Paul Schofield stories, Page 30
Central Catholic QB Payton Wehner wins Willie Thrower Award
Central Catholic senior Payton Wehner was the only finalist for the fourth annual Willie Thrower Award who was honored in 2022. Even though Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen won for the second consecutive year, Wehner knew he had a shot at the award if he dedicated himself to the sport. His hard...
Despite roster changes, Franklin Regional track teams set sights on section titles
Franklin Regional track coach Bob Ralston was surprised when he heard sophomore Monroe Law, who was a freshman sensation, transferred to Class 2A Winchester Thurston before the season. But despite her departure — Ralston said he doesn’t know why Law transferred — he said the Panthers girls have enough talent...
Derry, Lower Burrell, Trafford, Yough join District 31 Legion
District 31 American Legion baseball doesn’t start until May 20, but the league has made offseason noise by expanding to 14 teams. Jason Bush, who serves as the District 31 president and Region 7 director, believes the league is the largest in the state. “We were actually in talks with...
Penn State’s Aaron Brooks wins Hodge Award as nation’s top wrestler
Penn State senior Aaron Brooks, a five-time All-American and a four-time NCAA champion, received the top honor in collegiate wrestling Monday. He was named the 2024 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s best collegiate wrestler. This is an annual award given to the top wrestler in the country. The award...
Frazier’s Rune Lawrence set for anticipated rematch at Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic
Rune Lawrence’s senior season almost ended in the semifinals of the Ironman Tournament in December. The Frazier star was in a battle against two-time Ohio state champion Max Shulaw and was decisively winning when the PIAA four-time champion hurt his knee on a questionable move by Shulaw, according to Frazier...
Trib HSSN 2024 girls wrestling all-stars: Canon-McMillan’s Valarie Solorio makes history
Girls Wrestler of the Year Valarie Solorio Canon-McMillan, sr., 100 pounds 2023-24 record: 17-0; Career record: 117-5 Canon-McMillan senior Valarie Solorio likes to be first. She collected a lot of firsts this season. Being that this was the PIAA’s inaugural season of girls wrestling and that Solorio competes in the...
Penn-Trafford softball in position to climb back toward top
Penn-Trafford reached the WPIAL finals and PIAA semifinals in 2022. But the 2023 season didn’t go as well. The Warriors finished 6-12 overall, 4-6 in Section 2-5A. They did qualify for the WPIAL playoffs by finishing fourth in the section behind Armstrong, Latrobe and Franklin Regional, but they dropped a...
Penn-Trafford playoff run ends with loss in Penguins Cup finals
It was a great run while it lasted, but the Penn-Trafford hockey team’s quest for the Class 2A Penguin Cup championship ended with a hard-fought loss to Thomas Jefferson. The eighth-seeded Warriors held two leads against the second-seeded Jaguars, but a big second period helped propel TJ to the 8-4...
Trib HSSN 2024 wrestling all-stars: Frazier’s Rune Lawrence joins state’s most exclusive club
Wrestler of the Year Rune Lawrence Frazier, sr., 215 pounds 2023-24 record: 33-1; Career record: 145-8 Winning four PIAA wrestling titles is not common. When Frazier senior Rune Lawrence completed the task March 9, he became only the 14th wrestler to achieve such a goal. He also is the seventh...
Trib Westmoreland 2024 wrestling all-stars: Norwin freshman Landon Sidun as good as advertised
Wrestler of the Year Landon Sidun Norwin, fr., 114 pounds 2023-24 record: 42-2; Overall record: 42-2 Landon Sidun was well known even before he wrestled his first high school match. He was being touted as the next superstar. The freshman didn’t disappoint. Sidun bounced back from a loss in the...
Valley News Dispatch 2024 wrestling all-stars: Burrell’s Cooper Hornack fights through injury to win WPIAL gold
Wrestler of the Year Cooper Hornack Burrell, sr., 139 pounds 2023-24 record: 40-8; Overall record: 156-27. Cooper Hornack knows his senior season could have and should have ended better. Hornack did reach an elite milestone by becoming the WPIAL’s 88th three-time champion, but he came up short of his goal...
Chartiers Valley stings Greensburg Salem in overtime to win Class A Penguins Cup
Sometimes you just need a bounce. That’s what Chartiers Valley got in overtime to defeat Greensburg Salem, 2-1, in a tremendous PIHL Class A Penguins Cup championship game Tuesday night at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The Colts (23-0) got the game-winner when a shot from the right...
Thomas Jefferson captures 5th Penguins Cup title with big 2nd period
It took Thomas Jefferson a while to find the mark in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday, but once it did, a feisty Penn-Trafford squad couldn’t keep up. The Jaguars, the second seed in the tournament, scored five goals during the final 9 minutes, 51 seconds of...
Penn-Trafford looks to finish off improbable Penguins Cup run with title
Penn-Trafford stumbled into the 2024 PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup tournament, losing seven of its final eight games. But it’s been a different Penn-Trafford team in the playoffs, and now it is one victory from the program’s first Pens Cup title. Penn-Trafford faces No. 2 Thomas Jefferson at 6:15 p.m....
Penn-Trafford hockey heats up in Penguins Cup playoffs
Penn-Trafford’s hockey team didn’t end the regular season on a high note. But they sure picked the right time to get hot. For the second consecutive playoff game, the underdog Warriors beat the odds. They advanced to the Class 2A Penguins Cup finals by stunning No. 4 and rival Norwin,...
Norwin girls eliminated in PIAA quarterfinals
STATE COLLEGE — When the Spring-Ford girls basketball team defeated Norwin in third game of the season, the Rams got off to a quick start. Friday in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, they did it again. Spring-Ford, the District 1 runner-up from north of Philadelphia, scored the first two baskets...
Westmoreland County baseball preview: Penn-Trafford, Latrobe hope to repeat playoff success
Penn-Trafford and Latrobe are coming off memorable seasons. The Warriors finished third in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs and ended up defeating Central Mountain, the No. 1 team in the PIAA, in the first round of the state playoffs. They fell to the WPIAL and PIAA champion Shaler in the...
Greensburg Salem upsets Shaler, heads to Penguins Cup final vs. Chartiers Valley
Greensburg Salem gave up eight goals in each of its previous two meetings against Shaler in the PIHL Class A regular season. It was a different story Wednesday during their Penguins Cup semifinal at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. The Golden Lions won their eighth consecutive game and third...
‘Impressive’ list of 2024 Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete nominees announced
“What an impressive group.” That’s how Judge Michael Stewart, who replaced John J. Driscoll in 2023 as sponsoring judge for the annual Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete banquet, described the 2024 group of nominees for the Excellence Award. Athletic directors or representatives from 15 of 18 county high schools met this week...
Underdog Penn-Trafford uses 4-goal flurry to set up Penguins Cup 2A final matchup with Thomas Jefferson
Penn-Trafford’s hockey team didn’t end the regular season on a high note. But they sure picked the right time to get hot. The underdog Warriors advanced to the 2024 Penguins Cup finals by stunning rival Norwin, the fourth seed, 6-3, Tuesday in a semifinal-round game at Robert Morris University’s Island...
Penn-Trafford swimmer Patton Graziano looking to finish senior season strong
Penn-Trafford senior Patton Graziano is hoping to end high school career on a good note. A PIAA Class 3A swimming title would be preferred, but he’d be satisfied with breaking his records in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke. He did that at the WPIAL swimming and diving championships March...
Frazier’s Rune Lawrence becomes 4-time PIAA wrestling champion
HERSHEY – Frazier senior Rune Lawrence surprised many when he stuck the landing on a backflip after his final match Saturday at the Giant Center. The impromptu move came after his opponent, Muncy junior Austin Johnson, said something to Lawrence following his dominating 6-3 victory at 215 pounds at the...
Burrell’s Joe Makara giving back to sport; three from A-K Valley earn medals
HERSHEY — Even though Burrell didn’t have a wrestler in the PIAA wrestling championship finals, it did have a former two-time PIAA champion roaming the mats as an official. Joe Makara, who won consecutive titles in 2002 and 2003, was on the center mat for two girls finals: 130 and...
Norwin’s Landon Sidun keeps Westmoreland County streak alive by winning PIAA title
HERSHEY — Thanks to Norwin freshman Landon Sidun, the streak of PIAA wrestling champions from Westmoreland County has reached 30 consecutive years. Sidun (42-2) secured that milestone by rallying from an early takedown to defeat Ridley junior Curtis Nelson, 6-3, in the Class 3A 114-pound final Saturday at Giant Center....
After struggling at end of regular season, Franklin Regional advances in Penguins Cup playoffs
It didn’t matter that the Latrobe hockey team had beaten Franklin Regional in both regular-season meetings this season. That’s because the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs are a different animal, and the Panthers have experience in the high-stakes environment. They know how to win these type of battles. Shawn Sinclair scored...
