Michael Love stories, Page 54
Gateway hopes confidence carries over after strong performance in last year’s baseball playoffs
The Gateway baseball team entered last year’s WPIAL Class 5A playoffs as the 15th seed after tying for fourth place in Section 1 with McKeesport at 3-7. But the Gators didn’t let their seed get to them as they took on No. 2 Bethel Park. Gateway took the eventual PIAA...
Mt. Pleasant girls repeat as WPIAL Class 2A swimming champions
The Mt. Pleasant girls swim team completed Friday what they started Thursday. Swims at the top and throughout a deep lineup produced points in nearly every race, and it translated to the Vikings’ second straight WPIAL Class 2A championship. “It is awesome,” said a soaked Mt. Pleasant coach Sandy Felice...
Kiski Area boys rally, win team title at WPIAL Class 2A swimming championships
The Kiski Area boys swim team trailed Indiana by 12 points heading into the 400-yard freestyle relay Friday at the WPIAL Class 2A championships. The top-seeded Cavaliers quartet of sophomore Justin Tucker, junior Landon Seman, and seniors Parker Sterlitz and Levi Hansen raced to the championship with a strong final...
Mt. Pleasant girls put on clinic at WPIAL swim championships
The Mt. Pleasant girls swim team is halfway to back-to-back WPIAL Class 2A titles. Fronted by four WPIAL Day 1 titles — two individual and two relay— with four WPIAL records, the Vikings sit atop the standings by 50 points over Quaker Valley. “It was a great first day for...
Fox Chapel’s Shao keeps adding to WPIAL swimming medal count
Fox Chapel senior and Brown commit Sophie Shao had another big day at the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. With two more individual titles during Day 1 on Thursday, her total WPIAL-title haul in her four years now stands at nine, individually and relays. Shao defended...
Kiski Area, Freeport, Fox Chapel swimmers chasing gold at WPIAL championships
Title defenses, breakout performances and cheering crowds, oh my. Pitt’s Trees Pool will be alive Thursday and Friday as the site of the WPIAL Class 3A and 2A swimming championships. In the Alle-Kiski Valley, the Fox Chapel girls seek a championship in Class 3A after giving North Allegheny all it...
North Catholic girls handle Highlands to earn another trip to WPIAL finals
There weren’t many secrets Tuesday at Gateway as section rivals North Catholic and Highlands met in a WPIAL Class 4A girls semifinal with a trip to Saturday’s championship game on the line. The sixth-seeded Golden Rams hoped the third time would be the charm after the No. 2 Trojanettes took...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 1, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 4A Third-place consolation 5-Highlands (21-4) at 2-Laurel Highlands (21-3) 7 p.m. Wednesday at Laurel Highlands High School, Uniontown Winner plays: District 9 champion in PIAA first round March 11 (site/time TBD) Loser plays: District 5 or 6 champion in PIAA first round March 11 (site/time...
Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association playoffs set
The Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association concluded regular-season play Friday, and the final qualifiers and seeding for Friday’s league playoffs at Allderdice were determined. The top four boys and girls teams earned playoff spots. The Shady Side Academy girls completed the regular season undefeated (7-0) with a 6-3 win over Pine-Richland....
Union girls take care of St. Joseph to earn 1st trip to WPIAL championship game
The St. Joseph girls basketball team took down the top seed in last year’s WPIAL Class A quarterfinals. The Spartans attempted to do it again Monday, this time in a semifinal matchup against Union at North Allegheny. But the Scotties, who used a big first quarter to open a 19-point...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 28, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 4A Semifinals 2-North Catholic (20-3) vs. 6-Highlands (16-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway High School, Monroeville Winner plays: Winner of 1-Blackhawk (20-3) vs. 4-Quaker Valley (16-7) in championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Kate Myers, Highlands; Dacia Lewandowski,...
Ray Bartha retires after 579 wins as Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach
Ray Bartha said he knew it was time. “Pretty much at the beginning of the season, I made up my mind that this would be it,” said Bartha, the longtime Apollo-Ridge girls basketball coach who officially retired last week after his second stint leading the Vikings. “At the end of...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 27, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 4A Semifinals 1-Lincoln Park (23-1) vs. 5-Highlands (21-3) 8 p.m. Monday at Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 2-Laurel Highlands (21-2)/6-North Catholic (18-6) in championship game at 9 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Meleek Thomas, Lincoln Park;...
Gateway’s Hunter Raymer ready to defend gold medal at WPIAL swimming championships
Gateway sophomore Hunter Raymer is the defending WPIAL Class 3A champion in the boys 500-yard freestyle. He raced to the top in a time of 4 minutes, 35.83 seconds last year at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Raymer edged fellow first-year WPIAL competitor, Central Catholic’s Luke Hartman, for the title by two...
Narrow section losses proved costly for Riverview boys basketball
Riverview boys basketball coach Phil McGivney hoped to be involved in on-court playoff activities instead of recalling what could’ve been from the regular season. The Raiders set themselves up for a run to the WPIAL postseason, but some tough outcomes down the stretch foiled their plans for the playoffs. “I...
Plum swimmers ready to contend at WPIAL championship meet
The Plum girls swim team will be taking one of its largest groups to the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Nine swimmers — seven individuals and two others who will swim only relays — hope to make a splash Thursday and Friday. “From a coaching standpoint, this...
Oakland Catholic’s Alexa Washington aims to cap high school career on high note
Alexa Washington felt a tinge of emotion rise to the surface last week when talking about the inevitable conclusion of her high school basketball career levied against the excitement of her Oakland Catholic team’s opportunities in the WPIAL playoffs. “I know it’s coming, but right now, all I am thinking...
Fencing develops into tight-knit community for high school athletes
Sophomore Jake Burgos scored a big victory in the Allderdice boys fencing team’s 5-4 victory over rival Fox Chapel on Feb. 10 at Allderdice High School. The defending Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association champion Dragons clinched a spot in the league playoffs with that win and a victory later in the...
Highlands girls beat Elizabeth Forward, clinch program’s 1st PIAA spot
The Elizabeth Forward girls basketball team averaged 60.5 points during the regular season en route to a Section 3 title, 17 victories and the No. 3 seed for the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. But No. 6 Highlands limited the potent Warriors offense throughout Friday’s quarterfinal matchup at Gateway’s Furrie Sports...
Golden Gloves tournament kicks off Saturday with bouts at Monroeville Mall
The road to the Golden Gloves state and national finals begins Saturday with a loaded card at Gloria’s Gym in the Monroeville Mall. Both eliminations and championships will be a part of the 14-bout card and will feature Golden Gloves veterans and others new to the amateur tournament. Eleven of...
Highlands boys make good on third shot at Hampton, advance to semifinals
The third time was the charm for the Highlands boys basketball team. After a pair of losses to rival Hampton in section play, the Golden Rams had payback on their plate Thursday in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal game at a packed North Allegheny High School. Three Highlands players led...
A-K Valley basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 24, 2023
WPIAL Girls Basketball Playoffs Class 4A Quarterfinals 6-Highlands (15-7) vs. 3-Elizabeth Forward (17-5) 6 p.m. Friday at Gateway High School, Monroeville Winner plays: Winner of 7-Beaver Area (14-8) at 2-North Catholic (19-3) on Tuesday in semifinals (site/time TBD) Players to Watch: Kalleigh Nerone, Highlands; Julia Resnik, Elizabeth Forward Layup lines:...
St. Joseph coach Dennis Jones continues recovery from series of medical issues as team reaches quarterfinals
Dennis Jones watched St. Joseph girls basketball’s first-round playoff victory over Geibel on the team’s Hudl account. Monday’s triumph propelled the Spartans into the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals Thursday at Monessen. Jones, in his fifth year as St. Joseph’s coach, said he is grateful to be able to follow the...
A-K Valley WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 4-Hampton (21-2) vs. 5-Highlands (20-3) 8 p.m. Thursday at North Allegheny High School, McCandless Winner plays: Winner of 1-Lincoln Park (22-1)/8-South Allegheny (19-4) in semifinals Monday (site, time TBD) Players to watch: Robert Coll, Hampton; Cam Reigard, Highlands Layup lines: These Section 1...
Kiski Area grad Ben Fiore to lead boys soccer team at alma mater
Ben Fiore is coming home. The 2015 Kiski Area graduate and former Cavaliers soccer player is the new boys coach at his alma mater. Fiore was hired Monday by the Kiski Area School Board to take over for Sean Arnold, who stepped down after the 2022 season, concluding nine years...
