Norwin, GCC girls reign atop standings

A pair of Westmoreland County girls basketball teams currently reside in first place, as Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic have been perfect in section play. At 5-0, the Knights are atop Class 6A Section 1. Norwin maintained its hold on the top spot courtesy of its 52-21 victory at home against Seneca Valley last Monday. Norwin followed on a Wednesday with a crucial nonsection road win against Blackhawk 59-49 in overtime, improving to 14-1 overall. Bailey Snowberger paced the Knights against the Raiders, as she scored a dozen. Against the Cougars, Kendall Berger netted 28, while Lauren Palangio added 12 points. The Centurions, meanwhile, sit at 7-0 in Class 2A Section 3, and 14-2 overall. Last week, GCC knocked off Winchester-Thurston 62-41, and followed with a lopsided win against Ellis School 62-14. Against the Bears, Mya Morgan led the way with 19 points and Erica Gribble produced 18 points, while Morgan scored 20 points and Gribble added 18 against the Tigers.

Southmoreland’s Keffer reaches 1,000 points

Southmoreland junior Ty Keffer reached a milestone last week, as he scored his 1000th point in a victory against Indiana. Keffer accomplished the feat on Wednesday, as he tallied 27 points in the Scotties 78-55 victory against the Little Indians. In the process, he became the ninth Southmoreland boys basketball player in the 1,000-point club, joining Jim Keibler, Russ Grimm, Doug Leighty, Eric Roslonski, Matt Odroneic, Brandon Stone, Tommy Pisula, and Riley Comforti.

Norwin wrestling upsets Franklin Regional

The Norwin wrestling team prevailed in a battle for first place last week, as the Knights notched a 42-24 road win against Franklin Regional in Class 2A Section 3. As a result, Norwin improved to 4-0 in the section, while the Panthers fell to 3-1. John White, Aidan Pham, Josiah Pastories, and Luca Butera all earned pins for Norwin, while Gage Mamie scored an injury forfeit. Gavyn Beck and Juliano Marion notched pins for FR. Norwin can clinch the section title outright with a home win on Wednesday against Penn-Trafford.

Panthers skate past Warriors

Led by Matt Knizner’s four-goal effort, Franklin Regional hockey cruised to a 6-1 win against Penn-Trafford at the Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont last Tuesday. Knizner opened the scoring in the first period, and Robert Kelley followed with another goal to stake the visiting Panthers to a 2-0 edge. Franklin Regional added two more goals in the second, courtesy of Derek German and Knizner. Knizner capped his special night with a pair of third-period tallies. In addition to Knizner, Luke Lavrich and Nicholas Matus each posted three assists for FR, while Nolan Shilling made 22 saves in net. Penn-Trafford’s lone goal came from Sean Goodman in the third period, and Jackson Kerrigan made 28 saves in a losing effort between the pipes. As a result of the outcome, the Panthers improved to 7-7-1, while the Warriors fell to 8-5-0, and are just one point ahead in the standings.

Meisner, Pipkins among latest WPIAL Hall of Fame class

The WPIAL announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2023, and a pair of former Valley standouts are among the inductees. Greg Meisner and Tom Pipkins are among the 15 inductees who will be honored on June 2 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Greentree. Meisner, who graduated from Valley in 1977, garnered All-State accolades on the gridiron, and also played in the Big 33 Game. He continued his football career at the University of Pittsburgh, and was selected in the third round of the NFL draft in 1981. He played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Giants. In addition to his football success with the Vikings, he was a record-setting track and field athlete, setting the school record in the javelin, and also participated in basketball and wrestling. Following his playing career, Meisner was a longtime athletic director and football head coach at Hempfield Area. Pipkins, meanwhile, holds the WPIAL boys basketball career scoring record, nearly 30 years after his graduation from Valley. Pipkins totaled 2,838 points, breaking a mark that had stood since 1955. He guided the Vikings to a WPIAL title in 1993, and matriculated to Duquesne University, where he was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 Conference performer.

SHU football hires offensive coordinator

Brody Rohach was hired as an assistant coach for Seton Hill University football last week. Rohach will serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Griffins. Prior to Seton Hill, Rohach was the QB coach for one year at the University of Sioux Falls. Previously, he was the OC for two seasons each at Waldorf College and Coe College, receivers coach at Buena Vista University, and running backs coach at the University of Central Missouri. As a player, Rohach competed collegiately at the University of San Diego and Wayne State College. He replaces Robert Dutton, who served in those roles at SHU for four seasons.

Bearcats MBB extends winning streak

For the second time this season, the Saint Vincent College men’s basketball team has compiled a four-game winning streak. The Bearcats continued their recent surge with a pair of road wins last week, defeating Grove City College 76-68 on Wednesday and besting Westminster College 73-58 on Saturday. Jaden Gales and Shemar Bennett led the way against the Wolverines, as Gales posted 24 points, while Bennett netted 22 points and 11 rebounds. Against the Titans, five players scored in double figures for SVC, as Mike Iuzzolino and Osyon Jones each posted 16 points, Gales netted 14, Bennett provided a dozen points, and Tayler McNeal added 10 points. As a result of the winning streak, the Bearcats improved to 11-7 overall, including 7-6 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC).