Paul Schofield stories, Page 61

Dayton Pitzer, Mt. Pleasant The senior Pitt commit has an 85-3 career record and captured his second WPIAL and PIAA titles by winning the 215-pound weight class. An injury prevented him from wrestling his sophomore season. Rune Lawrence, Frazier The sophomore (30-1) earned his first WPIAL and PIAA titles at...

Burrell has won 15 consecutive WPIAL Class 2A titles, but could this be the year its reign ends? Some coaches have said, “until someone beats them, I won’t believe it.” But the Bucs, who went 14-2 last season, return only five starters from a team that placed third in the...

When Mark Mears took over the Latrobe wrestling program a year ago, he inherited a program that was on the rise. While his first season didn’t go as planned, the second season might turn out to be something special. The Wildcats are loaded and could challenge Waynesburg for the WPIAL...

As John Ruane prepares his football team for Friday’s PIAA Class 5A championship game against Imhotep Charter, the veteran Penn-Trafford coach has many things to worry about. But former Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta and former Jeannette coach Roy Hall offered this suggestion: Make sure you enjoy the atmosphere leading...

Waynesburg rolled to the PIAA and WPIAL Class 3A titles in the 2020-21 season, and with nine starters returning, there is no reason why it shouldn’t make another run, especially in the WPIAL. The Raiders (16-0) will be attemping to win their third consecutive Class 3A title and eighth in...

Class 3A wrestlers to watch: Briar Priest, Hempfield The senior is the returning PIAA 132-pound champion. He was 34-5 in 2021 and is 98-20 overall. He signed with Pitt. Mac Stout, Mt. Lebanon The senior was a PIAA runner-up in 2020 after winning his first WPIAL title. He missed the...

It’s hard for Yough boys basketball coach Jim Nesser to hold back his excitement for the upcoming season. But the veteran coach, while not predicting a section title, feels his young Cougars are ready to take a giant step forward after struggling in 2020-21 and finishing 3-13 overall and 0-6...

When Mike Gerdich took over the girls basketball program at Yough in 2017, he inherited a team that won one game and hadn’t won a section game in five seasons. And while the section losing streak extended to 99 consecutive games before it ended with a victory against Ligonier Valley...

Exeter Township found out Friday there is more to the Penn-Trafford football team than the Cade and Carter Show. Sure, running back Cade Yacamelli and quarterback Carter Green usually steal the headlines, but the dynamic duo had a lot of help in the Warriors’ impressive 49-14 victory in the PIAA...

WINGATE — Before Friday’s PIAA Class 5A semifinal, Exeter Township football players took the field during pregame warm-up yelling and screaming. At the other end, Penn-Trafford was quietly getting ready. “We certainly had a business-type demeanor before the game,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “That’s our kids. They were focused...

When Penn-Trafford is on offense, opponents just can’t key on senior running back Cade Yacamelli. That’s because senior quarterback Carter Green can’t be ignored. He and Yacamelli give Penn-Trafford a rock-solid 1-2 running punch. “I can’t say enough about this kid,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “You look at him,...

Penn-Trafford football historian Rush Pedder wrote a book about the past 50 years of the program. Now, he has some interesting new chapters to start another. After winning the school’s first WPIAL football title in the 50th year of the school, the Warriors enter uncharted waters when they face Exeter...

After a winless 2020-21 season, the only direction the Ligonier Valley girls basketball team can go is up. Second-year coach Emily Daugherty and her team were hindered by covid-19 and the decision to play up in class. Daugherty was hired late after Tim Gustin was named the boys coach in...

Ligonier Valley’s return to the WPIAL saw a lot of ups and downs during the boys basketball season. Because coronavirus shut down the school until mid-January, the athletic teams had little time to prepare for the season. “We had 20 practices all season last year,” Ligonier Valley coach Tim Gustin...

Moon football coach Ryan Linn said earlier in the week that the team that it the big pass play would probably win. He was partially right. Sure Penn-Trafford connected on a 92-yard touchdown pass from Carter Green to Cade Yacamelli, but it came down to the Warriors’ explosive plays in...

When Bill Flow was hired as Jeannette’s girls basketball coach in June, he inherited a team that hasn’t had much success the past three seasons. The Jayhawks were 0-19 in 2020-21 and have been 8-54 the past three seasons. But Flow, 39, comes back to Westmoreland County after spending the...

When the Jeannette boys basketball team opens the 2021-22 on Dec. 10 at the West Mifflin tournament, the team will be ahead of the game. In previous seasons, Jeannette coach Adrian Batts had to wait for the football season to end before he got most of his players in the...

It was quite a turnaround for the Penn-Trafford 11-12 youth football team. After stumbling early in the regular season and falling to Woodland Hills and McKeesport, the team righted the ship and did something unexpected: It won the Big East Youth Football League championship. Penn-Trafford (10-3) defeated McKeesport, 34-6, in...

Franklin Regional wrestling coach Matt Lebe stopped short of predicting a WPIAL title for his team, but the veteran mentor expects his team to be one of the best in Class 3A. The Panthers opted not to compete in the WPIAL team tournament is 2021 because of covid concerns. Franklin...

Somewhere Kevin Topper is smiling. He also probably is feeling sympathy for Moon kicker Jacob Wieland. Wieland’s would-be tying 33-yard field goal sailed wide right, and Penn-Trafford survived a frantic ending to capture its first WPIAL football title by defeating Moon, 24-21, on Saturday at Heinz Field. The Warriors (11-2)...

Don’t be late for Saturday’s WPIAL Class 5A championship game between No. 1 Moon and No. 2 Penn-Trafford. If you do, you may miss it. It’s a game that could take you back in time as both teams mirror each other by playing sound defense and running the ball. “I...

WPIAL Class 5A football championship No. 1 Moon vs. No. 2 Penn-Trafford 6 p.m. Saturday, Heinz Field On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, 1020 AM, 107.1 FM, 92.1 FM, 1230 AM, 99.3 FM, 1460 AM Winner plays: The winner of the District 3 championship game between Governor Mifflin and...

When people talk about the 2021 Penn-Trafford football team, the names that are mentioned frequently are Wisconsin recruit Cade Yacamelli, quarterback Carter Green and members of the imposing offensive line. But there is a lot more to the Warriors. Every successful football team has players that go unnoticed to the...

Penn-Trafford has a storied football program, but its resume is missing a couple of key items: WPIAL and PIAA titles. The Warriors can add those to the trophy case over the next few weeks starting Saturday at Heinz Field when they face Moon in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game....

When Gene Brisbane took over the girls basketball program three years ago, he inherited a struggling program. Derry qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in 2020, but the team took a step back in 2021. Like every team, covid-19, injuries and other circumstances slowed the progress. As Brisbane begins his third...