Michael Love stories, Page 129
Alle-Kiski Valley notebook: West Virginia right fit for Kiski Area’s Blumer
Kiski Area wrestling standout Jack Blumer did his due diligence in seeking out a school to continue his athletic and academic careers once his time with the Cavaliers concludes. He finalized that search Sunday evening by giving a verbal commitment to West Virginia and making the announcement on Twitter. “I...
WPIAL boys soccer rankings through Sept. 8, 2019
WPIAL boys soccer rankings Class AAAA Team, record, previous 1. Canon-McMillan, 5-0, 1 2. Norwin, 4-0-1, 4 3. Seneca Valley, 3-1, 2 4. North Allegheny, 3-1, 3 5. Fox Chapel, 3-0, — Out: Connellsville, 3-1, 5 Class AAA 1. Franklin Regional, 3-0, 1 2. Moon, 3-1, 3 3. South Fayette,...
Volleyball coaches association releases WPIAL Week 2 rankings
-The WPIAL girls volleyball regular season is in full gear with two sets of weekend tournaments and a week of section and nonsection matches in the books. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, in a poll of the 120 WPIAL head coaches, released its Week 2 rankings lists Monday. North...
Riverview cross country runner Ochs continues upward trend
As a freshman, Mason Ochs was the ninth runner on the Riverview boys cross country team and didn’t compete at WPIALs. After that 2017 season, he took advantage of numerous winter training sessions, got a boost from a promising first outdoor track and field season — including work with then-senior...
A-K Valley football notebook: Defense fueling undefeated Apollo-Ridge
It is said defense wins championships. It also often wins smaller battles, and Apollo-Ridge’s defense responded again Friday night in a 22-7 victory over Carlynton in a battle of unbeatens at Davis Field in Apollo. After surrendering an early touchdown, the Vikings (3-0) got in the board as senior Cam...
Burrell can’t hold halftime lead as Elizabeth Forward rallies for victory
For the second week in a row, the Elizabeth Forward football team trailed at halftime. Last week, the Warriors were able to rally from a touchdown deficit at the break to defeat Deer Lakes in their season and Big East Conference opener. On Friday, EF was down five points to...
Young Plum volleyball team showing fight
The Plum girls volleyball team lost the first two sets of its Section 3-AAAA opener against Norwin on Sept. 3. Faced with a quick elimination, the Mustangs instead battled back, won the third set and were on the brink of a victory with a 23-20 lead in set four. But...
Highlands’ Hiester, Kiski Area’s Crosby continue female kicking traditionVideo
During her freshman year at Highlands, Hailey Hiester watched her soccer teammate, senior Taylor Gunn, kick as a starter for the Golden Rams football team. She witnessed Gunn’s success, a collection of kicks that included a winning field goal in overtime to beat Apollo-Ridge in 2015. Gunn now is a...
A-K Valley high school football don’t-miss matchups for Week 2
Class 5A Big East Plum (1-1, 0-1) at Gateway (1-1, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday at Antimarino Stadium, Monroeville Coaches: Matt Morgan, Plum; Don Holl, Gateway Last week: Franklin Regional 42, Plum 14; Penn-Trafford 28, Gateway 7 Players to Watch: Jake Miller, Plum (So., 6-0, 175, QB); Derrick Davis, Gateway (Jr.,...
A-K Valley football players to watch for Week 2
Lorenzo Jenkins Fox Chapel, so., WR/DB At 6-foot-2, Jenkins is a sizable target in the Foxes passing game. He caught four passes for 90 yards and an 8-yard score last Friday against North Hills. On the other side of the ball, he continues to emerge as a playmaker. Last week,...
Burrell girls soccer hitting stride after tournament win
The Burrell girls soccer team had high hopes over the summer and in preseason workouts that it could replicate past success and take the next step in Section 2-2A and beyond. The potential was there, as veterans mixed with new talent and the season got started. But it wasn’t until...
Coaches association releases latest WPIAL girls volleyball rankings
The opening weekend of the WPIAL girls volleyball season has come and gone, and section matchups in all four classifications begin Tuesday evening. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association, in a poll of the 120 WPIAL head coaches, released its second rankings list of the season. North Allegheny (Class AAAA),...
Alle-Kiski high school notebook: Knoch, Freeport volleyball maintain spots in poll
Knoch and Freeport maintain their positions in the latest Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s top-10 poll released Monday. The Knights, semifinalists at Saturday’s Canon-McMillan Tournament, stay in first place in the Class AAA, holding off No. 2 Thomas Jefferson and No. 3 Laurel Highlands, and Kiski Area received votes this...
Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: Pitt’s Tre Tipton gets on track
Tre Tipton’s second-quarter 3-yard scoring reception from Kenny Pickett in Pitt’s 30-14 season-opening loss to ACC rival Virginia on Saturday was the second of his collegiate career. The redshirt senior from Apollo-Ridge, who battled through injury during his first three seasons with the Panthers, first found the end zone as...
Freeport football team reflects on fortitude after rally comes up short
Freeport football coach John Gaillot was emotional Friday night when asked to evaluate his team’s performance in a 35-27 loss to Big East Conference rival Derry. The Trojans owned three-touchdown leads on two occasions in the second half, but the visiting Yellowjackets responded with two fourth-quarter scores and had the...
Huss tops 200 yards in Derry’s Big East win against Freeport
Justin Huss was a workhorse for Derry on Friday in the team’s Big East opener against Freeport. The senior running back logged 33 carries and totaled 261 yards and four touchdowns as the Trojans held off a fourth-quarter Yellowjackets rally for a 35-27 victory. “We knew going in that Freeport...
Alle-Kiski cross country teams, individuals ready to make their mark
Christian Fitch began last season with a win at the Gateway Invitational. The Fox Chapel senior cross country runner capped it with a third-place finish in the WPIAL Class AAA race before placing fifth at the PIAA meet in Hershey. Fitch hopes for a similar start to this season as...
Freeport graduate Logan Thimons ready for increased role at WVU
When new West Virginia football coach Neal Brown and his staff came to Morgantown from Troy in January, Logan Thimons was quick to do his research. The Freeport graduate and Mountaineers redshirt junior fullback wanted to know how he would fit into the new offense and how fullbacks were used...
A-K Valley football players to watch in Week 1
Seth Fischbach Burrell, sr., WR/DB The big-play Bucs veteran made himself known on both sides of the ball in Friday’s Week Zero win over Valley. He caught Burrell’s first touchdown pass, a 56-yarder from Alex Arledge, and finished with four receptions for 109 yards. He made a defensive impact with...
A-K Valley high school football don’t-miss matchups for Week 1
Class 5A Big East Franklin Regional (0-0) at Plum (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, Mustang Stadium, Plum Coaches: Greg Botta, Franklin Regional; Matt Morgan, Plum Players to watch: Anthony Bonacci, Franklin Regional (Sr., 6-1, 260, C/DT); Reid Martin, Plum (Jr., 5-9, 170, WR/DB) Last week: Franklin Regional (DNP); Plum 28, Highlands...
Plum native Bjorn Fratangelo falls in U.S. Open first round
Bjorn Fratangelo, a native of Plum, engaged in a four-set battle with France’s Gilles Simon on Tuesday in the first round of the men’s singles draw at the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y., but the seven-year pro was not able to advance. Fratangelo, who picked up a wild-card entry to...
Knoch volleyball poised for WPIAL 3-peat, other A-K Valley teams ready to contend
When the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its preseason top-10 rankings Monday, two-time defending WPIAL Class AAA champion Knoch topped the list. With only one player – setter Kerrie Fitzpatrick – lost to graduation, the Knights are poised to make another run at WPIAL gold and return to the...
Volleyball coaches association releases WPIAL preseason rankingsVideo
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its preseason top-10 rankings Monday, and all four classifications were rated. All 120 girls volleyball coaches in the WPIAL were able to vote in the poll ahead of Friday and Saturday’s season-opening matches and tournaments. Defending WPIAL and PIAA champion North Allegheny owns...
Plum boys soccer team eyes next step in playoffs
Expectations are high for the Plum boys soccer team. Eight starters are back from the squad that tied for third place in Section 3-4A last season. Co-captain Tyler Kolankowski said a section championship is attainable. But the senior forward knows it won’t be an easy task in one of the...
Plum girls soccer hopes for return to playoffs under new coach
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...
