Paul Schofield stories, Page 23
Senior leaders out to turn things around for Ligonier Valley
The 2023 football season didn’t go well for Ligonier Valley. The Rams went 2-8 and finished the season on a six-game losing streak. Things will be a lot different in 2024 if senior lineman Wade Lamont and senior running back/linebacker Aidan Mulheren having anything to say about it. See, a...
WPIAL wrestling notebook: Hempfield looking for new coach
Hempfield is in the process of interviewing for a new wrestling coach. Steve Santia resigned at the end of the school year for personal reasons, leaving athletic director Brandon Rapp with the job of finding a replacement. “I have two kids now under 3. It has been a lot, and...
Ligonier Valley looks to rebound after rare losing season
A 2-8 season didn’t sit well with the Ligonier Valley football team and coach Roger Beitel in 2023. Injuries and a youthful squad that lacked experience were big reasons for the rare losing season. The Rams had only one senior on the team (Noah Gluck), and he got injured in...
Mt. Pleasant working to build stronger finishing kick
Mt. Pleasant got off to a great start in 2023. The Vikings were 5-1 heading into first-place battles with Elizabeth Forward and eventual Class 3A WPIAL and PIAA champion Belle Vernon. Things didn’t go well, and the Vikings finished losing four of their final five games to end up 6-5....
Derry looking for continued success in move to Class 3A
It was a huge leap for the Derry football team in 2023. The Trojans ended a 20-game losing streak, won five games and qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. Even though the Trojans (5-6 overall, 4-3 Allegheny Conference) fell to McGuffey, 25-13, in the postseason, the program made major...
Senior tackle Nick Stuchell brings throwback toughness to Jeannette football
It’s not hard to pinpoint the emotional leader of the Jeannette football team. Look no further than senior Nick Stuchell. The 6-foot, 220-pound two-way tackle said he loves the physical attack of the game. He has started every game since his freshman season. “I like to hit people,” Stuchell said....
Penn-Trafford girls golf team ready to roll
Things haven’t started as planned for the Penn-Trafford girls golf team. Their first two matches of the season – against Greensburg Central Catholic and Connellsville – were canceled to the dismay of coach Ed Herbst. “We’re a young team and I want to see how they perform in a match,”...
TE Mac Bresnahan wants to be top target in Franklin Regional passing game
When Franklin Regional needed to make a big play in the passing game the past two seasons, Ayden Hudock delivered. Hudock caught 42 passes for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 and had 48 catches for 803 yards and 11 scores in 2023. But Hudock has graduated, and senior...
Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee falls in Olympic gold medal match
Spencer Lee’s dream of becoming an Olympic champion fell just short Friday afternoon in the men’s freestyle 57 kg final. Japan’s Rei Higuchi, the top seed, used a takedown early in the second period to defeat Lee, 4-2. Higuchi got a second takedown late in the match when Lee tried...
Derry tackle Collin Barkley is the Trojans’ ironman
Every once in a while, Derry senior Collin Barkley will raise his hand to tell coach Mike Arone he needs a break. It doesn’t happen often. “It’s very rare he comes off the field,” Arone said. “Typically that’s one play and he’s back in the game. He’s a true ironman...
Going for Gold: Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee earns 3 wins to reach Olympic finals
Spencer Lee is one victory away from achieving his ultimate goal — being an Olympic gold medalist. The Franklin Regional and Iowa graduate rolled into the men’s freestyle 57 kg finals with a dominating 14-4 technical fall victory Thursday against Uzbekistan’s Gulomjon Abdullaev in the semifinals. It was his third...
Penn-Trafford looks to bounce back, meet lofty expectations
When a team wins WPIAL and PIAA titles, expectations within the football program are set high. With that said, the past two seasons at Penn-Trafford didn’t reach the expectations set in 2021. Injuries, inexperience, little mistakes and not playing up to their abilities saw the Warriors go 11-11, ousted from...
Don’t forget about Franklin Regional in conference title race
Lance Getsy doesn’t seem to mind that people are overlooking his Franklin Regional football team. The clamor surrounding the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference this preseason has mostly been about Latrobe, Penn-Trafford and Woodland Hills. But anyone who forgets about Franklin Regional might be making a big mistake. The...
Spencer Lee begins Olympic quest with early morning rematch
Wrestling fans who want to watch Spencer Lee in his Olympic debut on Peacock will have to set an early morning alarm. The men’s freestyle competition in the 57 kg and 86 kg weight classes will begin at 5 a.m. today with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals. The semifinals...
Things looking up for Presidents’ Athletic Conference; Grove City picked to repeat
Things are changing for the good in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The conference will grow to 12 teams beginning in 2025-26 when Hiram returns as a full-time member. Conference President Joe Onderko discussed Tuesday at the PAC Media Day at Saint Vincent College the conference’s plan next year to divide...
Bushy Run Legion, Trafford Junior Legion complete successful seasons
The only things missing from the Bushy Run American Legion and Trafford Junior Legion baseball teams’ season in 2024 were state titles. Both teams advanced to their respective state tournaments, a first time for Bushy Run and the fourth consecutive season for Trafford, but injuries and being shorthanded end their...
Yamamoto extends lead at Senior Women’s Open
Kaori Yamamoto didn’t play in the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Instead, she carried the bag for her dear friend Eika Otake. “I was dreaming of attending this tournament, and then last year I was caddying for my best friend, and then I was thinking, ‘I’m going to make it...
Oliver grad comes home to work the U.S. Senior Women’s Open
William Jerry has played golf four times in his life, twice in Africa. But the Pittsburgh native and 1996 graduate of Oliver High School is working at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club this week as a data collector of the greens for the maintenance crew....
U.S. Senior Women’s Open notebook: Semple-Thompson enjoys day despite her game
Carole Semple Thompson enjoyed everything about the first round of the sixth U.S. Senor Women’s Open except her game. The 75-year-old Sewickley native had a small crowd following her for all 18 holes. She shot an 88 and survived the blistering heat. “I survived, but my golf game was pretty...
Kaori Yamamoto rallies to snag U.S. Senior Women’s Open lead
Japan’s Kaori Yamamoto strung together five birdies in 10 holes and grabbed the first-round lead at the sixth USGA Senior Women’s Open on Thursday at Fox Chapel Golf Club. She shot a 4-under-par 67 and credited a hot putter to her success during the afternoon session. Yamamoto’s run began on...
Annika Sorenstam seeking 2nd U.S. Senior Women’s Open title
During the early 2000s, Annika Sorenstam dominated women’s golf. She won 96 international events, including 72 on the LPGA Tour and 10 major championships. Sorenstam was the first international player inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame through LPGA criteria. This week, the 53-year-old Swede will try to recreate...
Courtney Myhrum wears many hats at Senior Women’s Open
It would hard to find a busier person working the United States Golf Association’s sixth Senior Women’s Open than Courtney Myhrum. The Pittsburgh native and Fox Chapel Golf Club member is on the USGA Executive committee. She’s wearing many hats this week. She will be a starter on the ninth...
2024 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: North Catholic’s Brady O’Hara
North Catholic football coach Chris Rizzo had nothing but praise for senior tight end/defensive end Brady O’Hara. “He’ll do anything you ask to help the team,” Rizzo said. “He’ll play anywhere, and he’s a leader. He wants to be good.” O’Hara has started at defensive end for the Trojans since...
Trafford Junior American Legion baseball keeps winning
Trafford Junior American Legion team used a six-run eighth inning and stayed alive in the state tournament with a 9-3 victory against Upper Perkiomen on Monday at the White Township Complex. Caleb Kerstetter had two hits and three RBIs, while Jordan White had two hits, including a two-run single in...
Jackie Gallagher-Smith excited to be home for Senior Women’s Open
Carol Semple Thompson isn’t the only golfer in this week’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship with Pittsburgh roots. Jackie Gallagher-Smith, whose parents grew up in Johnstown, also calls Western Pennsylvania home. Her husband, Ed, was from Norvelt in Westmoreland County. “When I was driving in from the airport Sunday, I...
