Greg Macafee stories, Page 41
Deer Lakes, Freeport prepare for Big East rivaly matchup with playoff implications on the line
Deer Lakes and Freeport have a storied history in football. The Yellowjackets have dominated that history and lead the rivalry 41-5. The last time Deer Lakes won was in 2010 when it earned its first WPIAL playoff appearance. Another victory came 25 years ago this week, when current coach Tim...
Riverhounds starting to hit stride as playoffs near
The old saying goes, “Defense wins championships.” And as of late, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has shown exactly why that’s the case. Before Tuesday’s 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Loudon United FC, the Hounds had not allowed a goal in 698 minutes, which ranks as the second-longest shutout streak in USL Championship...
Knoch, Peters Township doubles teams capture WPIAL gold
When it came down to it on Thursday at the Oxford Athletic Complex, the Knoch doubles team of Ally Bauer and Libby Conlon did what they needed to do to come away with a WPIAL Class AA doubles championship. In both of their sets against Greensburg Salem’s Kasey and Paige...
Fox Chapel boys golf preparing for a WPIAL team title run
Over the course of the past few years, the Fox Chapel boys golf team have been strokes away from capturing the program’s fifth team championship. In 2015, they finished second to Peters Township by 10 strokes. A year later, they came within a stroke of taking down Central Catholic. They...
New girls tennis champs will be crowned in WPIAL doubles
New WPIAL champions will be crowned on Thursday when the doubles tournaments conclude at the Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford. On Wednesday, four pairings, two from AA and two from AAA, worked their way into the finals. In Class AA, Knoch’s Ally Bauer and Libby Conlon will take on Greensburg...
Freeport boys soccer in thick of playoff conversation
With just four games remaining on its regular season schedule, the Freeport boys soccer team is in the thick of the playoff race. And they have every intention of staying there. The Yellowjackets (9-4-1, 7-3-1) are fresh off a 13-0 win over Derry, which came at the back end of...
A-K Valley football Q-and-A: Kiski Area’s Kenny Blake
Since their matchup with North Hills in Week 2, the Kiski Area Cavaliers have had a secret weapon in their backfield. Some refer to him as “Cheat Code” and others refer to him as “Kenny Crisp” but on Kiski Area’s roster, he’s No. 1, Kenny Blake. “Every time he touches...
Deer Lakes, Freeport prepare for Big East rivalry matchup with playoff implications on the line
Deer Lakes and Freeport have a storied history in football. The Yellowjackets have dominated that history and lead the rivalry 41-5. The last time Deer Lakes won was in 2010 when it earned its first WPIAL playoff appearance. Another victory came 25 years ago this week, when current coach Tim...
Some high school athletes take on two sports in same season
In recent years, high school athletes have started to specialize in one sport in hopes of improving their chances at playing in college. While some athletes have chosen to play one sport all year long, others have gone the opposite direction and have chosen to play multiple sports in the...
Fox Chapel golfers set to chase individual WPIAL title on home course
When 36 golfers take to the links at Fox Chapel Golf Club on Tuesday for the WPIAL Class AAA individual championship, three Fox Chapel team members will look to do something only four others have accomplished. Win an individual WPIAL title. Frank Fuhrer III was the first to do so...
WPIAL Boys Soccer Rankings through Sept. 28
Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Seneca Valley, 11-1, 2 2. Plum, 11-0-1, 3 3. Norwin, 11-1-1, 1 4. Mt. Lebanon, 10-1-1, 4 5. Canon-McMillan, 10-2-1, 5 Out: None Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 9-0-1, 1 2. Mars, 10-1-1, 5 3. South Fayette, 9-2, 3 4. Moon, 11-2, 2 5....
Big East Conference playoff picture getting murky
Just like they have in years past, the waters are getting murky in the Class 3A Big East Conference playoff picture. After Friday night, No. 2 North Catholic (4-1, 4-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in league play. Four teams have three wins in the conference, and after Freeport...
Running game leads to big win for Burrell over Deer Lakes
Burrell coach Shawn Liotta is known for his creative offensive mind. On Friday night, Liotta dug into his bag of tricks, but not in an exciting, pass-the-ball-all-over-the-field way. He trusted his offensive linemen and went old school as the Bucs ran the ball 50 times. He leaned on senior running...
Sewickley Academy golf team building a championship tradition unlike any other
The Sewickley Academy boys golf team has a storied history. Since 1994, the team has won 21 section titles, nine WPIAL Class AA team titles, including six straight since 2013, and two PIAA Class AA titles in 2015 and 2017. In 2015, Jason Li captured the only boys individual title...
Sewickley Academy’s J.F. Aber captures WPIAL gold at Class AA boys golf championships
Riverside’s Skyler Fox was gunning to become the first golfer in WPIAL history to win four straight individual boys championships. If it wasn’t for Sewickley Academy’s J.F. Aber, Fox would’ve done it. With an even-par score of 70, Aber held off Fox by one stroke to capture his first WPIAL...
Burrell, Deer Lakes to showcase high-octane passing attacks in Week 5 showdown
Friday night’s matchup between Deer Lakes and Burrell has the makings to be special. The Class 3A Big East Conference opponents are led by two of the top quarterbacks in the WPIAL. Deer Lakes senior quarterback Aris Hasley has thrust himself into the spotlight this season, completing 89 of his...
A-K Valley football Q&A: Freeport’s Ricky Hunter
Freeport got in the win column for the first time Friday night and did so in a dominating way, scoring touchdowns in all three phases of the game. On the way to a 56-14 win over Uniontown, the Yellowjackets scored three touchdowns on punt returns, two on the ground, two...
Belmont Ice Complex closure affects local hockey teams
The Freeport and the Armstrong hockey teams will be without a home arena for the next month. On Monday, the Belmont Ice Complex in Kittanning announced that an issue with the rink’s ice refrigeration system forced a closure until the problem can be fixed. After determining that the problem was...
Plum takes down Norwin in clash of section rivalsVideo
After a tie with Norwin earlier this season, the Plum boys soccer team was on a mission to make a statement on Tuesday night when it met up with the Knights for the second time this season. It took them just 11 minutes to do so. Plum’s AJ Koma won...
Springdale’s Andrew Haus is exceeding expectations in net
Before the 2019 soccer season started, Springdale boys soccer coach Cesareo Sanchez had a big hole to fill at the goalkeeper position. Mike Zolnierczyk, the 2018 Valley News Dispatch boys athlete of the year who only allowed eight goals all season, had graduated and Sanchez was in need of a...
WPIAL boys soccer rankings through Sept. 21
WPIAL Boys Soccer Rankings Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Norwin, 10-0-1, 1 2. Seneca Valley, 9-1, 2 3. Plum, 9-0-1, 5 4. Mt. Lebanon, 7-1-1, — 5. Canon-McMillan, 8-2-1, 4 Out: Fox Chapel, 7-2, 3 Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 7-0-1, 1 2. Moon, 9-1, 2 3. South Fayette,...
A-K Valley high school football notebook: Several teams finally get in win column
The first win of the season can be a pretty nice feeling, but Fox Chapel delivered an even bigger win for coach Tom Loughran on Friday. Zakaria’s Essaouab’s 23-yard field goal pushed the Foxes out to a 16-7 lead over Hampton, and that’s all they would need as they gave...
Lancers hold off Mount Pleasant in a exciting Big East Conference matchup
So far this season, Deer Lakes has had trouble finishing football games. The Lancers lost a close one to Springdale in Week Zero, 29-27. Then, in Week 1, they lost to Big East Conference opponent Elizabeth Forward, 15-7. On Friday, with the game on the line and a strong Mount...
A-K Valley High School Notebook: Golfers get set to tee it up; Bucs tab new softball coach
Earlier this week, golfers from around the WPIAL took to the links for an opportunity to qualify for the individual WPIAL tournament next week. In Class AAA, golfers will compete in two semifinal qualifiers Monday for a chance to earn a spot in the WPIAL championship Oct. 1 at Fox...
Plum boys soccer relying on chemistry during hot start
Sometimes, a year of rebuilding and blending a group of players is all it takes. At least that’s the case for the Plum boys soccer team. Just a year ago, the Mustangs finished 11-8 and lost to Pine-Richland, 5-2, in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAAA tournament after...
