Valley grad Cecil Smith’s A-K Valley Sports HOF induction has family connection
The Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame’s 55th banquet will serve as a family reunion for relatives of inductees Cecil Smith and Billy Clarke. Family members from across the country will converge on the Pittsburgh Shriners Center, Harmar, on May 16 to help celebrate the athletic achievements of the New...
Ex-NFLer Scott McKillop ready for Alle-Kiski Valley hall induction
After nearly a decade, former Pitt football star Scott McKillop has come to grips with living in enemy territory. “Now, it’s the place I call home,” said McKillop, who resides in Hurricane, W.Va. “My wife was raised in West Virginia, and all three of our kids were born here. It’s...
Hard work, fun led Kiski Area’s Crystal Heder Kosecki to hall of fame
As part of a soccer family, Crystal Heder Kosecki was introduced to the sport at an early age. “I just wanted to have fun with my friends, especially when I was little,” the 40-year-old Kosecki said. “I was a hard worker, and I wanted to score goals.” Kosecki carried the...
Springdale’s Fortun humbled by Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame inclusion
Springdale graduate Dave Fortun has attended plenty of hall of fame induction ceremonies, mostly to support a “fellow Dynamo.” On May 16, Fortun will find himself on the other side of the dais, being honored among eight individuals and two teams at the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame’s 55th induction...
Springdale’s Dick DeVenzio, star point guard and advocate for college athletes, to enter A-K Valley hall of fame
In the current college sports landscape, Texas quarterback Arch Manning is believed to be the highest paid player, reportedly receiving nearly $7 million last season. Manning and players across the country can thank the late Dick DeVenzio for helping to lead the charge for what has become the Name, Image...
With Hall of Fame induction on the horizon, Burrell football great recalls epic rivalry game
Jeff DeSantes’ final game in a Burrell uniform turned out to be the start of one of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s best football rivalries. To close out the 1980 regular season, the Bucs took the short bus ride on the Route 56 bypass to play at Valley, the first football meeting...
Valley High School grad Callahan lived football dream of suiting up for Pitt, Steelers
From Pitt’s Dan Marino to the Steelers’ Mike Webster, Bill Callahan shared a locker room with some of Pittsburgh’s legendary football players. But it was the time Callahan spent with his high school teammates that created the most enduring memories for the former Valley Vikings star. “I’ve played on some...
New Kensington grad Billy Clarke never planned on wrestling, but he made school history
Billy Clarke was caught off-guard when a coach asked him to join the New Kensington High School wrestling team as a sophomore. “At the time, I didn’t realize we even had a wrestling team,” said Clarke, a 1966 Ken High graduate. “I was walking through the hall, and Leonard Hoak,...
Mapletown working to eliminate errors, improve record
Mapletown coach George Messich has a straightforward solution for bouncing back from last season’s 1-9 record. “The big thing for us will be eliminating the mistakes,” said Messich, who’s been leading the Mapletown program for more than four decades. “We can’t give up a long TD pass because we missed...
Expect a whole new look on offense for West Greene this season
From Ben Jackson to Colin Brady, West Greene has relied on a workhorse runner to power its offense in recent seasons. But the emphasis on a featured back is set to change in 2025, according to third-year coach Beau Jackson. “We’ve been based out of a pro-style offense, but we’re...
McGuffey looks to bounce back with young, talented team
After being a perennial Class 2A playoff contender, McGuffey received a rude welcome in its move to 3A football last season. The Highlanders went winless, including an 0-6 mark in a strong Western Hills Conference featuring eventual WPIAL champion and state runner-up Avonworth. “We were in a tough situation,” said...
New West Mifflin coach to focus on physicality, rely on star running back
B.J. Pugh considers being the football coach at West Mifflin his dream job. “I’ve envisioned being a head (football) coach for a long time, particularly at West Mifflin. It’s my alma mater,” said Pugh, who was hired in February to succeed Rod Steele. A 1995 graduate, Pugh quarterbacked West Mifflin...
Mars looking to take next step behind experienced offensive line
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the McKeesport preview will be published later this month. After back-to-back trips to the semifinals, the Mars Fightin’ Planets are looking...
1971 Kiski Area football team, 1948 Ford City basketball team set to join AK Valley Sports Hall of Fame
When Tom Giotto learned the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame would be inducting the 1971 Kiski Area football team, he started calling his former teammates. One of the players on that WPIAL Class AAA championship squad responded to the news with a bit of exasperation. “He said: ‘What took...
Former Pitt, Springdale player Schubert ready for Alle-Kiski hall
Mark Schubert made a name for himself as a clutch kicker on some outstanding Pitt football teams in the late 1970s. After his playing days, Schubert turned to coaching as a way of passing along his kicking knowledge to “any kid who needed it.” One of his pupils has gone...
After staring at Knoch, Allegheny, Nick Reiser set to join A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame
Nick Reiser credits the success he had on the football field to being a “highly competitive individual.” Reiser has a pretty good idea of where he picked up that inner drive to be the best. “I grew up as the youngest of eight kids in a competitive household,” the 1993...
Ken Hi’s Frederick stood out as football player, longtime coach; joins A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame
Don Frederick spent more than a half century in sports, first as a star football player, then as a long-time coach. Looking back, Frederick said it was the people he met along the way who made the journey so special for him. “The relationships that I built were unbelievable,” the...
After starring for Kiski Area, Vick twins part of latest Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame class
Like a lot of twins, Jaime Vick and Jodie Vick McCartney were pretty inseparable while growing up. That closeness was never more evidenced than by their athletic endeavors. The 2002 Kiski Area graduates excelled in basketball and volleyball, while also competing in track and field, with the Cavaliers. Both went...
A-K HOF inductee Ondako excelled as an athlete, coach and still enjoys competition
Receiving the news that he had been selected to the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame left Larry Ondako pondering his place among local athletic legends. “It presented kind of a conundrum for me,” said the 81-year-old Ondako. “The hall is for greatness. I think I played well and was...
John Martin weaved his way through tacklers, into A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame
As a youngster in New Kensington, John Martin always was looking for ways to become a better athlete, even while delivering newspapers. “I used to do some crazy things,” said Martin, with a laugh. “In the fall, I would jog along my paper route, trying not to step on the...
Sapotichne to enter AK Valley Sports Hall of Fame while still going strong in coaching
Paul Sapotichne grew up honing his basketball skills on a hoop in the driveway of his family’s Cheswick home more than 50 years ago. When reminiscing about those days, Sapotichne recalls the sounds of a bouncing basketball and swishing net mixing with the voice of legendary Pirates baseball announcer Bob...
