H.S. notebook: Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin receives offer from Pitt

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, November 22, 2020 | 5:14 PM

Major Division I college football schools are expected to take interest in Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin over the next few years.

Pitt is the first in line.

The Panthers offered Martin, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder who played running back, receiver and defensive back for the Leopards this season.

Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert expects many more offers for Martin.

“He has every tool in his arsenal,” Humbert said. “He is extremely coachable, very intelligent and physically gifted. A great football player and a great human being. He is the most mature 14-year-old I have ever coached.”

Martin ran for 425 yards and six touchdowns on 46 carries — 9.2 yards per carry — and caught two scoring passes for the Leopards (6-2), who reached the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.

On defense, he had 15 tackles and an interception.

He ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries in a 49-21 quarterfinal win over Chartiers Valley.

All-WPIAL soccer

A number of local players were selected to the All-WPIAL boys soccer teams in Class 2A and A.

PIAA Class A runner-up and WPIAL champion Greensburg Central Catholic received the most accolades in Class A as Tyler Solis was named coach of the year, and senior defender Seth Skowronek was selected player of the year.

Skowronek was joined on the All-WPIAL list by teammates Ricco Ciccarelli, Carlo Denis and Mason Fabean.

Ciccarelli is a senior, Fabean is a junior and Denis is a sophomore.

In Class 2A, Mt. Pleasant senior Lucas Toohey was selected, along with Burrell seniors Jake Guerrini and Nick Kariotis.

GCC still strong

The Greensburg Central Catholic soccer teams made impressive runs to WPIAL titles and PIAA runner-up finishes. Both teams could be in a position to do the same thing next season.

The girls, who finished 18-1, will lose six seniors but will bring back leading goal-scorer Sara Felder, a sophomore midfielder this year, junior forward Tatum Gretz, junior defender Natalie Ward and junior goalkeeper Lyndsey Szekely, among others.

The boys only lose four seniors and are primed to return junior standouts Denis and Fabean, along with junior goalkeeper Max House, junior midfielder Ryan Reitler and sophomore midfielders Kyler Miller and Jake Gretz, among others.

Field hockey stars

The WPIAL announced field hockey all-stars and honorable mentions for the 2020 season, which concluded two weeks ago with Pine-Richland (Class 3A), Penn-Trafford (Class 2A) and Shady Side Academy (Class A) winning district championships.

Local Class 3A players selected to the first-team were junior forward Amara Forsyth of Hempfield and Norwin senior midfielder Carly Kubacka and senior forward Karlie Pavlic.

In Class 2A, selections included Latrobe senior defender Cece Daniele, senior forward Lauren Jones and sophomore midfielder Josie Straigis; and the Penn-Trafford quartet of senior forward Allyson Doran, freshman forward Ava Hershberger, senior midfielder Emma Little and senior midfielder Julia Moorhead. P-T has won five straight WPIAL titles.

GCC coaching search

Greensburg Central Catholic will begin interviewing potential candidates for its head football coach position after Thanksgiving, athletic director Dan Mahoney said.

The deadline for applicants was Wednesday.

The position was opened last month after GCC finished 2-5 and missed the WPIAL Class A playoffs under second-year coach Bret Colbert.

The team went 7-4 in 2019 and made the playoffs.

The Diocese of Greensburg did not give a reason for the opening, and Colbert declined comment.

Recruiting

Belle Vernon senior baseball player Garrett Greco committed to play at Division I Gardner-Webb of the Big South Conference. A middle infielder who has played shortstop for the Leopards, Greco bats from the left side. He is expected to be one of Belle Vernon’s top players this spring.

• Three Hempfield girls made college commitments. Volleyball player Maura Uschock signed with Division II Bloomsburg; Sidney Julian is headed to Seton Hill for golf; and soccer player Amara Jones will play at Saint Vincent.

• Yough football player C.J. Waldier has an offer from Robert Morris, but the wide receiver/defensive back said the terms of the offer are not yet set. He could get a scholarship or be a preferred walk-on.

• Yough’s Kaylyn Odelli committed to play softball at John Carroll.

• Greensburg Central Catholic football lineman Matt Metrosky has an offer from D-II Wheeling. He is a 6-foot-1, 275-pound center and long snapper.

• Wheeling also offered Belle Vernon lineman Anthony Evans and Yough’s Austin Caudill. Evans’ other offers are from Lake Erie and Walsh, which also are D-II programs.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough