Michael Love stories, Page 34
Butler’s Drew Griffith, Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter defend state indoor titles in mile
Drew Griffith initially was ruled ineligible to run in Sunday’s boys one mile event at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association championship meet at Penn State. The Butler senior distance star and Notre Dame commit had a performance time entered that was achieved at a meet which included competitors...
After 3 seasons in NFL, Monroeville’s Robert Hainsey continues rise with Tampa Bay
Robert Hainsey spent some time outside the U.S. earlier this month vacationing with family and friends. It was a welcomed time of relaxation for the Monroeville native who had just completed his third NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “It was very nice,” said Hainsey, a former Gateway lineman...
Plum swimmers aim to contend at WPIAL championship meet
Brooke Price will again swim the 100-yard backstroke Friday on the second day of the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. The Plum sophomore swam to 17th in the event in her WPIAL debut last year. It was the only individual event she qualified for in her first...
After WPIAL playoff exit, Plum says goodbye to senior quartet
In 2021, the Plum girls basketball team defeated Lincoln Park to snap a two-decade-long win drought in the WPIAL playoffs. Last year, the Mustangs topped Montour in the WPIAL first round before bowing out to No. 2 Oakland Catholic, the eventual WPIAL runner-up, in the quarterfinals. Plum hoped to make...
Laurel Highlands pulls away from Highlands to advance to Class 4A girls semifinals
Last year, Laurel Highlands came to Highlands for a first-round playoff game and left with a 20-point defeat. What a difference a year makes. The No. 5 Mustangs were held scoreless in the third quarter, but they responded with 23 in the fourth to hold off No. 4 Highlands, 45-33,...
Cheswick Christian Academy boys vie for 1st SWCAC title since 2015
The last time the Cheswick Christian boys basketball team won a Southwest Christian Athletic Conference championship was in 2015 when it captured the second of back-to-back league crowns. Since then, the Chargers have played for the title three times, most recently last season when they fell to Natrona Heights’ Harvest...
No. 11 Burrell grinds out win over Shady Side Academy to reach Class 3A semifinals
The rubber matchup between Burrell and Shady Side Academy in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Thursday went the way of the Bucs. But it wasn’t easy. None of the Burrell players thought it would be. In a grind of a game that went to the final seconds, the No. 11...
Riverview girls sink Monessen in Class A, advance to semifinals
The Monessen girls basketball team wanted to avenge a 25-point loss to Riverview from earlier this season when the teams met in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal Thursday at Fox Chapel. But No. 4 Riverview wasn’t about to let its chance to reach the semifinals fall by the wayside. Katerina...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, Feb. 23, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Quarterfinals 5-Laurel Highlands (19-2) at 4-Highlands (16-6) 8 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 8-Greensburg Salem (16-7)/1-Blackhawk (20-2) Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD) Coaches: Shawn Bennis, Highlands; Stewart Davis, Laurel Highlands Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Sierra Jenkins, Laurel Highlands Layup lines: Highlands...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school notes: Football teams learn new homes
Plum football coach Matt Morgan felt that when he saw which teams moved up, moved down, or remained in WPIAL Class 5A, his Mustangs would most likely be on the move out of the Big East Conference that was their home the past two seasons. “Most likely” became reality Monday...
Knoch girls lean on defense to earn victory over Belle Vernon in Class 4A 1st round
As the favorite with home-court advantage for its WPIAL Class 4A first-round game against No. 11 Belle Vernon, the Knoch girls basketball team had designs on sending the Leopards back on their long drive home with a not-so-excited feeling. The Knights’ pressure defense in the full and half court forced...
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta named general manager for USA Football U20 team
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta will serve as the general manager for the U.S. Under-20 national tackle football team that will take part in this summer’s International Federation of American Football World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, USA Football announced Tuesday. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work with...
Alle-Kiski Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 20, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round 9-Plum (13-9) at 8-North Hills (13-8) Tuesday, 7 p.m., North Hills Middle School Winner plays: Winner of 16-Penn Hills (12-11) and 1-Oakland Catholic (22-0) Section finish: Plum 2nd, Section 1; North Hills T-1st, Section 2 Players to watch: Megan Marston, Plum; Gianna...
Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane looks forward to WPIAL championship debut
The WPIAL swimming championship meet at Pitt’s Trees Pool is fast approaching, and Gateway freshman Aliya Rassiane’s excitement for her first opportunity to compete against the best in the district grows with every workout in the pool. Rassiane has produced times this season to put her among the top competitors...
Gateway boys refocus ahead of WPIAL playoffs
The Gateway boys basketball team came within one win of claiming a Section 3-5A co-championship. But the Gators had to settle for second to Franklin Regional as the regular-season concluded and they transitioned to preparation for the WPIAL playoffs, which began Monday against a familiar foe in Penn Hills. Rogers...
Riverview girls use time off to prepare for WPIAL quarterfinal matchup
With a No. 4 seed and a bye to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals, the Riverview girls basketball players knew they were going to face a familiar foe as soon as the playoff brackets were released Feb. 12. It will be 12 days between their final regular-season game, a low-scoring...
Plum boys basketball turns attention to promising future
At the start of the season, Plum boys basketball coach Justin Walther said he felt his team was a playoff contender in Class 5A out of Section 2. While the Mustangs were competitive in a number of section games, a section win didn’t come until the section finale at Armstrong...
A-K Valley high school notebook: Springdale alumnae Kropelak-Brownback going into UPJ Hall of Fame
Michelle Kropelak-Brownback, a standout track star at Springdale in the mid to late 1990s, is one of seven athletic greats who make up the 15th Athletics Hall of Fame class at Pitt-Johnstown. The six-time WPIAL champion and four-time PIAA place-winner showed her versatility at Pitt-Johnstown by competing in as many...
Keystone Oaks girls take down Burrell, get rematch with No. 1 Avonworth
Keystone Oaks will get another shot at No. 1 The Eagles, runners-up to Avonworth in Section 2-3A, got a game-best 15 points from junior Alayna Wagner and 12 more from senior Bailey Rieg in a 49-34 WPIAL first-round victory over Burrell on Saturday at South Park. Keystone Oaks, which improved...
Kiski Area wrestler Gray eager for postseason after being sidelined by shoulder injury
Kiski Area’s Mark Gray made his season debut last Saturday at the Pine-Richland Duals. The junior wrestled just one out of a planned schedule of three matches in his return from a torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered in a match at the Tussle Duals in West Virginia in...
A-K Valley high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A First round 9-Burrell (16-4) vs. 8-Keystone Oaks (15-6) Noon Saturday, South Park High School Winner plays: Winner of 16-Apollo-Ridge (8-13)/1-Avonworth (19-1) Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Burrell 2nd, Section 3; Keystone Oaks, T-2nd, Section 2 Players to watch: Julianna Fisher, Burrell;...
A-K Valley girls wrestlers ready for shot at WPIAL gold, spots in regionals
Ava Golding is undefeated against WPIAL opponents this season. The Kiski Area sophomore, 21-4 overall, has earned the No. 1 seed at 136-pounds for the inaugural WPIAL girls wrestling championships set for Saturday at North Allegheny High School. “You never know what to expect until you see your name there,”...
Top A-K Valley athletes gather for TSTCA indoor track championships
There are only 18 days until the start of preseason practices for the outdoor track and field season. But many of those athletes throughout Western Pennsylvania have their sights set on indoor gold and other top finishes at one of the top meets of the indoor season. The Tri-State Track...
Deer Lakes boys lead A-K Valley basketball teams as No. 1 seed in WPIAL Class 3A
The Deer Lakes boys basketball team now knows its path to a defense of its WPIAL Class 3A championship. The Lancers and 167 other boys and girls teams found out their postseason fates Monday afternoon as the 12 playoff brackets were revealed on TribLive HSSN. The champion of Section 3-3A,...
Robert Morris women’s basketball coach Charlie Buscaglia resigns
Robert Morris women’s basketball coach Charlie Buscaglia resigned Monday, said Chris King, RMU vice president and director of athletics. “We thank Charlie for his efforts on behalf of RMU women’s basketball,” King said. “We wish him well personally and professionally moving forward.” In eight seasons, Buscaglia leaves RMU with an...
