Paul Schofield stories, Page 16
Latrobe boys looking to bounce back from disappointing season
It was an unusual season in 2023-24 for the Latrobe boys basketball team. Not only did the Wildcats miss the WPIAL playoffs, but they also had an injury-plagued season and finished with a rare losing record. The Wildcats were 8-13 overall and 3-7 in the section, dropping their last five...
Latrobe girls basketball team hoping to contend
As Mackenzie Livingston begins her second season as girls basketball coach at Latrobe, she said she feels like she’s already ahead of the game. “Last year it took me awhile to learn the players’ names,” Livingston said. “This year I do.” Latrobe returns one starter from last season’s squad that...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Hockey team stays perfect with another shutout
Penn-Trafford’s hockey team recorded another victory and their fourth shutout of the season Nov. 7. The Warriors (6-0) went to Johnstown for the second time this season and came back with their second shutout victory against Bishop McCort, winning 5-0. They won 6-0 on Oct. 21. This time, it was...
Penn-Trafford football seasons ends with loss to Peters Township, optimism for future
Too many turnovers and a talented Peters Township team were the biggest reasons the Penn-Trafford’s football season came to an end Nov. 8. The returning Class 5A champs scored on their first two possessions, did a good job stuffing Penn-Trafford’s running game and rolled to a 42-13 quarterfinal round victory....
Bright future ahead for Jeannette football team
Jeannette’s football season was on life support six weeks ago. The Jayhawks were in the midst of a three-game losing streak following consecutive losses to Leechburg, Clairton and Greensburg Central Catholic, and a berth in the WPIAL playoffs was not a certainty. But a remarkable come-from-behind 42-41 victory Oct. 11...
Matt Sieg’s 6 touchdowns guide Fort Cherry past Jeannette in WPIAL Class A semifinals
Fort Cherry junior quarterback Matt Sieg put on quite a show Friday against Jeannette in the WPIAL Class A semifinals at Canon-McMillan’s AHN Field. The Penn State commit scored six touchdowns and rushed for 232 yards to lead Fort Cherry to a 49-14 victory. The win puts the top-seeded and...
Nearby rivals Thomas Jefferson, McKeesport set to battle for WPIAL Class 4A title
It is somewhat surprising that Thomas Jefferson and McKeesport, despite their proximity to one other, have only met five times on the football field. The schools, located in the South Hills’ Mon Valley area, are separated by just 11 miles. They didn’t start playing one another until 2020; McKeesport owns...
Returning coach Paul Sapotichne eager to rebuild Greensburg Salem boys program
Paul Sapotichne wasn’t ready to quit coaching when he decided to step down as Riverview coach in 2020 during the covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Sapotichne was battling cancer and understood he had to take care of himself. Now cancer free, Sapotichne wanted to return to coaching. After Sapotichne missed...
Greensburg Salem girls facing new challenges head on
Greensburg Salem girls basketball coach Rick Klimchock never backs away from a challenge. After finishing third in Section 1-4A and winning a WPIAL playoff game last season, the Golden Lions were elevated to Class 5A and graduated four players who are playing basketball in college: Kaitlyn Mankins (D’Youville), Ashlan Price...
Greensburg CC girls volleyball looking to complete goal with state championship
When the Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball set goals for the 2024 season, winning a PIAA title was not one of them. “They wanted to reach the WPIAL championship game and win,” GCC coach Erin Salas said. “Now they have reset those goals. They want to win the PIAA title.”...
4 Mt. Pleasant swimmers sign with Division I programs
Mt. Pleasant swimming coach Sandy Felice has had swimmers sign NCAA Division I scholarships before. But not four in one year. On the first day of the early signing period Wednesday, seniors Lily King (N.C. State), Joseph Gardner (Pitt), Kierstin O’Connor (Connecticut) and David Mutter (Alabama) inked their scholarships. “This...
Late momentum shift helps Greensburg Central Catholic top Frazier, advance to PIAA volleyball final
Momentum swung wildly Tuesday during the PIAA Class A volleyball semifinal at Norwin between Greensburg Central Catholic and Frazier. The Centurions had it during the first two games, then the Commodores grabbed it in the third and fourth games. But it was Greensburg Central Catholic that reclaimed it in the...
Derry boys basketball team looking for big season with key players coming back
Derry Area boys at a glance Coach: Tom Esposito Last year’s record: 15-9 (7-5 Section 3-3A) Returning starters: Stanley Rajkovich (So., F); John Wasnick (Sr., G); Brayden Robinson (Jr., G). Top newcomers: Izak Lenhart (Jr., G); Liam McMahen (So., G); Parker Petroskey (So., G); Logan Irvin (Fr., G); Cason Long...
New Derry girls basketball coach faces huge challenge with inexperienced roster
New Derry girls basketball coach Nathan Keller faces a huge challenge this season, one that excites him. Keller isn’t making any brash predictions. He just wants his young, inexperienced group to improve on a daily basis. Keller has spent the past seven seasons coaching the boys and girls middle school...
WPIAL field hockey all-star teams announced
WPIAL field hockey champions Pine-Richland (Class 3A), Peters Township (2A) and Shady Side Academy (A) dominated the first-team all-star teams selected by the coaches. Pine-Richland and Peters Township each had five selected to the teams, while Shady Side Academy had four. The Pine-Richland players selected were Alyssa Baculik (So., F),...
Greensburg Central Catholic, Frazier meet again with trip to PIAA volleyball final on the line
PIAA CLASS A GIRLS VOLLEYBALL FINALS 7-1 Greensburg Central Catholic (19-3) vs. 7-2 Frazier (17-4) 6 p.m. Friday, Norwin High School, North Huntingdon PIAA titles: GCC (2014, 2016); Frazier (none) So, we meet again. WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic and runner-up Frazier will meet Tuesday at Norwin for the fourth...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Win over South Fayette snapped skid
Since winning WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A titles in 2021, the Penn-Trafford football team hadn’t won a playoff game. That streak ended Nov. 1 when the Warriors ran over South Fayette, 49-28, to open the 2024 WPIAL playoffs. Senior running back Tasso Whipple rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown,...
Goaltender looks like brick wall for fast-starting Penn-Trafford hockey team
Penn-Trafford sophomore goaltender Tyler Funk idolizes former Penguins’ goalie Marc Andre-Fleury. And through three games, he has been playing like the “Flower” when he was helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup. Funk is 3-0 — all shutouts — and has stopped all 71 shots he’s faced. He recently blanked...
Greensburg Central Catholic, Southmoreland ready for next round of PIAA playoffs
Greensburg Central Catholic and the Southmoreland girls’ volleyball teams look to continue their seasons Saturday in the PIAA Volleyball tournament. The WPIAL Class A champions, Greensburg Central Catholic, will face District 6 champion West Branch at Johnstown High School at noon. The Centurions are coming off a 3-1 victory against...
Quick start helps Peters Township blow by Penn-Trafford
If Peters Township coach T.J. Plack had any worries his team would come out flat in its WPIAL playoff debut after a week off, the Indians quickly took away those doubts. The returning Class 5A champions scored on their first two drives, did a good job stuffing Penn-Trafford’s running game...
Westmoreland County high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 11
Player of the week Tasso Whipple Penn-Trafford, sr., RB/LB The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown to help the Warriors to a 49-28 WPIAL Class 5A first-round win over South Fayette. Whipple also returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown. Players to watch Landon Honick...
Powerful Penn-Trafford ground game, stout Peters Township defense on 5A collision course
Self-inflicted wounds. That’s what Penn-Trafford coach John Raune said has cost his team in its last four meetings against Peters Township. Not beating yourself is one of the things Ruane is preaching to his team as it prepares for a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal-round game Friday at No. 3 Peters...
WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic avenges loss in PIAA 1st round
You might expect the Greensburg Central Catholic girls volleyball team to have a slight letdown after winning the WPIAL Class A playoffs Saturday. And Centurions coach Erin Salas said the team was nervous ahead of Tuesday’s PIAA first-round match against District 9 runner-up Clarion-Limestone, a team that defeated GCC last...
Murrysville’s Palmer Jackson advances to DP World Tour final stage
Murrysville native Palmer Jackson is headed to the final round of DP World Tour (PGA European Tour) qualifying after a second-place finish during the second stage at Desert Ridge Resort Monday in Almeria, Spain. The final round was pushed back a day because of weather. Jackson shot a 19-under-par 269...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors play keep-away to beat Latrobe
Want to know a good way to win a football game? Make sure the opponent does not possess the football. That’s what Penn-Trafford did to defeat Latrobe, 20-13, on Oct. 25. Penn-Trafford played a game of keep-away in the second half at Memorial Stadium. The Warriors were clinging to a...
