Michael Love stories, Page 3
Dominant top seed Mario Hutcherson of Kiski Area ‘fresh and ready to go’ for WPIAL meet
Kiski Area’s Mario Hutcherson is the hunted. And that is fine with him. As the No. 1 seed in the 189-pound bracket at Friday and Saturday’s WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships at Canon-McMillan, the Cavaliers sophomore said he’s feeling good and ready to defend his top billing. “After the season...
‘It’s cool to see what we can become’: Gateway’s 1st-year girls wrestlers look forward to WPIAL championships
Savannah and Sienna Boden sparred at a recent practice in the wrestling room at Gateway’s Furrie Sports Complex. Just a few feet away, names of their father, Rich, and uncles Dan and Jim, are embossed on the wall with accomplishments as Gators competitors more than two decades ago. They both...
Nazareth Prep fights off feisty St. Joseph in Class A quarterfinals
The Nazareth Prep boys basketball team is moving on to the WPIAL Class A semifinals, but its quarterfinal victory Tuesday evening at Fox Chapel didn’t come without a fight from St. Joseph. Neither the No. 2 Saints nor the No. 7 Spartans held more than a two-point lead through the...
Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame to induct 10 in Class of 2026
The Armstrong County Sports Hall of Fame will induct 10 athletic greats in its Class of 2026. Laina Walker Connor (Elderton, softball and volleyball), Tom Edgington (Worthington, archery and bowhunting), Jim Kunst (Kittanning, basketball), Richard McKernan (Ford City, sports officiating/football coach), Stephen Predebon (Leechburg, basketball), Matt Myers (Ford City, football),...
Rochester fights off Apollo-Ridge rally to move into Class 2A quarterfinals
Last year, the Rochester girls basketball team had to make a long trip to Kiski Area to open the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The Rams, as the No. 10 seed, used a big second-half rally in that game to defeat Riverview. As a better seed this year — No. 5...
Burrell girls defeat Hampton, earn shot at unbeaten, top-seeded BlackhawkVideo
Burrell girls basketball coach Shaun Reddick said his team was well aware of what a win Monday in its WPIAL Class 4A first-round game at Hampton would mean. But, he said, his players were laser focused on taking care of business against the No. 8 Talbots before any discussion of...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2026
Girls Class 2A First round 12-Apollo-Ridge (12-10) at 5-Rochester (12-9) 7 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 13-Riverview (10-8)/4-Fort Cherry (15-5) on Friday in quarterfinals (site/time TBD) Players to watch: Madison Hughley, Apollo-Ridge; Tia Yellock, Rochester Layup lines: Apollo-Ridge finished Section 4 play in a three-way tie for second place...
12th-seeded Peters Township girls come together for upset win over No. 5 Plum
Despite his team’s fourth-place finish in Section 4-5A and being slotted as the No. 12 seed for the WPIAL playoffs, Peters Township girls basketball coach Steve Limberiou felt confident a rugged section and overall schedule and strong play down the stretch in the regular season would translate into good things...
7 players from WPIAL selected to Big 33 roster
The WPIAL will be represented by seven players on this year’s Pennsylvania Big 33 football team. The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association announced the 40 players and coaches selected Friday morning as part of the annual PSFCA clinic in Camp Hill. Those selected were Avonworth offensive lineman Peter Bonnet, Pine-Richland...
A-K Valley campus clips: Highlands grad part of Point Park wrestling’s inaugural season
Aiden Burford has helped the Point Park men’s wrestling team navigate its inaugural season, and the freshman 141-pounder from Highlands has enjoyed success in his first taste of collegiate competition. He went 4-2 and placed seventh in his debut at the Mt. Union Invitational followed by a 5-1 fifth-place finish...
Alle-Kiski Valley girls basketball notebook: Burrell looks to snap streak
Ten years ago next week, Burrell girls basketball began postseason play as a WPIAL No. 2 seed and capped a four-year run as a top team in WPIAL Class AA. The Bucs that season finished sixth in the WPIAL and went on to upset District 10 champion Harbor Creek and...
A-K Valley teams won’t have to wait long for WPIAL playoffs to start
Alle-Kiski Valley basketball teams and their fans don’t have to wait long to kick off their respective WPIAL playoff tournaments. Some, like the Knoch boys, the highest-seeded team among the 16 from the area that qualified for the postseason, begin playoff action Friday. The Knights finished the regular season 18-4...
Gateway wrestlers prepare for postseason tournaments
Members of the Gateway wrestling team didn’t wait around until right before the start of the season to prepare for matches and tournaments. Coach Ryan Sula said work began months in advance with close to three dozen wrestlers, including some in junior high, coming to the wrestling room to work...
After securing section title, Gateway boys turn focus to WPIAL playoffs
Gateway’s boys basketball team captured a section championship in 2023, and it didn’t wait long to add to the section-title banner that hangs in the gym at the Furrie Sports Complex. The Gators started the season as one of the favorites to claim the Section 1-5A title, and they turned...
Plum senior Brooke Price ready for final push to WPIAL swimming championships
Brooke Price is ready. The Plum senior knows what the rush of swimming at the WPIAL championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool feels like as well as the work that must be done to be ready. The Mustangs are in prep mode for WPIALs, set for Feb. 26 and 27, and...
After securing 1st section title, Plum girls look ahead to WPIAL playoffs
The Plum girls basketball team already had clinched at least a tie for the program’s first section championship. That came Jan. 30 in a convincing 52-34 win at playoff-bound Penn Hills on the heels of a close nonsection victory over WPIAL power Penn-Trafford two days earlier. The outright title was...
Highlands boys escape against Valley, get needed help to earn playoff berth
The Highlands boys basketball team did its part against Valley on Friday in hopes of securing a WPIAL playoff spot from Section 1-4A. The Golden Rams found themselves in a dogfight against the Vikings but were able to make the plays down the stretch and pull away for a 62-44...
WPIAL investigating brawl between Penn Hills, Gateway girls basketball teams
The WPIAL spent part of Friday reviewing information and video of an on-court fight during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Section 2-5A girls basketball game between rivals Gateway and Penn Hills at Gateway’s Furrie Sports Complex. WPIAL executive director Vince Sortino said he had no direct comment on the fight...
Terry Smith, Tom Loughran to be inducted into state football coaches hall of fameVideo
Two of the most impactful football coaches in the history of the WPIAL, Tom Loughran and Terry Smith, will be celebrated in May as part of the Class of 2026 into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame. They will join five other coaching greats to be...
Kiski Area girls happy to control their playoff fate
The Kiski Area girls basketball team has had its ups and downs throughout the season, but with two Section 2-5A games left Thursday and Friday, it controls its own destiny for a spot in the WPIAL playoffs. Senior Ali Pencak welcomes the challenge. “It’s nice to be able to control...
Pittsburgh Marathon officials expect record participation in 2026
The 2026 Pittsburgh Marathon’s weekend of events will be May 1-3, and runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to register before the next price increase set for Thursday. “The Pittsburgh Marathon has always been about more than the finish line — it’s about bringing people together...
Knoch’s Adrian Lavorini chasing medals in final trip to WPIAL championships
Adrian Lavorini is in the twilight of his high school swim career at Knoch before he heads off to compete in college. But the multi-time WPIAL medalist and PIAA qualifier has a lot left to accomplish while representing the Knights. While personal goals are on his mind with just a...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Plum can clinch 1st outright section title Monday
The Plum girls basketball team did not lose a game in January, going 9-0 overall and 7-0 in Section 1-5A to take control at the top of the section standings. The Mustangs clinched at least a tie for their first section title with a convincing 52-34 win over playoff-bound Penn...
Burrell girls clinch playoff spot with win over rival Freeport
The Burrell girls basketball team was comfortably in contention for a WPIAL playoff spot heading into its Section 1-4A matchup Thursday at Freeport. All the Bucs needed to officially clinch that postseason berth was a win over the Yellowjackets. Mission accomplished. Freshman Chase Coury led Burrell with 19 points, and...
2025 WPIAL All-Conference Football Team: Eastern
Class A Eastern Conference Offense Name, School, Pos., Ht., Wt., Year Jeff Thompson, Clairton, QB, 6-1, 170, sr. Deon Lovelace Pompey, Clairton, RB, 5-11, 190, sr. Donte Wright, Clairton, RB, 5-9, 185, sr. Jordan Mandich, Frazier, FB/H-Back, 6-0, 204, sr. Taris Wooding, Clairton WR, 5-11, 178, sr. Jayce Powell, Jeannette...
