Michael Love stories, Page 10
Riverview girls soccer focused on ‘big goals’ after nonsection success
Isabel Chaparro likes what she sees from the Riverview girls soccer team’s early set of games. The Raiders were 3-0 in nonsection action through a 9-0 victory over Apollo-Ridge last Wednesday at Riverside Park. Junior midfielder Mary Quinlan tallied a hat trick, giving her a team-best eight goals through three...
Plum girls soccer extends section winning streak
The Plum girls soccer team ran its current section winning streak to 30 games with a convincing 9-0 home win over West Mifflin last Wednesday. The Mustangs, 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Section 4-3A with the win over the Titans, contributed to that run of section success in their opener...
Plum ends 13-game losing skid against Gateway with well-balanced victory
In Week Zero, Plum snapped a seven-game losing streak to rival Franklin Regional. On Friday, the Mustangs ended another long streak. This time to neighboring Gateway. Plum had lost 13 in a row to the Gators, but the Mustangs were able to make the plays they needed to in all...
Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 represents younger generations
Mike Rairigh earned nine varsity letters in football, basketball and track and field as a Kiski Area athlete. He finished his high school football career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in receptions, picked up all-conference recognition football and basketball and earned a silver medal in the javelin at the WPIAL...
Gateway basketball coach Alvis Rogers steps down after 7 seasons
After seven seasons as head coach of the Gateway boys basketball team, Alvis Rogers felt it was time to step down from the post, citing family and personal issues for his decision. “There was a lot of things that were weighing on me mentally, and I felt I needed to...
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2025 Week 2
Player of the week Tim Andrasy Leechburg, Sr., RB/LB Andrasy is a threat to break a big run with power in the Blue Devils offense, and he had a memorable impact in Friday’s 58-6 victory at Beth-Center. He had a career night with six rushing touchdowns, scoring on runs of...
Plum aims to snap lengthy losing skid against rival Gateway
The Gateway and Plum football teams have played 13 times over the past 23 years, with the Gators winning each game. A couple of the matchups have gone down to the wire, including last year when Gateway scored a late touchdown to rally for a 22-15 victory. The Mustangs, who...
Kiski Area sweeps Norwin in annual Pack the Park outdoor volleyball match
Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s at first serve greeted the Norwin and Kiski Area girls volleyball teams for the fifth annual Pack the Park outdoor grass-court match at Vandergrift’s Kennedy Park. The energy put forth by both teams was matched by their coaches and the many spectators who...
Norwin, Kiski Area again to square off in Pack the Park girls volleyball event
Tim Toy beamed with excitement as he talked with spectators and organizers and watched the action at last year’s Pack the Park event between the Kiski Area and Norwin girls volleyball teams on the outdoor grass court at Kennedy Park in Vandergrift. The Cavaliers and Knights went the distance with...
High-scoring Gateway girls soccer team shooting for postseason berth
Eight Gateway girls soccer players scored at least one goal in their season-opening wins over Penn Hills and Obama Academy. Junior midfielder/forward Savannah Boden tallied a hat trick in the 8-1 win over Penn Hills and added five assists over the two victories. Senior captain and forward Julia Beam also...
Gateway boys soccer working to find identity in early going
The Gateway boys soccer team held a 2-1 lead with 32 minutes left in its season-opener at perennial Class 2A power Deer Lakes on Aug. 23. But the Gators were not able to hold on as the Lancers rallied and pulled away for an 8-2 victory. It wasn’t the start...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school football notebook: Leechburg gets back on high-scoring path
Leechburg left Apollo-Ridge’s Owens Field with a bad taste in its mouth after a close Week Zero loss to the rival Vikings that saw the home team rally with 13 unanswered points in the second half. But the Blue Devils were able to use the 20-16 loss as motivation to...
Young Riverview boys soccer team gets early-season experience
The Riverview boys soccer team didn’t have to wait to be tested as it opened the season Aug. 22 at the Indiana tournament. The Raiders, featuring a mix of seasoned talent and several newcomers, including freshmen, in the starting lineup and coming off the bench, needed a rally to overcome...
South Park offense continues to produce in victory over Deer Lakes
The South Park football team got a measure of payback and remained undefeated on the young season Friday night at Deer Lakes’ Lancers Stadium. The Eagles, who lost just twice last season with one of the defeats coming at the hands of the Lancers on their home field, got three...
Plum boys soccer off to strong start ahead of section play
The Plum boys soccer team is known for its strong play and success at its annual season-opening kickoff tournament. The Mustangs’ two games Aug. 22-23 against Shaler and North Hills were no exception. They topped the Titans, 3-0, and then captured the tournament title by rolling past the Indians, 4-0....
A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2025 Week 1
Player of the week John Nonnenberg Plum, Jr., QB/DB Junior John Nonnenberg fronted the Plum quarterback group last year by throwing for more than 500 yards and six touchdowns. Wanting to take that next step in the Mustangs offense this season, he is off to a strong start. Nonnenberg got...
WPIAL champ South Park to visit Deer Lakes with revenge in mind
South Park lost just once last year en route to the WPIAL Class 2A championship. The only blemish through its first 13 games? A 35-22 home loss to Deer Lakes. “They took care of business against us last year, and we took that and used that as a positive piece...
Burrell grad Ruggeri makes successful transition from gymnastics to powerlifting
Sophia Ruggeri showed strength and power while winning awards as an accomplished gymnast, reaching the highest levels of club performances while also starring as a member of her high school team at Burrell. Now, she is making her mark in a different arena. Ruggeri has immersed herself in the world...
Fox Chapel girls soccer standout Emily McKee makes verbal commitment to Pitt
Several Division I women’s soccer programs connected with Emily McKee throughout her recruiting journey. It gave the Fox Chapel junior and team captain a lot to think about. But in the end, McKee, an all-section, All-WPIAL, and all-state selection who powered the Foxes program to much success in her first...
A-K Valley girls volleyball preview: St. Joseph confident of another deep playoff run
It was an all-Alle-Kiski Valley final at the Deer Lakes volleyball tournament Saturday as St. Joseph, for the second year in a row, topped the host Lancers for the championship. Spartans coach Ann McCarthy was pleased with her team’s performance to kick off the season, one that she and her...
Gateway girls volleyball reloads in quest for another postseason berth
Erica Bosh likes the way her Gateway girls volleyball team has come together. The second-year coach says the team, with a trio of returning starters and others ready to step up into bigger varsity roles, should be in the mix again for a spot in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs....
Gateway golfers building toward individual improvement
Gateway boys golf coach Paul Doonan understands where his team stands compared to some others in Section 5-3A and beyond. With a few players who have varsity experience and a majority still getting more familiar with the game, competing for wins in matches is not the main goal right now....
A-K Valley high school football notebook: Mixed results for new coaches in season debuts
Three head coaches made their debuts with new teams Friday, and two of them went head-to-head in a Week Zero nonconference clash. Colyn Haugh topped TJ Wiley as Kiski Area shut out Knoch, 21-0, at Richard Dilts Field at Kiski Area High School. Haugh said it felt good to be...
Experienced group returns to lead Plum girls volleyball
After a four-year run which included consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances and two section championships, the Plum girls volleyball team fell short last season of qualifying for postseason play. The Mustangs slipped to 3-7 in section matches in their move up to Class 4A, placing fifth behind playoff qualifiers Hempfield, Penn-Trafford...
Plum boys golf recovers from graduation loss to contend in Section 4-3A
Keith Nonnenberg understood what the impact of losing four golfers to graduation after a strong run of success the past couple of years would have on the Plum boys golf team. Wes Lorish, one of the top golfers in the state through last season, moved on to Marshall. Tim Pease...
