Franklin Regional, Burrell garner top seeds in wrestling postseason

The WPIAL team wrestling brackets were released last Thursday, and Franklin Regional and Burrell garnered the top seeds in Class 3A and 2A, respectively. In 3A, the Panthers will host the first round and quarterfinals on Wednesday, and they await the winner of the preliminary-round matchup between Peters Township and Shaler Area. Norwin received the second seed, as the Knights will also host on Wednesday, and will face the victor between Armstrong and Seneca Valley. Kiski Area will match up against North Hills in the first round at Connellsville Area on Wednesday at 6 p.m., while Greater Latrobe will battle North Allegheny in the first round at Canon-McMillan at the same time. Penn-Trafford and Belle Vernon Area will wrestle in preliminary matches on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. The Warriors will square off against Baldwin at Connellsville, while the Leopards will face Mars Area at Canon-McMillan. In 2A, the Buccaneers will host the first round and quarterfinals on Wednesday, with Burrell awaiting the winner of the preliminary contest between Southmoreland and Knoch on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Derry Area received the second seed, as the host Trojans will face the winner between Highlands and Central Valley. Greensburg Salem will also compete at Derry Area, as the Golden Lions will tussle with Elizabeth Forward Wednesday at 6 p.m. The WPIAL team championships will be contested on Jan. 31 at Peters Township High School.

Four Westmoreland girls teams clinch postseason

A quartet of Westmoreland County girls basketball squads have already secured postseason berths. With a couple of weeks remaining in the section schedule, Penn-Trafford, Greater Latrobe, Belle Vernon Area, and Greensburg Central Catholic have all clinched. In Class 5A, the Warriors lead Section 2 with a record of 9-0, while the Wildcats reside in third place in the section, at 6-3, also trailing Indiana Area. In Class 4A, the Leopards are tied with Elizabeth Forward atop Section 3 at 9-1. Lastly, in Class 3A, the Centurions trail only Shady Side Academy in Section 2, with GCC boasting a mark of 9-1.

Panthers, Wildcats, Vikings capture WCCA swimming titles

Franklin Regional swept at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association (WCCA) swimming championships on Saturday, as the Panthers boys took the crown in Class 3A, while the girls finished first in Class 2A. Moreover, Greater Latrobe won the girls 3A title, and Mount Pleasant Area reigned supreme in the boys Class 2A competition. Competing at Derry Area High School, the FR boys compiled a score of 365, outgaining runner-up Hempfield Area, which totaled 295. The Panthers girls totaled a score of 352, easily surpassing Mount Pleasant Area, which finished in second with 251. The Wildcats claimed gold with a score of 278 points, edging second-place Penn-Trafford, which accumulated 245 points. The Vikings boys, meanwhile, scored 232 points, while Belle Vernon Area took silver with 124 points. In the WCCA diving competitions on Friday, Mount Pleasant Area’s Noah Lahm took the boys title with a score of 347.15, while Giada Angelicchio of Greater Latrobe stood atop the podium for the girls, scoring 418.05.

Burrell hockey notches massive W

The Burrell hockey team scored perhaps its biggest win of the season last week, as the Buccaneers blanked first-place Neshannock 3-0. Playing at home at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena last Thursday, the Bucs scored twice in a span of 31 seconds at the midway point of the opening period. Jacob Rose tallied first, assisted by Colton Boda, and Thomas Kilgour quickly followed with a second marker, with Jared Wall collecting the helper. That lead stood until the final minute of the contest, when Dom Gladish scored to put the exclamation point on the victory. Seth Munda was perfect in goal for Burrell, making 17 saves in the shutout. With the win, Burrell pulled within a point of the Lancers in the standings in the PIHL Division 2 Blue, as the Bucs have racked up 33 points with a mark of 10-4-0-3.

This week on WSN

While the snow and cold temperatures have forced many games to be rescheduled in the early portion of this week, the Westmoreland Sports Network will still have numerous broadcasts on the docket. On Thursday, Norwin girls basketball hosts Mount Lebanon in a Class 6A clash. The following day, the Hempfield Area boys aim for a bounce-back effort when they host Canon-McMillan. On Saturday, a pair of college basketball doubleheaders will be in the spotlight, as Seton Hill University hosts Indiana University of Pennsylvania, while Pitt-Greensburg welcomes Penn State Behrend.