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...
From success at Penn State to 1st pro tournament, Greensburg native climbing tennis ladder
When Loren Byers was 17, he won the USTA National Level 3 Tennis Championship in Arizona. The win helped Byers gain recognition across the country, and he eventually climbed the national ranks. “The person I beat in my last match was pretty high ranked, so that helped out my ranking,”...
Greensburg Salem’s Zahorchak resigns as boys basketball coach
Greensburg Salem will fall into line with similar-sized schools in boys basketball again next winter but the team will play in Class 4A without Mark Zahorchak. The Golden Lions’ head coach resigned after four seasons, the last two when Greensburg Salem played up in Class 6A to reduce travel and...
Bolstered by 5 WPIAL championship teams, Quaker Valley captures Class 4A Trib Cup
Mike Mastroianni was in a no lose situation in this year’s race for the Trib HSSN Cup in Class 4A. He is the athletic director and boys basketball coach at Quaker Valley while he lives in the Montour school district. Those two schools finished first and second, with Mastroianni’s Quakers...
Westmoreland notebook: Belle Vernon slugger Maren Metikosh class of 4A softball
Maren Metikosh has a name that rolls off the tongue. It is pure alliteration for broadcasters and announcers at Belle Vernon softball games. Her swing is even smoother. The rising senior had a memorable season for the Leopards as she launched home runs off the Dairy Queen sign in left...
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...
Knapp ready for Sunnehanna Amateur
The roar of thunder Tuesday morning woke Oakmont’s Sean Knapp from his sleep. So he decided to look at his phone and call up the weather radar, and he saw a blotch of red hanging over Johnstown. Knapp screen-shot the radar and sent it to friend Nathan Smith with the...
Golf notebook: Paul Ajak III looking to defend Tri-State Section Amateur title
Pittsburgh native Paul Ajak III will be trying to defend his Tri-State Section PGA Amateur Championship title Thursday at Indiana Country Club. He is among the field of 68. Ajak III shot a 3-under par 67 to capture the 2021 title at Hannastown Golf Club. Scott Bitar of Pittsburgh was...
Seton Hill softball, baseball teams win NCAA regional games
The Seton Hill softball team moved a game closer to qualifying for the NCAA Division II World Series on Thursday by defeating host Kutztown, 7-0, in the Atlantic Super Regional Championship. Morgan Ryan, the Notre Dame transfer who played at Hempfield, threw a six-hit shutout and helped her cause with...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Area players to take part in upcoming Roundball games
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...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant’s Hutter reopens recruitment
Mt. Pleasant softball standout Katie Hutter has changed her college plans. Initially an Akron commit — a decision she made in fall 2020 — Hutter decommitted because of a coaching change. The senior has opened her recruiting. Hutter, a .593 hitter and shortstop, will likely play outfield in college....
A closer look at 2022 Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete honorees
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...
It’s a wide world of sports for busy Greensburg Salem senior Jake Smith
When Jake Smith isn’t throwing strikes, he’s rolling them. When he isn’t scoring runs, he’s going on them through the woods. It isn’t all that rare that he plays four sports at Greensburg Salem. What is unique is the sports he chose. “They’re split up nicely,” Smith said. “Fall, winter...
Numerous athletes looking to defend titles at WCCA meet
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...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Offers piling up for Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin
Add two more Power 5 scholarship offers for Belle Vernon sophomore Quinton Martin. The top-end programs continue to buzz around the five-star sophomore football player, who reeled in offers from Louisville and Texas A&M on consecutive days last week. Martin (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) is ranked as the No. 1 recruit...
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: 3-game series on horizon for Hempfield, Norwin
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...
High school track and field notebook: Strong field headed to Butler this weekend
The 57th annual Butler Invitational will be held over two days this weekend. The girls take the track Friday and the boys Saturday. There are 48 teams entered in the meet. The invitational will feature some of the top athletes in Western Pennsylvania. “It’s a time to measure yourself against...
YWCA set to honor outstanding women from Westmoreland County
The YWCA of Westmoreland County will honor some of the top females from the county at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield. The honorees include individuals, teams and a coach at the annual banquet. The committee selected the winners after receiving nominations from the schools and individuals. The...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Ligonier Valley’s Cheyenne Piper, Greensburg Salem’s Donavin Waller
Cheyenne Piper School: Ligonier Valley Sport: Softball Year: Sophomore Claim to fame: Piper had a week to remember, delivering a perfect game and then getting hot with the bat as the Rams won four straight. She threw a perfect game in a 7-0 victory over Punxsutawney in her first varsity...
Candidates for Westmoreland County Scholar-Athletes awards announced
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...
Track and field notebook: Riverview athletes excel at Bedford meet
Riverview’s Parker Steele won the 800-meter run at Bedford Giant Eagle Classic Invitational on April 9. Amberson Bauer finished second in the 1,600-meter run, and teammate Christopher Barnes placed third in the 3,200. Ty Laughlin finished fourth in the 1,600, and Holden Deasy placed sixth in the 3,200. Lily Bauer...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Derry volleyball coach reflects after 200th win
Shawn Spencer sees his coaching milestone as one part longevity, two parts personnel. He doesn’t make it about himself. The Derry boys volleyball coach recently captured his 200th win leading the Trojans. Spencer also coached the Elderton boys from 1992-95 and again from 1998-2003, but the milestone only counts his...
Westmoreland baseball notebook: 2-game series well liked
Coaches and players seem to like the WPIAL’s home-and-home, two-game series that occur on back-to-back days. Especially the teams that bounce back after a loss in Game One. Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford split their Section 1-5A opening series, with Franklin Regional rebounding from a 4-3 loss with a 5-0 win....
Westmoreland softball notebook: Double-digit run totals becomes more common
Yes, scoring is up in Westmoreland County softball. There have been only seven shutouts by county teams so far in this hitters’ delight of a season, while teams scored 10 or more runs a head-turning 16 times through Tuesday. The question is, who hasn’t been in a game involving double-figure...
Latrobe’s Emma Blair named Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Basketball Player of the Year
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...
