Michael Love stories, Page 20
Norwin boys win 2nd WPIAL cross country team title in school history
All season, Norwin cross country coach Brian Fleckenstein kept telling his runners they could beat North Allegheny. On Thursday, that’s exactly what they did. The Knights won their first team title since 1977, second in school history, by edging the Tigers for the WPIAL Class 3A boys title at White...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 9
Player of the week Landon Kucic Kiski Area, sr., RB/LB The 210-pound tailback continues to run hard for a Cavaliers team in the hunt for a wild-card berth in the Class 5A Big East Conference. Kucic tallied his third straight 100-plus rushing-yard performance last Friday in a 15-14 comeback win...
WPIAL cross country event has high stakes for A-K Valley runners
The journey to the WPIAL championships for hundreds of cross country runners and their teams concludes Thursday at White Oak Park. Individual and team gold and trips to the PIAA championships are on the line in six boys and girls races. The Riverview boys hope to return to the top...
Leechburg, Greensburg Central Catholic to battle for playoff seeding in Eastern Conference finale
A lot is on the line when Leechburg and Greensburg Central Catholic meet Friday in the Class A Eastern Conference finale for both teams. With the playoffs set to start next week, both teams want to go into the postseason on a roll. “It’s a huge game where the winner...
A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Oct. 24, 2024
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals 13-Burrell (9-9) vs. 12-Seton LaSalle (13-4) 8 p.m. Thursday, Joe P. DeMichela Stadium, Imperial Winner plays: Winner of 1-South Park (17-1-1)/9-Central Valley (14-4) on Monday in semifinals Corner kicks: All five Burrell shooters scored in a shootout Monday as the Bucs upset No....
Deer Lakes girls soccer tops reigning WPIAL champ Avonworth
There will be a new WPIAL girls soccer champion in Class 2A. Deer Lakes, the No. 7 seed, got a goal from freshman Reese Waruszewski in the ninth minute of the second half, and that turned out to be enough as the homestanding Lancers eliminated three-time defending champion Avonworth, 1-0,...
Plum girls soccer takes care of business vs. Shaler in Class 3A 1st round
The Shaler girls soccer team hoped for a longer stay in its first WPIAL playoff tournament in close to four decades. But No. 4 Plum, a seasoned postseason program participating in the playoffs for the 13th year in a row, made sure the No. 13 Lady Titans’ season came to...
A-K Valley WPIAL soccer playoff capsules: Games for Oct. 22, 2024
WPIAL soccer playoffs Girls Class 2A First round 10-Avonworth (7-10-1) at 7-Deer Lakes (13-3-2) 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lancers Stadium, West Deer Township Winner plays: Winner of 2-Quaker Valley (13-2-2)/15-Southmoreland (10-7) on Saturday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Deer Lakes returns to the playoffs for the second year in a row after...
Gateway runners make strides heading into WPIAL cross country meet
Kairell McCoy ran to a time of 18 minutes, 31.8 seconds at last year’s WPIAL Class 3A cross country championships at White Oak Park. The time landed him 110th overall. Now, the Gateway senior has his sights set on a sizeable improvement in both time and placement. He will get...
Gateway boys soccer proud of 5th straight playoff season
The Gateway boys soccer team found itself back on the pitch against a familiar face in the WPIAL Class 4A first round. The No. 9 Gators, who tied for third in Section 1 with Central Catholic, were scheduled to make the long trip south and west to take on Canon-McMillan...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Deer Lakes’ rebound culminates in playoff spot
Deer Lakes bounced back in a big way from a pair of tough shutout losses to roll past Valley, 44-13, on Friday and solidify its automatic WPIAL Class 3A playoff berth from the Allegheny 7 Conference. It marks the third year in a row the Lancers have qualified for the...
Raiders boys in title hunt as Plum, Riverview get set for WPIAL cross country meet
The Plum and Riverview cross country teams are set for the WPIAL championships scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24 at White Oak Park, and titles and medals, both for teams and individuals, are there for the taking. The Raiders, in Class A, will run the first races – boys at 11...
Diamondbacks pitcher among Plum hall of fame honorees
The Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2024 on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Edgewood Country Club. This year’s inductees are Scott Benzel (Class of 1993), Nolan Cressler (2012), Andrew DeFazio (1995), Richard Foutz (1970), Scott McGough (2008), Bill Rometo (1970), William Wilmore (1990), Ronit...
Freeport kicks off girls volleyball playoffs in unfamiliar role of section runner-up
For the first time in 20 seasons, the Freeport girls volleyball team doesn’t head into the WPIAL playoffs as a section champion. The Yellowjackets (10-3) finished tied for second with Hampton at 7-3 behind undefeated Mars (10-0) in Section 2. Despite that unfamiliar feeling, coach Tom Phillips said he is...
A-K Valley soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 19, 2024
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class A First round 13-Riverview (10-6) vs. 4-Beaver County Christian (13-3) 2 p.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium, Moon Township Winner plays: Winner of 12-Greensburg Central Catholic (6-7-1)/5-Aquinas Academy (12-3) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Riverview has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since...
North Allegheny, Beaver, Quaker Valley, Frazier earn No. 1 seeds as WPIAL releases girls volleyball playoff brackets
All of the section and nonsection matches have concluded, and invitational tournaments are in the past. The WPIAL girls volleyball postseason is here, and the playoff pairings committee on Friday assembled and released the four classification brackets. North Allegheny (Class 4A), Beaver (Class 3A), Quaker Valley (Class 2A) and Frazier...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 8
Player of the week Darian Nelson Plum, sr., WR/DB The Mustangs were looking for a spark after a rugged three-game stretch with losses to Pine-Richland, Penn-Trafford and North Hills. Nelson was able to provide that lift last Friday against Fox Chapel as he carried the ball eight times for 153...
Top-seeded Springdale girls lead A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL soccer playoffs
For the first time in its recent streak of eight straight playoff qualifications, the Springdale girls soccer team is a top seed. The Dynamos earned the No. 1 spot in the Class A bracket as the WPIAL soccer selection committee released its boys and girls playoff brackets Wednesday afternoon. Springdale...
Knoch, West Mifflin square off with postseason berths in sight
Friday’s Greater Allegheny Conference matchup between Knoch and West Mifflin is rife with WPIAL playoff implications. The Knights, 2-1 in the conference, control their own destiny and can clinch one of the two automatic berths from the conference to the Class 4A tournament with wins this Friday and in the...
Breaking down the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
Here’s a look at the 2024 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Peters Township (16-0-1) was stingy defensively with just eight goals allowed in 16 games while scoring 63. An overtime tie with Upper St. Clair was the only thing keeping the Indians from a perfect Section 2 slate....
Greensburg Central Catholic volleyball beats St. Joseph in matchup of playoff teams
The Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball team used its experience and skill Monday evening to defeat St. Joseph, 3-0, in a nonsection game at St. Joseph’s Walter Dublak Athletic Center. The Centurions improved to 12-3 overall. They wrapped up Section 4-A play last week with a 6-2 record and finished...
A-K Valley Campus Clippings: Pitt’s Braylon Lovelace breaks out vs. Cal
Pitt’s Braylan Lovelace heard his name called several times in Saturday’s 17-15 victory over California in an ACC game at Acrisure Stadium. The Leechburg graduate and Panthers sophomore linebacker, making his fourth start of the season, recorded a season-high seven tackles, including two sacks, as Pitt improved to 6-0 and...
On campus: Gateway grad Courtney Jackson shines at Arkansas State
Courtney Jackson again has shown himself to be a top receiving threat for the Arkansas State football team. The Gateway graduate, who also returns punts for the Red Wolves, caught 16 passes for 169 yards through five games. He recorded a season-best five receptions for 69 yards in the opener...
Amari Gans’ breakout season helps Gateway remain in playoff hunt
Amari Gans wasn’t about to let Gateway’s first victory of the season slip through its fingers. The Gators had suffered tough losses to State College and North Allegheny, and their backs were against the wall in Week 2 at Plum. Gans, a senior tailback and outside linebacker, made an impact...
Knoch’s Mullen is 1-man wrecking crew in remarkable game
Tim Burchett has been a high school football coach for 14 years including the past two-plus seasons at Knoch, and he said he can’t remember many single-game performances like the one senior quarterback and defensive back Codi Mullen put on Friday in a 38-14 victory over Hampton on homecoming at...
