6 p.m., and the Knights (21-1) will battle South Fayette at 7:30. “We’re playing with so much momentum...
First PIAA-playoff appearance is ‘great opportunity’ for Plum girls soccer
The Plum girls soccer team fell short Saturday in its quest for a WPIAL Class AAA championship in its first title-game appearance. The Mustangs were not able to solve unbeaten Mars in a 4-0 loss at Highmark Stadium. But that didn’t end the season for Plum (17-2-1). It has turned...
Future bright for Riverview boys cross country team
Riverview junior Mason Ochs finished eighth in the Class A boys race at Saturday’s PIAA cross country championships after taking second at WPIALs. Teammate Gideon Deasy was 14th. The top five Raiders runners — all underclassmen — posted finishes 40th or better to help the team finish runner-up to Winchester...
Knoch, Freeport volleyball teams seek repeat of 2017 PIAA titles
In 2017, the Knoch and Freeport volleyball teams played the final three matches of their PIAA championship runs in the same location. The Knights followed the Yellowjackets on the court in the quarterfinals at Slippery Rock High School, the semifinals at Seneca Valley High School and the finals at Richland...
A-K Valley football teams fall short in 1st round of WPIAL playoffs
When sophomore Cody Dykes connected on a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter of Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round game at Bethel Park, the Kiski Area football team held a 10-point lead. Seniors running backs Peyton McCann and Luke Lander combined for 106 yards to that point, and...
Bethel Park scores 28 unanswered in playoff defeat of Kiski AreaVideo
With 10 minutes left until halftime of Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round matchup at Bethel Park, Kiski Area led the Black Hawks by 10 points and appeared ready to take full control. But Bethel Park had other ideas. The seventh-seeded Black Hawks reeled off 28 unanswered points in the second...
Plum’s Justin Mascilli misses spot at state cross country meet by narrowest of margins
Plum senior Justin Mascilli placed 27th in the boys Class AAA race at the WPIAL cross country championships Oct. 24 at Cal (Pa.). He completed the Roadman Park course in 17 minutes, 30 seconds, an improvement of 24 spots and 41 seconds from his finish there last year. While Mascilli’s...
Freeport hungry for WPIAL girls volleyball title
The Freeport girls volleyball team celebrated Thursday’s come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Avonworth in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at North Allegheny with a trip to Chick-fil-A. “My girls all love Chick-fil-A, and they kind of devoured a lot of chicken sandwiches on the way home,” Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips said....
Mars is last obstacle in way of Plum girls soccer’s first WPIAL titleVideo
Earlier this season, the Plum girls soccer team ventured to Highmark Stadium for a matchup with section rival Oakland Catholic. The result wasn’t what the Mustangs had hoped for as they suffered a 3-1 loss to the Eagles. But almost two months from that Sept. 7 game, Plum still only...
Knoch, Thomas Jefferson to collide in WPIAL girls volleyball title match
Knoch and Thomas Jefferson were the top two ranked girls volleyball teams in WPIAL Class AAA throughout the season, and they were rewarded with the top two seeds in the playoff bracket. The No. 1 Knights (17-0) and No. 2 Jaguars (18-1) turned away challengers through the first three rounds,...
Freeport rallies to knock off Avonworth in WPIAL volleyball playoffs
The Freeport girls volleyball team hadn’t faced adversity this season like it did Thursday in a WPIAL Class AA semifinal match against Avonworth at North Allegheny. The Yellowjackets had lost only one game through their first 16 matches, but they stared in the face of a 2-0 deficit against the...
Fox Chapel and Knoch tennis players set their sights on PIAA titles
After helping Fox Chapel win its first PIAA Class AAA team tennis title since 2004, No. 1 singles player Charlotte James will turn her attention to the state singles tournament in Hershey this weekend. After winning doubles titles as a freshman and a sophomore with teammate Amanda Nord, the 2019...
A-K Valley runners on quest for medals at PIAA cross country meet
A contingent of Alle-Kiski Valley cross country teams and individuals hope to build on performances from WPIALs as they run against the state’s best Saturday at the PIAA championships in Hershey. Fox Chapel seniors Grace Sisson and Brooke Krally are used to running with a full team at states, but...
Knoch girls volleyball tops Franklin Regional, reaches WPIAL finals
The Knoch girls volleyball team will play for a third straight WPIAL Class AAA championship. The Knights swept past Franklin Regional on Wednesday in a semifinal match at North Allegheny, winning games 25-23, 25-17 and 25-18. “I am really proud of their effort,” Knoch coach Diane Geist said. “We’re hoping...
Knee injury behind her, Freeport senior ready for ‘high-pressure situations’ in WPIAL volleyball playoffs
Tori Radvan ended her sophomore volleyball season on the court at Johnstown’s Richland High School celebrating a state championship with her Freeport teammates. Her junior year began with promise as she hoped her veteran on-court presence would be an added benefit to another solid campaign for the Yellowjackets. But her...
A-K Valley football players to watch in the first week of WPIAL playoffs
Ryan Creehan Fox Chapel, Jr., TE/LB Creehan has been a key defender for the Foxes over the past several weeks. He led the way last Friday against Shaler with a team-best 12 tackles. He added 13 combined stops in wins over conference foes Mars and Armstrong to help Fox Chapel...
