Penn-Trafford Star category, Page 2
Penn-Trafford profile: Senior field hockey player Caeley Simon
Caeley Simon Class: Senior Sport: Field hockey Q: How was your season? A: Our season was good. It was exciting because it was my senior season. We did not make the playoffs, but I still had a great year. Q: Did you have any memorable moments this season or during...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Mia Williams geared up for PIAA tennis tournament
It has been more than a month since Mia Williams played in a high school tennis match. Now the Penn-Trafford senior heads to Hershey to compete in her fourth PIAA Class 3A tournament. Williams was a WPIAL champion in 2022 and runner-up in 2023, 2024 and 2025. She has not...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 26, 2025
Chalfant Evan Mihlo sold property at 119 Elizabeth Ave. to Amy Jacobs for $132,500. Forest Hills Anthony Everitt sold property at 113 Overdale Road to Jenton Brandt for $323,000. Estate of John Paul Hanish III sold property at 227 Ridge Ave. to Corey Simmons for $206,500. Monroeville Ahmad Hooshmand sold...
Yacamelli leads Penn-Trafford as Warriors celebrate senior night with win over Latrobe
For John Ruane, all that remained was taking care of his seniors on Penn-Trafford’s senior night. Make no mistake, the Warriors’ longtime football coach adores every one of them. “It’s a big goal, obviously, to get them into the lineup. We have some great kids,” Ruane said. “And they’re absolutely...
Penn-Trafford freshman installs ‘Kindness Rock Garden’ at Children’s Home
The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh holds a special place in Penn-Trafford freshman Amelia Montenary’s heart. Her 8-year-old sister, Lucy, diagnosed with Trisomy 18 as a baby, has spent much of her life in the Bloomfield care facility. Also known as Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is a rare genetic condition that...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Ben Grabowski keys win over rival Franklin Regional
Junior Ben Grabowski rushed for 172 yards on just four carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the Warriors to a 48-14 victory against Franklin Regional in a WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference battle on Oct. 10. Quarterbacks Nate Desmond and Cody Yacamelli each tossed touchdown passes. Landyn Stikkel...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 19, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Lance Hanchey sold property at 1898 Brushcliff Road to Gerald Ray Hall Jr. and Diane Jeanne Hall for $329,500. Rosalyn DeFalco sold property at 2506 Collins Road to Joseph Figliulo for $215,000. Estate of Dolores Anderson Lyons sold property at 2317 Marbury Road to Brian Paul Zarb...
Highlight-reel goal helps Mars boys soccer advance past Penn-Trafford in WPIAL 1st round
Mars senior Max Davis has attempted several bicycle kicks during his high school career. He’s come close a few times but never put the ball in the back of the net. Until Saturday. With his team trailing by a goal in its WPIAL Class 3A first-round matchup against No. 10...
Penn-Trafford cruises past Armstrong to seize playoff spot
As he watched his football team stumble, fumble and bumble its way through most of the first quarter Friday night, Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane perhaps was figuring on a tougher test from visiting Armstrong. Turns out Ruane’s fretting was a bit premature. “We thought we had a slow start tonight,...
Theatre Factory prepares to stage ‘Beetlejuice Jr.’
Tyler Shaffer doesn’t know how many times he watched the 1988 Tim Burton gothic comedy, “Beetlejuice.” But it was a lot. “Watching it has been a Halloween tradition for my family forever,” said Shaffer, 16, of Jeannette, who will play the titular villain in the Theatre Factory’s production of “Beetlejuice...
Penn-Trafford inducts 8 alumni into Hall of Fame
Penn-Trafford inducted eight more people into its Alumni Hall of Fame Oct. 4 — including Penn Township’s former police chief, the CEO of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and a district principal. The Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 2020, growing to 45 members this year. It seeks to...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors rally to keep the Victory Bell
In the annual “Battle for the Bell’ against rival Gateway, Penn-Trafford rallied in the second half to win the game and retain the Victory Bell. The Warriors outscored the Gators, 26-0, in the second half for a 33-23 victory. The Gators led 13-0 and 23-7 in the first half. Ben...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Oct. 12, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Chalfant Michael Haberle sold property at 301 Chalfont St. to Lyle and Victoria Cope for $167,000. Churchill Estate of Thomas McManus sold property at 6 Garden Terrace to Olivia Myers for $225,000. Edgewood Royalty Properties Group LLC sold property at 114 Ivy St. to Joshua Aaron Hammerstein for...
Grabowski’s big runs help Penn-Trafford race past rival Franklin Regional
For Penn-Trafford junior running back Ben Grabowski, it was a near-perfect game. The junior saw plenty of green in front of him and was barely touched Friday night as he carried the ball four times for 172 yards (a 43-yards-per-carry average) and scored on three of those carries. That helped...
Penn Township dental office plans free care day for veterans, service members
A Penn Township dental office is joining ranks with similar practices in multiple states this week to provide free care to military veterans and service members. It’s the first year for the Pearl Dentistry office to participate in Freedom Day USA, a program founded in 2013 by a West Virginia...
Norwin clinches 1st outright section title in 6 years with win over Penn-Trafford
Fifth-ranked Norwin secured its first outright section championship since 2019 and ran its winning streak to 11 with a 1-0 victory over Penn-Trafford on Monday night in a Section 1-4A girls soccer game teeming with playoff atmosphere at Norwin Knights Stadium. The longtime Westmoreland County rivals staged another one of...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski sparks WVU to win at Nemacolin
Penn-Trafford grad and West Virginia sophomore Nick Turowski helped the Mountaineer golf team to a tournament victory. Turowski finished third overall, shooting an 8-under par 208, as the Mountaineers won the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational at Mystic Rock Golf Course in Farmington on Sept. 27-29. The Harrison City native had rounds...
Penn-Trafford blanks Norwin, looks to challenge for PIHL Class 2A title
Even though the Penn-Trafford hockey team graduated nine seniors and its leading scorer decided not to play, coach Brian Zagorac is not worried. The return of numerous starters combined with a talented group of underclassmen has Zagorac expecting another strong season. Penn-Trafford finished third (14-4-1-1, 45 points) behind Cathedral Prep...
Late Trafford Elementary teacher prioritized connection with students
Shannon Dornauer recalls how Trafford Elementary School teacher Mike Martinelli knew how to make all of his students feel welcome in his classroom. “I just remember him being very friendly and outgoing. He always made everybody feel very included and comfortable,” said Dornauer, 37, of Latrobe. “Back in elementary school,...
Penn Township hosts annual fall festival
Penn Township held its annual fall festival Sept. 19 to 21 at Municipal Park. Attendees enjoyed live music performances, carnival rides and games, food and crafts. A parade marched down Route 130 in the morning on Sept. 20 and fireworks lit up the sky above Municipal Park later that evening....
Penn Township Police chief retires, reflects on 30-year career in department
John Otto’s interest in policing began as an elementary student. “One day walking to school, there was a police car parked outside of Harrison Park Elementary School, and that caught my attention,” the Penn-Trafford graduate said. “I remember looking inside the car from the sidewalk … and I was mesmerized...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors doubles team wins section title
The doubles team of senior Annabelle Aquino and sophomore Elle LeJeune captured the Section 1-3A title Sept. 25. The pair defeated Latrobe’s Carlin Bukovac and Allison Massaro 6-7 (9), 6-4 and 6-4 in the semifinals. They rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second set. They then breezed past the...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 28, 2025
Monroeville Michael Strauss sold property at 2684 Third St. to Luan Castro and Violet Tonelli for $299,900. Lynden Group LLC sold property at 829 Cottonwood Drive to Stephen and Heidi Zupanc for $206,500. Estate of Frank Sabino Jr. sold property at 1341 Foxboro Drive to Ranjan and Naba Godwami for...
Penn-Trafford Hockey Club disbands junior varsity team, cites low participation
Three weeks into the season, Penn-Trafford’s junior varsity hockey team disbanded because of low participation. Following tryouts in April, about 10 players were placed on the junior varsity roster, according to parent Michael Broker of Penn Township. “Having that few of kids, it’s really not ideal, because there’s injury, people...
Penn-Trafford boys soccer team topples 1st-place Belle Vernon
Penn-Trafford is getting big goals after halftime and has an early handle on the back half of section play. The Warriors are starting to look like a second-half soccer team, and that is just fine with senior midfielder Cooper Geyer. He, well, seconds that notion. “We can be a second-half...
