Michael Love stories, Page 85
Gateway boys soccer rolls into 2nd half of Section 4-3A play at 5-1
The Gateway boys soccer team finds itself right in the mix for a playoff spot in Section 4-3A as it gets into the second half of section play this week. Coach Bernie Stiles said the team is working well together and is learning from all the ups and downs the...
After strong start, Gateway’s Brady Sundin builds confidence for invitational, championship meets
Brady Sundin didn’t have the 2020 cross country season he had hoped. “It wasn’t ideal,” said Sundin, who finished the season with what he said was a less-than-desired 108th-place finish in the Class 3A boys race at the WPIAL championships at White Oak Park. “I think I had overtrained from...
Quarterback Burke helps make Leechburg’s high-scoring offense go
Thomas Burke is in a lead role for one of the higher-octane offenses in the WPIAL. Leechburg leads Class A in points at 46 per game. The Blue Devils hit 41 in a victory over Eastern Conference rival Springdale on Friday. Burke, a senior in his first year at quarterback...
Riverview grad Michael Komaniak shines in leadership role for W&J men’s soccer
Michael Komaniak is dangerous. The opponents of the Washington & Jefferson senior forward know that all too well. Point Park saw that first-hand Sept. 1. The Presidents team co-captain and Riverview graduate made his presence felt throughout the nonconference season opener. Komaniak factored into all three goals in W&J’s 3-2...
Early challenges help Plum boys soccer maintain high expectations
The Plum boys soccer team is off to a strong start as it has plans to contend for the Section 4-3A championship and make some noise in the WPIAL playoffs. Through eight games, the Mustangs stood at 6-2 overall and 5-1 in section play. “Every game, we are looking to...
Leechburg strikes early, often to beat Eastern Conference rival Springdale
Leechburg didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against visiting Springdale in an Eastern Conference matchup Friday at Veterans Memorial Field. On a flea flicker, Blue Devils quarterback Thomas Burke found a wide open Logan Kline for a 55-yard score. Just like that, Leechburg had the lead. “We told...
Bethel Park’s Gorman defends WPIAL singles title; Sewickley Academy’s Close wins in Class 2A
Once was nice for Bethel Park’s Mia Gorman. Twice is much better. The senior standout captured her second straight WPIAL Class AAA championship Friday afternoon at North Allegheny with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Peters Township junior Kat Wang. “It’s exciting. Senior year. Two in a row,” Gorman said. “It’s...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 4
Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference Knoch (1-3, 0-1) at Armstrong (2-2, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday, NexTier Bank Complex, Manor Township The River Hawks went for the win last Friday against Hampton, but a 2-point conversion pass with 39 seconds left fell short in a 21-20 loss to the Talbots …...
A-K Valley football players to watch for 2021 Week 4
Thomas Burke Leechburg, Sr., QB/CB The Blue Devils’ veteran performer had a big game last week against Clairton, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns against three interceptions. It was the most passing yardage accumulated in the WPIAL for Week 3. Burke, who hopes to help Leechburg return to the...
Burrell girls soccer team picks up where it left off
A youthful Burrell girls soccer team navigated through all of the covid-related changes last fall, won eight out of 12 games and finished 7-2 in Section 2-AA play. The Bucs capped their season in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Despite losing a couple of key players to graduation, a lot of talent...
Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League scores for Week 5
The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League’s three classifications braved warm conditions over the weekend and completed 58 games in Week 5. Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League Results - Sept. 18-19 CLASS AAA Division I (5th-6th grade) Hempfield 48, Albert Gallatin 12 Rostraver 26, Greater Latrobe 0 Trinity 47, Montour 6...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Valley grad Ross sets receiving mark at Allegheny
Vaun Ross had a record-setting day for Allegheny against Wabash on Saturday. The Valley graduate and Gators sophomore receiver tied a 52-year-old school record for catches. He hauled in 14 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in Allegheny’s 36-28 loss. Ross’s scoring catch, his first of the season and...
Volleyball coaches association releases Week 3 WPIAL girls rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its WPIAL girls top-10 poll for Week 3 on Monday, and there is a change at the top in Class 3A. Hampton is the new No. 1 after sweeping Deer Lakes in a nonsection matchup Sept. 13 and topping last week’s Class 3A...
Gateway girls soccer shows improvement during 3-game winning streak
The Gateway girls soccer team came out on the short end of a 5-1 result against Plum, the WPIAL Class 3A runner-up the past two seasons, in the season opener Sept. 4. But the Gators bounced back from that loss and won three straight against Hampton, Armstrong and Knoch, all...
Gateway sophomore running back Jaquon Reynolds breaks out against Penn Hills
Jaquon Reynolds waited his turn. The diminutive 5-foot-7, 163-pound sophomore running back put in his time last year as a freshman at Gateway and grew his game under the watchful eye of the Gators coaches as well as veteran players such as Derrick Davis, now playing at LSU. After an...
Riverview girls volleyball riding high after defeating No. 8 Apollo-Ridge
The Riverview girls volleyball team is not the biggest in terms of roster numbers with just 14 from freshmen to seniors, but the Raiders are playing big so far in the 2021 season. “We have really worked on trusting each other and trusting the process in everything we do this...
Plum girls soccer again off to strong start
The Plum girls soccer team entered the season with high hopes to maintain a standard set the past several years that included consecutive trips to the WPIAL Class 3A title game. So far, so good for the Mustangs who were 4-0 and had outscored opponents 22-2 through a 12-1 rout...
Tough challenges await unbeaten Kiski Area, Highlands
The last time the Kiski Area football team was 4-0, the current players weren’t born. The year was 2002, and the Cavaliers finished 6-4 and qualified for the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs. Highlands is 4-0 for the first time since 2015, when the Golden Rams began the season 5-0 en...
Bishop Canevin edges Springdale in defensive struggle
The Bishop Canevin and Springdale football teams came into Friday’s Eastern Conference opening clash averaging about 33 points a game each. Both coaches, however, felt the game could be a defensive battle. That is what it turned out to be. Bishop Canevin scored on its opening drive and added a...
New Ken resident, Shady Side Academy grad Moore eager for return to Pittsburgh with W. Michigan
Skyy Moore found out early in his freshman year at Western Michigan that the Broncos would be making the trip to Pittsburgh to play Pitt at Heinz Field. “I was super excited to know I was going home to play,” said Moore, a New Kensington native and 2019 Shady Side...
A-K Valley football players to watch in 2021 Week 3
Collin Dietz Fox Chapel, Sr., QB/LB The Foxes signal-caller had a strong offensive effort last week against Plum in leading his team to its first win of the season. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns against just one interception. He added 24 yards on...
A-K Valley don’t miss high school football matchups for 2021 Week 3
Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference Greensburg Salem (2-1) at Knoch (1-2) 7 p.m. Friday, at Knoch Athletic Field, Saxonburg Greensburg Salem’s lone win in 2020 was against Knoch. It also was the 700th win in school history. Now the Golden Lions come into the game riding a two-game winning streak,...
Freeport/Apollo-Ridge football game canceled because of covid, quarantines
The Freeport and Apollo-Ridge football teams will not play their Week 3 nonconference varsity game Friday at Owens Field in Apollo or Saturday’s junior varsity game at Freeport. Apollo-Ridge athletic director Ray Bartha confirmed Wednesday that a number of Vikings football players are in quarantine out of “an abundance of...
Springdale girls soccer makes statement with strong start
The Springdale girls soccer team opened some eyes Sept. 4 when it toppled perennial Class 2A playoff contender Deer Lakes by a 7-3 score at Lancers Stadium. The Dynamos followed up that victory with an 11-1 rout of Class 2A Highlands. Springdale wasn’t done as it won a low-scoring 2-1...
Norwin, Kiski Area girls volleyball teams gather outdoors for unique matchup
Picture-perfect weather conditions greeted a large crowd, as well as both the Kiski Area and Norwin girls volleyball teams, for a special outdoor match at Kennedy Park in Vandergrift on Monday evening. The Pack the Park Volleyball Classic at the recently completed Ellen Toy Grass Court, or “The E” as...
