Paul Schofield stories, Page 45
Penn-Trafford notebook: Baseball team splits with Armstrong
Dylan Grabowski and Nolan Marasti had strong pitching performances against Armstrong the first week of April, but the lack of hitting left the Penn-Trafford baseball team with a split in Section 1-5A. Grabowski allowed three hits, struck out eight and shut out Armstrong, 2-0. He helped his own cause with...
Franklin Regional’s Bunker, Todero up for scholar/athlete award
One of the passages of spring is the annual Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete Awards dinner. It’s where two high school students from each of the 18 county high schools gather, and one male and one female win the Excellence Award. The banquet will be held April 18 at Ferrante’s Lakeview and...
District 31 American Legion expands with addition of Somerset, Blairsville
Pennsylvania American Legion baseball in Westmoreland County this summer starts May 18 with a new look: The league has expanded to 12 teams. The league, one of the largest in the state, added two teams: Blairsville, which gives the league three teams from Indiana County; and Somerset, which formerly competed...
21 Western Pa. youth wrestlers win junior state championships
The Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Youth State Championships were held recently at Petersen Events Center. Here is a look at the overall champions for each weight class and a list of wrestlers from Southwestern Pennsylvania who earned medals. There were 21 state champions from the Pittsburgh area. The Westmoreland County winners...
Knoch baseball turns back Highlands in rematch
The Highlands baseball team was hoping to complete a two-game Section 4-4A sweep of Knoch after rallying Monday for a victory. But Knoch had other ideas. The Knights (2-5, 1-1) were aggressive on the bases, played solid defense and got a good pitching performance from 6-foot-11 freshman Zane Pacek in...
Trib HSSN wrestling all-stars: Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary earns top honors with run to 3rd state title
Wrestler of the year Vinny Kilkeary Latrobe, sr., 127 pounds 2022-23 record: 29-0 Overall record: 131-12 When Vinny Kilkeary won the 106-pound PIAA Class 3A title as a freshman in 2020, he shocked the state. He defeated Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak, 14-10, in the semifinals with a great comeback and...
Penn-Trafford volleyball looking to carry momentum from strong playoff showing
The Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team came on strong in 2022 by qualifying for the WPIAL playoffs and coming within one victory of making the PIAA tournament. The Warriors (12-7, 8-4) saw their season come to an end with losses to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals and Shaler...
Penn-Trafford softball looking for new leaders to emerge
Penn-Trafford softball coach Denny Little had his team back at work March 21 after a nonsection loss at Mt. Pleasant. They were working on the fundamentals, especially defensive aspect of the game. Despite the loss, Little said there were some good things he saw from the team. “We play a...
Ohio State recruits beat Penn State recruits, Pa. squad falls at Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic
Vinny Kilkeary and Rocco Welsh ended their high school careers with wins at the 49th annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Saturday at Peters Township. And the future Ohio State commits did it by defeating two Penn State commits. This could be the start of a good wrestling rivalry. While Kilkeary...
Valley News Dispatch wrestling all-stars: Burrell’s Cooper Hornack gets top honor
Wrestler of the year Cooper Hornack Burrell, jr., 127 pounds 2022-23 record: 43-6 Career record: 116-19 Two weeks after winning his first PIAA Class 2A wrestling title, Burrell junior Cooper Hornack said his achievement still hasn’t registered. Hornack rallied to defeat WPIAL rival Chris Vargo of Bentworth, 2-1, in the...
Westmoreland wrestling all-stars: Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary earns top honor
Wrestler of the year Vinny Kilkeary Latrobe, sr., 127 pounds 2022-23 record: 29-0 Overall record: 131-12 When Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary won the 106-pound PIAA Class 3A title as a freshman in 2020, he shocked the state. He defeated Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak, 14-10, in the semifinals with a great comeback,...
Norwin’s playoff run ends in overtime against undefeated Cedar Cliff
ALTOONA – Norwin saw its run to the PIAA Class 6A championship game end Monday night at Altoona’s Field House. Undefeated Cedar Cliff, the District 3 champions, needed overtime to advance to its first championship game, outscoring the Knights 8-0 in the extra period for a 55-47 victory. Cedar Cliff...
Penn-Trafford baseball has new coach, same expectations
Lou Cortazzo may be the new baseball coach at Penn-Trafford, but the goals haven’t changed. The Warriors, who reached the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals in 2022, look to climb the ladder toward a possible title. Cortazzo was named interim coach last month, taking over after Dan Miller was let go....
Iowa’s Spencer Lee medically forfeits out of NCAAs, ending college career
After a stunning loss to Purdue’s Matt Ramos in the NCAA wrestling championship semifinals on Friday, Iowa redshirt senior Spencer Lee took a medical forfeit Saturday and will finish sixth. Iowa issued the following statement: “It has been a long road of a recovery for Spencer Lee. He will medically...
Strong medal haul at WPIAL meet boosts expectations for Franklin Regional swimmers
Franklin Regional swimming coach Vic Santoro went into the PIAA championships at Bucknell University on March 17 and 18 with great expectations that his team would add to its collection of medals. That’s because he was pleased with how they performed in the WPIAL Class 3A championships. The boys and...
Norwin girls roll past North Allegheny, into PIAA semifinals
When North Allegheny junior Caroline Henderson banked in a half-court shot to end the third quarter, Norwin coach Brian Brozeski told his team not to worry. That’s because Brozeski’s Knights were not to be deterred on this night. Norwin became more determined and didn’t allow another basket in the final...
Westmoreland baseball preview: Several new coaches in county dugouts
Lou Cortazzo was as shocked as anybody when Penn-Trafford athletic director Kerry Hetrick told him he was the new baseball coach. He was named interim coach a month ago, and he is one of several new baseball skippers in Westmoreland County. Cortazzo took over for Dan Miller, whose contract was...
Fox Chapel defeats Norwin, Kiski beats Greensburg Salem in PIHL semis
Fox Chapel is hoping the third trip to the PIHL finals is a charm. The top-seeded Foxes reached the Penguins Cup Class A finals for the first time since 1997 by defeating returning champion Norwin, 7-3, on Wednesday at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. Fox Chapel never has won...
Ohio State recruits Vinny Kilkeary, Rocco Welsh headline Pittsburgh Classic rosters
Ohio State recruits Vinny Kilkeary of Latrobe and Rocco Welsh of Waynesburg headlined the WPIAL wrestlers named to the Pennsylvania wrestling team in the annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. The team featuring some of the best from the state will battle a star-studded United States squad Saturday, March 25 at Peters...
Penn-Trafford sends record number of wrestlers to states
Waynesburg assistant coach Scott Rhodes said he was surprised when he looked in the PIAA individual championship brackets and saw that Penn-Trafford qualified five wrestlers for the state tournament. “I thought we had the most (five), but they had a heck of a tournament,” Rhodes said. “I was shocked that...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary wins 3rd PIAA wrestling title; 3 others from WPIAL claim championships
HERSHEY — You never know what type of celebration you’ll get from a wrestler after winning a PIAA title. Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary’s celebration was uplifting Saturday at the Class 3A championship at Giant Center. After Kilkeary beat Canon-McMillan junior Andrew Binni, 8-5, to win the 127-pound class, coach Mark...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack backs his guarantee with Class 2A state wrestling championship
HERSHEY — Sometimes guarantees don’t come true. But Burrell junior Cooper Hornack made sure he delivered on his guarantee. Hornack (43-9, 112-19) used a takedown with a minute left in the 127-pound finals to defeat Bentworth senior Chris Vargo, 2-1, in the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships Saturday at Giant...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary, Waynesburg’s Mac Church to wrestle for 3rd PIAA 3A titles
HERSHEY – There are 65 wrestlers in the state of Pennsylvania that have won at least three PIAA titles. Out of that list, 13 are four-time champions. The list of 52 three-time winners will grow by three if Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary and Waynesburg senior Mac Church in Class 3A...
Coach optimistic after Franklin Regional sends 3 wrestlers to states
Franklin Regional wrestling coach Matt Lebe said he didn’t know how many Panthers would qualify for the PIAA individual tournament this year. His best guess was between one and five. It all depended on matchups. Well, Lebe headed to Hershey with three wrestlers — junior Tyler Kapusta (114 pounds), senior...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack gets back to PIAA wrestling finals where a fierce rival awaits
HERSHEY —When Cooper Hornack reached the finals at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships in 2021, he didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. Now he does, and he’s looking forward to a second trip to the finals at Giant Center on Saturday. There the Burrell junior finds...
