Paul Schofield stories, Page 81
Penn-Trafford Star notebook: Volleyball team avenges Hempfield loss
The Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team turned in quite a performance in its Section 3-AAA rematch against Hempfield on May 4. Jarred Schoffstall had 38 assists as Penn-Trafford won its ninth consecutive match by defeating the Spartans, 3-0, by the scores of 25-14, 26-24 and 25-23. Hempfield won the first meeting,...
Penn-Trafford’s Whipkey sets new goals after winning county title
Joe Whipkey has already reached his main goal of his senior season. Now the Penn-Trafford athlete set some new goals. After winning the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association 800-meter title in 2 minutes, 3.94 seconds May 1, he turned his focus to success at the WPIAL Class AAA meet and earning...
Golf notebook: A third Peters Township grad advances to U.S. Open sectional
A third Peters Township graduate has qualified for the U.S. Open Sectional on June 7. Connor Schmidt joined Jimmy Ellis and Jake Sollon on the list of golfers hoping to qualify for the 121st U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Schmidt, a senior at Drexel, earned his berth at the Country...
Ligonier Valley junior Higgins turning heads in the javelin
Ligonier Valley junior Miles Higgins turned some heads recently. When Higgins won the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association javelin with a throw of 180 feet, 4 inches, it became the top throw in either classification in the WPIAL. Higgins goes into Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AA track and field championship at Slippery...
Playoff seeds sit well with Norwin, Franklin Regional baseball teams
Nothing seems to bother baseball coaches when it comes to pairings. So it was no surprise to see North Allegheny (17-3) seeded No. 1 in Class 6A despite a nonsection loss to No. 2 Norwin (13-3). All three Tigers losses were by a run. “Class 6A was pretty straightforward,” Hempfield...
Young Yough baseball team has grown up fast this season
Yough baseball coach Craig Spisak called his team young and inexperienced when the 2021 season began. After plodding through the regular season, which included some interruptions and quarantines because of covid-19, Spisak has changed that from inexperienced to experienced. Yough clinched second place in Section 4-3A on Tuesday by sweeping...
Riverside boys, Mohawk girls claim WPIAL Class AA team track titles
It takes a complete team effort to win a track and field meet. Every point is important. That’s what occurred Wednesday in the WPIAL Class AA Championship at Peters Township. The Riverside boys reversed an earlier defeat to Shenango to capture their fourth consecutive team title and eighth in school...
Yough baseball sweeps Southmoreland in doubleheader
It has been a wild baseball season for the teams from Yough and Southmoreland. Weather and the coronavirus have postponed or canceled games and forced players to sit. The teams ended section play headed in opposite directions. The two-game series between the neighboring rivals a week ago was wiped out...
Hempfield defeats Canon-McMillan in possible playoff preview
Hempfield softball coach Bob Kalp spent time over the weekend mapping out the WPIAL 6A playoff pairings. He had his Spartans facing Canon-McMillan in the first round. Kalp got a firsthand look at the Big Macs on Monday during his team’s Senior Day. Hempfield won the nonsection meeting 4-2 behind...
Penn-Trafford grad Hannah Dobrinick ends college career on high note
Hannah Dobrinick played her final collegiate softball game May 9. The senior first baseman at Otterbein could have played one more season after the NCAA allowed an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Dobrinick said she’s ready to pursue her career. “We’re going to miss her,”...
Local golf notebook: Ellis, Li, Huber qualify for U.S. Open Sectional
Peters Township’s Jimmy Ellis shot a 3-under-par 67 to take medalist honors Wednesday at the USGA local qualifier May 5 at Butler Country Club. Ellis and three others qualify for the U.S. Open Sectional on June 7. Others to qualify were Carnegie Mellon teammates Jason Li and Benjamin Huber, both...
All in the families for Greensburg Central Catholic boys, girls track teams
It’s been quite a season for the Greensburg Central Catholic track and field teams. After the coronavirus caused the shutdown of the 2020 spring sports season, the Centurions came back strong in ’21. The boys and girls teams finished the regular season undefeated and won the WPIAL Section 8-AA titles....
Franklin Regional boys tennis makes its mark
The Franklin Regional boys tennis team was seeded No. 1 for the WPIAL Class AAA team tournament. The Panthers opened up the tournament on April 5 at home against Moon and scored a 5-0 victory. Anup Nadesan, Shrey Ramesh and Advait Kulkarni won straight sets matches in singles, and the...
Norwin baseball team blanks Hempfield, clinches tie for section title
The Norwin baseball team clinched at least a tie for the Section 2-6A title Wednesday behind a strong pitching performance from Jake Bazala and timely hitting. Bazala blanked Hempfield into the sixth inning, and Zach Potthoff came in for a save as Norwin won 3-0 on a cool, damp day....
Hempfield wrestler Briar Priest makes verbal commitment to Pitt
Hempfield junior Briar Priest wasn’t sure college was in his future before the 2020-21 season. But what a difference six months can make. After becoming a PIAA champion in March, offers from Division I wrestling programs started rolling in. Priest announced on Twitter on Sunday he is making a verbal...
Stimmel captures Dressler Memorial golf tournament
Diamond Run golfer Rick Stimmel opened the 2021 local season by winning the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s 80th Dressler Memorial Championship at Valley Brook Country Club. Stimmel used six consecutive birdies in the first round and fired consecutive 3-under-par 69s to finish at 6-under, 138. He was five shots better than...
Westmoreland County track and field notebook: Sellitto, Sullenberger mourned at WCCA event
Before the running finals at Saturday’s Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association track and field championships, a moment of silence was held in honor of association president Larry Sellitto and Hempfield coach and historian Roger Sullenberger, who passed away this past year. Sellitto was a strong president and a fighter for all...
Penn-Trafford Star notebook: Warriors volleyball team in peak form
The Penn-Trafford boys volleyball team continues to make strides. After opening the season with a loss at Hempfield, the Warriors won eight consecutive matches heading into a first-place Section 3-AAA battle with the Spartans. Penn-Trafford’s every win was by a 3-0 score, including victories over Central Catholic and Bethel Park....
GCC’s Brewer a triple winner at WCCA; Hempfield’s Norris sets shot put record
Greensburg Central Catholic junior Corinn Brewer has put together an impressive resume during her high school career. She added MVP at the 2021 Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association meet Saturday at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium after winning three events: pole vault, 800- and 1,600-meter runs. She also earned a sixth-place finish in...
Franklin Regional’s Todero looking for gold in triple jump
Franklin Regional senior Rayna Todero isn’t the tallest or most imposing triple jumper in the state; she just happens to be one of better ones. Todero recently leaped 38 feet, 1 inch in winning the Butler Invitational. She also won the event at the Lady Spartan Invitational in April. She...
Murrysville Star notebook: FR grad thriving in Mercyhurst bullpen
Franklin Regional grad Michael Krauza is having quite a season as a relief pitcher for Mercyhurst University. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound graduate student has appeared in 16 games and is 6-1 with an earned run average of 2.34 in 34⅔ innings. He’s allowed 24 hits while striking out 38 and walking...
Franklin Regional, South Park duos win school’s 1st WPIAL doubles titles
There were a lot of similarities to the two winning WPIAL doubles teams. First, they were their school’s first doubles teams to win a WPIAL title. Franklin Regional’s squad won the Class AAA title and South Park’s duo the Class AA title. Each team had a right-hander and left-hander, which...
WCCA track and field championship moved to Saturday
Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association officials decided Wednesday to postpone Thursday’s track and field championship because of the threat of inclement weather. The meet will be moved to Saturday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium with a starting time of 9 a.m. Instead of splitting the boys and girls, which was planned for...
In strangest of seasons, Seton Hill baseball continues to dominate
Despite having 18 players out at one point because of coronavirus protocols and the team being sidelined for 20 days, Seton Hill baseball has been nearly unbeatable this season. The Griffins are ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Top 25. On Tuesday, Seton Hill...
Talented Norwin keeps rolling, beats Upper St. ClairVideo
There is so much talent on the Norwin baseball but not enough starting spots to go around. Eric Chorba didn’t start against North Allegheny on April 23, but he still managed to contribute to the victory. Chorba got the start Monday against Upper St. Clair and helped No. 1 Norwin...
