Paul Schofield stories, Page 97
Ligonier Valley had plenty of success on long and winding road back to the WPIAL
Ligonier Valley, the WPIAL’s newest member, didn’t depart the district five decades ago and make its way back this season in a straight line. There were many twists and turns along the way. When the school left the WPIAL for the Mountain Conference on Dec. 12, 1968, it wasn’t an...
Young, inexperienced Ligonier Valley to be tested in Class 2A Allegheny
A new chapter in Ligonier Valley history starts Sept. 11. Ligonier Valley returns to the WPIAL after spending the past 50 years playing football in District 6, including the past five seasons as one of the most dominant teams in Class 2A. The Rams went 60-7 over the span, including...
Coronavirus cases create tangled web of WPIAL football schedule changes
Times are changing these days because of the coronavirus. That means changing minute by minute. Because of covid-19 issues, several schools have made adjustments to their football schedules. Kiski Area paused football activities until Sept. 10 due to a coronavirus exposure issue. Elizabeth Forward pushed back the start of in-person...
Franklin Regional looks to stay healthy, put rare losing season in rearview mirror
Injuries have proven costly to the success of the Franklin Regional football program the past few seasons. The Panthers usually have the players to compete with anyone in Class 5A as long as they stay healthy. That hasn’t occurred recently. Franklin Regional went 4-5 in 2019, suffering its first losing...
With rising numbers, Indiana sees bright future
As Brandon Overdorff begins his third season as coach at Indiana High School, he’s starting to see an improving future. “When I took over, our numbers were in the 30s,” Overdorff said. “Now we’re close to 60, and I’m excited about the future. The offseason was really good until the...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Ligonier Valley adds 2 new opponents to football schedule
When Ligonier Valley joined the WPIAL, it was eager to play new opponents. What it didn’t expect was an open date on the schedule, which was created when the WPIAL decided to shorten the season because of coronavirus concerns. That grew to two open dates when Summit Academy decided not...
West Greene in position to thrive despite graduation of big-time backs
Don’t look for West Greene to be one-hit wonders, or in this case two-hit wonders Second-year coach Brian Hanson sees a bright future at the school located southwest of Waynesburg in Greene County. West Greene rode a powerful running game featuring Ben Jackson (Army) and Kolin Walker (Waynesburg) to consecutive...
California keeps winning despite less-than-ideal offseasons
Ed Woods is in his second season as football coach at California High School. It’s been a difficult two seasons in the terms of preparing his squad. He was hired late in the process before the 2019 season, and the coronavirus has cut into his preparation for the 2020 season....
Franklin Regional wrestler Finn Solomon picks North Carolina State
Finn Solomon is on a mission. The Franklin Regional junior did not like the way his sophomore season ended. He was ranked No. 1 in the state heading into the WPIAL Class AAA and Southwest Regional after defeating Norwin senior Kurtis Phipps in the Section 1 final. But when the...
WPIAL boys golf preview: Central Catholic’s Salvitti leads deep group of top players
Who is the top boys’ golfer in the WPIAL? Well, it depends on what day it is. There are numerous top players returning, including many accomplished seniors. The player to watch is Central Catholic sophomore Rocco Salvitti, who tied for third in the WPIAL individual tournament last year and ended...
Cornell restocks shelves after breakout season
Cornell took a break from competing in football in the WPIAL in 2012. The program returned to action in 2016 and promptly went winless. But that was the start of something special. The Raiders steadily improved and in 2019, reached the WPIAL Class A semifinals and earned the school’s first...
Peters Township’s Connor Schmidt defends West Penn Amateur title
Connor Schmidt didn’t need any dramatic collapses from an opponent to defend his West Penn Amateur title. He shot a 5-under-par 30 on the front nine at Allegheny Country Club during the final round, finishing the second round with a 2-under 68 and a 6-under 134. He owned a two-shot...
More experienced Frazier roster in hunt for playoff spot
The main color in Frazier High School’s color scheme is red. The football team in 2019 was green, meaning first-year coach Greg Boggs had to rely on juniors and sophomores for the tough grind in the WPIAL Class 2A Century Conference. But Boggs said 2019’s weakness is turning into 2020’s...
Peters’ Connor Schmidt leads West Penn Amateur after 1st round
If Connor Schmidt is looking to defend his West Penn Amateur, the Peters Township native got off to a good start. Schmidt, a senior at Drexel, shot a 4-under-par 66 on Monday at Allegheny Country Club and holds a 1-shot lead over Bethel Park’s Darin Kowalski and Greensburg’s Brian Fajt....
Sean Knapp adds Westmoreland Senior Amateur to his resume
Sean Knapp didn’t stick around to celebrate his first victory at Westmoreland Golf Association’s Senior Amateur. That’s because Knapp, one of the most accomplished amateurs in Western Pennsylvania, has an early tee time in Monday’s West Penn Amateur at Allegheny Country Club. The Oakmont native and Hannastown Golf Club member...
Belle Vernon has pedigree to contend
Since Matt Humbert was hired as the football coach at Belle Vernon in 2014, the program has seen steady improvement. The Leopards have defeated perennial power Thomas Jefferson, won the conference title twice, reached the WPIAL semifinals and, finally, in 2019, reached the WPIAL finals for the first time since...
Underclassmen growing into contributors for Ringgold
It’s been a rough few seasons for the Ringgold football program — winless in 2018 and two wins, one by forfeit, in 2019. But second-year coach and Ringgold alumnus Darwin Manges is starting to see some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. “It’s encouraging because now we have...
2-sport star Rodney Gallagher has talent to elevate Laurel Highlands
Sophomore Rodney Gallagher helped the Laurel Highlands basketball team win a WPIAL Class 4A title in 2020. Can the superstar athlete now help the football team become relevant? Since North Union and South Union merged to become Laurel Highlands in 1966, the basketball team has had most of the school’s...
Athletic directors, coaches express relief, optimism as fall sports get go-ahead
Most high school athletes across the state received good news Friday when the PIAA voted 25-5 to begin fall sports Monday. Now it’s up to each school district to decide if they will allow their students to participate, especially in contact sports such as football, soccer and field hockey. “I...
Norwin expected to name Michael Burrell new director of athletics, activities
The Norwin school board could hire Michael Burrell Jr. as the district’s next director of athletics and activities at its meeting Monday. Burrell was the recommended candidate on a list of new hires on the agenda for the board’s planning meeting this week. He would replace Brandon Rapp, who was...
Patience, consistency pay off for PA Open winner Jimmy Ellis
It doesn’t take the longest hitter to win a tournament at Oakmont Country Club. It takes one who is patient and willing to take what is given. Par wins tournaments at Oakmont. Risks rarely pay off. Peters Township’s Jimmy Ellis, 34, wasn’t flashy during the three rounds of the Pennsylvania...
Oakmont bares its teeth, humbles field in second round of PA Open
So you think Oakmont Country Club can be had? You may want to rethink that. Yes, there are times the mighty grand old course hovering above the Allegheny River will produce low scores. Johnny Miller’s 63 during the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open is an example. But more...
Palmer Jackson, Sean Knapp struggle at U.S. Amateur
Struggling with a groin injury, Palmer Jackson isn’t having the 2020 season he had hoped for. The 2019 Franklin Regional grad and Murrysville native shot an uncharacteristic 9-over par 80 on Monday at the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon. Jackson had an 8-par 44 on the back...
Peters’ Nettles stays safe, leads Pennsylvania Open at OakmontVideo
One thing golfers playing Oakmont Country Club will notice is the old course can be forgiving at times. It also can be a monster. Keep the ball in play and out of the sand traps and rough, and you can score well. Get off track a little bit, that’s when...
Yough baseball finishes 3rd at Region 7 tournament
Yough American Baseball League coach Craig Spisak said he couldn’t have been happier about his team’s effort at the Region 7 tournament this weekend. A third-place finish, the best among the three Westmoreland County American League teams entered in the tournament at Hollidaysburg, made Spisak a proud coach. Yough finished...
