Michael Love stories, Page 7

When Dave Pucka wrapped up his first year as Plum’s boys basketball coach in February, he looked to the offseason for opportunities for his team to build for the upcoming season and the goal of returning to the WPIAL playoffs after a several-year hiatus. Open gyms in May flowed into...

Chuck Sarver pored over the schedule Friday morning, checking on the nearly two dozen teams that will descend on Freeport and its surrounding communities this week for the annual Freeport International Baseball Invitational. The FIBI president said the schedule — which includes the return of the Aussie Drop Bears organization...

Whether through his work in athletic administration, as a high school volleyball coach or in public relations and sports journalism at various media outlets in the region, Joseph Skura brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to New Kensington-Arnold School District as its new athletics and activities director. “I feel...

The Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its all-state boys teams from the 2025 season, and the WPIAL was well represented on the Class 3A and Class 2A lists. Junior outside hitter Will Robertson earned first-team laurels in Class 3A after helping North Allegheny to another WPIAL championship and a PIAA...

It took two days, but Lower Burrell stayed alive in Game 2 of its American Legion baseball District 31 best-of-three semifinal series. Bad weather suspended the game from Sunday to Monday, and the Bulldogs won 5-4 at Legion Keener Field in Latrobe, holding off Latrobe to force the deciding Game...

John Curran is ready to deliver pancake blocks, open lanes for running backs and protect the quarterback. With the start of official preseason practices a couple of weeks away, the Pine-Richland senior offensive lineman has his sights set on helping the Rams put together another run to WPIAL and PIAA...

The Monroeville Red Pandas are set to begin the Pittsburgh NABA playoffs, and Gateway graduate and team manager Donovan Baxter said things are looking good for a postseason run after a regular season that saw a turnaround from a rough start. The Red Pandas began the season 0-5 and were...

Just a short distance from the first night of the annual Picklesburgh festival on the Roberto Clemente (Sixth Street) and Andy Warhol (Seventh Street) bridges, a couple thousand runners and walkers took to a North Shore road course Friday evening as P3R and VisitPITTSBURGH hosted the America’s Mile. This year,...

This summer has been one of transition for Riverview’s Andre Carter. The school district’s athletic director, who also served as a volunteer coach for the Raiders girls basketball team this past season, was hired as the program’s new head coach last month. Then, at the start of this month, Carter...

Lower Burrell Post 868 has the upper hand in its best-of-three District 31 first-round series with Homer City Post 493. The Bulldogs scored three times over the first two innings of Tuesday’s series opener and then rode the pitching of starter Jonathan Walker (Kiski Area) and reliever Jake Smith (Kiski...

It seems like just yesterday, Lower Burrell Post 868 began its District 31 league schedule with a wild 12-10 triumph at Young Township Legion. That May 24 contest began a compacted dash through 18 games of a regular season that concluded Saturday in a 4-3 loss at league contender Bushy...

Dino Nadarevic was to throw the shot put and discus one more time in a high school event last Thursday and Friday at New Balance Nationals before transitioning to a new journey at Duquesne. It was the culmination of a high school career that began in obscurity but with promise...

Player of the Year Dani Pici Sr., C, Plum Dani Pici brought the power this spring for a Plum team that made its mark with the bat. The senior catcher fronted the Mustangs with 11 home runs among her team-leading 36 hits. “The previous three (varsity) seasons, I had about...

Player of the year Michael Hanz, Freeport Freeport, Sr., P/INF Michael Hanz missed Freeport’s first four games of the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. But he was strong in his return and made an impact right off the bat. As the designated hitter, he went 2 for 3...

Maddie Antone never slowed down as an athlete at Kiski Area. She earned 12 varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and softball. Antone helped Cavaliers girls volleyball to the section title in 2011 and was a 2012 all-section selection. She scored more than 1,000 points in her Kiski Area basketball career...

Lola Abraham is amped up for the start of the Pitt women’s soccer team’s fall season. “We’re going to have a newer, younger team,” the Panthers sophomore forward and Riverview graduate said. “All of the coaches and returning players are super excited. We have a lot of potential with how...

The Monroeville Junior Legion baseball team dropped the first two games of its Westmoreland County Youth Legion season but quickly got on the winning track in what is expected to be a competitive run to the playoffs. Wins over Bushy Run, 3-2 on May 29; Uniontown, 10-2 on June 2;...

In 2024, the Gateway boys bowling team finished fourth overall at the state championships. At the time, the players and coaches didn’t know there was a national championship tournament or that they had qualified for it based on making the state tournament. This year, however, the Gators were keenly aware...

When the Plum boys and girls bowling teams punched their tickets to the state championships in March, they also secured return trips to the U.S. High School Bowling National Championships on June 7-9, in Fort Wayne, Ind. For seniors Cade Schimmer and Vince Rossetti on the boys side, and the...

Sarah Kvortek fared well in her first bodybuilding competition March 30 at a show hosted by Slippery Rock University. The Plum graduate and SRU student placed third in the figure division and was rewarded for all the work put in since deciding to start training 12 months earlier. But at...

UNIVERSITY PARK — Indiana built some breathing room early in Friday’s PIAA Class 4A baseball championship game against District 4 titlist Montoursville at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. But when a four-run lead was whittled down to one, and the Warriors loaded the bases with no outs in...

UNIVERSITY PARK - It was not the start Freedom hoped for Friday morning in the PIAA Class 2A baseball championship game against District 1 champion Faith Christian at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Lions collected three hits and took advantage of a pair of Bulldogs errors in...

UNIVERSITY PARK — In the PIAA Class 5A finals two years ago, the Shaler baseball team made an epic comeback from down five runs to stun Strath Haven and claim the program’s second state championship. The Titans hoped for some similar magic Thursday evening after they dug themselves a six-run...

UNIVERSITY PARK - Riverside baseball is on top of the PIAA mountain once again. The Panthers weathered a late-inning storm from District 4 champion Mount Carmel in Thursday’s Class 3A baseball championship game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Riverside played small ball and pushed across two runs...

When Riverside defeated South Park 1-0 in 12 innings in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals, the Eagles hoped for another opportunity to face the Panthers in the PIAA playoffs, while Riverside expected the possibility of another game between the two teams. Opportunity and possibility became reality Tuesday afternoon at Seneca...