Monday's Westmoreland County Sports Notebook
Written by: Sean Meyers
September 28, 2020
Tags: Asher O'Connor Donovan Bair Zach Cernuto Hunter Jurica Austin Goering Clay Sipple Jonathan Wagner Ben Ritenour Ella Zambruno Meghan Zambruno Angelika Dewicki Izabela Aigner Lauren Barber Brooke Horvath Caroline Tragesser Raina Jones
Mount Pleasant edges Southmoreland in rivalry showdown
The football series between neighboring schools Mount Pleasant Area and Southmoreland dates back more than 50 years, and the latest installment went in favor of the Vikings on Friday. Mount Pleasant claimed a 13-10 road victory to improve to 2-0 in the Class 3A Interstate Conference, while the Scotties fell to 1-2 in conference play. Quarterback Asher O’Connor passed for a 35-yard touchdown to Donovan Bair, and rushed for a 25-yard score to lead the Vikings. Southmoreland signalcaller Zach Cernuto accounted for the only Scotties TD on a 1-yard run, and he also passed for 139 yards. With the Scotties in Mount Pleasant territory late in the fourth quarter, however, the Vikings’ defense held strong on fourth down, sealing the outcome. The Scotties prevailed the previous two years, when the game was played in Week Zero since the teams were in different conferences.
Greater Latrobe football game in jeopardy
Greater Latrobe was expecting to face reigning WPIAL 5A Champion Gateway this upcoming week, but instead, the Wildcats are scrambling to just play a game at all. Gateway was forced to postpone its games last week and this week as a result of positive COVID-19 tests in the school. Following consecutive nonconference tilts, the Wildcats were slated to begin four straight games in the 5A Big East Conference. As a result, it appears unlikely that the teams will be able to reschedule for later in the season. Games that are not played as a result of COVID-19 are deemed no contests.
WPIAL tentatively sets football playoff brackets
After weeks of uncertainty pertaining to the playoffs, the WPIAL finally set tentative brackets for football last week. First, the PIAA announced its plan to hold the state football championship games on Nov 27 and 28 in Hershey. Once the full state brackets were released, the WPIAL could set its corresponding brackets, which will include a four-team playoff in Class 6A, and eight-team brackets in the other five classifications. The past two years, 6A featured a six-team bracket, while 5A and 2A had 16-team fields. Now, the top two teams from each conference will qualify in 1A-5A, plus a pair of wild cards in 1A, 3A, 4A, and 5A. As of now, the venues have not been determined for the WPIAL title games. Last year, 1A, 3A, 4A, and 6A were held at Heinz Field, while 2A and 5A took place at Norwin High School.
County golfers to compete in WPIAL Championships this week
The WPIAL boys and girls individual golf championships will be held this week, and an array of local golfers are in the fields. The Class AA boys event, which takes place on Thursday at the Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, features Derry Area sophomore Hunter Jurica, Southmoreland junior Austin Goering and senior Clay Sipple, Mount Pleasant Area senior Jonathan Wagner, and Greensburg Central Catholic senior Ben Ritenour. At that same course that day, the girls Class AA competition will include Greensburg Central Catholic juniors Ella Zambruno and Meghan Zambruno, senior Angelika Dewicki, and freshman Izabela Aigner. The girls Class AAA field, which will play on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club, includes Penn-Trafford senior Lauren Barber, Brooke Horvath, a Franklin Regional senior, junior teammate Caroline Tragesser, and Hempfield Area junior Raina Jones. The boys Class AAA semifinals will also take place this week, Monday at Indiana Country Club and Tuesday at Hannahstown Golf Club in Greensburg.
10 area soccer teams remain perfect
Two weeks into the 2020 WPIAL soccer campaign, half a dozen local boys teams have unblemished marks, while four county girls teams have also been perfect. On the boys side, Norwin leads Class 4A Section 3 with an overall record of 5-0-0. In Class 3A, Belle Vernon sits atop the Section 3 standings at 6-0-0, while Franklin Regional paces Section 4 at 7-0-0. In 2A, Mount Pleasant Area is 5-0-0 in Section 3, while Burrell has won both of its matches in Section 2. Lastly, Greensburg Central Catholic is 4-0-0 in Class 1A Section 2 action. On the girls side, Franklin Regional leads Class 3A Section 1, at 5-0-0. In 2A, Southmoreland sits atop Section 3 at 5-0-0, while Burrell is 4-0-0 in Section 2. Finally, GCC is in first place in Class 1A Section 1, at 4-0-0.
WCCC cross country earns national ranking
While the rest of county colleges have postponed fall athletics, Westmoreland County Community College is having a special season in cross country. The Wolfpack women’s team was ranked No. 2 nationally in the initial USTFCCCAA poll. WCCC won its own invitational on Sept. 11, and followed up with a first-place showing at an invitational at Garrett College the following weekend. The top performers for the Wolfpack have been Brooke Bertovich, Jenn Depree, Olivia Jumper, Nytasha Marteny, and Anna Rubino.