Michael Love stories, Page 91

Fox Chapel’s Laura Carter and Kiski Area’s Eliza Miller first meet in competition in fall 2018 as seventh-grade cross country runners. Two years later, they were among the WPIAL’s top high school cross country runners, and they were separated by 5 seconds in the Class AAA WPIAL finals in October....

The Plum softball team hadn’t played a game in nearly two weeks when it came back May 10 from a covid pause to face Section 1-5A foe Armstrong in a game crucial to each team’s goal of a section title. The Mustangs didn’t show any rust as they got some...

A record 12 Alle-Kiski Valley softball teams now know their WPIAL playoff fates as the tournament brackets were released Thursday afternoon. Games begin Tuesday and Wednesday at neutral sites with the WPIAL finals set for June 2-3 at Cal U (Pa.). Leechburg, the co-champions of Section 3-A with Springdale, garnered...

Leechburg owns the record for consecutive seasons making the WPIAL playoffs, but several teams also are building sizeable streaks of their own. Burrell, with a 7-5 overall record and a 6-3 record in Section 1-4A, enters the WPIAL postseason for the 15th season in a row, having last missed the...

Olivia Vissari, Marissa Melius, Brynnae Coe, Quinn Hughes, Sophie Brandon and Bailey Rickenbrode remember the 2019 postseason well. They were members of the Knoch softball team that advanced to the WPIAL semifinals and qualified for the state playoffs. They were major contributors for the team that won a section title...

The Penn State New Kensington softball team saw its season come to an end Monday with a pair of losses in the double-elimination Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs in DuBois. The Lions lost to East No. 1 seed Penn State Brandywine, 9-1, in the first game and were edged...

The Plum softball team hadn’t played a game in two weeks before Monday’s crucial Section 1-5A matchup at Armstrong. The Mustangs defeated Franklin Regional on April 26, but then went on a covid pause. But they didn’t let the layoff affect them as they scored early and rode the pitching...

With one final week remaining in the regular season, boys volleyball teams in both WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA are making final cases for section titles and playoff berths. The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 7 WPIAL rankings Monday morning. In Class AAA, North Allegheny, Seneca...

Casey Weightman is no stranger to success at the WPIAL-championship level. As a freshman at Belle Vernon, she earned WPIAL softball gold. Two years ago, as a sophomore, she again represented the Leopards and captured WPIAL track and field silver in the javelin. While she was a one-sport standout in...

Riverview graduate Molly Collins has been a key factor this season for the Penn State New Kensington softball team. The Lions freshman outfielder went 2 for 3 with two doubles and four runs batted in as PSNK rolled past Penn State Beaver, 9-0, on May 1 in the first round...

Jayson Jenkins is known in athletic circles at Gateway as a talented place kicker who will head to Robert Morris in August and join the Colonials football team. But this spring, the Gators senior is making strides one leap at a time as one of the WPIAL’s top hurdlers. He...

Plum graduate Colin Dedert fared well this season with the Penn State Behrend men’s volleyball team. The 6-foot-3 senior outside hitter earned Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference first-team honors. He ranked third in the AMCC in kills (156), fourth in service aces (16) and seventh in kills per set (3.2). Dedert...

Lernerville Speedway officials announced Friday that because of overnight rain that continued into the morning they have canceled the Fab4 racing schedule for Friday evening. In addition to the safety concerns for the competitors, the pit area and spectator parking lots were determined to be too wet to be used...

The Valley and North Catholic boys tennis teams both were undefeated at 7-0 when they met April 23 to decide the Section 3-AA team title. The Trojans, led by the WPIAL singles champion in Nicholas Scheller, had their sights set on a clean sweep of the section. But the Vikings,...

The Plum baseball team has fashioned a strong record this spring, overall and in Section 2-5A, and senior catcher Ethan Kircher has been at the center of the action. In a come-from-behind 12-9 win at home over section foe Hampton on May 4, Kircher helped lead the comeback with a...

Plum has been off the field for more than a week, but the Mustangs wrap up a covid pause with a return to practice Friday. “We haven’t been allowed any contact with (the players), but I imagine they are ready to go,” Plum coach Phil DiLonardo said. “I am sure...

The last time a Highlands softball team won a WPIAL playoff game, most of the current team members were just learning to walk and talk. The Golden Rams scored a 9-3 win over Greensburg Salem in a Class AAA first-round game May 21, 2005. Franklin Regional got the better of...

While moving through junior high, Ava Rusiewicz made sure to watch the Burrell girls sprinters closely, including the groupings on the annually successful 400-meter relay. “Last summer, I was able to train with Nikki (Scherer) a little bit, and I really got to see how Burrell and the coaches got...

There was slight movement but no big changes in the WPIAL Class AAA and Class AA top 10 boys volleyball lists released Monday morning by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association. North Allegheny, which hosted and won a five-team tournament Saturday and remains undefeated in section play at 8-0, stayed...

The Penn State New Kensington softball team is set to compete in the final four of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs May 9 and 10 at Heindl Memorial Park in DuBois. The Lions (13-12) advanced to the double-elimination tournament with a 9-0 victory over West Division rival Penn...

Will Ernharth likes where the Fox Chapel boys tennis team is positioned heading into Monday’s WPIAL Class AAA first-round matchup with Sewickley Academy at the Fox Chapel High School courts. “I definitely think we have a good draw (as the No. 6 seed),” said the senior, who has played No....

Hunter Raymer will be a freshman on the Gateway varsity boys swim team for the 2021-22 season, and in building toward that time, he has been making the most of his recent in-pool opportunities. Representing the Fox Chapel Killer Whales club team, the eighth grader posted several personal-best times and...

Two members of the Quaker Valley varsity hockey team earned a trip to the 2021 USA Hockey Youth Tier II National Championships last week with their respective North Pittsburgh Wildcat travel teams. Sophomore Luke Flowers joined the 16U team in Grand Rapids, Mich., and freshman Will Watson is representing the...

The Gateway boys volleyball team has been looking for consistency to its 2021 spring season, but with covid stoppages and postponed games, it has been a challenge. But junior setter Ryan Bozicevic sounded positive and optimistic recently as the Gators, who had played just two matches through April 29, hope...

Brayden Thimons, a Highlands graduate and junior defensive lineman at Westminster, earned selection to the All-Presidents Athletic Conference first-team defense after a strong spring season as a pass rusher for the Titans. In five games, the transfer from Robert Morris led the PAC and tied for second in NCAA Division...