Michael Love stories, Page 23
Kiski Area wins 3rd straight Pack the Park girls volleyball match
Last year’s Pack the Park girls volleyball event and match between Norwin and Kiski Area at the Ellen Toy Grass Court in Vandergrift’s Kennedy Park didn’t face any adverse weather conditions such as what chased both teams inside Kiski Area High School one year earlier. The outdoor crowd who watched...
Gateway grad Maddy Neundorfer off to strong start in final season at Duquesne
Maddy Neundorfer said her collegiate career has flown by, and the Gateway graduate and starting goalkeeper for the Division I Duquesne women’s soccer team hopes she is on course to make her final season with the Dukes her best yet. “I am super excited for this last season,” Neundorfer said....
Coliseum Combat Zone hosting MMA competition in Monroeville
The All-American Field House in Monroeville will play host to an evening of mixed martial arts competition on Sept. 14, and Allen Levine, the founder of Pittsburgh-based Coliseum Combat Zone, is excited to host what he feels will be a full evening of intense fight action. “I love promoting people...
Behind experienced lineup, Riverview boys soccer eyes improvement
The Riverview boys soccer team has made strides each season since the fall of 2021, when the program came back after a one-year hiatus because of low numbers. The Raiders, with several seasoned seniors and other underclassmen with experience in varsity matches, are ready to challenge for a WPIAL playoff...
Led by PIAA runner-up Wes Lorish, Plum golfers find early-season success
The Plum boys golf team did something Aug. 26 it hadn’t done in 36 years. The Mustangs defeated Central Catholic in a dual match. Behind a score of 32 from senior standout Wes Lorish, Plum topped the Vikings, 198-203, on their home course at Willowbrook Country Club. It was a...
A-K Valley high school football notebook: Group effort helps Fox Chapel end losing skid
Fox Chapel’s seniors were freshmen the last time they experienced a victory on the football field. It was the 2021 WPIAL Class 5A playoffs when the Foxes upset Upper St. Clair in the first round. A 20-9 setback in Week Zero extended the losing streak to 22 games. But that...
Highlands bounces back to defeat Elizabeth Forward in triple-OT thriller
The Highlands and Elizabeth Forward football teams both experienced heartbreak in Week Zero. The Golden Rams lost to Armstrong by one in overtime, and the Warriors came up short by one against West Mifflin as a conversion attempt was unsuccessful with no time left in regulation. But Friday night at...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 1
Player of the week Aven Shirley Kiski Area, jr., WR/DB Shirley delivered in all phases to complement Landon Kucic’s four rushing touchdowns in Friday’s 42-7 Week Zero rout of Knoch. He returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown which sparked Kiski to a 21-0 lead in the first...
Elizabeth Forward, Highlands look to rebound after narrow losses in Week Zero
Elizabeth Forward and Highlands will get together Friday night at Golden Rams Stadium, each seeking its first win of the season after close, heartbreaking defeats in Week Zero. It is the first matchup between the schools since 1999, and Golden Rams coach Matt Bonislawski and Elizabeth Forward coach John DeMarco...
Freeport volleyball commands respect in move up to 3A
The seniors on this year’s Freeport girls volleyball team know what it is like to face the competition in Class 3A. It was just three years ago in 2021, when the current senior group were freshman, the Yellowjackets put it all together and claimed the WPIAL Class 3A title before...
Led by LoCoco brothers, Gateway boys soccer chasing 5th straight WPIAL playoff berth
The Gateway boys soccer team is on a mission this fall to add to an already record-setting streak for the program. With a move up to Class 4A, the Gators are shooting for a fifth straight trip to the WPIAL playoffs, and with what head coach Mike Rugh feels is...
Riverview, Plum girls soccer teams look to maintain winning tradition
The Riverview and Plum girls soccer teams open their seasons this week with high expectations as experienced leadership returns for both the Raiders and the Mustangs. With a breakout season last year for Riverview, and Plum’s string of recent success in section play and beyond, the teams understand that targets...
Lancaster native Andy Hoover takes reins of Gateway baseball program
Andy Hoover owns an extensive baseball playing and coaching background at various levels, and he hopes to use his knowledge of the game to make a difference at Gateway. The Lancaster County native officially was hired as the Gators’ baseball coach at a school board meeting Aug. 19. A meeting...
A-K Valley football notebook: Deer Lakes snaps string of Week Zero losses
Deer Lakes defeated Apollo-Ridge, 35-14, in its first Week Zero game in 2016. Taking the 2020 covid year out of the equation, the Lancers hadn’t fared well in Week Zero contests since with six straight season-opening setbacks. That changed Friday as Deer Lakes took control in the first half and...
Franklin Regional continues dominance vs. Plum
Plum hoped to stop a five-game losing streak to rival Franklin Regional when the neighbors met to open the season Friday evening. But the visiting Panthers weren’t about to relinquish their recent stranglehold on the series. FR scored three times in the first quarter, led by 28 at halftime and...
Landon Kucic runs for 4 TDs as Kiski Area dominates Knoch in opener
It didn’t take Kiski Area long to jump into the 2024 football season. After making the playoffs last year in 4A, the Cavaliers moved up a classification. They traveled to Saxonburg on Friday to take on Knoch, which also moved up in classification after qualifying for the 3A playoffs in...
A-K Valley girls soccer preview: Riverview ready for new challenges
Senior defender/midfielder Katerina Tsambis said she can’t stop smiling when she thinks of Riverview’s run last year to the WPIAL and PIAA Class A title games. “We just formed such a strong bond throughout the entire season,” Tsambis said. “The way the community supported us was just really special. It’s...
Robbins, Abaray set tone for young Springdale football team
As a freshman, Noah Robbins didn’t see the field that much in varsity games. But he gained valuable experience watching a seasoned group of Springdale players, including 16 seniors, lead the way to the WPIAL Class A playoffs and a first-round victory. Fast forward three years later, and Robbins now...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week Zero
Jayden Floyd Leechburg, sr., QB/FS Floyd became just the 17th signal caller in WPIAL history to both throw and run for 1,000 yards in a single season last fall. He accounted for 26 touchdowns — 18 rushing, eight passing — and 2,624 combined yards as the Blue Devils reached the...
After long hiatus, Kiski Area, Knoch renew rivalry for Week Zero matchup
It’s been a while since the Kiski Area and Knoch football teams shared the same field for a game. The year was 1989, and both the Cavaliers and Knights were members of the Greater Allegheny Conference. Now, despite being in difference conferences and in different classifications, the teams will reunite...
Riverview senior Cam Long is eager to lead, teach football teammates
The Riverview football team scrimmaged Brashear last Saturday, and though senior Cam Long didn’t suit up, the senior offensive guard and nose tackle’s presence still was felt on the field. Long was right there helping coach his teammates and taking in the action from a different perspective, one he said...
Shorthanded Springdale, Perry forced to cancel Week Zero games; Burrell, Avonworth to play
With the high school football season set to commence Friday night, there’s been a couple changes to the schedule in Western Pennsylvania after two teams were left too shorthanded to play. Both Springdale and Perry Traditional Academy will not play their Week Zero games Friday. Because of low numbers before...
Springdale faces major challenges in rebuilding efforts
A change at the top could be a piece of the puzzle for a Springdale football program working to get back on track after a pair of tough seasons in and out of conference play. Springdale went a combined 1-19 in 2023 and 2022, and new coach Chad Walsh seeks...
Excitement builds as Riverview continues quest to return to playoffs
In Class A football, large rosters are mostly uncommon. But this year, Riverview is bucking that trend. Fifth-year coach Trevor George was excited to welcome more than 50 players to preseason camp. “We have to get some new uniforms,” George said. “We’ve seen growth every year. Winning helps, and I...
Leechburg continues to build on trips to WPIAL playoffs
Leechburg football made history last year becoming the first Blue Devils team to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs three years in a row. The postseason streak came about after Leechburg had not made the WPIAL playoffs since 1988. Jake Cummings and his senior teammates want to add on to their...
