Michael Love stories, Page 94
Hard-hitting Apollo-Ridge softball in WPIAL playoff mix
The Apollo-Ridge softball team was on the wrong side of a perfect game Monday against Ligonier Valley junior standout Maddie Griffin. But rather than wallow in the wake of the setback, Vikings coach John Kinnamon said his team was laser-focused and ready to prepare for the next contest. Apollo-Ridge has...
Pittsburgh-area youth hockey teams ready to mix it up at nationals
The North Pittsburgh Tier II 16U boys hockey team had to battle back from an early hole in their Mid-Am District national-qualifying tournament in late March. The Wildcats lost their first game to the Pittsburgh Predators, 4-3, in a double overtime shootout. But they responded with convincing wins over the...
WVU, Tennessee football teams to open 2028 in Charlotte
Fans of the West Virginia and Tennessee football teams can mark Sept. 2 on their 2028 calendars as the Mountaineers and Volunteers will do battle that day in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, N.C., the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced Tuesday. West Virginia will be designated the home team for...
Griffin tosses perfect game as Ligonier Valley blanks Apollo-Ridge
The Apollo-Ridge softball team scored at least nine runs in all six of their wins this season, including 11 each in convincing Section 2-2A victories last week over Serra Catholic and Seton LaSalle. But the Vikings had no answer Monday for Ligonier Valley standout junior pitcher Maddie Griffin in a...
Seton LaSalle takes over top spot in WPIAL Class AA volleyball coaches rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 5 rankings Monday morning, and there is a change at the head of the Class AA Top 10. Seton LaSalle leapfrogged Ambridge and North Catholic into the No. 1 spot after a week in which the Rebels scored a 3-0 nonsection...
WPIAL’s top tennis doubles teams set for gold rush
The WPIAL’s top Class AAA and Class AA boys doubles teams will go for gold Tuesday and Wednesday and also challenge for berths to the PIAA tournaments, slated for May 28 and 29 in Hershey. The top three teams in Class AA and the top two in Class AAA will...
Gateway’s Shegog looks forward to prestigious Roundball Classic
Gateway senior forward Dynasty Shegog went toe-to-toe with Penn Hills’ Amoni Blackwell, Jasmyn Golden and Jayla Golden; McKeesport’s Haley Hertzer; and Woodland Hills’ Peyton Pinkney in Section 4-5A during the truncated 2020-21 season. But those opponents will become teammates the weekend of May 15 for the annual Roundball Classic all-star...
Gateway’s Robinson finding her place among WPIAL’s top sprinters
Amaya Robinson felt at home at the South Hills Classic on April 10. Baldwin hosted, but Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium provided the setting for the events. The junior sprinter collected a fifth-place medal and a season-best time of 12.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash. “I definitely feel I have room to...
Plum track and field athletes shine at Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational
After competing in a trio of Section 5-AAA meets in the early part of the season, Plum boys and girls track and field team members stepped out and tested their mettle at their first invitational of the spring April 16. Plum first-year coach Stephanie Lednak said the Lady Spartan and...
Plum girls lacrosse off to strong start, aims to win 1st playoff game in program historyVideo
The Plum varsity girls lacrosse team hopes to make history this year with its first WPIAL playoff victory in its fifth year as a full member of the WPIAL. The Mustangs are well on their way to giving themselves that opportunity. Plum stood at 7-3 overall and 5-1 in Section...
Deer Lakes softball streaks past Derry to cap off big weekVideo
Some early two-out lightning put the Deer Lakes softball team on the right track to an 8-2 Section 1-3A victory over Derry on Friday. All four of the Lancers’ runs in the first inning came with two outs, as did their second-inning run, as they took a 5-0 lead. “We...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Burrell grad Alaina York finds success at Robert Morris
The Robert Morris softball team was 22-14 overall and 17-11 in Horizon League play heading into a conference doubleheader Saturday against Youngstown State. Senior center fielder Alaina York (Burrell) has been a key component. Starting all 36 games through Friday, York is batting .300 with 12 RBIs, five doubles and...
Opening night, Take 2 at Lernerville Speedway
Mother Nature kept the cars off the track at Don Martin’s Lernerville Speedway last week in what was scheduled to be opening night for 2021. “We had much longer precipitation than what was originally anticipated,” first-year Lernerville general manager Mike Lysakowski said. “When we went to bed on Thursday night,...
A-K Valley softball notebook: Dramatic win was worth wait for Deer Lakes
Things didn’t go as planned for the Deer Lakes softball team in a 6-3 section loss at Valley in Section 1-3A on April 9. The setback stopped a three-game winning streak to start the season. The Lancers hoped to quickly get back on track, but an April 12 section game...
Plum softball starting to hit stride in search of elusive playoff victory
When the Plum softball team suffered a 5-0 loss to Section 1-5A rival Franklin Regional on April 7, team members were itching to get back on the field and bounce back from the uncharacteristic shutout. But a game against Woodland Hills two days later was scrapped because of covid issues...
WVU football’s Gold-Blue Game set for Saturday
West Virginia football’s annual Gold-Blue spring football game is back after a one-year covid hiatus. The game will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. The stadium will operate at approximately 25% capacity as part of health, safety and wellness measures being implemented in response...
North Allegheny, Ambridge hold their top spots in boys volleyball coaches rankings
The Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its WPIAL Week 4 boys rankings Monday morning, and North Allegheny (Class AAA) and Ambridge (Class AA) maintained their No. 1 positions in their respective polls. In Class AAA, Seneca Valley remained at No. 2, while Hempfield, which made it to the finals...
Knoch thrower Josh Rohland hoping for big numbers as postseason approaches
Knoch’s Josh Rohland got his first taste of WPIAL track and field championship competition as a sophomore at the 2019 Class AAA meet at Slippery Rock. Throwing the discus, he finished 16th with a throw of 123 feet, 8 inches. The trip to WPIALs was a building block for Rohland,...
Gateway soccer standout seizes opportunity with Cal (Pa.)
In December, Gateway senior Jayson Jenkins set in stone his decision to kick in college for the Robert Morris football team. Twin sister Joelle, a standout physical defender and four-year starter for the Gators girls soccer team, also hoped to find a place to call her own for the next...
Gateway baseball determined to join playoff race in second half of season
As the Gateway baseball team continues to find its way in what is turning out to be a competitive Section 1 in Class 5A, coach Mark Wardzinski likes the resolute attitude of his players. They’re determined to keep building on the positives and working to smooth any bumps in the...
Riverview, Plum athletes look forward to final high school basketball game
Gideon Deasy’s final high school basketball season didn’t start off as he had hoped as he continued to recover from an ankle injury that had plagued him since the fall. But the Riverview senior point guard eventually made his way back to the court, and he will cap his season...
Plum baseball ‘resilient and tough’ in early-season stretch
When Plum baseball coach Carl Vollmer looked back at the Section 2-5A series against Mars from April 12 and 13, he didn’t see perfection. Far from it, he said. But what he saw was a pair of dramatic, last-inning victories that could go a long way in determining who walks...
A-K Valley campus clippings: Fisher continues to excel for Penn State volleyball
Riverview graduate Cal Fisher has delivered impactful performances for the Penn State men’s volleyball team, and he has earned first team All-Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association honors. He is one of six Nittany Lions players named to the EIVA all-star teams. It is his second conference first-team selection. Fisher finished the...
Lernerville set to open another, more conventional, season
Mike Lysakowski took on the duties of general manager at Sarver’s Lernerville Speedway last October, and he was able to take in several races to close out what was a season unlike any other in the new reality of the covid pandemic. After a flurry of offseason activity, Lysakowski said...
A-K Valley softball notebook: Plum breaks out bats in return to action
Plum players had to wait a week to get the bad taste of a 5-0 loss to Section 1-5A rival Franklin Regional out of their mouths. The Mustangs had section games Friday against Woodland Hills (covid) and Monday against Kiski Area (rain) postponed. So Plum was more than ready Wednesday...
