Westmoreland County campus clippings: Jeannette grad Robert Kennedy to declare for NFL Draft

Robert Kennedy used to talk about playing in the NFL. What it would be like and how he would get there.

Only Kennedy, the former Jeannette star quarterback and defensive back who made his way to Power Five football as a safety at N.C. State, wasn’t dreamy about the concept of playing on Sundays like many players.

He was unflinching, fully expecting it to happen as if it was only a matter of time.

Kennedy could be on his way after an impressive grad season at N.C. State.

NFL and college football data and analytics company Pro Football Focus rates Kennedy as the top safety transfer in Division I-FBS.

N.C. State (9-3) will play Kansas State (8-4) on Thursday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

Kennedy announced over the weekend that he will declare for the NFL Draft after the bowl game.

Kennedy has an above-average rating of 79.7, a figure that represents his effectiveness on a play-by-play basis over the course of a season.

He is the Wolfpack’s nickel back.

After two seasons at Old Dominion, Kennedy (5-foot-10, 188) has played all 12 games for the Wolfpack and has tallied 31 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles.

He also played a season at East Carolina after a two-year junior college stint at Lackawanna.

He was Mr. PA Football as a senior at Jeannette, where he led the Jayhawks to WPIAL and PIAA titles.

Men’s basketball

College of Charleston: Grad forward Bryce Butler (Latrobe) scored his 2,000th career point in the Cougars’ 89-82 victory over Saint Joseph’s.

Butler scored 1,913 points in four years at West Liberty.

He is averaging 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes off the bench for Charleston (8-4), which has won four in a row.

Delaware State: Grad forward Brandon Stone (Southmoreland) had 11 points and a block in 18 minutes in a 79-50 loss to East Carolina.

Montevallo: Freshman Landon Butler (Latrobe) has played in all 11 games for the Falcons (3-8) and has seven starts. He is averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds over 23.6 minutes.

Seton Hill: With a strong defensive second half and four double-figure scorers, the Griffins topped Mansfield, 74-70, to move to 7-3.

Senior Ryan Meis made 6 of 9 3-pointers and scored 20 points, while freshman reserve Kedrick Curtis and grad student Drew Green added 12 points apiece, and sophomore Gabe Gillespie also came off the bench to chip in 11.

Women’s basketball

Chatham: Sophomore forward Alyssa Laukus (Norwin) scored 13 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out six assists in a 78-74 victory over No. 25 Elizabethtown at the Puerto Rico Classic.

The Cougars (10-2) ran their winning streak to nine with two wins in San Juan.

Gannon: Freshman guard Olivia Cernuto (Southmoreland) has played in 13 games and is averaging 3.9 points and 11.9 minutes. She is tied for second on the team with 28 assists and is tied for third in steals with 19.

Gannon is 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC.

Grove City: Junior guard Mara Polczynski (Norwin) had 10 points and four assists, but the Wolverines fell to No. 3 Christopher Newport, 71-51.

Mercyhurst: Sophomore forward Bailey Kuhns (Greensburg Central Catholic) had 20 points in 23 minutes as the Lakers defeated Millersville, 70-53, to move to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC.

Saint Vincent: The Bearcats (6-6) went 1-1 at the Daytona Beach Shootout, defeating Bates, 65-62, on the second day of the event.

Senior guard Emily Cavacini had 23 points, grad forward Madison Weber added 11 points and 13 rebounds, and junior forward Emily Thompson had 10 points in the win.

Seton Hill: Senior guard Christiane Frye was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week, the third time she was won a weekly award from the conference in five weeks.

Frye had 22 points, seven rebounds and five steals in a win over Mansfield, then ripped off a career-high eight steals against Lock Haven.

The Griffins moved to 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC with a 72-51 win over Mansfield.

Sophomore Hallie Cowan added 10 points for Seton Hill, which forced 24 turnovers.

Wrestling

Army: Sophomore Ethan Berginc (Jeannette/Hempfield) is 27-8 this season competing at 125 pounds. He has registered six major decisions, a technical fall and two falls.

Ohio State: Freshman Vinny Kilkeary (Latrobe), the Buckeyes’ 125-pounder, is 12-4 this season with four major decisions and one pin.

Kilkeary won three PIAA titles at Latrobe.

Pitt: Unranked redshirt senior Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional) upset No. 5 Brett Unger of Cornell at 125 pounds in the Collegiate Duals last Monday at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville. No. 13 Pitt dropped the match to No. 5 Cornell, 27-13, as the Panthers finished 1-2 at the event.

Sophomore Dayton Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant) won twice at 285.

Pitt-Johnstown: Junior 285-pounder Isaiah Vance (Hempfield) was named the PSAC Athlete of the Week after he won a championship at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind.

Vance entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed.

Waynesburg: Freshman Billy Sugden (Ligonier Valley) went 2-2 at 285 pounds, with a fall, at the Wilkes Open.

Pro beat

Checking on local athletes playing professionally:

Baseball

• JJ Matijevic (Norwin) declared for minor league free agency after playing a full season with the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

Matijevic was named a Houston Astros organizational all-star by MiLB.com. He led the Space Cowboys in doubles (26) and RBIs (76), and he also had 18 home runs and six triples.

Matijevic, a first baseman and designated hitter, saw time in the majors in 2022 and delivered a pair of home runs for the Astros. He received a World Series ring last year as a member of Houston’s taxi squad.

• Catcher Max McDowell (Norwin) signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. He reportedly was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.

He was assigned to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and was invited to spring training.

McDowell played last season with the Reading Fightin Phils and Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

He has a .227 average, 23 homers and 174 RBIs in 561 career games.

Basketball

• Austin Butler (Latrobe) is playing for Spirou Basket Charleroi in the BNXT League in Belgium.

Through 11 games this season, he has a 10.5-point average, which includes a 22-point output against Kortrijk. Butler played four years at Holy Cross before a grad year at Charlotte.

• Kason Harrell (Hempfield) is playing in Ireland again, in the Cyprus-­OPAP Basket League.

The former Purdue Fort Wayne standout has appeared in three games for Achilleas Killestar. He scored 16 in his first game, a 66-57 win over E.N. Paralimni.

In 2022, Harrell had a 56-point game in an Irish Super League game.

He spent last year serving as an assistant coach to Jim Nesser at Yough.