One of my favorite stories about Randy Giannini? Sure. It goes this way … Randy would often stop in at my desk at The Valley Independent to say ‘hi’ or talk local sports because there was no bigger lo...

If you are like me (and I think many of you reading this are) then this is akin to Christmas Week with the NFL Draft coming up in a few days. I always look forward to the draft and I don’t mind saying...

Previous columns have covered many of the accomplishments of Monessen’s Carl Crawley, often focusing on his outstanding officiating career — and what a career it was. Crawley once said, “I’ve been on ...

You have to really give it to the Steelers as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. First, they are successful in getting the draft to make a stop in Pittsburgh as the site of the three-day extravaganza Apri...

You can call me a homer if you want, but what I’m about to say is based more on fact than sentimentality. Name for me one other professional sports city whose fortunes have made a quicker about-face t...

The Mon Valley lost a sports legend and a genuinely great man 14 months ago with the passing of Carl Crawley. It’s only fitting to honor a man who gave so much to local sports and the people who playe...

In about three weeks, all eyes around the NFL will be on Pittsburgh as the city hosts the NFL Draft. And for all you football junkies who can’t get enough of the sport and are looking for a bridge to ...

According to an age-old saying, a leopard never changes its spots. That has never been more true when we look at the Pirates and how they are handling 19-year-old phenom Konnor Griffin. Griffin, who w...

So it begins here in the Mon Valley, and like clockwork, it’s gone as expected. Spring sports – baseball, softball, track and flag football – are underway and to no one’s surprise it’s snowing as I wr...

Trying to figure out some of the “madness” before the Madness starts, here’s some food for thought: • I know sometimes it is tough to determine who gets in the NCAA Tournament without complaining abou...

“March Madness” means different things to different people. It means the days are getting longer and summer is just around the corner. It means the start of spring sports for high schools and it’s tim...

I recently learned that the late “JoJo” Heath will be inducted into the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026 in June. My first reaction when I heard the news was simple:...

By WAYNE STEWART For MVI Sports Editor’s note: Part 1 of this story covered Mark Thomas’ days at Elizabeth Forward, Penn State, and the early stages of his coaching career. Returning to Mark Thomas’ c...

Ringgold went 29-2 that season and captured the WPIAL championship. For the second consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Hall of Fame featured a distinct Ringgold flavor. A year after forme...

College basketball has its “March Madness” when the tournament begins and we eliminate the pretenders from the contenders (barring upsets) rather quickly. High school hoops playoffs don’t wait for Mar...

The biggest betting extravaganza in the world of sports takes place Sunday. In other words, it’s the Super Bowl. Millions of dollars will be bet on a bevy of different props like whether the toss of t...

Mike McCarthy might be “one of us” as a Pittsburgh guy. But even with the press conference that introduced him as the new coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is not exactly being greeted with open ar...

We should not be surprised that the next Steelers coach is Mike McCarthy. We really shouldn’t. In fact, team owner Art Rooney II all but told us who the next coach would be last week. At the press con...

Karl Sivek had the power of a leopard when he took the field for the Belle Vernon High School football team. Coincidentally, the running back-outside linebacker from the Class of 1975 didn’t even have...

Fans of high school basketball will be treated to some great games around the Mon Valley over the next couple of weeks. As the season winds down, a number of teams looking to make a push towards a sec...