Michael Love stories, Page 61

Class 5A Big East Plum (3-4, 1-2) at Penn-Trafford (4-3, 1-2) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Warrior Stadium, Harrison City Plum dropped its third straight game, falling 20-6 at South Fayette. The Mustangs scored first on a short touchdown pass from Sean Franzi to Jerome Brazell but gave up 20 unanswered points....

The Freeport girls volleyball maintained its two-game lead on the rest of Section 5-2A Tuesday evening with a dominant 3-0 victory over Derry at Freeport Middle School. “We just played how we know we can,” senior setter Cassidy Dell said. “We played very loose, very relaxed, and we had some...

The Valley girls soccer team has a chance to set a record and do what only one other team has done in the program’s 20 years. With a win or a tie Wednesday at Deer Lakes, the Vikings (6-6 overall, 5-5 Section 2-2A) will clinch a WPIAL playoff spot for...

The Burrell girls volleyball team visits Deer Lakes and hosts Freeport next week to close out Section 5-2A play. The Bucs seek to avenge their only two section losses, a 3-1 setback to the Lancers and a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Class 2A No. 1 Yellowjackets a...

A dominant run atop the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s Class A top-10 rankings has come to an end. Bishop Canevin, the five-time defending WPIAL Class A champion, suffered its first section loss Thursday with a 3-0 setback to No. 8 Eden Christian in Section 3 play. It was the...

Bethel Park, Baldwin, Mt. Lebanon, Shaler, Penn-Trafford and North Hills each recorded doubleheader sweeps in game play from last Wednesday to Sunday as teams jockey for position in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League. The regular season is to conclude Sunday with seven scheduled doubleheaders. As of Monday, one doubleheader...

A key goal for the Gateway girls volleyball team at the start of the 2022 season was to improve on last year’s 2-10 record in section play. So far this fall, that goal has been reached, and then some. Through last week’s 3-0 victory over West Mifflin, the Gators stood...

Members of the Gateway girls cross country team tested their mettle at the Division I, Section 4 championships Oct. 5 at Northmoreland Park, and the Gators took fourth in the team standings as a pair of runners earned medals for top-15 performances. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures in the...

It’s never an easy proposition playing a football game at the venerable Wolvarena in Turtle Creek. But Highlands stepped away from Greater Allegheny Conference play Friday and took care of business with a 38-23 victory at the home of Class 5A Woodland Hills. The Golden Rams, who average 32.1 points,...

Each year, the Riverview cross country teams venture beyond the borders of Pennsylvania to test themselves at a high-level meet. This year, the Raiders took part in the 57th annual McQuaid Invitational on Oct. 1 in Rochester, N.Y. The event attracts more than 200 teams each year. The Riverview boys...

The Plum boys cross country team challenged the top teams in Division I, Section 4 at the league championships at Northmoreland Park on Oct. 5, and the Mustangs rallied together for third place. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 60s, Plum placed three in the top 10,...

Last year’s Allegheny Conference matchup between Valley and Deer Lakes was low scoring at Lancers Stadium as the Lancers came away with the win thanks to a single touchdown accounting for the only points. Points again were at a premium Friday night as the teams renewed their rivalry at Valley...

For the first time since 2015, the Kiski Area girls cross country team is section champion. The Cavaliers placed three runners in the top six, including the individual champion in junior Eliza Miller, to hold off the challenge of Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional and Gateway under sunny skies at Northmoreland...

Nick Odom Plum, so., RB/DB Odom is second to Eryck Moore with more than 40 carries and 350 rushing yards through six games. His 4-yard TD run in the second quarter last week at Franklin Regional was his seventh of the season. He also has made his presence felt on...

Class 5A Northeast Penn Hills (3-3, 1-1) at Fox Chapel (0-6, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, James Burk Complex, O’Hara Township The Indians hope to shake off a two-game losing skid. Quarterback Julian Dugger is a veteran presence for the Indians. He has thrown for 706 yards, rushed for 329 more...

The Springdale girls soccer team still is in the driver’s seat in Section 1-A with a full-game lead, but the Dynamos’ grip was loosened Monday with a 5-1 loss at Seton LaSalle. Springdale (8-2, 7-1) came into the game off a dramatic 3-2, last-second victory over Greensburg Central Catholic last...

Four seasons, five coaches. The seniors on the Deer Lakes girls volleyball team have been through it all the past couple of years. The Lancers sought a new beginning and the foundation for consistency in the program as they began their offseason of preparation. Mike Nypaver, a student of the...

There is a new No. 1 in Class 3A this week as the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association released its latest WPIAL girls volleyball top-10 rankings. Moon, last week’s No. 1 team in the classification, suffered 3-1 losses to both Class 3A No. 6 South Fayette and Trinity in Section...

West Allegheny, Penn-Trafford, Montour, Mt. Lebanon, Baldwin and North Allegheny all recorded doubleheader sweeps in game play from last Thursday to Sunday as the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League continues its stretch run to the playoff tournament. Mother Nature again got the better of several scheduled doubleheaders, including three on...

Kefimba Cisse made his Gateway cross country debut last year after playing soccer as a freshman in the fall of 2020. He ran middle distance and distance for the Gators track and field team as a freshman and then transitioned from soccer to cross country, making an impact right out...

Gateway junior varsity ice hockey coach Shawn Jesih sounded the bell of optimism when talking about a team filled with experience and hungry to make its mark in the PIHL’s JV Tier 3 this season. Fourteen players return from last year’s squad which went 1-1 in the year-end playoff tournament...

Connor Flemm rarely leaves the field for the Kiski Area football team. The starter at running back and linebacker also kicks off, punts, converts extra points and is the field goal kicker. For the Cavaliers senior, every day on the field with his teammates is one he savors. He knows...

It’s three down and two to go for the Plum football team in Big East Conference play in its quest to qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. “To beat any teams left on our schedule, we have to keep up the intensity for four quarters and play a complete...

The Deer Lakes and Knoch football teams put the pedal to the metal in the fourth quarter of their Allegheny 6 Conference opener Friday at Deer Lakes’ Lancers Stadium. The teams combined for 38 points on five touchdowns over the final 12 minutes. The Knights scored 22 points and the...

The Burrell girls soccer team suffered a 2-0 setback at Section 2-2A rival Knoch on Sept. 9. The Bucs haven’t lost since. They are 5-0-1 over their past six games. They have bolstered their playoff resume and also put themselves in strong standing for one of the section’s four automatic...