Michael Love stories, Page 123

The WPIAL Class AA team tournament is new for all seven members of the Valley girls tennis team, as the last time the Vikings advanced to the playoffs was 2015. That year, Valley qualified as the No. 15 seed and lost in the first round to Quaker Valley. The last...

The mission is simple for the Springdale football team in its approach to staying alive in the chase for the playoffs in WPIAL Class A. To quote the late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis: “Just win, baby.” That’s what the Dynamos did Friday evening under the lights at Oakmont’s Riverside...

The Freeport girls volleyball team wrapped up its 15th consecutive section championship Thursday with a convincing three-game sweep of Section 5-AA foe Burrell. The Yellowjackets, No. 3 in the latest Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association WPIAL Class AA rankings, upped their record to 10-0 in section and 11-0 overall. The...

Katrina Streiner made her mark in swimming over four years of competition at Gateway. The 2005 graduate won two WPIAL titles in the 50-yard freestyle, another one in the 100 free and qualified seven times to states in those events. She also set the school record as a member of...

Burrell junior Jordyn Kowalkowski said she expected another close game with Freeport on Wednesday as the first Section 2-AA matchup between the rivals Sept. 18 went down to the wire. The No. 1 Bucs won that first meeting by one goal, but the rematch at Buccaneers Stadium turned out to...

A tradition continues Thursday evening as a new class of athletic greats will be celebrated and inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, East Boros Chapter. The Class of 2019 – Colleen Connors Marston (Gateway), Maria Beth Silverio (Turtle Creek), Paul Fox (Plum), Dan Grubbs (Turtle Creek), Dave McDonald...

The Fox Chapel boys and girls golf teams will play for WPIAL championships Thursday at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Rostraver. The girls hopes to claim their first WPIAL title since 2010. The boys last captured WPIAL gold in 2006. The boys tournament, featuring Fox Chapel, Central Catholic, Shady Side Academy,...

Klay Fitzroy Apollo-Ridge, Jr., WR/DB The sizable pass-catching targetat 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds was thrust into brief quarterbacking duty against Valley last Friday and ran twice for 25 yards. He hauled in four of Jake Fello’s passes for 48 yards. For the season, Fitzroy has 21 receptions for 319 yards...

Class 5A Big East Plum (3-4, 1-4) at Latrobe (2-5, 1-4) 7 p.m. Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 97.3 FM, 1480 AM Last week: Plum 30, Weir, W.Va. 27; Penn-Trafford 39, Latrobe 7 Coaches: Matt Morgan, Plum; Jason Marucco, Latrobe Players to watch: Reed Martin, Plum...

The Fox Chapel girls tennis team lost just once in 12 regular-season matches. That one setback came to Peters Township in a 3-2 decision Sept. 24. The Foxes would love to get another crack at the Indians in the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament, set to begin Thursday afternoon. That...

Here’s a look at this week’s WPIAL girls soccer rankings: Class AAAA 1. North Allegheny, 12-1-1, 1 2. Peters Township, 13-1-1, 2 3. Norwin, 13-1, 5 4. Seneca Valley, 10-3-1, 4 5. Moon, 11-2-1, 3 Out: None Class AAA 1. Mars, 12-0-1, 1 2. Plum, 11-1, 2 3. Belle Vernon,...

With six games left in the regular season and possibly one, if not more, playoff contests, Jake Chapla has several opportunities to add to his record for career points at Slippery Rock. The Plum graduate and Rock senior kicker set the record Saturday in a 45-14 rout of Pennsylvania State...

After several weeks of dual matches and individual players and doubles teams going for WPIAL gold, the Knoch and Valley girls tennis teams turn their attention Tuesday to the WPIAL Class AA team tournament. First-round matches are set for a 3 p.m. start. After a break, the tournament resumes with...

The plots thicken for the girls volleyball teams in the WPIAL as two weeks remain in the regular season and section races from Class A to Class AAAA. With the help of the WPIAL’s 120 head coaches, the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday released its latest rankings and...

Seven seconds. That’s all the time that was left on the second-half clock Saturday when Emerson Johngarlo scored the winning goal for Kiski Area in its 2-1 Section 1-AAA girls soccer victory over Franklin Regional that solidified second place in the standings. Many games like the one between the Cavaliers...

The Fox Chapel girls golf team produced a 15-0 record in the regular season and defended its Section 4-AAA championship. The Foxes now turn their attention to postseason opportunities. They are one of nine hoping to capture gold as the WPIAL Class AAA team championships begin Monday with the semifinal...

Not too many WPIAL running backs have had the type of game Apollo-Ridge junior Logan Harmon did Friday at conference rival Valley. Despite losing three fumbles, Harmon put Apollo-Ridge on his back with 344 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries in a 35-28 victory. “Logan’s a workhorse, and we’re...

Deena DeBaldo assisted on a goal for the Duquesne University women’s soccer team in Thursday’s 2-1 victory over Richmond at Rooney Field. It was just the latest in a series of key contributions from the junior midfielder/forward this season. The Fox Chapel graduate has established herself as a leader on...

With two wins in its past three matches, the Thiel women’s volleyball team hopes to recover from a 1-14 start. Freeport graduate and sophomore setter Courtney Grubbs is leading that charge for a team with one senior and one junior. Grubbs helped Thiel score a 3-2 upset of Bethany on...

When the Highlands girls volleyball program returned last month after a three-year hiatus, 68 players came to tryouts. New coach Caroline Bain, an Oakland Catholic grad and former player at Robert Morris, was amazed at the amount of interest. Five seniors and 22 others formed the team that began a...

The Burrell girls soccer team broke through 12 minutes into the first half of Wednesday’s Section 2-AA clash with rival Deer Lakes. The Bucs, No. 2 in this week’s Trib Class AA rankings, then added on in the second half and came away with a 3-0 victory at Lancers Stadium....

Josh Boak Burrell, jr., RB/LB The leading tackler in the Bucs’ defensive effort last Friday against a potent Deer Lakes offense, Boak has totaled 44 stops on the season, good for second on the team to fellow linebacker Mike Scherer (48). Dean Cecere Riverview, so., RB/DB The Raiders’ running game...