Michael Love stories, Page 69
Riverview runners cap special season at PIAA meet
Riverview’s boys 3,200-meter relay runners stood on the medals stand at last year’s PIAA Class 2A championships having just completed a strong performance on the track at Shippensburg University. Parker Steele, Amberson Bauer, Ty Laughlin and the now-graduated Mason Ochs ran to a time of 8 minutes, 16.58 seconds and...
After quarterfinal loss, Riverview baseball looks forward to next season
Riverview baseball players had winning playoff experiences under their belts as they began this year’s WPIAL Class A tournament with a first-round matchup against Bishop Canevin. The Raiders, hoping for a second straight run to the WPIAL finals, checked in as the No. 10 seed, but coach Bill Gras knew...
Gateway’s Robinson caps high school career at PIAA track championships
Amaya Robinson graduated from Gateway on Wednesday. But before she took those all-important steps from one journey to begin another, she had some business to take care of on the biggest track and field stage in the state. Robinson was one of 25 sprinters who challenged themselves in the Class...
Times Express campus clippings: Gateway grad honored for strong softball season at Waynesburg
Gateway graduate Kayla Gratton, a sophomore on the Waynesburg University softball team, enjoyed a strong season at shortstop, and she was rewarded for her efforts with selection to the Presidents Athletic Conference all-star team as an honorable-mention pick. Nine players in all were selected after helping lead the Yellow Jackets...
Burrell softball team eyes 1st PIAA win in decade
With its season on the line and a trip to the PIAA playoffs at stake, the Burrell softball team came up big Tuesday against Montour at Mars. The Bucs scored early, and their defense, coupled with the pitching of junior ace Katie Armstrong, made it hold up in a 3-1...
Burrell coach Shawn Liotta, brother Jeremy key cogs of innovative Fan Controlled Football League
Shawn Liotta’s passion for coaching football and striving for success has no downtime. It’s a year-round venture. It’s his job. And he wouldn’t want it any other way. A veteran mentor in the sport for more than two decades at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, including work in...
Deer Lakes softball players turn attention to states after WPIAL title game loss
Jenna Bisegna was at the meeting point between disappointment over Deer Lakes’ 8-1 loss to Avonworth on Wednesday in the WPIAL Class 3A softball title game and getting energized for Monday’s PIAA first-round game as the Lancers met for practice Thursday afternoon. “We were feeling rather defeated yesterday, and the...
Avonworth tops Deer Lakes to claim WPIAL Class 3A softball crown
Avonworth softball is back on top of the WPIAL Class 3A mountain. The top-seeded Antelopes were strong at the plate, on defense and in the pitching circle, with sophomore standout Alivia Lantzy leading the way, in an 8-1 victory over Deer Lakes in the championship game Wednesday afternoon at Lilley...
Katie Armstrong leads Burrell into PIAA softball playoffs for 1st time in 11 years
For the first time in 11 years, the Burrell softball team will be a part of the PIAA playoffs. The Bucs scored three times in the first inning of Tuesday’s WPIAL Class 4A third-place game against Montour at Mars. The lead held up behind the pitching of junior Katie Armstrong...
Deer Lakes softball players hope to add another title to program’s legacy
Anna Bokulich remembers Deer Lakes’ 2015 WPIAL softball championship well. The Deer Lakes junior, along with a number of other young, up-and-coming players in the Deer Lakes area youth program, including seniors Shayne Cerra, Keeghan Cook and Lydia Guthrie, were on hand to see the Lancers rout Mohawk, 13-5, to...
Fresh faces have Burrell softball team 1 win from PIAA playoffs
Bella Stewart said it all was a bit nerve-wracking at first when she jumped in head first as the Burrell softball team began the season. “We knew that there were spots that needed to be filled,” said Stewart, the team’s starting catcher from Day 1 and one of six freshmen,...
Gateway boys volleyball coach reflects after special season
The Gateway boys volleyball team was on the doorstep of a big victory in a WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinal match against Ambridge on May 19 at North Allegheny. The Gators, champions of Section 2 and the No. 4 seed, led the No. 5 Bridgers, 2-1, in their best-of-five match. Game...
Gateway Sports Hall of Fame plans to honor Class of 2022
Plans are in motion for the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame to resume honoring athletic greats this year. The committee charged with selecting the Class of 2022 tentatively is scheduled to meet this month to finalize the class and also discuss other matters relating to the banquet and induction ceremony...
Missed opportunities prove costly for Plum baseball team
The Plum baseball team was no stranger to a close game even before it played its WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff game against No. 6 Shaler on May 17 at North Allegheny. The 11th-seeded Mustangs battled to keep their season alive, but the Titans were just that much better in...
Strong finish helped Plum cap season in WPIAL playoffs
The Penn-Trafford softball team will play for a WPIAL Class 5A title against Armstrong on Thursday at Cal (Pa.). The Warriors were dominant in the regular season, losing just a pair of one-run games, and as the No. 2 seed, they were favored to make a deep postseason run. Plum...
Elizabeth Forward puts end to Burrell’s softball title hopes
While the Burrell softball team failed to reach one of its goals Wednesday, another one remains very much in play. The Bucs saw their pursuit of a WPIAL Class 4A title halted in a 2-1 semifinal loss to No. 2 Elizabeth Forward at Norwin. But No. 3 Burrell’s season isn’t...
Alle-Kiski sends plenty of track athletes to PIAAs
Deer Lakes senior Carson McCoy doesn’t have to wait long to run at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. He will be on the track at 9 a.m. Friday morning in defense of his Class 2A boys 1,600-meter title. It is the first of many events on...
Deer Lakes softball holds off South Allegheny, reaches WPIAL Class 3A final
The Deer Lakes softball team is back where it has been several times over the past decade. The Lancers, the No. 3 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs, punched their tickets to their sixth WPIAL title game since 2012 with a 5-4 victory over No. 2 South Allegheny on...
A-K Valley WPIAL playoff softball capsule: Game for Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Class 4A Semifinals 2-Elizabeth Forward (15-2) vs. 3-Burrell (12-1) 3 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 1-Beaver Area (17-0) vs. 5-Montour (14-4) Players to Watch: Carlee Soukup, Elizabeth Forward; Pyper Ferres, Burrell Extra bases: The Warriors won their first WPIAL title in 2019 when they shut out Mt....
Burrell’s lone senior, Caroline Dynka helps lead Bucs to playoff win
Caroline Dynka didn’t want her varsity career to end Monday on the turf at Norwin High School. The lone senior on the Burrell softball team, a mainstay and leader for four years and three seasons, Dynka did whatever she could to help her team get a run or two on...
Burrell softball advances with grueling 11-inning win vs. Belle Vernon
The Burrell and Belle Vernon softball teams went well beyond regulation to decide their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal game Monday at Norwin. As dusk approached and the teams were locked in a scoreless battle with a trip to the semifinals on the line — Belle Vernon’s Talia Ross and Burrell’s...
Alle-Kiski Valley softball playoff capsules: Games of Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Class A semifinals 1-West Greene (13-3) vs. 4-Springdale (11-1) 6 p.m. at Boyce Mayview Park, Upper St. Clair Township Winner plays: Winner of 2-Union (18-3) vs. 3-Greensburg Central Catholic (12-5) in championship game June 1 at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Alexis Hrivnak, Springdale; London Whipkey, West Greene...
A-K Valley softball playoff capsules: Games of Monday, May 23, 2022
Class 4A quarterfinals 6-Belle Vernon (12-7-1) vs. 3-Burrell (11-1) 5 p.m. at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 10-West Mifflin (12-9) vs. 2-Elizabeth Forward (14-2) on Wednesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Ashley Joll, Belle Vernon; Katie Armstrong, Burrell Extra bases: Belle Vernon registered its first playoff win...
Gateway’s Robinson sprints to berth at PIAA championship meet
Next spring, Amaya Robinson hopes to make an impact on the track at Slippery Rock University as a member of The Rock women’s track and field team. She got one final tune up for future success there last week as she ran both the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the...
Riverview runners take aim at state medals
Riverview junior Amberson Bauer and senior teammates Ty Laughlin and Parker Steele were a part of last year’s boys 3,200-meter relay which set a school record and brought home WPIAL gold. Freshman Chris Barnes came on board this season, replacing the graduated Mason Ochs. The quartet made a strong run...

