Michael Love stories, Page 33

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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 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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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:...

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...

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...

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...

Senior-laden Oakland Catholic didn’t waste any time in taking control of its WPIAL girls basketball Class 5A first-round game against Kiski Area on Tuesday at Fox Chapel. The second-seeded Eagles, with four senior starters, opened a double-digit lead just five minutes into the game and rolled from there. Senior Alexa...

Junior Julie Spinelli hit a 3-pointer for St. Joseph just 14 seconds into Monday’s WPIAL Class A first-round girls basketball game with Geibel Catholic at St. Joseph’s Walter Dlubak Athletic Center. It was the start of a dominant performance by the fifth-seeded Spartans who rolled to a 64-26 victory over...