District 31 American Legion reaches semis

Four teams remain in the District 31 American Legion baseball season, as the postseason has progressed to the semifinals round. Second-seeded Hempfield East and No. 3 Bushy Run are deadlocked at 1-1 in their best-of-three series, as the Mud Dogs took the first game 8-2 at the University of Pitt-Greensburg on Saturday, but the Beavers responded with an 8-3 triumph on Sunday at Penn-Trafford High School. Thus, the decisive game will be contested today at 5:30 at UPG. In the other series between top-seeded Latrobe and No. 4 Lower Burrell, the Jethawks held serve at home at Legion Keener Park on Saturday with a 3-0 victory. On Sunday at ABC Fields, Lower Burrell led Latrobe 5-4 in the top of the seventh when the game was suspended. As a result, that contest will be completed today at 5:30 at Legion Keener, and if the Bulldogs prevail, the rubber match will immediately follow. In the best-of-three quarterfinals, Latrobe edged No. 8 Unity 2-1, Hempfield East swept seventh seed Young Township, Bushy Run outlasted sixth-seeded Murrysville 2-1, and Burrell won 2-0 against No. 5 Homer City.

Spartans headline All-State softball list

More than a dozen Westmoreland County standouts were recognized on the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association All-State teams that were revealed last week. Hempfield Area accounted for five of those players in Class 6A, as Riley Miller was tabbed as both the Pitcher of the Year in the classification, as well as a first-team hurler. Miller was joined by teammates Lauren Howard (first-team second base), Claire Mitchell (first-team outfield), Ella Berkebile (second-team catcher), and Allie Cervola (second-team shortstop). State champion Penn-Trafford had a pair of players recognized in Class 5A, as Allyson Paulone was first-team pitcher, while Cam Ponko garnered first-team accolades at third base. Also in 5A, Franklin Regional’s Toryn Fulton was tabbed as a first-team shortstop. In 4A, Derry Area star Francesca DePalma earned first-team outfield honors. A trio of Southmoreland players made the cut in Class 3A, as Makayla Etling was a first-team catcher, Makayla Brown earned first-team recognition at first base, and Riley Puckey made the second-team at shortstop. Lastly, Jeannette’s Grace Stein was chosen as a second-team pitcher in Class 1A.

Pryor, Lee make MaxPreps top 100

MaxPreps announced its top 100 high school athletes of the 21st century last week, and a pair of Westmoreland legends made the cut. Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor was ranked sixth, while Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee was placed at No. 69. Pryor, a 2008 grad, excelled in both football and basketball with the Jayhawks, capturing state crowns in both sports in his senior year. He was a Parade All-American at Jeannette, and then played at Ohio State and in the NFL for eight seasons. Lee, a 2017 graduate, went 144-1 on the mat with the Panthers, winning three state titles. He continued his decorated career at the University of Iowa, and captured a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. LeBron James, who played both basketball and football at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, was the top athlete on the list.

Petruska resigns from Bearcats WBB

After 15 years of success guiding the Saint Vincent College women’s basketball program, head coach Jimmy Petruska resigned from the position last week. During his decorated tenure, Petruska notched 258 victories, including three Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships. Those titles came in 2019, 2021, and 2023. This past season, the Bearcats went 13-13 overall, including 12-8 in the PAC. Saint Vincent qualified for the conference tournament, but lost to Grove City College in the first round. Petruska, a 2004 graduate of SVC, served as an assistant coach with the Bearcats before taking the reins of the program in 2011, following the death of coach Kristen Zawacki.