Westmoreland campus clippings: Offensive lineman Dane Levi gets plenty of interest after entering portal
Interest is picking up for offensive lineman Dane Levi (Belle Vernon). Since he put his name in the NCAA transfer portal, Levi (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) has picked up Division II offers from Slippery Rock, Lake Erie, Bluefield State, West Chester, Saint Anselm, Gannon and Clarion. Levi has three years of...
After 4 seasons at Wisconsin, Penn-Trafford grad Cade Yacamelli enters transfer portal
Cade Yacamelli wants to finish his college football career with an exclamation point, not a question mark. The former Penn-Trafford star feels unfulfilled and somewhat unproven, like he still has much to offer a Division I running backs room. But there still is time and a soon-to-be suitor. If Yacamelli...
Former Penn-Trafford RB Cade Yacamelli will enter transfer portal after 4 years at Wisconsin
After dropping on the depth chart, Wisconsin’s most experienced running back is rushing out the door. Former Penn-Trafford running back Cade Yacamelli announced Tuesday he is departing the Badgers after four years and will enter the NCAA transfer portal. The redshirt junior rushed for 571 yards and two touchdowns and...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Seton Hill volleyball coaching legend Rick Hall retires
Rick Hall used to play on beer-sponsored pro beach volleyball tours. He might have time to hit the sand again. After 41 seasons, Hall is retiring as women’s volleyball coach at Seton Hill. The Griffins’ hall of famer finished with a record of 822-453. “After 41 years, countless practices, bus...
Greensburg Salem alum Brennan Marion named offensive coordinator at Colorado
Brennan Marion grew up watching Deion Sanders play. “Prime Time” always seemed to make the SportsCenter highlights as an NFL cornerback or MLB outfielder. The dual-sport playmaker played for five teams in each league. All of the sudden, Sanders is going to be Marion’s boss. Marion, a Greensburg Salem alum,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad Aris Lamanna wraps up strong season for Coastal Carolina women’s soccer
Goalkeeper Aris Lamanna played the entire women’s soccer season for Coastal Carolina — all 1,440 minutes — with a torn labrum. The former Franklin Regional standout put off surgery until mid-November, and she announced the procedure went well. If she had any discomfort or restraints this fall, she didn’t show...
Seton Hill men lead wire-to-wire to defeat Pitt-Greensburg in matchup of unbeatens
Seton Hill has been hatching plans to change the way it defends. The personnel the talented Griffins have allows them to guard straight up. How they shield against opposing teams could dictate how far they go this college basketball season. “We’re trying to play more man-to-man,” Griffins coach Ben Wilkins...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Iuzzolino reaches 1,000 career points
Members of the Saint Vincent men’s basketball team want to be like Mike. The Bearcats (3-1) came up short against undefeated Hood (6-0), but senior guard Mike Iuzzolino reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career. Senior Dev Ostrowski made seven 3-pointers and finished with 25 points to lead SVC, junior...
Norwin cross country teams head to regional meet with berth at nationals at stake
Norwin already has proven itself to the state by winning its first PIAA Class 3A cross country championship. Now, the mighty girls team will try to make its mark nationally. Norwin will compete at the Nike Cross Country Northeast Regional on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. The...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Reitz family adds to WPIAL title collection
Hang another WPIAL championship on the Reitz family tree. Jeannette natives Ray and Ryan Reitz, a father-and-son coaching duo at Central Catholic, brought home a Class 6A title last week with the Vikings’ 42-7 victory over North Allegheny. Next, they are primed to chase a PIAA championship. Ryan is the...
PIHL tabs players of month for October
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League announced its players of the month for October. The are: • Class A: Linus Jesionowski, Avonworth • Class 2A: Kevin Teamann, Bethel Park • Class 3A: Chris Costa, North Allegheny • Division 2: Landon Vaccaro, Ringgold Jesionowski, a senior forward, had 10 points across three...
Hempfield grad finds fit at Saint Vincent, racks up eye-popping passing stats
When he came to Saint Vincent, Jake Phillips had academics at the top of his priority list. Sports were more of an activity, something he could do on the side as he worked toward a degree. “I had heard a lot of really great things about the place, and the...
Campus clippings: Franklin Regional, Norwin grads earn Presidents’ Athletic Conference honors
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference hands out for awards at the end of each season. A pair of local players claimed two of them in men’s soccer. Grove City junior Colton Hudson (Franklin Regional) was named the PAC defensive player of the year, while Saint Vincent freshman Daniel Maddock (Norwin) was...
Finalists announced for Bill Fralic football lineman award
Six finalists, one for each classification, were announced Monday for the seventh Bill Fralic Memorial Award for the WPIAL’s top two-way interior football lineman. The winner of the award, named after the late legendary Penn Hills, Pitt and NFL lineman, will be announced at a pancake breakfast at 10 a.m....
Norwin notebook: Knights earn all-conference honors in multiple sports
Several Norwin players were selected for the Big 5/6 Conference all-conference football teams. The Knights had eight players selected in Class 6A, including quarterback Tristyn Tavares and running back Giovanni Rothrauff on the first-team offense, linebacker Josh Lenart and defensive back Jake Knight on first-team defense and punter Evan Pfeifer....
Norwin adds to trophy case in successful fall season
The 2025 fall sports season at Norwin will be known as the last season before the “Castle” — Norwin Knights Stadium — was demolished to the ground to make room for a new venue. It will be remembered for that … and so much more. It also was a time...
Norwin alum Jake Bazala drafted by Savannah Bananas
Pitcher Jake Bazala’s phone was going bananas Friday night. “I have been getting hammered with messages,” Bazala said. The Norwin grad took the next step in his baseball career when he was drafted by the Savannah Bananas, the high-energy barnstorming team that sold out two games last summer in Pittsburgh....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Derry finds experienced girls basketball coach at the last minute
Derry had to scramble to find a girls basketball coach after the sudden resignation in September by Nathan Keller. Keller coached the Trojans for one season and went 4-17. The district hired Ron Moore to take over the program. Moore was the head coach at Washington from 2018-22. The Waynesburg...
Avonworth secures 4th straight trip to WPIAL 3A football final with win over North Catholic
Defending champion Avonworth jumped out to a two-touchdown lead and saw North Catholic close the gap to four points after one quarter. The slight turbulence was nothing to the top-seeded Antelopes, who barely flinched. They were hard to stop from there in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal as they batted...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Franklin Regional boys soccer carved out own path
Franklin Regional did not overachieve this boys soccer season. At the same time, however, it did not exactly underachieve, either. That is because outside expectations were lower than the team’s heading into another fall that stretched deep into the postseason. Consider: • The team was unranked to start the season....
After 3 playoff seasons in 4 years, Latrobe boys soccer coach steps down
Wanting to spend more time with his family — his wife, Abbie, and young son, Niko — Jake Rice stepped down as boys soccer coach at Latrobe after four seasons. “A couple of in-house parent issues made me realize I should spend more time with my own kid and less...
Strong season changes conversation for Norwin football
Norwin may not have been a prize winner this football season, but the Knights sure were good enough for a ribbon. The Knights caught the attention of fans across the WPIAL by landing on the doorstep of their first championship game appearance. After a strong regular season, Norwin broke through...
Local junior golfers selected for state developmental team
There is a new junior golf development program in Pennsylvania and some of the area’s top rising players will be a part of it. Twelve boys and 12 girls were selected to the inaugural Team Pennsylvania, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association announced Tuesday. The program (ages 13-18) is geared toward...
Franklin Regional thread runs through NCAA-bound Grove City men’s soccer team
Grove City advanced to the NCAA men’s soccer tournament for the first time since 1980. Now, “Murrysville North” wants more. Grove City (15-2-2) features several players and coaches with Franklin Regional ties: basically the entire collection of Kimmichs and a coach who helped power Franklin Regional to back-to-back WPIAL championships...
Campus clippings: Norwin grads help Clarion women’s soccer earn 1st playoff berth
The Clarion women’s soccer team qualified for the PSAC playoffs for the first time in program history, and several Norwin graduates have been part of the run. Sisters junior Alyssa Aquilio and senior Reese Aquilio have each been in the starting lineup, while freshman Carmella Simco is a freshman on...
