Michael Love stories, Page 80
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...
With new coach, experienced backcourt, Riverview boys look to climb section ladder
When Phil McGivney took the reins of the Riverview boys basketball program over the summer, he saw strong potential in a group of players hungry for a turnaround. The Raiders were 3-12 overall in a truncated 2020-21 season and finished 1-9 in Section 1-2A. “I came in with a clean...
Nothing but positive vibes emanate from Riverview girls basketball teams
Maddie Deem is on an island, so to speak. She is the lone senior on the Riverview girls basketball team. But rather than wallow in the fact she isn’t able to share her final high school season with any classmates, Deem is energized by the youth and talent that dot...
New-look Plum boys basketball team taking shape
When the final buzzer sounded to conclude Plum’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round loss to New Castle last March, Plum coach Mark Marino was able to take stock of what his veteran team was able to accomplish during a season filled with so many covid-related uncertainties In the days following, he...
Plum girls look to build off historic trip to postseason
When Rich Mull took over the reigns of the Plum girls basketball program in August, he was anxious to get going full speed ahead with a youthful group of players he knew had the potential to do great things. From workouts and games in the fall to now being fully...
Knoch girls basketball team motivated by unfinished business
Madilyn Boyer wants to help put a “2022” on a girls basketball section-championship banner in the gym at Knoch High School. The senior guard was part of a frustrating conclusion to an undefeated section slate. The team went 7-0 in section play, but because the section standings reached an uneven...
Knoch boys basketball excited about improved depth alongside top scorer Ryan Lang
When asked what the biggest takeaway was from his team’s offseason of work, second-year Knoch boys basketball coach Alan Bauman pointed to the development of strong depth in the varsity rotation. “Last year, we didn’t have that (depth) as much,” he said. “We just had seven in the rotation. We...
Gateway girls basketball players adjusting to new roles
The Gateway girls basketball team didn’t start out the way it had hoped last year amidst the atmosphere of overall uncertainty in the wake of the covid pandemic. The Gators were 0-6 before defeating Section 4-5A foe Greensburg Salem. They righted the ship and went 7-4 over the final 11...
New-look Plum boys basketball team taking shape
When the final buzzer sounded to conclude Plum’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round loss to New Castle in March, Plum boys basketball coach Mark Marino could take stock of what his veteran team was able to accomplish during a season filled with covid-related uncertainties. He also began to look to the...
With roster reshaped by graduation, Fox Chapel girls look forward to season of growth
Elsie Smith is ready for the bright lights in a central role for the Fox Chapel girls basketball team. A starter and key contributor since her freshman year, Smith, a 6-foot junior forward, said the time is now to step up her game as six seniors, including Valley News Dispatch...
Loaded lineup has Fox Chapel boys basketball team focused on big season ahead
The Fox Chapel boys basketball team T-shirt for this season bears just one word: focus. The “O” is in the shape of a basketball with the Foxes logo, while the “F” and “C” are in red, and the “US” is in white. Coach Zach Skrinjar said “focus” is the simple...
Burrell girls basketball program rolls with changes
When Shaun Reddick took over as coach of the Burrell girls basketball team in June, it marked his return to that capacity for the first time since one season at the helm of the Bucs two decades ago. Very familiar with the Burrell girls basketball program in a number of...
Burrell boys basketball team confident in ability, experience
Two years ago, the Burrell boys basketball team won just one game. The Bucs made strides last season in the midst of all of the covid uncertainty, improving to 9-10 overall and 5-6 in Section 1-4A. They suffered a WPIAL first-round loss to Central Valley. Coach Mike Fantuzzo said he...
Lots of opportunities await for Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team
The Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team was hit hard by graduation, as much of its starting lineup, including four players who played all 16 games and accounted for 819 of the 915 points the team scored last season, moved on. But coach Greg Fox said new opportunities have created competitive early-season...
Inexperienced Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team eager to ‘prove themselves’
Veteran Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach Ray Bartha said he is cautiously optimistic about what direction his Vikings team can take this winter. “We’ve been working and practicing pretty hard,” said Bartha, who enters the second year of his second stint as coach. “Some things look pretty good some days, and...
Gateway grad, John Paul Kromka off to fast start this season for Pitt-Johnstown
Two seasons ago, as a sophomore on the Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball team, Gateway graduate John Paul Kromka averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds a game as the Mountain Cats went 22-9 overall, 15-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and made it to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Kromka...
After 3rd-place finish at PIAA meet, Riverview bids farewell to decorated senior runners
The Riverview boys cross country team was situated high in the PIAA Class A state rankings through the entirety of the fall season. The Raiders were ready to prove themselves in that capacity at the state championships in Hershey on Nov. 6. Riverview and Winchester Thurston battled again, and they...
After trip to PIAA semifinals, future looks promising for Plum girls soccer
The Plum girls soccer team accomplished many things in 2021 and finished with 21 victories through the regular season, WPIAL playoffs and PIAA tournament. Coach Jamie Stewart said the girls created an air of excitement among many in the Plum High School community with their play throughout the fall. But...
Quaker Valley wins 9th state championship in PK shootout
As sophomore Nick Allen stepped to the ball as Quaker Valley’s fifth shooter in a tiebreaking penalty kick shootout Friday afternoon, he found himself in the middle of a moment he had pictured for years. Allen converted his attempt past Lewisburg goalkeeper Tony Burns to send Quaker Valley players, coaches...
Late rally lifts Allentown Central Catholic past Avonworth in PIAA Class 2A girls soccer final
HERSHEY — The Avonworth girls soccer team was three minutes away from finishing off its first PIAA championship victory in its first appearance in Hershey. But Allentown Central Catholic scored two goals a minute apart in blustery and windy conditions as time wound down to rally for 2-1 victory and...
