Michael Love stories, Page 56
Plum wrestlers look forward to Allegheny County tournament
Last year, the Plum wrestling team took home 10 place medals and a third-place team finish from the Allegheny County tournament at Fox Chapel. The Mustangs return to Fox Chapel on Friday with nine of those 10 medalists set to compete — Vinnie Citrano graduated — and coach Mike Supak...
Pitt to celebrate anniversary of Jerome Lane’s famous dunkVideo
Pitt will celebrate one of the most memorable highlights in college basketball history Jan. 25 as the Panthers host Wake Forest at the Petersen Events Center. “Send it in, Jerome!” night will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Jerome Lane’s backboard-shattering dunk from Jan. 24, 1987, against Providence. “SEND IT IN...
Plum girls hold off furious Kiski Area rally to win
With 3 minutes, 41 seconds left in Thursday’s Section 1-5A girls basketball game at Plum, the host Mustangs held a 15-point lead on Kiski Area and hoped to put the game on ice. But the Cavaliers, led by junior Abbie Johns, wouldn’t go away. Johns scored 10 straight points for...
Riverview boys find winning formula with balanced scoring effort
The Riverview boys basketball team collected just six wins all of last season and was unable to secure a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. But things have taken a turn for the better this winter. The Raiders had six wins before the end of 2022 after a 72-64...
St. Joseph’s Julie Spinelli doing a little bit of everything
Julie Spinelli wants to win basketball games. Whether that means she pours in 30-plus points or finishes in the low teens, the St. Joseph junior guard/forward wants to make a difference for the Spartans (8-2), who find themselves among the top teams in Class A heading into a Section 3-1A...
Gateway grad Derrick Davis transfers from LSU to Pitt
Gateway graduate Derrick Davis Jr. on Tuesday said Pitt is it. A former LSU player, Davis Tweeted his decision in the early afternoon that he would continue his football career with the Panthers. “Let’s Get to it!” Davis said as he expressed his excitement with his decision. Davis last month...
Freshman, senior leading charge for Kiski Area girls wrestling
It was an all-Kiski Area final in the 126-pound bracket at the high school girls Powerade Tournament on Dec. 28 at Canon-McMillan High School. On opposite sides of the bracket, senior Bella DeVito and freshman Ava Golding were among the favorites to win in the 16-wrestler field that featured numerous...
Gateway’s Matt Brooks, Dallas Harper look forward to future in football
Matt Brooks didn’t wait around for his college experience to begin. The December Gateway graduate moved into his dorm room at Duquesne on Jan. 4 and began classes the next day. The start of winter football workouts was to follow Friday and pick up in intensity this week. “It feels...
Renovations moving quickly for Gateway’s state-of-the-art baseball, softball fields
Two weeks ago, outfield walls similar to what is seen at PNC Park were installed on the baseball and softball fields at Gateway High School. “It is a pretty neat visual,” Gateway athletic director Don Holl said. It was the latest addition to a project to renovate both fields that...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Highlands’ Shelby Wojcik, Kiski Area’s Isaiah Gonzalez
Shelby Wojcik Class: Junior School: Highlands Sport: Basketball Report card: Highlands junior forward Shelby Wojcik had a team-high 20 points in helping the Golden Rams defeat rival Freeport, 55-44, in a Section 1-4A contest Thursday night. It was the third win in a row for Highlands (6-4, 2-1). Wojcik, who...
Plum’s girls wrestling team shows improvement in early-season matches
The Plum School District sanctioned girls wrestling in June — the 47th district to do so in Pennsylvania — and since then, the program has made significant strides. Its wrestlers, coach Dave Miller said, are making progress both in the practice room and on the competition mat. “I first saw...
Plum basketball finding its way
Rich Mull saw ups and downs from a youthful Plum girls basketball team in his first season as head coach last year. The Mustangs finished outside of the playoff mix for the first time in six seasons. The still young team, with just forward Dannika Susko and guard Cam Rogers...
Franklin Regional keeps Kiski Area in check, leans on Rowell in 4th to pull out win
Franklin Regional boys basketball coach Jesse Reed said Friday’s Section 3-5A home contest with Kiski Area wasn’t the prettiest of performances from his team, but he was pleased the Panthers were able to produce a 43-36 victory over the Cavaliers. “You have to win ugly sometimes,” Reed said. “Our guys...
3 players score in double digits as Highlands girls hold off Freeport for 3rd straight win
The Highlands girls basketball team went three for three Thursday in a Section 1-4A matchup at Freeport. Three players scored in double figures as the Golden Rams won their third game in a row with a 55-44 victory over the Yellowjackets at Freeport Middle School. “We just had to execute...
Young Plum girls team might be finding way in new year
Rich Mull saw ups and downs from a youthful Plum girls basketball team in his first season as coach last year. The Mustangs finished outside of the playoff mix for the first time in six seasons. The still young team, with just forward Dannika Susko and guard Cam Rogers as...
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke hits 500 career wins with victory over Apollo-Ridge
Not too often do opposing basketball coaches combine to own nearly 1,100 career victories. That was the case Tuesday as Shady Side Academy’s Jonna Burke and Apollo-Ridge’s Ray Bartha guided their teams into the Section 3-3A girls opener at Shady Side Academy’s Mellon Gym. Bartha has 568 victories in nearly...
Pittsburgh Passion releases 2023 schedule
The Pittsburgh Passion women’s semi-pro football team on Monday released its 2023 season schedule. The Passion will play six games — three at home and three on the road — in the Women’s Football Alliance Pro National Division. They will open their season April 22 at longtime rival D.C. Divas....
Alle-Kiski Valley’s top 10 sports stories of 2022
The year 2022 will long be remembered for many monumental happenings, from A-K Valley athletes’ accomplishments to championship performances and teams bringing home gold at the district, regional and state levels. Athletes again were able to pay off many hours of dedication and determination to not only reach but to...
Julie Spinelli sparks St. Joseph girls to statement win over Freeport
There’s something about playing Freeport that sparks St. Joseph junior Julie Spinelli. Last year, she scored 33 points to lift the Spartans past the Yellowjackets in a three-point nonsection victory. Spinelli was at it again Wednesday evening in the championship game of the St. Joseph holiday tournament at Walter Dlubak...
Leechburg’s Braylan Lovelace, Apollo-Ridge’s Nick Curci carry A-K Valley flag on signing day
Braylan Lovelace and Nick Curci may be headed to different colleges, but the two Alle-Kiski Valley football standouts on Wednesday shared a similar celebratory atmosphere. They finalized their college decisions to Pitt and Duquesne, respectively, along with friends, family, teammates and coaches on the first day of the NCAA’s National...
Win over nemesis Knoch gives Highlands girls basketball team shot of confidence
The Highlands girls basketball team was back at it in practice Tuesday afternoon, one day after a big Section 1-4A victory over Knoch and one day before a nonsection clash with undefeated Armstrong. Six games into the season, the Golden Rams are optimistic about what they have done and where...
Second-half surge powers Plum girls past Franklin Regional
With 2 minutes, 2 seconds left in the third quarter Monday night, the Franklin Regional girls basketball team held a three-point lead over Section 1-5A rival Plum and hoped to extend its advantage. But the Mustangs then went on a 14-0 run that lasted until two minutes were left in...
Gateway JV hockey team shattering expectations
The Gateway junior varsity hockey team registered eight points in 15 regular-season games last year. The Gators own that many points through their first eight games this year, and coach Shawn Jesih said his experienced team continues to improve as it closes out 2022. “The development of the boys has...
Gateway boys basketball has date with Laurel Highlands circled on calendar
The Laurel Highlands boys basketball team won its second WPIAL Class 5A title in three years last season and had high hopes for a run in the PIAA tournament. But Gateway, which made a run to the WPIAL semifinals and qualified for states, played spoiler in the quarterfinals. The Gators...
After successful run in Japan, Plum native Scott McGough making return to MLB
Scott McGough is coming home. The 33-year-old Plum native who got his start in professional baseball in 2015 after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers will return to Major League Baseball for the 2023 season. McGough, a reliever who helped the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League...
