Michael Love stories, Page 57
Plum swimmers seeing results after ‘intense holiday training’
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...
Plum gymnast Sarah Kvortek ups degree of difficulty in quest for more success
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 rally to sink Highlands in key section matchup
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...
Freeport girls basketball team working to make playoffs without injured senior Soilis
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...
Deer Lakes boys beat Shady Side Academy in final seconds
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...
Apollo-Ridge girls hold serve with win over Mt. Pleasant
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,...
Gateway girls look to bounce back after narrow section losses
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...
Plum wrestlers look forward to Allegheny County tournament
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...
Pitt to celebrate anniversary of Jerome Lane’s famous dunkVideo
Pitt will celebrate one of the most memorable highlights in college basketball history Jan. 25 as the Panthers host Wake Forest at the Petersen Events Center. “Send it in, Jerome!” night will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Jerome Lane’s backboard-shattering dunk from Jan. 24, 1987, against Providence. “SEND IT IN...
Plum girls hold off furious Kiski Area rally to win
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...
Riverview boys find winning formula with balanced scoring effort
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...
St. Joseph’s Julie Spinelli doing a little bit of everything
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 grad Derrick Davis transfers from LSU to Pitt
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...
Freshman, senior leading charge for Kiski Area girls wrestling
It was an all-Kiski Area final in the 126-pound bracket at the high school girls Powerade Tournament on Dec. 28 at Canon-McMillan High School. On opposite sides of the bracket, senior Bella DeVito and freshman Ava Golding were among the favorites to win in the 16-wrestler field that featured numerous...
Gateway’s Matt Brooks, Dallas Harper look forward to future in football
Matt Brooks didn’t wait around for his college experience to begin. The December Gateway graduate moved into his dorm room at Duquesne on Jan. 4 and began classes the next day. The start of winter football workouts was to follow Friday and pick up in intensity this week. “It feels...
Renovations moving quickly for Gateway’s state-of-the-art baseball, softball fields
Two weeks ago, outfield walls similar to what is seen at PNC Park were installed on the baseball and softball fields at Gateway High School. “It is a pretty neat visual,” Gateway athletic director Don Holl said. It was the latest addition to a project to renovate both fields that...
A-K Valley athletes of the week: Highlands’ Shelby Wojcik, Kiski Area’s Isaiah Gonzalez
Shelby Wojcik Class: Junior School: Highlands Sport: Basketball Report card: Highlands junior forward Shelby Wojcik had a team-high 20 points in helping the Golden Rams defeat rival Freeport, 55-44, in a Section 1-4A contest Thursday night. It was the third win in a row for Highlands (6-4, 2-1). Wojcik, who...
Plum’s girls wrestling team shows improvement in early-season matches
The Plum School District sanctioned girls wrestling in June — the 47th district to do so in Pennsylvania — and since then, the program has made significant strides. Its wrestlers, coach Dave Miller said, are making progress both in the practice room and on the competition mat. “I first saw...
Plum basketball finding its way
Rich Mull saw ups and downs from a youthful Plum girls basketball team in his first season as head coach last year. The Mustangs finished outside of the playoff mix for the first time in six seasons. The still young team, with just forward Dannika Susko and guard Cam Rogers...
Franklin Regional keeps Kiski Area in check, leans on Rowell in 4th to pull out win
Franklin Regional boys basketball coach Jesse Reed said Friday’s Section 3-5A home contest with Kiski Area wasn’t the prettiest of performances from his team, but he was pleased the Panthers were able to produce a 43-36 victory over the Cavaliers. “You have to win ugly sometimes,” Reed said. “Our guys...
3 players score in double digits as Highlands girls hold off Freeport for 3rd straight win
The Highlands girls basketball team went three for three Thursday in a Section 1-4A matchup at Freeport. Three players scored in double figures as the Golden Rams won their third game in a row with a 55-44 victory over the Yellowjackets at Freeport Middle School. “We just had to execute...
Young Plum girls team might be finding way in new year
Rich Mull saw ups and downs from a youthful Plum girls basketball team in his first season as coach last year. The Mustangs finished outside of the playoff mix for the first time in six seasons. The still young team, with just forward Dannika Susko and guard Cam Rogers as...
Shady Side Academy coach Jonna Burke hits 500 career wins with victory over Apollo-Ridge
Not too often do opposing basketball coaches combine to own nearly 1,100 career victories. That was the case Tuesday as Shady Side Academy’s Jonna Burke and Apollo-Ridge’s Ray Bartha guided their teams into the Section 3-3A girls opener at Shady Side Academy’s Mellon Gym. Bartha has 568 victories in nearly...
Pittsburgh Passion releases 2023 schedule
The Pittsburgh Passion women’s semi-pro football team on Monday released its 2023 season schedule. The Passion will play six games — three at home and three on the road — in the Women’s Football Alliance Pro National Division. They will open their season April 22 at longtime rival D.C. Divas....
Alle-Kiski Valley’s top 10 sports stories of 2022
The year 2022 will long be remembered for many monumental happenings, from A-K Valley athletes’ accomplishments to championship performances and teams bringing home gold at the district, regional and state levels. Athletes again were able to pay off many hours of dedication and determination to not only reach but to...
