Paul Schofield stories, Page 39
2023 WPIAL Class 3A football breakdown: Belle Vernon heavily favored to repeatVideo
If you ask any coach which team is considered the best in WPIAL Class 3A, the unanimous choice is returning WPIAL and PIAA champion Belle Vernon. The Leopards (12-2) return a roster full of starters from a squad that defeated Avonworth, 24-7, in the WPIAL finals and Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti, 9-8,...
Kiski Valley Legion restarting team after 2-year hiatus
The Kiski Valley American Legion baseball team has been inactive for the past two seasons. But if the Montgomery brothers — Denny and David — have anything to say about it, the two-year hiatus will end in time for the 2024 season. The Montgomerys, both Pennsylvania American Legion Hall of...
Central Catholic grad Neal Shipley reaches U.S. Amateur semifinals
Central Catholic graduage and Ohio State grad student Neal Shipley has reached the semifinals of the 123rd annual United States Golf Association’s Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in New Jersey. Shipley, 22, won his fourth consecutive match play round when he defeated Andi Xu of the People’s Republic...
Ligonier Valley junior lineman Sam Caldwell assumes leadership role
Ligonier Valley football coach Roger Beitel smiled when he learned what junior center Sam Caldwell said about himself and the upcoming season. Caldwell is one of two starters returning for the offense. He became the starting center early during his sophomore season. He has taken ownership of the position and...
Yough aims to build on positives from last season
Ben Hoffer was part of a Yough football team that won three conference titles and compiled 24-15 record. Since then, only the 2013 team has had a winning record at 6-5. It was also the last time Yough made the playoffs. As Hoffer begins his second season at his alma...
With young roster, Ligonier Valley works to come together quickly
Since Roger Beitel became football coach at Ligonier Valley 20 years ago, he has taken his squad to a team camp at Shippensburg University in July. Who can argue with his success? Beitel’s record is 148-63 and the Rams have qualified for the playoffs, either PIAA District 6 or WPIAL,...
Knapp claims 2nd Westmoreland County senior golf title
Oakmont native and Hannastown Golf Club member Sean Knapp continued his excellent play Wednesday by winning the Westmoreland County Golf Association’s Senior Championship for the second time in four years. His first title came in 2020 at Latrobe Elks Golf Club. Knapp, who won the West Penn Amateur last month...
Hempfield senior quarterback takes on leadership role
If there is one player that Hempfield first-year football coach Nick Keefer is relying on this season, it’s senior quarterback/safety Keiran Lippmann. And the 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete said he’s excited to be the leader as Hempfield tries to build on last year’s 6-4 season. Lippmann started the first five games...
Westmoreland football coaches pleased with Day 1 work
Uneventful but productive is how four high school football coaches described the state of football practice Monday. While Latrobe was able to avoid the heavy rains that fell during Day 1, the others said rain is something they could face during the season. Latrobe begins practice at 6:15 a.m., and...
Franklin Regional lineman Andrew Devola itching to get season started
Andrew Devola has been champing at the bit to get the football season started. The Franklin Regional junior, a three-year starter at left tackle and defensive tackle, had surgery on his shoulders in the offseason and has been limited in his preparation for the season. That is set to change...
Penn-Trafford to rely on returning linemen in search for consistent play
Things didn’t go as planned for the Penn-Trafford football team in 2022. Expectations were high coming off the school’s first PIAA and WPIAL titles. The Warriors returned numerous key starters from the championship team and were hoping for a repeat. But various injuries and inconsistent play hampered the team all...
Franklin Regional out to defend Big East Conference title
Franklin Regional surprised many by winning the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference title in 2022. The biggest stunner came in the third game when the Panthers upset Gateway, 16-7. But the season didn’t end on a good note. The Panthers lost to Penn-Trafford, 28-21, in the regular-season finale in...
Hempfield hopes to regain buzz under 1st-year head coach
For the first time in years, there was a buzz surrounding the Hempfield football program in 2022. The Spartans opened the season with five consecutive wins, including a 28-17 victory against defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A champion Penn-Trafford. But the next week, that momentum came to a crashing halt....
Penn-Trafford Junior Legion finishes 2nd at state tournament
Oh so close. The Penn-Trafford Junior American Legion baseball team finished second at the Pennsylvania State Championships, falling 1-0 to Upper Perkiomen in the finals Aug. 2 at Berwick. It was Upper Perkiomen’s first title in 41 seasons. It lost to Murrysville in the 2022 finals and lost to Connellsville...
West Point girls add another Little League title; Penn-Trafford juniors fall in state championship
West Point added its 38th Pennsylvania Little League softball title Wednesday. Jocelyn Luft singled home twin sister Jayelyn Luft with the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning as West Point edged Williamsport, 2-1, in the 11U girls championship at Wellsboro. Jayelyn Luft was the winning pitcher. The...
Carnegie Mellon picked to 3-peat in PAC football preseason poll
Can the Carnegie Mellon football team make it a three-peat in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference? The conference coaches, sports information directors and media think so. The Tartans, who are ranked 16th in the country, received 36 first-place votes and were an overwhelming pick to win the conference with 415 points....
Penn-Trafford Junior Legion reaches championship game
Penn-Trafford Junior Legion baseball team kept its championship hopes alive on Tuesday by defeating Lower Southampton, 9-3, in the state tournament at Berwick. Penn-Trafford must defeat Upper Perkiomen twice Wednesday to earn the title. Upper Perkiomen defeated Penn-Trafford, 6-4, on Monday. Upper Perkiomen reached the championship game by defeating Back...
Seton Hill names Hempfield’s Vince DeAugustine as new wrestling coach
Vince DeAugustine is leaving the Hempfield wrestling program for a second time. But unlike his move which took him to Norwin in 2019 and lasted two seasons before returning back to Hempfield in 2021, this time DeAugustine is headed to the collegiate level. Seton Hill University named DeAugustine on Tuesday...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Pine-Richland’s Ryan Cory
Pine-Richland football coach Jon LeDonne describes Ryan Cory as an old-school type of player. “He would have fit in perfectly back in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s,” LeDonne said. “You don’t see that these days from kids. He’s very physical and gets after it. He has great footwork and is...
West Point 11U softball reaches finals; Penn-Trafford Junior Legion falls
The West Point 11U girls softball team is one victory away from clinching the league’s 38th state title. Monday, the Luft twins, Jocelyn and Jayelyn, led West Point to a 9-1 victory against Williamsport in the semifinals at Wellsboro. Jayelyn Luft twirled a one-hitter, striking out 12 and allowing one...
Kevin Fajt wins Westmoreland County amateur for 3rd consecutive year
Kevin Fajt made it a three-peat July 23 by winning his sixth Westmoreland County Golf Association amateur title and third in a row. The South Greensburg mayor and Hannastown Golf Club member edged Willowbrook Country Club member Andrew Reynolds by two strokes on the tough Willowbrook course. Fajt shot a...
Penn-Trafford advances to semifinals of Junior Legion state tournament
It was the Ethan Septak show for the Penn-Trafford Junior baseball team Sunday at the Pennsylvania Junior Legion state tournament. Septak tossed a one-hitter and helped his cause with three hits, including two doubles, to lead Penn-Trafford to a five inning 11-1 victory against Saegertown at Berwick. Logan Matrisch had...
West Point Little League, Penn-Trafford Junior Legion teams post state wins
West Point’s 11-year-old girls softball team and the Penn-Trafford Junior Legion baseball team were victorious Saturday in state tournament action. West Point used a 15-run first inning to defeat Lower Merion, 17-0, in the Pennsylvania Little League 11U tournament at Wellsboro. Penn-Trafford scored five runs in the seventh inning to...
West Point 11U girls open state tournament with win
West Point 11U girls’ softball team opened the Pennsylvania Little League state tournament with a 4-1 victory against the Cambridge/Conneaut Lake/French Creek Valley/Saegertown All-Stars Friday at Wellsboro. Braylyn Graft’s three-run double in the top of the sixth inning snapped a 1-1 score. Winning pitcher Jayelyn Luft struck out 13 while...
Penn-Trafford Junior Legion looking for another state title
The Penn-Trafford Junior Legion baseball team won a Pennsylvania American Legion Youth title in 2021. It came up short in 2022 as rival Murrysville won the title. But Penn-Trafford coach Steve Freas, who coached the 2021 squad, said he feels the 2023 version has the talent to bring home another...
