Hempfield’s Swan under investigation

Veteran Hempfield Area boys basketball coach Bill Swan was placed on administrative leave last week, as the school conducts an investigation following a complaint against him. The Hempfield Area School Board learned of the complaint last Monday and subsequently postponed the Spartans’ game the following day. Hempfield Area returned to action on Friday, with assistant coach Mark Katarski serving as the acting coach. With a home loss to Mount Lebanon, the Spartans dipped to 7-7 overall, including 2-5 in Class 6A Section 2. Swan is in his 11th season of his second stint leading Hempfield Area, and 19th year overall guiding the Spartans.

Warriors, Panthers girls top sections

At approximately the midway point of section play in WPIAL girls basketball, a pair of Westmoreland County teams remain perfect atop their sections in Class 5A. Franklin Regional paces Section 1 at 7-0, while Penn-Trafford boasts an identical mark in Section 2. Last week, the Panthers edged Shaler Area 54-48, and then ousted Plum 60-51. In the win against the Titans last Monday, Madi DeRiggi produced 22 points, while Toryn Fulton and Anna Novelli each produced nine points. On Friday against the Mustangs, Fulton netted 23 points, while Addison Musto produced 18 points. The Warriors, meanwhile, won three times last week, claiming section road tilts against Indiana Area and Greensburg Salem, as well as a nonsection home triumph against Hempfield Area. In the 50-37 win against the Little Indians last Monday, Isabella Fontana and Hanna Weishaar each posted 11 points, while Torrie DeStefano notched 10 points. Two days later against the Spartans, Lauren Marton amassed 21 points and DeStefano had 11 points in leading PT to a 54-36 triumph. Last Friday in a 57-34 victory against the Golden Lions, Raya Johnson netted a team-leading 14 points, while Marton scored 13 and Kam Pieper added 10 points.

Wildcats continue surge on the ice

Greater Latrobe hockey extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 5-0 victory on the road against Baldwin last Monday at the Ice Castle in Castle Shannon. The Wildcats, who notched their second consecutive shutout, received a stellar performance from Brock Pflugh, who made 27 saves. Joey Crimboli paced the GL offense with two goals and an assist, while Jaxson Kettering dished out two assists. Dale Henigin, Dylan Morris, and Jackson Hayburn also produced goals. The Wildcats, who have not lost since Oct. 29, improved to 12-2-0-0, and with 36 points, trail only Penn-Trafford in the PIHL Class AA.

Spartans claim team titles at WCCA bowling

Both the Hempfield Area girls and boys bowling teams reigned supreme at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association (WCCA) championships on Saturday at Hillview Lanes in Greensburg. The Spartans girls claimed county gold for the second year in a row, compiling a score of 2,624, well ahead of runner-up Greater Latrobe, which totaled 2,196. Kiski Area placed third, scoring 2,101. Hempfield was led by junior Ashley Bensur, who notched a three-game total of 606 to capture the girls individual title, finishing ahead of Cavaliers senior Veronica Flanagan, who scored 582. The Spartans also went back-to-back on the boys side, posting a team score of 3,002, narrowly ahead of Greensburg Salem’s 2,968. Greater Latrobe finished third with a score of 2,822. Baxter Diehm, a junior from Valley, took the boys individual crown with a cumulative score of 727, besting Greensburg Salem senior Dylan Megliorino, who amassed a total of 683.

SVC hires Goff as football head coach

Casey Goff was hired as the new football head coach for Saint Vincent College last week. Goff served at the helm of Brooke High School in West Virginia for the 2024 football season. Prior to that, he held a variety of college coaching roles, including as the head coach at The College of New Jersey from 2017-2023 and Defiance College for one season prior to that. His previous assistant coaching stints include three years at Washington & Jefferson College. As a player, Goff starred at Susquehanna University, graduating in 2000. Last season under Aaron Smetanka, the Bearcats went 1-9.