Michael Love stories, Page 24

Freeport graduate Jarrett Heilman, a senior pitcher at Mercyhurst, has been tabbed a preseason All-American for Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The righty is coming off his best season as Laker. He logged 65 innings on the mound while posting a 1.38 ERA, the third-best in...

The Burrell wrestling team topped Hampton and Bentworth in the first two rounds of the WPIAL Class 2A team tournament Wednesday at Burrell High School. The victories continued the Bucs’ streak of consecutive seasons in the WPIAL semifinals that stretches back more than two decades. But, as is the standard...

Senior Maggie Bernat understands where the veteran St. Joseph girls basketball team stands as it enters the final stretch of the regular season. Closing in on another section championship, the Spartans also hope to keep pace with the likes of Union and Aquinas Academy at the top in Class A...

The Franklin Regional girls basketball team strengthened its position for a shot at a WPIAL playoff spot Monday with a 53-38 victory over Kiski Area in a Section 1-5A matchup. The Panthers won their third in a row, adding the win over the Cavaliers to a close section triumph over...

The Gateway junior varsity hockey team is coming to the end of the regular season, and the Gators’ faithful had the chance to celebrate a group of five seniors who have helped the team to an undefeated record as the playoffs approach. Gateway skated against West Allegheny for the third...

Remy Bose had his sights set on a dominant senior season in all three phases of the game for the Gateway football team. But a torn hamstring muscle right before the season began denied the Gators senior linebacker/H-back his on-field goals and hopes. Surgery and rehab put Bose on the...

The Plum hockey team continues its fight for a spot in the PIHL Class A playoffs. The Mustangs won three of four games through a 4-3 shootout victory over Richland on Jan. 18 to propel them above .500 at 8-6-0-1. The 17 points put them in sixth in the Varsity...

The Plum boys wrestling team won last year’s Allegheny County Tournament title with two champions and a runner-up among 11 place finishers. The Mustangs edged Pine-Richland by 23 points. Coach Mike Supak said this year’s title defense would be a tougher challenge. But his wrestlers, he said, were up to...

At last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches Association swimming championships, 12 individuals and relays produced times in eight events that surpassed previous meet records. A number of those swimmers are back Saturday at Derry High School to try to do it again in what is one of the fastest high school...

Arianna Bernard made history Dec. 28 at the Powerade girls wrestling tournament at Canon-McMillan. She became the first wrestler to represent the newly formed Valley girls program. “I wrestled at Powerade before, so I knew what to expect,” said Bernard, who wears a brace as part of her ongoing recovery...

Burrell junior guard Anna Clark suffered a concussion Jan. 4 against Section 3-3A leader Shady Side Academy. She missed the next four games through a dominating Bucs win over section rival Deer Lakes. Clark returned Jan. 18 for a nonsection matchup with Leechburg and tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and...

The Special Olympics North America softball championship, featuring more than 30 teams from across the U.S. and Canada, is coming to Pittsburgh and the A-K Valley in September. The No Offseason Sports facility on Little Deer Creek Valley Road near Russellton will host the event Sept. 6-8. Officials from the...

In a close, intense game that went down to the wire, Highlands made key plays to hold off section rival Knoch in an important Section 1-4A clash Monday at Highlands High School. Playing without senior point guard Kalleigh Nerone for almost the entire second half because of an ankle injury...

The Gateway boys bowling team kept pace with East section leader Franklin Regional by sweeping Valley, 7-0, in a match last Wednesday (Jan. 17) at New Great Valley Lanes in North Versailles. The Gators (6-1) posted eight games better than 200, with sophomore Jordan Trenga collecting games of 211, 205,...

The Plum boys basketball team entered the new year with the momentum of a three-game winning streak. The team averaged nearly 70 points in victories over Freeport, Brentwood and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. That momentum took somewhat of a hit in subsequent Section 2-5A losses to Shaler, Fox...

The Riverview boys basketball team knows there still is time to make a move and get into playoff contention in Section 3-2A. But the room for error is dwindling. The Raiders (6-9, 1-5) can make hay in a big way Friday night as they host section leader Greensburg Central Catholic....

After five weights of Wednesday’s Section 1-3A match between Kiski Area and Plum at Plum High School, the visiting Cavaliers owned a sizeable lead thanks to a technical fall, two decisions and two forfeits. But Plum, starting at 121, mounted a rally. And when senior Charlie Campbell earned a 9-4...

The Highlands girls basketball team trailed Section 1-4A leader North Catholic by just two points early in the third quarter of their matchup Dec. 14 at Highlands. But the Trojanettes limited the Golden Rams down the stretch and pulled away for a 44-24 victory. It was Highlands’ lowest point output...

First place in Section 1-5A was on the line Monday evening when the Plum and Indiana girls basketball teams matched up in the first of two meetings this season. Both the Mustangs and Indians came in 5-0 in section, so something had to give. Indiana rallied in the fourth quarter...

Karcy Fennell attended last year’s WPIAL gymnastics championship at Moon High School. The current Burrell freshman took it all in as an observer, looking to the future when she would be a competitor at the meet. Fennell and her Bucs teammates are in the mix to make their mark at...

The WPIAL performance lists for individual swimmers, relays and divers were released for the first time Jan. 9, and it was a welcomed sight for Plum competitors. It gave them a chance to see where they ranked in several events in Class 3A (girls) and Class 2A (boys) after the...

Plum senior Mareana Pilyih came into the season with clear goals, both for her own game and the fortunes of her team. They are being in the mix for Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League titles next month and also finishing off her decorated varsity career at states in March. So...

The youthful Gateway wrestling team is on the cusp of a midseason measuring stick known as the Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament, and coach Ryan Sula said he hopes to see his wrestlers make the most of the opportunity to see where they stand. It is the Gators’ third tournament of...

Gateway swim coach Glenn Raymer said getting healthy and staying healthy is a main focus for team members as they move into the heart of their section meet schedule. Raymer said it’s been a grind the past couple of weeks as several have missed practices or meets recovering from illnesses....

With a monster battle for first place in Section 1-5A looming against Indiana on Monday, the Plum girls basketball team hoped to stay focused Friday at Kiski Area against a Cavaliers team seeking a win to stay even with three other teams in the race for the WPIAL playoffs. The...