Monessen

After five years on the West Coast, Charel Allen is returning to her alma mater. Allen, the Monessen native and second all-time leading scorer in WPIAL history, was named an assistant coach at Notre Dame on Wednesday. As a player with the Fighting Irish from 2004-08, Allen was a two-time...

The battle for the HSSN Trib Cup in Class A in 2021-2022 turned into one of the closest and most unique battles where overall success won out. In the end, it was Greensburg Central Catholic hoisting the cup aloft again, this despite the school only winning one district championship all...

Basketball season ended months ago, but the Roundball Classic will bring together some of the top talent from the WPIAL this week. The nine senior all-star games will be Thursday through Saturday at Geneva College in Beaver Falls. Area boys selected are Nick Crum and Noah Wright of Penn-Trafford, Michael...

BELLE VERNON Morgan Einodshofer Sports: Soccer and track and field Parents: Susan and Michael Einodshofer Class rank: 1 of 191 GPA: 4.589 College: Undecided Extracurricular activities and honors: Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award in 2019. … National Honor Society. … Mid Mon Valley All-Sports Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete. … All-WPIAL...

The best of Westmoreland County will descend on Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium Saturday for the running of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association track and field championship. This is the 99th year for the boys and 42nd for the girls. Numerous returning champions are back trying to defend their titles. Heading the...

Teams are still adjusting to playing two-game series on back-to-back days, but the WPIAL is switching to a new format next season. There will be three-game series in the largest classification, which fields the fewest teams. Class 6A will play three games in a row against each section opponent, a...

It’s a rite of passage. Once a year in May, some of the top student-athletes from Westmoreland County are honored. The 66th annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete banquet will honor 36 candidates, two each from the 18 high schools in the county, on May 3 at Ferrante’s Lakeview. Athletic directors and...

Quinton Martin Belle Vernon, So., G/F At this rate, Belle Vernon football star Quinton Martin is going to mess around and get mistaken for a basketball player. Martin, the five-star football prospect who is racking up Power 5 scholarship offers, had a breakthrough sophomore season on the court for the...

Emma Blair Latrobe, Jr., F Emma Blair is known for her ability to play in the post. But what really makes her the player she is, what truly rounds her off, is her ability to rebound the basketball. The 6-foot-1 junior forward knows how to get position under the rim...

The Roundball Classic basketball games return this year, and a number of local players made the all-star rosters. Nine all-senior games will be played May 19-21 at Geneva College in Beaver Falls. Norwin’s Lance Maha will coach the 6A Silver boys team. Area boys selected include Nick Crum and Noah...

Most WPIAL baseball teams will get a week of nonsection play in this week before starting their “section series” schedule next week. However, there are five sections that have a bloated seven teams. For those sections, there is no warm-up. Section play for those teams begins this week. The sections...

Coming off a two-win season, with one of the victories via forfeit, the Monessen softball team isn’t entering its upcoming schedule with unrealistic expectations. But the Greyhounds are trying to exhibit the unbridled enthusiasmthird-year coach Mia Emiliani exudes. “I think our expectations as always are to do better than the...

Kody Kuhns and Jack Sacco are the only two seniors on the Monessen baseball team. They also double as the team’s most fervent recruiters. Kuhns and Sacco began working the hallways, lunch room, basketball locker room, basically anywhere the duo thought they might land potential players. “We wanted to get...

Boys Class 2A First round Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) at Conemaugh Township (21-3) 7 p.m. Wednesday District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-3; Conemaugh Township 5-1 Winner plays: Winner of Ridgway (20-5)/Cambridge Springs (13-12) Saturday in second round Layup lines: Greensburg Central Catholic picked up the No. 3 seed in the...

Some say luck is when preparation crosses paths with opportunity. For many WPIAL basketball teams, luck had a lot to do with their state playoff fate. It was, after all, in the hands of other teams. With the league’s follow-the-winner format to determine PIAA qualifiers and their seedings back in...

Greensburg Central Catholic’s team size has been a problem for opponents all season. For a few moments early in their playoff game Friday night, the Centurions looked average-sized. But after falling behind, the fourth-seeded Centurions quickly rose to their full height. They went on to dispatch of No. 5 Monessen’s...

Sometimes a team just has your number. That was what Monessen girls basketball coach Janine Vertacnik kept on saying to herself after the Greyhounds dropped their Class A quarterfinal contest to Aquinas Academy, 60-37, on the road Thursday night. “They were just the better team tonight,” Vertacnik said. “Every time...

Belle Vernon was short a couple of key pieces when it played Montour the first time this season. That had a lot to do with the Leopards losing, 65-48, to the Spartans in a late-season matchup at the Hoops for a Cure showcase at North Allegheny. But when the teams...

Friday’s games BOYS Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Monessen (18-4) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3) 7 p.m. at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 9-Sto-Rox (12-7)/1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-0) Tuesday in semifinals Layup lines: Monessen is one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL, winning 16 straight. The Greyhounds have...

GIRLS Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Seton La Salle (16-6) at 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: Winner of 9-Apollo-Ridge (16-4)/1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-4) Monday in semifinals Layup lines: Seton LaSalle advanced with a 48-35 victory over No. 12 Sto-Rox in the first round. The Rebels...

After finishing the regular season with 15 consecutive wins and a Section 4 title, the Monessen boys basketball team continued its winning ways in its postseason opener Tuesday night. It didn’t come easy, though. Fifth-seeded Monessen was forced to hold off a late charge by No. 12 Jeannette en route...

Tuesday’s games Girls First round Class 5A 15-Greensburg Salem (15-7) at 2-South Fayette (18-4) 8 p.m. Winner plays: Winner of 10-Mars (17-5)/7-Latrobe (17-3) 7 p.m. Friday in quarterfinals Layup lines: Greensburg Salem is back in the postseason after losing in the first round last year. The Golden Lions are seeking...

Monday’s games Boys First round Class 5A 9-Kiski Area (15-7) at 8-Hampton (12-10) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 1-Laurel Highlands (21-0)/16-Woodland Hills (8-14) on Thursday in quarterfinals Layup lines: Kiski Area already tripled its win total from a year ago under first-year coach Corey Smith, who played for...

Monday’s games Boys First round Class 3A 9-Ligonier Valley (12-10) at 8-Avonworth (15-5) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 16-Summit Academy (7-8)/1-Ellwood City (20-2) on Thursday in quarterfinals Layup lines: Second-year WPIAL member Ligonier Valley won four of its final five games and finished third in Section 3. Senior...

When the ball goes up, Emma Blair is ready for it to come down. The Latrobe junior forward takes many would-be rebounders to task, firmly planting herself into a position to snare a missed shot and give the Wildcats a fresh chance at a putback or new possession. The 6-foot-1...