Michael Love stories, Page 124
WPIAL releases field hockey all-star lists
The WPIAL wrapped up the 2019 field hockey season Thursday with the release of its Division I and II all-star lists. North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon, WPIAL Class AAA playoff qualifiers, led the way with three Division I first-team selections apiece, while champion Pine-Richland and runner-up Peters Township each had...
Plum pleased with progress after historic girls soccer season
When Plum girls soccer team members gathered for summer workouts and then came together for official preseason practices in August, a buzz surrounded the talented but youthful group. First-year head coach Jamie Stewart said he saw the potential, but hard work and determination would turn potential into a reality of...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Deer Lakes grad Irvine has hat trick for Saint Vincent
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...
Plum’s Jackson gives verbal commitment to Pitt volleyball
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...
WPIAL volleyball champs Freeport, Knoch eager to begin PIAA title quests
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...
First PIAA-playoff appearance is ‘great opportunity’ for Plum girls soccer
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...
Future bright for Riverview boys cross country team
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...
Knoch, Freeport volleyball teams seek repeat of 2017 PIAA titles
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...
A-K Valley football teams fall short in 1st round of WPIAL playoffs
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...
Bethel Park scores 28 unanswered in playoff defeat of Kiski AreaVideo
With 10 minutes left until halftime of Friday’s WPIAL Class 5A first-round matchup at Bethel Park, Kiski Area led the Black Hawks by 10 points and appeared ready to take full control. But Bethel Park had other ideas. The seventh-seeded Black Hawks reeled off 28 unanswered points in the second...
Plum’s Justin Mascilli misses spot at state cross country meet by narrowest of margins
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...
Freeport hungry for WPIAL girls volleyball title
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....
Mars is last obstacle in way of Plum girls soccer’s first WPIAL titleVideo
Earlier this season, the Plum girls soccer team ventured to Highmark Stadium for a matchup with section rival Oakland Catholic. The result wasn’t what the Mustangs had hoped for as they suffered a 3-1 loss to the Eagles. But almost two months from that Sept. 7 game, Plum still only...
Knoch, Thomas Jefferson to collide in WPIAL girls volleyball title match
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,...
Freeport rallies to knock off Avonworth in WPIAL volleyball playoffs
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...
Fox Chapel and Knoch tennis players set their sights on PIAA titles
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-K Valley runners on quest for medals at PIAA cross country meet
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...
Knoch girls volleyball tops Franklin Regional, reaches WPIAL finals
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...
Knee injury behind her, Freeport senior ready for ‘high-pressure situations’ in WPIAL volleyball playoffs
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...
A-K Valley football players to watch in the first week of WPIAL playoffs
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...
A-K Valley girls soccer capsule for Oct. 30
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;...
Knoch girls volleyball digs deep, overcomes injuries to advance in WPIAL playoffs
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...
Freeport sweeps past Hopewell to earn spot in WPIAL semifinals
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...
Freshman McKenzie Pritts scores twice, Yough blanks Freeport to reach WPIAL title game
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...
Surprising Freeport girls ‘want it all’ entering WPIAL soccer semifinalsVideo
Akina Boynton scored 11 goals during the regular season to help the Freeport girls soccer team to a 14-4 overall record, a runner-up finish in Section 2-AA and the No. 8 seed for the WPIAL playoffs. But perhaps none of those goals had the pressure or impact as the one...
