Greg Macafee stories, Page 14
A-K Valley wrestling teams overcoming obstacles as they return to mat
For the past 30 years, Kiski Area wrestling coach Chris Heater has spent most of his winter vacation in the wrestling room, putting his athletes through practices and preparing them for tournaments and future matches. This year has been different, though. With the three-week pause that was put into place...
Washington Wild Things hire new manager Tom Vaeth
The Washington Wild Things have found their next manager in Tom Vaeth, who was a longtime assistant for the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association. Washington also announced the hiring of pitching coach Alex Bosher in a news release Wednesday. “Tom brings a wealth of knowledge from his time in...
Penn State-Ohio State basketball postponed due to positive covid-19 tests
Penn State’s men’s basketball game scheduled for Wednesday at Ohio State has been postponed due to positive covid-19 tests in the Nittany Lions program. “Individuals with a positive test have been put into isolation. In addition to isolation, contact tracing procedures have been implemented, which includes quarantine and testing for...
WPIAL champion Highlands excited to get back in gym after long layoff
All basketball teams around Western Pennsylvania have been through a series of ups and downs in the past few weeks. The Highlands boys, however, didn’t even get to take the court for so much as a practice before Gov. Tom Wolf put a three-week pause on high school sports. So,...
Washington Wild Things announce retirement of manager Gregg Langbehn
The Washington Wild Things are searching for a new manager who will have big shoes to fill. After giving the Wild Things managerial stability since joining the organization in 2016, Washington announced the retirement of manager Gregg Langbehn on Monday. He was the second-winningest manager in team history behind former...
Pine-Richland grad becomes special teams ace for Army
Former Pine-Richland defensive lineman Ryan Duran III has been carving a role out for himself over the past few years in West Point, and as the junior and his Army teammates get set to take on West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, that role is expanding. During his first two...
Despite the latest ‘pause,’ A-K Valley basketball players look to grow into bigger roles this season
En route to its first WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball championship since 1995 last season, Highlands relied on a trio of seniors to lead the way. But as the Golden Rams jump up a classification, they will have to rely on a young roster, and sophomore Jimmy Kunst is one...
Armstrong School District mourns death of athletic director Denny Stewart
The Armstrong School District athletics community lost an important voice this past weekend as longtime athletic director Denny Stewart died. Armstrong co-athletic director Todd Harvey, who worked alongside Stewart since Kittanning and Ford City merged in 2015, confirmed the news Monday. “It was a real pleasure to work alongside him,”...
New Kensington native Skyy Moore growing into receiver role at Western Michigan
Back in 1982, the Cal football team pulled off a historic 25-20 comeback against Stanford when the Golden Bears completed a series of laterals on an end-of-the-game kickoff. At the end of the play, Kevin Moen ended up having to sprint through a grouping of Stanford band members and into...
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins named to 2021 Naismith Hall of Fame ballot
West Virginia men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins is on the 2021 Naismith Hall of Fame Ballot. Huggins is a reccurring member on the ballot and is an eligible candidate alongside popular nominees like Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Jay Wright, Swin Cash and Becky Hammon,...
West Virginia’s matchup with Buffalo canceled because of covid-19 protocols
A member of the Buffalo men’s basketball program tested positive for covid-19 on Sunday, leading officials to cancel a Dec. 29 game against West Virginia. The decision was announced Monday. Buffalo did not reveal who tested positive, but officials said it was either an athlete or a member of the...
After 5-month search, Shady Side Academy has new nickname
Shady Side Academy officially has a new mascot and nickname — the Bulldogs. The SSA Board of Trustees began a five-month search process in July after they decided to discontinue the use of the Indian as the school’s mascot and team name. During their search for a new mascot, a...
After wild offseason, Kiski Area’s Enzo Morlacci ready to prove himself
Kiski Area wrestler Enzo Morlacci has had quite the year, but he’s made the most of the past seven months. “It’s been weird, but I couldn’t have asked for it to lay out any better,” Morlacci said. “I met some amazing coaches, and I got a lot better. I wouldn’t...
New A-K Valley basketball coaches go through obstacles of another shutdown
The first year at the head of a program can be tough for any new coach, but imagine taking over a program in the middle of a pandemic. Then, as some might have expected, everything just stops. Practices. Games. In-person, face-to-face camaraderie. Everything. It’s all put on pause for three...
Robert Morris falls to Bowling Green, suffers first loss of the season
The Robert Morris men’s basketball team hadn’t played a competitive game since Dec. 5, and it showed Friday as the Colonials fell to Bowling Green, 85-65. Bowling Green guard Justin Turner turned in a near triple-double as he scored 24 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed eight rebounds to...
Athletes motivated to stay in shape during pause in high school sports
With repeated shutdowns of school sports and closing of local gyms, high school athletes have had to find their own ways to train throughout this year as they prepared for fall and winter sports. Now, due to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf “pausing” high school sports until Jan. 4, the ball...
Robert Morris adds game at Marshall to nonconference schedule
The Robert Morris men’s basketball team returns to action Friday night but added a little more competition to the schedule first. On Friday, the school announced a nonconference road matchup with Marshall. The Colonials (1-0) will take on the Thundering Herd (4-1) on Sunday, at Cam Henderson Center in Huntington,...
Deer Lakes soccer standout Michael Sullivan commits to Pitt
His commitment has been quiet, but Wednesday, Deer Lakes senior soccer standout Michael Sullivan announced his college decision with a bang. After leading the Lancers to their second state championship appearance in three years this season, the WPIAL Class 2A Player of the Year said he will play for Pitt....
West Virginia inks 16 on early signing day, including No. 1 tackle in the state
West Virginia coach Neal Brown secured a promising 2021 recruiting class during early signing day Wednesday with several talented players from all over the country. Offensive lineman Wyatt Milum (Kenova, W.Va.), wide receiver Kaden Prather (Germantown, Md.) and running backs Justin Johnson Jr. (Edwardsville, Ill.) and Jaylen Anderson (Perry, Ohio)...
Riverhounds bring back 6 players, including team captain Kenardo Forbes
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds announced they are bringing back six players from their 2020 roster for the 2021 season, and among them is USL Championship all-time assists leader and captain Kenardo Forbes. According to the Riverhounds, Forbes signed a one-year contract with a club option for the 2022 season and it...
Quaker Valley wrestlers ready to test themselves against the best
Over the past few years, the Quaker Valley wrestling team has taken the necessary steps to build a successful program from the bottom up. The Quakers won section titles each of the past two seasons and are looking to do so again. They want to take it one step further,...
Quaker Valley swimmers ready to show up for work, contend for championships
In his first year at the helm of the Quaker Valley swimming and diving program, John Nemeth wants athletes to put in the work that will enable them to compete at their highest level. Despite limitations resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, that is exactly what the Quakers were doing until...
Fox Chapel wrestling looks to lean on work ethic in 2020
After losing four seniors to graduation, the Fox Chapel wrestling team is going to go through a transition process in 2020. Eddie Farrell, Josh Miller, Luke O’Connor and Alex Wecht all left a lasting impact on the program after combining for 101 wins last season. They all recorded double-digit pins....
Fox Chapel swimming set to have best team in recent history
The Fox Chapel swimming program is on the rise. With an influx of young talent on both the girls and boys side and state champion Sophie Shao returning, the Foxes are in position to have one of the best seasons in recent history. “We feel really confident; we had one...
Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year: Springdale’s Logan Dexter
Alle-Kiski Valley Defensive Player of the Year Logan Dexter S, Junior, 6-2, 165 pounds, Springdale In Springdale’s first scrimmage of the season, Imani Christian sent two receivers toward junior safety Logan Dexter in hopes they would force him to make a difficult decision about who to cover. Dexter found himself...
