Michael Love stories, Page 20
Gateway boys soccer proud of 5th straight playoff season
The Gateway boys soccer team found itself back on the pitch against a familiar face in the WPIAL Class 4A first round. The No. 9 Gators, who tied for third in Section 1 with Central Catholic, were scheduled to make the long trip south and west to take on Canon-McMillan...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Deer Lakes’ rebound culminates in playoff spot
Deer Lakes bounced back in a big way from a pair of tough shutout losses to roll past Valley, 44-13, on Friday and solidify its automatic WPIAL Class 3A playoff berth from the Allegheny 7 Conference. It marks the third year in a row the Lancers have qualified for the...
Raiders boys in title hunt as Plum, Riverview get set for WPIAL cross country meet
The Plum and Riverview cross country teams are set for the WPIAL championships scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24 at White Oak Park, and titles and medals, both for teams and individuals, are there for the taking. The Raiders, in Class A, will run the first races – boys at 11...
Diamondbacks pitcher among Plum hall of fame honorees
The Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2024 on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Edgewood Country Club. This year’s inductees are Scott Benzel (Class of 1993), Nolan Cressler (2012), Andrew DeFazio (1995), Richard Foutz (1970), Scott McGough (2008), Bill Rometo (1970), William Wilmore (1990), Ronit...
Freeport kicks off girls volleyball playoffs in unfamiliar role of section runner-up
For the first time in 20 seasons, the Freeport girls volleyball team doesn’t head into the WPIAL playoffs as a section champion. The Yellowjackets (10-3) finished tied for second with Hampton at 7-3 behind undefeated Mars (10-0) in Section 2. Despite that unfamiliar feeling, coach Tom Phillips said he is...
A-K Valley soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 19, 2024
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class A First round 13-Riverview (10-6) vs. 4-Beaver County Christian (13-3) 2 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium, Moon Township Winner plays: Winner of 12-Greensburg Central Catholic (6-7-1)/5-Aquinas Academy (12-3) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Riverview has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since...
North Allegheny, Beaver, Quaker Valley, Frazier earn No. 1 seeds as WPIAL releases girls volleyball playoff brackets
All of the section and nonsection matches have concluded, and invitational tournaments are in the past. The WPIAL girls volleyball postseason is here, and the playoff pairings committee on Friday assembled and released the four classification brackets. North Allegheny (Class 4A), Beaver (Class 3A), Quaker Valley (Class 2A) and Frazier...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 8
Player of the week Darian Nelson Plum, sr., WR/DB The Mustangs were looking for a spark after a rugged three-game stretch with losses to Pine-Richland, Penn-Trafford and North Hills. Nelson was able to provide that lift last Friday against Fox Chapel as he carried the ball eight times for 153...
Top-seeded Springdale girls lead A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL soccer playoffs
For the first time in its recent streak of eight straight playoff qualifications, the Springdale girls soccer team is a top seed. The Dynamos earned the No. 1 spot in the Class A bracket as the WPIAL soccer selection committee released its boys and girls playoff brackets Wednesday afternoon. Springdale...
Knoch, West Mifflin square off with postseason berths in sight
Friday’s Greater Allegheny Conference matchup between Knoch and West Mifflin is rife with WPIAL playoff implications. The Knights, 2-1 in the conference, control their own destiny and can clinch one of the two automatic berths from the conference to the Class 4A tournament with wins this Friday and in the...
Breaking down the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
Here’s a look at the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Peters Township (16-0-1) was stingy defensively with just eight goals allowed in 16 games while scoring 63. An overtime tie with Upper St. Clair was the only thing keeping the Indians from a perfect Section 2 slate....
Greensburg Central Catholic volleyball beats St. Joseph in matchup of playoff teams
The Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball team used its experience and skill Monday evening to defeat St. Joseph, 3-0, in a nonsection game at St. Joseph’s Walter Dublak Athletic Center. The Centurions improved to 12-3 overall. They wrapped up Section 4-A play last week with a 6-2 record and finished...
A-K Valley Campus Clippings: Pitt’s Braylon Lovelace breaks out vs. Cal
Pitt’s Braylan Lovelace heard his name called several times in Saturday’s 17-15 victory over California in an ACC game at Acrisure Stadium. The Leechburg graduate and Panthers sophomore linebacker, making his fourth start of the season, recorded a season-high seven tackles, including two sacks, as Pitt improved to 6-0 and...
On campus: Gateway grad Courtney Jackson shines at Arkansas State
Courtney Jackson again has shown himself to be a top receiving threat for the Arkansas State football team. The Gateway graduate, who also returns punts for the Red Wolves, caught 16 passes for 169 yards through five games. He recorded a season-best five receptions for 69 yards in the opener...
Amari Gans’ breakout season helps Gateway remain in playoff hunt
Amari Gans wasn’t about to let Gateway’s first victory of the season slip through its fingers. The Gators had suffered tough losses to State College and North Allegheny, and their backs were against the wall in Week 2 at Plum. Gans, a senior tailback and outside linebacker, made an impact...
Knoch’s Mullen is 1-man wrecking crew in remarkable game
Tim Burchett has been a high school football coach for 14 years including the past two-plus seasons at Knoch, and he said he can’t remember many single-game performances like the one senior quarterback and defensive back Codi Mullen put on Friday in a 38-14 victory over Hampton on homecoming at...
Behind experienced roster, Plum hockey eyes return trip to playoffs
Plum hockey coach Jon Gratton said his team remained positive despite tough losses to Chartiers Valley and Quaker Valley to start its PIHL Class A season. “Everybody had a good understanding of what we were up against with two really tough opponents right off the bat,” said Gratton, who leads...
Clairton too much for Leechburg in Eastern Conference 1st-place showdown
When Tim Andrasy scored a rushing touchdown for Leechburg with 11 minutes, 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Eastern Conference first-place clash with Clairton at Leechburg’s Veterans Stadium, it snapped the Bears’ 30-quarter streak of not allowing a point. Even though that defensive run came to an...
Slow-pitch softball league playoffs loom as regular season concludes
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League regular season concludes Sunday with four doubleheaders. West Allegheny (11-1) and Mt. Lebanon (10-2) meet at Mt. Lebanon’s Middle Field with the regular-season title on the line. Baldwin (3-11) and Bethel Park (9-5) played two games Wednesday to close out their regular season. Bethel...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 7
Player of the week Trey Coury Burrell, so., RB/DB What did the Bucs tailback do for an encore after rushing for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 51 carries in Burrell’s victory over East Allegheny on Sept. 27? He upped those numbers in helping the Bucs win their...
With Eastern Conference lead on the line, Leechburg looks for program’s 1st win over Clairton
Clairton and Leechburg rolled through the first seven weeks of the season. The Bears gave up one touchdown, a defensive score by Steel Valley in the Week Zero season opener at the Wolvarena, and have proceeded to pitch six straight shutouts. The Blue Devils have averaged 43.2 points in their...
Freeport senior runner Michael Braun commits to ‘No. 1 choice’ Penn State
Michael Braun first made contact with Penn State cross country and track and field coaches in late August and quickly developed a rapport. “They expressed some interest, and we just went from there,” the Freeport senior distance standout said. Braun paid an initial visit to the University Park campus and...
Freeport girls work overtime again to get past Burrell
In the first meeting between the Freeport and Burrell girls soccer teams Sept. 16, a goal from sophomore Camryn Woods in the first overtime lifted the Yellowjackets to the victory. The teams met again Monday, this time at Freeport, and the rematch between the leaders of Section 2-2A also needed...
Gateway hockey team returns to PIHL varsity play
The Gateway hockey team took big steps forward last season with winning results on the ice. The Gators, playing at the junior varsity level, never lost in the regular season, finishing with 15 wins and one tie to claim the Division 3 title in JV Tier 3. Gateway then was...
Gateway girls soccer makes final push toward playoff berth
The Gateway girls soccer team hopes to be in position to clinch a WPIAL Class 3A playoff spot when it hosts Shaler on Monday (Oct. 14) in the Section 1 finale. The Gators were 3-5-1 after a 2-1 loss to playoff contender Hampton on Oct. 2. It was a close...
