North Catholic girls win WPIAL team track and field title on final event; Quaker Valley boys win 3rd in row
It came down to the 1,600-meter relay to decide the girls champion Tuesday at the WPIAL Class 2A track and field team championships at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. Quaker Valley led North Catholic by a single point heading into the meet’s final event. The Trojanettes foursome of Alexa...
Freeport keeps playoff hopes alive with win over Greensburg SalemVideo
There was no room for error for the Freeport softball team in its Section 1-4A finale Monday at Greensburg Salem. The Yellowjackets needed a win to stay alive in the fight for a WPIAL playoff spot. And a win is what they got — in convincing fashion. Freeport jumped ahead...
Burrell girls, Riverview boys ready for WPIAL track & field finals
Sixteen track and field teams remain in the journey to a WPIAL championship, and the Burrell girls and Riverview boys will test their mettle in the Class 2A finals Tuesday at Peters Township’s Confluence Financial Partners Stadium. The Raiders and Lady Bucs punched their tickets to the finals with wins...
Boys volleyball teams aim to make final statements before WPIAL playoffs
It is crunch time for boys volleyball teams hoping to claim section championships, solidify their WPIAL playoff standing or clinch spots in the postseason. Section play concludes Thursday with one game — Gateway and Penn Hills in Section 4-3A — slated for Friday. The WPIAL boys volleyball committee will announce...
Winchester Thurston grad Will Loevner wins 1st Pittsburgh Marathon; Jane Bareikis earns 3-peat
Will Loevner had been close before but wasn’t able to break the winner’s tape in the Pittsburgh Marathon. He was runner-up in 26.2-mile race two years ago and fifth last year. On Sunday, no one stopped the Winchester Thurston graduate from realizing a dream. Loevner completed the course in a...
Race officials kick off Pittsburgh Marathon weekend at Live Well Expo
Jane Bareikis loves to run on the streets of Pittsburgh. Her affinity goes well beyond her top finishes in the Pittsburgh Marathon. The Kenya native and American citizen returns to Pittsburgh hoping to capture her third consecutive title. She was all smiles Friday morning talking about what Pittsburgh means to...
Excitement high as numerous elite runners set to return for Pittsburgh Marathon
The Pittsburgh Marathon keeps growing, and this year is no exception with more than 52,000 participants expected for the 11 events throughout the weekend. Troy Schooley, CEO of P3R, the local engine behind the marathon’s various activities, said excitement comes from seeing people of all ages, abilities, and goals come...
Plum boys lacrosse team taking big strides; program’s future looking bright
Ben Keller came to Plum in October to take over a boys lacrosse program seeking direction. The team was youthful but also rife with potential and talent ready to make strides and grow together in the five months before the start of this season. The Mustangs weathered the expected ups...
Alle-Kiski Valley girls flag football teams pick up steam
When the Pittsburgh Steelers handed off the high school girls flag football program to the WPIAL, it was a new beginning for established teams of varying degrees and new programs ready to make an impact. Plum and Deer Lakes returned with programs hoping to improve, and girls from Kiski Area...
Plum baseball edges Franklin Regional in section showdown, improves to 14-1Video
The Franklin Regional and Plum baseball teams have engaged in some close matchups over the course of their storied neighboring rivalry. Tuesday’s Section 1-5A clash at Plum High School was no exception. With close plays on the basepaths, clutch hitting and the pitching and defense from both teams to back...
Ranked boys volleyball teams jockey for position in stretch run to WPIAL playoffs
Teams on the road to the WPIAL boys volleyball playoffs have just two more weeks to qualify or strengthen their resumes before the tournaments begin May 12. The stretch run starts Monday and Tuesday evening, and the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association kicked off the journey Monday morning with the...
A-K Valley high school notebook: Fox Chapel’s Leland among several 100-goal scorers in lacrosse
Fox Chapel girls lacrosse senior Caroline Leland scored seven goals to lead the Foxes to a 13-12 victory over Peters Township on April 16. She added three in Thursday’s 9-6 win against rival Shady Side Academy, lifting the Foxes to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in Section 2-3A. The 10 goals...
Derry again edges Freeport by a run in Section 1-4A softball clashVideo
For the second time in three days, the Freeport and Derry softball teams played to a one-run result. And for the second time, the Trojans were the ones who came out on top. Bailey Legge delivered a two-out RBI single to score Francesca DePalma in the top of the seventh...
U.S. Government’s Patent and Trademark Office brings NIL education to NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
Name, image and likeness (NIL) has become a household turn of phrase when it comes to athletes safeguarding their brand with their goals of building financial security. The U.S. Government’s Patent and Trademark Office is in Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft through Saturday, and America’s Branding Agency hopes to provide...
Alle-Kiski Valley athletes have medals in mind at WCCA meet
The NFL Draft kicks off Thursday evening on the North Shore, and many of the top college football players are ready to hear their names called and have their accomplishments celebrated under the bright national television lights. Several hours before, many of the area’s top track and field athletes hope...
Knoch softball team keeps eyes on repeat prize
The Knoch softball program owns eight section championships, the first coming in 2007. More recently, within the past decade, the Knights have five, claiming section gold every other year from 2017 to last year’s perfect 12-0 record in Section 1-5A. Knoch coach Chris Gardner said the goal coming into this...
‘Persistent’ Plum adds on runs in shutout win over Kiski Area
Plum’s Braden Kemmerer was in control on the mound, the defense behind him played clean and the offense was equal parts potent and patient Thursday in a 10-0, five-inning Section 1-5A victory over Kiski Area at a sunny-but-chilly Plum High School. Kemmerer tossed a two-hitter with nine strikeouts, and the...
Teams make statements, increase stock in latest WPIAL boys volleyball rankings
Seven nonsection matches Monday evening kick off this week’s WPIAL boys volleyball schedule, and key section contests follow Tuesday on the road to the WPIAL playoffs. Several teams in Class 3A and Class 2A made statements last week, and their accomplishments are reflected in this week’s Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches...
Central Catholic offensive tackle Jimmy Kalis picks Ohio State
Jimmy Kalis will play his college football at Ohio State. Central Catholic’s 6-foot-8, 285-pound star lineman, surrounded by family, friends and other supporters, gave a verbal commitment to the Buckeyes live on Rivals’ YouTube channel Friday evening. He thanked many of the people who supported him along his journey, including...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower family to join Bears brass at NFL Draft to honor league’s 1st Black quarterback
This fall marks 73 years since Willie Thrower’s monumental moment in football history when he became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in the modern NFL. Legendary Chicago Bears coach George Halas called on Thrower, a New Kensington native, in a game Oct. 18, 1953 against the San...
Alle-Kiski Valley softball notebook: Knoch takes 5-game streak to Indiana
Knoch will get a chance to avenge its only Section 1-4A loss Friday when it visits Indiana for a 4 p.m. first pitch. The Knights (8-2, 7-1) have won five in a row since a 6-0 loss to the Indians (9-2, 8-0) on March 31 in which they managed just...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower family to join Bears brass at NFL Draft to honor league’s 1st Black quarterbackVideo
This fall marks 73 years since Willie Thrower’s monumental moment in football history when he became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in the modern NFL. Legendary Chicago Bears coach George Halas called on Thrower, a New Kensington native, in a game Oct. 18, 1953, against the San...
Greensburg Salem uses long ball to rally past FreeportVideo
The Greensburg Salem softball team had its back against the wall in Wednesday’s Section 1-4A game against Freeport at Freeport Community Park. The Golden Lions trailed the Yellowjackets by four runs after four innings. But Greensburg Salem was able to rally on the strength of a pair of three-run homers...
Former players remember Springdale coaching great Dave Meloni
Skip Yakopec’s introduction to varsity soccer at Springdale came as a freshman in 1968. “We had a game early in the season at Sewickley Academy, and I was only in ninth grade and was on the junior high team,” he said. “But coach (Dave) Meloni invited me to come on...
Freeport track and field standout Magness aiming to soar to new heights
As a freshman, Mackenzie Magness didn’t let her youth keep her from making an impact. The Freeport track and field standout went out and crashed the party, going after records and top finishes in multiple events. She soon was a WPIAL champion, hitting 11 feet, 6 inches in the pole...
