Greg Macafee stories, Page 18

It’s still unclear how the boys soccer playoffs will look, or where the WPIAL championships will be played, but several teams in the A-K Valley are vying for those coveted playoff spots in crowded sections. As of Wednesday, six teams from the A-K Valley were in the top three of...

At the beginning of the season, Riverhounds goalie Danny Vitiello was sitting on Pittsburgh’s bench. But Wednesday afternoon, Vitiello was named the USL Championship Golden Gloves award winner, which honors the league goalkeeper with the lowest goals-against average during the regular season. It is Vitiello’s first USL Championship season. Hands...

For the second time in two weeks, a Kiski Area football player committed to a Division I program. On Monday afternoon, Kiski Area defensive end Jack Dilts announced his verbal commitment to Duquesne. Committed! @CoachGribbin @CoachColemanDL @DuqFB @kiskifootball pic.twitter.com/1DWtg9EJvu— Jack Dilts (@jack_dilts) October 5, 2020 Since announcing his first official...

At this point in the season, all the Pittsburgh Riverhounds can do is focus on what they can control. Their postseason position wasn’t theirs to decide, but Saturday night they wanted to put themselves in the best position they could. In their last game of the regular season, they came...

Leechburg senior Cole Villa has played a lot of golf over the past few years. He’s put the work in each summer, and he’s played on the Leechburg golf team since he was a freshman. But Villa never has been more confident than last Thursday when he stepped onto the...

Heading into the girls tennis season, Quaker Valley coach Christiana Hays was just looking for one missing piece. She returned six of her seven starters from a 2019 season that saw the team miss the WPIAL Class AA team playoffs. Seniors Emily Sanders, Maggie McManus and Gwen Nace were returning along...

Over the past few years, the Sewickley Academy girls tennis team has been the one to beat in WPIAL Class AA team tennis. They’ve won the past three WPIAL team titles, defeating Knoch all three times, and they’ve also won the past two PIAA titles, defeating District 3 champion Wyomissing,...

The Shady Side Academy boys golf team is hoping 2020 is its year and certainly has the talent to get the job done. Shady Side captured its fifth straight Section 8-AAA with a class of seniors who will graduate in the spring with a section record of 46-2. Seniors Adam...

Fox Chapel girls golf coach Tim Lang has no problem with communication. He actually thrives with it. But, when the first-year coach went to send out an inspiring message to his team before they capped off their regular season, he couldn’t find the words. “Every week throughout the times that...

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are coming off one of their most disappointing losses of the season. A win last Saturday against Hartford Athletic, a team the Hounds had beaten twice already this season, would’ve allowed Pittsburgh to lock up the No. 1 spot in Group F and secure home-field advantage in...

The No. 3 ranked Plum Mustangs feel like they can compete with anyone. Their confidence never wavers, even when they were facing a top-ranked team in Franklin Regional who had won the past two WPIAL Class 3A titles, hadn’t lost a regular season game in 45 matches and have basically...

Since its last playoff appearance in 2015, Plum has been waiting to make a statement on the football field. That opportunity came last Friday night, and the Mustangs stated their case with a 49-21 victory over then-No. 2 Mars, serving notice to their foes the Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference....

For the past few years, Kiski Area boys soccer coach Sean Arnold has had a core group of players to build around. Ross Ziemanski, Tyler Ciuca and Owen Anderson, a trio of 2019 graduates, gave Arnold a backbone to build around. They provided a lot of stability over the past...

Former Plum standout Alex Kirilloff got the call to the major leagues. Ahead of their Game 1 wild card matchup with the Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins selected the contract of Kirilloff and placed him on their postseason roster. The Twins designated pitcher Sean Poppen for assignment to clear room...

The Deer Lakes boys soccer team was looking to rebound from its first loss of the season, and its Section 2-2A contest against Burrell on Monday was exactly what the Lancers were looking for. Deer Lakes (3-1, 3-1) passed the ball around Burrell (2-1, 2-1), maintained possession throughout the game...

For the past two years, the Riverside boys soccer team has had Sewickley Academy’s number. The Panthers of Beaver County have won three of their four matchups with Sewickley Academy since entering Section 1-A play in the 2018 season. Sewickley’s only win came in their first meeting, a 4-0 victory...

One thing every football coach looks for in his quarterback is an ability to move from one play to the next. Most coaches want their signal-callers to be able to forget mistakes and handle the next play with a clear head. Though he hadn’t played varsity quarterback before this season,...

Hartford Athletic recorded two shots on net Saturday at Highmark Stadium. It turned out they only needed one of them. In the 36th minute, Hartford’s Alex Dixon sent a long, arching volley over the Riverhounds defense. Pittsburgh defender Patrick Bunk-Andersen got a toe on the volley that sent it rolling...

Two years ago, Springdale had five freshmen in its starting lineup and, not surprisingly, the Dynamos finished a disappointing 2-8. Most of that season was spent teaching those freshmen the basics and working on fundamentals. Springdale coach Seth Napierkowski was more focused on preparing for the future than having immediate...

Just like every year, the Shady Side Academy boys soccer team is considered one of the top teams in WPIAL Class 2A this season and rightfully so. For the past four years, Shady Side has become a fixture in the WPIAL Class 2A finals at Highmark Stadium. The team won...

As a sophomore last season, Fox Chapel junior Carissa Shepard played her way into the quarterfinals of the Section 3-AAA singles tournament by defeating Jenna Chernicky from Bethel Park, 10-4. Although Shepard lost in the quarters to Elle Santora from Shady Side Academy, she went on to play in championship...

Springdale wasn’t ready to lose to Leechburg for a third straight year, and the Dynamos showed that throughout their WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference matchup. It took the Dynamos just four plays to score on their first drive of the game. Demitri Fritch completed a 37-yard double pass to Logan...

If you take a look at the defensive categories in the USL Championship record book, teams coached by Bob Lilley are all over it. Since taking the reins of the Rochester Rhinos in 2010, the Fort Monmouth, N.J. native has left a defensive mark on the USL Championship. His 2015...