Paul Schofield stories, Page 47
Strong medal haul at WPIAL meet boosts expectations for Franklin Regional swimmers
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...
Norwin girls roll past North Allegheny, into PIAA semifinals
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...
Westmoreland baseball preview: Several new coaches in county dugouts
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 defeats Norwin, Kiski beats Greensburg Salem in PIHL semis
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, Rocco Welsh headline Pittsburgh Classic rosters
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...
Penn-Trafford sends record number of wrestlers to states
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...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary wins 3rd PIAA wrestling title; 3 others from WPIAL claim championships
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...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack backs his guarantee with Class 2A state wrestling championship
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...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary, Waynesburg’s Mac Church to wrestle for 3rd PIAA 3A titles
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...
Coach optimistic after Franklin Regional sends 3 wrestlers to states
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...
Burrell’s Cooper Hornack gets back to PIAA wrestling finals where a fierce rival awaits
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...
Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary, Hempfield’s Lucas Kapusta advance to 3A wrestling semifinals
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...
Burrell’s Cam Baker, Cooper Hornack reach PIAA Class 2A wrestling semifinals
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...
Hempfield’s Lucas Kapusta, Penn-Trafford’s Joe Enick rally for 1st-round PIAA wrestling wins
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...
Burrell’s Cam Baker, Cooper Hornack advance to quarterfinals in PIAA Class 2A wrestling
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...
Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete candidates revealed
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...
7 WPIAL wrestlers look for another state title
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...
WPIAL individual wrestling rankings: March 8, 2023
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....
Penn-Trafford grad looking for big season on mound, at plate for Washington & Jefferson
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...
Kiski Area’s Klingensmith wins WPIAL Class 3A wrestling title
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’s Vinny Kilkeary, Waynesburg’s Mac Church win 3rd WPIAL titles
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...
Latrobe’s Nate Roth starts strong at WPIAL tournament
It’s been a long and difficult journey for Latrobe senior Nate Roth. Arguably one of the top wrestlers in the WPIAL, if not the state, he has never made the trip to Hershey for the PIAA individual championships. Injuries in 2020 and 2022 as well as a controversial slam in...
Penn-Trafford makes baseball coaching change
Two weeks before the start of the baseball season, Penn-Trafford has named a new coach. Lou Cortazzo, who spent the past eight years as an assistant in the Penn-Trafford program, was named interim coach to replace Dan Miller. Penn-Trafford athletic director Kerry Hetrick informed the Tribune-Review that Cortazzo was the...
Montour out of PIHL playoffs after ineligible player controversy
It looked like the Montour hockey team was in great position to make the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Penguins Cup playoffs two weeks ago. The Spartans were 16-4 and in second place in the Class A Gold Division. But PIHL officials were alerted via a social media post that the...
Westmoreland high school wrestling notebook: Latrobe’s Roth looks for trip to Hershey
Latrobe senior Nate Roth might be the best wrestler in the WPIAL not to qualify for the PIAA individual championships. An unfortunate set of circumstances — injuries and a questionable slam in 2021 — have kept him from a trip to Hershey. Roth gets one final shot at wrestling in...
