Michael Love stories, Page 51

Maddie Kee was key for the Deer Lakes softball team in its Section 1-3A clash at rival Valley on Thursday afternoon. Under sunny skies, Kee led the way at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. She also scattered four hits in the pitching circle...

The Kiski Area softball team missed the WPIAL playoffs in 2019 and ‘21 after a run to the quarterfinals in ‘18. But the Cavaliers have assured themselves a return to the postseason this spring. They solidified their positioning in the Section 1-5A standings and clinched Wednesday at home against rival...

The Leechburg and Springdale softball teams ended long weather-related layoffs Monday with the resumption of a Section 3-A rivalry that has produced its fair share of close and competitive outcomes. The contest at Leechburg-Gilpin Park — the first this season between the Dynamos and Blue Devils — was no exception....

North Allegheny and North Catholic kept their places at the top in the Class 3A and Class 2A boys volleyball rankings, respectively, as the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its Week 5 top-10 polls Monday morning. The Tigers solidified their hold on the Class 3A top spot with three...

Caleb Lehman has made an impact on the Chatham University baseball team for several years, and the Cougars senior catcher continues to perform in his final collegiate season. The Gateway graduate produced a .358 (34 of 95) average through Chatham’s first 25 games with 18 runs batted in, 21 runs...

When breaking down early-season progress of his boys and girls track and field teams, veteran Gateway coach Tom LaBuff said that his athletes have worked hard to cut through adversities such as less-than-stellar weather and the fight to stay healthy in the quest to meet their goals and expectations. “The...

Ray Sharick was just beginning his Burrell varsity track and field career as a freshman when he met Frank Phelps. Many hours of training with Phelps in and out of the weight room, Sharick said, was instrumental in helping him earn a trip to the PIAA track and field championships...

The Plum and Mars baseball teams set the standard for close and competitive games the past two seasons. That was evident when the Section 2-5A rivals met April 12 and 13. The Mustangs swept the Planets last year — both games ending in one-run results — and Mars returned the...

The Highlands softball team returned to game action Friday after a nine-day, weather-related layoff, and it put a second win on the board against Section 1-4A rival Freeport. Playing just their second home game of the season, the Golden Rams got solo home runs from Jaycee Haidze and Maera Williams...

After nearly a decade, the Pittsburgh Karate Championships return to the Pittsburgh area. The event, which ran for nearly four decades prior to its hiatus, will kick off Saturday morning at the Quality Inn in New Kensington and will feature more than 300 competitors of all ages, from those who...

The weather in Sarver early Friday evening calls for temperatures in the low 60s with no rain in sight. That is good news for area racing fans who plan to flock to Lernerville Speedway as the season finally gets started. Mother Nature put a halt to the first two attempts...

Sydney Selker made the most of her first varsity season with the Freeport softball team. Last year, as a freshman, she batted .483 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 28 runs scored. She also finished 8-5 with a 3.70 earned-run average and 114 strikeouts in 89 innings. Selker is...

Nick Dizon called it a very tough decision, but after four years as coach of the Kiski Area girls basketball team, he is stepping away to lead the women’s program at Penn State Greater Allegheny. “I met with the team (Monday) night, and talking with them was probably one of...

A section clash last week between WPIAL heavyweights produced a change at the top of the latest Western Pa. Volleyball Coaches Association Class 2A rankings released Monday morning. North Catholic, No. 2 last week, upended No. 1 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 3-1, on April 12 and has moved...

Pitt is it for another Plum girls soccer standout. Junior Kaitlyn Killinger, an All-WPIAL and all-state forward who helped the Mustangs reach the WPIAL Class 3A championship game for the second year in a row and make a deep run in the PIAA playoffs, gave a verbal commitment to the...

The Plum girls lacrosse team reached the midpoint of its Section 1-2A slate in contention for the section title. The Mustangs, who are gearing up a nonsection clash with Class 3A Penn-Trafford on Friday, improved to 4-1 in section play and 5-2 overall with an intense 11-8 victory over rival...

Amaya Robinson is building on the past and making the most of the present while lending an eye to the future. The Gateway senior sprinting standout, a WPIAL medalist last year in the Class 3A girls 100-meter dash (sixth) at Slippery Rock, will make Slippery Rock her collegiate home starting...

The Gateway baseball team split last year’s Section 1-5A series with Penn-Trafford on the way to a 6-4 record and a trip to the WPIAL playoffs. Early last week, the Gators hoped to break out the brooms and sweep past the Warriors. But Penn-Trafford wouldn’t go quietly after Gateway took...

Parker Steele has high hopes the Riverview boys 3,200-meter relay can defend its WPIAL Class 2A title from a year ago. With three of the four runners back — Steele, a senior, along with junior Amberson Bauer and senior Ty Laughlin — and a mix of veterans, including senior Lucas...

The Plum girls lacrosse team reached the midpoint of its Section 1-2A slate in contention for the section title. The Mustangs, who are gearing up for their next game, a nonsection clash with Class 3A Penn-Trafford on Friday, improved to 4-1 in section play and 5-2 overall with an intense...

Burrell took Game 1, but the Knoch baseball team returned the favor in a big way Friday afternoon in a Section 1-4A rematch at sun-splashed No Offseason in Russellton. Jacob Stallsmith doubled, singled and drove in six runs as the Knights collected 12 hits in a 15-5 victory over the...

Early last season, Deer Lakes suffered a 6-3 loss to Valley, and that ended up playing a big part in costing the Lancers a share of the Section 1-3A championship. North Catholic and Deer Lakes ended up splitting their season series, but the Trojans won the title outright with a...

Jalen Cloud produced a highly successful indoor season with the Cal (Pa.) men’s track and field team, and those positive outcomes have carried over to the outdoors. The Vulcans senior and Kiski Area graduate improved on his NCAA provisional mark in the triple jump Saturday at IUP’s Ed Fry Invitational....

North Allegheny (Class 3A) and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Class 2A) held on to their respective No. 1 spots in the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s Week 3 WPIAL boys top 10 polls released Monday morning. The Tigers capped this past week with a semifinal finish at the...