Paul Schofield stories, Page 67
Penn-Trafford’s Balest, Latrobe’s Gatto lead their teams to WCCA bowling titles
The Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association held its first bowling championship Monday, and it was met with joy. The WCCA recently put together the championship, which was held at Lincoln Lanes in Latrobe. Penn-Trafford junior Alyssa Balest took home the girls individual honor, and Latrobe senior James Gatto grabbed the boys...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Swimmers clock WPIAL-qualifying times
Penn-Trafford sophomores Patton Graziano and Conner Alexander are having good seasons for the swimming team. Both have qualified for the WPIAL in various events. Graziano had qualified in every event except the 100 breaststroke. He’s qualified in 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-meter freestyle, the 100 IM, the 100 butterfly and...
Penn-Trafford hockey looks to finish season strong
The Penn-Trafford hockey team was flying high after it avenged an early season loss to rival Franklin Regional on Dec. 6. The 7-1 victory put the Warriors in a first-place tie with the Panthers in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Class 2A East Division. A 3-2 win three days later...
Franklin Regional wrestlers look forward to postseason tournament
When wrestling season began back in December, Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe wasn’t sure how things would work out for his team after two potential starters decided to pursue other avenues. But through hard work and belief in the coaches, the Panthers (5-0, 5-0) found themselves atop the Class 3A,...
Latrobe boys knock off 1st-place Woodland Hills
Latrobe hasn’t had much to celebrate in boys basketball this season. But the Wildcats got to celebrate Friday night when they stunned first-place Woodland Hills, 77-66, in a WPIAL Section 3-5A contest at home. The Wildcats (4-9, 2-5) are in an unfamiliar position in the section, in last place. But...
WPIAL announces section wrestling tournament pairings
The WPIAL announced pairings Thursday for wrestling section tournaments as part of the team championship. The section tournaments will be held Wednesday at the sites of the first-place team in the B subsections. There was a three-way tie for second place in Section 1-A. Fort Cherry was awarded the spot...
Franklin Regional wrestling bumps off Penn-Trafford in showdown for first place
Franklin Regional found itself trailing Penn-Trafford with six bouts remaining Wednesday, but a couple of moves by coach Matt Lebe proved to be the difference. Consecutive pins by Nate Stone, Ben Pekarcik and Finn Solomon helped Franklin Regional rally to defeat Penn-Trafford, 43-29, in a WPIAL Class AAA Section 1-B...
Freshman pitcher bowls 300 game for WCCC
To have success as a pitcher, the key is throwing strikes. The same can be said of a bowler. Throwing strikes is the key to winning games. Westmoreland County Community College freshman Chaz Lankey, who pitches for the baseball team in the spring, was throwing strikes recently at Main Bowling...
Wrestling notebook: Latrobe finally returns home after successful Colorado trip
The Latrobe wrestling team is finally back home after a success weekend in Denver. The Wildcats got to spend an extra day in the Mile High City because their flight from Denver on Sunday was canceled because of the snowstorm that hit Western Pa. But the team had to wait...
Wrestling teams jockey for position in WPIAL team tournament
The upcoming WPIAL Team Tournament will feature some minor changes as the section regular season ends Wednesday. The top two finishers in each sub-section advance to the section tournament. There is no fifth-place match between third-place finishers. “We originally did it to give teams extra matches,” WPIAL committee chairman Frank...
Trib HSSN WPIAL Team Wrestling Rankings as of Jan. 17, 2022
Class 3A Team (record) and previous week’s ranking 1. Waynesburg (9-0) 1 2. Latrobe (6-0) 2 3. Connellsville (13-0) 3 4. West Allegheny (7-1) 4 5. Canon-McMillan (8-1) 5 6. Kiski Area (10-3) 6 7. Franklin Regional (3-0) 7 8. Hempfield (2-1) 8 9. Penn-Trafford (5-2) 9 10. Butler (7-1)...
Trib HSSN WPIAL Individual Wrestling Rankings: Week of Jan. 17, 2022
Trib HSSN individual wrestling rankings as of Jan. 17, 2022: Class 3A 106: 1. Luke Willochell (Latrobe) 23-3; 2. Nico Fanella (Indiana) 10-0; 3. Ty Kapusta (Franklin Regional) 13-5; 4. Casey Walker (North Allegheny) 20-8; 5. Rylen Campbell (Plum) 18-4. 113: Ty Chappell (Seneca Valley) 16-3; 2. 3. Leo Joseph...
Western Pennsylvania snow storm leaves Latrobe wrestling team stranded in Denver
After a successful weekend in Denver, the Latrobe wrestling team got to spend an extra day in the Mile High City. The Wildcats’ flight from Denver on Sunday was canceled because of the snowstorm that hit Western Pennsylvania. Latrobe coach Mark Mears said he was told all inbound flights to...
Penn-Trafford’s Enick refocuses goals with hopes of another trip to Hershey
Greensburg Salem senior heavyweight Billy McChesney hadn’t had many close matches this season. That changed in the semifinals at the 69th annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament. Penn-Trafford junior Joe Enick (10-3) raced out to a 4-0 lead with a first-period takedown and a two-point near fall. McChesney, ranked No....
Mt. Lebanon’s Mac Stout captures 3rd Allegheny County wrestling crown
It’s too bad the coronavirus canceled the 2021 Allegheny County Wrestling Championship. If it hadn’t, there was a good chance Mt. Lebanon senior Mac Stout would have become a four-time champion. Instead, the Pitt signee had to settle for being a three-time winner after his impressive 11-3 victory over Quaker...
Plum’s Citrano, Highlands’ Burford claim Allegheny County wrestling titles
Plum senior Vincent Citrano and Highlands senior Jrake Burford sure celebrated after winning their second Allegheny County Wrestling titles Saturday at Fox Chapel. Citrano and Burford captured their first titles in 2020. The 2021 tournament was canceled because of covid-19. Citrano (16-0) defeated Thomas Jefferson super freshman Maddox Shaw, 3-2,...
County wrestling title boosts confidence of Franklin Regional sophomore Juliano Marion
Don’t look now, but Franklin Regional sophomore Juliano Marion is starting to get noticed. Marion opened eyes by winning the 189-pound weight class at the 69th Annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association meet Jan. 8. He defeated Penn-Trafford’s Owen Ott, 3-2, in the finals. He also pinned Norwin’s Aiden Yuscinsky and...
Wrestling notebook: Plum has good showing on Day 1 of Allegheny County tournament
If Plum hopes to challenge for the team title at the 20th annual Allegheny County Wrestling Championship, it has work to do Saturday. The Mustangs put themselves in position at least give it a run, sitting in third place after Day 1 of the tournament Friday at Fox Chapel. Plum...
North Hills’ Giavonie Schipani wastes no time at Allegheny County championships
North Hills sophomore Giavonie Schipani began his high school career with 21 consecutive wins. But the end of his freshman season didn’t go as planned, and he lost four of his final seven matches, which cost him a trip to the PIAA tournament. He finished 25-4. That disappointed has ignited...
Beth-Center decks Mt. Pleasant to cement WPIAL contender status
Two teams that would like to be in the group hoping to dethrone WPIAL Class 2A power Burrell collided Thursday in a nonsection match. And No. 2 Beth-Center showed No. 4 Mt. Pleasant why it is a serious contender. The Bulldogs used pins by Alston Csutoros (189 pounds), Josh Deems...
Covid cases scrambling winter sports schedules at Westmoreland County colleges
Depending on what district college athletic program you ask, the coronavirus has and hasn’t affected winter sports teams. “We’re juggling things constantly,” Seton Hill executive director of athletics Chris Snyder said. “We’ve rescheduled numerous contests for various reasons.” Last week, the Seton Hill women’s basketball team was shut down, and...
Seniors rally Franklin Regional wrestling past Plum in key section match
Early on in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 3A Section 1-B first-place wrestling showdown, things didn’t look good for Franklin Regional. The Panthers dropped their first four matches to visiting Plum and on senior night and were looking at a big hole. But seniors Ben Pekarcik, Finn Solomon and Christo Marion made...
WPIAL wrestling standings through Jan. 10, 2022
Class AAA Section 1-A Team, Section, Overall Highlands, 3-0, 8-0 Kiski Area, 3-0, 7-1 Armstrong, 1-1, 1-1 Fox Chapel, 1-2, 2-6 Hampton, 0-2, 2-5 Indiana, 0-3, 0-3 Section 1-B Franklin Regional, 2-0, 2-0 Gateway, 2-0, 3-3 Penn-Trafford, 1-0, 1-0 Plum, 2-1, 2-1 Penn Hills, 1-3, 1-5 Woodland Hills, 0-4, 1-15...
WPIAL wrestling notebook: Greensburg Salem heavyweight claims elusive county title
Greensburg Salem senior heavyweight Billy McChesney received a scare in the semifinals of the 69th annual Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association tournament. He found himself trailing Penn-Trafford junior Joe Enick but rallied with a takedown to pull out a 7-5 victory. McChesney then won his first county title by pinning Latrobe’s...
Enrollment changes in WPIAL wrestling makes Class 2A larger
Football and basketball aren’t the only high school sports will see major changes for the next two seasons because of new enrollment figures. Class 3A in WPIAL wrestling is losing seven teams to Class 2A. Heading down are Greensburg Salem, Belle Vernon, Albert Gallatin, Beaver, Hampton, Highlands and Indiana. Waynesburg...
