Michael Love stories, Page 15
Rochester stages huge rally in 2nd half, defeats Riverview in girls 2A 1st-round game
The Rochester girls basketball team trailed Riverview by 15 points with 4 minutes, 6 seconds left in the third quarter of Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 2A first-round playoff game at Kiski Area High School. But the 10th-seeded Rams roared back. They controlled the boards, forced turnovers and made shots in the...
A-K Valley basketball playoff preview capsules: Games for Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Tuesday’s local games Boys Class 5A First round 9-Latobe (18-4) at 8-Kiski Area (15-6) 7 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 16-Franklin Regional (11-11)/1-Montour (21-1) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Max Butler, Latrobe; Colin Keller, Kiski Area Layup lines: Latrobe is back in...
Rashid Hassan Tennis Center opens in Monroeville
Rashid Hassan has trained top-level junior tennis players through his tennis academy for more than two decades. Without a place to call his own, he often would be at the mercy of another facility to rent space and time. Despite that, he said, he always was grateful for the opportunities...
Gateway swimmers prepare for WPIAL championship meet
Gateway swimming and diving coach Glenn Raymer took a step back last Wednesday at the start of his team’s afternoon practice and marveled at how fast the season has gone from the start of preseason workouts in late November. Now that all the regular season meets and invitationals have concluded,...
Plum bowlers shine at WPIBL team championships, turn attention to individual finals
Once the Plum boys bowling team hit its stride, nothing was getting in its way. After losing their first game of the semifinals, the Mustangs reeled off wins in the next four games of the bracket playoffs to claim the WPIBL boys team championship Feb. 12, at AMF Mt. Lebanon....
Narrow late-season losses prevent Plum boys from reaching postseason
With experience returning to the lineup and new faces giving his team a shot of adrenaline, first-year Plum boys basketball coach Dave Pucka said the pieces were in place for a run to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. He said he saw his team compete hard and battle in many...
Knoch boys dominate West Mifflin in WPIAL 1st round
The Knoch boys basketball team entered the WPIAL playoffs with the third-best scoring defense in Class 4A at 46.1 points allowed a game. The Knights were on their defensive game, and then some, in a first-round contest against West Mifflin on Friday at Knoch High School. The No. 12 Titans...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 13, 2025
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Preliminary round 17-Highlands (6-15) at 16-Yough (11-11) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: At No. 1 Blackhawk (20-2), 7 p.m. on Monday in first round Players to watch: Tyarah Woody, Highlands; Hailey Bock, Yough Layup lines: Highlands made the playoffs despite starting the season 0-8....
Burrell wrestler Stewart continues steady progress
LOWER BURRELL — Bella Stewart is seeded fifth at 124 pounds for Saturday’s WPIAL girls wrestling individual championships at North Allegheny High School. Burrell’s lone senior and team captain has fared well to the tune of a 24-9 record. She hopes to make waves in her WPIAL tournament debut. “I...
Deer Lakes boys seek WPIAL 3-peat when basketball playoffs get underway
The Kansas City Chiefs went after a Super Bowl championship three-peat Sunday in New Orleans. But the Philadelphia Eagles put a wrench in those plans with a dominating performance. The Deer Lakes boys are about to begin their own three-peat quest as they prepare for the WPIAL Class 4A basketball...
Gateway’s Amari Gans, Kenny Lewis, Dyson Harper ready to start new chapter at college level
Amari Gans had a breakout senior season for the Gateway football team this past fall. Now, the newly signed commit to Division II Wheeling hopes to make a similar impact at his new home. Gans was celebrated last Wednesday as he finalized his decision on the first day of the...
Gateway hockey team makes final push for Division 2 playoff berth
Gateway is closing in on the end of the PIHL Division 2 regular season, and the Gators find themselves in the heat of the chase for a spot in the PIHL postseason. The Gators, who won four in a row and five of six heading into a key matchup Monday...
Plum football trio headed to Ashland while other Mustangs decide on future plans
Noah Odom will continue his football playing career at Division II Ashland University. The Plum senior said he’s excited to share this new venture with a couple of Mustangs teammates, as both Josh Curry and T.J. Futules also have signed with the Eagles football program. “It is truly a blessing...
After 3 key section wins, Plum girls look ahead toward WPIAL playoffs
The Plum girls basketball team is in playoff mode as the regular season has come to a close, and coach Rich Mull and his players are looking forward to what lies ahead. The Mustangs solidified their place in the postseason with a trio of Section 1-5A victories — over Armstrong,...
Kiski Area boys down Penn Hills for 1st section title since 2012-13
Kiski Area boys basketball’s section-championship drought is over. The Cavaliers captured the outright Section 2-5A championship Friday night, their first section title since 2012-13, with a 68-61 victory at Penn Hills. “It means so much that we worked so hard for this,” said Kiski Area coach Corey Smith, who won...
‘Something I needed to do’: Knoch football coach Tim Burchett resigns
Tim Burchett has resigned as coach of the Knoch football team, and he said the decision was not an easy one but one that was the best for him moving forward. “It was a combination of a lot of things,” said Burchett who is a teacher in the school district....
Highlands’ Montrell Johnson looks forward to future at Saint Francis
Montrell Johnson said hard work and perseverance helped in his pursuit of an opportunity in college football at the Division I level. A dream became a reality Wednesday morning when the Highlands senior finalized a decision to attend Saint Francis with the hopes of getting on the field and making...
Resilient Highlands clinches playoff spot with win over Freeport
Highlands’ boys basketball players have taken all of the adversity they have faced this season and have turned it into a berth in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. Three Golden Rams scored in double figures in a Section 1-4A contest Tuesday against rival Freeport at Freeport Middle School. Led by...
Burrell hockey team eager to play in national tournament in March while keeping an eye on Penguins Cup
Burrell hockey coach Drew Burkett remembers well the trip he and his Bucs teammates made to the 2019 USA Hockey High School Division II National Championship tournament. The goaltender for that year’s Burrell team, Burkett helped the Bucs reach the championship game before losing to Boulder/Monarch from Boulder, Colo. Current...
Gateway grad Jordan Edwards relishing opportunity on Princeton coaching staff
Jordan Edwards didn’t waste any time hitting the ground running after she was hired last June as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at Princeton. “Summer is the big evaluation period, and there is a lot of recruiting that goes into it,” said Edwards, a standout player at...
Gateway unified bocce teams rolling toward sectional playoffs
The Gateway unified bocce teams hosted Fox Chapel on Thursday at the Furrie Sports Complex in front of a large contingent of junior and senior students. The special start time of 2 p.m. allowed for a vast cheering section for the two Gators teams in the thick of the chase...
Springdale’s Alex Wylly eyes postseason success as part of Riverview wrestling co-op
Last season, Alex Wylly made a postseason push that saw him place fourth in his Class 2A section tournament, earn a sixth-place medal at the WPIAL championships, and compete at regionals. The sophomore and lone Springdale varsity wrestler in this year’s Springdale-Riverview co-op is on a mission to take that...
Plum’s Jake Dombkowski signs to play baseball at Division I newcomer Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst athletics made the move from NCAA Division II to Division I last April, and its teams began play at the highest level during the fall season. The Lakers baseball team will hope to make its mark this spring against the likes of St. Francis (Pa.), Long Island, Central Connecticut...
Freeport boys come through with crucial section win against Burrell
With its playoff hopes on the line, Freeport responded in a crucial Section 1-4A game Friday at rival Burrell. But it was far from a runaway down the stretch for the Yellowjackets. Freeport led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before Burrell cut the lead to two...
Trio of boxers from Boyce Gym in Plum on card at Punch Out Parkinson’s event in Cheswick
Boyce Gym in Plum will be well represented Saturday at the eighth annual Punch Out Parkinson’s fundraising event at The Pittsburgh Shrine Center on Shriners Way in Cheswick. Seasoned Boyce boxers Gavin Alford, Johnny Trujillo and Anthony Carlisano will put it on the line as part of the charity event...
