Michael Love stories, Page 47
Plum girls lacrosse team reflects on section championship season
The Plum girls lacrosse team had big things in mind for the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs and beyond after a regular season which saw it finish undefeated in section play for the first time and rack up a 14-3 overall record. The Mustangs were awarded the No. 2 seed —...
Kiski Area’s Hill earns state title in fast-growing sport of trap shooting
Taygen Hill didn’t have to look too far for influence and inspiration in the world of clay target shooting. “My great uncle, Joe, was big into skeet and shooting clays, and I watched what he did,” said Hill, a rising senior at Kiski Area. “But I’ve been hunting for a...
New Freeport girls basketball coach Ketterer is familiar face
Mallory Heinle Ketterer knows the Freeport girls basketball program inside and out. She spent the past four years as an eighth-grade coach and varsity assistant to Fred Soilis. That experience, she hopes, will serve her well as she continues to transition in her new role as Freeport’s new girls head...
Burrell comes up short in pitchers’ duel in 1st round of PIAA softball playoffs
MIFFLINTOWN — With Fordham-bound junior Liz Gaisior in the circle for Juniata and senior Katie Armstrong, a Gannon commit, throwing for Burrell, an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel was expected Monday in a PIAA Class 3A first-round game at Juniata High School in Mifflintown. That is what came about over the seven...
Alle-Kiski Valley PIAA softball capsule: Game for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA Softball Class 3A First Round 7-3 Burrell (14-6) at 6-1 Juniata (22-3) 4 p.m. Monday at Juniata High School, Mifflintown Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 Avonworth (21-1)/10-2 Fort LeBoeuf (20-1) on Thursday in second round (site/time TBD) Players to Watch: Katie Armstrong, Burrell; Liz Gaisior, Juniata Extra-bases: Burrell is...
Burrell softball team wants long ride to start deep run
Burrell High School graduation is Thursday evening. Four senior members of the Bucs softball team who will be receiving their diplomas — Abbie Larko, Alanna Miller, Cassidy Novak and Katie Armstrong — hope the day is a busy one as it also is the day of the second round of...
Gateway notebook: Gators tandem takes 3rd at PIAA doubles championships
Emily Levine wasn’t witness to her Gateway doubles team’s run to third place at the PIAA Class 3A tournament May 27, at the Hershey Racquet Club. Her husband had undergone emergency eye surgery, and she wasn’t able to travel. But the news that traveled back to the Pittsburgh area excited...
Gateway showcases ‘premier baseball and softball complexes’ during WPIAL playoffs
When the baseball and softball fields at the Gateway Sports Complex were still in the construction stage, Gateway athletic director Don Holl gazed into his crystal ball and saw the facility hosting a number of WPIAL playoff games. Hope and optimism turned into reality over a two-week span from May...
Leechburg boys basketball coach Damian Davies resigns
Damian Davies said it was time to step away as head coach of the Leechburg boys basketball team but said he leaves with many positive moments from the four seasons of his second stint with the program. Davies said he made the decision a couple of weeks ago, ending the...
WPIAL girls lacrosse all-star teams released
Fox Chapel’s Sydney Schutzman and Mt. Lebanon’s Addie Murdoch in Class 3A and Hampton’s Emi DiLiberto in Class 2A were unanimous selections to the All-WPIAL girls lacrosse teams released Wednesday. The selections for All-WPIAL in both Class 3A and Class 2A as well as the four all-section teams are based...
Penn-Trafford earns spot in PIAA baseball playoffs with win over rival Plum
The first two meetings between baseball section rivals Plum and Penn-Trafford were close and low-scoring. Each won on their home field. The rubber matchup between the Mustangs and Warriors on Wednesday at Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park was expected to be a similar type of contest, and it was....
Katie Armstrong strikes out 14 as Burrell blanks Waynesburg in WPIAL Class 3A third-place game
The Burrell softball team used small ball to pick up its first run of Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 3A third-place game against Waynesburg Central at Gateway. Sophomore Brae Jones led off with an infield single, was aggressive in moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from senior Alanna Miller and scored...
Greensburg Central Catholic holds off OLSH to advance to PIAA softball playoffs
In a win-or-go-home scenario Tuesday at Gateway, the Greensburg Central Catholic softball team survived. The Centurions bounced back from last week’s WPIAL Class 2A semifinal loss to No. 1 Neshannock with a 7-6 victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a battle for third place where only the...
Spot in states secure, but Burrell softball team still plenty to play for in 3rd-place game
Last year, the Burrell softball team lost in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals, dropping it to the third-place consolation game against Montour with a trip to the PIAA playoffs on the line. The Bucs, in a must-win situation to continue their season as only three Class 4A teams advanced to...
Gateway boys volleyball uses playoff defeat as learning moment
On the road and down a set in its WPIAL Class 2A first-round match against No. 7 Montour on May 16, the No. 10 Gateway boys volleyball team punched back and scored a win in set two to even things up. “It was nothing short of awesome to see us...
Gateway boys tennis team caps special season in PIAA semifinals
The Gateway boys tennis team surged to the top of WPIAL Class 3A this season and made its mark with a run at the PIAA tournament. First-year coach Emily Levine said it was a special feeling to be a part of it all with her players and to see the...
5 athletes, coach, cross country team to join Gateway Sports Hall of Fame in class of 2023
The Gateway Sports Hall of Fame will induct its next class of Gators athletic greats this fall, and the first class since 2019 has been selected. The group includes five athletes, a teacher/coach and one team. Robert Kalkstein (Class of 2010) was 41-9 as Gateway’s starting quarterback and played in...
Return to Passion after 3-year hiatus ‘feels right’ for Plum graduate Lauren Ferragonio
The passion for the Pittsburgh Passion women’s football team never left Lauren Ferragonio. That desire to make a difference in the sport is what drives the Plum graduate and Penn Hills resident to put the pads and helmet back on and mix it up again after three years away from...
Shaler wins 1st WPIAL boys volleyball championship, ending North Allegheny’s title run
The Shaler boys volleyball team arrived at Peters Township High School as Thursday’s Class 2A championship game was taking shape. The players sat in the bleachers and watched North Catholic capture its first WPIAL title with a sweep of 10-time champion Ambridge. Shaler then went out and achieved a similar...
North Catholic tops Ambridge for WPIAL boys volleyball title in clash of Class 2A rivals
There were no secrets when section rivals Ambridge and North Catholic met Thursday evening at Peters Township to decide the WPIAL Class 2A boys volleyball championship. The Bridgers and Trojans split their season series, each winning in five sets. With the title on the line, North Catholic won the latest...
Freeport track and field duo ready to tackle PIAA championships
Before Reese Skiba and Isaac Wetzel can throw and run Friday and Saturday at the PIAA Class 2A track and field championships at Shippensburg, the Freeport duo will take one of the most important walks of their lives. The seniors will take part in commencement activities Thursday evening at Freeport...
One big hit enough for Avonworth to win pitchers’ duel over Burrell in softball semifinal
Avonworth cleanup hitter Leah Kuban fell victim to Burrell pitcher Katie Armstrong twice in Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 3A semifinal softball game at North Allegheny. She struck out against the Bucs senior to begin the bottom of the second and then went down on strikes to end the bottom of the...
Seton LaSalle erupts for 6-run 6th inning to surge past Riverview in Class 2A
Seton LaSalle collected four hits through five innings against Riverview starting pitcher Ben Hower in a Class 2A quarterfinal baseball playoff game Monday afternoon at Gateway. The No. 2 Rebels then erupted for six runs on five hits in the sixth inning off of Hower and Raiders reliever Enzo Lio....
A-K Valley WPIAL softball playoff capsule: Games for Tuesday, May 23, 2023
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A Semifinals 1-Avonworth (19-1) vs. 4-Burrell (13-5) 4 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of 2-Southmoreland (15-2)/3-Waynesburg Central (16-3) in championship game May 31 or June 1 at Lilley Field, PennWest University, California (time TBA) Players to watch: Brae Jones, Burrell; Alvia Lantzy, Avonworth...
Alumni help Valley boys tennis players prepare for postseason tournaments
The Valley boys tennis team qualified for the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 2A tournament and faced North Catholic on May 8 with a spot in the semifinals and a berth to states on the line. The day before, the Vikings starting seven had the opportunity to train with some...
