Michael Love stories, Page 33
Franklin Regional’s Holden Thomas, Mt. Pleasant pair earn WPIAL swimming titles
Holden Thomas earned a bronze medal last year in the boys Class 3A 100-yard backstroke. He stood on the third step of the award podium looking up at WPIAL champ William Gao from North Allegheny and runner-up Patton Graziano from Penn-Trafford. This time around, Thomas wanted to be the one...
Kiski Area girls capture WPIAL team swimming title
Last year, the Kiski Area boys swim team captured the WPIAL Class 2A team title at Pitt’s Trees Pool. On Friday, it was the Lady Cavaliers’ turn to lift high the first-place trophy. Leading Quaker Valley by two points and two-time defending champion Mt. Pleasant by 10 heading into the...
Mt. Pleasant girls, boys shine on Day 1 of WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships
Mt. Pleasant’s attempt to claim a third straight WPIAL Class 2A team championship started with a bang Thursday afternoon at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Vikings 200-yard free relay, anchored by a WPIAL record-holder in junior Lily King and also featuring juniors Kiersten O’Connor, Kaylie Korpiel and Maddie Barrick, rallied past...
Fox Chapel swimmers win in record times at WPIAL championships
Fox Chapel junior Sarah Pasquella settled into her Trees Pool surroundings Thursday morning at Pitt and prepped for her 200-yard freestyle race. As the No. 1 seed, the Pitt verbal commit was confident in her chances to take home WPIAL gold but understanding of the talent that would be hoping...
A-K Valley swimmers hope to turn high seeds into gold at WPIAL championships
Sarah Pasquella accomplished a lot in her two previous trips to the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Last year, the Fox Chapel junior ascended the medals stand four times. She was a part of the WPIAL champion 400-yard freestyle relay and runner-up 200 medley relay while...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 29, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Fifth-place game 6-Knoch (15-10) at 4-Highlands (17-7) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: District 8 or 9 champion in PIAA first round March 9 (site/time TBD) Loser plays: District 10 champion in PIAA first round March 9 (site/time TBD) Coaches: Shane McGraw, Knoch; Shawn Bennis,...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 28, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A Fifth-place game 11-Bethel Park (13-12) at 8-Fox Chapel (14-11) 8 p.m. Wednesday Winner plays: The winner of the District 8-9-10 subregional March 9, in PIAA first round (site/time TBD) Loser plays: District 3 runner-up March 9, in PIAA first round (site/time TBD) Coaches: Dante...
Top-seeded Union girls overpower Riverview, earn return trip to WPIAL Class A final
If you give the Union girls basketball team an inch, it usually takes a mile. That was the case Monday in a WPIAL Class A semifinal at North Allegheny. The No. 1 Scotties built a big lead in the first half and didn’t give No. 4 Riverview any momentum in...
Butler’s Drew Griffith, Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter defend state indoor titles in mile
Drew Griffith initially was ruled ineligible to run in Sunday’s boys one mile event at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association championship meet at Penn State. The Butler senior distance star and Notre Dame commit had a performance time entered that was achieved at a meet which included competitors...
After 3 seasons in NFL, Monroeville’s Robert Hainsey continues rise with Tampa Bay
Robert Hainsey spent some time outside the U.S. earlier this month vacationing with family and friends. It was a welcomed time of relaxation for the Monroeville native who had just completed his third NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “It was very nice,” said Hainsey, a former Gateway lineman...
Plum swimmers aim to contend at WPIAL championship meet
Brooke Price will again swim the 100-yard backstroke Friday on the second day of the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Plum sophomore swam to 17th in the event in her WPIAL debut last year. It was the only individual event she qualified for in her first...
After WPIAL playoff exit, Plum says goodbye to senior quartet
In 2021, the Plum girls basketball team defeated Lincoln Park to snap a two-decade-long win drought in the WPIAL playoffs. Last year, the Mustangs topped Montour in the WPIAL first round before bowing out to No. 2 Oakland Catholic, the eventual WPIAL runner-up, in the quarterfinals. Plum hoped to make...
Laurel Highlands pulls away from Highlands to advance to Class 4A girls semifinals
Last year, Laurel Highlands came to Highlands for a first-round playoff game and left with a 20-point defeat. What a difference a year makes. The No. 5 Mustangs were held scoreless in the third quarter, but they responded with 23 in the fourth to hold off No. 4 Highlands, 45-33,...
Cheswick Christian Academy boys vie for 1st SWCAC title since 2015
The last time the Cheswick Christian boys basketball team won a Southwest Christian Athletic Conference championship was in 2015 when it captured the second of back-to-back league crowns. Since then, the Chargers have played for the title three times, most recently last season when they fell to Natrona Heights’ Harvest...
No. 11 Burrell grinds out win over Shady Side Academy to reach Class 3A semifinals
The rubber matchup between Burrell and Shady Side Academy in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Thursday went the way of the Bucs. But it wasn’t easy. None of the Burrell players thought it would be. In a grind of a game that went to the final seconds, the No. 11...
Riverview girls sink Monessen in Class A, advance to semifinals
The Monessen girls basketball team wanted to avenge a 25-point loss to Riverview from earlier this season when the teams met in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal Thursday at Fox Chapel. But No. 4 Riverview wasn’t about to let its chance to reach the semifinals fall by the wayside. Katerina...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, Feb. 23, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Quarterfinals 5-Laurel Highlands (19-2) at 4-Highlands (16-6) 8 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 8-Greensburg Salem (16-7)/1-Blackhawk (20-2) Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD) Coaches: Shawn Bennis, Highlands; Stewart Davis, Laurel Highlands Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Sierra Jenkins, Laurel Highlands Layup lines: Highlands...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school notes: Football teams learn new homes
Plum football coach Matt Morgan felt that when he saw which teams moved up, moved down, or remained in WPIAL Class 5A, his Mustangs would most likely be on the move out of the Big East Conference that was their home the past two seasons. “Most likely” became reality Monday...
Knoch girls lean on defense to earn victory over Belle Vernon in Class 4A 1st round
As the favorite with home-court advantage for its WPIAL Class 4A first-round game against No. 11 Belle Vernon, the Knoch girls basketball team had designs on sending the Leopards back on their long drive home with a not-so-excited feeling. The Knights’ pressure defense in the full and half court forced...
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta named general manager for USA Football U20 team
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta will serve as the general manager for the U.S. Under-20 national tackle football team that will take part in this summer’s International Federation of American Football World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, USA Football announced Tuesday. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work with...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 20, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round 9-Plum (13-9) at 8-North Hills (13-8) Tuesday, 7 p.m., North Hills Middle School Winner plays: Winner of 16-Penn Hills (12-11) and 1-Oakland Catholic (22-0) Section finish: Plum 2nd, Section 1; North Hills T-1st, Section 2 Players to watch: Megan Marston, Plum; Gianna...
Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane looks forward to WPIAL championship debut
The WPIAL swimming championship meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool is fast approaching, and Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane’s excitement for her first opportunity to compete against the best in the district grows with every workout in the pool. Rassiane has produced times this season to put her among the top competitors...
Gateway boys refocus ahead of WPIAL playoffs
The Gateway boys basketball team came within one win of claiming a Section 3-5A co-championship. But the Gators had to settle for second to Franklin Regional as the regular-season concluded and they transitioned to preparation for the WPIAL playoffs, which began Monday against a familiar foe in Penn Hills. Rogers...
Riverview girls use time off to prepare for WPIAL quarterfinal matchup
With a No. 4 seed and a bye to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals, the Riverview girls basketball players knew they were going to face a familiar foe as soon as the playoff brackets were released Feb. 12. It will be 12 days between their final regular-season game, a low-scoring...
Plum boys basketball turns attention to promising future
At the start of the season, Plum boys basketball coach Justin Walther said he felt his team was a playoff contender in Class 5A out of Section 2. While the Mustangs were competitive in a number of section games, a section win didn’t come until the section finale at Armstrong...
