Michael Love stories, Page 51
Deer Lakes softball bounces back with win over Valley
The Deer Lakes softball team got back in the win column Friday, two days after suffering its first loss of the season. The Lancers, who fell to Section 1-3A leader Avonworth on Wednesday, returned to the field at section rival Valley and collected 10 hits en route to a 5-0...
Deer Lakes runner Aidan Herman circles goals on track calendar
Aidan Herman has his track and field future in his sights. The Deer Lakes senior middle distance standout expects to run at the Division I level next year, and Eastern Kentucky is a likely landing spot. “I am talking with them a lot right now,” said Herman, a PIAA qualifier...
Moon senior Anthony Lounder, Winchester Thurston freshman Austin He take WPIAL tennis titles
A senior playing his third WPIAL tournament and a freshman making his WPIAL debut took home boys tennis singles championships Wednesday afternoon at Bethel Park High School. Moon senior Anthony Lounder, the No. 2 seed in the Class 3A bracket, claimed WPIAL gold with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over No....
After strong start, Valley boys tennis chasing section championship
The Valley boys tennis team already has clinched a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A team playoffs, which are set to begin May 1. But veteran coach Rachel Link said her Vikings players, who improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in Section 1 on Monday with a 3-2 victory over...
Burrell softball team has high standards this season
Alanna Miller said the Burrell softball players, two weeks into the season, are not where they want to be. And the Bucs senior outfielder said that is OK. Despite a strong start — the Bucs are 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Section 1-3A heading into a section contest at rival...
Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association releases Week 4 WPIAL boys polls
Teams in both Class 3A and Class 2A continue to jockey for position as the WPIAL boys volleyball spring season continues in the first cycle of section play. Shaler (Class 3A) and Latrobe (Class 2A) remain atop their respective classification rankings in the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association polls revealed...
Gateway grad Kiyara Sawyers hitting stride at Point Park
Kiyara Sawyers is making the most of her freshman season on the Point Park women’s track and field team. At the Tim Weaver Invitational at West Liberty State (W.Va.) on April 1, the 2022 Gateway graduate placed fourth overall in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5 minutes, 25...
Gateway’s Kiki Pitts, Daniella Gardner taking on hurdles together
Kiki Pitts and Daniella Gardner form a formidable 1-2 hurdles punch for the Gateway girls track and field team, and both hope to make an impact over the next several weeks leading up to the WPIAL Class 3A championship meet. Both say the support and push each gives the other...
Riverview’s Amberson Bauer shines at Igloo Invitational
It’s been quite a positive last couple of weeks for Riverview senior distance runner Amberson Bauer. Last month, Bauer finalized his recruiting process by committing to run at Division I William & Mary. He then began April with a standout performance in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs at the season-opening...
Plum girls lacrosse building momentum after slow start
The Plum girls lacrosse team hopes to continue its upward trend this spring, a year after the program captured its first WPIAL playoff victory. With a strong nucleus back from last year’s team which went 14-4 overall and 8-2 in section play, optimism abounds as the Mustangs get in to...
‘I know that we can win here’: New Pitt women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi ready to compete in ACC
Tory Verdi officially was introduced as Pitt’s 10th women’s basketball coach Friday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center, and he celebrated his arrival surrounded by family, friends, Panthers players, Pitt’s athletic administration, and other university athletics dignitaries. Verdi said he is ready to hit the ground running and is optimistic...
Adams returns to Valley as football team’s new head coach
Valley has a new head football coach. The New Kensington-Arnold School Board voted 7-2 on Tuesday evening to hire Leechburg graduate and former Blue Devils and Southmoreland head coach Mark Adams. “He was very impressive in the interview process,” said board member Scott Bussard, the head of the athletic committee....
Franklin Regional blanks Kiski Area in section opener
Franklin Regional pitcher Carli Ramchandran didn’t give up any hits through five innings of Monday’s Section 2-5A opener at Kiski Area. The Panthers senior surrendered a first-inning walk, but the runner was eliminated attempting to steal second. Cavaliers catcher Isabella Delia led off the bottom of the sixth with a...
Shaler, Latrobe hold on to top spots in WPIAL volleyball coaches rankings
Shaler and Latrobe maintained their spots at the top of the Class 3A and 2A boys volleyball rankings, respectively, as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 3 polls Monday. There wasn’t a great deal of movement in either poll. But the biggest jump this week came from...
Expectations high for Gateway boys volleyball team following section title
The Gateway boys volleyball team accomplished big things last spring with the program’s first section title since 1986 and also getting to within an eyelash of making the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. The Gators led 10-time WPIAL champion Ambridge 2-1 in their quarterfinal contest at North Allegheny. But the Bridgers...
After finishing 1-2 at singles tournament, Gateway tennis eyes section team title
Gateway ruled the bracket for the WPIAL Section 1-3A singles tournament last week at Franklin Regional High School. Sophomores Adam Memije and Zidaan Hassan are no strangers to tennis tournament competition, having grown up in the sport for the better part of the past decade. But both are new to...
Plum boys volleyball ready for new challenge in Class 3A
The Plum volleyball team’s final Class 2A match last year was a close five-set contest against Thomas Jefferson in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. The No. 8 Jaguars edged the No. 9 Mustangs, 3-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. Suddenly, Plum’s season was over. The Mustangs left Class...
Valley News Dispatch girls basketball all-stars: St. Joseph’s Julie Spinelli sparks run to PIAA tournament
Here are the 2022-23 Valley News Dispatch girls basketball all-stars: Player the year Julie Spinelli St. Joseph, 5-11, Jr., G/F In St. Joseph’s season opener against Belle Vernon at the Play For Mae Tournament at Woodland Hills, Julie Spinelli went off for 29 points to lead her team to a...
Plum adds roster depth to track and field teams
Plum track and field coach Stephanie Kennedy saw a growth in numbers for both the boys and girls teams from last year to this spring, and the mix of veteran and new talent has her excited for what can be accomplished between now and the championship events in the latter...
Friendships put aside as fighters collide at Western PA Golden Gloves finals Saturday
Michael Williams and Brian Mowry know each other well as boxers who train at Boyce Gym in Plum. On Saturday, they will put friendship and camaraderie aside for 15 to 20 minutes as they face each other for the 203-plus pound open division championship as part of the Western PA...
Valley softball sets tone early, brings home win over Highlands
Valley jumped on Highlands for three runs in the first inning of a nonsection softball game Tuesday. The Vikings scored just one more run in the matchup, but the early outburst proved to be the difference in a 4-2 victory over the Golden Rams. “This is a nice win for...
Led by trio of divers, North Allegheny girls win program’s 8th team title at PIAA swim meet
LEWISBURG — The North Allegheny girls swimming and diving team had a distinct points advantage even before the swimming consolation and championship finals began Friday afternoon at the PIAA Class 3A championships Bucknell University. Christina Shi, Lola Malarky and Juliet Hood placed first, third and seventh in the diving completion...
Fox Chapel girls relay squad takes home silver at PIAA
LEWISBURG — Talia Bugel couldn’t contain her excitement after she and her Fox Chapel teammates finished the 400-yard freestyle relay final Saturday afternoon at the PIAA Class 3A championships at Bucknell. The Foxes quartet — Bugel, sophomore Sarah Pasquella and seniors Payton O’Toole and Sophie Shao — was second after...
Franklin Regional’s Thomas shines in PIAA 100 backstroke
LEWISBURG — With only eight-tenths of a second separating the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds in the championship final of the boys 100-yard backstroke Saturday evening at the PIAA Class 3A championships, predicting the final order of finish was a little more difficult than one might have originally thought....
Seneca Valley’s Isaiah Clerkley takes silver as 3 from WPIAL earn PIAA diving medals
LEWISBURG — Isaiah Clerkley hit his sixth and final dive – an inward 1½ somersault pike with a 2.4 degree of difficulty – to move into first place in Saturday’s PIAA Class 3A boys championship meet at Bucknell University. The Seneca Valley junior and WPIAL champion finished with 302.95 points....
