Paul Schofield stories, Page 42
Greensburg Central Catholic softball team ready to take on District 9 champ Cranberry in state playoffs
Greensburg Central Catholic softball coach Mike Gaffney has been coaching the Centurions for 12 seasons. He doesn’t allow things to bother him that he can’t control. His focus is on his team and how it is performing. So, after the Centurions (14-3) were beaten by No. 1 Neshannock, 15-0, in...
Penn-Trafford has unfinished business, opens state playoffs against Central Mountain
When Lou Cortazzo was named interim baseball coach at Penn-Trafford two weeks before the season began, people around the district were stunned at the timing. Cortazzo replaced Dan Miller as coach, and despite the sudden change the goals stayed the same: make the WPIAL playoffs, win the section, qualify for...
Westmoreland PIAA baseball capsules: Games for Monday, June 5, 2023
PIAA baseball playoffs Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (15-6) vs. Central Mountain (20-1) 4 p.m. Monday at Lock Haven District seeds: Penn-Trafford 7-3; Central Mountain 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of the 7-1 Shaler (19-4)/3-5 Muhlenberg (15-8) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Ryan Grabowski, Penn-Trafford; Brady...
Penn-Trafford’s Matt Sarnowski caps season with 3rd-place finish at PIAA meet
It doesn’t happen often, but two of the top discus throwers in Pennsylvania reside in Westmoreland County and live less than 10 miles apart. So when the 2024 track season begins, Hempfield junior Peyton Murray and Penn-Trafford junior Matt Sarnowski, who finished first and third, respectively, at the 2023 PIAA...
North Allegheny AD Bob Bozzuto looking to revive Murrysville American Legion baseball
Bob Bozzuto loves baseball. He’ll talk all day about the game he loves. He also loves to teach. The WPIAL baseball committee chairman wants to see players develop into stars and enjoy the game. Why else would the Hempfield Township native and North Allegheny athletic director return to coaching American...
Belle Vernon senior’s memorable day helps team dedicate WPIAL-title win to coach
Belle Vernon senior Alexa Daniels had quite an eventful WPIAL Class 4A softball championship game Wednesday. It began with a fastball to the foot and ended by jumping into teammate Ava Zubovic’s pool with her uniform on. In between, she took a glove to the face, a fastball to the...
Trinity outhits Armstrong to win 1st WPIAL softball title
Trinity found the right formula to defeat one of the best hitting teams in the WPIAL: outhit them. That’s what the Hillers did Thursday in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game at Cal (Pa.)’s Lilley Field. Trinity (19-2) won its first softball title by outhitting and outscoring No. 1 Armstrong,...
Belle Vernon holds off Montour to win WPIAL Class 4A softball title in wild finish
It might have been the wildest finish to a WPIAL softball championship game in years. No. 4 Belle Vernon won its fifth WPIAL title by holding off No. 2 Montour, 8-7, in the Class 4A championship game that featured some shaky baserunning and a chaotic finish Wednesday at PennWest University...
Seton LaSalle beats defending champion Serra Catholic to claim 3rd WPIAL baseball title
Seton LaSalle pitcher Brian Reed was asked if he knew his record was this season. He didn’t know, and neither did his coach Brad Besti. “I guess five or six (wins),” Besti said. The senior right-hander sure looked like Cy Young to the Serra Catholic batters, no matter what he...
After deep playoff run, Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse continue to grow
Before the season, Penn-Trafford coach Charlie Hach and his players set goals of making the playoffs, winning a playoff game and reaching the Final Four. Mission accomplished. The Warriors (15-6) completed their finest season, finishing 9-1 in the section, won their first home playoff game and reached the semifinals in...
Biondi Gymnastics competitors add to medal collection during successful season
When Alison Biondi began Alison Biondi Gymnastics, LLC in Penn Township, she had five gymnasts. Boy, has the program grown under her watch. She has now more than 300 boys and girls competing. This year, 26 athletes from the club competed in the Pennsylvania state championship and many finished in...
OLSH’s Antonio Votour claims state gold in 110 hurdles
SHIPPENSBURG – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart senior Antonio Votour came into the PIAA track and field championships coming off a record performance at the WPIAL championships May 17. He showed the others in the state he wasn’t joking around. Votour broke his own personal record in winning the...
Waynesburg’s Andrew Layton fights through pain to win PIAA Class 2A pole vault
SHIPPENSBURG – Talk about a gutsy performance at the PIAA track and field championships Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. Waynesburg senior Andrew Layton should be wearing a walking boot to protect his injured left foot. But Layton said he wasn’t about to miss trying to win a gold...
Hempfield’s Peyton Murray gives dad a special gift, a gold medal in PIAA discus
SHIPPENSBURG — Father’s Day isn’t until June 18, but Peyton Murray gave his dad and coach the best present ever. The Hempfield junior threw a personal record of 185 feet, 9 inches to win the Class 3A discus Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg’s Seth Grove...
Hampton junior pulls off dramatic, shocking win in PIAA 1,600 meters
If it had been a horse race, the PIAA Class 3A boys 1,600-meter run would have needed a photo finish to decide the winner. It was that close. Hampton junior Dale Hall nudged out Butler junior Drew Griffith by seven hundredths of a second. Hall’s time was 4:08.52 and Griffith...
Hempfield’s Liz Tapper looking to make history after defending PIAA shot put title
SHIPPENSBURG — In the history of great throwers at Hempfield, only Rachel Serafin (2011-13) was a multiple state champion in an event, winning three discus titles. Senior Liz Tapper became the second multiple winner Friday at the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships at Shippensburg when she defended her...
Greensburg Salem’s Cody Rubrecht makes huge leap in the pole vault
Before this spring, Greensburg Salem senior Cody Rubrecht was known as an outstanding football player. The Seton Hill football commit was a two-time Tribune-Review Terrific 25 selection as a wide receiver and quarterback. He also played basketball. Maybe the Seton Hill track coaches should look at how he has ascended...
North Allegheny boys volleyball too much for Penn-Trafford
North Allegheny has built a dynasty in the WPIAL in boys volleyball. The Tigers have won 16 of the past 19 Class 3A titles and will be looking for their 17th in 20 tries after advancing to the finals Tuesday with a 3-1 victory against Penn-Trafford in the semifinals at...
Nolan Marasti, Penn-Trafford avenge last season’s playoff loss to Peters Township
Penn-Trafford senior pitcher Nolan Marasti waited all season to pitch again in the WPIAL playoffs. It just happened to be against the team, Peters Township, that he lost to and eliminated the Warriors from the 2022 playoffs. It was the same team, same venue and almost the same date. But...
Westmoreland WPIAL baseball capsules: Games for Monday, May 22, 2023
WPIAL baseball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals 1-Pine-Richland (14-6) vs. 8-Hempfield (11-9) 6:30 p.m. Monday at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 4-Seneca Valley (16-4) vs. 5- Mt. Lebanon (10-10) in semifinals 7 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Players to watch: Carson Shuglie, Hempfield; Owen Henne, Pine-Richland Extra bases: The Spartans are...
Penn-Trafford’s Matt Sarnowski qualifies for PIAA championships
Penn-Trafford junior Matt Sarnowski picked a great time to soar up the state track and field rankings. Sarnowski, who was part of the Warriors’ 2021 WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A championship football team, is headed back to a PIAA championship event — in track and field. Sarnowski finished second in...
WPIAL girls wrestlers excited about PIAA stamp of approval
When Connellsville’s Jayanah Nobles qualified for the My House Pennsylvania Girls Wrestling Championship in March, she was disappointed it wasn’t held at Giant Center in Hershey. If she qualifies for the PIAA championships in 2024, there is a good chance it will be at the same time and venue as...
Franklin Regional’s Abigail Paterline, Monroe Law continue banner track seasons
The future is certainly bright for sophomore Abigail Paterline and freshman Monroe Law. The present is pretty special too, as the pair proved May 17 at the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships at Slippery Rock University. The Franklin Regional underclassmen have shined on the track this spring and...
Yough uses powerful offense to rout Keystone Oaks in 3A baseball playoffs
Carson Pasinski picked a great time to earn his first victory on the mound. The Yough senior allowed two runs, one earned, over five-plus innings, and senior shortstop Gavin Roebuck drove in four runs as the third-seeded Cougars rolled over Keystone Oaks, 12-2, in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round game...
Hempfield’s Liz Tapper collects 2 more titles, 4 others from Westmoreland County win WPIAL gold
When you’re ranked No. 1 in the state, anything less than your best could be considered unacceptable. Hempfield senior Elizabeth Tapper walked away from the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock happy that she repeated her titles in the discus and shot put but disappointed...
