Paul Schofield stories, Page 55
Franklin Regional looks to stay on top, clinch conference title
What a difference two weeks have made in the high school football landscape across Westmoreland County. Hempfield was the talk of the town after its historic run to open the season. The Spartans were 5-0 for the first time in 50 years after defeating reigning WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A...
Hempfield cross country program is a family affair
When the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association cross country meet is run Wednesday, it will be a family affair for the Hempfield program. Actually, it’s a family affair every time for the Spartans. That’s because there are six sets of brothers and sisters on the squad. There are the Blahovec triplets...
Penn-Trafford hockey creating early-season buzz
There is a buzz swarming around the Penn-Trafford hockey team as it begins the season. That’s because the Warriors return numerous starters who helped the team finish the 2021-22 season with a 15-4 record and a spot in the PIHL semifinals before falling to eventual champion Thomas Jefferson. The Warriors...
Young Franklin Regional hockey team learning the ropes
It was a tough season opener for the Franklin Regional hockey team. The young Panthers allowed four power-play goals and dropped a 7-3 decision to Armstrong on the first night of PIHL play Oct. 3. Franklin Regional got goals from senior forward Tim Bricker, sophomore defenseman Liam Copeland and senior...
Big plays help Franklin Regional blank Norwin, set up showdown with Hempfield
Franklin Regional didn’t play a perfect game Friday at Norwin. But the Panthers made enough big plays to defeat the Knights, 35-0, spoiling their homecoming at Norwin Stadium. Senior running back Zach Bewszka rushed for 166 yards and scored on runs of 23 and 68 yards, and junior Ayden Hudock...
Central Catholic’s Rocco Salvitti wins elusive WPIAL golf title
When you’re considered the top golfer in the WPIAL, you’re always favored to win a title. Central Catholic senior and Canonsburg native Rocco Salvitti had come up short in three previous attempts until Thursday in the Class 3A championship. Salvitti got tired of people asking why he hadn’t won a...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2022 Week 6
Zach Bewszka Franklin Regional, Sr., RB The senior scored two touchdowns as the Panthers rallied to defeat Plum, 31-28, last week. His 82-yard kickoff return for a score to start the second half began the rally. Bewszka has rushed for a team-high 527 yards and three touchdowns. He’s caught four...
Mt. Pleasant, Elizabeth Forward set to battle for top spot in Interstate Conference
No one should be surprised by the success of the Elizabeth Forward football team this season. The undefeated Warriors returned numerous four-year starters who have won the past two WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference titles and reached the WPIAL championship game in 2020. Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said upsetting...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 6
Class 5A Big East Franklin Regional (3-2, 2-0) at Norwin (1-5, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon After a tough, 42-41 loss to Shaler in double overtime, Franklin Regional rebounded with a comeback victory over Plum, 31-28. Ayden Hudock had five receptions for 136 yards and a...
South Fayette’s Marissa Malosh, Quaker Valley’s Eva Bulger repeat as WPIAL girls golf champions
It was repeat Tuesday at the WPIAL girls golf championships at Valley Brook Country Club. South Fayette senior Marissa Malosh breezed to her second consecutive Class 3A title by shooting 5-over-par 77 and finishing the 36-hole event with a six-shot lead over Seneca Valley junior Lihini Ranaweera. In addition, Quaker...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Nick Turowski in position to take shot at WPIAL repeat
Despite not putting his best, Penn-Trafford junior Nick Turowski put himself in great position to capture his second consecutive WPIAL Class 3A golf championship. Turowski shot a 2-over par 73 during the first round of the championship at Champion Lakes Golf Course near Bolivar and finds himself two strokes behind...
Penn-Trafford girls soccer turning the corner into playoff contention
Penn-Trafford girls soccer used to be one of the top programs in the WPIAL. Under third-year coach Jim Mastroianni, the program is making a resurgence and the future looks bright. Penn-Trafford is 4-3-4 overall this season and 3-2-3 in Section 3-3A. With four section games remaining, the Warriors are in...
Franklin Regional grad Michael Krauza works his way to Double-A in Mets system
It’s been an adventurous summer for Franklin Regional grad Michael Krauza. The Murrysville native started his summer pitching for the Cleburne (Texas) Railroaders in the American Association, an independent league. He posted an 0-1 record in 15 games for Cleburne, allowing 12 hits in 18 innings of relief, striking out...
4th-quarter scoring spurt propels Mt. Pleasant past Greensburg Salem
Mt. Pleasant and Greensburg Salem were locked in a close battle early in the fourth quarter when Vikings junior linebacker Camden Moore came up with a clutch interception at his team’s 29-yard-line. His play stopped the surging Golden Lions, and the Vikings went on to put the game away by...
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2022 Week 5
Here are Westmoreland County’s high school football players to watch for Week 5. Tommy Kalkstein Penn-Trafford, Sr., QB/WR/LB The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown against Hempfield last Friday. He also has 13 catches for 137 yards. On defense, he has 20 tackles and an interception....
Unbeaten Hempfield faces another stern Big East test in No. 4 Gateway
Hempfield football coach Mike Brown said the goal for the 2022 Spartans was to play meaningful games at the end of the season. That goal already has been achieved. After defeating then-No. 1 Penn-Trafford, 28-17, in a WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference showdown last week, the No. 3-ranked Spartans...
Ace for Mars’ Blake Bertolo highlights first round of WPIAL 3A golf championship
It was quite an exciting day for Mars senior Blake Bertolo at Champion Lakes Golf Course near Bolivar on Tuesday. Not only did he qualify for the final round of the WPIAL Class 3A Championship on Oct. 6 at Allegheny Country Club by shooting a 5-over-par 76, but his round...
Derry’s Hunter Jurica shares 1st-round lead in WPIAL Class 2A golf championship
Derry senior Hunter Jurica likes the new way the WPIAL will determine the golf champion. Instead of a one-day event, the WPIAL is holding a two-day competition for the boys and girls. The Class 2A boys and both girls classifications held their first round Monday. Jurica and Brownsville junior Daniel...
Penn-Trafford girls volleyball working to learn what it takes to win
Penn-Trafford girls’ volleyball coach Jim Schall didn’t seemed bothered by his team’s start to the 2022 season. Warriors were 3-4 overall and 2-1 in Section 3-4A following a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Shaler, falling 15-13 in Game 5, on Sept. 20. Penn-Trafford returned two starters — senior libero Gia Pezze...
Taking chances pays off as Hempfield knocks off Penn-Trafford
When you’re a football team trying to turn its fortunes around, you have to take chances. Hempfield did that Friday night before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 5,000 at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans defeated No. 1 and reigning Class 5A PIAA and WPIAL champion Penn-Trafford, 28-17, in the Big...
Penn-Trafford freshman Mia Williams, South Park senior Nicole Kempton capture WPIAL tennis titles
Penn-Trafford freshman Mia Williams and South Park senior Nicole Kempton did something Thursday that had never been done at their school: win a WPIAL girls tennis title. And both did it with dominating performances despite cool temperatures and gusty wind conditions at Bethel Park. During the first day of the...
Unbeaten Hempfield readies for its biggest game in decades, a clash with Penn-Trafford
It’s one of the biggest questions asked by casual high school football fans in Westmoreland County: Why can’t Hempfield be a consistent winner? Why can’t the largest school in the county be successful? The school has been very successful in other sports such as baseball, basketball, softball, cross country, track...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for 2022 Week 4
Class 4A Big Seven Conference Laurel Highlands (2-2, 0-1) at Latrobe (2-2, 0-1) 7 p.m., Friday, Memorial Stadium, Latrobe Both teams are coming off conference opening losses. Laurel Highlands was blanked by McKeesport, 33-0, and Latrobe was beaten by Thomas Jefferson, 31-21. The Wildcats have dropped their past two games....
Westmoreland County football players to watch in 2022 Week 4
Adam Lacarte Belle Vernon, Jr., S The 6-foot junior is one of the leading tacklers for the Leopards. Lacarte has 21 tackles and broke up one pass from his free safety position. Nick Lonas Ligonier Valley, Sr., SB/LB Lonas has rushed for 120 yards on 17 carries and leads the...
Penn-Trafford notebook: Field hockey team scores 2 big wins
Penn-Trafford’s field hockey team opened section play by defeating Latrobe, 4-2, and Fox Chapel, 2-1. Against Fox Chapel, Emily Bloom and Ava Hershberger scored goals. Hershberger and Maddy Keenan had assists. Against Latrobe, Keenan tied the score before Hershberger tallied a hat trick. Penn-Trafford finished a strong nonsection schedule, defeating...
