Michael Love stories, Page 33
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, Feb. 23, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Quarterfinals 5-Laurel Highlands (19-2) at 4-Highlands (16-6) 8 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 8-Greensburg Salem (16-7)/1-Blackhawk (20-2) Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD) Coaches: Shawn Bennis, Highlands; Stewart Davis, Laurel Highlands Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Sierra Jenkins, Laurel Highlands Layup lines: Highlands...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school notes: Football teams learn new homes
Plum football coach Matt Morgan felt that when he saw which teams moved up, moved down, or remained in WPIAL Class 5A, his Mustangs would most likely be on the move out of the Big East Conference that was their home the past two seasons. “Most likely” became reality Monday...
Knoch girls lean on defense to earn victory over Belle Vernon in Class 4A 1st round
As the favorite with home-court advantage for its WPIAL Class 4A first-round game against No. 11 Belle Vernon, the Knoch girls basketball team had designs on sending the Leopards back on their long drive home with a not-so-excited feeling. The Knights’ pressure defense in the full and half court forced...
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta named general manager for USA Football U20 team
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta will serve as the general manager for the U.S. Under-20 national tackle football team that will take part in this summer’s International Federation of American Football World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, USA Football announced Tuesday. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work with...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 20, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round 9-Plum (13-9) at 8-North Hills (13-8) Tuesday, 7 p.m., North Hills Middle School Winner plays: Winner of 16-Penn Hills (12-11) and 1-Oakland Catholic (22-0) Section finish: Plum 2nd, Section 1; North Hills T-1st, Section 2 Players to watch: Megan Marston, Plum; Gianna...
Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane looks forward to WPIAL championship debut
The WPIAL swimming championship meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool is fast approaching, and Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane’s excitement for her first opportunity to compete against the best in the district grows with every workout in the pool. Rassiane has produced times this season to put her among the top competitors...
Gateway boys refocus ahead of WPIAL playoffs
The Gateway boys basketball team came within one win of claiming a Section 3-5A co-championship. But the Gators had to settle for second to Franklin Regional as the regular-season concluded and they transitioned to preparation for the WPIAL playoffs, which began Monday against a familiar foe in Penn Hills. Rogers...
Riverview girls use time off to prepare for WPIAL quarterfinal matchup
With a No. 4 seed and a bye to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals, the Riverview girls basketball players knew they were going to face a familiar foe as soon as the playoff brackets were released Feb. 12. It will be 12 days between their final regular-season game, a low-scoring...
Plum boys basketball turns attention to promising future
At the start of the season, Plum boys basketball coach Justin Walther said he felt his team was a playoff contender in Class 5A out of Section 2. While the Mustangs were competitive in a number of section games, a section win didn’t come until the section finale at Armstrong...
A-K Valley high school notebook: Springdale alumnae Kropelak-Brownback going into UPJ Hall of Fame
Michelle Kropelak-Brownback, a standout track star at Springdale in the mid to late 1990s, is one of seven athletic greats who make up the 15th Athletics Hall of Fame class at Pitt-Johnstown. The six-time WPIAL champion and four-time PIAA place-winner showed her versatility at Pitt-Johnstown by competing in as many...
Keystone Oaks girls take down Burrell, get rematch with No. 1 Avonworth
Keystone Oaks will get another shot at No. 1 The Eagles, runners-up to Avonworth in Section 2-3A, got a game-best 15 points from junior Alayna Wagner and 12 more from senior Bailey Rieg in a 49-34 WPIAL first-round victory over Burrell on Saturday at South Park. Keystone Oaks, which improved...
Kiski Area wrestler Gray eager for postseason after being sidelined by shoulder injury
Kiski Area’s Mark Gray made his season debut last Saturday at the Pine-Richland Duals. The junior wrestled just one out of a planned schedule of three matches in his return from a torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered in a match at the Tussle Duals in West Virginia in...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A First round 9-Burrell (16-4) vs. 8-Keystone Oaks (15-6) Noon Saturday, South Park High School Winner plays: Winner of 16-Apollo-Ridge (8-13)/1-Avonworth (19-1) Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Burrell 2nd, Section 3; Keystone Oaks, T-2nd, Section 2 Players to watch: Julianna Fisher, Burrell;...
A-K Valley girls wrestlers ready for shot at WPIAL gold, spots in regionals
Ava Golding is undefeated against WPIAL opponents this season. The Kiski Area sophomore, 21-4 overall, has earned the No. 1 seed at 136-pounds for the inaugural WPIAL girls wrestling championships set for Saturday at North Allegheny High School. “You never know what to expect until you see your name there,”...
Top A-K Valley athletes gather for TSTCA indoor track championships
There are only 18 days until the start of preseason practices for the outdoor track and field season. But many of those athletes throughout Western Pennsylvania have their sights set on indoor gold and other top finishes at one of the top meets of the indoor season. The Tri-State Track...
Deer Lakes boys lead A-K Valley basketball teams as No. 1 seed in WPIAL Class 3A
The Deer Lakes boys basketball team now knows its path to a defense of its WPIAL Class 3A championship. The Lancers and 167 other boys and girls teams found out their postseason fates Monday afternoon as the 12 playoff brackets were revealed on TribLive HSSN. The champion of Section 3-3A,...
Robert Morris women’s basketball coach Charlie Buscaglia resigns
Robert Morris women’s basketball coach Charlie Buscaglia resigned Monday, said Chris King, RMU vice president and director of athletics. “We thank Charlie for his efforts on behalf of RMU women’s basketball,” King said. “We wish him well personally and professionally moving forward.” In eight seasons, Buscaglia leaves RMU with an...
Preparations underway for 30th annual Freeport International Baseball Invitational
Pitchers and catchers report to the Pittsburgh Pirates training facility in Florida on Feb. 14, and opening day is March 28 in Miami. College baseball teams, both locally and throughout the country, begin their seasons next week. High school baseball preseason practices start March 4 with season openers three weeks...
Gateway grad Sarah Corrie chasing PSAC indoor shot put title
Sarah Corrie is on a mission to bring home another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference shot put title this winter, and the Gateway graduate is on her way to again challenging for gold. The Slippery Rock standout kicked off the indoor season Dec. 2 with a runner-up finish at the Youngstown...
Gateway senior student-athletes celebrate signing letters of intent
Ahmad Harris’ confidence level is off the charts for his football future at Division II Wheeling in West Virginia. “They had a couple of injuries in the linebacker room, and the coaches said I have a good opportunity to go up there and compete right away to get on the...
Plum senior student-athletes set college plans
It was another day to celebrate for Plum seniors set to continue their athletic pursuits at the collegiate level. Last Wednesday marked the first day of the regular signing period for Division I and II football players to make their decisions final, and Mustangs quarterback and punter Sean Franzi put...
St. Joseph girls get tough road win at Riverview in battle of playoff teams
The St. Joseph girls basketball team completed a clean sweep of Section 3-A on Thursday as it went into Riverview’s gym and came away with a 54-32 victory. “It felt really nice to come into their place and get the win,” said junior guard Gia Richter, who scored 18 points...
Quartet of Deer Lakes football standouts sign with PSAC schools
Derek Burk, Nick Rossi, Ryan Cochran and Wayne Love were among those at the center of a Deer Lakes football resurgence in 2023. The quartet helped lead the Lancers to a home playoff game and the program’s first postseason victory, a dominating 48-18 victory over Southmoreland. Despite a tough loss...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Plum, Indiana vie for section title
The Section 1-5A title is on the line for Plum on Thursday as it clashes with Indiana to conclude section play. The stage was set for the Mustangs on Monday as they kept pace with the Indians in a 61-49 victory over Kiski Area on senior night at Plum High...
Plum girls pull away from Kiski Area to keep pace in section
The Plum girls basketball team took care of business Monday in a 61-49 Section 1-5A victory over Kiski Area on senior night at Plum High School. The Mustangs didn’t let the Cavaliers play spoiler as they kept pace with Indiana for a shot at the section title Thursday evening. Plum...
