Norwin puts itself in line for Section 2-6A baseball title with convincing win over Mt. Lebanon
Norwin baseball is playing with confidence and pointy elbows as the regular season stretches to a finish. The fifth-ranked Knights have muscled their way into the Section 2-6A title race with two games remaining after a mostly one-sided 11-4 victory over No. 3 Mt. Lebanon in their series opener on...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Ligonier Valley grad Piper throws perfect game for Westminster
When Cheyenne Piper pitched for Ligonier Valley, she threw three consecutive no-hitters in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. One was a perfect game against Keystone Oaks. She is now the ace at Westminster, and she remains as stingy as ever. Perfectly stingy. Piper tossed her first perfect game in college...
Mt. Pleasant grad Jonas King receives invite to Chiefs rookie camp
Jonas King keeps climbing. He flew under the college football recruiting radar slightly coming out of Mt. Pleasant but found his way onto the field at the NCAA Division II level. While he was at Mercyhurst, the school made the jump from NCAA Division II to Division I. The 6-foot-5,...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: NFL honors WPIAL legacy during draft
WPIAL schools with NFL draft picks in their history had a current player represent them at the NFL Draft. Among the players on stage outside of Acrisure Stadium this weekend were Franklin Regional lineman Troy Slezak, Norwin linebacker Josh Lenart and Jeannette quarterback Kymon’e Brown. “It’s a blessing representing my...
Hempfield alum Brose, lineman from Delaware, gets rookie camp invite
Hempfield alum Fintan Brose did not hear his name called on the big stage at the NFL Draft, but he still could carve a path to the pros. Brose, a Delaware graduate, received news late Saturday that he has been invited to rookie camp with the Las Vegas Raiders. Brose...
Norwin notebook: Former Knights volleyball standout honored at Saint Vincent
Saint Vincent men’s volleyball snagged three major postseason awards in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. One went to sophomore libero Jackson Genicola, a Norwin graduate who was named defensive player of the year. Genicola, who moved from setter to libero this season, averaged 3.44 digs per set, the top average in...
Norwin teams embracing road warrior mentality during Knights Stadium construction
Lacrosse midfielder Karlie Johnson, the girls’ all-time leading goal scorer at Norwin, has taken a liking to Yough’s Cougar Mountain Stadium. The venue has become Norwin’s new home field while construction continues at Norwin Knights Stadium. The stadium is undergoing a $25.4 million renovation. It is scheduled to reopen in...
Murrysville Star notebook: Former Franklin Regional slugger putting on a show in college
Ken Eriksen saw Toryn Fulton’s multi-talented skill set from the beginning. “She put on a show in the fall,” the South Florida softball coach told Gousfbulls.com. “I think you are going to see a lot of her this year.” He wasn’t damning Fulton with faint praise. Far from it. Fulton,...
A little camaraderie and a whole lot of talent carries Mt. Pleasant softball team
The WPIAL softball playoffs don’t start for another two weeks, yet Mt. Pleasant already has clinched its second straight section title and is fine-tuning for the postseason. A 13-game winning streak allows for those kind of benefits. The bat-barreling Vikings (13-1, 10-0) have not lost since opening day — to...
Hall-of-fame coach, athletic director Rovesti dies at 74
When he retired as Gateway’s athletic director in 2019, Randy Rovesti said, “I don’t want to let people think I’m afraid of dying. … I want to golf, I want to see my grand kids, I want to relax.” Rovesti did all those things and more in his twilight years,...
Canon-McMillan baseball shuts out Hempfield, avoids sweep
Hempfield was thinking about brooms. MJ Maruschak had treadmills on his mind. Maruschak, Canon-McMillan’s senior pitcher, was looking forward to going home and watching the livestream of Thursday’s game while he ran on a treadmill. It’s his postgame custom. “Win or lose I do it,” he said. “I’ll pull up...
Westmoreland H.S. baseball notebook: Mt. Pleasant players meet Pirates’ Paul Skenes
Some Mt. Pleasant baseball players went on a school trip and met a celebrity. Several Vikings attended the Air Force All-Star Leadership Conference, hosted by the PA Air National Guard, in Coraopolis. A special guest was there to greet them: Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes. The reigning Cy Young...
Latrobe basketball coach Brad Wetzel steps down after 24 seasons
For more than two decades, Brad Wetzel’s teams have played at a fast pace, employing an up-and-down style from which Latrobe rarely deviated. When teams played the Wildcats, they had to be ready to run. Wetzel, though, is finally ready to slow it down. The approach of next year’s team...
Greensburg Salem hires Mankins, Nese to coaching positions
Lisa Mankins is returning to coach the Greensburg Salem girls basketball team, and it looks it could be a family affair on the bench. Her daughters, former Greensburg Salem basketball players Abby and Kaitlyn Mankins, may join the staff as assistants. The sisters played together last season at Seton Hill....
Yough football selects 26-year-old ex-OL Scott Houseman as coach
Cougar Mountain Stadium just became the Big House. Yough moved swiftly to fill its football coaching vacancy, hiring alum Scott Houseman — a hulking, 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman in his Division I playing days — to take over the struggling Cougars. Houseman, 26, who played at Lackawanna before spending seven years...
Knoch softball team takes another step toward defending crownVideo
Knoch has been trying to win back-to-back section softball titles for the better part of a decade. The Knights have no problem getting back-to-back hits and big innings, which could lead them to their goal — and more. “We’re racking up runs,” sophomore Emersyn Jones said. “Our pitching gives us...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Torrie DeStefano makes quick impact for Penn-Trafford
Aside from adjusting to a different hitting angle and speed of pitches, Torrie DeStefano has adapted quite well to softball. She’s a rookie with a veteran’s mentality. Not only does the first-year player look the part, but the Penn-Trafford senior is contributing in a big way for the defending PIAA...
Derry ace Haylee Myers throws perfect game, knocks in only run in 1-0 win over Freeport
Derry pitcher Haylee Myers listed a 2-1 playoff win last year against Greensburg Salem as the highlight of her softball career. Tuesday’s perfect game is a close second. Myers twirled her first career no-hitter, shutting down the minimum 21 batters for a spot-free, 1-0 victory over visiting Freeport in Section...
Hempfield softball beats Seneca Valley to stay unbeaten in section
When the final out was recorded and the victory was finally in hand, No. 1-ranked Hempfield breathed a collective sigh of relief. The team’s celebration was brief and even a bit subdued Tuesday because the final margin was so narrow. They won’t argue: The Spartans felt like they got away...
Mt. Pleasant grad Courtney Poulich wins national player of week award for Robert Morris
Robert Morris star Courtney Poulich has hit some towering home runs. Moon shots in Moon Township. Word of her historic softball season also has plenty of distance, because it landed her a national award. Poulich, a redshirt senior outfielder from Mt. Pleasant, was named a D1Softball Mid-Major Player of the...
Hempfield gets big win vs. 1st-place Canon-McMillan
Take the pressure off, and watch Hempfield go. At least that is the school of thought from senior catcher Ian Kovalcik, who hoped the Spartans mellowed out in their series opener against No. 2 Canon-McMillan. “It’s about confidence,” Kovalcik said. “We have been playing tight lately. We need to be...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Honors roll in for Saint Vincent men’s volleyball
Saint Vincent men’s volleyball snagged three major postseason awards in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Sophomore libero Jackson Genicola (Norwin) was named defensive player of the year, freshman Jack Ryan was tabbed newcomer of the year and Bearcats’ leader Kate McCauley was awarded coach of the year. Genicola, who moved from...
Norwin football team to play ‘home’ games at P-T while awaiting new stadium
Norwin’s fall sports teams also will have to practice and play away from home as Knights’ Stadium gets its massive facelift. The football team, athletic director Mike Burrell confirmed, will play four “home games” at Penn-Trafford. Norwin’s track & field and lacrosse teams have played away during this spring season,...
Penn-Trafford grad Mia Smith surpasses 400 strikeouts at Pitt-Johnstown
After her sophomore season, Mia Smith began to believe the record could be hers, but it would take a lot more than showing up in the circle. The former Penn-Trafford ace zeroed in on the all-time strikeout record at Pitt-Johnstown like she does the strike zone itself. She painted corners...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Southmoreland, Hempfield athletes honored by WPIAL
The WPIAL announced nominees for its James Collins Scholar-Athlete Award, which will be given out for the 35th year. Each winner receives a $1,000 scholarship. Of the 151 nominees, 20 of them — 10 boys, 10 girls — were announced as winners. Two are from Westmoreland County: Hempfield’s Jonathan Stetchock...
