Michael Love stories, Page 30
Plum Mustang mountain bike team gears up for season of growth, camaraderie
Jim Yurek gets excited when talking about the continued growth of the Plum Mustang mountain bike team. “I love what this team has done for my sons and what it still does for my daughter,” said Yurek, a retired police officer who runs The Bike Lab shop in Plum and...
Pittsburgh Marathon offers strong tradition, something new
Troy Schooley loves the traditions of the Pittsburgh Marathon, and he also gets excited at new things that take place every year. On Sunday, during the marathon and half marathon through the streets of Downtown, more than 42,000 runners, walkers and hand-cyclists will be joined by a group of athletes...
Freshman pitcher Shelby Novak helps Burrell softball lock up 18th straight playoff appearance
Shelby Novak said she wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue pitching. She had battled in the circle since she was 7 and was there in junior high and travel softball. “I wanted to quit pitching and just be an outfielder because I was thinking down the road for college,...
Junior trio leads Burrell softball team to key victory over Deer Lakes
Three was the magic number for the Burrell softball team in its Section 1-3A clash with rival Deer Lakes Monday evening at Bon Air Elementary. The top three in the batting order, that is. Those three — shortstop Pyper Ferres, catcher Bella Stewart and third baseman Braelyn Jones — went...
North Catholic moves up to No. 2 in WPIAL boys volleyball coaches rankings
Only three section play dates are left in the 2024 WPIAL boys volleyball regular season, and teams in Class 3A and Class 2A are making final pushes for section titles, playoff positioning and postseason berths. The top teams are making their marks as there was little movement overall in the...
Gateway tennis again finds success in WPIAL doubles tournament
When Gateway junior Adam Memije advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A singles championship match April 10 and qualified for the PIAA tournament, and fellow Gators junior Zidaan Hassan lost in the semifinals, Hassan knew immediately that to win a second straight WPIAL doubles title, he would have to do it...
Gateway baseball coach, players remain positive after narrow losses
One win in 12 games to start a season might cause one to speculate about how the team is developing over the course of time from the start to its current standing. But first-year coach Luke Padezan said his Gateway baseball team, which sported that 1-11 record after a tough...
Advance Leader notebook: Plum boys lacrosse sets program record
The Plum boys lacrosse team routed Winchester Thurston earlier this month and did it with 17 goals, the most in the nearly decadelong history of the program. Juniors C.M. Sillman and Noah Parente each scored four goals, while junior Dom Colamarino and senior Caden Anderson added two goals apiece in...
Young Fox Chapel softball team finding stride ahead of WPIAL playoffs
The Fox Chapel softball team came as close as a team could to clinching a playoff spot from Section 1-5A when it dispatched Oakland Catholic, 20-5, last week to improve to 4-4 and remain one game behind third-place Plum in the section standings. Coach Chris Olbrich said his team, with...
Kiski Area high jumper DeVito striving to soar higher as WPIAL meet approaches
Gianna DeVito leapt to a top height of 5 feet, 2 1/2 inches in the high jump at the Lady Spartans Invitational on April 13 at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. She finished second that day, and the height, a career-best for the Kiski Area sophomore, ranks fourth on the Kiski Area...
Knoch softball team prepares for huge section showdown
When Knoch softball coach Chris Gardner was asked in a preseason questionnaire what his expectations were for this season, his response was simple and to the point. “Win the section,” he said. A month and a half after that direct appraisal, Gardner’s Knights are on the cusp of an attempt...
New Gateway duo wins WPIAL doubles title; Montour team makes school history
When Gateway junior Adam Memije advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A singles championship match two weeks ago and qualified for the PIAA tournament, and fellow Gators junior Zidaan Hassan lost in the semifinals, Hassan knew immediately that to win a second straight WPIAL doubles title, he would have to do...
Plum baseball continues winning ways with shutout of Gateway
Plum is starting to hit its stride in Section 1-5A. The Mustangs have won five straight games after a tough section sweep at the hands of Penn-Trafford. Plum took care of Penn Hills twice last week, scored a key nonsection victory over North Allegheny last Friday and finished off a...
Playoff picture looking good for Fox Chapel after win over Penn Hills
The Fox Chapel softball team took one step closer to securing a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs with an 11-0 win Monday afternoon. The Foxes, who have only two seniors in the starting lineup, pounded out 11 hits, and freshman pitcher Jillian Haigh limited the Penn Hills bats...
Ranked WPIAL boys volleyball teams aim to remain in contention during season’s stretch run
The boys volleyball stretch run to the end of section play May 9 and the WPIAL playoffs the following week has begun, and teams are making preparations to battle for postseason positioning and berths to the tournaments in both Class 3A and Class 2A. The Western Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association...
Gateway grads Julius Rivera, Jae’Len Means continue running careers as professionals
Julius Rivera and Jae’Len Means were sprint teammates at Gateway more than a decade ago, and then stayed connected on the college level at Cal (Pa.). Rivera ended up finishing his collegiate career at IUP, but he and Means never lost touch. Their journeys in sprinting have not waned, and...
Gateway boys volleyball making playoff push in Section 2-2A
The Gateway boys volleyball team found itself squarely in the mix of the Class 2A rankings from the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association. The Gators have been in the top 10 since the start of the season, and were fifth in the Week 5 rankings released April 15. “We are...
Plum baseball battling toward playoff berth in Section 1-5A
Carl Vollmer was quick to extol the virtues of baseball games in Section 1-5A, one that is filled with close, natural rivalries. The veteran Plum coach said that with matchups against Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford, Penn Hills, Fox Chapel, Gateway and Armstrong, there will be the highs of big wins and...
Freeport freshman pole vaulter Magness already turning heads with her performance
If opposing teams didn’t already know about Mackenzie Magness through her accomplishments during the indoor track and field season, the Freeport freshman pole vaulter opened more eyes at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association outdoor championships last Saturday at West Mifflin High School. Magness cleared the bar set at 11 feet,...
Dave Pucka, one of Plum’s own, hired to coach boys basketball team
Dave Pucka put his stamp on Plum athletics more than 25 years ago as a standout running back for the Mustangs, and he also was a member of the boys basketball team. He was Plum’s all-time rushing yards and touchdowns leader from his senior year in 1997 to 2022, when...
Apollo-Ridge softball team, with small roster and new coach, starts to find its footing
The Apollo-Ridge softball team began the season with 11 players. There was one recent addition to the group, but it has been all hands on deck for a team with aspirations to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs for the seventh season in a row. It also has been a get-to-know-you...
Burrell builds momentum with win over Deer Lakes
Mother Nature’s rain overnight from Sunday into Monday necessitated a change in venue for Monday’s Section 1-3A softball clash for first place between rivals Burrell and Deer Lakes. Originally an evening contest at Burrell’s Bon Air Elementary, it was relocated to Deer Lakes’ new artificial turf field for an afternoon...
Coaches rankings: Shaler, North Allegheny, top 2 teams in Class 3A, battle for tournament title
Shaler and North Allegheny remain the top two boys volleyball teams in the latest Western Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A poll released Monday morning, and the Titans and Tigers finished last week in the championship match at the prestigious Koller Classic on Saturday at Central York High School. The...
Gateway’s Adam Memije looks forward to PIAA tournament
Gateway junior Adam Memije entered the WPIAL Class 3A singles championship match last Wednesday at Glen Creek Tennis Club in South Park Township hoping to finish off a WPIAL-championship triple crown. Last year, he captured a WPIAL doubles title with fellow Gators junior Zidaan Hassan and also helped lead Gateway...
Gateway looks forward to promising 2nd flag football season
The foundation bricks for the Gateway girls flag football team were put in place last spring. Now, the Gators are taking the next steps in their second season. High school girls flag football in the Pittsburgh area, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Steelers, grew from six teams in the first season...
