Norwin’s Sidun wins prestigious Powerade crown

Norwin grappler Landon Sidun captured gold at the Powerade Tournament on Saturday, the second year in a row he took first place at the prestigious event that features elite wrestlers from across the country. Competing at Canon-McMillan High School, Sidun edged Paul Kenny of Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey 7-6 in the ultimate tiebreaker period of the 121-pound bracket. Sidun, who won in the 114-pound class last year last a freshman, trailed 3-0 after the first period. After scoring four points in the second period to take the lead, Sidun notched an escape with just seven seconds left in the third period to deadlock the score at 5-5. Each scored a point in the tiebreaker periods, but Sidun denied an escape by Kenny to claim the victory. In the semifinals, Sidun prevailed 4-1 in sudden victory against Lukas Littleton Mascaro of Malvern Prep. Sidun was the lone WPIAL wrestler to reach a championship bout on Saturday. Other Westmoreland County placewinners included Greater Latrobe’s Hunter Snyder, who finished fourth at 189, Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple, who finished sixth at 189, Kiski Area’s Cooper Roscosky, who placed sixth at 215, Cavaliers teammate Mark Gray, who came in seventh at 189, Derry Area’s Anthony Mucci, who placed seventh at 127, and Leo Joseph of Greater Latrobe, who finished eighth at 121.

Hempfield hands GCC boys first loss

Hempfield Area boys basketball notched an impressive win at the Greensburg Salem Tournament last week, as the Spartans handed previously-unblemished Greensburg Central Catholic its first setback of the 2024-25 campaign. Hempfield bested the Centurions 63-49 on Friday. Danny Husentis led the way for the Spartans, as he scored 25 points, while Max Williams and Drew Gordon each tallied 10 points. AJ Tarpley posted 24 points in the loss for GCC, while Liam Gallagher produced 11 points. Coupled with a victory against the host Golden Lions on Saturday, the Spartans ascended to 6-4 overall, while the Centurions followed with an 81-54 win against Ligonier Valley to move their record to 9-1 on the season.

Dozens of Westmoreland icers named PIHL All-Stars

The PIHL unveiled its 2024-25 All-Stars last week, and more than two dozen Westmoreland County players earned the distinction. In Class AAA, the Franklin Regional trio of Liam Copeland, Nick Matus, and Brendan Yohe made the team. In Class AA, the All-Stars include: Penn-Trafford’s Brock Bienemann, Kyler Doran, Aiden Drotos, Tyler Funk, and Cam Kiste; Greater Latrobe’s Joey Crimboli, Bryant Dumnich, Dylan Morris, and Brock Pflugh; Dane Busch, Nick Crupie, Austin Herron, and JJ Williams of Hempfield Area; and Norwin’s Dom Cerilli, Parker Toth, and Cade Zeravica. The Class A representatives feature: Greensburg Salem’s Luke Dieter, Jake Fink, and Cooper Outly; and Jacob Kraus and Dylan Matenkosky of Kiski Area. Lastly, the Division 2 game features Burrell’s Julian Kemp, Luke Mink, Michael Morascyzk, and Kooper Price. The games will take place on Jan. 26 at the RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island.

Wildcats’ explosive third period yields win

Trailing heading into the third period on the road against Fox Chapel Area, Greater Latrobe hockey exploded for five goals to claim a 7-5 victory against the Foxes at the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville last Monday. Jaxson Kettering scored the winning goal for GL, as he put the Wildcats ahead 6-5 with 2:03 left in regulation. Cam Mikulsky led the way for the Wildcats, as he netted two goals and two assists, while Dylan Morris produced two goals and Joey Crimboli contributed a goal and two helpers. With the victory, the Wildcats improved to 9-2-0-0, and with 27 points, they sit in second place in the PIHL Class AA.

GL’s Wetzel tabbed All-State

Greater Latrobe senior John Wetzel was selected as an All-State football player last week. Wetzel earned recognition as a defensive back in Class 5A by the Pennsylvania Football Writers. Wetzel, who signed with Marshall University earlier this month, tallied 89 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in 2024. He also starred at QB for the Wildcats, amassing 914 yards and six touchdowns through the air, along with 1,076 yards rushing and eight scores. Greater Latrobe went 5-6 overall, qualifying for the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, where the Wildcats fell to Bethel Park in the first round.

Bearcats WBB wins in Las Vegas

The Saint Vincent College women’s basketball team opened its trip to Las Vegas in impressive fashion, as the Bearcats smashed SUNY Canton 81-54 on Sunday. Playing in the D3 Hoops Classic, Saint Vincent jumped out to a 26-12 lead after the first quarter and never relinquished its advantage. Makenna Maier paced the Bearcats with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Emily Thompson and Danielle Pontius scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. SVC, which plays Redlands today, improved to 5-5 on the campaign.