Michael Love stories, Page 32

The Plum and Franklin Regional girls soccer teams met twice last year in section play, resuming a local rivalry that was dormant for three years. The Mustangs swept the Panthers en route to their fourth straight section championship. Franklin Regional hoped to change that narrative Monday evening at home as...

North Allegheny, Hampton, Freeport and Bishop Canevin each held on to their No. 1 rankings in the latest Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association WPIAL girls top-10 polls released Monday morning. There was a shakeup near the top in Class A as Frazier moved up to No. 2 from its No....

Gateway girls soccer coach Caleb Kyper said his players were a little shell-shocked after a 6-0 loss to Plum, a 2022 WPIAL semifinalist and PIAA qualifier, in the season and Section 3-3A opener Aug. 28. The Gators had a quick turnaround against Penn Hills just two days later, and Kyper...

The Gateway boys soccer team has been up and down and everywhere in between so far in Section 4-3A play. They took care of business against Penn Hills and McKeesport, suffered tough losses to section powers Franklin Regional and Plum, and forged a key tie against a Penn-Trafford team they...

The Riverview girls soccer team couldn’t ask for a bigger opportunity Thursday evening under the lights at Riverside Park. The Raiders, who have jumped out to a 4-1 record in Section 1-A play, will face rival Springdale, the No. 1 team in the Trib HSSN Class A rankings and last...

With new starters all over the field and other younger players getting their first taste of varsity experience, Plum girls soccer coach Jamie Stewart said he likes what he has seen out of his players in the early going as they hope to build off a strong start both in...

The Plum boys golf team qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A team playoffs last season for the first time since 2013. The Mustangs made an impact in the first round and advanced to the finals. Several of the players from that team returned with a repeat performance in mind, and...

When it comes to conference play in the WPIAL, the win is the thing, and Burrell delivered a victory in dramatic fashion Friday against Serra Catholic at Buccaneer Stadium in the Allegheny Conference opener for both teams. Senior Tyler Maglisco scored from 5 yards out in the latter stages of...

Springdale possessed the football early in the fourth quarter down two possessions against Leechburg in both teams’ Eastern Conference opener Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Springdale. But the Blue Devils defense forced a Dynamos punt, and the Leechburg offense tallied two scores to pull away and finish off...

Three is the magic number for Eliza Miller. The Kiski Area senior captured her third Kiski Invitational varsity girls cross country title Friday morning at Northmoreland Park. In near perfect weather conditions with sunny skies and temperatures near 70 at race time, Miller ran to a time of 18 minutes,...

The Plum boys golf team snapped an eight-year WPIAL team playoff drought last year by finishing second to Central Catholic in Section 4-3A. The Mustangs took advantage of their opportunity in the first round at Beaver Valley Golf Club and earned a spot in the finals. Kiski Area hopes to...

For the Highlands football team, the road to the WPIAL playoffs kicks into high gear Friday. After three victories in nonconference play to start the season, the Golden Rams open Greater Allegheny Conference action on the road at perennial playoff contender North Catholic (1-2). Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski knows what...

Player of the Week Devin Beattie Burrell, Sr., RB/LB Devin Beattie was questionable to play Friday against Valley after suffering an injury two weeks ago in the loss at Deer Lakes. But the bruising runner wasn’t going to stand on the sidelines and not play against the rival Vikings. Beattie...

The Freeport girls soccer team earned a WPIAL playoff berth last year for the 10th season in a row. Only Plum, with 11, has a longer streak in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The Yellowjackets lost eight seniors from a team that finished second in a competitive Section 2-2A with 10 victories,...

Plum and Bethel Park are the only undefeated teams left after two weeks of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Softball League season. Plum swept Seneca Valley on Sunday, 16-1 and 19-4, to move to 4-0. The Mustangs have outscored their opponents 67-9. Bethel Park is 3-0, scoring 35 runs and posting...

In starting 3-0 overall, 2-0 in Section 5-2A with victories over Ligonier Valley and the Neighborhood Academy, and earning a top-six finish against mostly higher-classification schools at Saturday’s Moon tournament, the Burrell girls volleyball team won 15 of 18 sets to start the season. The Bucs, senior 6-foot-3 middle hitter...

With section play in full swing, teams in all four WPIAL girls volleyball classifications are making their move with impact victories on the court. Others are hoping for bounce-back performances as the third week of section matches begins. North Allegheny (Class 4A), Hampton (Class 3A), Freeport (Class 2A) and Bishop...

The Riverview boys and girls cross country teams ended last season at the PIAA state meet in Hershey after strong finishes at the WPIAL championships at Cal (Pa.). The returning Raiders runners, along with some new blood, hope to build off that successful ending to the 2022 season. Coach Palma...

Kefimba Cisse is on a mission for his senior season on the Gateway boys cross country team. Veteran Gators coach Tom LaBuff sees it and hopes Cisse can take advantage of the prime running opportunities in his final varsity year. Cisse finished in the lead pack at the season-opening Gateway...

Noah Colberg shot a nine-hole round of 50 in a match Aug. 16 at Willowbrook Country Club. It was the Gateway senior’s highest round of the season. Just a couple of weeks later, he owned a trio of rounds in the 30s with a pair of 38s against both Penn...

The Riverview boys and girls cross country teams ended last season at the PIAA cross country meet in Hershey after strong finishes at the WPIAL championships at Cal (Pa.). The returning Raiders runners, along with some new blood, hope to build off that successful ending to the 2022 season. Coach...

When Connor Pivirotto and Nate Mienke, the top runners the last couple of years for the Plum boys cross country team, graduated following the 2022 season, a pair of rising seniors with experience — Gabriel Powell and Aiden Steinagle — were ready to take the reins of the team and...

Kiski Area and Burrell swallowed the bitter pill of defeat the first two weeks, but the Cavaliers and Bucs experienced the thrill of putting one in the win column Friday. Cavaliers junior Carson Heinle broke out with three touchdown passes, more than 180 yards through the air and some dramatics...

The Freeport girls soccer team scored a goal in each half of its Section 2-2A matchup Wednesday evening at rival Burrell. The second tally, a shot from sophomore Peyton Los from 25 yards out with 26 minutes left in the second half, proved to be the game winner. Burrell cut...

Player of the week Aaran Randolph Highlands, Sr., QB/DB The Golden Rams moved to 2-0 on the young season with a 33-20 victory at Blackhawk last Friday. Highlands senior dual-threat quarterback Aaran Randolph collected 265 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. A 10-yard scoring run broke a 13-13 tie...