Paul Schofield stories, Page 10

Anna Stephens Lauer is in her first season as head coach of the Franklin Regional girls lacrosse team. She doesn’t have to look too far for coaching advice. Her brother, Luke Stephens, is the Franklin Regional boys lacrosse coach, while another brother, Ben, is a boys’ assistant and her dad,...

There is excitement around the Derry Area School District and community about the track and field team. The girls are seeking their third consecutive section title, and the boys are vying for a WPIAL playoff berth after just missing in 2023. The Derry girls also reached the finals for the...

It was quite a performance turned in by a trio of WPIAL runners Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, Calif. Butler senior Drew Griffith finished third with a Pennsylvania-best 8:37.43 and Ringgold senior Ryan Pajak placed fourth with a time of 8:38.02 in the 3,200 race. North Allegheny junior...

Opponents of the Penn-Trafford track teams will be seeing double this season. That’s because the Warriors feature five sets of twins. There are the Lett, Cheplick and Martin twins on the boys team, the Weishaar twins on the girls team, and the Jacksons on both. “Our 4-by-400 relay team only...

Penn-Trafford seniors Matt Sarnowski and Amelia Barilla have selected their future schools. Sarnowski plans to attend Penn State on a track scholarship, and Barilla is off to Bowling Green on a track scholarship. Sarnowski is an all-conference football player, who finished third in the PIAA in Class 3A discus in...

Central Catholic senior Payton Wehner was the only finalist for the fourth annual Willie Thrower Award who was honored in 2022. Even though Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen won for the second consecutive year, Wehner knew he had a shot at the award if he dedicated himself to the sport. His hard...

Franklin Regional track coach Bob Ralston was surprised when he heard sophomore Monroe Law, who was a freshman sensation, transferred to Class 2A Winchester Thurston before the season. But despite her departure — Ralston said he doesn’t know why Law transferred — he said the Panthers girls have enough talent...

District 31 American Legion baseball doesn’t start until May 20, but the league has made offseason noise by expanding to 14 teams. Jason Bush, who serves as the District 31 president and Region 7 director, believes the league is the largest in the state. “We were actually in talks with...

Penn State senior Aaron Brooks, a five-time All-American and a four-time NCAA champion, received the top honor in collegiate wrestling Monday. He was named the 2024 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s best collegiate wrestler. This is an annual award given to the top wrestler in the country. The award...

Rune Lawrence’s senior season almost ended in the semifinals of the Ironman Tournament in December. The Frazier star was in a battle against two-time Ohio state champion Max Shulaw and was decisively winning when the PIAA four-time champion hurt his knee on a questionable move by Shulaw, according to Frazier...

Girls Wrestler of the Year Valarie Solorio Canon-McMillan, sr., 100 pounds 2023-24 record: 17-0; Career record: 117-5 Canon-McMillan senior Valarie Solorio likes to be first. She collected a lot of firsts this season. Being that this was the PIAA’s inaugural season of girls wrestling and that Solorio competes in the...

Penn-Trafford reached the WPIAL finals and PIAA semifinals in 2022. But the 2023 season didn’t go as well. The Warriors finished 6-12 overall, 4-6 in Section 2-5A. They did qualify for the WPIAL playoffs by finishing fourth in the section behind Armstrong, Latrobe and Franklin Regional, but they dropped a...

It was a great run while it lasted, but the Penn-Trafford hockey team’s quest for the Class 2A Penguin Cup championship ended with a hard-fought loss to Thomas Jefferson. The eighth-seeded Warriors held two leads against the second-seeded Jaguars, but a big second period helped propel TJ to the 8-4...

Wrestler of the Year Rune Lawrence Frazier, sr., 215 pounds 2023-24 record: 33-1; Career record: 145-8 Winning four PIAA wrestling titles is not common. When Frazier senior Rune Lawrence completed the task March 9, he became only the 14th wrestler to achieve such a goal. He also is the seventh...

Wrestler of the Year Landon Sidun Norwin, fr., 114 pounds 2023-24 record: 42-2; Overall record: 42-2 Landon Sidun was well known even before he wrestled his first high school match. He was being touted as the next superstar. The freshman didn’t disappoint. Sidun bounced back from a loss in the...

Wrestler of the Year Cooper Hornack Burrell, sr., 139 pounds 2023-24 record: 40-8; Overall record: 156-27. Cooper Hornack knows his senior season could have and should have ended better. Hornack did reach an elite milestone by becoming the WPIAL’s 88th three-time champion, but he came up short of his goal...

Sometimes you just need a bounce. That’s what Chartiers Valley got in overtime to defeat Greensburg Salem, 2-1, in a tremendous PIHL Class A Penguins Cup championship game Tuesday night at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The Colts (23-0) got the game-winner when a shot from the right...

It took Thomas Jefferson a while to find the mark in the PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup championship game Monday, but once it did, a feisty Penn-Trafford squad couldn’t keep up. The Jaguars, the second seed in the tournament, scored five goals during the final 9 minutes, 51 seconds of...

Penn-Trafford stumbled into the 2024 PIHL Class 2A Penguins Cup tournament, losing seven of its final eight games. But it’s been a different Penn-Trafford team in the playoffs, and now it is one victory from the program’s first Pens Cup title. Penn-Trafford faces No. 2 Thomas Jefferson at 6:15 p.m....

Penn-Trafford’s hockey team didn’t end the regular season on a high note. But they sure picked the right time to get hot. For the second consecutive playoff game, the underdog Warriors beat the odds. They advanced to the Class 2A Penguins Cup finals by stunning No. 4 and rival Norwin,...

STATE COLLEGE — When the Spring-Ford girls basketball team defeated Norwin in third game of the season, the Rams got off to a quick start. Friday in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, they did it again. Spring-Ford, the District 1 runner-up from north of Philadelphia, scored the first two baskets...

Penn-Trafford and Latrobe are coming off memorable seasons. The Warriors finished third in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs and ended up defeating Central Mountain, the No. 1 team in the PIAA, in the first round of the state playoffs. They fell to the WPIAL and PIAA champion Shaler in the...

Greensburg Salem gave up eight goals in each of its previous two meetings against Shaler in the PIHL Class A regular season. It was a different story Wednesday during their Penguins Cup semifinal at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center. The Golden Lions won their eighth consecutive game and third...

“What an impressive group.” That’s how Judge Michael Stewart, who replaced John J. Driscoll in 2023 as sponsoring judge for the annual Westmoreland County Scholar/Athlete banquet, described the 2024 group of nominees for the Excellence Award. Athletic directors or representatives from 15 of 18 county high schools met this week...

Penn-Trafford’s hockey team didn’t end the regular season on a high note. But they sure picked the right time to get hot. The underdog Warriors advanced to the 2024 Penguins Cup finals by stunning rival Norwin, the fourth seed, 6-3, Tuesday in a semifinal-round game at Robert Morris University’s Island...