Michael Love stories, Page 54

Close and intense soccer is expected when the Freeport and Burrell girls teams meet. Wednesday was no exception as the Yellowjackets and Bucs clashed at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium. Freeport scored twice in the first half, and the defense made it stand up for a 2-0 victory. The triumph for...

Devin Beattie Burrell, jr., RB/DB Beattie is part of a strong Bucs running game, and in last Friday’s overtime victory over Deer Lakes, he shined. Given the ball 23 times, Beattie rushed for 142 yards and scored the tying touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 39-yard run. He hopes...

Nonconference Apollo-Ridge (2-0) at Deer Lakes (0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, at Lancers Stadium, West Deer Apollo-Ridge and Deer Lakes will meet for the first time since 2017 when the Vikings won an Allegheny Conference matchup, 34-21. Deer Lakes leads the all-time series, 17-14. The Vikings scored a 34-19 home win...

WPIAL section play begins for girls volleyball Tuesday evening, and leading into the numerous matchups on the docket, the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 2 top-10 rankings. There was movement in each classification after the first week of matches and weekend tournaments. Three of the four rankings...

The Franklin Regional girls volleyball tournament has established itself as one of the premier events in the early fall season, and Freeport, a regular participant, knew it again would be tested against some of the top teams in the WPIAL. The Yellowjackets passed the test with flying colors. They swept...

The Monroeville Marlins is not just for swimmers anymore. Starting Thursday, the organization will offer an eight-week program for those interested in diving. Leading the group is John Ritter, the diving coach at Gateway, and he said he’s excited to give those interested in the sport a chance to begin...

The WPIAL girls soccer championship games will be back at Highmark Stadium for the second year in a row, and Plum hopes to again reserve a spot in the Class 3A game in early November. Runners-up to Mars the past two seasons — 2020 at North Allegheny and last year...

There weren’t many introductions needed when Nicole Riley met her Gateway girls volleyball players on the first day of preseason camp Aug. 15. As the Gators middle school coach for a number of seasons, Riley had coached all but two members of this year’s team. The familiarity was there, and...

For the Riverview girls varsity soccer team, 2021 certainly was a year of growth. The Raiders rose like a phoenix from the previous fall when no team took the field because of the covid pandemic and lower-than-needed roster numbers. A group of 16 came together to finish 4-10 overall and...

Apollo-Ridge coach John Skiba was overcome with emotion, tears flowing down his face, after speaking with his team following a highly emotional 34-19 home victory over Valley on Friday. Injuries to key players and deficits at halftime and in the fourth quarter challenged the Vikings players. But they rallied around...

Facing a halftime deficit and another one in the fourth quarter and also facing adversity with several key injuries, Apollo-Ridge dug deep for a 34-19 victory over Valley in a nonsection contest Friday at Owens Field in Apollo. Senior Nick Curci carried the ball 31 times for 249 yards and...

Jacksen Reiser was hoping to have a big senior season with the Freeport football team. The 6-foot, 190-pound inside linebacker had drawn interest from several area colleges. Programs at the next level started to take notice last year when he recorded 114 tackles, including five sacks, to help the Yellowjackets...

Nonconference Blackhawk (0-1) at Highlands (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, at Golden Rams Stadium, Natrona Heights Blackhawk got on the board late in Friday’s 22-7 loss to neighboring rival Beaver Falls as quarterback Alex Prichard connected with Sam Stewart for a 22-yard touchdown. … Highlands topped University Prep for the second...

Luke Bombalski Highlands, jr., RB/LB Bombalski broke out last year as a bruising runner for the Golden Rams, and last Friday, he picked up where he left off with 23 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns in Highlands’ 34-12 victory over University Prep. Bombalski also recorded five tackles, including...

The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its inaugural WPIAL top-10 poll for the 2022 girls volleyball season Monday morning, and North Allegheny (Class 4A), Thomas Jefferson (Class 3A), Freeport (Class 2A) and Bishop Canevin (Class A) are at the top of their specific rankings. The season kicked off this...

The Kiski Area and Norwin girls volleyball teams kick off their seasons Monday evening, and for the second year in a row, the rivals will take their nonsection matchup outside. The Cavaliers and Knights expect a big crowd and good weather for the Pack the Park Volleyball Classic, an event...

The Gateway girls soccer program experienced transition in the offseason as Kelly Bender stepped down as varsity head coach after six seasons to concentrate on family and professional work changes. Those at Gateway looking for the new coach ultimately didn’t have to go far to find the person they ended...

Gateway boys soccer coach Bernie Stiles said championship victories at a pair of winter indoor tournaments — futsal events at Deer Lakes and Penn Hills — were sparks that fueled the team in its offseason preparation for the 2022 season. “Our second team, too, made it into the semifinals of...

The Riverview boys soccer team went winless in 2021. There were several close matchups that went down to the wire, but the youthful Raiders squad, with no seniors and just four juniors, weren’t able to get over the hump. But while the team didn’t find success in terms of wins...

The Plum boys soccer team has had some heart-wrenching playoff results the past three seasons. In 2019, when this year’s seniors were freshman, the Mustangs, the No. 1 seed, suffered a close 3-2 loss to Canon-McMillan in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals. A year later, Plum was the No. 4...

Physical play on both sides of the ball is the calling card for Shawn Liotta-coached teams, and he said he was pleased with what he saw on film from Burrell’s 31-10 victory at Jeannette on Friday. Before the season, Liotta said the Bucs would rely a lot on a power...

After a two-year hiatus, the Leechburg and Apollo-Ridge football teams renewed their neighboring rivalry Friday night for a Week Zero clash at Owens Field. The Vikings, who collected 530 yards of offense, earned bragging rights in the latest matchup against the Blue Devils. Apollo-Ridge held off a late Leechburg charge...

The WPIAL girls soccer championship games will be back at Highmark Stadium for the second year in a row, and Plum hopes to again reserve a spot in the Class 3A game in early November. Runners-up to Mars the past two seasons — 2020 at North Allegheny and last year...

Dom Dininno Kiski Area, sr., WR/DB The Cavaliers senior has emerged as a main target in the passing game and hopes to make his mark in Friday’s opener against Plum. Dininno also is one to watch on the defensive side of the ball. He earned Class 5A Northeast Conference second-team...

Nonconference Armstrong at Valley 7 p.m. Friday, at Valley High Memorial Stadium, New Kensington Armstrong is led by the arm and legs of senior Cadin Olsen, a Penn commit. Olsen threw for 28 touchdowns and added 16 rushing scores in 2021. The River Hawks hope to qualify for the WPIAL...