Monday's Westmoreland County Sports Notebook
Written by: Sean Meyers
February 01, 2021
Tags: Vincent Kilkeary Isaiah Vance Enzo Morlacci Dylan Sebek Christian McGowan Brevan Williams Jimmy Sanders Anna Rafferty Emma Blair Gracie Spadaro Carter Scholze Nico Martucci Brandon Grkman Chase Williamis Zach Abdallah Nicholas Bruno Zachary Ridilla Matthew Overdorff Peyton Myers Cam Caretti Jacob Smith Landon Morrison Logan Fear Ty Shingo Dom Barca Alex Thomas Brad Birch Quinton Martin Anthony Giansante Mason Frye Nate Frye Matt Metrosky Dane Anden
Kilkeary, Vance, Morlacci claim gold at Powerade
A trio of Westmoreland County grapplers claimed gold over the weekend at one of the most prestigious high-school wrestling events in the country – the Powerade Tournament. Greater Latrobe’s Vincent Kilkeary, Hempfield Area’s Isaiah Vance, and Enzo Morlacci of Kiski Area all took first place during the two-day event at the Monroeville Convention Center. Kilkeary, who claimed the PIAA Championship at 106 pounds as a freshman last year, cruised through the 113-pound bracket, including a 16-0 technical fall in the semis, and a 10-1 major decision against Waynesburg Central’s Joseph Simon in the title bout. Vance, a senior heavyweight, notched a 5-2 decision in extra time in the championship against Malvern Prep’s Cole Deery. Lastly, Morlacci won an all-Westmoreland showdown in the 160-pound bracket final, as he edged Norwin’s Chase Kranitz via a 3-1 decision. Mount Pleasant Area’s Dayton Pitzer also reached the championship round, but he fell to Nick Feldman of Malvern Prep 11-4 in the 215-pound bracket.
GCC, Jeannette boys deadlocked atop section
Westmoreland County rivals Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette’s boys basketball squads are tied for first-place in Class 2A Section 3 after each claimed victory last Friday. Greensburg Central Catholic displayed its superiority against Winchester-Thurston, which also was tied for the section lead entering Friday’s contest, with the Centurions scoring an 82-55 home win. Enacting the mercy rule in the fourth quarter against the Bears, GCC improved to 4-1 in the section. Three players all tied for the team-high in scoring for the Centurions on senior night, as Dylan Sebek, Christian McGowan, and Brevan Williams each contributed 18 points. The Jayhawks, meanwhile, knocked off Propel Braddock Hills 66-46 on Friday, propelled by Jimmy Sanders’ 21 points. That outcome followed a win against Serra Catholic earlier in the week for Jeannette. The second meeting of the season between GCC and Jeannette will take place this Friday, with Jeannette currently holding the tiebreaker courtesy of its one-point win at home against the Centurions on Jan. 12.
Greater Latrobe, Southmoreland girls hold section leads
Two local girls basketball teams currently reside in first place in their sections at approximately the halfway point of the WPIAL season. Greater Latrobe tops Class 5A Section 4, with a mark of 4-0, while Southmoreland is tied for first in Class 4A Section 3. The Wildcats won a pair of tilts last week, defeating section opponent Greensburg Salem 59-31 on Monday, and smashing Kiski Area 48-16 on Saturday. Anna Rafferty netted a team-leading 12 points in the win against the Golden Lions, while Emma Blair added 10 points. Woodland Hills sits in second place in the section, at 2-0, with both meetings between the Wildcats and Wolverines slated for later this month. Southmoreland, meanwhile, claimed two section victories last week to improve to 5-1, which is tied with West Mifflin for first. Last Monday, the Scotties blasted Ligonier Valley 60-19, scoring 31 points in a first-quarter explosion. Three days later, Southmoreland defeated Belle Vernon Area 48-34, with Gracie Spadaro producing 18 points in the win. Southmoreland aims to avenge its lone section loss, hosting West Mifflin for sole possession of first place tonight in a game broadcast on the Westmoreland Sports Network.
FR boys basketball pauses season
Following a 4-0 start in section play, the first-place Franklin Regional boys basketball team paused activities last week as a result of COVID exposure. The Panthers, who last played on Jan. 22 against Kiski Area, are in the midst of a 10-day stoppage. As a result, FR can resume practicing on Feb. 3. While the Panthers’ game originally slated for Feb. 2 against Greater Latrobe will need to be rescheduled, the matchup on Jan. 29 against Penn Hills was postponed before the COVID pause, due to conflicting mask policies.
Local hockey squads post dominant week
Westmoreland County hockey teams enjoyed a banner performance last week, as they combined to win six games in PIHL play. In Class AA, Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional, and Hempfield Area all prevailed, while Greater Latrobe battled tough against the top team in the classification. Last Monday, Penn-Trafford notched a 4-3 overtime win against Plum, as the Warriors scored the final four goals of the contest. Carter Scholze netted the winner, while Nico Martucci and Brandon Grkman had multi-point efforts. Also on Monday, the Panthers edged South Fayette 6-5, fending off the Lions rally. FR, which jumped out to a 4-1 edge early in the second period, received a one goal, three-assist performance from Chase Williams, while Zach Abdallah contributed three points. On Thursday, Hempfield Area steamrolled Plum 9-1, as the Spartans scored the first seven goals of the game. Nicholas Bruno paced the offense, with one goal and three assists, while Zachary Ridilla had a three-point performance, and Matthew Overdorff made 14 saves. On the same night, the Wildcats fell 6-2 against undefeated Baldwin. GL pulled within two late in the second period, courtesy of a pair of goals by Peyton Myers, but a couple of markers late in the third period by Baldwin sealed the outcome. In Class A, Greensburg Salem and Norwin both knocked off Beaver Area last week. On Tuesday, the Golden Lions won 3-1, boosted by 16 saves by Cam Caretti, and two-point showings for Jacob Smith and Landon Morrison. Two days later, the Knights prevailed in a high-scoring affair, 11-7, as Norwin scored the final four goals of the contest. Logan Fear was a force, as he scored five goals and added three assists. Ty Shingo provided a goal and four assists, while Dom Barca and Alex Thomas notched three points apiece. Kiski Area also captured a 5-2 win against Westmont-Hilltop on Monday, while Burrell fell to Wilmington 8-1 in Class B play on Tuesday.
Brad Birch, Quinton Martin named All-Americans
A couple of Westmoreland County players were recently selected as All-American freshmen by MaxPreps. Jeannette quarterback Brad Birch and Belle Vernon Area running back and defensive back Quinton Martin were among nearly 50 players nationally from the Class of 2024 who received the accolades. Martin was chosen as a first-team member as a defensive back, while Birch was second-team as an all-purpose player.
Signing day approaches for college football
While an array of Westmoreland County seniors already signed their letters of intent for college football during the early period in December, many others will officially put pen to paper on Wednesday for the National Signing Day. Norwin offensive lineman Anthony Giansante is among the gridiron standouts who will sign, as he’s expected to finalize his intentions to play for Division I Western Carolina. A few other local players could head to Division I programs, although not technically “sign” as preferred walk-ons, including Penn-Trafford twins Nate and Mason Frye, who are committed to Saint Francis (PA), while Greensburg Central Catholic’s Matt Metrosky and Belle Vernon Area’s Dane Anden both have PWO offers from Pitt. Players bound for Division II football programs will also sign beginning on Wednesday.