Mt. Pleasant softball extends winning streak to 8 with victory over Burrell
Burrell had designs on ending Mt. Pleasant’s seven-game winning streak when the Section 1-3A softball rivals met Monday in Lower Burrell. But the section-leading Vikings, who hadn’t lost since their nonsection season opener against District 5’s Berlin, kept rolling. Mt. Pleasant scored twice in the second, three times in the...
North Allegheny, Shaler lead way at Kohler Classic, top weekly coaches rankings
North Allegheny and Shaler fared well at the prestigious Koller Classic in York on Saturday. Both made it to the semifinals, and the Tigers claimed the title with a straight-set win over Central Dauphin in the finals. Coming off those tournament performances, North Allegheny and Shaler remained at the top...
Plum moves up in section with win over Fox Chapel
O’HARA TOWNSHIP — Plum didn’t let Fox Chapel break out the brooms in a Section 1-5A softball clash Friday afternoon at Fox Chapel High School. Senior Riley Stephans allowed two hits and struck out eight, and the Mustangs had six hits of their own in a 6-1 victory that pushed...
Belle Vernon’s Max Henson, North Allegheny’s Advaita Sircar reign again in WPIAL boys tennis
Max Henson said he loved the feeling of having a WPIAL singles gold medal around his neck last year at Bethel Park. A change of venue for this year’s tournament didn’t alter the outcome for the Belle Vernon senior. Henson closed out another impressive run to a title with a...
Shaler ace edges out Fox Chapel freshman in classic pitchers’ duel
The Shaler softball team defended Palmer Hilltop Field on Wednesday, topping Fox Chapel to sweep their Section 1-5A series. But the victory was a lot closer than the first meeting, a seven-run result March 24 at Fox Chapel. An old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Shaler senior and Indiana Hoosiers commit Bria...
Chris Deluzio shines spotlight on rising cost of youth sports
Carrie Grecich’s children are heavily involved in sports at the youth level. Her son plays travel baseball and her daughter is in club volleyball. They’re sophomores at Chartiers Valley. Grecich, a Scott Township resident, is concerned with how the cost of youth sports is pricing families out of being able...
Knoch rebounds for victory against Greensburg SalemVideo
Mother Nature tried to deliver a 1-2 punch of cold and rain Monday as the Knoch and Greensburg Salem softball teams battled in a Section 1-4A game at Laura Doerr Memorial Park in Cabot. Showers early in the contest tested both teams. But skies soon cleared, and Knoch continued to...
Recharged No. 1 singles player, Valley tennis teammates energized for postseason
Tyler Quinn played a lot of tennis last spring. At No. 2 singles, he helped Valley win the Section 1-2A title, earn a WPIAL runner-up finish and secure a spot in the state playoffs. He also teamed with graduate Landon Harclerode to finish second at the WPIAL doubles tournament and...
Baldwin, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart make big moves in WPIAL boys volleyball rankings
The first full week of April has a WPIAL boys volleyball schedule loaded with key matchups in the race for the postseason. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association set the table Monday morning with the release of the latest top 10 rankings and its Players of the Week for both...
Gateway sports notebook: Gators flag football starts 2-3; Logan Memije wins section singles title
High school girls flag football entered a new era this spring under the direction of the WPIAL and PIAA. Gateway is under that umbrella, and a youthful Gators squad is making its way through the early season with five games under its belt. The Gators opened the season March 18...
Gateway hockey makes case to return to varsity level after winning postseason tournament
The Gateway hockey team’s success in the 2025-26 season, one which included a postseason tournament championship, has it poised to return to varsity status after a one-year hiatus. A young roster with just two seniors necessitated a move down to the JV level. Coach Dennis Shannon said he was impressed...
Plum/Riverview sports notebook: Mustangs baseball starts strong
The Plum baseball team traditionally starts its season strong, and this spring is no exception. After a trio of convincing victories in their annual Florida trip, the Mustangs were 7-0 overall through a 3-0 nonsection victory at North Allegheny on March 30. Plum outscored its first seven opponents by a...
Plum softball chasing elusive playoff victory
The Plum softball team is a perennial playoff qualifier in Class 3A. That consistency is what drives each class that puts on a Mustangs uniform. But recent games in the playoffs have proved to be frustrating. Plum has reached the WPIAL playoffs six times since 2019, but first-round exits each...
Plum baseball looks to carry sizzling start into heart of season
The Plum baseball team is no stranger to hot starts to a spring season. The Mustangs found themselves in that spot after seven wins in seven March games with a dominant three-game Florida trip, a victory over Class 6A power Seneca Valley, a sweep of Armstrong to open Section 1-5A...
Behind Shelby Novak’s 2-hitter, Burrell blanks Deer Lakes for section win
WEST DEER TOWNSHIP — Shelby Novak tossed a two-hitter, and eight of the nine hitters in the Burrell lineup had at least one hit in a 5-0 victory over Deer Lakes in Section 1-3A softball Thursday afternoon. “It was a really nice win for us today,” said Novak, a junior...
Gateway’s Mykel Bruce-McCrommon commits to Missouri-Kansas City
Mykel Bruce-McCrommon knows where he will call home at the collegiate level. The 6-foot-8 Gateway senior standout announced Thursday afternoon he will play basketball for veteran coach Mark Turgeon at Division I Missouri-Kansas City in the Summit League. Bruce-McCrommon posted on X that he was “100 percent committed” to the...
Kiski Area’s Arnold playing in Portugal with U16 national soccer team
Ellie Arnold loves to go to the beach, and a family trip to Montana a few years ago allowed her to take in the majestic Rocky Mountains while enjoying the crisp and cool air. But the Kiski Area sophomore and multisport standout’s travel this week is international as she represents...
Western Pa. players selected to represent Steelers at Big 33 girls flag football tournament
Twenty-two girls flag football players from the WPIAL and City League will represent the Steelers at the third annual Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) Big 33 girls flag football tournament May 23-24 as part of the 69th Big 33 Football Classic. The Steelers team will take on teams representing...
Penn-Trafford cranks up offense in win over Kiski AreaVideo
The Penn-Trafford softball team struck for three runs in the first inning of Monday’s Section 2-5A matchup at Kiski Area. The defending state champions didn’t stop there. The Warriors added on to the tune of six more in the third and four in the fourth en route to a 13-3,...
North Allegheny, Shaler hold onto top spots in WPIAL boys volleyball rankings
The 2026 WPIAL boys volleyball season ramps up in its third week as teams continue to battle with crucial matches in section play. North Allegheny in Class 3A and Shaler in Class 2A continue to set the pace in their classifications in the latest Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association top-10...
2026 Valley News Dispatch boys basketball all-stars
Valley News Dispatch Boys Player of the Year Evan Moore 6-3, Jr., G, Deer Lakes With the NCAA Tournament now at the Elite Eight, the journey through the first few rounds defined just what March Madness is all about with several low seeds busting some brackets. The Deer Lakes boys...
2026 Valley News Dispatch girls basketball all-stars
Valley News Dispatch Girls Basketball Player of the Year Riley Stephans 5-8, Sr., G, Plum Riley Stephans took the ball near midcourt, dribbled a few times and then unleashed a shot from 3-point range. The bank was open for business, and the ball went in. Plum beat Freeport at the...
Boys, girls basketball all-stars ready for Cager Classic
At 5-foot-10, Collin Rodgers is the shortest player on the West boys team for Saturday’s 29th Cager Classic all-star basketball game at Highlands High School. But the Deer Lakes senior guard, who helped the Lancers advance to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals this season, hopes to stand...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Kiski Area grad Veronica Flanagan named All-American
The transition from high school to collegiate bowling didn’t keep Veronica Flanagan from reaching top-flight status this past winter. The Kiski Area graduate and freshman at Lourdes in the Toledo, Ohio suburb of Sylvania recently was selected to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American team. Flanagan, whose prolific high...
Alle-Kiski Valley HOF-er Carol Perroz keeps playing, racking up honors
Carol Perroz was a softball standout among the three sports she played at Freeport, and she continued in softball in college at Slippery Rock. Though she was dedicated to her school teams in the spring, her diamond exploits didn’t end when her scholastic seasons came to a close. Many of...
