Matthew Purucker stories

Before entering seventh grade, Jude Hicinbothem saw his older brother Trent kicking for the Valley varsity football team and wanted to try it. Hicinbothem liked it and thought he was good enough to kick for the middle school team. Hicinbothem was right. He was a reliable field goal and touchback...

Cornell was so close to reaching the WPIAL Class A semifinals last year. Following a first-round win over Leechburg, the Raiders looked to knock off top-seeded Fort Cherry. Cornell led Fort Cherry late in the first half, but after the Raiders gave up two touchdowns, they could not rally late...

It is hard to complain about the last two seasons if you are involved with Fort Cherry football. After all, in those two years, Fort Cherry won two WPIAL Class A championships. However, it was far from easy, especially in 2024 when the Rangers needed multiple fourth-down conversions on the...

When asked about his team’s goals for the season, Imani Christian coach LaRoi Johnson said the team wants to win a state championship. It is a short response, yet it sufficiently describes what the Saints have been working toward since their 14-6 defeat against Avonworth in the WPIAL Class 3A...

Valley coach Mark Adams would be the first to agree that the Vikings had a disappointing 2024 season. Valley was winless, with its closest loss being a crushing 38-35 defeat to Riverview in its second game. However, Adams would also agree that Valley can turn the program around because of...

Availability is an important part of David Davis’ impact. Davis missed several weeks of the 2023 season after tearing muscles in his elbow and fracturing his radius, but that did not deter him in 2024 and is certainly behind him heading in 2025. “(Last year) was good, especially because I...

Availability is an important part of David Davis’ impact, in more ways than one. It is critical to everyone’s success because if a player is not on the field, he cannot make plays that push the team closer to victory. Davis missed several weeks of the 2023 season after tearing...

Three men who have helped shape the Pittsburgh sports scene will be inducted into the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday during the organization’s annual scholarship sports night at LeMont Restaurant. The 2025 inductees are Oliver Carnegie (baseball), Chris LaSala (football) and Tom...

Pitt men’s basketball has scheduled two matchups with Villanova, renewing a former Big East rivalry. Villanova will host the first game in Philadelphia on Dec. 13. The Wildcats will visit Pittsburgh during the 2026-27 season. Rivalry renewed???????????? pic.twitter.com/EDJ6GnENa3— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) July 30, 2025 “We are excited to add...

Regardless of whether Kristofer Robinson is on the track, in the field or on the ice, the Knoch rising senior is an athlete who wins on a regular basis. In just sled hockey, the two teams Robinson played for during the 2024-25 season combined for multiple championships, and Robinson was...

Elite cornerbacks do not back down from any challenge. Snap after snap, players such as Imani Christian’s Gabe Jenkins love playing against tough competition and relish the opportunity to make game-changing plays. Specializing in man coverage, Jenkins uses his 6-foot-1 frame to be a physical presence at the line of...

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced plans Thursday to honor former outfielder Dave Parker throughout the rest of the season. The Pirates revealed a jersey patch depicting a gold silhouette of Parker with his nickname, “Cobra,” scripted across it. Pirates players will wear it on the left chest of all jerseys for...

Belief is important to athletes because it allows them to be confident in their abilities. That is no exception for Pitt center Dishon Jackson, who believes he can make a big difference for the Panthers basketball team this season. However, for Jackson to commit to Pitt in the first place,...

When Adeline Kubicsek got a job at LumberjAxes in Millvale, little did she know that it would change her life. Despite the covid-19 pandemic beginning shortly after she started, the job sparked her passion for axe throwing. “I look at it as the easier your throw is, the less you...

CINCINNATI BENGALS (9-8) OPEN CAMP: July 23, Kettering Health Practice Fields, Cincinnati, Ohio LAST YEAR: The Bengals finished 9-8, missing the playoffs for the second straight season after reaching the AFC championship game in 2022 and Super Bowl LVI in 2021. Despite having the NFL’s sixth-ranked offense and winning the...

Entering his junior season, Central Valley lineman Brendan Alexander was focused on becoming a better team leader. Although that might seem like a minor detail, it is all the more meaningful on the offensive and defensive lines. A 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman, Alexander is looked to by his teammates to lead....

Much discussion around the Pittsburgh Penguins recently has been about their future. This offseason, nothing has been more important to their aspirations than the NHL Draft. With much of the hope for the future being placed on early-round picks, players such as the 11th overall selection, Ben Kindel, know the...

The Walter Camp Football Foundation released its preseason All-America teams Tuesday. Penn State’s Nick Singleton, Zane Durant and Olaivavega Ioane, along with Pitt’s Kyle Louis, were selected. Singleton earned first-team offense honors at running back, while Durant made first-team defense as a defensive lineman. Louis joined Durant on first-team defense...

Football players know that when they become upperclassmen, coaches expect more from them. That does not necessarily mean more tackles or highlight reel plays. Rather, it is an understanding that they are more capable of helping the team win. Gateway junior linebacker Jakson Smith is one of those players who...

In April, the Valley News Dispatch recognized Katerina Tsambis as its girls basketball player of the year. Because of her additional excellence in soccer and track and field, she has earned the Valley News Dispatch’s Girls Athlete of the Year honor. To Tsambis, sports are not just a hobby. They...

When you have an opportunity to meet Paul Skenes, you take it. That was the collective mindset of the 145 children who attended a Skenes-hosted trading card event at Dick’s House of Sport on Friday morning in Ross Township. Before Skenes arrived, the preselected kids played on the outside turf...

Imani Christian Academy edge rusher William Gorman announced a verbal commitment to Youngstown State on X on Tuesday. Proud to announce my commitment to play football at Youngstown State University @ysufootball. Thank you @youngstownstate @YSUsports @1coachshep @fbcoachdp @Coach_Haneline @Rays_World9 @210ths @Chise89 pic.twitter.com/n5iYBIv2B0— Will KI Gorman (@willkigorman) June 24, 2025 The...