Warriors move atop standings with win against Woodland Hills

The tandem of Cody Yacamelli and Ben Grabowski helped keep Penn-Trafford football perfect, as the homestanding Warriors triumphed 42-13 against Woodland Hills in a marquee Class 5A Big East Conference showdown on Friday. Yacamelli posted 14 carries for 144 yards rushing and three scores, while Grabowksi amassed 151 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns, also throwing a TD pass for the Warriors. The PT defense collected three interceptions. In the defeat, Jaron McKinney connected on 13-of-23 passes for 268 yards and two scores for the Wolverines. With the win, the Warriors ascended to 9-0 overall, and 5-0 in the Big East Conference. They have clinched a share of the conference title, and can win it outright with a victory at Greater Latrobe on Friday at 7 p.m. The Wolverines, conversely, dropped to 4-1 in conference play, at 5-4 on the campaign.

Volleyball postseason features 10 Westmoreland teams

The WPIAL released its girls volleyball playoff brackets on Friday, as 10 Westmoreland County teams learned their fate. In Class 6A, Hempfield Area was seeded sixth, as the Spartans will play at No. 3 Seneca Valley on Tuesday at 7 p.m. In 5A, Penn-Trafford, Kiski Area, Greater Latrobe, and Franklin Regional all qualified. The Warriors garnered the fourth seed, setting up a home match against No. 13 South Fayette on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers, seeded seventh, will host No. 10 Plum on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Wildcats received the No. 12 seed, creating a road matchup against No. 5 Upper St. Clair on Wednesday at 7 p.m. As the No. 15 seed, the Panthers will host No. 18 Gateway in a preliminary round match tonight at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to play second-seeded North Catholic on Wednesday. In 4A, Greensburg Salem, Valley and Belle Vernon Area all collected byes. The Golden Lions earned the second seed, creating a matchup at home on Thursday against the winner of No. 7 Knoch and No. 10 Ringgold. The No. 4 seed Vikings will welcome fifth seed Central Valley on Thursday at a time to be determined. The No. 6 seed Leopards, meanwhile, will play at three seed Hampton on Thursday, also at a time to be determined. Lastly, Burrell and Derry Area qualified in the 3A bracket. The Buccaneers received the sixth seed, as they will host No. 11 Chartiers-Houston on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Trojans were seeded ninth, as they will play at No. 8 South Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The WPIAL Volleyball Championships will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 7 at Peters Township High School.

Spartans hockey prevails in OT

Hempfield Area hockey claimed a thrilling win last Thursday, edging Chartiers Valley 3-2 in overtime. At the Mount Lebanon Ice Arena, the visiting Spartans overcame a 2-0 deficit in the second period, as Colby Herron scored twice in less than two minutes to deadlock the score. In the extra period, Andrew Bryant netted the winner to seal the comeback in a game in which Hempfield Area outshot the Colts 46-18. Guerin Gardner, Giulio DiPietro, Brady Wassel, and Maddox Willis registered assists for the Spartans, while Casey Brooks made 16 saves in net. With the victory, Hempfield Area moved to 2-2-1-0, and with eight points, the Spartans are currently tied for fifth in the PIHL Class AA.

Lang hired to lead FR softball

Franklin Regional hired Rich Lang as its softball coach last week, marking the third head coach in three seasons for the Panthers. Lang takes over after Maddie Uschock resigned after one season at the helm of the program. Lang, a graduate of Highlands, has an extensive background coaching travel softball, including time as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Riot AAU team. FR struggled last year, going 2-16 overall, and 2-10 in Class 5A Section 2, failing to qualify for the WPIAL postseason.

UPG women’s soccer remains perfect in AMCC

With one game remaining in the regular season, the University of Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team is still perfect in conference action. Last week, the Bobcats edged Penn State Altoona 2-1, and then blasted La Roche 5-0. Playing at home last Wednesday against the Lions, the Bobcats scored twice in the 75th minute to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Riley Gesinski opened the scoring for UPG, assisted by Tiger Santia, while Ella Smith followed 28 seconds later for the decisive marker. Three days later at La Roche, Bella Carroto led the charge against the Redhawks, scoring a brace, while Santia dished out three assists. As a result, UPG improved to 11-4-0 overall, and 6-0-0 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, with a first-place matchup against Penn State Behrend looming on Tuesday in Erie.