Michael Love stories, Page 32
Gateway’s Dino Nadarevic to compete in shot put, discus at PIAA championships
Dino Nadarevic went from non-WPIAL qualifier to a double PIAA qualifier in the span of 12 months. The Gateway junior put the work in, and last week at Slippery Rock University, he produced a pair of medal-winning performances. Nadarevic said he’s excited for the opportunity to return to his standards...
Gateway singles, doubles players look ahead to PIAA tournament
It’s been more than a month since Adam Memije punched his ticket to the PIAA Class 3A boys tennis singles tournament at the Hershey Racquet Club. It is, in a way, a redemption story for the Gateway junior after he fell short of making it to states last year. “That...
Mercyhurst ace from Freeport looks for landing spot for final college baseball season
Jarrett Heilman graduated from Mercyhurst on May 11, closing out four years of academic studies at the Erie university. The Freeport product, who also fashioned a standout three-year collegiate pitching tenure with the Lakers baseball team, now is searching for a place to conclude that career with one year of...
Allle-Kiski athletes overcome delay at WPIAL track championships
Normally, Michael Braun would’ve had about three hours in between WPIAL runs in the 1,600 meters and the 3,200. But this time, the Freeport junior’s distance events were separated by about 15 hours. Braun and many other individuals and relays waited a day to finish out their events at the...
Alle-Kiski Valley athletes battle elements, delays to win WPIAL gold; some events postponed
SLIPPERY ROCK — Mother nature spared Slippery Rock University for the first four hours of Wednesday’s WPIAL track and field championships with the sun coming out and temperatures rising to near 70 degrees. But showers, thunder and lightning arrived about 3:30. The adverse weather caused the WPIAL to suspend competition...
A-K Valley softball playoff preview capsule: Game for May 16, 2024
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A Quarterfinals 11-Freeport (11-6) vs. 4-Mohawk (15-5) 6 p.m. Thursday at Seneca Valley Winner plays: Winner of 1-Avonworth (12-3)/9-Yough (8-4) in semifinals (date/site/time TBD) Players to watch: Addy Caruso, Freeport; Addy Moskal, Mohawk Extra bases: Freeport made the most of its return to the WPIAL playoffs...
Kiski Area’s Miller ready for final shot at winning WPIAL track gold
Eliza Miller has a faint memory of her first WPIAL event as a freshman in the fall of 2020 amid the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. “I think it was a meet at Kiski against Norwin,” the Cavaliers senior three-sport standout said Tuesday on the eve of what will be her final...
No. 12 Freeport softball upsets No. 5 Southmoreland in WPIAL Class 3A 1st round
Freeport made the WPIAL softball playoffs 12 straight seasons before missing out last spring. The Yellowjackets so far are enjoying their return to the postseason. The No. 12 seed got on the board first in Tuesday afternoon’s Class 3A first-round matchup with No. 5 Southmoreland at Gateway before withstanding a...
Connellsville jumps on Plum early in Class 5A 1st-round win
Gateway High School’s softball field isn’t the most popular place for Plum. The Mustangs have seen their season end on that field three of the past four years. Two years ago in the WPIAL Class 5A first round, Fox Chapel blanked Plum. Last year, Thomas Jefferson rallied from three runs...
A-K Valley high school softball playoff preview capsules for May 14, 2024
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A First round 14-Deer Lakes (9-10) vs. 3-South Park (16-1) 3 p.m. Tuesday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: 6-Central Valley (11-2)/11-Mt. Pleasant (11-8) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Maddie Kee, Deer Lakes; Sydney Sekely, South Park Extra bases: South Park capped...
Leechburg coach Randy Walters selected to coaching staff for U.S. Tackle National Team
Randy Walters was born and raised in Canada, a product of Grimsby, Ontario. After high school, the current Leechburg head coach quarterbacked the Hamilton Hurricanes to the 1980 Canadian Junior Football League championship game. He then helped the University of Guelph win the 1984 national championship. He then transitioned to...
Riverview battle-tested for WPIAL baseball playoffs
The Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic baseball teams met May 6 and 7 with second place in Section 3-2A on the line. The games turned out to be the competitive battles most everyone expected. But the Raiders didn’t get the results they were looking for. Riverview dropped both games in...
A-K Valley high school softball playoff preview capsules for May 13, 2024
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 5A First round 8-Connellsville (12-7) vs. 9-Plum (11-6) 4 p.m. Monday at Gateway Winner plays: Winner of 1-Armstrong (14-3)/16-Western Beaver (6-6) on Wednesday in quarterfinals (site, time TBA) Players to watch: Dani Pici, Plum; Iris Burd, Connellsville Extra bases: Plum finished third in Section 1 behind...
Gateway notebook: Track and field athletes prepare for WPIAL meet
Coming down the stretch to the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships at Slippery Rock, there were several qualifying locks among the Gateway boys and girls teams. There also were a few on the bubble hoping to make the championship meet as the WPIAL takes the top 24 in...
Willie Thrower camp continues to grow, honor legacy of barrier-breaking Valley QB
Willie Thrower would have stood on the Valley High Memorial Field turf and marveled at the talented quarterbacks and other position players at the third annual quarterback camp named in his memory. That was the assessment of Melvin Thrower, the son of the late New Kensington and Michigan State graduate...
Tough section tests prepare Riverview for WPIAL baseball playoffs
The Riverview and Greensburg Central Catholic baseball teams met May 6 and 7 with second place in Section 3-2A on the line. The games turned out to be the competitive battles most everyone expected. But the Raiders didn’t get the results they were looking for. Riverview dropped both games in...
Plum notebook: Mustangs wrestlers make college decisions
Antonino Walker and fellow Plum seniors celebrated their high school wrestling careers and wrestling futures as they finalized decisions to compete at the next level. Walker, who committed to Division I Edinboro, as well as Sam Snyder (Division III Saint Vincent), Carson Yocca (Division II Ashland) and Rylen Campbell (Ashland)...
Class 5A features deep bracket for WPIAL softball playoffs
The Class 5A bracket was a hot topic of the WPIAL softball pairings show Thursday afternoon on TribLive HSSN. The conversation included who could have been placed in which positions near the top and where the others in the deep 16-team bracket fell. Plum, the third-place team from Section 1...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school notebook: Apollo-Ridge pursues girls basketball coach
Apollo-Ridge School District and its athletics department are continuing the process that will lead to the hiring of a new girls basketball coach. Athletic director John Skiba confirmed Wednesday that those hoping to apply for the open position can send resumes to skibaj@apolloridge.com by May 31. Jeff Zelonka, an Apollo-Ridge...
Top Western Pa. quarterbacks set to show skills at 4th Willie Thrower camp
More than 50 quarterbacks from the WPIAL and throughout Western Pennsylvania and Ohio will get a chance to show their stuff at the fourth annual Willie Thrower Memorial Award Foundation Quarterback Camp on Saturday at Valley High School. “With this camp, you not only are seeing the great number of...
After coming up short twice, Knoch girls track and field team aims for WPIAL title
Two years ago, the Knoch girls track and field team qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. The Lady Knights came up just short of their goal to advance to the finals. Last spring, Knoch broke through as one of the final four. The Knights beat Derry, but Winchester Thurston...
Shaler, Mars lead final 2024 WPIAL boys volleyball top-10 polls
The final week of the regular season is here for WPIAL boys volleyball teams, and there still are things to be decided in terms of playoff qualifiers. Some teams have one or two section matches left, while a few others have three. There are at least five more berths to...
Freeport’s Camryn Woods values experience with U.S. ODP national team
Camryn Woods found herself among some select soccer company. The Freeport freshman took her game international earlier this month as a member of a U.S. Olympic Development Program U15 national team that played three games in Costa Rica. “It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had,” Woods...
Wesley Kiptoo wins 3rd consecutive half-marathon title as Pittsburgh welcomes thousands of racers
When former Steelers quarterback and Steel Valley graduate Charlie Batch shared words of inspiration, and after Bill Deasy sang the national anthem, many of the 42,000 runners, walkers and hand cyclists of all ages said a prayer, checked their watches or prepped their bodies one last time to tackle the...
Gateway’s Dino Nadarevic, Kenny Lewis closing in on school records
Dino Nadarevic didn’t know what the South Fayette Invitational boys meet record was for the shot put before he competed in the event April 27. He does now. The Gateway junior took down the previous record with a top successful attempt of 57 feet, 6 inches. “I was super excited...
