Greater Latrobe wrestling edges national-ranked opponent

Making the trek to Colorado last week, the Greater Latrobe wrestling team notched an impressive victory, defeating Pomona, which was nationally ranked. The Wildcats win against the No. 20 team in the country came in thrilling fashion, as Wyatt Held recorded a fall late in the third period to give GL the 34-33 triumph on Friday. Greater Latrobe also defeated Monarch 52-17. On Saturday, the Wildcats competed in the Ron Granieri Tournament, in which they had three individual champions and finished second in the team standings. The Greater Latrobe winners included Luke Willochell at 106 pounds, Vinny Kilkeary at 120, and Nate Roth at 138.

Brunson steps down as Mount Pleasant AD

Chris Brunson, who has served as the Mount Pleasant Area athletic director for the past 2.5 years, has stepped down from his position, per his tweet. Brunson was hired as the AD in July 2019, just months after guiding the Mount Pleasant Area softball team to an undefeated regular season in his first campaign as the head coach. He will remain as the head coach for the Vikings, who went 21-3 and captured the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships last season. Brunson, a Hempfield Area graduate, played baseball at California University of Pennsylvania and later served as an assistant coach with the Vulcans.

Penn-Trafford, GCC boys prevail in key county matchups

A couple of significant games on the boys basketball ledger last week pitted Westmoreland County teams against one another, as Penn-Trafford edged Hempfield Area, while Greensburg Central Catholic rallied to dispatch of Jeannette. In the Class 6A Section 3 clash, the Warriors notched a 50-48 win on the road against the Spartans, sealed by a block at the buzzer. Tommy Kalkstein posted 17 points for PT, while Conlan Greene added seven points and the decisive block on Hempfield Area’s Dom Hipps. In the setback, the Spartans were led by Chaz Ewer, who had 16 points, while Brandon Learn added a dozen points. The Warriors improved to 2-2 in the section, while the Spartans dropped to 1-3. Meanwhile, Greensburg Central Catholic overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Jeannette 63-43 last Tuesday. Host GCC outscored the Jayhawks 20-6 in the third quarter to gain command, and that momentum continued throughout the fourth. Brevan Williams paced the Centurions with a game-high 26 points, while Tyree Turner added 20, including 13 in the decisive third stanza. Shane Mickens shouldered the scoring for the Jayhawks, with 17 points. GCC, which also defeated Clairton later in the week, sits at 3-0 to lead Class 2A Section 3, while Jeannette, which later lost to Winchester Thurston, is at 1-2.

First-place Panthers hockey extends winning streak

The Franklin Regional hockey team maintained its position atop the PIHL Class AA standings, courtesy its fourth-consecutive victory last week. The homestanding Panthers overmatched Indiana Area 11-2 last Monday to improve to 12-1-1. With 25 points, FR leads Armstrong by one point for first place in the classification. Against the Little Indians, the Panthers scored the first four goals of the contest in the opening period, and added four more in the second period. Chase Williams led the way with a seven-point outing, as he registered two goals and five assists. Luke Lavrich also had a prolific performance, as he notched two goals and three assists, while Zach Abdallah had a goal and three helpers. In net, Alex Rauber made 18 saves in earning the W. During their four-game surge, which dates back to Dec. 16, the Panthers have scored 35 goals.

UPG announces inaugural Athletics HOF

The University of Pitt – Greensburg announced the inaugural members of its Athletics Hall of Fame last week. The class of 2022, which will be inducted on Feb. 18, includes two athletes, two coaches, an athletic director, and two teams. The honorees consist of: Jen (McIntosh) Luciew, a women’s soccer player from 2002-05; Jason Trout, a men’s basketball standout who earned all-conference honors in 1998, 1999, and 2000; Matt Furjanic, UPG men’s basketball coach who guided the program for five seasons and won 68 games; Carol Gelet, who led the Bobcats women’s basketball from 1999-2010; Dan Swalga, the first athletic director in school history, holding the position from 1992-2006; the 2002 men’s soccer team, which was the first UPG team to make the NCAA Tournament and received a first-round bye; and the 1969-70 men’s basketball team, which was the first varsity sport on campus.