Hempfield

Called the “toughest wrestling tournament in the country,” the USA Wrestling National Championships represent a true test of talent for coaches and competitors. To Kyle Martin, the event represents a grandiose stage that matches the competition level. Martin found so much enjoyment and success in last year’s event, he couldn’t...

One is old school, committed to stopping the run and appreciative of a good hit over the middle. The other is new wave. Spread the field, go shotgun and make the secondary guess. Ray Reitz and his son, Ryan, look at high school football from different perspectives, but they are...

As Penn-Trafford’s final deep pass attempt sailed out of the end zone and fell incomplete, players from Latrobe jumped into each other’s arms and bounced around in a sudden swell of excitement. For once, the Wildcats got to celebrate on their home field, which hosted the county 7-on-7 passing tournament...

Success in the summer months doesn’t quite compare to success during the winter high school basketball season, but Hempfield can attest there still is plenty of value to it. And the trophies are just as shiny. Winning as a cohesive unit in July can be a building block for the...

Andrew Nesler is on the move. The rising senior football player is leaving Franklin Regional for The Hill School, a prep academy in Pottstown, about 70 miles east of Hershey. Nesler, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound lineman, said the transfer is motivated by personal and family reasons. He was a key player...

Noah Vogel went to Pitt for what initially looked like an unremarkable football workout. Another day in the blazing summer heat. But his day ended up becoming quite remarkable. Vogel, a senior tight end and defensive end at Norwin, received one-on-one instruction from Pitt great and Super Bowl champion Aaron...

When A.J. Brentzel decided to step down as Penn-Trafford’s wrestling coach, athletic director Kerry Hetrick knew who could be the school’s next coach. It was assistant coach Travis McKillop, who spent the past three seasons rebuilding the program with Brentzel. “The kids like Travis, and I’m confident he’ll continue to...

North Allegheny winning the Trib HSSN Cup comes as no surprise. The fact that it was closer than usual made things interesting in the 6A chase. A strong athletic season at Mt. Lebanon kept it close, but in the end, NA still won comfortably to keep intact its two-decade streak...

The evolution of Mia Smith’s high school softball career began in 2019 when she was a freshman. A closer two seasons ago when Penn-Trafford won a PIAA championship, Smith took over the lead role in the circle this season and shined. She led the Warriors (20-4) to a runner-up finish...

Summer is just starting, but the WPIAL has its new basketball sections in place for the next winter season. The biggest movers in Westmoreland County are Penn-Trafford and Greensburg Salem, which are dropping from Class 6A. Penn-Trafford will be in 5A in boys and girls hoops. The Greensburg Salem boys...

Sydney Mitchell, the speedy center fielder for Hempfield’s softball team, always figured she’d wear Pitt colors someday. She will do that in the fall, but the route she took had some twists and turns in it. As Thanksgiving of her senior year approached, Mitchell hadn’t received a scholarship offer and...

Hempfield’s Liz Tapper added a national championship to her state gold in the discus on Friday. Tapper, a rising senior, took the discus title at the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia with a throw of 163 feet, 2 inches. Tapper led throughout the competition, throwing 159-8 on...

Norwin senior Sebastian Rosado Guindin knew he was in the running for a unique award, but he was a little taken aback when his name was called. “Yes, I was a surprised when I won,” he said. Rosado Guindin won the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Sports Most...

Moon senior Mia Cochran turned in quite a performance at the PIAA track and field championships the weekend of May 27-28. She won three distance races — 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters — in Class 3A, and for that effort she was named the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association’s...

Westmoreland County athletes once again made their mark in the WPIAL’s two largest classifications this spring. The Big 5/6 Conference, which covers Class 6A and 5A athletics, had its all-section banquet Wednesday and announced its top players in baseball and softball. Section 2-6A baseball’s first team included senior infielder Joe...

SHIPPENSBURG — Now that Hempfield junior Liz Tapper has two PIAA gold medals on her resume, what’s in store next? “I want to repeat and add state records in both events,” Liz Tapper said with a grin on her face. “I was so close this year. I have to fix...

SHIPPENSBURG – On the wall in the lobby of the Hempfield field house are pictures of all the school’s PIAA champions. Hempfield athletic director Brandon Rapp now has to find room for Liz Tapper. The junior became the ninth thrower in school history to win a PIAA title when she...

As Hempfield was making lineup changes late in the game, Seneca Valley players passed the time with a quick round of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game went around the horn. Other players danced to music in between innings. It’s all fun and games these days for the Raiders, and they wouldn’t have...

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Seton Hill softball team has a “Mile High” feeling. That’s because the Griffins are headed to Denver, the Mile High City, to participate in the NCAA Division II World Series. They’ll open with No. 3 seed Auburn Montgomery (48-11) at 8:30 p.m....

The district gold starts to flow Wednesday with two WPIAL boys volleyball and three district lacrosse title matches. In boys volleyball, could there be a changing of the guard in Class 3A? North Allegheny has completely dominated the 3A landscape with 21 WPIAL boys volleyball championships, four straight crowns and...

Saint Vincent College announced it was adding a men’s wrestling program in March. Tuesday, the school named a coach. Hempfield graduate Dominick Nania was hired as the school’s newly relaunched program. He was selected from a large list on candidates. Nania has more than six years of wrestling coaching experience...

Madi Stoner will be spending her summer in Florida, and not necessarily lying in the beach. The Hempfield and Hillsdale College grad will be joining her Hillsdale coach, Kyle Gross, in Bradenton coaching in a softball league for high-level college softball players. She will be assisting Gross at the Lakewood...

Class 6A Semifinals 4-Seneca Valley (11-6) vs. 1-Hempfield (13-3) 4 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 7-North Allegheny (12-9) vs. 3-Pine-Richland (12-4) on June 1 in championship (time TBD) at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Lexie Hames, Seneca Valley; Hannah Uhrinek, Hempfield On the air: Broadcast |...

Morgan Ryan and Jenna Osikowicz are no strangers to the big stage. In Little League, they helped West Point win a Junior League World Series title in 2014. They helped Hempfield win consecutive PIAA Class 6A titles, and now they’ve helped the Seton Hill softball team reach the NCAA Division...

If Hempfield makes a run to its eighth WPIAL softball title, it will finish it without freshman pitcher Riley Miller. The Spartans ace broke her left foot sliding into second base during the team’s 5-4 WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal win over Norwin on Wednesday at Penn-Trafford. She is done for...