Michael Love stories, Page 52
WPIAL swimmers earn No. 1 seeds for PIAA Class 2A finals
The WPIAL will be well represented Wednesday afternoon and evening in the championship finals at the PIAA Class 2A swimming championships at Bucknell University. On the girls side, the Mt. Pleasant 200-yard medley relay of sophomore Kiersten O’Connor and seniors SaraJo Gardner, McKenna Mizikar and Reegan Brown (1:48.29); King in...
Armstrong Sports Hall of Fame to welcome 12 new members
The Armstrong Sports Hall of Fame is back. After a three-year hiatus because of the covid pandemic, the hall of fame will host an induction banquet April 30, at Laube Hall at Freeport Community Park. The Class of 2023 is John Bartolovic (football coaching, Ford City), Pamela Hobaugh (basketball, Ford...
Mt. Pleasant swimmers gearing up for medal haul at PIAA championships
Mt. Pleasant sophomore Lily King reigned supreme at the WPIAL swimming championships March 2 and 3 as a strong contingent of Westmoreland County and Alle-Kiski Valley Class 2A and Class 3A competitors made their marks at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Now, they hope to do the same at the PIAA championships...
Gateway swimmers hope to finish season strong at PIAA championships
Members of the Gateway boys and girls swim teams are at Bucknell this week competing at the PIAA Class 3A and 2A championships, and they hope to build on strong individual and relay performances from the WPIAL meet at Pitt two weeks ago. “All of the kids are pumped for...
After tough season, Gateway softball seeks improvement in ’23
When the Gateway softball team faced Thomas Jefferson for the first of two Section 2-5A matchups last year, the Jaguars stung the young Gators, 15-0, in three innings. Three weeks later, Gateway took TJ to the full seven innings in a 9-0 loss. To second-year Gators coach Donny Holl, that...
Early deficit too much for Highlands girls to overcome in 1st PIAA playoff game
The Highlands girls basketball team dug itself an early hole in a PIAA Class 4A first-round playoff game Saturday against District 6 champion Penn Cambria at Mt. Aloysius. The Golden Rams, playing in the program’s first tournament, fought their way back from a 15-point deficit in the second quarter and...
Experienced Riverview baseball team adjusts to Class 2A competition
The Riverview baseball team lost just two starters from last year’s WPIAL playoff qualifier. While catcher Taylor Zellefrow and pitcher/outfielder Vinnie Shook will surely be missed after producing strong varsity careers, veteran coach Bill Gras said the returning starters and others ready to step up and step into new roles...
Plum baseball preparing for promising season with Florida training trip
The Plum baseball team is in Florida this week for some practice time and game play under sunny skies and in temperatures expected to reach the upper 70s. The excursion south, veteran coach Carl Vollmer said, is expected to serve as an extension to an already productive series of workouts...
Riverview unable to field softball team this spring
Faced with roster numbers that would be far fewer than required, Riverview softball will not field a team at the varsity level this spring. Athletic director Corey Thomas said this week that there was an initial sign-up meeting for the spring season, and only four girls were there. A second...
A-K Valley PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 11, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A First round Highlands (16-9) vs. Penn Cambria (12-12) 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mt. Aloysius College, Cresson District finish: Highlands 7-4; Penn Cambria 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of Fairview (19-8)/Beaver (15-10) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Abby...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Freeport grad swinging hot bat at Mercyhurst
Ally DeJidas is enjoying a strong start to her softball season with Mercyhurst. The Freeport graduate and Lakers senior pitcher/outfielder led the team in batting with a .528 (19 of 36) average through her team’s first 10 games. She collected four doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs as Mercyhurst...
Three Rivers Unified Bocce regional tournament set for Thursday at Geneva College
Ten high school Unified bocce teams will gather Thursday at Geneva College’s Metheny Fieldhouse for the Three Rivers Region playoffs. Matches begin at 11 a.m. and will feature more than 100 athletes, partners, coaches and volunteers from qualifying schools Bethel Park, South Park, Chartiers Valley, Central Valley, Beaver, Grove City,...
Exchange students from France, Chile savor Highlands girls basketball playoff run
Camille Gigon and Augustina Gutierrez-Collado became fast friends when they met in August and joined the Highlands girls volleyball team. “I had never played (volleyball) before,” Gigon said. “But it was a great experience for me. I got to learn a new sport, and I got to meet a lot...
Kiski Area hockey beats North Hills in PIHL Penguins Cup quarterfinals
The Kiski Area hockey team rallied twice against Avonworth last week to claim a PIHL Penguins Cup Class A first-round victory. The Cavaliers rode that momentum Monday against No. 1 North Hills in a quarterfinal matchup at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. Sophomore Ethan Bombalski scored a go-ahead goal...
Shady Side Academy boys, Allderdice girls claim Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association team titles
A several-month long series of matches culminated last Friday in the Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association playoffs at Allderdice High School, and the Allderdice girls and Shady Side Academy boys claimed team championships. The Shady Side Academy girls came into the playoffs as the top seed after finishing the regular season...
PIAA releases preliminary qualifiers for swimming and diving championships
The PIAA released the at-large (time) qualifiers Sunday afternoon for the Class 2A and Class 3A state swimming championships March 15-18, at Bucknell University. The WPIAL is well represented in every boys and girls event and owns numerous top seeds. Only the champion in each event at all of the...
Plum girls value experience in WPIAL basketball playoffs
Plum girls basketball coach Rich Mull said he knew his team had its work cut out for it when it took on No. 1 South Fayette in a WPIAL Class 5A first-round matchup Feb. 21. “South Fayette had a great reputation that precedes them, obviously, and it was a challenge...
Gateway boys turn attention to PIAA basketball playoffs
Kaleb Pryor still feels the sting of the Gateway boys basketball team’s loss to top-seeded Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Feb. 25. “In a playoff atmosphere like that, in the final four or five minutes of the fourth quarter, it comes down to half-court possessions and playing...
Gateway hopes confidence carries over after strong performance in last year’s baseball playoffs
The Gateway baseball team entered last year’s WPIAL Class 5A playoffs as the 15th seed after tying for fourth place in Section 1 with McKeesport at 3-7. But the Gators didn’t let their seed get to them as they took on No. 2 Bethel Park. Gateway took the eventual PIAA...
Mt. Pleasant girls repeat as WPIAL Class 2A swimming champions
The Mt. Pleasant girls swim team completed Friday what they started Thursday. Swims at the top and throughout a deep lineup produced points in nearly every race, and it translated to the Vikings’ second straight WPIAL Class 2A championship. “It is awesome,” said a soaked Mt. Pleasant coach Sandy Felice...
Kiski Area boys rally, win team title at WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships
The Kiski Area boys swim team trailed Indiana by 12 points heading into the 400-yard freestyle relay Friday at the WPIAL Class 2A championships. The top-seeded Cavaliers quartet of sophomore Justin Tucker, junior Landon Seman, and seniors Parker Sterlitz and Levi Hansen raced to the championship with a strong final...
Mt. Pleasant girls put on clinic at WPIAL swim championships
The Mt. Pleasant girls swim team is halfway to back-to-back WPIAL Class 2A titles. Fronted by four WPIAL Day 1 titles — two individual and two relay— with four WPIAL records, the Vikings sit atop the standings by 50 points over Quaker Valley. “It was a great first day for...
Fox Chapel’s Shao keeps adding to WPIAL swimming medal count
Fox Chapel senior and Brown commit Sophie Shao had another big day at the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. With two more individual titles during Day 1 on Thursday, her total WPIAL-title haul in her four years now stands at nine, individually and relays. Shao defended...
Kiski Area, Freeport, Fox Chapel swimmers chasing gold at WPIAL championships
Title defenses, breakout performances and cheering crowds, oh my. Pitt’s Trees Pool will be alive Thursday and Friday as the site of the WPIAL Class 3A and 2A swimming championships. In the Alle-Kiski Valley, the Fox Chapel girls seek a championship in Class 3A after giving North Allegheny all it...
North Catholic girls handle Highlands to earn another trip to WPIAL finals
There weren’t many secrets Tuesday at Gateway as section rivals North Catholic and Highlands met in a WPIAL Class 4A girls semifinal with a trip to Saturday’s championship game on the line. The sixth-seeded Golden Rams hoped the third time would be the charm after the No. 2 Trojanettes took...
