Paul Schofield stories, Page 73

Norwin runs the 2-minute drill almost every day at practice. So with 32 seconds left Friday in a nonconference game against Latrobe, Norwin quarterback Luke Levendosky ran it to perfection. The senior used his arm and legs to drive Norwin to the Latrobe 4, where junior Joe Castle nailed a...

Gino Caesar Hempfield, Jr., RB/LB Caesar rushed for 110 yards, a touchdown and two 2-point conversions in the Spartans’ victory against Greensburg Salem. He also recovered a fumble and had numerous quarterback pressures. Anthony Govern Southmoreland, Sr.,QB/LB Govern rushed for 54 yards and three touchdowns and completed 8-of-15 passes for...

Nonconference Class 4A No. 2 Belle Vernon (0-0) at Chartiers Valley (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, Chartiers Valley Stadium, Bridgeville Belle Vernon beat Chartiers Valley in last year’s quarterfinals, 49-21. Choosing to play a second scrimmage instead of a Week Zero opener, highly touted Belle Vernon is ready to roll out...

Football coaches always say the most important week to see improvement is between a team’s first and second games. “It’s when you can have things on film in game situations and you can show the players what was good and what was bad,” Norwin coach Dave Brozeski said. “It’s a...

NCAA Division II Nonconference Wheeling vs. Seton Hill 7 p.m. Thursday at Offutt Field, Greensburg The skinny: This is the first meeting between the schools. This is Wheeling’s fourth season fielding a team. The Cardinals played four games in the spring. The Griffins and the PSAC did not play last...

Three district high schools recently decided to hire graduates as their next coaches. Derry named Troy Dolan Jr. as its new wrestling coach to replace Mike Weinell, who resigned this summer. Dolan was a three-time PIAA champion and four-time WPIAL champion. Latrobe named Karissa (Walker) Skiba as its new girls...

When the Penn-Trafford boys golf team opened the season Aug. 24 against Indiana, coach Andy Rizzardi said he didn’t know what to expect with only two starters returning. “Indiana is always a good team, and I knew going against them to open the season would be a challenge,” Rizzardi said....

Franklin Regional girls golf coach Kane Daignault said he knew he had a good team returning. But when he finally got to watch freshman Anna Qin, he knew this could be a special season. Qin instantly made Franklin Regional the team to beat in Section 3-AAA, he said. “How good...

Yough’s Tristan Waldier said he doesn’t like to brag, but he’s expecting a big season if he stays healthy. All the 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior wants is an injury-free season and a chance to show people how good of a wide receiver he can be. Waldier is switching back to wide...

Over the 56 years of the Greensburg Salem-Hempfield football rivalry, the game has featured battles between cousins, friends and even a coach going against his son. That was when Greensburg Salem coach Jim Jones went against his son Adam, who was Hempfield’s quarterback. This year’s version features a son coaching...

Nick Beitel Ligonier Valley, Sr., RB/DB The 5-foot-8, 185-pound speedster rushed for 642 yards, second on the team, and three touchdowns last year. He also caught a team-high 14 passes for 147 yards. He’s a four-year starter as a defensive back. He also is an outstanding baseball player. Gavin Roebuck...

When Declan Ochendowski looked at the 2021 football schedule, he didn’t just circle one game that he was looking forward to. He circled them all. “I’m excited about all the games,” said the 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior tackle/defensive end. “If I had to choose, the Norwin game is a big rivalry,...

Last season, Central Valley outclassed everyone in Class 3A. The Warriors breezed through the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs and capped it off by winning the school’s first state title. Central Valley averaged 50.1 points and allowed 9.8. While those numbers might be hard to duplicate, the Warriors remain the team...

It was an easy choice when Mt. Pleasant football coach Jason Fazekas was asked to name a player who was having a good camp. Aaron Alakson. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior will be counted on to be a leader for the Vikings. Alakson led the team in rushing with 630 yards...

It was an unusual season for the Penn-Trafford girls’ golf season in 2020. Not only did the Warriors, like all high school athletic teams, endure the challenges of the coronavirus, the team failed to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs for only the second time in the last 16 seasons. “I...

Ligonier Valley’s return to the WPIAL was a learning experience for football coach Roger Beitel in 2020. Not only did the Rams discover what type of styles and athleticism opponents had, they also got a geography lesson. Ligonier Valley played in six counties — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene and...

Before the 2020 season, Ligonier Valley football coach Roger Beitel talked to a few college coaches about their opinions about offensive linemen. The Rams were returning a two-year starter at center in Jude Grzywinski and Beitel was considering moving him to another position. The coaches advised Beitel to be strong...

The highlight of the 2020 Greensburg Salem football season was reaching the 700-win milestone. Other than that, the season didn’t play out as coach Dave Keefer and his Golden Lions had hoped. Greensburg Salem finished 1-6 in the WPIAL Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference in a covid-19 shortened season. But...

There hasn’t been a more consistent Class AA girls golf team in the WPIAL or state than Greensburg Central Catholic. The Centurions have won six consecutive WPIAL titles and have finished first or second in the PIAA for six consecutive seasons, winning in 2018 and ’19. North East, from District...

Rebuilding is a word that isn’t used around the Penn-Trafford football program. They just retool or restock. There is always a group of players ready to step in and take their turn. Some coaches use the team “tradition never graduates,” and what John Ruane has built at Penn-Trafford is a...

It’s a fresh start for the Franklin Regional football team. New is the popular word around the program. Lance Getsy replaced legendary coach Greg Botta, who retired after 27 years. Getsy brought in seven new assistant coaches. A new defensive scheme is being implemented, and there are numerous new players...

It was catch-up day for the 121st U.S. Amateur. Mother Nature final gave the tournament and Oakmont Country Club a break. After delays and suspensions of play the past three days, all the golfers faced Friday during the finish of the Rounds of 32 and 16 and the quarterfinals were...