Michael Love stories, Page 78
Top 10 A-K Valley sports stories of 2021
As 2021 opened, high school sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and throughout the region and state were on hold because of ongoing covid-19 uncertainties. Games, meets and matches eventually went ahead, and individual and team champions were crowned. The spring sports season returned after it was canceled in 2020 at...
Knoch girls basketball team again leans on defense in win over Kiski Area
Nina Shaw loves to put the ball in the hoop. But the junior guard also gets excited when she and her Knoch teammates are able to play strong defense. That was on display again Wednesday evening against Kiski Area at the Kiski Area Holiday Classic. For the second time in...
Fox Chapel girls grab momentum with tournament win over Deer Lakes
In a game featuring several scoring runs, the Fox Chapel girls basketball team had the biggest one at a crucial point to take control of its Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament matchup with Deer Lakes on Wednesday afternoon at Shady Side Academy. Ahead by just two points with a little more...
Mars girls basketball gives Highlands its 1st loss
The Highlands girls basketball team came into their holiday tournament game against Mars on Tuesday afternoon undefeated through six games. But the visiting Planets ended up being too much for the Golden Rams to overcome. Three players scored in double figures for Class 5A Mars (7-1) as it handed Highlands...
Burrell senior coming to grips with ‘heartbreaking’ knee injury
Allison Fisher’s senior season was full of promise. The Burrell guard and multi-time section and Valley News Dispatch all-star had her sights set on leading the Bucs to a strong season and a WPIAL playoff spot in Section 1-4A. But her on-court goals were dashed just days before the start...
2021 Valley News Dispatch Football All-Stars
First-team all-stars Luke Bombalski Highlands, RB/LB, so. The Golden Rams’ offensive standout had a breakout season with 210 carries for 1,276 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 51 yards and a score. He made 71 tackles and produced seven sacks. Logan Brooks Plum, WR/DB, sr....
Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year: Kiski Area’s Brayden Dunmire
Alle-Kiski Valley Defensive Player of the Year Brayden Dunmire DE/LB, Senior, 6-2, 230 pounds, Kiski Area When recalling positive moments from his 2021 football season, Kiski Area senior defensive stalwart Brayden Dunmire’s thoughts were drawn to a Sept. 3 nonconference matchup against rival Franklin Regional. The Cavaliers came into the...
Alle-Kiski Valley boys and girls cross country honor rolls announced
The Alle-Kiski Valley Cross Country Honor Roll for the 2021 season was released Wednesday. Jack Lorence, a senior from Fox Chapel, was named the boys runner of the year. He capped his final season with a ninth-place finish at the WPIAL Class 3A championships Oct. 28 at Cal (Pa.). He...
Freeport girls basketball fends off Deer Lakes rally in section opener
The Deer Lakes girls basketball team made a furious fourth-quarter comeback at Freeport on Monday in the Section 1-4A opener for both teams. But a 17-point third-quarter lead by Freeport — its largest of the game — was more than the Lancers were able to overcome. The Yellowjackets held on...
Citrano, Plum wrestling team motivated to reach goals
Vinnie Citrano has great expectations for his final varsity wrestling season. The Plum senior is eyeing section gold after a third and two runner-up finishes and is hoping to place at WPIALs and make a run at states. He also is hoping to join the exclusive 100-win club at Plum....
Schohn, Plum swim teams pushing pace
After making his mark at WPIALs last year and competing at the PIAA championships, Plum senior Sam Schohn’s goals are clear for the 2021-22 swim season. “I worked really hard in the offseason to get back to states and go even faster,” Schohn said. “I got best times in both...
Highlands continues hot start, defeats rival Burrell
The Highlands girls basketball team got off to a winning start in Section 1-4A play Thursday as three players scored in double figures and a fourth came close during a 59-37 victory over Burrell. The Golden Rams, playing for the fifth time in seven days, improved to 5-0 overall. “We...
Top A-K Valley swimmers already off to strong starts
Sophie Shao was the hunted last season after bursting onto the high school scene as a freshman and winning WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA gold in the 100-yard butterfly. She answered the bell and turned away all challengers to defend both crowns. Shao, a junior, now is eyeing a WPIAL...
Gateway’s Patrick Body looks forward to joining College Football Playoff qualifier Cincinnati
Patrick Body is confident. The Gateway senior feels Cincinnati can pull out a Cotton Bowl victory over No. 1 Alabama in one of the two College Football Playoff semifinals Dec. 31. His rooting interest these days runs deeper than it ever has before. On Wednesday, the three-star defensive back finalized...
A-K Valley football players finalize Division I commitments
Brandon Lawhorn Moore made a verbal commitment to Miami (Ohio) last month, and Wednesday morning, “Beef” made it official with the Redhawks. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Kiski Area offensive tackle joined Cavaliers senior teammate Brock Wilkins (Pitt) and dozens of others from throughout the WPIAL, including Apollo-Ridge lineman Greg Klingensmith (William...
Highlands girls stay busy during undefeated start to season
The Highlands girls basketball team took advantage of the opportunity to get on the court in game action starting last Friday against Fox Chapel at the Freeport Tip-Off Tournament through Tuesday evening’s game against neighboring St. Joseph. The Golden Rams played four games in five days — Sunday was a...
Monroeville’s Ahmad Matour chasing pro card in International Federation of BodyBuilders
Ahmad Matour was surrounded by a bevy of savory food selections on Thanksgiving Day. But the Monroeville resident and one of the region’s top bodybuilders was disciplined and focused. Matour has let nothing stand in the way of his goals in the lightweight division at Saturday’s National Physique Committee National...
Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: Myers nets career-high 23 points
Tess Myers has made quite the impact for the Duquesne women’s basketball team. The latest evidence from the Dukes freshman guard, Lower Burrell resident and North Catholic graduate came Saturday against St. Francis (Pa.) in a nonconference game at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Myers scored a career-best 23 points (6 of...
Marston, Susko pace Plum girls basketball past Freeport in season opener
Sophomore guard Megan Marston scored 17 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, and junior forward Dannika Susko added 12 points and nine rebounds as the Plum girls basketball team topped Freeport 43-33 in the second game of the Freeport Tip-Off Tournament on Friday at Freeport Middle School....
Highlands girls pull away from Fox Chapel in Freeport Tip-Off Tournament
The Highlands girls basketball team trailed Fox Chapel for most of the first half of Friday’s season opener at the Freeport Tip-Off Tournament. But senior guard Maria Fabregas’ 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer gave the Golden Rams a one-point advantage. Highlands didn’t look back from there as it opened the...
Starting 5: A-K Valley basketball teams, players and storylines to watch in 2021-22
Starting 5s Girls 5 Teams to Watch Knoch: With three starters back, including Valley News Dispatch first-team all-star selection Madilyn Boyer and second-team pick Nina Shaw, the Knights hope to make waves again. Knoch went 7-0 in section play last year but was denied a section title because of the...
Dozen new A-K Valley high school basketball coaches set for season to tip off
Rich Mull certainly wasn’t alone when he officially took over the head coaching duties of the Plum girls basketball team in August. He was one of a dozen coaches making that transition – six boys and six girls – among Alle-Kiski Valley teams at various points in the offseason. “The...
Plum’s Kaitlyn Killinger chosen as Valley News Dispatch Girls Soccer Player of the Year
The Plum girls soccer team surrendered two goals in a game just three times in the 2021 season. One was in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game against Mars, and the other two came against Section 3 rival Oakland Catholic. The second matchup between the Mustangs and Eagles, the section...
Plum’s Luke Kolankowski selected as Valley News Dispatch Boys Soccer Player of the Year
Luke Kolankowski has always seen himself as a facilitator in the offense for the Plum boys soccer team. “I feel that a nice assist and getting a teammate a goal is better than getting a goal yourself,” Kolankowski said. “No matter who scores, the win is the most important thing.”...
Gateway boys aim to challenge for Section 3-5A title
Gateway boys basketball coach Alvis Rogers said he has a lot to be excited about with his team as it is on the cusp of a new season in Monroeville. Four starters are back for the Gators who hope to challenge for the Section 3-5A title and make a deep...
