Local Sports

Wolverines Knock Off Riverside, Advance To WPIAL Championship Game.

The Wolverines rallied again! Ellwood City defeated defending WPIAL champion and cross-town rival Riverside 6-5 Thursday evening at Butler’s Pullman Park to advance to the Class 3A Championship game. Days after a come-from-behind victory over Burrell, the #3 seed Wolverines rallied again with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gino Biondi’s 2-out 2-run single proved to be the difference maker in the back-and-forth contest. Riverside opened the scoring in the third inning with an RBI double by Logan Young. Ellwood City responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth when Geordan Bokor collected a 2-run…


Lincoln Grad Covert, BC3 Teammate Qualify For Golf Nationals, Eye All-American Status

Butler County Community College men’s golfer and Lincoln High School graduate Mitchell Cover earned a chance Tuesday to compete for All-American status, as did the Pioneers’ Mason Phillips. Covert also advanced to the national championship in New York by winning a sudden-death playoff against a teammate after regulation play in a regional qualifier. The 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III national tournament is scheduled for June 1-5 at Chautauqua Golf Club’s Lake Course. The 18 individual golfers with the lowest score after four rounds receive All-American status. BC3’s Taylor Voloch and Leah McClellan will also battle for the…


Wolverines Walk Off Burrell; Panthers Shutout South Allegheny

Jacob Biskup connected on a walkoff RBI single to cap a Wolverine 5-4 comeback victory over Burrell Tuesday evening at Butler’s Pullman Park. In a wild final inning that featured six combined runs by the teams, Ellwood City earned the quarterfinal victory with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. After trailing 1-0 entering the sixth inning, the #3 seeded Wolverines got on the board with a Biskup RBI double and a Nate Kennedy sacrifice fly put Ellwood City ahead 2-1 entering the final frame. Back to back doubles by Burrell in the top of the seventh surged…


Lady Wolverines Shutout McGuffey, Advance To WPIAL Semifinals

Amber McQuistion threw a shutout to lead Ellwood City past McGuffey 3-0 on Monday at North Allegheny High School. The pitching was strong on both sides. McQuistion struck out seven and allowed only three hits, while the Lady Highlanders starter sat down eight. The Wolverines jumped out to the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning after Kaylee Palombi doubled, scoring one run, and Taylor Hoffman singled, scoring two runs. Miley Main took the loss for McGuffey. The starting pitcher went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking six. Hoffman led Ellwood…


Bleakney, Reichart Shine At WPIAL Track and Field Championships

Wolverine runner Lucas Bleakney placed 3rd in both the 1600m and 3200m events at the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships Thursday at Slippery Rock University. Bleakney finished 4:19.31 in the 1600m run and 9:32.82 in the 3200m run. Quaker Valley’s Jonah Montagnese placed 1st in each event. The Ellwood City senior’s strong showing was paired with Riverside Panther Silas Reichart who finished in 2nd place in the Boys Triple Jump. Silas jumped 45 feet and 6.5 inches to qualify for the PIAA Finals in Shippensburg. With his amazing jump, Silas also set a new school record, breaking an…


Drake, Hoover Each Homer; Riverside Defeats Brentwood In WPIAL Opening Round

Addison Drake and Saeryn Hoover each homered and drove in three runs as Riverside earned a 6-1 opening round victory over Brentwood in the WPIAL 2A Softball Playoffs. With her homerun Drake tied the Lady Panthers single season homerun record. A double by Saeryn Hoover helped open up the scoring with a run scoring double in the bottom of the first. The catcher then connected on a 2-run home run to left field in the bottom of the third inning. After Brentwood scratched out a run in the fifth inning the Panthers added two runs in the bottom half of…


Ellwood City, Riverside Baseball Teams Each Gain Opening Round Victories In WPIAL Playoffs

Both local baseball teams earned opening round victories in the WPIAL Class 3A Playoffs on Tuesday. LAKE DOMINATE, WOLVERINES SHUTOUT LIGIONER VALLEY Ellwood City defeated Ligonier Valley 3-0 on Tuesday at Pullman Park behind a strong pitching effort by senior Aaron Lake. Lake struck out six batters and allowed only three hits across his 6.1 innings. Nate Kennedy sat down the final two batters as Ellwood City advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals. The Wolverines were the first to get on the board in the first when Jake Biskup singled, scoring one run. A single by Matt Kelly extended the Ellwood…


Riverside Softball, Baseball Teams Each Qualify For WPIAL Playoffs That Begin Next Week

The Riverside girls softball team (8-5 Overall) has qualified for the Class 2A WPIAL Softball Playoffs, earning a #7 seed in the playoff picture. The Lady Panthers’ playoff journey will begin on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. when they travel to West Mifflin High School to play #10 Brentwood. “We don’t know much about our opening round opponent, but we know us,” says head coach Geri Cummings. “We will be ready to compete next Thursday.” The coach is appreciative that the WPIAL committee put all four Section 2A-1 teams in different wings of the bracket and it gives everyone a chance…


Wolverines Baseball, Softball Teams Pick Up Victories Thursday, Look Towards WPIAL Playoffs

The Ellwood City Wolverine boys baseball team and girls softball team each picked up victories Thursday afternoon, each have clinched and will next advance to the WPIAL Playoffs. The baseball team used a strong effort from senior Aaron Lake on the mound in its 3-0 shutout victory over Knoch. Lake tossed 6.2 innings of shutout baseball, striking out eight while allowing only three hits. Lake also doubled offensively for the Wolverines. Jordan Keller smacked two doubles and George Bokor added a double among his two-hit effort. The game was scoreless entering the bottom half of the fifth inning before an…


McQuistion, Lady Wolverines Shutout Hopewell; Boys Baseball Shares Section Title

Amber McQuistion shined on the rubber Tuesday afternoon, tossing a complete game three hitter as Ellwood City shut out Hopewell 5-0. McQuistion struck out 12 batters and did not issue a walk. The senior also doubled and walked three times at the plate. Crystal Folino and Alexis Beck each collected two hits to power the Wolverines offense. Ellwood City exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Folino tripled while Taylor Hoffman doubled to join McQuistion with extra base hits. Ellwood City (6-4 Overall, 5-3 Section) next plays Avonworth on Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. at New…