Paul Schofield stories, Page 44

Penn-Trafford’s girls soccer season ended Oct. 24, but not without a valiant effort. The Warriors’ battle against No. 1-seeded Mars went into overtime before the second-ranked team in the country pulled out a 1-0 victory. The Planets averaged 6.8 goals per game this season, but the Warriors used a defensive...

Penn-Trafford improved to 2-1 in the PIHL by defeating Hempfield, 5-4, in a shootout. The Warriors grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second period on goals by Bryce Kropczynski, Colin Paterson and Noah Moffa, but Hempfield used three power-play goals in the third period to tie the score. Cam Kiste...

The WPIAL released the pairings for the upcoming football playoffs Saturday, but the playoffs had already started for Penn-Trafford with its huge win against Franklin Regional on Friday. The Warriors (6-4) rallied late to defeat Franklin Regional, 28-21, in overtime in a must-win game. Now the real playoffs begin Friday...

Things didn’t look good for the Penn-Trafford football team midway through the fourth quarter Friday. In a game they needed to win to make the playoffs, the Warriors trailed Franklin Regional by a touchdown and had just turned the ball over. But Penn-Trafford reverted to the form that won it...

The Latrobe field hockey team never has defeated Penn-Trafford in Jeff Giordan’s 13 seasons as coach. But he hopes the first win comes Saturday when the Wildcats face the perennial Class 2A power Warriors in the WPIAL finals at Washington & Jefferson’s Cameron Stadium. Both teams come into the game...

Last year, Drew Griffith helped make it a Butler 1-2 finish at the WPIAL Class 3A boys cross country championships at Cal (Pa.). The junior was runner-up to teammate and current Notre Dame freshman CJ Singleton. This year, Griffith is all alone at the top. For the second week in...

It was an historic day for the Belle Vernon cross country team Thursday at the WPIAL championships. For the first time in school history, the Leopards had three runners qualify for the PIAA cross country meet Nov. 5 in Hershey. Senior Luke Henderson placed eighth in the Class 2A boys’...

Bailey Kennedy Southmoreland, Sr., OL/MLB Kennedy is a team captain and has 47 tackles for the Scotties this season. He also had 5.5 quarterback sacks and is strong on the offensive line. Michael Mason Jeannette, Jr., RB/OLB Mason has 25 solo tackles and 21 assists. He has forced two fumbles...

Late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis had a motto: Just win, baby. Penn-Trafford football coach John Ruane will be adopting that adage for the regular-season finale against first-place Franklin Regional. “That’s our mindset Friday: Just win,” Ruane said. The reigning WPIAL and PIAA 5A champions need a victory at home...

The WPIAL cross country championships will be held Thursday at Cal (Pa.)’s Roadman Park. The course is known for its treacherous hill between mile markers 1 and 2. Those who can navigate the climb will have the best chance to advance to Hershey for the PIAA championship meet Nov. 5....

The Penn-Trafford middle school football team finished the season 7-0 by defeating Norwin, 30-0, in the season finale on Oct. 19. The Little Warriors also defeated Armstrong (20-8), Shaler (30-6), Latrobe (22-7), Connellsville (44-8), Hempfield (40-28) and Franklin Regional (38-18). The team is coached by J.W. Snyder. Field hockey finishes...

The Franklin Regional football team played its best game of the season when it needed it the most. The Panthers scored on their first five possessions Oct. 14 and rolled to a 56-21 victory against Hempfield to clinch at least a tie of the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference...

Jeannette is headed back to the WPIAL Class A playoffs after a year absence. The Jayhawks, the winningest program in the WPIAL with 770 victories, got two touchdowns apiece from senior running back Noah Sanders and junior quarterback Payton Molter and cruised to a 35-7 victory against winless Springdale to...

Hempfield senior Liz Tapper announced at volleyball senior night Thursday that she will be continuing her track career at the University of Michigan. Tapper selected Michigan over Duke, Ohio State and Kentucky. Tapper capped her junior season by becoming a high school national champion at the New Balance Nationals at...

Riverview cross country coach Palma Ostrowski walked away from the annual Tri-State Coaches Association Invitational pleased with the team’s performance. The boys finished second to Winchester Thurston, 45-52, in Class A and the girls placed third behind Winchester Thurston and Mohawk on the difficult Cal (Pa.) course. Winchester Thurston edged...

Butler junior Drew Griffith was hoping to set the course record at Cal (Pa.) during the Tri-State Cross Country Invitational on Thursday. He thought he missed the mark by five seconds. Well, he was mistaken. He broke the course mark by nine seconds after he ran a 15:32.56 in the...

Central Catholic captured the team’s third PIAA Class 3A boys golf championship Wednesday at Penn State’s White Course. The Vikings also won in 2016 and ’18. Senior Rocco Salvitti, who finished second in the PIAA individual tournament Tuesday, led the way for the Vikings by shooting 4-under-par 68. The Vikings...

Jake Gedekoh Belle Vernon, Jr., RB Gedokoh rushed for two touchdowns in a win against Mt. Pleasant last week. He has rushed for 266 yards and has scored nine touchdowns this season. He has five touchdowns in the past two games and blocked a punt against Greensburg Salem. Lane Golkosky...

The WPIAL playoffs don’t begin for another two weeks, but for the Southmoreland football team, they started Oct. 14 with a victory over Greensburg Salem. The Scotties all but officially clinched their fourth trip to the postseason and, after a 40-year absence, will qualify for a third time in four...

Class 5A Big East Hempfield (5-3, 1-2) at Plum (3-5, 1-3) 7 p.m. Friday, Mustangs Stadium, Plum The Spartans try to end a three-game losing streak to save their playoff hopes. They fell to Franklin Regional, 56-21, last week. Plum saw its playoffs hopes end with a 35-21 loss at...

The WPIAL golfers were shut out of first-place titles at the PIAA championships for a second consecutive year. The best finish in Class 3A was by Central Catholic senior Rocco Salvitti, who placed second in Class 3A to Dylan Ramsey of Cedar Crest. Ramsey shot a two-round 4-under-par 140. He...

If Central Catholic senior Rocco Salvitti and Penn-Trafford junior Nick Turowski hope to capture PIAA Class 3A golf titles, they have work to do during the final round Tuesday. Salvitti, the 2022 WPIAL champion, and Turowski, who won the WPIAL title in 2021, trail Cedar Cliff’s Dylan Ramsey, who shot...

There was no holding back by Penn-Trafford junior Amelia Barilla at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association girls cross country championships on Oct. 12. Barilla knew if she wanted to win the title at Westmoreland County Community College, she had to keep pace with Kiski Area junior Eliza Miller, and for...

Franklin Regional senior Paityn Blakley improved on her finish from a year ago at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association cross country meet on Oct. 12 but not her time. Still, Blakley wasn’t disappointed with her overall performance. Blakley finished sixth in a time of 20:11.7 and was Franklin Regional’s top...

Franklin Regional clinched at least a share of the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference title Friday by playing nearly a perfect football game. The Panthers (5-2, 4-0) scored on their first five possessions and rolled to a 56-21 victory against Hempfield to celebrate senior night. It was the Panthers’...