Michael Love stories, Page 83
Gateway’s Raymer commits to swim at Youngstown State
Summer Raymer is busy in the water getting ready for competitions with her Racer-X club team and also for her final season with the Gateway swim team. But the Gators senior standout also has her eyes focused on the future after high school. Raymer recently set her course for college...
Gateway hockey celebrating 50th anniversary season
The Gateway ice hockey program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and alumni president Stefan Biancaniello said there are a lot of positive vibes surrounding what will be a year-long celebration. “From humble beginnings in 1972 to undefeated WPIHL AA champions in 1976 to WPIHL AAA champions in 1996...
Young lineup off to strong start for Plum hockey
The Plum varsity hockey team won just one game last year in a 2020-21 season that was unlike any other in the history of the PIHL with delays, restrictions and numerous changes overall because of the covid pandemic. But a new season with new opportunities has begun for the Mustangs,...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Leechburg snaps drought
Leechburg traveled Route 66 on Friday to face Imani Christian and wrapped up its first trip to the WPIAL playoffs since 1988. The Blue Devils (7-2, 4-2) snapped the longest playoff drought in the WPIAL with 40 first-quarter points en route to a 66-6 Eastern Conference victory. “This is really...
Pine-Richland comes through for victory over Kiski Area
The Kiski Area football team needed a win Friday at Pine-Richland to keep its WPIAL playoff hopes alive in the Northeast Conference. But for the Cavaliers, it wasn’t to be. Trailing by six in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, a fumbled snap and Pine-Richland recovery by defensive lineman...
Monroeville Mall to host Golden Gloves Western Regional finals
The Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League will host the PA Golden Gloves Western Regional Finals on Saturday at Gloria’s Gym on the second level of the Monroeville Mall. Eight bouts will be contested. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and bell time is 6. The 16 boxers who will compete for...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 8
Class 5A Northeast Fox Chapel (4-3, 2-1) at North Hills (5-3, 2-1) 7 p.m. Friday, Martorelli Stadium, Ross Township Both teams are locked in a four-way tie for the top spot in the conference with Pine-Richland and Penn Hills. … The Foxes saw a two-game win streak snapped with a...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2021 Week 8
Garrett King Freeport, Sr., RB/QB/DB Back in the lineup after missing all of last season, King has taken advantage of his opportunity with strong play for the surging Yellowjackets. He owns 39 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Freeport defense, while he has proven to be a threat...
Springdale, Plum land No. 2 seeds for WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
The Springdale and Plum girls soccer teams each captured section championships in the regular season, and both the Dynamos and Mustangs lead the Alle-Kiski Valley with No. 2 seeds for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs. The pairings for each of the four boys and four girls tournaments were released Wednesday afternoon....
Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League playoff tournament matchups set
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League playoff tournament will be Saturday and Sunday, and all 12 teams will take part. The brackets were released Tuesday morning, and Bethel Park, which finished first in the regular-season standings with an 11-3 mark, owns the No. 1 seed for the single-elimination event. No....
Freeport girls soccer team edges Valley to take sole possession of 4th in Section 2-2A
The Valley girls soccer team came into Monday’s Section 2-2A finale against Freeport at Valley High Memorial Stadium needing to defeat the Yellowjackets to clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 2016. But Freeport had other ideas. Katie Borromeo scored from 28 yards off an assist from...
Shaler, Thomas Jefferson, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin hold top spots in latest WPIAL girls volleyball rankings
After a two-week hiatus from the top spot, Thomas Jefferson again was the No. 1 team in Class 3A when the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s Week 7 WPIAL girls rankings were released Monday morning. The Jaguars lead Section 3 with a 10-0 record after a 3-0 nonsection win over...
Riverview boys, girls soccer teams show improvement in 2nd half
The Riverview girls soccer team lost its first three games of the season and was outscored 30-7. But coach Sean Abraham said he looked at the positives from those challenging contests against Greensburg Central Catholic, Serra Catholic and Apollo-Ridge in Section 1-A. He said the girls did as well, and...
Gateway grad Brady Walker coming into his own at quarterback at Saint Vincent
Brady Walker had a front-row seat for a wild college football game Oct. 2. The Gateway grad, a starting junior quarterback for Saint Vincent, helped lead the Bearcats to a come-from-behind 42-40 Presidents’ Athletic Conference victory over Case Western Reserve. Saint Vincent trailed 14-0 after the first quarter but came...
Plum girls soccer team ramping up for playoff run
When the final horn sounded on Plum’s 10-0 rout of Section 3-3A rival and WPIAL playoff contender Penn Hills on Oct. 12, the Mustangs had clinched their third consecutive section championship. It hoped for a clean sweep of section play in its section finale against second-place Oakland Catholic last Thursday....
After slow start, North Allegheny field hockey finds its rhythm
The North Allegheny field hockey team is a youthful bunch with many new starters after 10 seniors graduated from last year. After some growing pains early in the season with a 2-4 start in some challenging games in and out Section 1-3A, the Tigers, coach Michelle Couch said, have hit...
Dugger brothers lead Penn Hills past Fox Chapel in key Northeast Conference game
Penn Hills recorded three touchdowns in the second half of Friday’s Class 5A Northeast Conference game at Fox Chapel. The scores broke open a tied score at halftime. Julian Dugger found brother Jaden for three touchdowns, and the quarterback added a rushing score as the Indians finished off a 28-7...
Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League regular season concludes Sunday with 4 doubleheaders
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League playoffs are just around the corner as the regular season concludes Sunday with four doubleheaders. Shaler and Montour are tied at the top of the standings at 10-4. Both teams have concluded their regular-season schedules. Bethel Park (9-3) has a chance to leapfrog the...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 7
Class 5A Northeast Kiski Area (5-2, 0-2) at Shaler (2-5, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Lou Rettig Stadium, Shaler Township Kiski Area will attempt to bounce back from a pair of losses after an 5-0 start. The Cavaliers came up short last Friday in a 35-21 setback to Fox Chapel. Cavaliers...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2021 Week 7
Angelo Cicco Apollo-Ridge, Sr., RB/WR/DB/KR The Vikings varsity veteran does a little bit of everything for his team. He has 176 combined rushing and receiving yards through six games, and has made 20 tackles on defense. A primary kickoff returner, Cicco has brought back 17 for 306 yards, an average...
Highlands boys basketball coach Stoczynski resigns after 9 seasons
Tyler Stoczynski won 131 games in nine seasons, including 108 over the past six years, as the Highlands boys basketball coach. That run came to an end Tuesday evening when he informed the team and the Highlands administration that he would be stepping down from the position. Stoczynski, who helped...
Plum girls soccer team gears up with playoffs right around corner
The Plum girls soccer team has displayed its usual dominance through the regular season, and the two-time WPIAL Class 3A finalists have their sights set on another strong postseason run. But before the Mustangs, 14-1 overall after Tuesday’s 10-0 victory over Section 3 playoff contender and rival Penn Hills, can...
Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: IUP’s Brown does it all
Duane Brown was a double-edged sword that cut through the Clarion football team Saturday. The IUP junior punt returner and receiver from Apollo-Ridge earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Special Teams Athlete of the Week honors after totaling 75 yards on three punt returns in a 58-21 victory over the Eagles....
Top teams hold pat in latest coaches association WPIAL girls volleyball rankings
The top teams in each classification — Shaler (Class 4A), Hampton (Class 3A), North Catholic (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class A) — held strong this past week as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 6 WPIAL girls rankings Monday morning. Shaler upped its Section 1 record...
Riverview boys cross country team celebrates 4th straight section title
The Riverview boys cross country team has set several top goals for itself this season, and the deep group of runners checked one of the boxes last week by capturing a fourth consecutive section championship. The Raiders completed an undefeated Division II, Section 4 dual-meet season at 9-0 with a...
