Paul Schofield stories, Page 127
Derry’s DeLuca dealing with knee injury
Derry senior Dom DeLuca wrestled with an injured left knee in the PIAA Class AA semifinals and finals in Hershey on March 8-9 according to wrestling coach Mike Weinell. “We knew he tweaked it on Friday in the quarterfinals, but we didn’t know to what extent,” Weinell said. “Looking back...
Berlin Brothersvalley too much for Sewickley Academy girls in PIAA quarterfinals
Berlin Brothersvalley girls basketball is starting to smell the chocolate. But before their fans can start launching Hershey’s Kisses at them, the Mountaineers have to dispose of section and District 5 rival Shanksville-Stoneycreek for the second time in four tries. That will be Tuesday at a site and time to...
United States team rolls past Team Pa.; WPIAL team falls to New York in Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic
A strong United States team had too much firepower for the Pennsylvania All-Stars in the annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Friday at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House. The U.S. squad raced out to a big lead and cruised to a 29-18 victory. It has won eight consecutive matches. For Kiski Area...
Franklin Regional celebrates 3 finalists at PIAA wrestling tournament
Franklin Regional sophomore Carter Dibert capped his second PIAA wrestling championship by standing on the top of the podium March 9 at the Giant Center in Hershey. Dibert used a five-point move early and defeated Seneca Valley sophomore Dylan Chappell, 7-2, to win the 106-pound title. While Dibert celebrated titles,...
Monessen rallies late to win thriller in PIAA Class A 2nd roundVideo
Devin Whitlock plays basketball well beyond his years. The Monessen freshman found the ball in his hands with time running out in Tuesday’s PIAA Class A second-round game against Bishop Carroll at Greensburg Salem. But Whitlock, playing like a varsity veteran, saw a small opening and decided to go to...
Hempfield baseball banking on strong pitching staff
Hempfield senior outfielder Luke Hudson turned in quite a performance last season. He led the Spartans with a .431 batting average, 23 RBIs, six triples and three home runs. That performance helped him earn a scholarship to Seton Hill. But Hudson said last year is history. “It’s a fresh start,...
3-time defending PIAA softball champion Hempfield has holes to fill
Don’t pencil in the Hempfield softball team as the favorite to win WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A titles just yet. The Spartans have some holes to fill after finishing 24-3 and winning WPIAL and PIAA titles again in 2018. Veteran coach Bob Kalp has had some restless nights trying to...
Local trio among at-large wrestlers to receive bids for NCAAs
Three district wrestlers were among the 45 to receive at-large bids Tuesday for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which are March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena. Hempfield graduate Sam Krivus (Virginia), Mt. Lebanon’s Kellan Stout (Pitt) and South Park’s Greg Bulsak (Clarion) were selected. This is the third year...
Greensburg Salem baseball hopes to build on strong finish to 2018Video
A seven-game winning streak, which included a win over No. 1 Blackhawk in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, toward the end of last season gives Greensburg Salem baseball coach Bill Wisniewski a reason to be optimistic about the 2019 season. Wisniewski believes his team can challenge Knoch for the top...
Greensburg Salem softball looking to contend in new sectionVideo
A move to a new section could be the right formula for the Greensburg Salem softball team this season. Greensburg Salem dropped from Class 5A to Section 1-4A, and while the new section isn’t any easier, second-year coach Rachel (Roddy) Brannigan and her players are excited about the challenges. The...
Canon-McMillan’s Nijenhuis stuns 2-time champ, named Outstanding Wrestler at PIAA Class AAA finalsVideo
HERSHEY — How do you win the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championship’s Outstanding Wrestler award? You easily handle a two-time state champion in the finals. That’s what Canon-McMillan junior Gerrit Nijenhuis did Saturday at the Giant Center, defeating Susquehanna Township senior Edmond Ruth, 8-3, to win the 170-pound title. Ruth...
Greensburg Salem graduate Chris Eddins wins second NCAA Division II wrestling title
Chris Eddins never won a PIAA wrestling championship at Greensburg Salem. But the Pitt-Johnstown junior added his second NCAA Division II national title Saturday by defeating Tiffin’s Trey Grine, 7-2, in the 149-pound finals. Eddins (23-0) opened the two-day tournament in Cleveland with a pin and followed with three consecutive...
Franklin Regional’s Dibert, Kiski Area’s Miller claim PIAA Class AAA goldVideo
HERSHEY — Franklin Regional sophomore Carter Dibert didn’t waste any time in the 106-pound final at the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships Saturday at Giant Center. He let Seneca Valley sophomore Dylan Chappell know he meant business. Dibert (41-2) got a five-point move in the first 25 seconds of the...
Mt. Pleasant’s Pitzer brings home gold medal; Dom DeLuca comes up shortVideo
HERSHEY — Dayton Pitzer was not quite 2 years old the last time Mt. Pleasant had a state champion. That was Donnie Ament in 2005. With Ament in attendance Saturday at Giant Center, Pitzer capped his superb freshman season by defeating Freedom senior Bryson Miller, 3-1, in the 182-pound final...
7 WPIAL wrestlers advance to PIAA Class AA finalsVideo
HERSHEY – Things didn’t start out well for WPIAL wrestlers in the PIAA Class AA semifinals Friday night. The first four wrestlers to step on the mat lost close battles at the Giant Center. But the WPIAL finished strong as seven wrestlers advanced to Saturday’s finals at 2 p.m. Hopewell...
Derry’s DeLuca, Mt. Pleasant’s Pitzer going for gold at PIAA Class AA tournament
HERSHEY – Derry senior Dom DeLuca hopes to end high school wrestling career with a bang. DeLuca reached the finals at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships for the second consecutive season, but this time he wants to end on top of the podium at the Giant Center. To do...
Norwin’s Phipps keeps PIAA title hopes alive following comeback winVideo
HERSHEY — What a difference a couple years made for Norwin junior Kurtis Phipps. Two years ago at the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships, he would have lost if he fell behind early in a match. Phipps was starring at a three-point deficit midway through the second period in his...
Franklin Regional sends quartet to PIAA wrestling championships
Franklin Regional sent four wrestlers to the PIAA Class AAA Wrestling Championship, which began March 7 at Giant Center in Hershey. And while coach Matt Lebe was thrilled with four wrestlers heading to Hershey, he was disappointed three others — Garrett Thompson, Mason Spears and Mario Sarnic — didn’t make...
5 Westmoreland County wrestlers advance to PIAA Class AA semifinalsVideo
Ty Cymmerman found himself down three points in the second period of his quarterfinal match at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships Friday. But the Derry junior didn’t panic and took advantage of a stoppage because of a bloody nose to rally for a 6-4 win in overtime against Greensville...
Upsets, close calls highlight opening day of PIAA Class AAA wrestling tournamentVideo
HERSHEY — It’s been awhile since fans were treated to such craziness that occurred during the first day of the PIAA Class AAA wrestling championships. There were upsets and some close calls for some of the top wrestlers in the state Thursday at the Giant Center, which turned into a...
Franklin Regional trio dominates at PIAA Class AAA wrestling tournamentVideo
HERSHEY — It was quite a first day for Class AAA wrestlers from Westmoreland County at the PIAA championships on Thursday. It also was a disappointing day for a few others at Giant Center. Franklin Regional had three wrestlers win in the opening round, including freshman Finn Solomon, who defeated...
Pitt-Johnstown’s Eddins, Allesandro eye DII national titles
Greensburg Salem graduate Chris Eddins has come a long way since high school. He left the Golden Lions with a 138-35 career record, was a WPIAL champion in 2016 and placed sixth in the PIAA Class AAA state tournament. But he stepped up his game at Pitt-Johnstown. He earned a...
Derry’s Cymmerman overcomes slow start to reach PIAA Class AA quarterfinalsVideo
HERSHEY — Derry sophomore Ty Cymmerman started slowly in his opening-round match Thursday at the PIAA Class AA wrestling championships at the Giant Center. But once he got his nerves under control, he rolled to an easy win. Teammate Dom DeLuca, Mt. Pleasant freshman Dayton Pitzer and Frazier junior Thayne...
Wrestlers to watch at the PIAA championships this week
HERSHEY — The PIAA wrestling championships begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Giant Center. Here’s a look at who WPIAL and City League wrestlers could face from around the state. The PIAA only seeds regional champions and uses a power rating. PaPowerWrestling.com state rankings will differ in some weights....
5 things to watch at the PIAA wrestling championships
HERSHEY — The PIAA wrestling championships begin Thursday, with Class AA kicking things off at 9 a.m. at the Giant Center. Nine WPIAL wrestlers earned No. 1 seeds. Three — Seneca Valley sophomore Alejandro Herrera-Rondon, North Hills junior Sam Hillegas and Frazier junior Thayne Lawrence — are returning state champions....
