Michael Love stories, Page 127

Last season was one of change for the Plum girls soccer team as it moved from Class AAAA to Class AAA under the WPIAL’s biennial realignment process. The Mustangs settled in against new competition in a new section. The results were positive as they tied Trinity for second place in...

Josh Matheny capped competition at the FINA World Junior (18 and under) Swimming Championship on Sunday with a silver medal as a part of the Team USA 400-meter medley relay. The American quartet finished with a time of 3:33.66, .47 seconds behind Russia (3:33.19) at the Danube Arena in Budapest,...

Oakmont native Sean Knapp is set to tee off at 2:05 p.m. Sunday in the second round of stroke play at the U.S. Senior Amateur at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C. The Hannastown Golf Club member shot a 76 (4 over) in Saturday’s first round and landed in...

Springdale and Deer Lakes didn’t play Week Zero games last year, so the teams decided to match up for the first time since 1993. Friday night’s contest turned out to be a classic battle that came down to late heroics. Legend Ausk and Demitri Fritch connected on a touchdown pass...

Josh Matheny is a world champion. The Upper St. Clair junior placed first in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke Friday at the FINA World Junior (18 and under) Swimming Championships at the Danube Arena in Budapest Hungary. Matheny, 16, swam to a time of 2 minutes, 9.40 seconds and took the...

The Highlands boys soccer team qualified for the WPIAL playoffs four straight seasons from 2001-04. The Golden Rams haven’t reached the postseason since. They missed out by one game in the Section 1-3A standings both last year and in 2017. They were edged by Indiana both times. But with nine...

Two points. That’s all that separated the Highlands girls soccer team from a spot in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs last season. But the Golden Rams hope to change their fortunes this season and return to the postseason for the first time since 2016. “We have the desire to win....

Mike Fantuzzo enjoyed a great deal of success as a member of the Burrell boys basketball team more than a decade ago. Now, he hopes to generate the same success as the program’s next head coach. The Burrell School Board on Tuesday hired Fantuzzo to replace Shawn Bennis, who resigned...

Jake Blumer Leechburg, sr., RB/OLB The Blue Devils hope to begin this season the way they kicked off last year — with a victory over rival Apollo-Ridge. Expect Blumer, Leechburg’s leading rusher last year, to be at the heart of the gameplan on both sides of the ball. Last year,...

Nonconference Allderdice at Kiski Area 7 p.m. Friday at Richard J. Dilts Stadium, Allegheny Township Last year: Allderdice, 6-5, 4-1 City League; Kiski Area, 3-8, 2-5 Class 5A Northern Conference Coaches: Jerry Haslett, Allderdice; Sam Albert, Kiski Area Players to watch: Solomon Johnston, Allderdice (Jr., 6-4, 325, OL/DL); Justin Hessom,...

Last season was a learning experience for the Fox Chapel girls soccer team. As the Foxes battled in a new section against some of the top teams in Class 4A, injuries to several key players tested their mettle. Coach Peter Torres said several younger players got opportunities to show what...

There is a buzz surrounding the Fox Chapel boys soccer team. With several players back who earned postseason all-star recognition among a sizable group of returning talent, the Foxes hope to make a move up the ladder, contend for a section championship and be in the mix for a WPIAL...

Zach Hanlon possesses two Riverview football jerseys: No. 36 and No. 78. Versatility is the name of the game for the Raiders senior captain, a 220-pound bruising running back and the anchor of the defense at inside linebacker. While he enjoys his current offensive position at running back, he understands...

As his team went through summer workouts, Riverview coach Todd Massack said he made sure to remind his players they need to learn and be comfortable at multiple positions. It’s been that way the past couple of seasons, he said, with the Raiders’ limited roster and the specter of injuries...

The Apollo-Ridge football team, youthful over the past couple of seasons, returns experience at several key positions this fall, and coach John Skiba said the Vikings are pointing in the right direction for a return to the WPIAL playoffs. However, an improvement on last year’s 2-8 record, he added, will...

Last year, the Freeport football team came close to putting its stamp on a Class 3A Big East Conference championship. The Yellowjackets lost to Derry in overtime, and they had the lead late in the fourth quarter against Elizabeth Forward before the Warriors rallied for the winning score. Derry and...

The Plum football team last made the WPIAL playoffs in 2015 when it upset Penn Hills in a Quad-A first-round matchup. Mustangs coach Matt Morgan said the past three seasons out of the playoff picture, including last fall’s 2-8 campaign, were frustrating for him and his players, but with several...

The Gateway football team won a combined 26 of 29 games the past two seasons. Two years ago, the Gators captured the WPIAL Class 5A title and finished as PIAA runner-up. In an attempt to repeat that feat last fall, Gateway, as the No. 1 seed, was stunned by West...

As the United States was putting a man on the moon in the summer of 1969, the Gateway football program was preparing to hopefully put a Gator on the turf at Pitt Stadium in Oakland. There was optimism heading into the campaign that Gateway would be able to reach the...

Shane Susnak is confident. The senior quarterback feels the pieces are in place for Fox Chapel to take a step forward this season and improve upon last year’s 2-8 overall record and 1-6 mark in the Class 5A Northern Conference. “We lost 27 seniors from my sophomore year, so we...

PAGirlsHoopsReport.com recently released its list of the top 100 players from the Class of 2020, and a sizeable group from the WPIAL and City League made the cut. North Catholic 5-foot-10 guard/forward Tess Myers, a Duquesne commit, fronts the the local group at No. 7. Myers earned Class 4A first-team...

Elijah Freeman recalled a welcome-to-varsity-football moment early last season as the now-sophomore right guard got comfortable in his spot along the Freeport offensive line. “In my first game on the first play, I got put on my back,” he said. “He blew me up. I quickly saw how much faster...