Ayear ago, Bentworth’s softball team was denied a WPIAL title when the Bearcats lost in the 2A championship game to powerhouse Neshannock, 4-1. This season, the Lancers, who have won 47 straight games...

It’s not like the Belle Vernon Area School Board hasn’t made good hires in the past. But I will say that I commend it on making the right choice whne it comes to the boys basketball job. I know who th...

Well, the brackets have been released and the WPIAL baseball and softball playoffs are ready to get underway. Not to be used for any shady or non-official betting purposes, here are the ways I think t...

When I was a kid, my grandmother used to tell me, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Now, my gram was the most saintly, kindest person I ever knew and I tended...

Maybe I’m just getting old. I dunno. But I can’t remember a time when I was so wrong all the way around on a Steelers draft. No matter what it was, over the three-day event I missed it. There were pla...

Iwas a little young to have followed Dane Tartt’s athletic career during his days at Donora High School, where he graduated in 1967. However, I really got to know him well during our careers in softba...

Here’s a little food for thought after an Opening Day and Final Four weekend: • Seriously, how many of you expected the Pirate fans to roundly boo manager Derek Shelton like they did when he was annou...

The greatest basketball season in South Allegheny history ended on a sour note in a 60-51 loss to West Catholic in the PIAA 3A championship game Saturday. However, losing a championship game in which ...

Some time ago, a column in the Mon Valley Independent featured letters Stan Musial wrote back home, mainly from 1939-1946, to Joe Barbao. During that span, Musial was making sure to keep in touch with...

It’s finally one of my favorite days of the year. A day that SHOULD be a national holiday, where kids are off school, businesses are closed and we just all get to enjoy America’s pastime. It’s finally...

Iremember vividly when Scott “Scooter” DeUnger wore the various uniforms of Charleroi’s baseball, football and basketball teams. He stood out to me from the rest of the players for various reasons. Th...

WPYFL president Bill Spencer tendered his resignation March 11. The largest youth football league in Pennsylvania is part of a police probe as officers investigate accusations of financial impropriety...

Editor’s note: We are rerunning Part 1 of our Sports Stew feature on Charleroi’s John Hostetler. Below is Part 2. John “Hoss” Hostetler was featured in a 2021 MVI story, but his story is so rich, ther...

Part 1 of the Hostetler story featured him discussing select Charleroi High stars. He continued, moving on to the highly successful Jeff Petrucci. “I didn’t see too much of him during my senior year b...

By now, sports fans throughout the tristate area are aware of the wild melee that broke out during Friday night’s Uniontown-Meadville PIAA playoff game. With just over three minutes to play and Meadvi...

After a few days off I still find myself struggling to get back into the swing of things. It’s First Pitch time, we have new basketball champions and we’re about 8 days away from the start of baseball...

John Kukrak remembers that day in 1995 perfectly. He was in his driveway washing his vehicle when his neighbor and friend, Nick Mahalko, pulled up. Mahalko had been the scorekeeper for Monessen’s boys...

a little food for thought to help Here’s start your week: • Over the many years of his legendary coaching career, Joe Salvino and I had this little moment we used to enjoy. Often times, when I was int...

Here we go again with more parent drama plaguing a successful athletic program in the Mon Valley. And while the Frazier wrestling program has seen a lot of success since it’s creation in 2015, it’s se...

After a weekend of wondering if we needed to build an ark, let’s start the new week off with some food for thought: • There has been a lot of talk about whether the Steelers should trade key players l...