Paul Schofield stories, Page 64
Breaking down the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships
PIAA Class 3A Championship When: March 10-12 Where: Giant Center, Hershey Time schedule • Thursday: Preliminaries and first round, 4 p.m. First round of consolations, 8:15 p.m. • Friday: Quarterfinals and second round of consolations, 2:15 p.m.; Third round of consolations, 5 p.m. • Saturday: Semifinals and fourth round of...
Wrestlers ready to lay it all on the line at PIAA individual tournament
Michael Buffer’s trademark catchphrase, “Let’s get ready to rumble.” would be a perfect way to kick off the PIAA individual wrestling championships Thursday. It’s time to tighten up the headgear and put it all on the line for 520 young men (260 in each classification) for three days of all-out...
WPIAL Class 3A coaches working on proposal to save qualifiers
With the PIAA individual wrestling tournament set to begin Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey, a group of WPIAL Class 3A coaches is pushing to figure out a proposal to save the district from losing a state individual and team qualifier beginning in the next two-year cycle. The WPIAL currently...
After taking WPIBL girls team title, Penn-Trafford bowlers head to regionals
The Penn-Trafford bowling team’s special season continues after the girls won the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Bowling League title by defeating Burrell, 2-0. Now the team and four individuals advance to the regionals March 12 at North Versailles. Penn-Trafford coach Brett Lago said he expects the girls to do well and...
With young, eager roster, Franklin Regional girls basketball team excited about future
Bernie Pucka’s first year as Franklin Regional girls basketball coach didn’t go as expected. The young Panthers struggled, going 2-10 in Section 4-5A and 6-15 overall. But what encouraged Pucka about the team is the players didn’t want the season to end. “We missed the playoffs by 12 points,” Pucka...
First-timers among 6 Westmoreland County WPIAL wrestling champions
It was a day of firsts for several Westmoreland County wrestlers at the Class 3A WPIAL/PIAA Southwest Regional on Saturday. Latrobe freshman Luke Willochell, Hempfield junior Ethan Lebin, Hempfield senior Briar Priest, Franklin Regional senior Finn Solomon and Greensburg Salem senior Billy McChesney all claimed their first WPIAL and PIAA...
Kiski Area’s Joseph and Morlacci, Highlands’ Burford qualify for states
For Highlands senior Jrake Burford and Kiski Area senior Stone Joseph, getting a chance to wrestle in Hershey is a dream come true. Both qualified for the PIAA championships, which begin Thursday at the Giant Center, along with Kiski Area senior Enzo Morlacci on Saturday at the Class 3A WPIAL/PIAA...
Kiski Area’s Morlacci reaches WPIAL semifinals, 100-win milestone
Enzo Morlacci is giving up wrestling after the season. The Kiski Area senior recently de-committed from Lehigh to pursue a film career. Morlacci has formed his own business, a venture in which he believes he will excel. Friday at his final Class 3A WPIAL and PIAA Southwest Regional Championship at...
Latrobe freshman Willochell rolls into semifinals of WPIAL/PIAA Class 3A Southwest Regional
Sometimes freshmen have trouble competing in big tournaments. Latrobe freshman Luke Willochell didn’t have any problems at his first WPIAL/PIAA Class 3A Southwest Regional Championship on Friday at Canon-McMillan. Willochell had an impressive debut, recording two first-period pins. He quickly defeated Bethel Park freshman Seth Miller in 33 seconds at...
215-pound weight class full of heavy hitters at WPIAL Class 3A championships
If you’re looking for a weight class to watch at the WPIAL Class 3A championship, focus on 215 pounds. There are at least six wrestlers who not only can win a title Friday and Saturday at Canon-McMillan but also qualify for the state tournament. Thomas Jefferson senior Brian Finnerty, Belle...
Derry Area’s Hirak comes out of nowhere to become PIAA wrestling contender
Christian Hirak hadn’t wrestled since sixth grade before this season. But he sure made up for lost time the past three months when he finished third in the WPIAL Class 2A championships at 160 pounds. Now he heads to Peters Township on Friday and Saturday for the PIAA Class 2A...
Greensburg Salem mourning death of longtime coach Steve Snider
The Greensburg Salem community and Westmoreland County are mourning the loss of a legendary coach, Steve Snider. His son, Nathan Snider said his dad would often say, “It’s a beautiful day.” “That was one of his favorite sayings, and it truly is for him,” Nathan Snider said. “He touched a...
Trib HSSN WPIAL individual wrestling rankings for March 2, 2022
Here’s a look at the Trib HSSN WPIAL wrestling rankings for March 2, 2022: Class 3A 106: 1. Luke Willochell (Latrobe) 36-4; 2. Nico Fanella (Indiana) 28-0; 3. Ty Kapusta (Franklin Regional) 25-6; 4. Connor Smith (Seneca Valley) 26-5; 5. Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan), 29-9. 113: 1. Ty Chappell (Seneca Valley)...
2022 PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional Wrestling Championships info
PIAA Class 2A Southwest Regional Where: Peters Township High School When: Friday and Saturday Times: Friday: Preliminary round, 4:30 p.m.; Quarterfinals, 8:30 p.m. Saturday: Consolation Round 1, 9 a.m.; Semifinals, 12:30 p.m.; Parade of Champions and finals, 5 p.m. Tickets: PIAA General admission tickets will be sold online via Hometown...
2022 WPIAL Class 3A Wrestling Championship info
WPIAL Class 3A wrestling championships/PIAA Southwest Regional Where: Canon-McMillan High School When: Friday and Saturday Times: Friday: Preliminary round, 5 p.m.; Quarterfinals, 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Consolation Round 2, 10 a.m.; Semifinals, 11:30 a.m.; Parade of Champions and finals, 4 p.m. WPIAL Tickets: GoFan Tickets will be $10 online and at...
Chartiers Valley’s ‘well-oiled machine’ crushes Moon in Class 5A semifinals
It’s back to the “Pete” and the WPIAL championship game for the Chartiers Valley girls basketball team. The Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus is becoming a second home for the Colts. Chartiers Valley punched its ticket to the WPIAL finals for the fifth time in six...
Pitt-Johnstown turns away Seton Hill in PSAC women’s basketball tournament
There are times when things just don’t seem to go your way. The Seton Hill women’s basketball team had that happen Monday in the opening round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs. No. 6 Pitt-Johnstown used a big second quarter and hot 3-point shooting to upset No. 3 Seton...
Franklin Regional swimmers focus on relays at WPIAL meet
It’s been quite a season for the Franklin Regional swimming teams. The boys and girls advanced 14 swimmers to the WPIAL Class 3A championships March 3-4 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool. And while advancing 14 seems great, Panthers coach Vic Santoro said he was hoping for more. “It’s...
Penn-Trafford underclassmen look forward to WPIAL championship meet
Penn-Trafford swimming coach Dave Babik knew this season would be challenging. The Water Warriors boys and girls teams didn’t have the numbers this season, compared to some of the other Class 3A programs. The boys finished 7-5 and the girls 6-6. “We were pretty happy how the boys finished,” Babik...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Hockey team finishes regular season strong
The Penn-Trafford hockey team ended the regular season in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League with solid wins over Latrobe and Shaler. Warriors defeated Latrobe, 5-3, on Feb. 17 as four different players scored. It was a three-goal second period that rallied the Warriors from a 1-0 deficit. Scoring goals were...
Connellsville’s Jared Keslar captures 4th section wrestling title, Hempfield’s Briar Priest gets 3rd
Winning section titles aren’t as easy as you think, especially four of them. Connellsville senior Jared Keslar became the school’s seventh wrestler to achieve that goal, and Hempfield senior Briar Priest earned his third Saturday at the WPIAL Class 3A Section 2 tournament at Hempfield. Both Pitt recruits feel winning...
Belle Vernon’s Cole Weightman returns, hopes to conquer stacked weight class
Belle Vernon senior Cole Weightman recently made two tough decisions about his future. First, he picked IUP over Cal (Pa.) to play football, which was difficult choice. And second, after talking to his dad Ed, he decided to wrestle. “We talked about making history,” Cole Weightman said. “I have a...
Wrestling notebook: 3 WPIAL junior high champions for Norwin
Norwin crowned three champions at the WPIAL Junior High School Tournament on Saturday. Connellsville won the team title 255 points. The Falcons had one champion, three wrestlers finish second, five finish third and one fifth. Winning titles for the Knights were Landon Sidun (110 pounds), Jack White (117) and Gage...
Trib HSSN Individual Wrestling Rankings for Feb. 23, 2022
Class 3A 106: 1. Luke Willochell (Latrobe) 35-4; 2. Nico Fanella (Indiana) 26-0; 3. Ty Kapusta (Franklin Regional) 23-5; 4. Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan) 26-9; 5. Casey Walker (North Allegheny) 25-9. 113: 1. Ty Chappell (Seneca Valley) 27-4; 2. Brandon Dami (Canon-McMillan) 21-7; 3. Luke Dunlap (South Fayette) 21-3; 4. Darius...
Avonworth uses speed on defense, offensive spurts to take down Ligonier Valley
It took Avonworth a little more than a quarter to hit its stride Monday in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round game, but when it did, Ligonier Valley couldn’t keep up. That’s because the visiting Rams, other than a four-minute stretch in the third quarter, never found their groove and they...
