Paul Schofield stories, Page 61
Penn-Trafford notebook: P-T’s Yacamelli, Hershberger named finalists for scholar-athlete award
Cade Yacamelli and Gwendolyn Hershberger were finalists for the 66th annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards, hosted by Judge John J. Driscoll. They were among a group of 13 considered for the annual awards, which were handed out May 3 at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield. The banquet was sponsored by...
Penn-Trafford baseball preps for playoffs with sweep of 1st-place Latrobe
When the Penn-Trafford baseball team lost 10-2 in a nonsection game to Plum on April 29, Warriors coach Dan Miller told Mustangs coach Carl Vollmer that he was sorry that his team didn’t put forth their best effort. Miller vowed that if they met again, the effort would be different....
Franklin Regional grad Palmer Jackson looks forward to NCAA regional, busy summer schedule
Palmer Jackson has played golf at some of the great venues in the U.S., a list that includes Oakmont Country Club, Baltusrol, Pebble Beach and Valhalla, and that was just in 2018. This year, he’s taking his game across the pond. The Notre Dame junior and Franklin Regional graduate’s summer...
Running to honor their father’s memory, Latrobe twins finish among leaders at Pittsburgh Marathon
Latrobe twins Lexie and Lizzie Planinsek ran their first marathon May 1. It probably won’t be their last. The Latrobe seniors decided to skip their track season to prepare for the Pittsburgh Marathon, and they did it in honor of their father, the late (Michael) Nick Planinsek, who died unexpectedly...
Major change to PIAA wrestling tournament qualification process put on hold
A major change to the way the PIAA determines qualifiers for the state wrestling tournament has been put on hold. At its April 5 meeting, the PIAA wrestling steering committee voted to move to a new system where each of the state’s five Class 3A regions would receive three automatic...
Mt. Pleasant’s Pitzer, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brewer win Driscoll awards
It takes a special person to find a way to mix academics and athletics. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Corinn Brewer and Mt. Pleasant Dayton Pitzer did just that. The seniors not only are outstanding athletes, they are exceptional students. That’s why they were chosen as the Judge John J. Driscoll Excellence...
Hempfield’s Blahovec and Tapper continue to improve
Hempfield track and field coach Ron Colland has been pleasantly surprised with some of the performances his athletes this season, especially juniors Cydney Blahovec and Liz Tapper. Blahovec is coming off a strong performance at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association track and field championships, where she won the 800-meter run...
WPIAL track notebook: Baldwin Invitational returns to 1-day format
When Baldwin track and field coach Ed Helbig approached the Baldwin-Whitehall School District administration about the 48th annual Baldwin Track and Field Invitational, they wanted the event to be held over two days because of covid concerns. But with the covid threat diminishing, Helbig was told recently the meet could...
Men’s and women’s U.S. Open qualifiers begin
Local qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open begins Tuesday in Western Pennsylvania at Shannopin Country Club. That’s where 50 women will compete for three spots for this year’s tournament June 2-5 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. Heading the list is LPGA pro Rachel Rohanna,...
Penn-Trafford wrestling coach A.J. Brentzel steps down
A.J. Brentzel’s stint as Penn-Trafford wrestling coach has ended after three seasons. With a fifth child on the way in the next three months, Brentzel made a difficult decision and resigned as coach. Job responsibilities and family trumped being a coach. “I hate losing him,” Penn-Trafford Athletic Director Kerry Hetrick...
Miller, Giordano win WCCA titles
Kiski Area sophomore Eliza Miller was a repeat winner at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet. She won the 3,200-meter run. But Miller isn’t fond of the long distance run, so she’s switched to running the 1,600 and 800. Miller won the 1,600 on Saturday at the 99th Annual meet,...
9 athletes repeat as WCCA champions
With the PIAA track and field championships a month away, high school athletes begin to prepare for the stretch run and focus on their events. The 99th Annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association Championship, 42nd for the girls, is the start of that run, and many shined Saturday at Latrobe’s Memorial...
A closer look at 2022 Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete honorees
BELLE VERNON Morgan Einodshofer Sports: Soccer and track and field Parents: Susan and Michael Einodshofer Class rank: 1 of 191 GPA: 4.589 College: Undecided Extracurricular activities and honors: Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award in 2019. … National Honor Society. … Mid Mon Valley All-Sports Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete. … All-WPIAL...
Former Jeannette coach Roy Hall to be honored at Westmoreland County scholar-athlete banquet
Roy Hall learned a lot from the coaches who preceded him at Jeannette. He said he owes a great deal of credit for his success as a coach to the late Joe Mucci, whom he played for in the early 1980s, and former coaches Art Tragesser, Bob Murphy and Ray...
Franklin Regional boys tennis looking for WPIAL gold
Despite graduating a big chunk of its starting lineup that finished second in the 2021 WPIAL Class 3A boys tennis tournament, Franklin Regional is looking to make another run at the title. The Panthers entered the team tournament, which began May 3 seeded No. 1. Franklin Regional was scheduled to...
Shady Side Academy, North Catholic teams win WPIAL doubles titles
Teams in the WPIAL doubles tennis championships Wednesday faced two obstacles – tough opponents and terrible weather. The teams that handled the windy, cold conditions the best took home the titles. The Shady Side Academy duo of David Mnuskin and Sam Bitzer defeated Franklin Regional’s Dhruv Kulkarni and Prerit Yadav,...
Strong pitching, Butler’s grand slam lift Apollo-Ridge over Jeannette in Section 2-2A baseball
Apollo-Ridge took advantage of four Jeannette errors and got a grand slam from junior Brandon Butler and solid pitching from Brady Schrock in a 10-0 victory Tuesday in a Section 2-2A battle. The Vikings, who have clinched a berth in the WPIAL playoffs, improved to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in...
Numerous athletes looking to defend titles at WCCA meet
The best of Westmoreland County will descend on Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium Saturday for the running of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association track and field championship. This is the 99th year for the boys and 42nd for the girls. Numerous returning champions are back trying to defend their titles. Heading the...
Busy week ahead for Ligonier Valley javelin standout Miles Higgins
It will be a busy week for Ligonier Valley senior Miles Higgins. Higgins, the reigning Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association javelin champion, competed against Derry in a key section dual meet Tuesday, will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday to compete in the Penn Relays on Friday then return Saturday to defend...
Saint Vincent baseball team has sights on postseason after 16-game winning streak
In his 25 years as baseball coach at Saint Vincent, Mick Janosko has never been part of a 16-game winning streak. And while Waynesburg ended that streak Sunday, Janosko was eager to see how his team responded Monday at Geneva. The Bearcats won 9-5 and improved to 21-9 overall and...
High school track and field notebook: Strong field headed to Butler this weekend
The 57th annual Butler Invitational will be held over two days this weekend. The girls take the track Friday and the boys Saturday. There are 48 teams entered in the meet. The invitational will feature some of the top athletes in Western Pennsylvania. “It’s a time to measure yourself against...
Young Derry track team finding success ahead of schedule
It wasn’t a picturesque day at Derry track practice Monday. A cold wind was gusting and ice pellets were pelting the distance runners during their workout. But there were no complaints. There was work to do and the runners were fighting through the harsh elements. Derry is in the midst...
YWCA set to honor outstanding women from Westmoreland County
The YWCA of Westmoreland County will honor some of the top females from the county at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield. The honorees include individuals, teams and a coach at the annual banquet. The committee selected the winners after receiving nominations from the schools and individuals. The...
Penn-Trafford boys lacrosse team gets off to strong start, eyes playoff success
What a difference a year makes for the Penn-Trafford boys’ lacrosse program. The team is off to one of its best starts in years, winning six of its first eight games. The Warriors only produced four wins all last season. But with a veteran group returning, which includes members of...
Franklin Regional’s Sierra Todero looks to follow her sister’s path to state meet
There is nothing like following in your sister’s footsteps. That’s what Franklin Regional junior Sierra Todero is doing. Todero recently won the triple jump title at the Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational on April 8 at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium with a jump of 34 feet, 3 inches. And if things go as...
