Other Local Sports category, Page 25
Westmoreland County’s top 10 sports stories of 2022
There were thrilling wins. There were gut-wrenching losses. Records were set and broken. The 2022 local sports year had breakthrough moments and dominating performances, first-time champions, veteran leaders and next-level talent. Teams and individuals left their mark in a tapestry of memories. Here are the top 10 local sports stories...
Springdale grad Rachel Halapchuk provides versatility, leadership for John Carroll swimming
Coaches often talk about leadership qualities in certain athletes. That might entail demonstrating a strong work ethic in practice. It might mean sacrificing individual glory for the good of the team. Or it could mean offering words of wisdom. John Carroll senior swimmer Rachel Halapchuk checks all of those boxes....
Oakmont’s Sean Knapp wins PAGA senior golfer of year
The Pennsylvania Golf Association Senior Player of the Year needs no introduction. Oakmont’s Sean Knapp has been winning local, state and national championships for decades, so his sixth straight award should come as no surprise. The Hannastown Golf Club member always finds a way to contend, and if he doesn’t...
Fox Chapel grad Pilarski catches on with Dodgers
Not only did Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski agree to sign with an MLB team, he will join one of the sport’s premier franchises. Pilarski will sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to the team’s minor-league training facility in February. Pilarski played for the Washington...
After successful run in Japan, Plum native Scott McGough making return to MLB
Scott McGough is coming home. The 33-year-old Plum native who got his start in professional baseball in 2015 after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers will return to Major League Baseball for the 2023 season. McGough, a reliever who helped the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League...
Fox Chapel grad catches on with Dodgers
Not only has Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski agreed to sign on with a Major League Baseball team, but he’ll also be joining one of the sport’s premier franchises. Pilarski will be inking a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and will report to the team’s minor league training facility...
West Miffin’s Logan Cooley selected to United States’ team for IIHF World Junior Championship
Forward Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, was selected to play for the United States’ team in the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship tournament later this month. USA Hockey announced the roster of 25 players on Friday evening. It marks the second time Cooley has been...
Lernerville Speedway to host high-paying sprint car race as part of 2023 season
Lernerville Speedway will host a high-stakes sprint car evening race late in the 2023 season that will pay out $50,000 to the winner. The Commonwealth Clash on the High Limit Sprint Car Series schedule is set for Tuesday, Sept. 26, and is the highest-paying sprint car event ever held at...
Lernerville Speedway sets 2023 schedule
Four months from now, fans will hear the firing of motors at Lernerville Speedway as the 2023 season gets rolling. Lernerville officials over the weekend released the upcoming season’s schedule of events. The slate is highlighted by additional Fab4 Revved Up with Marburger Farm Dairy events on Friday nights. That...
Former Jeannette/Hempfield wrestler Ethan Berginc off to perfect start for ArmyVideo
Ethan Berginc’s college wrestling career is off to a perfect start. Literally. Berginc, a freshman at Army who attended Jeannette and wrestled in a co-op with Hempfield, went unbeaten through his first 12 matches with the Black Knights. The run included a sudden-victory triumph over the then-No. 7 wrestler in...
Kiski Area grad Adam Marco named Ballpark Digest’s 2022 Broadcaster of the Year
There are 120 minor-league baseball teams with broadcasters, and Adam Marco stands among the best of them. The voice of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, was named Ballpark Digest’s 2022 Broadcaster of the Year. “To be recognized and even just considered for it is...
Brennan Marion, Greensburg Salem alum, a candidate to coach at his college alma mater
Brennan Marion has emerged as a candidate for the head football coach vacancy at Tulsa, the college alma mater of the former Greensburg Salem standout. Marion confirmed he interviewed for the opening after Tulsa let Philip Montgomery go after eight seasons. A former wide receiver plagued by knee injuries, Marion...
Laurel Valley to host ’23 Arnold Palmer Cup match
It seems appropriate that an event in his name should be played in his backyard. The 27th Arnold Palmer Cup matches will be contested at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, tournament organizers announced Wednesday. The event, which uses a Ryder Cup-style format, will be June 8-10 and feature top...
NCAA women’s volleyball tournament has plenty of WPIAL connectionsVideo
Taylor Cigna has been here before. Sophia Spiridonakos thought this day never would come. Cigna (Oakland Catholic) and Spiridonakos (Ambridge) will be leading their teams into the NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend, and they will be among a number of western Pennsylvania connections to the tourney. Cigna, a junior libero...
Kiski Valley 10U Knights celebrate Super Bowl victory
It was a productive fall season for the Kiski Valley Lancers youth football teams as three of the four made the Big East Youth Football League playoffs and the 10U Knights captured the championship of their division. The Knights defeated Penn-Trafford, 24-8, in the Super Bowl Nov. 5. Kiski Valley...
Former Hempfield standout signs pro hoops contract with Cyprus team
Kason Harrell’s professional basketball career lives on. Many players in his situation feel like they are alone on an island as they chase down their dream. Harrell, a Hempfield graduate who has been training vigorously in the offseason, literally will be on an island in his next venture. He signed...
Freeport grad Erica Lampus quickly grows into prominent role for Shippensburg volleyball teamVideo
Erica Lampus admitted she had tempered her expectations. After all, freshmen normally don’t crack the starting lineup or even see regular playing time at the college level. On top of that, the Shippensburg women’s volleyball team she was joining had a couple of established back-row players. The Freeport grad said...
Fox Chapel Area Youth Soccer League helps bolster area high school programs
Talk to any high school soccer coach at Fox Chapel, Oakland Catholic or Shady Side Academy about their success, and they are likely to reply that it all starts at the youth level. The Fox Chapel Area Youth Soccer League has proven to be a training ground for some excellent...
Pennsylvania Karate Championships return to A-K Valley
Two years ago, the Pennsylvania Karate Championships were called off in the midst of the ongoing covid pandemic. It stopped the event’s annual gathering of the top martial artists from throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley as well as the Pittsburgh region, the state and the country. But the championships returned in...
Norwin’s JJ Matijevic to get ring after Astros’ World Series win
The World Series had a nice ring to it for JJ Matijevic. The former Norwin star who had multiple call-ups from Triple-A to the major leagues this season, was a member of the World Champion Houston Astros’ taxi squad. That meant he was in the building during home games and...
Lower Burrell Recruits capture 8U AYFL Super Bowl title to cap undefeated season
The Lower Burrell Recruits are champions again. For the third time in the past four seasons, the 8U football team captured the Allegheny Youth Football League Super Bowl championship Saturday with a 40-18 victory over West Mifflin at RYFO Field in Natrona Heights. Members of the Lower Burrell Flyers youth...
Plum Stallions capture AYFL 10U championship
Plum Midget Football Association teams went 1-1 in Super Bowl championship games as the Allegheny Youth Football League wrapped up its 2022 season Oct. 29. The Stallions (10U) completed an undefeated season (10-0) with a 13-0 win over Lower Burrell in the championship game at Bushman Field in Natrona Heights....
Alumni of IUP’s century-old marching band celebrate love for music, each other
Ask Stuart Estes what instrument he played in his college marching band five-plus decades ago, and the answer gets complicated. “It’s an interesting story,” said the 75-year-old from Shippenville, a 1968 graduate of what is now Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Raised in Potter County near the New York line, the...
Pine-Richland grad playing lockdown defense for Case Western women’s soccer
Katie Rishel gained confidence in herself through hard work in the offseason, but she had to prove her progress to a new women’s soccer coaching staff at Case Western Reserve University. The coaches showed belief by making her a starter, and she’s repaid them by flourishing in her sophomore season...
Big East Youth Football League reaches playoff semifinals
The Big East Youth Football League has reached its playoff semifinals. Matchups in all four divisions are set for Sunday at Gateway and Penn-Trafford high schools. The championship games are slated for Nov. 6 Big East Youth Football League Playoff schedule Sunday, Oct. 30 Semifinals Flag (Ages 5-6) No. 3...
