Westmoreland County high school notebook: Camp planned to honor late Southmoreland coach

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, February 17, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The legacy of “Fred” lives on at Southmoreland.

Organizers have put together an event to not only help young football players improve their skills but also to honor the memory of a beloved coach.

The Coach Ron “Fred” Frederick Memorial Youth Football Camp will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 18 at Russ Grimm Field in Alverton.

The event is for players in kindergarten to eighth grade and is open to all districts.

Cost is $15 per camper. Proceeds benefit the Frederick family.

A proud Southmoreland alum who was a lineman at Tulsa, Frederick died Feb. 3, 2022, at age 40, one day after learning he was the favorite to become the Scotties’ head coach.

See more information on the camp here.

All-section hoops

The Big 5/6 Conference, which recognizes the accomplishments of WPIAL athletes in the district’s two largest classifications, announced its all-section basketball teams.

Girls first-team selections from Section 1-6A included senior Lauren Palangio and junior Kendall Berger of Norwin. The Lady Knights’ Brian Brozeski was tabbed the section coach of the year.

Boys first-team picks in Section 3-5A were seniors Cam Rowell and Cooper Rankin of Franklin Regional, senior Isaiah Gonzalez of Kiski Area, senior Tyler Freas of Penn-Trafford and juniors Max Butler and John Wetzel of Latrobe.

Franklin Regional’s Jesse Reed was named coach of the year.

Kiski Area senior Abbie Johns made the girls Section 1-5A first team, and Latrobe senior Elle Snyder and senior Olivia Pepple of Penn-Trafford made the Section 3-5A first team.

Mackenzie Livingston of Latrobe was named Section 3-5A’s top coach.

Hockey playoffs

The PIHL regular season is winding down, and the playoffs will begin in March.

The top eight teams in Class 3A and 2A and the top six in each Class A division qualify for the postseason.

In Varsity D2, the top four teams from each division advance.

Playoff qualifiers so far are:

• Class 3A: Seneca Valley, Pine-Richland, Peters Township, North Allegheny and Upper St. Clair.

• Class 2A: Thomas Jefferson, South Fayette, Latrobe, Franklin Regional, Norwin and Fox Chapel.

• Class A: Quaker Valley, Indiana, Mars, Chartiers Valley, Blackhawk and Avonworth.

• Varsity D2: Bishop Canevin, Burrell, Neshannock, Deer Lakes and Morgantown.

Girls hockey

The PIHL’s third season of girls hockey is coming up.

The league announced practices and games will begin in mid-April and conclude with playoffs in late May or early June. The number of teams and alignment have not been released.

Spring ahead

The WPIAL winter sports postseason is gearing up, but spring sports are just around the corner.

Official practice for baseball, softball, track and field, boys volleyball and boys tennis will begin March 4.

Tennis starts playing matches March 11, and March 15 is the first day of competition for the other sports.

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

Tags: Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland