Centurions football scores crucial win against Clairton

Greensburg Central Catholic football cleared a major hurdle to a potential conference title on Friday, as the Centurions upended powerhouse Clairton 34-18 in the Class 1A Eastern Conference. As a result, GCC moved into a tie with Jeannette atop the conference, at 2-0. Da’sjon Craggette and Jaydin Canady each scored two touchdowns, while Tyree Turner threw for two more TDs, as he was 10-of-14 passing for 246 yards. Craggette scored on rushes for 9 and 6 yards, while Canady caught an 81-yard pass and added a 13-yard run to paydirt. Amari Mack also caught a 59-yard TD on the first offensive play of the game for the Centurions. It marked the first time that Greensburg Central Catholic defeated the Bears since 2001.

Jurica leads after first round in WPIAL golf

With the new two-round format in effect for the WPIAL boys individual golf championships, Derry Area’s Hunter Jurica is tied for first place in Class AA, while several other Westmoreland County boys are in contention. The Trojans’ senior shot four-over par in the opening round last Monday at Hannahstown Golf Course in Greensburg. His score has him in a tie with Brownville Area’s Daniel Sethman, while two other golfers are one stroke behind. Additionally, Belle Vernon Area’s Rogan Maloney sits two shots behind the leaders, while Ligonier Valley’s Ryan Harbert, Ryan Karfelt of Mount Pleasant Area, and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Wade Boyle are all tied at seven-over par. The final round will be held on Tuesday at historic Oakmont Country Club. Following last Tuesday’s round in Class AAA at Champion Lakes Golf Course, Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turowski, the defending WPIAL champion, is tied for second place at two-over, a pair of strokes behind leader Rocco Salvitti of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. The next closest area competitors are tied for 14th, as Norwin’s Alex Graham and Nolan Shilling of Franklin Regional are both eight-over. The Class AAA final round will take place on Thursday at the Allegheny County Club in Sewickley.

GCC, Kiski Area boys soccer remain perfect in section

With the WPIAL boys soccer schedule already on the back half of section action, a pair of Westmoreland County teams still boast perfect marks. In Class 3A, Kiski Area is undefeated, while Greensburg Central Catholic remains unblemished in Class 1A. The Cavaliers are 8-0-0 in Section 1, scoring a pair of section wins last week. On Tuesday, the Cavs rolled to a 7-0 whitewash at home against Highlands, and followed with a 3-2 victory at Hampton two days later. In the win against the Golden Rams, Anders Bordoy netted a hat trick and added an assist, while Trey Curry added two goals. Bordoy was the hero against the Talbots, as he notched the winner in the final minute of regulation, capping off a comeback with three unanswered goals for Kiski Area. The Centurions, meanwhile, improved to 8-0-0, as they steamrolled past Bentworth and Ligonier Valley, 10-3 and 11-0, respectively. Against the Bearcats, Kyler Miller scored four times and added a pair of assists, while Carlo Denis contributed two goals and three helpers in the home triumph. On the road against the Rams, Denis had a hat trick, while Jackson Vacanti and Jake Gretz each posted two goals. A pair of other Westmoreland boys teams also reside in first place currently, as Franklin Regional is tied with Plum at 9-1-0 atop Class 3A Section 4, while Belle Vernon Area paces 2A Section 3 at 9-1-0.

WCCA to add volleyball all-star match

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association (WCCA) will add a new event to its calendar later this year when the inaugural girls volleyball all-star match takes place. The event will be held at Ligonier Valley High School on Nov. 22, dividing Westmoreland County players between East and West teams. The East will be comprised of players from Derry Area, Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Ligonier Valley, and Southmoreland. Meanwhile, the West will consist of Belle Vernon Area, Burrell, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Valley, and Yough.

Franklin Regional, GCC tennis tandems prevail

A pair of Westmoreland County tennis duos won their respective sections in doubles play last week, punching their tickets to the WPIAL tournament this week. In Class AAA Section 1, Ellen Liu and Hannah Zheng of Franklin Regional finished first, ousting their fellow Panthers Lucy Zheng and Michelle Yan 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the final. Both teams qualified for the WPIAL event that will take place this Thursday and Friday and will conclude at Bethel Park High School. Also qualifying from that section were Greater Latrobe’s Avery Massaro and Taylor Shanefelter, who finished third, as well as Kiski Area’s Ambur Orowitz and Lexi Colianni. Meanwhile in Class AA, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Sasha Hoffman and Gigi Pediconi won the title in straight sets, defeating Valley’s Elisabeth Ervin and Marissa Barca. Those tandems will be joined by third-place finishers Sophia Smithnosky and Emily Marne of Mount Pleasant Area in moving on to the WPIAL tournament.

Two UPG tennis players garner weekly awards

The University of Pitt-Greensburg had a clean sweep of the weekly Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) tennis honors last week, as Abigail Rosman and Deven Summers each received the accolades last Monday. On the women’s side, Rosman garnered the recognition after she posted a mark of 4-0 between singles and doubles play in the previous week. Most impressively, she did so while playing in four different positions. Summers, meanwhile, received the honor on the men’s side, winning in both singles and doubles action. The Bobcats women are currently 6-1 overall, including 4-0 in the AMCC, while the men boast a mark of 2-0.