High school notebook: Norwin wrestler Passarelli headed to Davidson

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Sunday, April 17, 2022 | 5:02 PM


Luke Passarelli is taking his wrestling talent to the highest level of the NCAA.

The senior from Norwin committed to Davidson.

Passarelli, a 120-pounder, finished fifth in WPIAL Class 3A this season. He went 28-12 and also placed second in his section and sixth at the Powerade Tournament.

Outside of the high school season, he was a freestyle and Greco-Roman national qualifier and was a member of the Pennsylvania National Junior Duals Team.

He is projected to wrestle at 125 in college.

“Luke has the mental approach to the sport that will help him be a successful athlete at the D-I level,” Norwin coach Kyle Martin said. “He has many weapons — speed, strength, mat awareness and technical knowledge — that will help him be competitive at the next level. Academics will not hinder his success. They will actually bolster it as Luke is a standout in the classroom as well.”

Passarelli was selected as as Academic All-American by the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association.

Cunningham event returns

Teams will shoot for 3 while playing for Tre.

Jeannette will host the second annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament June 9-11.

The tournament is sponsored by the Jeannette Educational Foundation. More than a dozen high-school teams are expected to compete.

Penn-Trafford won last year.

The event is named for the late Cunningham, a three-sport standout at Jeannette who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2020.

Cost is $150 per team (three-game minimum). Contact: Tim Carney, 724-989-6793.

Scholar-athlete winners

The WPIAL announced winners of its James Collins Scholar-Athlete Awards. Each recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship.

Among the 20 senior winners (and 142 nominees) were: Anthony DiFalco of Franklin Regional, Carter Green of Penn-Trafford, Maddie Griffin of Ligonier Valley, Gracie Spadaro of Southmoreland and Meghan Zambruno of Greensburg Central Catholic.

Fox Chapel’s Russell Fenton, who has relatives in the area, also was a winner.

DiFalco will play soccer at Duquesne, and Green, a former standout quarterback, is headed to Seton Hill for lacrosse.

Griffin will play softball at Youngstown State, Spadaro basketball at IUP and Zambruno golf at St. Francis (Pa.).

Net worth

Five county teams held strong in the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Week 3 Poll.

Surging Norwin stayed at No. 3 in Class 3A, with Hempfield (5), Penn-Trafford (6) and Latrobe (9) close behind.

Derry checked in at No. 9 in 2A.

Milestone scorer

Hempfield senior lacrosse captain Amara Forsyth scored five goals in a recent game against Canon-McMillan to reach a career scoring milestone.

The total put her at an even 100 goals.

The career marker rivals 100 goals in soccer or 1,000 points in basketball.

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

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