Excitement builds as Plum joins growing girls wrestling movement
When it became official last month that Plum will sanction a girls wrestling program, Saphia Davis was excited, but she was not 100% sure of the validity of the news. “When my dad told me the news, I was like, ‘Are you joking with me?’ But he was being serious,...
Championship teams guide Hampton to top of Class 5A Trib Cup standings
Hampton captured three district championships and one state title this past school year, with three of those four coming during the fall sports season. Consistent success throughout all three seasons, however, was a big part of the Talbots showing plenty of bark in winning the Trib HSSN Cup for Class...
Justin Walther brings competitive fire to Plum boys basketball program
The Plum Mustangs made the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs seven times in the nine-year span from 2008-16 — but only once since. Plum would like to get back to that scenario as quickly as possible. The school board earlier this week hired Justin Walther, coach at Winchester Thurston the past...
Plum hires Justin Walther as boys basketball coach
Plum has hired Justin Walther as its new boys basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday. Walther coached at Winchester Thurston the last two seasons, compiling a 20-14 record and making the WPIAL playoffs twice. Before that, he coached four seasons at Serra Catholic, going 58-36, including a 21-5 season in...
A-K Valley teams adjust to changes in basketball alignment
Basketball in the A-K Valley will have a bit of a different look next winter. The WPIAL board of directors approved section alignments for the next two-year cycle in boys and girls basketball on June 13. Several A-K Valley teams were impacted. Here’s a look at some of the changes:...
Deer Lakes’ Justin Brannagan named 2022 Valley News Dispatch Baseball Player of the Year
2022 Valley News Dispatch Baseball All-Stars Player of the Year Justin Brannagan Deer Lakes, Sr., P/INF Justin Brannagan had a propensity this year for coming up big in clutch playoff scenarios. In February, Deer Lakes trailed Blackhawk by one point in the final seconds of a WPIAL Class 4A first-round...
Burrell’s Katie Armstrong earns 2022 Valley News Dispatch Softball Player of the Year honors
2022 Valley News Dispatch Softball All-Stars Player of the Year Katie Armstrong Burrell, Jr., P If the regular season didn’t already show it, then a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal game against Belle Vernon proved just how dominant Burrell junior pitcher Katie Armstrong was throughout the spring. Armstrong held a potent...
A-K Valley senior spotlight: Plum’s Nick Killinger
Nick Killinger spent four years of high school balancing soccer, basketball and volleyball. The 6-foot-5 senior right-side hitter made an immediate impact in his first year of volleyball this spring and was named third-team All-WPIAL and first-team all-section in Section 2-2A, alongside junior teammate Seth Favero (libero). His teammates also...
Local basketball coach Mark Marino set to lead U.S. team in Greece
Mark Marino is no stranger to coaching basketball teams from the United States in overseas competition. Marino, who coached the Plum varsity boys basketball team the past three seasons, will make his fourth trip to Europe this week as he helps coach a team of Division I, II and III...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Plum’s Logan Brooks
Logan Brooks Plum football / track and field Plum senior Logan Brooks spent his four years of high school playing football. Nonetheless, Brooks made the decision to add another sport to his resume. In his junior season, Brooks joined the track and field team and competed in numerous events, including...
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...
Plum’s Brooks, Domke earn WPIAL track and field medals
The Plum boys and girls track and field teams were well represented at the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships last week at Slippery Rock University. A pair of Mustangs — senior Logan Brooks and junior Connor Domke — brought home top-eight medals from the meet which was contested...
Westmoreland County WPIAL softball playoff preview capsules for May 17, 2022
WPIAL softball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A First round 12-Latrobe (9-4) vs. 5-West Allegheny (12-4) 6 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of 13-Upper St. Clair (6-14) vs. 4-North Hills (14-3) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Jenna Tallman, Sr., Latrobe; Elly Vicari-Baker, So.,...
Optimistic Plum girls lacrosse team seeks 1st playoff victory
Heading into this season, the Plum girls lacrosse team already had experienced the WPIAL playoffs three times in its young history. The first trip came in 2018 in only its second full season in the WPIAL. As the No. 10 seed for the Class 2A playoffs, the Mustangs lost to...
Plum notebook: Softball team grabs final berth, earns trip to Class 5A playoffs
It has been an up and down season for the Plum softball team, but last Tuesday against Penn Hills, the Mustangs were able to enjoy a victory which clinched a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. Plum controlled its own destiny for the fourth and final spot from Section...
Gateway boys volleyball fends off Plum challenge, finishes undefeated in section
The Plum boys volleyball team hoped to play spoiler and prevent visiting Gateway from finishing its Section 2-2A slate undefeated as the teams met in the section finale Tuesday at Plum. But the Gators, No. 6 in this week’s Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association Class 2A top 10, had other...
What to watch for in WPIAL sports on May 4, 2022: Softball playoff berths on the line
Win and you’re in. Those four words are sweet music to the ears of any high school team on the bubble as section play winds down. In district softball, several teams can earn a playoff berth with a victory Wednesday — weather permitting, of course. • In Section 1-6A, Baldwin...
Plum softball team making final playoff push
Despite a sometimes-rocky trip through the Section 1-5A schedule this spring, the Plum softball team still was alive for a WPIAL playoff spot as it entered its home stretch of games. “It’s been a progression throughout the season, and the girls have dealt with a lot, from injuries to a...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Leechburg’s Anna Cibik, Plum’s Silvio Ionadi
Anna Cibik Class: Junior School: Leechburg Sport: Softball Report card: Leechburg junior pitcher Anna Cibik capped a busy week by throwing a pair of one-hitters Friday in a doubleheader sweep over Ellis School. The Blue Devils won 15-0 and 12-1. On Monday, she threw a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts in...
Kiski Area defeats Plum, clinches WPIAL playoff berth
The Kiski Area softball team missed the WPIAL playoffs in 2019 and ‘21 after a run to the quarterfinals in ‘18. But the Cavaliers have assured themselves a return to the postseason this spring. They solidified their positioning in the Section 1-5A standings and clinched Wednesday at home against rival...
North Allegheny, North Catholic hold on to top rankings in boys volleyball coaches’ poll
North Allegheny and North Catholic kept their places at the top in the Class 3A and Class 2A boys volleyball rankings, respectively, as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 5 top-10 polls Monday morning. The Tigers solidified their hold on the Class 3A top spot with three...
Plum baseball rebounds after dropping series to Mars
The Plum and Mars baseball teams set the standard for close and competitive games the past two seasons. That was evident when the Section 2-5A rivals met April 12 and 13. The Mustangs swept the Planets last year — both games ending in one-run results — and Mars returned the...
Plum’s Kaitlyn Killinger commits to Pitt women’s soccer
Pitt is it for another Plum girls soccer standout. Junior Kaitlyn Killinger, an All-WPIAL and all-state forward who helped the Mustangs reach the WPIAL Class 3A championship game for the second year in a row and make a deep run in the PIAA playoffs, gave a verbal commitment to the...
Plum girls lacrosse in hunt for Section 2 championship
The Plum girls lacrosse team reached the midpoint of its Section 1-2A slate in contention for the section title. The Mustangs, who are gearing up a nonsection clash with Class 3A Penn-Trafford on Friday, improved to 4-1 in section play and 5-2 overall with an intense 11-8 victory over rival...
