Michael Love stories, Page 83
Hampton new Class AAA No. 1 as Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association releases latest WPIAL girls rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its latest WPIAL girls top-10 polls Monday morning, and there is a new No. 1 team in Class AAA. Hampton, which leads Section 5-AAA with a 7-0 record, takes over the top spot this week, unseating Thomas Jefferson. The Jaguars, at 7-0 and...
Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League Scores – Week 7
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League’s regular season continued over the weekend with Week 7 games. The league concludes the regular season Saturday and Sunday before the playoffs begin Oct. 16-17. Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League Scores Week 7 CLASS AAA Division I (5th-6th grade) Washington 39, West Allegheny 6...
Plum volleyball caps 1st half of section play with key win over Franklin Regional
The Plum girls volleyball team ended the first half of Section 1-3A play in a three-way tie for the section lead with Franklin Regional and Indiana. Each team sported 6-1 records. Franklin Regional defeated Indiana, 3-2, in the section opener for both teams, while the Indians swept Plum, 3-0. Then...
Shutout victory helps Plum football get back on track
For the first time this season, Matt Morgan was able to deliver a victory speech. The Plum head coach’s winning address to his players came shortly after the final horn sounded signaling the end of a 29-0 victory over Mars on Sept. 24. The Mustangs had come close the week...
Gateway notebook: Gators girls soccer in hunt for section title
The Gateway girls soccer team earned an important point in the chase for the top spot in Section 1-3A with a 1-1 tie against Hampton on Sept. 28. The game marked the beginning of the second half of section play. The Gators, who upped their section mark to 4-2-1 with...
Gateway hockey team continues to build toward success
Shawn Jesih has high hopes this season for the Gateway junior varsity ice hockey team, the organization’s highest-level squad in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League. The Gators, who haven’t fielded a varsity team since the days of Tyler Perhac, Jonathan Kasper, Cam Cacolice and Jordan Mardirossian a little more than...
A-K Valley H.S. football notebook: Freshman kickers delivers for Plum
Plum coaches put their faith in freshman Angelo Baleno on Friday at Highlands, and Baleno rewarded them. The young kicker delivered a 38-yard field goal in crunch time of the fourth quarter to lift the Mustangs to a come-from-behind 23-21 victory over Highlands in Greater Allegheny Conference action. The kick...
Deer Lakes football team keeps rolling, building confidence
Deer Lakes is on a roll in the Allegheny Seven Conference. The Lancers stopped a 15-game losing streak in Week 3 with a 49-0 victory over Derry in its conference opener. Last week Deer Lakes shut out Valley, 6-0. On Friday, the Lancers made it three in a row with...
Golden Gloves event set for Saturday at Monroeville Mall
Golden Gloves boxing returns to Monroeville on Saturday evening. The Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League will host eight bouts at Gloria’s Gym on the second level of the Monroeville Mall. The bell time is 6 p.m., and doors open at 5:30 p.m. The 16 boxers who will compete for victories...
Late defensive stand, long scoring drive help North Hills edge Kiski Area
North Hills was in a precarious position late in the fourth quarter of its Northeast Conference opener with Kiski Area on Friday. The Indians trailed by three and were backed up into the shadow of their end zone. But the defense forced a turnover on downs, and quarterback John Green...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 5
Class 5A Northeast Shaler (2-3, 0-0) at Fox Chapel (2-3, 0-0) 7 p.m. Friday, at James Burk Complex, O’Hara Township The Foxes hope to bounce back after a 48-28 loss to Class 5A No. 1 Moon last Friday. The setback halted a mini two-game win streak (Plum, Franklin Regional). A...
A-K Valley football players to watch for 2021 Week 5
Nick Curci Apollo-Ridge, Jr., RB/LB Curci returned to the lineup against Burrell and was an impact player in both the running and passing games. He carried the ball 11 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns and added four catches for 126 yards and two scores. Defensively, Curci recorded a...
Knoch’s Bauer aims to rebound at PIAA singles tournament
Ally Bauer won a WPIAL Class 2A doubles championship last year with sister Brooke. The Knoch junior hoped to add singles gold to her portfolio last Friday at North Allegheny High School. But Sewickley Academy’s Ashley Close had other ideas. Close defeated Bauer, 6-3, 6-3, to claim the title. Despite...
Opportunity knocks for Kiski Area girls soccer in 2nd half of season
The Kiski Area girls soccer team finds itself in the middle of a playoff chase in Section 1-3A. The Cavaliers are tied for fourth place in the section at 3-3 and are 5-6 overall heading into the second half of section play, which begins Thursday at Franklin Regional. Coach Mike...
Shady Side Academy girls soccer makes goal count in shutout win over Burrell
The defending Section 2-2A champion Shady Side Academy girls soccer team scored just one time in Monday’s Section 2-2A contest on the turf at Burrell’s Buccaneer Stadium. But that one score near the midway point of the first half was all the Bulldogs needed for a 1-0 victory. “We knew...
Shaler, Thomas Jefferson take over top spots in Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 4 top-10 rankings Monday, and there are changes at the top in both Class 4A and Class 3A. Shaler, which went 3-0 last week and swept past undefeated North Allegheny in a Section 1 clash, is the new No. 1 team...
Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League scores for Week 6
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League’s 40 organizations continued regular-season play over the weekend. The regular season is set to conclude this weekend with games Saturday and Sunday. Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League Scores Week 6 Sept. 25-26 CLASS AAA Division I (5th-6th grade) Trinity 41, Seneca Valley 13 Washington...
Gateway boys soccer rolls into 2nd half of Section 4-3A play at 5-1
The Gateway boys soccer team finds itself right in the mix for a playoff spot in Section 4-3A as it gets into the second half of section play this week. Coach Bernie Stiles said the team is working well together and is learning from all the ups and downs the...
After strong start, Gateway’s Brady Sundin builds confidence for invitational, championship meets
Brady Sundin didn’t have the 2020 cross country season he had hoped. “It wasn’t ideal,” said Sundin, who finished the season with what he said was a less-than-desired 108th-place finish in the Class 3A boys race at the WPIAL championships at White Oak Park. “I think I had overtrained from...
Quarterback Burke helps make Leechburg’s high-scoring offense go
Thomas Burke is in a lead role for one of the higher-octane offenses in the WPIAL. Leechburg leads Class A in points at 46 per game. The Blue Devils hit 41 in a victory over Eastern Conference rival Springdale on Friday. Burke, a senior in his first year at quarterback...
Riverview grad Michael Komaniak shines in leadership role for W&J men’s soccer
Michael Komaniak is dangerous. The opponents of the Washington & Jefferson senior forward know that all too well. Point Park saw that first-hand Sept. 1. The Presidents team co-captain and Riverview graduate made his presence felt throughout the nonconference season opener. Komaniak factored into all three goals in W&J’s 3-2...
Early challenges help Plum boys soccer maintain high expectations
The Plum boys soccer team is off to a strong start as it has plans to contend for the Section 4-3A championship and make some noise in the WPIAL playoffs. Through eight games, the Mustangs stood at 6-2 overall and 5-1 in section play. “Every game, we are looking to...
Leechburg strikes early, often to beat Eastern Conference rival Springdale
Leechburg didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against visiting Springdale in an Eastern Conference matchup Friday at Veterans Memorial Field. On a flea flicker, Blue Devils quarterback Thomas Burke found a wide open Logan Kline for a 55-yard score. Just like that, Leechburg had the lead. “We told...
Bethel Park’s Gorman defends WPIAL singles title; Sewickley Academy’s Close wins in Class 2A
Once was nice for Bethel Park’s Mia Gorman. Twice is much better. The senior standout captured her second straight WPIAL Class AAA championship Friday afternoon at North Allegheny with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Peters Township junior Kat Wang. “It’s exciting. Senior year. Two in a row,” Gorman said. “It’s...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 4
Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference Knoch (1-3, 0-1) at Armstrong (2-2, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday, NexTier Bank Complex, Manor Township The River Hawks went for the win last Friday against Hampton, but a 2-point conversion pass with 39 seconds left fell short in a 21-20 loss to the Talbots …...
