Michael Love stories, Page 100
With senior Soilis leading the way, ‘things are starting to click’ for Freeport girls
As the lone senior on the Freeport girls basketball team, Grace Soilis had concerns about the status of her final high school season and what might happen in the face of covid postponements and cancellations. “I had so many conversations with my parents and was all worked up about it,”...
Penn State football lands another 4-star commit
Davon Townley Jr., a defensive lineman from North Community High School in Minneapolis, Minn., has joined the 2021 Penn State football recruiting class. Townley Jr., who signed Wednesday morning to kick off the start of the national letter of intent regular signing period for Division I and II football, is...
In-pool profile: Thomas Jefferson’s Findlan ready to defend WPIAL 100 free title
Hallie Findlan was a woman of steel against Steel Valley on Jan. 25 as she swam the top WPIAL Class AA girls 100-yard freestyle time this season. The time of 53.84 seconds put the Thomas Jefferson senior and defending WPIAL 100 free champ at the top of the list. But...
In-pool profile: Butler’s Bocci has sights set on WPIAL swimming gold
David Bocci played second fiddle in the 100-yard butterfly and 500 freestyle at last year’s WPIAL Class AAA championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. This year, the Butler senior hopes to lead the band as he goes for gold in his events. “With being off so much in December and into...
Kiski Area hockey program moving in right direction, hungry for more
Optimism surrounded the Kiski Area hockey team as it entered the 2020-21 season. A youthful group last year made a run to the semifinals of the PIHL Penguin Cup Class A playoffs. The Cavaliers battled Indiana for a spot in the finals but were dealt a 4-2 season-ending loss. That...
Western Regional bowling tournaments split into 2 weekends
In response to covid-19 guidelines and protocols for gathering numbers, the Western Regional high school bowling championships this year will be split up over two weekends, the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League announced Monday. Regionals will start with the boys singles tournament March 5 and the boys team event March...
WPIAL posts latest swimming and diving performance lists
The WPIAL on Monday morning released its latest swimming and diving performance lists. They are for times and point totals recorded at meets through Saturday (Jan. 30). Seneca Valley junior Daniel Simoes, North Hills senior Joshua Bogniard, North Allegheny sophomore Alexa Sundgren, Neshannock senior Conner McBeth, Quaker Valley junior Isabel...
Meeting could steer WPIAL swimmers in right direction
The WPIAL swimming steering committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, and the group could finalize a plan for the championships and provide answers amid the uncertainty with covid-19 gathering restrictions. Among the decisions WPIAL swimmers, coaches and others hope to find out is where the championships, slated for the week...
Gateway grad Kayla Trozzi honored by Westminster
During her soccer career at Gateway and then for four years at Westminster College, Kayla Trozzi used her speed and scoring touch to make an impact and earn numerous accolades. Her efforts for the Titans recently were honored with selection to Westminster’s All-Decade Women’s Soccer Team as a first team...
Gateway girls gaining experience against top competition
The Gateway girls basketball team started its season with losses in its first six games, including its first four in Section 2-5A play. The six teams — section foes Latrobe, Woodland Hills, Penn Hills and McKeesport, along with Chartiers Valley and Bethel Park — were a combined 22-3 through Jan....
Fox Chapel’s Sophie Shao off to fast start in quest to defend WPIAL, PIAA championships
Two years ago, then-eighth grader Sophie Shao witnessed Fox Chapel freshman Zoe Skirbol make history with a WPIAL swimming championship in the 100-yard breaststroke and a state title in the 200 individual medley. Last year, it was Shao’s turn to shine in her varsity debut as she won WPIAL gold...
Fox Chapel rallies past Plum, grinds out Section 2-5A victory
The Plum girls basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its Section 2-5A home matchup against Fox Chapel at Plum High School. The Mustangs scored the first 13 points, and pressure defense confounded the Foxes into six turnovers. But Fox Chapel responded to the early adversity, rallied...
Winning, not points or records, motivates Plum girls basketball standout Montue
Kennedie Montue averaged 22.1 points a game last year and helped the Plum girls basketball team to a 14-7 record and to within a game of the program’s first section championship. Last year’s Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year and multi-year all-conference performer has picked up where she left...
AK Valley girls basketball notebook: Every second counts for Kiski Area
In Saturday’s 33-31 buzzer-beating win over Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area’s players saw first-hand how much every second counts in close games. The early seconds, and minutes, didn’t add up to much for the Cavaliers, who missed their first nine shots. They trailed the Golden Lions for a total of 31...
No. 2 Knoch girls roll past Burrell in Class 4A game
The Knoch girls basketball team hadn’t played in a week before hosting Section 1-4A rival Burrell on Monday. But the Knights showed little rust as they overwhelmed the Bucs early, led by 34 at the break and cruised to a 65-22 victory. “I told the girls that I am very...
Senior Mark Livingston helps Freeport bowlers strike first, strike hard
Last season, Mark Livingston punched his ticket to the state bowling championships with an 11th-place finish in the qualifying round at the Western Regional singles event. The Freeport senior collected 1,000 pins over five games and finished with a high of 243. He went on to make the semifinals of...
WPIAL releases latest swimming and diving performance lists
Both battle-tested veterans and newcomers ready to burst onto the scene highlight the latest WPIAL Class AAA and AA swimming and diving performance lists released Monday. The lists started to take shape with top performances from several meets Dec. 11, one day before Gov. Tom Wolf’s covid-related shutdown orders went...
Penn State, Ohio State men’s basketball teams will play rescheduled game Wednesday
The Penn State men’s basketball team’s game with Ohio State, postponed from Jan. 5 because of covid-related issues, has been rescheduled for this Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. It takes the place of the Nittany Lions’ originally scheduled game with Michigan...
Gateway’s Holmes motivated by medal-winning performance
Andrew Holmes was among the top swimmers in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events at last year’s WPIAL Class 3A championship meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Gateway junior earned top-eight medals and punched his ticket to the PIAA championships in both events. He also helped the 200 free relay...
High school rifle season looks different this year
Over the past three winters, Madison Herrick enjoyed traveling to different schools for rifle matches with her Plum teammates. The Mustangs senior captain, a veteran of the WPIAL individual championship meet, said though WPIAL’s move to virtual matches for regular-season competition with no travel is out of the norm, it...
Plum girls basketball back in rhythm early-season shutdown
Plum girls basketball coach Steve Elsier said his team has played well as it gets into the meat of its truncated season but knows there are a lot of challenging matchups ahead as the Mustangs hope to claim their first section championship and set themselves up for a WPIAL playoff...
Gideon Deasy makes quick impact in return to Riverview lineup
Gideon Deasy experienced pain in his left ankle through much of his fall cross country season. The Riverview senior multi-sport athlete missed several races but was able to run at the WPIAL championships. He said despite not running his best time, it was a decent performance. Deasy, an all-section performer...
A-K Valley girls basketball notes: Burrell’s Watts on road to recovery from ACL tear
Olivia Watts is back on the road to recovery after a second ACL tear in her left knee put her on the sidelines for her entire junior season. The Burrell guard, who had surgery last Friday to repair the injury, is looking on the bright side of her situation with...
Knoch girls eager to continue strong section start
It’s been nearly 50 years since a Knoch girls basketball team has won a section championship. This year’s group hopes to change that. So far, so good with a 3-0 start, both overall and in Section 1-4A play. But the Knights aren’t resting on their laurels. “We’re trying to get...
Knoch girls start fast, roll past rival Freeport
The Knoch girls basketball team scored the first eight points in Monday’s Section 1-4A contest with rival Freeport at Freeport Middle School. The Knights, No. 3 in the latest Triblive HSSN Class 4A rankings, quickly developed a double-digit advantage in the opening stanza and didn’t let up en route to...
