Greater Latrobe Wildcats Boys

Head Coach: Brad Wetzel – 23rd season

Conference: Class 5A Section 1

Last Season: 8-13 overall, missed playoffs

Key Losses: Ja’Tawn Williams, Quardarius Davis

Key Returners: John Wetzel, Max Butler, Kyle McNeil, Ian DeCerb, Andy Tatsch

Promising Newcomers: Brady Prohovic, Owen Teslovich, Sawyer Butina, Dom Scarton, Conner Leach, Ryland Linhart, Mikey Monios

At the halfway point of the section schedule last season, Greater Latrobe had a winning record and appeared to have the inside track on a playoff spot. A six-game skid, including five straight section losses, however, left the Wildcats with an 8-13 mark and outside of the postseason.

“We didn’t seem to ever quite recover from the injuries we started with that kind of gave us a depth issue,” head coach Brad Wetzel noted of ailments to John Wetzel and Alex Tatsch, the latter of whom was out for the entire season. “We feel humbled by last year. Sometimes you just gotta take your medicine and figure out what you gotta do better.”

In order to improve, the Wildcats must replace the production of a pair of graduated players - Ja’Tawn Williams and Quardarius Davis. Williams, now playing football at Clarion University, boasted outstanding athleticism and defense, while Davis contributed energy and a knack for rebounding.

The group of returners is significant, however, headlined by seniors Wetzel, Max Butler, and Kyle McNeil, and juniors Ian DeCerb and Andy Tatsch.

Butler paced the Wildcats in scoring at approximately 17 points per game last season, and he’s on track to reach 1,000 career points this season. If he hits the milestone, he’ll join all three of his older brothers in the 1,000-point club at Greater Latrobe.

“We’re going to expect him to shoulder a lot of that responsibility,” Wetzel said of Butler, a 6-foot-2 guard/forward. “He’s so versatile – he can play from the basket all the way out.”

Wetzel, a Marshall football commit, brings a combination of physicality and intelligence as a 6-foot-1 point guard. McNeil, a 6-foot-3 guard, enjoyed a breakthrough season last campaign. DeCerb, a 6-foot-4 forward, and Tatsch, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, are also expected to take their play to a higher level after flashing their potential last year and throughout the offseason.

Senior Brady Prohovic, juniors Owen Teslovich and Sawyer Butina, sophomores Dom Scarton, Conner Leach, and Ryland Linhart, and freshman Mikey Monios also are vying for minutes.

“Our MO is going to be to apply a lot of pressure,” Wetzel commented. “Other teams will usually have more size than us, but I think if we play the type of aggressiveness that we’re capable of, we can mitigate that.”

While realignment shifted Greater Latrobe from Section 3 to Section 1 in Class 5A, the section foes remain similar. Franklin Regional, Gateway, McKeesport Area and Penn-Trafford all remain, while Kiski Area left the section. In the place of the Cavaliers, a trio of Fayette County teams joined the mix – Albert Gallatin, Laurel Highlands, and Uniontown Area.

While the schedule will be rigorous, the Wildcats have set high expectations for their season.

“First and foremost, get back to the way we do things. Qualifying for the playoffs is something we certainly want to do,” Wetzel detailed. “We have players who held ourselves accountable after what happened the last two years, and I think they’re ready to show what they got.”

Greater Latrobe will open the section ledger on Dec. 13, playing on the road against Gateway.

Greater Latrobe Wildcats Girls

Head Coach: Mackenzie Livingston – 2nd season

Conference: Class 5A Section 2

Last Season: 11-12 overall, lost to Armstrong in the WPIAL Class 5A first round

Key Losses: Elle Snyder, Belle Blossey

Key Returners: Carley Berk

Promising Newcomers: Maggie Maiers, Brie Havrilla, Brylee Bodnar, Emry Bridge, Miley Williams, Sophia Drnjevich

Greater Latrobe head coach Mackenze Livingston ran the full gambit of emotions during her first season at the helm of the Wildcats last year. In her inaugural campaign, Livingston’s squad endured a six-game skid in December, but immediately followed with a five-game winning streak. The result was a 6-6 mark in Class 5A Section 3, and an appearance in the WPIAL playoffs. The Wildcats saw their season end with an opening round loss to Armstrong, the eventual runner-up in the classification.

Now beginning her second season leading the program, Livingston has emphasized a short-term focus for her squad.

“This year, we are taking in one game at a time,” she noted. “Our goal is game by game, but playoffs and a section title are in the back of our minds. However, we must take care of business every game before looking at those long-term goals.”

To achieve those objectives, the Wildcats must replace the considerable production lost due to graduation. Notably gone from last season are Elle Snyder and Belle Blossey. Snyder, a record-setting performer, is now playing at the University of Evansville. She averaged 19 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in 2023-24, including 18 double-doubles. Blossey, meanwhile, contributed 8 points and 3 assists per contest.

The most prominent returner for the Cats is senior Carley Berk, a Millersville University pledge. Berk, a point guard, averaged 10 points per game last campaign.

Aside from Berk, though, the Wildcats will lean upon less proven commodities this year. That group consists of senior guard Brylee Bodnar, junior guard Brie Havrilla, junior forward Miley Williams, sophomore forward Maggie Maiers, sophomore guard Emry Bridge, and freshman guard Sophia Drnjevich.

The Wildcats remained in Class 5A, but shifted from Section 3 to Section 2. While Penn-Trafford and McKeesport Area remain as section foes, Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area, Indiana Area, and West Mifflin Area provide new challenges. Last campaign, the Tigers reached the WPIAL and state semifinals, while the Little Indians also won a game in the PIAA tournament.

Greater Latrobe commences the section slate at West Mifflin on Dec. 12.