High school notebook: Norwin wrestling coach leads U16 team to national duals title
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...
Reitz father-son combo reunited as coordinators on Hempfield coaching staff
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...
Latrobe football team earns long-awaited 7-on-7 win on its home field
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...
Hempfield girls basketball heats up during summer months
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...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Transfer to prep school a tough decision for Franklin Regional lineman
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...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Norwin senior wowed by Donald at workout
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...
Penn-Trafford names Travis McKillop as wrestling coach
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 again finishes atop Class 6A Trib Cup standings
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...
Penn-Trafford’s Mia Smith takes 2022 Tribune-Review Westmoreland Softball Player of the Year honors
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...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Salem among biggest moves in basketball realignment
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...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Hempfield’s Sydney Mitchell
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 wins national championship in discus
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...
Westmoreland HS notebook: Special honor for Norwin’s Rosado Guindin
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’s Mia Cochran earns state’s top honor from track and field coaches
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 notebook: Big 5/6 Conference announces baseball, softball all-stars
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...
Hempfield’s Tapper wins Class 3A discus for 2nd gold of PIAA track and field championships
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...
Liz Tapper wins PIAA shot put gold to join list of Hempfield state champs
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...
‘Underdog’ Seneca Valley rolls past Hempfield into Class 6A WPIAL finals
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...
Seton Hill softball set for World Series run in Denver
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....
What to watch for in WPIAL sports for May 25, 2022: Boys volleyball, lacrosse titles up for grabs
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 names Dominick Nania new wrestling coach
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...
Hempfield grad Madi Stoner to coach in college softball league
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...
Westmoreland WPIAL playoff softball capsule: Games for Wednesday, May 25, 2022
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 |...
Former Hempfield teammates help Seton Hill softball reach college World Series
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...
Hempfield softball loses ace freshman pitcher for season
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...