Michael Love stories, Page 101
Freeport girls swim team grateful to be back in pool
Alexis Schrecongost was grateful to dive into the pool and compete Friday as she and her Freeport teammates kicked off their season at Kiski Area. The junior, a multitime WPIAL medalist in the 100-yard breaststroke who also has claimed medals in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley, said she...
Plum wrestlers look forward to competition in Section 1B
After more starts and stops to the season than he cares to remember, Plum wrestling coach Mike Supak said he’s anxious to see his team begin competition this week. The Mustangs, who had conducted only a couple of practices before Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders Dec. 10 as part of...
Plum bowlers happy to be back in action after layoff
The Plum varsity bowling teams didn’t have a lot of time between the return to practice Jan. 4 from the three-week state-government imposed shutdown of high school activities and Monday’s scheduled start of the season. But coach Darryl Pilyih said the dozen combined bowlers on the boys and girls rosters...
Kiski Area girls rally past Burrell to go 1-0
A 12-point third-quarter advantage helped the Kiski Area girls basketball team turn a slim halftime deficit into a season-opening 39-26 victory Friday at Burrell. The Cavaliers trailed by one at the break, but they used defensive pressure, coupled with offensive struggles by the Bucs, to lead by 11 at the...
Schedule change pits mother against son as Deer Lakes girls basketball meets Mars
Mother and son are set to go head-to-head again. Mars, coached by Dana Petruska, will visit Deer Lakes, coached by her son Dave, on Saturday afternoon in a nonsection contest as the 2020-21 season ramps up after a shutdown ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf as part of overall efforts to...
Plum wrestler Vinny Citrano eager to take first steps on road to Hershey
For Vinny Citrano, the return to the Plum wrestling room this week was a welcome change. The Plum junior is using his work on the mat to move past any frustrations born of the recent shutdown of high school athletic activities ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf. “It was tough because...
From the piano to the paint, Ellie Schwartzman plays key role for Fox Chapel
Ellie Schwartzman is proficient at playing the piano, having studied and practiced the craft for more than a decade. She takes lessons every week to keep her skills sharp. “My whole family is very musically inclined,” said Schwartzman, a senior at Fox Chapel. “Music was a nice thing to have...
WPIAL swimming committee lowers qualifying times for championship meets
The WPIAL swimming committee met Tuesday afternoon, and the group agreed to establish faster automatic qualifying standards for the WPIAL championship meets. The championships tentatively are set for the week of March 1, but it remains uncertain if the event will be held at Pitt’s Trees Pool or moved to...
Pitt women’s basketball’s Jan. 14 game with Notre Dame postponed
Pitt and the ACC announced Tuesday that the Panthers’ women’s basketball game against Notre Dame scheduled for Jan. 14 in South Bend has been postponed. The change was necessitated by the Pitt program remaining in covid protocol. A statement released concerning the postponement said the Panthers continue to adhere to...
In the pool profile: Seneca Valley’s Edie Sawyer hoping for senior success before heading to Ohio University
Edie Sawyer made the most of her one December swim meet. In the 100-yard breaststroke against Section 2-AAA rival North Allegheny, the Seneca Valley senior established a school record with a time of 1 minute, 4.45 seconds. The time surpassed the previous record of 1:05.07 set in 2006 by Kelly...
In the pool profile: Indiana’s Thome hoping to add more WPIAL gold to an already full resume
Kyle Thome earned WPIAL-championship gold last year as the best in the Class AA 200-yard freestyle. The Indiana senior swimmer also finished runner-up in the 500 freestyle and helped set WPIAL records as part of the 200 medley and 400 free relays with older brother, Cole, graduate Kevin Zheng and...
PIHL ready to get back to action
The PIHL, along with the WPIAL and other sports organizations, is returning to team activities Monday after a shutdown issued by Gov. Tom Wolf on Dec. 10 as part of overall efforts to slow the spread of covid-19. The league is scheduled to resume games Jan. 11. PIHL president John...
Robert Morris edges Milwaukee in Horizon League home opener
It wasn’t pretty, but Robert Morris men’s basketball coach Andy Toole and his youthful team will certainly take Friday’s 67-64 victory over Milwaukee in the first of a two-game Horizon League set at UPMC Events Center. “Obviously a hard-fought, well-earned win by our guys,” Toole said. “It certainly was ugly,...
Steel-High’s Mehki Flowers commits to play football at Penn State
Mehki Flowers started the new year by announcing a new journey with the Penn State football team. The junior from Steelton-Highspire in Harrisburg announced on Twitter a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions on Friday morning. “Gear me up @coachjfranklin lol. Super excited to get started with you, Let’s make...
Chartiers Valley’s Perri Page commits to Division I Columbia
Chartiers Valley’s Perri Page is in a New York City state of mind. The daughter of former Pitt men’s basketball standout Julius Page committed Friday to continue her basketball career at Columbia in Manhattan. She announced her decision on Twitter. Page, a 5-foot-11 junior forward, had numerous Division I offers,...
Top 10 stories in A-K Valley sports in 2020
The year 2020 was one nobody soon will forget. The specter of the covid-19 pandemic brought about hardships and challenges both in and out of the sports world. But before and during those challenging times, local athletes and teams were able to make their marks, paying off many hours of...
Gateway’s Jayson Jenkins to kick for Robert Morris
A dream now is a reality for Gateway’s Jayson Jenkins. The senior place kicker will trade the black and gold of the Gators for Robert Morris red, white and blue. Jenkins enters the new year with a verbal commitment to the FCS Colonials. “It was a special feeling for me...
WVU’s Isaiah Cottrell to miss rest of season with Achilles injury
The end of 2020 has brought tough news to the West Virginia men’s basketball team. Isaiah Cottrell, the highly touted 6-foot-10 freshman from Las Vegas, will miss the rest of the 2020-21 season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg in the first half of Tuesday’s game...
Pitt’s Jones, WVU’s Stills named Sporting News first-team All-Americans
Pitt senior defensive end Patrick Jones II and West Virginia senior defensive tackle Darius Stills have been named first-team All-Americans by the Sporting News, the publication announced Tuesday. Jones is the 94th first-team All-American in Pitt football history. He finished the season with 44 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss,...
Monroeville bodybuilder claims Amateur Olympia title
When the Mr. Olympia and Amateur Olympia bodybuilding competitions were moved to this month from September because of covid-19 logistical concerns, Monroeville’s Ahmad Matour didn’t waver in his goal to compete at one of the world’s biggest events of its kind. “I knew it would give me plenty of time...
PSNK athletes cope with latest changes caused by coronavirus
Penn State New Kensington athletic director Megan Bratkovich said she wasn’t surprised when the executive committee of the Penn State University Athletic Conference voted unanimously Dec. 18 to cancel all sports for the 2020-21 fall and winter seasons. “Given the current state of the pandemic, I think we all knew...
Freeport hockey hopes to continue winning ways after shutdown
Excitement remains high for the Freeport hockey team despite having to work through a couple of stops and starts over the first two months of the 2020-21 PIHL regular season. Covid-19 concerns and Thanksgiving slowed the Yellowjackets in November, and then they and the rest of the league were affected...
Unbeaten Hempfield, rest of PIHL eager for return
Hempfield is one of three hockey teams without a loss in PIHL Class AA in a season heavily impacted by covid issues. The Spartans are 4-0 in league play after a 6-2 triumph over Shaler on Dec. 3. They are hoping, along with the rest of the league, things get...
Deer Lakes Youth Baseball Association gets Pirates grant
Safety is a top priority for the Deer Lakes Youth Baseball Association, and a matching “Fields for Kids” grant from Pirates Charities will help keep that mission going. Pirates Charities, the philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates, announced Wednesday that the association will receive grant money to improve fencing on...
PSUAC cancels fall and winter athletic seasons
The athletic programs in the Penn State University Athletic Conference, including Penn State New Kensington, Beaver, Fayette, Greater Allegheny and Shenango, continue to come to terms with Friday’s decision by the conference’s executive committee to cancel all intercollegiate athletics competition for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and...
