Michael Love stories, Page 122
Cal U and IUP women’s basketball teams each move up 2 spots in latest Division II national poll
The Cal (Pa.) and IUP women’s basketball teams are ranked No. 9 and No. 11, respectively, in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday afternoon. The Vulcans, idle since an 80-66 loss to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference foe Shippensburg on Dec. 7, rose...
Freeport girls step up on defense, surge past Highlands
Late in the first quarter of Monday’s Section 1-4A girls basketball matchup between Freeport and Highlands, the Yellowjackets and Golden Rams were tied at eight. Grace Solis then connected on back-to-back 3-pointers that sparked a 23-0 run as Freeport took control en route to a 62-34 victory at Highlands. “Highlands...
Confidence, repertoire grow for Fox Chapel diver David ManelisVideo
David Manelis was in contention for gold at last year’s PIAA Class AAA boys diving championships at Bucknell. The Fox Chapel junior, competing at states for the second time in as many seasons after placing fourth at WPIALs, challenged for the title in all three rounds before finishing second to...
Plum, Kiski Area hockey to raise money for Brian Shaw Memorial Fund
The Plum and Kiski Area hockey teams do not play each other during the PIHL regular season as the Mustangs and Cavaliers are in different classifications. But the teams will share the ice Dec. 27 at Pittsburgh Ice Arena in Lower Burrell and help raise money for a cause near...
Gateway to honor hockey alumni
The tradition that is ice hockey at Gateway High School again will be celebrated as three former players will be inducted into the Gateway Hockey Alumni Honor Roll during the annual alumni winter event Dec. 26 at Center Ice Arena in Delmont. The Class of 2019 features 1995 graduate Jamie...
Plum takes aim with revamped rifle roster
The Plum rifle team was an experienced group last season with seven seniors helping to form the squad’s core. That group included all five shooters who represented the Mustangs at WPIALs. Graduation opened several spots in the lineup, and a younger Plum squad with four seniors, five juniors and 11...
Valley News Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year: Apollo-Ridge’s Logan Harmon
Logan Harmon is in the early stages of his second varsity wrestling season. The Apollo-Ridge junior is hoping to make the most of the opportunity under the co-op with Armstrong, and that includes as many takedowns as possible. Harmon was in the habit of taking down many a ball carrier...
From a 298 game to a 660 series, Freeport bowlers put up big numbers to start season
Mark Livingston came close to perfection in his first game of the high school bowling season. The Freeport junior had thrown 11 straight strikes to begin the game Dec. 4 and needed just one more for a 300. But on his last attempt, he left two pins standing, and had...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Freeport looks to repeat fast start
Last season, the Freeport girls basketball team went 1-1 at the season-opening Southmoreland tournament before winning six straight to head into the new year 7-1 en route to an 18-4 regular season and a runner-up finish in Section 1-4A. Yellowjackets coach Fred Soilis hopes his team, which split a pair...
Deer Lakes’ Makayla Blair makes successful return from hoops hiatusVideo
Makayla Blair scored a game-best 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds Monday in the Deer Lakes’ girls basketball team’s 57-41 victory over Burrell. It was a breakout game for the Lancers senior guard in a comeback of sorts after three seasons away from the sport. “My main goal was...
IUP men’s basketball moves up one spot in national rankings
The IUP men’s basketball team remains undefeated, and it ticked up one spot to No. 5 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top 25 Poll released Tuesday afternoon. The Crimson Hawks, 7-0 after a 76-63 win at Mansfield on Saturday, held the No. 6 position the previous...
IUP women’s basketball holds steady in national poll; Cal U slides two spots
The IUP women’s basketball team held its position while Cal (Pa.) slipped two spots in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll released Tuesday afternoon. The Crimson Hawks, again No. 13 in the rankings, went 2-0 on the road last week, defeating the University of...
Deer Lakes girls break into win column with double-digit triumph
Something had to give Monday between the Deer Lakes and Burrell girls basketball teams after both had suffered a pair of losses in tip-off tournaments over the weekend. Led by the 1-2 punch of senior Makayla Blair and sophomore Reese Hasley, the Lancers were the ones to get into the...
Deer Lakes’ Morrison leads strong cast of returning A-K Valley swimmers, divers
Adam Morrison is the hunted. The Deer Lakes senior swimmer made his mark last March at the WPIAL Class AA championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool by winning the boys 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4 minutes, 40.05 seconds. He followed the WPIAL gold in the 500 with a third...
Highlands boys basketball storms past GatewayVideo
For the second time in as many nights, the Highlands boys basketball team defended its home court in dominating fashion. On Friday, the Golden Rams raced past Armstrong for a 21-point victory. It was more of the same Saturday as Highlands built a 15-point lead early in the second quarter...
Starting 5: A guide to the A-K Valley girls high school basketball season
STORYLINES 1. New leadership A trio of teams – Apollo-Ridge, Cheswick Christian and Fox Chapel – hope to make playoff runs again this season under the direction of new head coaches. Jacque Willis, 22, takes over a veteran Cheswick girls program. Mike Montstrola, a Plum graduate who most recently coached...
Burrell’s Allie Vescio named Valley News Dispatch Girls Soccer Player of the Year
Valley News Dispatch Girls Soccer Player of the Year Allie Vescio Burrell, senior, forward Versatility is a calling card for Allie Vescio. The Burrell senior entered 2019 preseason practices as a defender with a mind for creating offensive opportunities. A change in the team’s on-field structure during the preseason moved...
Playoff near-misses motivate Riverview girlsVideo
The Riverview girls basketball team suffered heartbreak two seasons ago with a buzzer-beating, one-point loss to Serra Catholic in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The Raiders were the No. 12 seed that day, but they came within an eyelash of pulling off the upset. Last season,...
With struggles behind them, Riverview boys again thinking playoffsVideo
The Riverview boys basketball team last earned a trip to the WPIAL playoffs in 2015. The Raiders have experienced their share of hard times since then. But the team made strides in the win column last year, and with several players with starting experience back, the optimistic expectation that Riverview...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Apollo-Ridge graduate shines for Carlow basketball
Megan Ost is making the most of her early-season opportunities for the Carlow women’s basketball team. The Apollo-Ridge graduate and sophomore forward with the Celtics owns six double-digit scoring efforts through eight games. Ost had a season-best 23 points to go with 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 63-39 victory over Penn...
IUP men’s basketball moves up to No. 6 in national poll
The Indiana University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team is undefeated through five games, and it moved up two spots to No. 6 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll released Tuesday afternoon. IUP is the only Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference team ranked in this week’s poll. The...
Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball No. 9 in latest national poll; IUP moves up to No. 15
The Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball team has moved into the top 10 of the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches’ Poll released Tuesday afternoon. The Vulcans, 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, ticked up four spots to No. 9. They have been featured in...
Robert Morris coach Bernard Clark Jr. finalist for national award
Robert Morris announced Monday that Colonials football coach Bernard Clark Jr. is a finalist for the STATS Eddie Robinson Award. The honor is presented annually to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision’s Coach of the Year. A national group of more than 150 writers, broadcasters and others will select the winner,...
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons finalist for Butkus Award
The Butkus Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker, and Penn State sophomore Micah Parsons is one of six finalists for this year’s honor. The finalists were announced Monday, and Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, Texas Tech’s Jordyn Brooks, Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, California’s Evan Weaver and Wyoming’s Logan Wilson...
A-K Valley residents fare well at annual karate championship tournament
It was a celebration of martial arts throughout Pennsylvania and beyond as hundreds of competitors from across the state and throughout the country descended on Valley High School earlier this month for the 47th annual Pennsylvania Karate Championships. Frank Caliguri, event co-organizer, said he was pleased with the spirit of...
