Monday's Westmoreland County Sports Notebook
Written by: Sean Meyers
January 18, 2021
Tags: Greg Botta Rand Hudson Mike Feorene AJ Hewitt Chase Kranitz John Altieri Josh Page Gabe Conroyy Vincent Kilkeary Nate Roth Corey Boerio Tyler Lynch Caleb Chismar Seth Parsley Christian McChesney Zachary Ridilla Aidan Dunlap Alex Thomas Logan Fear Ty Singo
Three championships coaches resign at Franklin Regional
A trio of highly successful coaches at Franklin Regional all announced their resignation last week. Football coach Greg Botta, boys soccer coach Rand Hudson, and girls volleyball coach Mike Feorene stepped down from their roles with the Panthers. Botta, who had been the longest tenured football head coach in Westmoreland County, captured 177 wins during his run, including the WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA titles in 2005. His tenure with FR began as an assistant coach in 1992, and he ascended to the helm two years later. Hudson oversaw the boys soccer program for 11 years total, including a six-year span during his second stint. He compiled 144 wins with the Panthers, guiding the team to back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A Championships in 2018 and 19, and the team again reached the title game this past campaign. He also previously served as a head coach at Norwin for three years. Feorene was coming off of the most successful campaign in program history, as he helped propel the Panthers to their first WPIAL girls volleyball crown, and a record of 21-3. During his eight seasons with FR, Feorene registered 107 wins. His previous head coaching experience also came in Westmoreland County, as he oversaw both the boys and girls volleyball programs at Norwin.
Several local boys teams reside in first place
Although the WPIAL boys basketball season resumed less than two weeks ago, several Westmoreland County teams currently hold sole possession or a share of first place in their sections. In Class 6A Section 3, Hempfield Area is tied with Fox Chapel Area at 2-1. The Spartans claimed consecutive wins against Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Penn-Trafford last week. In 5A Section 3, Franklin Regional is deadlocked with Penn Hills, each team at 2-0. Most recently, the Panthers edged McKeesport Area 77-73 in double overtime. In 2A Section 3, Greensburg Central Catholic rebounded from a last-second loss to Jeannette on Tuesday, defeating Clairton on Friday to improve to 2-1, which matches a pair of Bears – Clairton and Winchester Thurston. Lastly, Monessen is 3-0 in Class 2A Section 4.
Greensburg Salem, GCC pause basketball programs
COVID-19 continues to sideline teams with regularity, and several county schools recently have been forced to pause activities as a result. Greensburg Salem has halted both boys and girls basketball, while the Greensburg Central Catholic girls team has also been sidelined. Greensburg Salem initially intended to delay its return to athletics until late January following the three-week pause mandated by Gov. Tom Wolf in December, but a late change put the Golden Lions back on the same timeline as the rest of the WPIAL to resume activities on Jan. 4. Since that time, however, the Golden Lions girls were required to suspend activities for 10 days, the second mandatory quarantine for the team. Without any setbacks, the team can return to practice on Tuesday, with the opportunity to play a regulation game as soon as Saturday. Similarly, the GS boys team needed to shut down for two weeks because of exposure to COVID, sidelining them until Jan. 27. At the earliest, the Golden Lions can take the floor for game action on Jan. 30. Greensburg Central Catholic girls also paused its season, with intentions of returning to practice on Wednesday. The Centurions previously played a game on Jan. 9, a loss to Winchester Thurston.
Norwin wrestling knocks off Greater Latrobe
The WPIAL wrestling season has also resumed, and Norwin returned with a bang, claiming a significant victory against Greater Latrobe last Wednesday. The host Knights rallied for a 40-27 win against the Wildcats in the Class AAA Subsection 2B match. Norwin scored the final 19 points, keyed by pins by A.J Hewitt and Chase Kranitz, and a major decision by John Altieri. Josh Page and Gabe Conroy also recorded falls for the Knights, while Greater Latrobe received pins courtesy of Vincent Kilkeary, Nate Roth, Corey Boerio, and Tyler Lynch. Two other county teams squared off on Friday, as Greensburg Salem edged Derry Area 39-27 in an exhibition matchup. The Golden Lions scored the final 15 points, courtesy of pins by Caleb Chismar and Seth Parsley, and a decision by Christian McChesney.
Hempfield Area, Norwin hockey each split tilts
The first week back to PIHL action was busy for Hempfield Area and Norwin, as the Spartans and Knights each played in a pair of contests, splitting the outcomes. In Class AA, Hempfield Area opened last week with a 6-5 road win against Mars Area, with Zachary Ridilla providing two goals and two assists, while Nick Wast added two goals and one helper. Three nights later, though, the Spartans dropped a 6-4 home decision at Kirk Nevin Arena against Thomas Jefferson. Aidan Dunlap provided a pair of goals, but Hempfield Area was unable to rally after falling into a 6-0 deficit against the Jaguars. With 10 points, the Spartans are tied for the Southeast Division lead with Franklin Regional, which steamrolled Moon Area 8-0 last Monday. In Class A, Norwin fell 9-3 at home to Indiana Area on Monday, despite a goal and two assists from Alex Thomas, but rebounded with an 8-2 win on the road against Blackhawk on Thursday. The Knights, who scored the first eight goals, received a hat trick and an assist from Logan Fear, while Ty Singo added one goal and three assists. The Knights sit in third place in the Southeast Division, behind first-place Indiana Area, and Greensburg Salem, which defeated North Hills 4-1 on Thursday behind two goals and two assists from Owen Tutich.
PAC releases hoops schedules
While other college conferences in the region previously cancelled winter athletics, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) is slated to begin men’s and women’s basketball this weekend. Last week, the PAC unveiled the 2021 schedules, with the regular season spanning from Jan. 23 to Feb. 27. With 10 member schools, each team will play its nine conference opponents one time in the regular season. The PAC men’s and women’s tournaments will include all 10 teams, and is scheduled for March 1-6. Specific to Westmoreland County, Saint Vincent College men’s and women’s basketball each begin on Feb. 6, with the men hosting Geneva, while the women will travel to Geneva.