Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Norwin fighting through injury to key senior
Like most teams, Norwin has the normal aches and pains associated with play at the halfway mark of section schedule. Rest and recovery are valued more as teams aim for the stretch run. But the Class 6A No. 1-ranked Knights (11-2) have been patiently awaiting the return of a key...
Versatile Seton Hill junior fills stats sheets at furious pace
Rebounding and getting steals are an art form, not a chore, to Mia Kalich. And while the versatile Seton Hill basketball standout piles up both, she doesn’t exactly try to get double- and triple-doubles. Call those an aside to effort. A player signing her work. “I don’t think about stats,”...
Hempfield boys give coach best birthday present: a win over Norwin
Austin Butler walked into the locker room to greet his team after a big section win, only to find his players had locked themselves behind a fenced-in area. The Hempfield coach looked perplexed and proceeded with caution. Suddenly, the Spartans burst into song — a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday”...
Diminutive Giuliana Giannikas plays big for Norwin girls in win over Hempfield
At 5-foot-2, Giuliana Giannikas is often out-sized on the basketball court. But the budding point guard uses her skill and cool temperament to overcome mismatches. Well, that and something else. “You just have to be physical and be a dog,” the Norwin freshman said. Giannikas was nipping at Hempfield’s heels...
‘She’s a natural’: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble hits 2,000-point mark
She caught the ball at the top of the key, pump-faked and dribbled once to her right. Then, with a sidestep backward, Erica Gribble launched a high-arcing 3-pointer that splashed down. It was a crafty move by a crafty scorer, one that few prep girls basketball players can make. It...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Penn-Trafford product Enick transferring to IUP
A mean pass-rusher coming out of Penn-Trafford and the WPIAL’s top two-way lineman as a senior, Joe Enick is set to join his third college football program. He began his college career at Central Michigan, but the 6-foot-2, 288-pounder became antsy after one season and transferred to Saint Francis. He...
Former Penn-Trafford football standout Greene transferring to YSU
The defensive line is calling his name again, and Conlan Greene can’t wait to get back in the trenches. The former Penn-Trafford football standout, who played three years at Temple, announced Saturday he has committed to play at Youngstown State. He entered the NCAA transfer portal with one year of...
Former WPIAL football standout Rodney Gallagher transferring from WVU to Arizona
Rodney Gallagher, the former four-star recruit from Laurel Highlands and experienced wide receiver at West Virginia, has a new college team. The versatile Gallagher announced Saturday he will transfer to Arizona, with one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Gallagher (5-foot-10, 181 pounds), who visited Tuscon on Friday, has 22 career...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Greensburg CC’s Gribble set to join elite group
A career-long quest for another milestone could happen this week for Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball standout Erica Gribble. A lot of players score 1,000 points in their four-year window of court time. But far fewer get to 2,000. The senior point guard and Richmond commit is within 26 points...
Norwin notebook: Hockey team making strides
The Norwin hockey team has more wins already than it had all of last season. The Knights, who had one win last year, defeated Baldwin, 4-2, to improve to 2-7-1. Cal Costantino had a goal and two assists, Zayn Zeravica added two assists and Mason Hohman, Jonah Andrykovitch and Brody...
Norwin girls basketball alumni starring on college hardwood
One might be hard-pressed to find a high school girls basketball program with so many players in the college game. Norwin has talent scattered across the NCAA landscape, local and out of state, and those players are making their marks this winter. Here is a look at some of those...
Murrysville Star notebook: Franklin Regional grad returning to Riveters
Sydney Lindeman had such a good experience in her rookie season with the new Pittsburgh Riveters pre-professional women’s soccer team, she is coming back for more. Lindeman, a Franklin Regional alum and two-year starter at Towson, is returning for another season in the USL W League. Lindeman, 22, used her...
Jeannette boys race past Greensburg Central Catholic, earn payback from last season
Jeannette won a WPIAL championship last season with, among other things, skill and size. The Jayhawks ended a drought against their biggest rivals with flat-out speed. Jumping passing lanes and finishing fast breaks at a turbo pace, No. 2 Jeannette raced past rebuilding Greensburg Central Catholic, 65-21, in a mercy-ruled...
Round 1 of heavyweight clash between Shady Side Academy and Greensburg Central Catholic girls goes to SSA
Greensburg Central Catholic was making its final push. Down 11 with seven minutes play, the second-ranked Centurions shaved the margin to three against No. 1 Shady Side Academy. But senior point guard Karis Thomas settled the offense, slowed the team’s heartbeat and tempered her Shady Side Academy teammates. Round 1...
Former Central Catholic linebackers Anthony Speca, Cole Sullivan transfer to new Power 4 programs
A couple of former star linebackers from Central Catholic are moving on to new Power 4 college programs. Anthony Speca, who entered the transfer portal after Penn State’s coaching change — James Franklin out, Matt Campbell in — is staying in the the Big Ten with Purdue. He has three...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Growing pains for Greensburg Central Catholic
It wouldn’t be altogether fair to say the Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball team is having a down year. That’s because the season is far from over. While the wins have not been there early — the Centurions are an uncharacteristic 2-10 (2-3 in Section 1-2A) — first-year coach Tim...
Don’t blame this Franklin Regional grad for hoping the Steelers lose Monday. It’s his job
Nate Leopold used to sit in the yellow seats at Heinz Field — before it became Acrisure Stadium — twirling a Terrible Towel and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers. When they played “Renegade,” he stood up and yelled like the 68,000-plus going crazy around him. “The first year I remember...
4 named PIHL players of the month for December
Three players who combined for 22 goals and another who only allowed three are the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League players of the month for December. The award winners are senior goaltender Chris Nichols of Seneca Valley (Class 3A), Armstrong senior forward Jake Graff (Class 2A), senior forward Cooper Powell of...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic, Shady Side Academy ready to butt heads again
Greensburg Central Catholic and Shady Side Academy have not met since last year’s WPIAL Class 3A championship game when the Centurions roared back in the second half to edge the Bulldogs, 56-51, for their second straight district title. But the top two ranked teams in 3A will get reacquainted Thursday...
Latrobe boys rise up to hand Franklin Regional 1st loss in section
Latrobe boys basketball coach Brad Wetzel said his team should not shrink against any opponent or situation. With the Wildcats’ size, that seems virtually impossible. When 6-foot-7 center Rob Young casts a shadow over teams like he did Tuesday night against Franklin Regional, Latrobe can play as big as it...
Fort Cherry QB Matt Sieg named Maxwell Football Club’s national player of year
Matt Sieg made his mark in the WPIAL with a prolific prep career at Fort Cherry that was capped by a record-breaking senior season. But his accomplishment had a ripple effect that reached levels well beyond Western Pennsylvania. Countrywide levels. The star quarterback received a prestigious honor Tuesday when he...
1st-place Indiana locks in on defense to take care of Latrobe
Sophomore Sophia Boyer understood the assignment. Her aggressive play early against Latrobe standout forward Maggie Maiers, coupled with the hot shooting of senior guard Julia Antonacci, propelled No. 4 Indiana to a 52-33 victory at Latrobe on Monday night in a Section 2-5A girls basketball game. The wire-to-wire win was...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Seton Hill men, women stacking wins
With a combined 14 wins in a row, the Seton Hill men and women are on top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division basketball standings. The women have nine straight victories, while the men have taken five in a row. The Griffins women’s team emerged from the holiday...
Latest Ligonier Valley Hall of fame class announced
Ligonier Valley announced its 2026 athletics hall of fame class. The latest inductees include four athletes, a team, a coach and a contributor. The hall of fame honors those who played or contributed at Ligonier, Laurel Valley and Ligonier Valley high schools. Laurel Valley and Ligonier formed Ligonier Valley with...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Belle Vernon softball player Sypolt commits to Kent State
Belle Vernon junior Kaylee Sypolt will play college softball at the Division I level. The power-hitting shortstop/third baseman announced a verbal commitment to Kent State. Sypolt also had visits set up with Drexel, Sienna and Rhode Island but did not yet have a scholarship offer from those schools. Kent State...
