Brennan Valladares stories
Robert Morris men extend winning streak to 6, take over 2nd place in Horizon League
Heading into the final two games of the regular season, the Robert Morris men’s basketball team was in a three-way tie for second place with the Detroit Mercy and Oakland. As luck would have it, one of the Colonials’ final two games would be against Detroit Mercy, giving them a...
Brentwood’s Deng Mu makes immediate impact on WPIAL basketball scene
Deng Mu always knew he’d eventually move to the United States. With both of his parents being American citizens, it was only a matter of time before he was reunited with them. What he didn’t know was that basketball would be a central part of his new American life. “I...
South Park finally solves Ligonier Valley defense, moves into 3A semifinals
Third-seeded South Park was struggling mightily offensively in the first half of its WPIAL Class 3A boys basketball quarterfinal matchup with No. 11 Ligonier Valley on Friday night. The Eagles trailed only by three points, but they were shooting a woeful 6 of 29 from the field. “(Ligonier Valley) took...
Teammates lend hand to big man Ryan Robbins as Upper St. Clair pulls away from Fox Chapel
Ryan Robbins was feasting in the first half against the smaller Fox Chapel front line in No. 1 Upper St. Clair’s first playoff game of its WPIAL Class 6A title defense. By halftime, the 6-foot-7 junior had 16 points. The only problem was that the rest of his team had...
Maggie Spell hits 2,000-point mark as Thomas Jefferson drops Fox Chapel in 5A quarterfinals
With 15 seconds left in the first quarter of Thomas Jefferson’s 72-44 WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal victory over Fox Chapel, Maggie Spell made a layup. Right after, Jaguars coach Matt Gould called a timeout. “I was like, ‘What was he doing?’ ” Spell said. A strange response coming...
Underdog Latrobe pushes Thomas Jefferson, but Jaguars hang on for Class 5A win
With three minutes left in the third quarter of its WPIAL Class 5A first-round game Tuesday, Thomas Jefferson found itself trailing No. 14 Latrobe by eight on its home court before rallying for an 86-79 victory. Both teams entered the postseason among the top offenses in 5A, with the Jaguars...
South Park girls stifle Freeport for Class 4A 1st-round victory
South Park entered its WPIAL Class 4A girls basketball first-round matchup against Freeport as the fourth-best scoring defense in the classification. Getting stops and dictating the game on that side of the ball is something coach Ronnie Drennen has instilled in his team. “That’s our identity,” he said. “You know,...
Allderdice rolls past Obama Academy for 3rd straight City League girls basketball championshipVideo
Twelve days before the City League girls basketball championship, Obama Academy bounced back from a demoralizing loss to top-seeded Allderdice with a 47-41 home win. In that game, the Eagles’ defense proved troublesome for the Dragons, as it was Allderdice’s lowest scoring game in league play all season. But as...
Robert Morris women’s basketball enjoying turnaround under 2nd-year coach
Before Chandler McCabe took over as Robert Morris’ women’s basketball coach in March of 2024, the Colonials were spiraling. The team entered last season on an 18-game losing streak and with a 22-56 record in Horizon League play. This was McCabe’s first head coaching job, but she brought winning experience...
Oakland Catholic gymnast wins WPIAL all-around crown; Thomas Jefferson takes 2nd straight team title
Oakland Catholic’s Madeleine Wingerter took home the all-around title at the WPIAL gymnastics championships Saturday at Moon. Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, was crowned the team champion for the second year in a row. Wingerter used three second-place finishes to claim the Advanced Division championship. “I was really shocked,” Wingerter said, “but...
2-sport star at Baldwin, Duquesne to join 2 halls of fame in a week
Robert Healy III, like every young athlete, aspired to be recognized as one of the best in his sport. At the end of January, that dream will become a reality — twice. The former standout football and track and field athlete will be joining Duquesne University and Baldwin High School’s...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Burrell’s Chase Coury, Deer Lakes’ Mason Cervone
Chase Coury School: Burrell Class: Freshman Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Burrell freshman Chase Coury extended her double-digit scoring streak to six after dropping 15 and 16 points in two section wins against Knoch and Derry this week. She now has 14 double-digit scoring games and is averaging 16.8 a...
Burrell boys defeat section foe Highlands to stay hot
After witnessing his team lose a 10-point lead in a section matchup with Highlands, Burrell’s Trey Coury found himself with the ball in his hands in the final 10 seconds of a tie game Friday night. Isolated on Golden Rams guard Ty Hall, Coury made his move. The Buccaneers guard...
Burrell hockey wants to finish strong after forfeits, suspension
Nearly 10 months ago, Burrell Hockey lost 5-1 in the Division 2 Penguins Cup Championship, fueling coach Drew Burkett to get an early start for the next season. “Yeah, after that championship game, I wanted to get started a lot earlier,” Burkett said. “So we had our tryouts a little...
Norwin girls rally past 1st-place Canon-McMillan
It was beginning to look like dire straits for Norwin not even three minutes into its girls basketball matchup with first-place Canon-McMillan on Friday. The Big Macs jumped out to an 11-point lead after Madison Clair hit her team’s second 3-pointer of the game. For better or for worse, though,...
Fink leading way for young, up-and-coming Greensburg Salem hockey team
Jake Fink wasn’t always a fan of hockey. In fact, he once took a short hiatus from the sport. “Yeah, I tried it in kindergarten. I just did not like it,” Fink said with a chuckle. His laughter was appropriate in that moment because, a short time beforehand, Fink had...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Plum’s Riley Stephans, Fox Chapel’s Grant Fenton
Riley Stephans School: Plum Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Stephans scored 57 total points across two games at the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament at Shady Side Academy. She went off for 33 points in a loss against Class 6A Pine-Richland on Monday. She then followed that with her...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Fox Chapel’s Lyla Jablon, Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers
Lyla Jablon School: Fox Chapel Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Jablon scored 23 points in a nonsection win against Avonworth on Monday in the Pittsburgh Holiday Classic. She then had 10 points in a section loss to Franklin Regional on Tuesday. Jablon leads Fox Chapel (4-5, 2-1) with...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: St. Joseph’s Bella Bartolovic, Springdale’s Robby Simmen
Bella Bartolovic School: St. Joseph Class: Sophomore Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Bartolovic dropped a season-high 27 points against Leechburg on Tuesday. She then followed that up with 19 against Eden Christian on Thursday to lead St. Joseph to a 2-0 week. The sophomore guard leads the Spartans with six...
Top-ranked Seton LaSalle returns to WPIAL Class 2A final after topping Washington
With under five minutes left in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals Friday night, Washington was slowly walking down Seton LaSalle for a chance to overcome a one-point deficit. Quarterback Tristan Reed was electric all night, throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown. Facing third-and-10, he found his star wideout, Ameer...
Sanctuary Boxing Club hosting Fall Brawl at Kiski Area High School
Sports have a unique way of fostering a sense of community among people. Rich Cantolina, owner of Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington, understands that well. “I watched what boxing can do for kids,” Cantolina said. “Kids that felt like they didn’t have friends, they made friends in the gym....
Parnell sisters battle nation’s best at War of the Roses wrestling tournament
Twenty-six years ago, AlyssaBeth Parnell began wrestling with the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association. Now, she watches her daughters compete nationally. Continuing the family legacy, the Parnell sisters — Ireland, Dublin and Maeve — competed at the War of the Roses Girls National Tournament on Oct. 4-5 in Columbus, Ind. The...
Bishop Canevin turns to run game to put away pesky Greensburg Central Catholic
Bishop Canevin came into the Class A playoffs seeded third, coming off a run to the WPIAL semifinals last year. But entering the fourth quarter of its playoff opener against Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday night, the Crusaders trailed by a point. They didn’t panic, though. They lined up at...
Pine-Richland wins road game vs. North Allegheny to claim 7th straight WPIAL field hockey title
Confetti rained down from the Pine-Richland stands with a period to go in the WPIAL Class 3A field hockey championship game Tuesday. The odd thing? Neither the Rams nor their Class 3A rival, North Allegheny, had scored. After a shot from outside the circle whizzed past North Allegheny netminder Alaina...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Fox Chapel’s Emily McKee, Deer Lakes’ Jacob Orseno
Emily McKee School: Fox Chapel Class: Junior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Emily McKee’s junior year at Fox Chapel will be one to remember. The junior forward has 45 goals, including 11 in the first two games of the Class 3A playoffs last week. On Monday, McKee had five of...
