Michael Love stories, Page 121

Hannah Irvine was on point offensively for the Saint Vincent women’s soccer team in a 3-1 victory over Thiel to cap the 2019 season. The Deer Lakes graduate, a sophomore midfielder, recorded a hat trick as the Bearcats finished 2-6 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and 2-14 overall. Irvine led...

For Plum’s Makayla Jackson, Pitt is it. The Mustangs standout junior middle hitter paid an official visit to the University of Pittsburgh volleyball program over the weekend, and she came away impressed so much that she gave a verbal commitment to the Panthers. “I loved the campus and the fact...

Shaler Area will be a volleyball hotspot Tuesday as WPIAL champions Freeport and Knoch open the PIAA playoffs with back-to-back matchups. The undefeated Yellowjackets (18-0) will face District 9 champion Brookville at 6 p.m., and the Knights (21-1) will battle South Fayette at 7:30. “We’re playing with so much momentum...

The Plum girls soccer team fell short Saturday in its quest for a WPIAL Class AAA championship in its first title-game appearance. The Mustangs were not able to solve unbeaten Mars in a 4-0 loss at Highmark Stadium. But that didn’t end the season for Plum (17-2-1). It has turned...

Riverview junior Mason Ochs finished eighth in the Class A boys race at Saturday’s PIAA cross country championships after taking second at WPIALs. Teammate Gideon Deasy was 14th. The top five Raiders runners — all underclassmen — posted finishes 40th or better to help the team finish runner-up to Winchester...

In 2017, the Knoch and Freeport volleyball teams played the final three matches of their PIAA championship runs in the same location. The Knights followed the Yellowjackets on the court in the quarterfinals at Slippery Rock High School, the semifinals at Seneca Valley High School and the finals at Richland...

When sophomore Cody Dykes connected on a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter of Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round game at Bethel Park, the Kiski Area football team held a 10-point lead. Seniors running backs Peyton McCann and Luke Lander combined for 106 yards to that point, and...

Plum senior Justin Mascilli placed 27th in the boys Class AAA race at the WPIAL cross country championships Oct. 24 at Cal (Pa.). He completed the Roadman Park course in 17 minutes, 30 seconds, an improvement of 24 spots and 41 seconds from his finish there last year. While Mascilli’s...

The Freeport girls volleyball team celebrated Thursday’s come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Avonworth in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals at North Allegheny with a trip to Chick-fil-A. “My girls all love Chick-fil-A, and they kind of devoured a lot of chicken sandwiches on the way home,” Yellowjackets coach Tom Phillips said....

Knoch and Thomas Jefferson were the top two ranked girls volleyball teams in WPIAL Class AAA throughout the season, and they were rewarded with the top two seeds in the playoff bracket. The No. 1 Knights (17-0) and No. 2 Jaguars (18-1) turned away challengers through the first three rounds,...

The Freeport girls volleyball team hadn’t faced adversity this season like it did Thursday in a WPIAL Class AA semifinal match against Avonworth at North Allegheny. The Yellowjackets had lost only one game through their first 16 matches, but they stared in the face of a 2-0 deficit against the...

After helping Fox Chapel win its first PIAA Class AAA team tennis title since 2004, No. 1 singles player Charlotte James will turn her attention to the state singles tournament in Hershey this weekend. After winning doubles titles as a freshman and a sophomore with teammate Amanda Nord, the 2019...

A contingent of Alle-Kiski Valley cross country teams and individuals hope to build on performances from WPIALs as they run against the state’s best Saturday at the PIAA championships in Hershey. Fox Chapel seniors Grace Sisson and Brooke Krally are used to running with a full team at states, but...

The Knoch girls volleyball team will play for a third straight WPIAL Class AAA championship. The Knights swept past Franklin Regional on Wednesday in a semifinal match at North Allegheny, winning games 25-23, 25-17 and 25-18. “I am really proud of their effort,” Knoch coach Diane Geist said. “We’re hoping...

Tori Radvan ended her sophomore volleyball season on the court at Johnstown’s Richland High School celebrating a state championship with her Freeport teammates. Her junior year began with promise as she hoped her veteran on-court presence would be an added benefit to another solid campaign for the Yellowjackets. But her...

Ryan Creehan Fox Chapel, Jr., TE/LB Creehan has been a key defender for the Foxes over the past several weeks. He led the way last Friday against Shaler with a team-best 12 tackles. He added 13 combined stops in wins over conference foes Mars and Armstrong to help Fox Chapel...

WPIAL Class AA Third-place consolation 8-Freeport (16-5) vs. 3-South Park (13-4-1) 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mars Winner plays: The District 5 or 6 champion Nov. 5 in the first round of the PIAA tournament Coaches: Brittni Grenninger, Freeport; Shelly Thropp, South Park Players to Watch: Aleah Parison, Fr., F, Freeport;...

Having two all-state volleyball players missing from a rotation might derail any number of teams, but the Knoch girls squad has used its depth and veteran leadership to stay in the WPIAL playoff mix. Playing without seniors Hannah Rowe and Kennedy Christy, their two top hitters, because of injury, the...

The Freeport girls volleyball team keeps on rolling. The Yellowjackets, the No. 2 seed in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs, punched their ticket to the semifinals for the seventh straight season with a dominant 3-0 victory over No. 10 Hopewell on Tuesday at North Hills. Freeport held off the Vikings...

The Yough girls soccer team recorded only two shots on goal over the first 43 minutes of its WPIAL Class AA semifinal against Freeport on Monday at Mars. But the Cougars made both shots count as they built a two-goal advantage. Yough added a goal later in the second half...

Monday’s games Girls Semifinals Class AAA 3-West Allegheny (15-2) vs. 2-Plum (16-1-1) 8 p.m. Monday at Mars Winner plays: Winner of 1-Mars (16-0-1)/5-Belle Vernon (16-3) in the championship at Highmark Stadium (time, date TBD). Coaches: Dave Tissue, West Allegheny; Jamie Stewart, Plum Players to Watch: Mackenzie Taranto, Jr., F, West...

A series of playoff scenarios were on the table in the Class 5A Northern Conference entering Friday’s Week 9 games. First and foremost on Kiski Area’s mind was a win over rival Armstrong in its regular-season finale. Secondary was what Mars and Fox Chapel did in their games. The main...