Michael Love stories, Page 28
Riverview battle-tested for WPIAL baseball playoffs
The Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic baseball teams met May 6 and 7 with second place in Section 3-2A on the line. The games turned out to be the competitive battles most everyone expected. But the Raiders didn’t get the results they were looking for. Riverview dropped both games in...
A-K Valley high school softball playoff preview capsules for May 13, 2024
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 5A First round 8-Connellsville (12-7) vs. 9-Plum (11-6) 4 p.m. Monday at Gateway Winner plays: Winner of 1-Armstrong (14-3)/16-Western Beaver (6-6) on Wednesday in quarterfinals (site, time TBA) Players to watch: Dani Pici, Plum; Iris Burd, Connellsville Extra bases: Plum finished third in Section 1 behind...
Gateway notebook: Track and field athletes prepare for WPIAL meet
Coming down the stretch to the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships at Slippery Rock, there were several qualifying locks among the Gateway boys and girls teams. There also were a few on the bubble hoping to make the championship meet as the WPIAL takes the top 24 in...
Willie Thrower camp continues to grow, honor legacy of barrier-breaking Valley QB
Willie Thrower would have stood on the Valley High Memorial Field turf and marveled at the talented quarterbacks and other position players at the third annual quarterback camp named in his memory. That was the assessment of Melvin Thrower, the son of the late New Kensington and Michigan State graduate...
Tough section tests prepare Riverview for WPIAL baseball playoffs
The Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic baseball teams met May 6 and 7 with second place in Section 3-2A on the line. The games turned out to be the competitive battles most everyone expected. But the Raiders didn’t get the results they were looking for. Riverview dropped both games in...
Plum notebook: Mustangs wrestlers make college decisions
Antonino Walker and fellow Plum seniors celebrated their high school wrestling careers and wrestling futures as they finalized decisions to compete at the next level. Walker, who committed to Division I Edinboro, as well as Sam Snyder (Division III Saint Vincent), Carson Yocca (Division II Ashland) and Rylen Campbell (Ashland)...
Class 5A features deep bracket for WPIAL softball playoffs
The Class 5A bracket was a hot topic of the WPIAL softball pairings show Thursday afternoon on TribLive HSSN. The conversation included who could have been placed in which positions near the top and where the others in the deep 16-team bracket fell. Plum, the third-place team from Section 1...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school notebook: Apollo-Ridge pursues girls basketball coach
Apollo-Ridge School District and its athletics department are continuing the process that will lead to the hiring of a new girls basketball coach. Athletic director John Skiba confirmed Wednesday that those hoping to apply for the open position can send resumes to skibaj@apolloridge.com by May 31. Jeff Zelonka, an Apollo-Ridge...
Top Western Pa. quarterbacks set to show skills at 4th Willie Thrower camp
More than 50 quarterbacks from the WPIAL and throughout Western Pennsylvania and Ohio will get a chance to show their stuff at the fourth annual Willie Thrower Memorial Award Foundation Quarterback Camp on Saturday at Valley High School. “With this camp, you not only are seeing the great number of...
After coming up short twice, Knoch girls track and field team aims for WPIAL title
Two years ago, the Knoch girls track and field team qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. The Lady Knights came up just short of their goal to advance to the finals. Last spring, Knoch broke through as one of the final four. The Knights beat Derry, but Winchester Thurston...
Shaler, Mars lead final 2024 WPIAL boys volleyball top-10 polls
The final week of the regular season is here for WPIAL boys volleyball teams, and there still are things to be decided in terms of playoff qualifiers. Some teams have one or two section matches left, while a few others have three. There are at least five more berths to...
Freeport’s Camryn Woods values experience with U.S. ODP national team
Camryn Woods found herself among some select soccer company. The Freeport freshman took her game international earlier this month as a member of a U.S. Olympic Development Program U15 national team that played three games in Costa Rica. “It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had,” Woods...
Wesley Kiptoo wins 3rd consecutive half-marathon title as Pittsburgh welcomes thousands of racers
When former Steelers quarterback and Steel Valley graduate Charlie Batch shared words of inspiration, and after Bill Deasy sang the national anthem, many of the 42,000 runners, walkers and hand cyclists of all ages said a prayer, checked their watches or prepped their bodies one last time to tackle the...
Gateway’s Dino Nadarevic, Kenny Lewis closing in on school records
Dino Nadarevic didn’t know what the South Fayette Invitational boys meet record was for the shot put before he competed in the event April 27. He does now. The Gateway junior took down the previous record with a top successful attempt of 57 feet, 6 inches. “I was super excited...
Gateway flag football team continues unbeaten run
After Week 3 of the high school girls flag football season on April 28, Gateway stood tall in the East division at 6-0. The Gators scored 108 points in those six games, an average of 18 per game while giving up just 14 points. “We knew that we had the...
Plum’s Owen Proskin looks to contend for WPIAL medals in multiple events
During a high school track and field meet this season, Owen Proskin can be seen anywhere from the track to the jumps and to the throws. The versatile 6-foot-5 Plum sophomore is making his mark in several events and producing points, top place finishes, and creating positive vibes toward what...
Tyler McCandless ready to defend title at Pittsburgh Marathon
Tyler McCandless hopes to defend his Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon title Sunday morning. The Fort Collins, Colo., resident, who covered the 26.2 mile course through several Pittsburgh neighborhoods and downtown streets in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 8 seconds last year to claim gold, hopes to become the first repeat...
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...
