Paul Schofield stories, Page 37

Wrestler of the year Vinny Kilkeary Latrobe, sr., 127 pounds 2022-23 record: 29-0 Overall record: 131-12 When Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary won the 106-pound PIAA Class 3A title as a freshman in 2020, he shocked the state. He defeated Bethlehem Catholic’s Tyler Kasak, 14-10, in the semifinals with a great comeback,...

ALTOONA – Norwin saw its run to the PIAA Class 6A championship game end Monday night at Altoona’s Field House. Undefeated Cedar Cliff, the District 3 champions, needed overtime to advance to its first championship game, outscoring the Knights 8-0 in the extra period for a 55-47 victory. Cedar Cliff...

Lou Cortazzo may be the new baseball coach at Penn-Trafford, but the goals haven’t changed. The Warriors, who reached the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals in 2022, look to climb the ladder toward a possible title. Cortazzo was named interim coach last month, taking over after Dan Miller was let go....

After a stunning loss to Purdue’s Matt Ramos in the NCAA wrestling championship semifinals on Friday, Iowa redshirt senior Spencer Lee took a medical forfeit Saturday and will finish sixth. Iowa issued the following statement: “It has been a long road of a recovery for Spencer Lee. He will medically...

Franklin Regional swimming coach Vic Santoro went into the PIAA championships at Bucknell University on March 17 and 18 with great expectations that his team would add to its collection of medals. That’s because he was pleased with how they performed in the WPIAL Class 3A championships. The boys and...

When North Allegheny junior Caroline Henderson banked in a half-court shot to end the third quarter, Norwin coach Brian Brozeski told his team not to worry. That’s because Brozeski’s Knights were not to be deterred on this night. Norwin became more determined and didn’t allow another basket in the final...

Lou Cortazzo was as shocked as anybody when Penn-Trafford athletic director Kerry Hetrick told him he was the new baseball coach. He was named interim coach a month ago, and he is one of several new baseball skippers in Westmoreland County. Cortazzo took over for Dan Miller, whose contract was...

Fox Chapel is hoping the third trip to the PIHL finals is a charm. The top-seeded Foxes reached the Penguins Cup Class A finals for the first time since 1997 by defeating returning champion Norwin, 7-3, on Wednesday at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. Fox Chapel never has won...

Ohio State recruits Vinny Kilkeary of Latrobe and Rocco Welsh of Waynesburg headlined the WPIAL wrestlers named to the Pennsylvania wrestling team in the annual Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. The team featuring some of the best from the state will battle a star-studded United States squad Saturday, March 25 at Peters...

Waynesburg assistant coach Scott Rhodes said he was surprised when he looked in the PIAA individual championship brackets and saw that Penn-Trafford qualified five wrestlers for the state tournament. “I thought we had the most (five), but they had a heck of a tournament,” Rhodes said. “I was shocked that...

HERSHEY — You never know what type of celebration you’ll get from a wrestler after winning a PIAA title. Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary’s celebration was uplifting Saturday at the Class 3A championship at Giant Center. After Kilkeary beat Canon-McMillan junior Andrew Binni, 8-5, to win the 127-pound class, coach Mark...

HERSHEY — Sometimes guarantees don’t come true. But Burrell junior Cooper Hornack made sure he delivered on his guarantee. Hornack (43-9, 112-19) used a takedown with a minute left in the 127-pound finals to defeat Bentworth senior Chris Vargo, 2-1, in the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships Saturday at Giant...

HERSHEY – There are 65 wrestlers in the state of Pennsylvania that have won at least three PIAA titles. Out of that list, 13 are four-time champions. The list of 52 three-time winners will grow by three if Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary and Waynesburg senior Mac Church in Class 3A...

Franklin Regional wrestling coach Matt Lebe said he didn’t know how many Panthers would qualify for the PIAA individual tournament this year. His best guess was between one and five. It all depended on matchups. Well, Lebe headed to Hershey with three wrestlers — junior Tyler Kapusta (114 pounds), senior...

HERSHEY —When Cooper Hornack reached the finals at the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships in 2021, he didn’t realize how big of a deal it was. Now he does, and he’s looking forward to a second trip to the finals at Giant Center on Saturday. There the Burrell junior finds...

HERSHEY — For Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary and Hempfield senior Lucas Kapusta, Friday’s quarterfinal-round matches at the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships were like a business trip. They handled their business very well at Giant Center. Both advanced to Saturday morning’s semifinals with impressive wins. Kilkeary, looking for his third...

HERSHEY — Muncy freshman Gage Swank learned a valuable lesson Friday during the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 2A wrestling championships — don’t make Burrell freshman Cam Baker mad. Swank got Baker upset with a series swats to the face during their match at the Giant Center. After a...

HERSHEY — Hempfield senior Lucas Kapusta has been in a few tight overtime battles this season. So when he trailed Abington Heights sophomore Brian Heard in the third period Thursday, he knew what he had to do and didn’t panic. Kapusta got a takedown with 20 seconds remaining to tie...

HERSHEY — You can never tell how a wrestler will perform the first time he competes during the PIAA individual championships at Giant Center. The venue can be intimidating even for the seasoned wrestlers. It didn’t hurt that Burrell freshman Cam Baker got to compete here a month ago at...

There is a new sponsoring judge for the annual Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete banquet. The presiding judge is Michael Stewart, who replaced John J. Driscoll, this year. The committee, which includes Westmoreland County Athletics and others, met Tuesday to pick the top female and male winners. Only the athletic directors voted...

It’s time to lay it on the line for wrestlers from the WPIAL at the PIAA individual championships that begin Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey. All the hard work and sweat in practice is done. Now the 88 wrestlers who will participate in this year’s tournament — 52 in...

Individual Rankings Class 3A 107: 1. Tanner Mizenko, Canon-McMillan (38-8); 2. Santino Sloboda, Butler (37-1); 3. Dylan Barrett, Penn-Trafford (32-13); 4. Ejiro Montoya, Mt. Lebanon (32-8); 5. Gus Stedeford, North Allegheny (29-12); 6. Owen Campbell, Plum (32-8). 114: 1. Luke Willochell, Latrobe (34-2); 2. Ty Kapusta, Franklin Regional (29-9); 3....

Tyler Horvat is beginning his final season for the Washington & Jefferson baseball team. But it probably won’t be his final year of collegiate baseball. The Presidents team captain plans to enter the transfer portal and play on the Division I or Division II level. Horvat is the ace of...

It turned out to be quite a weekend for the Kiski Area wrestling program. After a subpar regular season for the Cavaliers, the individual tournament brought out a different animal. Senior Ryan Klingensmith dropped two weight classes over the past month and earned the 121-pound title at the WPIAL/PIAA Southwest...

Latrobe senior Vinny Kilkeary and Waynesburg senior Mac Church joined an elite group Saturday at the WPIAL/PIAA Southwest Regional Class 3A wrestling tournament at Canon-McMillan High School. They became the 86th and 87th members of the three-time WPIAL champions club. Kilkeary (25-0) won his third consecutive title by dominating Canon-McMillan...