Michael Love stories, Page 62
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Highlands takes care of business
It’s never an easy proposition playing a football game at the venerable Wolvarena in Turtle Creek. But Highlands stepped away from Greater Allegheny Conference play Friday and took care of business with a 38-23 victory at the home of Class 5A Woodland Hills. The Golden Rams, who average 32.1 points,...
Riverview runners shine at McQuaid Invitational in New York
Each year, the Riverview cross country teams venture beyond the borders of Pennsylvania to test themselves at a high-level meet. This year, the Raiders took part in the 57th annual McQuaid Invitational on Oct. 1 in Rochester, N.Y. The event attracts more than 200 teams each year. The Riverview boys...
Plum runners battle at Section 4 championships
The Plum boys cross country team challenged the top teams in Division I, Section 4 at the league championships at Northmoreland Park on Oct. 5, and the Mustangs rallied together for third place. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 60s, Plum placed three in the top 10,...
Deer Lakes rallies for win in low-scoring battle with Valley
Last year’s Allegheny Conference matchup between Valley and Deer Lakes was low scoring at Lancers Stadium as the Lancers came away with the win thanks to a single touchdown accounting for the only points. Points again were at a premium Friday night as the teams renewed their rivalry at Valley...
Eliza Miller leads Kiski Area girls cross country team back to section top spot
For the first time since 2015, the Kiski Area girls cross country team is section champion. The Cavaliers placed three runners in the top six, including the individual champion in junior Eliza Miller, to hold off the challenge of Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional and Gateway under sunny skies at Northmoreland...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2022 Week 6
Nick Odom Plum, so., RB/DB Odom is second to Eryck Moore with more than 40 carries and 350 rushing yards through six games. His 4-yard TD run in the second quarter last week at Franklin Regional was his seventh of the season. He also has made his presence felt on...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 6
Class 5A Northeast Penn Hills (3-3, 1-1) at Fox Chapel (0-6, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, James Burk Complex, O’Hara Township The Indians hope to shake off a two-game losing skid. Quarterback Julian Dugger is a veteran presence for the Indians. He has thrown for 706 yards, rushed for 329 more...
A-K Valley girls soccer notebook: Springdale maintains section lead despite tough loss
The Springdale girls soccer team still is in the driver’s seat in Section 1-A with a full-game lead, but the Dynamos’ grip was loosened Monday with a 5-1 loss at Seton LaSalle. Springdale (8-2, 7-1) came into the game off a dramatic 3-2, last-second victory over Greensburg Central Catholic last...
Deer Lakes volleyball finding success and stability under 1st-year coach Nypaver
Four seasons, five coaches. The seniors on the Deer Lakes girls volleyball team have been through it all the past couple of years. The Lancers sought a new beginning and the foundation for consistency in the program as they began their offseason of preparation. Mike Nypaver, a student of the...
Hampton takes over as Class 3A No. 1 in latest volleyball coaches association WPIAL rankings
There is a new No. 1 in Class 3A this week as the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association released its latest WPIAL girls volleyball top-10 rankings. Moon, last week’s No. 1 team in the classification, suffered 3-1 losses to both Class 3A No. 6 South Fayette and Trinity in Section...
Several teams score doubleheader sweeps as slow-pitch softball league pushes toward playoffs
West Allegheny, Penn-Trafford, Montour, Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin and North Allegheny all recorded doubleheader sweeps in game play from last Thursday to Sunday as the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League continues its stretch run to the playoff tournament. Mother Nature again got the better of several scheduled doubleheaders, including three on...
Gateway runner Kefimba Cisse gains confidence ahead of postseason races
Kefimba Cisse made his Gateway cross country debut last year after playing soccer as a freshman in the fall of 2020. He ran middle distance and distance for the Gators track and field team as a freshman and then transitioned from soccer to cross country, making an impact right out...
Deep lineup returns for Gateway JV hockey team
Gateway junior varsity ice hockey coach Shawn Jesih sounded the bell of optimism when talking about a team filled with experience and hungry to make its mark in the PIHL’s JV Tier 3 this season. Fourteen players return from last year’s squad which went 1-1 in the year-end playoff tournament...
Kiski Area’s Flemm overcomes injuries, mother’s bout with cancer to become stalwart for football team
Connor Flemm rarely leaves the field for the Kiski Area football team. The starter at running back and linebacker also kicks off, punts, converts extra points and is the field goal kicker. For the Cavaliers senior, every day on the field with his teammates is one he savors. He knows...
Plum building toward run at WPIAL playoffs
It’s three down and two to go for the Plum football team in Big East Conference play in its quest to qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. “To beat any teams left on our schedule, we have to keep up the intensity for four quarters and play a complete...
Deer Lakes holds off Knoch’s furious rally
The Deer Lakes and Knoch football teams put the pedal to the metal in the fourth quarter of their Allegheny 6 Conference opener Friday at Deer Lakes’ Lancers Stadium. The teams combined for 38 points on five touchdowns over the final 12 minutes. The Knights scored 22 points and the...
Burrell girls soccer in top form heading into tough stretch of games
The Burrell girls soccer team suffered a 2-0 setback at Section 2-2A rival Knoch on Sept. 9. The Bucs haven’t lost since. They are 5-0-1 over their past six games. They have bolstered their playoff resume and also put themselves in strong standing for one of the section’s four automatic...
Freeport tops rival Deer Lakes to complete girls soccer section sweep
In the first meeting between the Deer Lakes and Freeport girls soccer teams at Freeport on Sept. 1, the Lancers led by two goals before the Yellowjackets rallied with three scores to win the game. Wednesday’s rematch at Deer Lakes saw Freeport flip the script and get on the board...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2022 Week 5
Carlo Buzzato Riverview, jr., RB/LB Buzzato was a big part of last week’s victory. He carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards and scored what turned out to be the winning points with a 6-yard TD run in the first quarter. Buzzato added two catches for 43 yards, and...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 5
Class 5A Big East Plum (3-2, 1-1) at Franklin Regional (2-2, 1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Plum came back last week in the second half against No. 5 Gateway but fell 28-26. The Mustangs trailed 28-7 at halftime. Eryck Moore-Watkins ran 26 times for 148 yards and scored...
New cast of characters has Leechburg volleyball again competing for section title
The Leechburg girls volleyball team entered the season a younger group than the one that tied for last year’s Section 4-A title with Greensburg Central Catholic and made it all the way to the WPIAL semifinals. Several key seniors moved on, including All-WPIAL first-team selection Kalli Grine and all-section first-team...
Top WPIAL teams hold on to spots in Volleyball Coaches Association rankings
The WPIAL girls volleyball section schedule has reached the midway point, and races in all four classifications are heating up. The No. 1 teams in the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association rankings — North Allegheny (Class 4A), Moon (Class 3A), Freeport (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class A) — held...
Shaler leads way as Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League enters stretch run
Shaler leads the pack of 14 varsity teams as the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League enters the stretch run to the league playoffs. The Titans improved to 7-1 overall with a pair of dominating victories Sunday over Seneca Valley, 23-6 and 17-1. Second-place Hempfield (6-2) also swept a doubleheader, topping...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Durci helps Allegheny football team top Waynesburg
Ian Durci made his mark for the Allegheny football team in its 31-15 Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory over Waynesburg on Saturday. The sophomore wide receiver from Burrell finished the game with a team-high six catches for 76 yards. His top catch went for 25 yards. Durci recorded his first touchdown...
Gateway grad Becca Kubler finds scoring touch for Pitt-Greensburg
Becca Kubler led the Gateway varsity girls soccer team in points all four of her years with the Gators. Now at Pitt-Greensburg, the junior midfielder/forward again is at the forefront of her team’s offensive aspirations. Kubler, who played in all eight games, making four starts, through a 3-1 win over...
