Michael Love stories, Page 64
New website displays history of Gateway Sports Hall of Fame
The journey to the formation and implementation of the new Gateway Sports Hall of Fame website — gshof.com — had its genesis more than two decade ago when the first class of Gators greats — the 1969 championship football team, the late Curtis Bray, Michelle Chow, Richard Adipotti, Mel Nash,...
Riverview boys cross country begins quest to defend WPIAL title
Amberson Bauer and Christopher Barnes finished near the top — third and fourth, respectively — at the traditional season-opening Gateway Invitational cross country meet Sept. 3 at Boyce Park in Plum. Bauer, a senior, and Barnes, a sophomore, helped the Raiders take second to only Class 3A Fox Chapel in...
Plum runners off to strong start after performance at Gateway Invitational
Plum’s Connor Pivirotto and Riverview’s Christopher Barnes were next to each other down the final straightaway to the finish line in the boys varsity race at the Gateway Invitational cross country meet Sept. 3 at Boyce Park. Barnes edged Pivirotto by less than a second for fourth place overall. Pivirotto...
Kefimba Cisse claims title at host Gateway Invitational
Kefimba Cisse finished second to the now-graduate Brady Sundin in Gateway cross country races last year. The junior, who placed 67th at the WPIAL Class 3A championships in 2021, now is the top runner on a Gators boys team that includes a number of returning competitors who still possess a...
A-K Valley high school football notebook: Wetzel nearly sets Freeport field goal mark
Early in the second quarter of Friday’s 61-7 victory over Quaker Valley, the Freeport offense faced a fourth-and-6 from the Quakers 40. The Yellowjackets didn’t go for it or punt in the hopes of pinning QV near its goal line. Instead, Isaac Wetzel jogged onto the field to attempt a...
Freeport cruises past Quaker Valley, 61-7
Freeport wasted no time taking control of its nonconference game against Quaker Valley on Friday at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium. After the Yellowjackets defense forced a turnover on downs at the Quakers 34, the Freeport offense needed just one play to find the end zone. Gavin Croney connected with Brady...
New coach Albie Fletcher plans ‘business as usual’ for Deer Lakes boys basketball program
Albie Fletcher joined the Deer Lakes varsity coaching staff under Terance Parham for the 2018-19 season. As a varsity assistant and the head JV coach, the Deer Lakes grad got to experience one of the most successful seasons in program history as the Lancers went 18-8 and advanced to the...
Freeport girls soccer snaps winless streak against rival Burrell
Close and intense soccer is expected when the Freeport and Burrell girls teams meet. Wednesday was no exception as the Yellowjackets and Bucs clashed at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium. Freeport scored twice in the first half, and the defense made it stand up for a 2-0 victory. The triumph for...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2022 Week 2
Devin Beattie Burrell, jr., RB/DB Beattie is part of a strong Bucs running game, and in last Friday’s overtime victory over Deer Lakes, he shined. Given the ball 23 times, Beattie rushed for 142 yards and scored the tying touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 39-yard run. He hopes...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 2
Nonconference Apollo-Ridge (2-0) at Deer Lakes (0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, at Lancers Stadium, West Deer Apollo-Ridge and Deer Lakes will meet for the first time since 2017 when the Vikings won an Allegheny Conference matchup, 34-21. Deer Lakes leads the all-time series, 17-14. The Vikings scored a 34-19 home win...
North Catholic tops Class 3A in latest WPIAL girls volleyball coaches rankings
WPIAL section play begins for girls volleyball Tuesday evening, and leading into the numerous matchups on the docket, the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 2 top-10 rankings. There was movement in each classification after the first week of matches and weekend tournaments. Three of the four rankings...
Freeport volleyball sets sights on 18th straight section title
The Franklin Regional girls volleyball tournament has established itself as one of the premier events in the early fall season, and Freeport, a regular participant, knew it again would be tested against some of the top teams in the WPIAL. The Yellowjackets passed the test with flying colors. They swept...
Monroeville Marlins add diving program
The Monroeville Marlins is not just for swimmers anymore. Starting Thursday, the organization will offer an eight-week program for those interested in diving. Leading the group is John Ritter, the diving coach at Gateway, and he said he’s excited to give those interested in the sport a chance to begin...
Plum again takes aim at trip to WPIAL girls soccer finals
The WPIAL girls soccer championship games will be back at Highmark Stadium for the second year in a row, and Plum hopes to again reserve a spot in the Class 3A game in early November. Runners-up to Mars the past two seasons — 2020 at North Allegheny and last year...
Gateway volleyball makes smooth transition to new head coach
There weren’t many introductions needed when Nicole Riley met her Gateway girls volleyball players on the first day of preseason camp Aug. 15. As the Gators middle school coach for a number of seasons, Riley had coached all but two members of this year’s team. The familiarity was there, and...
Riverview girls look to build on trip to WPIAL playoffs
For the Riverview girls varsity soccer team, 2021 certainly was a year of growth. The Raiders rose like a phoenix from the previous fall when no team took the field because of the covid pandemic and lower-than-needed roster numbers. A group of 16 came together to finish 4-10 overall and...
A-K Valley H.S. football notebook: Apollo-Ridge weathers storm in emotional victory
Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba was overcome with emotion, tears flowing down his face, after speaking with his team following a highly emotional 34-19 home victory over Valley on Friday. Injuries to key players and deficits at halftime and in the fourth quarter challenged the Vikings players. But they rallied around...
Nick Curci runs for 249 yards to lift Apollo-Ridge past Valley
Facing a halftime deficit and another one in the fourth quarter and also facing adversity with several key injuries, Apollo-Ridge dug deep for a 34-19 victory over Valley in a nonsection contest Friday at Owens Field in Apollo. Senior Nick Curci carried the ball 31 times for 249 yards and...
Freeport senior Reiser vows to help team after injury
Jacksen Reiser was hoping to have a big senior season with the Freeport football team. The 6-foot, 190-pound inside linebacker had drawn interest from several area colleges. Programs at the next level started to take notice last year when he recorded 114 tackles, including five sacks, to help the Yellowjackets...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 1
Nonconference Blackhawk (0-1) at Highlands (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, at Golden Rams Stadium, Natrona Heights Blackhawk got on the board late in Friday’s 22-7 loss to neighboring rival Beaver Falls as quarterback Alex Prichard connected with Sam Stewart for a 22-yard touchdown. … Highlands topped University Prep for the second...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2022 Week 1
Luke Bombalski Highlands, jr., RB/LB Bombalski broke out last year as a bruising runner for the Golden Rams, and last Friday, he picked up where he left off with 23 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns in Highlands’ 34-12 victory over University Prep. Bombalski also recorded five tackles, including...
Volleyball coaches association releases 2022 Week 1 WPIAL girls rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its inaugural WPIAL top-10 poll for the 2022 girls volleyball season Monday morning, and North Allegheny (Class 4A), Thomas Jefferson (Class 3A), Freeport (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class A) are at the top of their specific rankings. The season kicked off this...
Kiski Area, Norwin volleyball teams ready to play outdoors again
The Kiski Area and Norwin girls volleyball teams kick off their seasons Monday evening, and for the second year in a row, the rivals will take their nonsection matchup outside. The Cavaliers and Knights expect a big crowd and good weather for the Pack the Park Volleyball Classic, an event...
Gateway girls soccer under new leadership
The Gateway girls soccer program experienced transition in the offseason as Kelly Bender stepped down as varsity head coach after six seasons to concentrate on family and professional work changes. Those at Gateway looking for the new coach ultimately didn’t have to go far to find the person they ended...
High-scoring Strawser leads Gateway boys soccer into 2022 campaign
Gateway boys soccer coach Bernie Stiles said championship victories at a pair of winter indoor tournaments — futsal events at Deer Lakes and Penn Hills — were sparks that fueled the team in its offseason preparation for the 2022 season. “Our second team, too, made it into the semifinals of...
