Other Local category, Page 75
Asa Klimchock completes prep career at Kiski School
Asa Klimchock, who transferred to The Kiski School from Greensburg Central Catholic after his sophomore year, had a solid senior basketball season and has entered the recruiting ring. The 6-foot point guard averaged 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds a game as is drawing college interest from some Division...
Dominant Junior state title run spurs on Highlands wrestler White
Brayden White felt motivated to win a Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling championship after losing in the finals last year. But he especially wanted to do it in the same weight class, cutting down to compete in the 95-pound bracket at the tournament last month. The Highlands seventh-grader made sure his efforts...
Area AAU basketball program looks to maintain upward trend
There doesn’t appear to be a sophomore slump coming over the area’s top AAU basketball program. With a year on the high-end national circuit under its belt, the newly branded Wildcats Select group is past rookie mode and ready for Round 2. The Wildcats, who field top players from Western...
Franklin Regional graduate Spencer Lee named Iowa wrestling team’s MVP
Iowa sophomore Spencer Lee overcame an unknown illness that zapped him of his strength during the 2018-19 season to capture his second NCAA Division I 125-pound wrestling national title March 23 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Neither Lee, nor any team spokesman, would comment on the reported illness. “I...
Latrobe CrossFit gym owner competing in worldwide competition
Nate Long never thought he would be active in CrossFit, let alone own a gym or compete in a worldwide competition. But, four years ago, the now 28-year-old picked up a barbell and started on his CrossFit journey — a path that has led him to faith and a better...
Golden Gloves championship finals set for Monroeville
The Golden Gloves Boxing Western Pennsylvania finals are set for Sunday afternoon with the Pennsylvania state finals April 13. Both events will be at Pro Sport Monroeville, 856 Macbeth Drive, under the direction of the Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League. Sunday’s card will start at 2 p.m., and the April...
Registration open for new Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League
Planning began last June for the inaugural Baldwin Whitehall Youth Flag Football League. Now, it’s close to becoming a reality. The flag program is the initiative of Baldwin Whitehall Athletic Association Football and Cheer and is targeted for youngsters ages 5 to 14. Age divisions will be 7U, 9U, 11U...
Plum grad Seneca tackles first season as assistant softball coach at La Salle
Last spring, La Salle outfielder Emma Schweigert, then a junior, discovered a viral video of St. Francis (Pa.) shortstop Jordan Seneca clubbing a towering home run against LIU Brooklyn. Schweigert sent the video to a friend with a message that this is what she wanted to do in her senior...
Riverhounds, Steel FC play to a draw
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Bethlehem Steel FC played to a 2-2 tie in a United Soccer League Championship Eastern Conference game Saturday evening. It was the Riverhounds’ third of four games on the road to start the season. They now are 0-1-2 overall. Kevin Kerr gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead...
Valley graduate applies lessons from wrestling after life-altering accident
Brian Jacob embraced the philosophy of wrestling in his life, something that became crucial when he suffered an injury that ended his career and confined him to a wheelchair. The former Valley star broke his neck and suffered spinal-cord damage in an accident while wrestling after his sophomore year at...
Harmotto Dietzen bringing Give It Back Foundation volleyball camp to Western Pa.
Some of the biggest impacts on Christa Harmotto Dietzen’s life came from volleyball, her native Western Pennsylvania and a mission trip she took last spring to Uganda. And so when the opportunity came to connect all three of them in one weekend this summer, she considered it a blessing. Dietzen,...
Pine-Richland youth wrestlers place at states
Two Pine-Richland boys wrestlers had strong performances at the 2019 Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Youth State Tournament on March 16-17 at Petersen Events Center. Both secured a spot on the podium in their respective weight classes. Both competed in the 11-12 age bracket, with Maclane Miller taking fourth in the 105-pound...
Riverhounds set for match with Bethlehem Steel FC
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will play the third of four straight road matches to start the 2019 season Saturday when they pay a visit to in-state rival Bethlehem Steel FC. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Pittsburgh’s CW. The teams last met in a United...
Greensburg YMCA swimmers claim state gold in 3 events
Greensburg YMCA swimmers Kaden Faychak and Patton Graziano struck gold again at the Pennsylvania YMCA state swimming championship. Faychak won the 50-yard breaststroke (30.45 seconds) and 100 breaststroke (1 minute, 6.82 seconds) and Graziano the 100 backstroke (59.15) in the boys 11-12 age group at the meet March 22-24 at...
Norwin grad Matijevic assigned to Double-A
JJ Matijevic will start his third season in the minor leagues in Double-A. The former Norwin and Arizona star was assigned to the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League, an affiliate of the Houston Astros. The 6-foot, 206-pounder who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, finished last season with the...
Chartiers Valley grad Annie Katonka helps Plattsburgh State claim national title
There are few words that can describe this past season for Annie Katonka. The Chartiers Valley grad helped lead the Plattsburgh State women’s hockey team to the NCAA Division III title. The Cardinals topped Hamline, 4-0, in the championship game March 16. “It is an awesome feeling when you work...
Western Pennsylvania sites announced for Drive, Chip & Putt
The Western Pennsylvania Golf Association announced local qualifiers for the 2020 Drive, Chip and Putt competition that culminates in a year at Augusta National Golf Club. Registration is underway. Local qualifying sites include: Willowbrook Country Club, Allegheny Township — June 12 Green Oaks Country Club, Verona — June 13 JC...
Hempfield product Harrell to play in national 3-on-3 tournament
Now that his college career is over, Kason Harrell has every intention of playing professional basketball. The wheres and whens have yet to be worked out, but the Purdue Fort Wayne senior knows he’ll be playing against some of the country’s best players in the interim. Harrell, a Hempfield graduate,...
Fundraiser started for wrestler who lost father during NCAAs in Pittsburgh
Steve Sprague watched his son, Michael, wrestle his final college match Friday in Pittsburgh. About 30 minutes after the match ended, Steve Sprague suffered “a cardiac event” and died. Now friends are trying to raise money for the grief-stricken family with a GoFundMe page. Michael Sprague is a senior 149-pound...
Penn-Trafford grad Dan Obremski starts well in PGA LatinoAmerica event
Penn-Trafford graduate Dan Obremski finished strong in his first PGA Tour LatinoAmerica event Sunday. The Irwin native shot 3-under-par 69 during the final round of Buenaventura Classic in Rio Hato, Panama and finished the four-round event at 2-under 286, which tied him for 16th. Juan Alvarez won the event by...
Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee, Penn State win gold at NCAA wrestling championships
Jason Nolf cracked a bit of a joke upon taking the podium after winning his latest NCAA championship. Asked how it felt to become a three-time national champion, the Kittanning graduate immediately responded: “Not as good as a four-time national champ, but I’ll take it.” In a sense, Nolf became...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: NCAA wrestling championships lived up to the hype
The NCAA wrestling championships came with a warning: You’ve never seen anything like it. Wrestling fans filled PPG Paints Arena over a three-day span to watch a pair of Western Pennsylvania products win individual championships and Penn State win its fourth consecutive national title and eighth in nine years. The...
Lee shines again, captures second NCAA title
Iowa sophomore Spencer Lee calls himself a Pokemon nerd. His Iowa teammates call him the baddest man on the planet. You can just call the 2017 Franklin Regional graduate a two-time NCAA Division I champion. With many of his friends and coaches among the throng of hometown fans in attendance,...
NCAA Wrestling finals: Penn State’s Cassar, Nolf, Nickal, Franklin Regional’s Lee win titles
After clinching the team championship earlier in the day, Penn State wrestlers won three national titles Saturday night during the final round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at PPG Paints Arena. Heavyweight Anthony Cassar and Kittanning’s Jason Nolf at 157 pounds won titles while teammates Vincenzo Joseph (165) and Mark...
Pletcher, Shields, Zavatsky settle on being All-Americans again
The 330 wrestlers who came to Pittsburgh for the 2019 NCAA Division I wrestling championship this weekend weren’t just looking to become All-Americans. They wanted to be national champions. But only 10 wrestlers could claim national-champ status once the tournament ended Saturday, and another 70 joined them as All-Americans. While...
