Gateway’s Holmes siblings look forward to WPIAL championships

By: Michael Love
Sunday, February 13, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Andrew Holmes has his sights set on more WPIAL gold at Pitt’s Trees Pool in a couple weeks as he hopes to add to last year’s WPIAL title in the 200-yard freestyle.

But the versatile Gateway senior also is ready to dive into swimming at the next level as he committed earlier this month to compete for Division II Bloomsburg in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

“I am very excited,” said Holmes, who was ranked fourth in both the 50 and 100 freestyle on the latest WPIAL Class 3A performance lists released Feb. 7.

“It feels great to be committed. I really clicked with the coaches and team. I am looking forward to joining the program.”

Holmes raced current Bloomsburg senior sprinter Collin Hummel at a Super Sectional meet over the summer. He said Hummel returned to Bloomsburg with a positive assessment of the race, and the ball began to roll from there.

Holmes said the commitment to Bloomsburg adds to what he feels already is a strong final high school season.

“Now, I am representing both Gateway and Bloomsburg, and I just want to be in the best position to get my best times at WPIALs and hopefully states. I am feeling good, and I am again ready to show what I can do. I am in a great headspace right now.”

Staying in the family, Andrew’s sister, Morgan, is ranked third in the 50 free (24.42) on the girls Class 3A performance list, and last week, she also was chasing the school record in the 100 backstroke held by recent Gateway graduate and Louisville sophomore Olivia Livingston (58.87).

“Olivia was so amazing for Gateway,” Morgan said. “I’ve always looked up to her, and I’ve swum with her almost my whole life. Getting one of her records would be an honor and such an awesome feeling.”

Morgan Holmes entered last Thursday’s home meet with Shaler with a 100 backstroke time of 59.37, just seven one-hundredths of a second off the WPIAL automatic cut. Gateway was to swim at Kiski Area on Tuesday and will close out the dual-meet schedule at Franklin Regional on Thursday.

“I know a lot of girls in the 50 free, and I know they will push me to go fast,” Morgan said. “I am really looking forward to that event (at WPIALs).”

Gateway boys hoops ready for postseason

The Gateway boys basketball team went on a covid break after a holiday tournament game against North Catholic on Dec. 27 and didn’t return to action until Jan. 11 against Penn Hills.

The Gators fell to the Section 3-5A-leading Indians that night, but since then, they put together a streak of nine wins in 11 games to firmly position themselves in second place in the section.

Gateway hoped to cap section play and the regular season overall with a victory at Franklin Regional last Friday. The Gators, who were to find out their first-round playoff fate Monday, entered the game 12-5 overall and 8-3 in the section.

Gateway saw a six-game winning streak snapped Jan. 28 with a 64-56 loss at Kiski Area. It led with a couple of minutes left before the Cavaliers went on a late run to set the final.

The Gators, who are led in scoring by the trio of seniors Ryan Greggerson (16.4) and Will Kromka (16.3) and junior Jaydon Carr (13.0), responded successfully Feb. 1 with an 82-57 victory over a Woodland Hills team tied with Kiski Area and Franklin Regional for third place in the section — all at 5-6 — at the time of deadline.

Through 17 games, Gateway led the section in scoring at 66.4 points a game. The 82 points scored against the Wolverines was the fifth time this season the Gators surpassed 80 points in a game.

In a battle for first place at Penn Hills on Feb. 5, Gateway got 18 points from Kromka and 13 from both Carr and sophomore Taili Thomson, but the Indians prevailed, 65-57.

The Gators, however, bounced back three days later and toppled Latrobe, 64-52, behind 16 from Carr, 14 from Greggerson and 10 more from junior MJ Stevenson.

Gateway bowlers set for WPIBL tournaments

The regular season has concluded for the Gateway bowling team, and three Gators — sophomore Alex Keeling-Oliver (184.03 average for 30 games), senior Anyssa Keeling-Oliver (161,17, 30 games) and sophomore Gelsey Stone (151.10, 30 games) have qualified for the WPIBL individual championships Feb. 23 and 24.

Boys bowlers with at least a 170 average and 21 or more games bowled earn berths to the championship tournament. For the girls, it’s a 140 average with at least 21 games.

The boys championship (Feb. 23) will be at North Versailles Bowl, Gateway’s home. The girls (Feb. 24) will bowl at AMF Belle Vernon.

The WPIBL trips are the first for all three bowlers.

The Gateway girls team, which finished third in the East section behind Plum and Burrell at 6-4, was in the running for a wild-card berth to the WPIBL girls team championships at the time of this week’s deadline.

A number of regular-season matches had yet to be contested.

Team per-game average — Gateway’s was 646 through 30 games — is used to determine the wild-card teams. The girls team tournament is Thursday at AMF Mt. Lebanon.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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