Paul Schofield stories, Page 38
Franklin Regional girls tennis team eyes another section title
When Franklin Regional celebrates Senior Day on Friday (Sept. 22), Ellen Liu will be the only one honored. That’s because the 2023 team is loaded with underclassmen. “A lot of my friends will be there to support me and watch me against Amelia,” Liu said. “It’s a big day and...
Belle Vernon beats Penn-Trafford in battle of champions
Belle Vernon and Penn-Trafford have won WPIAL and PIAA championships the past two seasons — Belle Vernon in 2022 and Penn-Trafford in 2021. But Belle Vernon, which plays in Class 3A, looks like it’s in great position to go back-to-back. Penn-Trafford, which plays in Class 5A, has some work to...
Penn-Trafford field hockey off to strong start as team eyes 8th straight WPIAL title
Penn-Trafford field hockey coach Cindy Dutt hadn’t missed a match since she started coaching until her team played Pine-Richland on Sept. 12. She had a great reason: the birth of her first grandson. And even though she missed the WPIAL Class 2A section opener Sept. 14 at Latrobe, she was...
Knoch, Southmoreland square off in battle of unexpected unbeatens
Some might be surprised by the Southmoreland and Knoch football teams starting the 2023 season at 3-0. Their coaches certainly aren’t among that group. The WPIAL Class 3A teams collide in a nonconference matchup Friday in Saxonburg looking to stay unbeaten. This is only the fourth time the teams have...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2023 Week 3
Player of the week Tasso Whipple Penn-Trafford, Jr., RB/LB The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had a breakout for the Warriors. He rushed for 220 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 36 yards and another score to lead Penn-Trafford to its first win of the season. His 41-yard run in...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Franklin Regional’s Gianna Johnson, Mt. Pleasant’s Luke Rivardo
Gianna Johnson School: Franklin Regional Sport: Golf Class: Sophomore Claim to fame: The sophomore surprised everyone, including herself, by winning the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association girls tournament Thursday at Champion Lakes Golf Course in Ligonier. Johnson shot 4-over-par 40, tying her with returning champion Izzy Aigner of Greensburg Central Catholic....
Latrobe gallops to win over Hempfield
Hempfield’s marching band played the fan favorite “The Horse” during its pregame performance. But it was Latrobe’s football team that relied on its trio of thoroughbreds to defeat the Spartans, 27-7, in a nonconference game Friday at Bill Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium. The Wildcats’ backfield trio of quarterback John...
Franklin Regional’s Johnson captures WCCA title with personal-best round
When Franklin Regional girls golf coach Kane Daignault was talking to Ali Boyle about her play during the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament Thursday, she told him she didn’t think the team would win the title. Daignault then informed her how sophomore Gianna Johnson played, which shocked Boyle. Playing the...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2023 Week 2
Player of the week Ahmad Ward Derry, Sr., RB/LB The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior had a huge game in helping Derry end its 20-game losing streak last week. He rushed for 191 yards and scored on runs of 9, 4 and 30 yards. He also returned an interception a school-record 100...
Rivals Hempfield, Latrobe look to rebound as they meet for 50th time
Latrobe and Hempfield enter Week 2 of the high school football season trying to rebound from their first losses. The teams collide at 7 p.m. Friday in a nonconference game at Bill Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium looking to get back on track. This is the 50th meeting between the...
Successful season shaping up for Penn-Trafford girls golf team
Ed Herbst has been coaching the Penn-Trafford girls golf team since 2004. Under his direction, the Warriors have won 11 section titles and two WPIAL titles (2012 and 2013). The Warriors were PIAA runners-up in Class 3A in 2012 and 2013. Midway through the 2023 season, Herbst sees a squad...
New Penn-Trafford boys golf coach has same goals
New Penn-Trafford boys golf coach Jeff Newsom was once the girls coach when the program started in 1999. But for the past three years, Newsom was an as assistant coach for Andy Rizzardi and the boys team. So when Rizzardi decided to retire after the 2022 season, Newsom stepped in...
Young Franklin Regional boys golf team shows depth with key victories
How deep is the Franklin Regional boys golf team’s lineup? Good enough for coach Jeff Traphagen to take his second team to a tri-match Aug. 30, and earn wins over Gateway, 200-227, and Woodland Hills, 200-310. With the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament set for the following day, and coming...
Franklin Regional’s goal-line stands turn back Latrobe
Two goal-line stands and two third-quarter touchdown runs by Kyle Dupill helped Franklin Regional defeat Latrobe, 28-21, in a heart-thumping nonconference battle Friday at Memorial Stadium. It might have been a nonconference game, but these two Westmoreland County foes battled like it was for a conference title. The Panthers (1-1)...
Penn-Trafford golfer Nick Turowski claims 2nd WCCA title
Golfers will say there are just some courses that fit their game the best. Latrobe Elks Golf Course is one of those courses for Penn-Trafford senior Nick Turowski. The West Virginia commit captured his second Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association boys golf title Thursday by shooting a 4-under-par 68. He also...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2023 Week 1
Player of the week Da’sjon Craggette Southmoreland, Sr., RB The senior played at Greensburg Central Catholic as a junior and rushed for 1,033 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Because of transportation issues, Craggette, who played at Connellsville as a freshman, was able to transfer to Geibel, which has a co-op...
Franklin Regional, Latrobe coaches want to see improvement in Week 1 matchup
High school football coaches contend that the week between the first game of the season and the second is when they see the most improvement from their players. That’s because the coaches get to see on film how the players performed in game action, correct their mistakes and make adjustments....
Penn-Trafford tennis star Mia Williams back for more after brilliant freshman year
Penn-Trafford sophomore Mia Williams can make history if things go as expected over the next three years. Williams, the returning WPIAL Class 3A champion, could become the first girl in her classification to win four titles. Knoch’s Laura Greb won four titles (2017-2020) in Class 2A. Five girls have won...
Rogan Katchur, special teams lead Hempfield to win against Greensburg Salem
Two special teams plays and a three-touchdown performance by junior Rogan Katchur helped make new Hempfield coach Nick Keefer smile. The young Spartans overcame a sluggish first quarter to defeat rival Greensburg Salem, 45-6, on Friday in the 58th meeting between the neighboring schools at Spartan Stadium. It was the...
Louis Riddick imparts wisdom to Pitt football players
It’s no secret ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick loves Pitt football. He doesn’t hide it: He boasts about the Panthers any time he can to his colleagues and on social media. The 1991 Pitt graduate was the guest speaker at the Pitt Football luncheon Friday at The Westin, where he...
Pitt notebook: Panthers choose 3 team captains for ’23 season
Coach Pat Narduzzi announced tri-captains at the teams’s annual football kickoff luncheon Friday at The Westin. The trio selected by their teammates for the upcoming season includes offensive lineman Matt Goncalves, linebacker Shayne Simon and defensive lineman David Green. Goncalves said he didn’t know if he expected to be named...
Antonio Marra looking for injury-free season at Yough
Antonio Marra’s high school football career at Yough has not gone as planned. Injuries have sidelined the talented senior wide receiver. He played in only four games during the 2022 season before a broken ankle ended his season. Before the injury, he caught two passes for 113 yards and a...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2023 Week Zero
Here’s a look at four Westmoreland County football players to watch in Week Zero: Cole Chatfield Mt. Pleasant, Jr., QB This is Chatfield’s third season as a starter for the Vikings. He completed 66 of 123 passes for 1,212 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Chatfield may utilize his legs...
New coaches add spark to Hempfield-Greensburg Salem rivalry
Ty George was a sophomore at Hempfield the last time Greensburg Salem was victorious in this historic series. Now the 2014 Hempfield graduate, the new Greensburg Salem coach, is trying to devise a plan to end the Spartans’ current six-game winning streak in the series between the neighboring school districts...
Senior Metcalfe set to lead Penn-Trafford football team
It seems like every year Penn-Trafford has a senior football player step up to make a name for himself. This year’s player might be safety/wide receiver Carmen Metcalfe. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior is a three-sport athlete. He also plays basketball and was a center fielder for the baseball team. Metcalfe...
