Mount Pleasant the lone county football team to advance

Seven Westmoreland County teams entered the first round of the WPIAL playoffs last week, but Mount Pleasant Area was the only squad to move on to the next round. The No. 6 seed Vikings notched a 41-7 win against another Westmoreland County team, Burrell, in the Class 3A bracket. Despite playing without starting QB Tyler Reese, the Vikings rolled behind a prolific rushing attack. Robbie Labuda paced Mount Pleasant Area with 15 carries for 170 yards, while Aaron Alakson rushed for 113 yards and added 91 yards receiving. In the defeat for the Buccaneers, Caden DiCaprio posted 47 rushing attempts for 191 yards. Additionally, the postseason came to an end for Franklin Regional, Southmoreland, Ligonier Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic, and Monessen. In 5A, the No. 12 seed Panthers fell to No. 5 Penn Hills 38-6. Also in 3A, eighth-seeded Southmoreland lost at home to No. 9 East Allegheny 36-11. Ligonier Valley, playing as the No. 9 seed in Class 2A, was ousted by No. 8 South Side Beaver 34-14. In 1A, eighth seed Greensburg Central Catholic fell to No. 9 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 28-8, while No. 15 Monessen was bounced by second-seeded Cornell 33-0. This week, the Vikings will play on the road at No. 3 Avonworth in the 3A quarterfinals, while the two county teams that had byes will begin their postseason. Class 5A No. 2 seed Penn-Trafford will open its playoffs by hosting No. 10 Fox Chapel Area, and Belle Vernon Area, the top seed in 4A, will host No. 9 New Castle.

GCC football mourns deaths of two assistants

Prior to its playoff game against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart last week, the Greensburg Central Catholic football team endured a tragic week. Two assistant coaches for the Centurions - Joseph Oslosky and BJ Farrell - passed away. Farrell, who was 41, died last Sunday. Four days later, Oslosky, who was 44, died from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. Both coaches had been assistants alongside Marko Thomas for the past several years, and Oslosky played with Thomas at Penn-Trafford in the 1990s.

Franklin Regional hockey remains perfect

The Franklin Regional hockey team continued its hot start to the season last week, as the Panthers smashed West Allegheny 10-1 on Tuesday at the Palmer Imaging Arena in Delmont. With the win, Franklin Regional improved to 4-0-0, and is one of just three teams that remain perfect in the PIHL Class AA. Against the Indians, Franklin Regional scored four goals in each the first and second periods. Matt Knizner posted a hat trick, Zachary Zeto contributed two goals and two assists, and Chase Williams and Luke Lavrich each added a goal and two assists. Franklin Regional has outscored its foes 28-9 thus far this season.

Centurions ousted in volleyball championship

Greensburg Central Catholic’s girls volleyball team came up short in the WPIAL Class 1A final on Saturday, and for the second-consecutive year, Bishop Canevin ousted the Centurions. The top-seeded Crusaders notched a 3-1 triumph against No. 2 seed GCC (14-4) at the UPMC Events Center at Robert Morris University. As a result, Bishop Canevin (24-1) claimed its fifth WPIAL title in a row. The opening set went to GCC, as the Centurions prevailed 25-15, keyed by a 7-0 run to begin the contest. However, the Crusaders rebounded to win the next three sets 25-19, 25-21, and 25-20 to claim the gold. Rebecca Hess paced GCC with 14 kills. Despite the defeat, the Centurions advance to the PIAA Class 1A bracket, which begins on Tuesday.

Saint Vincent women’s basketball garnered preseason honors

The reigning Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) women’s basketball champion Saint Vincent College claimed the top spot in the PAC Preseason Coaches Poll that was unveiled last week. The Bearcats, who went 10-0 in 2021, received eight out of 10 first-place votes. Meanwhile, Washington & Jefferson, which fell to the Bearcats in the PAC Championship last season, collected the other first-place votes. SVC also had five players earn preseason recognition – senior Taylor Geer, junior Madison Weber, and sophomores Ella Marconi, Alana Winkler, and Emily Cavacini. The Bearcats open their campaign on Tuesday at Juniata College.

UPG women’s soccer falls in championship

In pursuit of its second-consecutive conference title, the University of Pitt – Greensburg women’s soccer team came up short against Penn State Behrend on Saturday. The top-seeded and host Lions bested the Bobcats 2-0, preventing UPG from defending its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) title from 2019. Behrend opened the scoring in the 14th minute, courtesy of a tally by Brenna McGuire, and added an insurance marker by Isabella Mollica in the 37th minute. The Bobcats mustered just four shots, including two on goal. UPG concluded its season with a mark of 16-3-0, with two of the losses to Penn State Behrend.