Mark Nitowski stories, Page 2

As a youngster, Stefan Lundberg gravitated toward the sport of soccer for a simple reason. “T-ball was a little too slow-paced for me,” Lundberg said with a laugh. “Soccer is a fast game, and you have to keep moving. I picked it up pretty well and kept playing the rest...

When he stepped onto the hard court, Joe Discello brought an unbridled enthusiasm to officiating basketball. “He was really energetic and enjoyed the game,” veteran official Mike Jarosinski said. “He liked being out there with the players and the coaches.” A familiar face to Alle-Kiski Valley basketball followers, Discello missed...

Even with a senior-laden lineup, Deer Lakes boys volleyball coach Kody Putirka considers his Lancers squad a work in progress. “We have a lot of seniors, and we’re trying to get them on the same page and playing to where I know they can,” Putirka said. “We have a lot...

Tom Slosky’s decorated career as a distance runner and coach earned him a call to the hall. The Highlands and Duquesne graduate is among those scheduled for induction into the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame on May 20 at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar. A few weeks after the...

Tom Phillips’ road to becoming one of the most accomplished volleyball coaches in WPIAL history began — oddly enough — on the race track at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver. “I was a dirt track race car driver for 15 years,” Phillips said. “I started at 17 (years old) as a...

Like most exceptional athletes, Erin Exler Bish seemed to be at her best at the most crucial moments. “You would want me at the plate when the game was on the line,” the Harmar native said. Whether it was in the batter’s box or pitcher’s circle, Bish’s penchant for performing...

When asked to reflect on his more than six decades in basketball, Terry Thompson was quick with a clarification. “I’m still coaching, so my career isn’t over. I’m only 80 (years old), you know,” he said with a chuckle. Thompson serves as an assistant boys coach at Conneaut (Ohio) High...

As a working mom with a young family, Emily Alcorn Taylor doesn’t spend much time thinking about her Riverview basketball career these days. But the memories came rushing back after Taylor received word she was among those scheduled for induction into the Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame on May 20...

Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport and Valley will try to rekindle some old rivalries in a new baseball section this spring. After two years in Class 4A, Burrell and Freeport return to Class 3A for the 2023 season. They will compete in Section 3 with fellow A-K Valley schools Deer Lakes...

Fresh off competing in the collegiate national championships, Lower Burrell’s Austin Aikins is taking the next step in his fishing career. “I’m going to try to pursue it on a professional level right now,” said Aikins, who represented Bethel University in the Major League Fishing (MLF) College National Championships, Feb....

Expectations weren’t high when Tom Saulle became the Freeport girls basketball coach in 1977. “Everyone said that I was crazy, that we would never win,” he said. Saulle took a small step toward proving the doubters wrong in his first season. “We won two games that year, which was (then)...

Plum’s Alaina Claassen hasn’t let an injury prevent her pursuit of a state girls wrestling title. A freshman, Claassen said she dislocated her knee and damaged cartilage early in the season. Though the knee is not at 100 percent, she’s returned to the mat. Claassen placed second at 235 pounds...

Some of the top girls high school wrestlers in Pennsylvania will converge on Kiski Area High School for Sunday’s West Region Championships. “We’re expecting 300 to 350 girls to be here,” said Kiski Area wrestling coach Chris Heater, adding that matches will be held on four mats. Besides WPIAL wrestlers,...