Michael Love stories, Page 35
Preparations underway for 30th annual Freeport International Baseball Invitational
Pitchers and catchers report to the Pittsburgh Pirates training facility in Florida on Feb. 14, and opening day is March 28 in Miami. College baseball teams, both locally and throughout the country, begin their seasons next week. High school baseball preseason practices start March 4 with season openers three weeks...
Gateway grad Sarah Corrie chasing PSAC indoor shot put title
Sarah Corrie is on a mission to bring home another Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference shot put title this winter, and the Gateway graduate is on her way to again challenging for gold. The Slippery Rock standout kicked off the indoor season Dec. 2 with a runner-up finish at the Youngstown...
Gateway senior student-athletes celebrate signing letters of intent
Ahmad Harris’ confidence level is off the charts for his football future at Division II Wheeling in West Virginia. “They had a couple of injuries in the linebacker room, and the coaches said I have a good opportunity to go up there and compete right away to get on the...
Plum senior student-athletes set college plans
It was another day to celebrate for Plum seniors set to continue their athletic pursuits at the collegiate level. Last Wednesday marked the first day of the regular signing period for Division I and II football players to make their decisions final, and Mustangs quarterback and punter Sean Franzi put...
St. Joseph girls get tough road win at Riverview in battle of playoff teams
The St. Joseph girls basketball team completed a clean sweep of Section 3-A on Thursday as it went into Riverview’s gym and came away with a 54-32 victory. “It felt really nice to come into their place and get the win,” said junior guard Gia Richter, who scored 18 points...
Quartet of Deer Lakes football standouts sign with PSAC schools
Derek Burk, Nick Rossi, Ryan Cochran and Wayne Love were among those at the center of a Deer Lakes football resurgence in 2023. The quartet helped lead the Lancers to a home playoff game and the program’s first postseason victory, a dominating 48-18 victory over Southmoreland. Despite a tough loss...
A-K Valley girls basketball notebook: Plum, Indiana vie for section title
The Section 1-5A title is on the line for Plum on Thursday as it clashes with Indiana to conclude section play. The stage was set for the Mustangs on Monday as they kept pace with the Indians in a 61-49 victory over Kiski Area on senior night at Plum High...
Plum girls pull away from Kiski Area to keep pace in section
The Plum girls basketball team took care of business Monday in a 61-49 Section 1-5A victory over Kiski Area on senior night at Plum High School. The Mustangs didn’t let the Cavaliers play spoiler as they kept pace with Indiana for a shot at the section title Thursday evening. Plum...
D’Angelo winding down AD tenure at Burrell, set to take over at Greensburg Salem
Drake D’Angelo soon begins service to Greensburg Salem as its next athletic director. While he is excited for the new opportunity closer to his home and where his eldest daughter, Gianna, is getting more involved in sports within the district, D’Angelo said he will miss all of the people and...
Gateway unified bocce players finding success, enjoyment in 2nd season
Alyssa Fritz joined the Gateway unified bocce team in its inaugural season last year and helped the team make the playoffs. One of the team’s special education members who competes in concert with general education students in the Three Rivers Region of the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Unified Champion Schools...
Elizabeth Forward grad Luke Padezan takes reins as Gateway’s new baseball coach
Luke Padezan is ready to get going as Gateway’s new head baseball coach. The former standout player at both Elizabeth Forward and Penn State Greater Allegheny was hired by the district Jan. 29, ending a several-months process to find the next man at the top of the Gators program since...
Plum girls wrestlers having strong seasons ahead of postseason tournaments
Alaina Claassen waited nearly nine months to get back into wrestling competition. A knee injury suffered last year slowed her progress as a freshman. But when given the OK, she put on a knee brace and wrestled 17 matches, going 14-3 and finishing her season at the state tournament. Surgery...
Plum adds girls flag football team for this spring
Seventeen schools throughout the Pittsburgh region were part of a high school girls flag football league last spring. The success of the league, entering its third season in 2024, has spurred other schools to get involved. That energy and interest has grown at Plum for several years, and now a...
AK Valley campus clippings: Freeport grad Heilman earns preseason honors
Freeport graduate Jarrett Heilman, a senior pitcher at Mercyhurst, has been tabbed a preseason All-American for Division II by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The righty is coming off his best season as Laker. He logged 65 innings on the mound while posting a 1.38 ERA, the third-best in...
Burrell wrestling moves step closer to getting back to top of WPIAL Class 2A
The Burrell wrestling team topped Hampton and Bentworth in the first two rounds of the WPIAL Class 2A team tournament Wednesday at Burrell High School. The victories continued the Bucs’ streak of consecutive seasons in the WPIAL semifinals that stretches back more than two decades. But, as is the standard...
St. Joseph girls basketball team wants to keep rolling
Senior Maggie Bernat understands where the veteran St. Joseph girls basketball team stands as it enters the final stretch of the regular season. Closing in on another section championship, the Spartans also hope to keep pace with the likes of Union and Aquinas Academy at the top in Class A...
Franklin Regional girls improve playoff positioning, beat Kiski Area
The Franklin Regional girls basketball team strengthened its position for a shot at a WPIAL playoff spot Monday with a 53-38 victory over Kiski Area in a Section 1-5A matchup. The Panthers won their third in a row, adding the win over the Cavaliers to a close section triumph over...
Gateway seniors honored amidst unbeaten hockey season
The Gateway junior varsity hockey team is coming to the end of the regular season, and the Gators’ faithful had the chance to celebrate a group of five seniors who have helped the team to an undefeated record as the playoffs approach. Gateway skated against West Allegheny for the third...
After missing senior season with injury, Gateway’s Remy Bose looks ahead to career at Youngstown State
Remy Bose had his sights set on a dominant senior season in all three phases of the game for the Gateway football team. But a torn hamstring muscle right before the season began denied the Gators senior linebacker/H-back his on-field goals and hopes. Surgery and rehab put Bose on the...
Plum notebook: Mustangs hockey team chasing Class A playoff berth
The Plum hockey team continues its fight for a spot in the PIHL Class A playoffs. The Mustangs won three of four games through a 4-3 shootout victory over Richland on Jan. 18 to propel them above .500 at 8-6-0-1. The 17 points put them in sixth in the Varsity...
After defending Allegheny County title, Plum wrestlers turn attention to WPIAL playoffs
The Plum boys wrestling team won last year’s Allegheny County Tournament title with two champions and a runner-up among 11 place finishers. The Mustangs edged Pine-Richland by 23 points. Coach Mike Supak said this year’s title defense would be a tougher challenge. But his wrestlers, he said, were up to...
Burrell, Kiski Area swimmers set for WCCA meet as they ramp up toward WPIALs
At last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches Association swimming championships, 12 individuals and relays produced times in eight events that surpassed previous meet records. A number of those swimmers are back Saturday at Derry High School to try to do it again in what is one of the fastest high school...
Valley girls wrestling makes huge strides in program’s 1st few months of existence
Arianna Bernard made history Dec. 28 at the Powerade girls wrestling tournament at Canon-McMillan. She became the first wrestler to represent the newly formed Valley girls program. “I wrestled at Powerade before, so I knew what to expect,” said Bernard, who wears a brace as part of her ongoing recovery...
With Clark back from concussion, Burrell girls continue on upward trajectory
Burrell junior guard Anna Clark suffered a concussion Jan. 4 against Section 3-3A leader Shady Side Academy. She missed the next four games through a dominating Bucs win over section rival Deer Lakes. Clark returned Jan. 18 for a nonsection matchup with Leechburg and tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and...
Special Olympics North America brings softball championship to Pittsburgh
The Special Olympics North America softball championship, featuring more than 30 teams from across the U.S. and Canada, is coming to Pittsburgh and the A-K Valley in September. The No Offseason Sports facility on Little Deer Creek Valley Road near Russellton will host the event Sept. 6-8. Officials from the...
