Four more Westmoreland football teams clinch playoffs

The list of Westmoreland County football teams headed to the WPIAL playoffs grew by four last Friday, as Mount Pleasant Area, Derry Area, Burrell, and Greensburg Central Catholic all secured postseason berths. The Vikings clinched in Class 3A, courtesy of their 42-27 win against South Allegheny, as Cole Chatfield threw for a pair of scores, while Brody Hutter added a couple of touchdown runs. The Trojans scored a dramatic 29-22 victory at Burrell, clinching a spot from the Class 2A Allegheny Conference, while the Buccaneers also punched their ticket because of losses from each of the bottom three teams in the conference. In that Westmoreland County clash, Ahmad Ward produced a sterling effort for DA, rushing for 249 yards and all four touchdowns, while Devin Beattie amassed 28 carries for 110 yards and two scores in the setback for Burrell. Lastly, the Centurions qualified, courtesy of their 21-14 win against Riverview. Landon Honick, who shifted from receiver to running back, rushed for 167 yards, scoring twice. The aforementioned quartet joins Greater Latrobe, Belle Vernon Area, Southmoreland, and Jeannette as county teams in the postseason, while Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, and Monessen all remain in contention for the playoffs heading into the final week of the regular season.

Franklin Regional, Burrell boys advance in soccer postseason

The WPIAL boys soccer playoffs commenced on Saturday, and a pair of Westmoreland County teams advanced, while two others saw their campaigns end. In the Class 3A field, Franklin Regional notched a 4-0 upset win against Mars Area, while Greater Latrobe was ousted by South Fayette 4-0. The No. 11 Panthers received a pair of goals from Joey Bayne, while Lorenzo Aguilera and Jovan Sankoorikal also ripped the twine against the sixth-seeded and host Fightin’ Planets. As a result, FR advances to play No. 3 Moon Area in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the No. 9 Wildcats had no answer for Michael Plasko, as he scored all four goals in leading the eighth seed Lions to the win on their home field. In Class 1A, third-seeded Burrell blasted No. 14 Greensburg Central Catholic 5-1. The game was scoreless until the 59th minute, when Billy Kowalkowski scored for the host Buccaneers. From there, Cam Wagner and Hadyn Herbulock each netted a pair of goals for Burrell, while Grant Brewer scored in the final minutes for the Centurions. As a result, Burrell moves on to the quarterfinals, and will welcome No. 11 Trinity Christian on Wednesday.

Explosive period carries Wildcats past Warriors on the ice

Fueled by a five-goal second period, Greater Latrobe hockey bested Penn-Trafford 5-2 last Monday in a county clash at the Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont. After a scoreless opening frame, Jackson Hayburn, Joey Crimboli, and Jacob Hannah all scored for the Wildcats in the first five minutes of the second period. Although Robert Thatcher tallied for host Penn-Trafford to put the Warriors on the board, Hannah responded less than 30 seconds later to make it 4-1, and Hayburn also scored his second goal of the contest approximately two minutes later. Thatcher added a second marker for the Warriors late in the period, which capped the scoring for the game. In addition to their two-goal efforts, Hayburn and Hannah each added an assist, while Crimboli had a four-point effort. Brock Pflugh earned the win in net for GL, as he made 18 saves. With the victory, the Wildcats improved to 3-1-0, and with six points, they reside in second place in Class AA. The Warriors, meanwhile, dropped to 1-1-0.

Southmoreland, GCC headline girls volleyball playoff seeds

Nine Westmoreland County girls volleyball teams learned their playoff paths last week, as the WPIAL released the postseason brackets. In Class 4A, Penn-Trafford garnered the sixth seed, and will host No. 11 Bethel Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Hempfield Area was seeded ninth, and the Spartans will travel to play No. 8 North Hills at Pine-Richland High School on Tuesday at 6 p.m. A trio of Westmoreland teams made the field in Class 3A, led by Greater Latrobe, which received the No. 10 seed. The Wildcats will face seventh-seeded Trinity at North Catholic High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The other two county teams will square off in a preliminary matchup, as No. 13 Kiski Area will host No. 20 Belle Vernon Area tonight at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to face fourth seed Thomas Jefferson on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Class 2A features a quartet of local teams, with Southmoreland, Burrell, Derry Area, and Yough all qualifying. The Scotties garnered the fourth seed, and they await the winner of the preliminary clash between No. 13 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and No. 20 Deer Lakes. Southmoreland will host the victor on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Buccaneers received the No. 10 seed and will play No. 7 Keystone Oaks at Beaver Area High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Trojans were seeded 11th and will square off against No. 6 Neshannock at Quaker Valley High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Furthermore, the No. 15 Cougars will host No. 18 South Park in a preliminary clash tonight at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to face second-seeded and homestanding Beaver Area on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Lastly, in Class 1A, Greensburg Central Catholic earned the fourth seed, and the Centurions will welcome No. 13 Mapletown on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Seton Hill football stuns IUP

For the first time in program history, Seton Hill University claimed a victory against Indiana University of Pennsylvania on the football field. On Saturday at Offutt Field, the Griffins notched a 35-28 win against the Crimson Hawks, scoring the deciding touchdown with less than two minutes left. That TD was a 35-yard pass from Hayden Teska to Cody Rubrecht, which came in response after IUP pulled even by scoring twice in a span of 55 seconds earlier in the quarter. Teska finished 14-of-22 through the air for 259 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception, while Ky’Ron Craggette rushed 26 times for 143 yards and two scores, and added a receiving touchdown for the Griffins. With the win, SHU improved to 3-5 overall, including 2-3 in the PSAC West, while the Crimson Hawks dipped to 4-4, including 2-3 in conference play.