Not too long ago, Scott Frederick recalled a unique class project at Ringgold that turned into a memorable brush with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Around 1999, as the team planned to build a new ballpark, ...

When Frazier finished off a dominating 27--12 win over host California in a WPIAL 1A first round playoff game Friday, it was a night of many milestones for the Commodores. First off, it was the progra...

The WPIAL postseason is finally here, and it seems like the season just flew by. Here I am making plans for basketball season, which tips off in just under four weeks, while managing and scheduling co...

By JEFF OLIVER MVI Sports All too often, in today’s society, we tend to look at our youth with a jaundiced eye. And the reasons are many because a lot of kids today have just grown up in a different e...

This weekend some teams will undoubtedly be disappointed when some perennial playoff teams are on the outside looking in. It’s going to be interesting to see where some of our local teams are seeding,...

As temperatures start to dip into fall, here’s a little food for thought: • When you opened your copy of The Mon Valley Independent Saturday morning, you probably noticed how many blowouts resulted fr...

Greetings from rainy Summerville, S.C.! My first ever column written outside of the Keystone State. And it won’t be the last. Just because I chose to move south and avoid the cold weather and sometime...

WAYNE STEWART MVI Sports Mickey Bitsko of Van Voorhis became a four-sport star at Charleroi High School, but like his older brother, NFL All-Pro linebacker Myron Pottios, his best sport was football. ...

One day after the end of a too-little, too-late U.S. comeback attempt in the Ryder Cup, here’s a little food for thought: * Once again, Penn State fans are painfully reminded that their team is going ...

For the first time this season, the Steelers’ defense looked almost as good as its press clippings Sunday against New England. Five turnovers and a ton of sacks will do that for you. More important th...

After the Steelers and Pitt didn’t give fans much to smile about, maybe you will enjoy some food for thought: • It’s going to be that kind of season, Steelers fans. Nothing will come easy and my advic...

Ancient alchemists tried to turn base metal into gold— and failed. Washington & Jefferson basketball star Alan Bradstock turned a piece of paper into a golden career. That paper was a degree from W&J,...

As great as Rick Puskar was as an athlete, that’s probably the least reason why I came to love him. To be fair, it was his ability as a basketball player that allowed him to enter my life. But after t...

Going into Sunday’s season opener, I felt pretty strongly that the Steelers would be able to beat the New York Jets. And they did. But this game produced more surprises than I could have ever imagined...

Part one of this story concluded with Tom Parks’ college basketball coach, Matt Furjanic Jr., explaining how crucial it was for Robert Morris to sign him. Furjanic recalled plenty of reasons why Parks...

With as many as six, maybe seven quarterbacks expected to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh next year, there will be tons of eyes on the nation’s top signal callers this sea...

Another week of prime non-conference games is upon us for Week 1 of the high school football season here in the Mon Valley. North, south, east and west, there are big games all around. As always, don’...

Getting ready for a week of no NFL football regular season games for no good reason, here’s a little food for thought: • If his impressive opener is a sign of things to come, McKeesport’s Kemon Spell ...

BY JEFF OLIVER MVI Sports I must preface what I’m about to say by telling you all that, other than talking on the phone for a story a couple of times, I don’t know Tony Watson at all. Now, Taylor Andr...

So here we go with another high school football season around the Mon Valley. The only of our local teams not in action is Belle Vernon, which still uses Week 0 for a second scrimmage instead of a non...