Michael Love stories, Page 45

Gateway athletic director Don Holl first saw what a unified bocce program was all about while at Seneca Valley, and he felt it would be something to consider at Gateway. “I thought it was a really cool thing, so we investigated it and spoke to the school board about it...

With a medal on the line at the Allegheny County tournament Jan. 21 at Fox Chapel, Riverview sophomore Anthony Tigano got the job done. The first-year varsity wrestler at Riverview scored a 2-0 victory over Hampton’s Nate Glock at heavyweight to secure the fifth-place spot on the podium. “He looked...

The Highlands boys basketball team scored 23 points in the first half of Friday’s clash with Hampton, a matchup of the top two teams in Section 1-4A. The Golden Rams usually have a higher point total after 16 minutes of play, but their defense was strong as they held the...

Sydney Selker has two more softball seasons to play at Freeport, but the Yellowjackets standout also is looking further down the road at an opportunity she’s wanted for a long time. Selker on Thursday gave a verbal commitment to join the softball team at Division I St. Francis (Pa.). “My...

Ten records fell at last year’s Westmoreland County Coaches Association swimming championships at Derry. Swimmers and divers from 14 county schools hope to produce records and reach the medals podium as they gather Friday and Saturday at Derry for the late-January tradition that sets the stage for WPIAL championship meets...

Sydney McCray feels that the Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team didn’t show its best in the first meeting with highly ranked Shady Side Academy on Jan. 2. The Bulldogs won 66-34 in the matchup of the top two teams in the Section 3-3A standings. McCray, a senior guard, said the Vikings...

Plum’s girls basketball team has been on a roller-coaster ride throughout the 2022-23 season as it seeks to return to the WPIAL playoffs after missing out a year ago. After a tough 30-point loss to Section 1-5A Indiana (12-5, 8-0), the Mustangs responded by defeating Gateway, 42-29, before winning another...

The Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association is nearing the heart of its 2023 season, and competitions continued this past weekend at the Corsair Fencing Club in Etna. Two-time defending PIFA girls champion Shady Side Academy improved to 3-0 with a 6-3 victory over Fox Chapel (0-1). The Allderdice girls also remained...

When the Highlands and Knoch girls basketball teams met at Highlands on Dec. 19, the Golden Rams prevailed by 10. Knights senior guard Nina Shaw was held under 10 points that night. But Shaw was on point in the rematch Monday. She scored 22 points, including 10 in a difference-making...

Plum senior Sarah Kvortek hoped for one final solid performance at the WPIAL individual gymnastics championships Feb. 11 to close out her high school career. But those hopes came to a sudden halt last Friday at a high school meet at Premier Gym and Cheer in Baldwin. While preparing for...

Jennifer Bruce Scott has worn several hats in the game of basketball over the years, from a high school and collegiate competitor to high school coach at Winchester Thurston, Penn Hills, Gateway and Plum and now as a high school referee. Her standout four years on the hard court at...

Gateway swimming and diving coach Glenn Raymer said his boys and girls teams jumped into a busy January ready to work and compete after a challenging series of practices between Christmas and New Year’s Day. “They definitely put some extra work in,” he said. “The kids were here ready to...

Plum swim coach Shawn Haupt chuckled when he talked recently about the vibe among the boys and girls team members as some “moaning and groaning” with a lot of tiredness from some heavy-duty practice sessions. “But that happens every year around this time,” he said. “And every year, when I...

Sarah Kvortek smiles when she thinks back to last year’s PA Classic state title in the all-around at Moon High School. “It was just a really great moment, almost surreal for me because I never thought I would be a state all-around champion,” said Kvortek, a Plum senior whose 2021-22...

North Catholic girls basketball coach Molly Rottman knew Thursday’s rematch between her Trojanettes and host Highlands would not be as one-sided as the first Section 1-4A meeting Dec. 15 when North Catholic won by 28 points. This time, the Golden Rams slowed the pace in the first half and, with...

The Freeport girls basketball team has made the WPIAL playoffs six years in a row. But the Yellowjackets have some work to do to make it seven straight. After Monday’s tough Section 1-4A loss to Greensburg Salem, the final game of the first section cycle, Freeport sat at 2-4 in...

Round 1 goes to Deer Lakes. The Lancers defense forced a Shady Side Academy turnover at midcourt in a tie game with 4 seconds left, and senior Michael Butler finished it with a layup at the buzzer in a 53-51 Section 3-3A victory over the Bulldogs on Tuesday evening at...

The Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team protected sole possession of second place in Section 3-3A and also defended its home court Monday evening with a 60-40 victory over Mt. Pleasant. “This was a huge win for us as we look forward to the second half of section,” said junior Sophie Yard,...

The Gateway girls basketball team started 0-4 in Section 1-5A play, but it was in position to turn some of those games into victories rather than the setbacks they experienced. That’s the assessment of Gators coach Curtis Williams after his team suffered a two-point loss to Plum in December and...

Last year, the Plum wrestling team took home 10 place medals and a third-place team finish from the Allegheny County tournament at Fox Chapel. The Mustangs return to Fox Chapel on Friday with nine of those 10 medalists set to compete — Vinnie Citrano graduated — and coach Mike Supak...

With 3 minutes, 41 seconds left in Thursday’s Section 1-5A girls basketball game at Plum, the host Mustangs held a 15-point lead on Kiski Area and hoped to put the game on ice. But the Cavaliers, led by junior Abbie Johns, wouldn’t go away. Johns scored 10 straight points for...

The Riverview boys basketball team collected just six wins all of last season and was unable to secure a spot in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. But things have taken a turn for the better this winter. The Raiders had six wins before the end of 2022 after a 72-64...

Julie Spinelli wants to win basketball games. Whether that means she pours in 30-plus points or finishes in the low teens, the St. Joseph junior guard/forward wants to make a difference for the Spartans (8-2), who find themselves among the top teams in Class A heading into a Section 3-1A...

Gateway graduate Derrick Davis Jr. on Tuesday said Pitt is it. A former LSU player, Davis Tweeted his decision in the early afternoon that he would continue his football career with the Panthers. “Let’s Get to it!” Davis said as he expressed his excitement with his decision. Davis last month...