Michael Love stories, Page 55
Burrell wrestlers open WPIAL team tourney with 2 victories
The WPIAL wrestling pairings committee slotted Burrell as the No. 3 seed for the WPIAL Class 2A tournament. Junior Cooper Hornack said the Bucs used that to their advantage in the opening two rounds Wednesday at Burrell High School. Burrell overwhelmed Knoch, 71-3, in the first round and topped Laurel,...
A-K Valley girls basketball teams jockeying for playoff position
It is crunch time with one week left in section play, and several girls basketball teams in the Alle-Kiski Valley have either safely secured their spot in one of the six WPIAL tournaments or are fighting to join the party over their final section games. Several key section matchups Thursday...
Deer Lakes boys avenge earlier loss to Burrell
When the Burrell and Deer Lakes boys basketball teams met Jan. 6, neither escaped the 40s as the Bucs held on for a one-point victory in overtime. In Tuesday’s rematch at Deer Lakes, the Lancers were able to exact a measure of revenge and stay on course for at least...
Professional rugby franchises to begin play in Pittsburgh in 2023
Premier Rugby Sevens, a top-tier women’s and men’s rugby organization in North America, has announced that the Pittsburgh Steeltoes Rugby Club will begin operation in 2023. The expansion franchise will host the PR7s 2023 Eastern Conference Finals at Highmark Stadium on July 23. The Steeltoes also will host an open...
Allderdice girls remain undefeated in Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association competition
The Allderdice girls fencing team remained undefeated in Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association meets with a pair of wins last Friday during competition at Peters Township. The Dragons improved to 4-0 with a 6-3 win over Peters Township and an 8-1 victory over Pine-Richland. Peters Township rebounded to beat Pine-Richland, 7-2,...
After medal-worthy performance at Allegheny County tournament, Gateway’s Heningcamp focused on postseason
Last year, Arontay Heningcamp fell short in his bid to claim a medal at the Allegheny County tournament. He went 2-2 at 113 pounds and bowed out in the third round of consolations. But this time around, at Fox Chapel on Jan. 21, the Gateway senior wrestler made sure he...
Gateway’s 1st-year unified bocce program providing ‘positive, uplifting’ experience
Gateway athletic director Don Holl first saw what a unified bocce program was all about while at Seneca Valley, and he felt it would be something to consider at Gateway. “I thought it was a really cool thing, so we investigated it and spoke to the school board about it...
Riverview’s Anthony Tigano displays improvement with medal at Allegheny County tournament
With a medal on the line at the Allegheny County tournament Jan. 21 at Fox Chapel, Riverview sophomore Anthony Tigano got the job done. The first-year varsity wrestler at Riverview scored a 2-0 victory over Hampton’s Nate Glock at heavyweight to secure the fifth-place spot on the podium. “He looked...
Hampton boys earn season sweep of Highlands in key section matchup
The Highlands boys basketball team scored 23 points in the first half of Friday’s clash with Hampton, a matchup of the top two teams in Section 1-4A. The Golden Rams usually have a higher point total after 16 minutes of play, but their defense was strong as they held the...
Freeport ace wastes no time in committing to St. Francis (Pa.)
Sydney Selker has two more softball seasons to play at Freeport, but the Yellowjackets standout also is looking further down the road at an opportunity she’s wanted for a long time. Selker on Thursday gave a verbal commitment to join the softball team at Division I St. Francis (Pa.). “My...
Kiski Area, Burrell swimmers, divers excited to leave mark at WCCA meet
Ten records fell at last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches Association swimming championships at Derry. Swimmers and divers from 14 county schools hope to produce records and reach the medals podium as they gather Friday and Saturday at Derry for the late-January tradition that sets the stage for WPIAL championship meets...
Apollo-Ridge girls look forward to rematch with Shady Side Academy
Sydney McCray feels that the Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team didn’t show its best in the first meeting with highly ranked Shady Side Academy on Jan. 2. The Bulldogs won 66-34 in the matchup of the top two teams in the Section 3-3A standings. McCray, a senior guard, said the Vikings...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Plum closes in on return to WPIAL playoffs
Plum’s girls basketball team has been on a roller-coaster ride throughout the 2022-23 season as it seeks to return to the WPIAL playoffs after missing out a year ago. After a tough 30-point loss to Section 1-5A Indiana (12-5, 8-0), the Mustangs responded by defeating Gateway, 42-29, before winning another...
Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association teams busy with regular-season matches
The Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association is nearing the heart of its 2023 season, and competitions continued this past weekend at the Corsair Fencing Club in Etna. Two-time defending PIFA girls champion Shady Side Academy improved to 3-0 with a 6-3 victory over Fox Chapel (0-1). The Allderdice girls also remained...
Knoch girls avenge earlier loss to Highlands as Shaw scores 22
When the Highlands and Knoch girls basketball teams met at Highlands on Dec. 19, the Golden Rams prevailed by 10. Knights senior guard Nina Shaw was held under 10 points that night. But Shaw was on point in the rematch Monday. She scored 22 points, including 10 in a difference-making...
Plum gymnast Sarah Kvortek suffers season-ending foot injury
Plum senior Sarah Kvortek hoped for one final solid performance at the WPIAL individual gymnastics championships Feb. 11 to close out her high school career. But those hopes came to a sudden halt last Friday at a high school meet at Premier Gym and Cheer in Baldwin. While preparing for...
Jennifer Bruce Scott honored to have jersey retired at Pitt
Jennifer Bruce Scott has worn several hats in the game of basketball over the years, from a high school and collegiate competitor to high school coach at Winchester Thurston, Penn Hills, Gateway and Plum and now as a high school referee. Her standout four years on the hard court at...
Gateway swimmers eye WPIAL cut times as season kicks into high gear
Gateway swimming and diving coach Glenn Raymer said his boys and girls teams jumped into a busy January ready to work and compete after a challenging series of practices between Christmas and New Year’s Day. “They definitely put some extra work in,” he said. “The kids were here ready to...
Plum swimmers seeing results after ‘intense holiday training’
Plum swim coach Shawn Haupt chuckled when he talked recently about the vibe among the boys and girls team members as some “moaning and groaning” with a lot of tiredness from some heavy-duty practice sessions. “But that happens every year around this time,” he said. “And every year, when I...
Plum gymnast Sarah Kvortek ups degree of difficulty in quest for more success
Sarah Kvortek smiles when she thinks back to last year’s PA Classic state title in the all-around at Moon High School. “It was just a really great moment, almost surreal for me because I never thought I would be a state all-around champion,” said Kvortek, a Plum senior whose 2021-22...
North Catholic girls rally to sink Highlands in key section matchup
North Catholic girls basketball coach Molly Rottman knew Thursday’s rematch between her Trojanettes and host Highlands would not be as one-sided as the first Section 1-4A meeting Dec. 15 when North Catholic won by 28 points. This time, the Golden Rams slowed the pace in the first half and, with...
Freeport girls basketball team working to make playoffs without injured senior Soilis
The Freeport girls basketball team has made the WPIAL playoffs six years in a row. But the Yellowjackets have some work to do to make it seven straight. After Monday’s tough Section 1-4A loss to Greensburg Salem, the final game of the first section cycle, Freeport sat at 2-4 in...
Deer Lakes boys beat Shady Side Academy in final seconds
Round 1 goes to Deer Lakes. The Lancers defense forced a Shady Side Academy turnover at midcourt in a tie game with 4 seconds left, and senior Michael Butler finished it with a layup at the buzzer in a 53-51 Section 3-3A victory over the Bulldogs on Tuesday evening at...
Apollo-Ridge girls hold serve with win over Mt. Pleasant
The Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team protected sole possession of second place in Section 3-3A and also defended its home court Monday evening with a 60-40 victory over Mt. Pleasant. “This was a huge win for us as we look forward to the second half of section,” said junior Sophie Yard,...
Gateway girls look to bounce back after narrow section losses
The Gateway girls basketball team started 0-4 in Section 1-5A play, but it was in position to turn some of those games into victories rather than the setbacks they experienced. That’s the assessment of Gators coach Curtis Williams after his team suffered a two-point loss to Plum in December and...
