Penn-Trafford notebook: Matt Sarnowski caps high school career with state bronze

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, June 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Senior Matt Sarnowski was hoping to end his high school track and field career with a PIAA gold medal.

But Sarnowski had to settle for his second consecutive bronze for finishing third in the discus at the state meet in Shippensburg.

The WPIAL Class 3A champion lost his back-and-forth battle with Hempfield senior Peyton Murray.

Sarnowski threw 173 feet, 6 inches on his final throw. Murray was a little better, throwing a career-best 186-6. It was his second consecutive gold medal. Strath Haven senior Gavin Schmidt was second with a 177-1 toss.

“I had a great run,” Sarnowski said. “It wasn’t my best day. My chest was down. Peyton had a great throw.

“Peyton and I are friends and we’re super competitive. As for team wise, we had one of the best seasons. It was great.”

WPIAL javelin champion Logan Kerstetter was a little off and finished 13th with a throw of 171-11.

Thomas Cheplick competed in the 400 and finished 19th with a time of 50.06.

The 1,600-meter relay team ran a 3:24.16 and placed 16th. The team of all juniors consisted of Michael Cheplick, Jake McGhee, Ekoulus Lett and Thomas Cheplick.

McGhee also ran in the 1,600 and ran a 4:28.75 and finished 33rd.

Senior Amelia Barilla competed in the 800 and ran a 2:18.15 to place 19th.

Softball takes 3rd

With a berth in the PIAA Class 5A playoffs in hand, Penn-Trafford earned a third-place finish by defeating section rival Latrobe, 4-1, on May 28.

The Warriors (15-6) were scheduled to open the state playoffs against District 6 champion Central Mountain on June 3.

Junior Cam Ponko went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs, and sophomore Ella Mains had two hits for Penn-Trafford, which split its section series with Latrobe this season and looked sound in the rubber match.

“We were upset with the outcome (against Armstrong in the semis), so we said, ‘Let’s go out and play to the best of our abilities,’” Warriors senior Mack Keenan said. “We came in with a different mindset for the state playoffs.”

Penn-Trafford dropped a 7-6 decision to Armstrong in the WPIAL semifinals.

Girls lacrosse makes states

Fresh off a thrilling third-place victory over South Fayette, the Penn-Trafford girls lacrosse team was scheduled to open PIAA Class 2A action against District 3 champion Twin Valley on June 4.

Twin Valley, which was seeded seventh in the District 3 tournament, defeated No. 5 Wyomissing, 7-4 in the championship game.

Penn-Trafford reached the PIAA tournament with a thrilling, 13-12 win against South Fayette.

Trafford Legion returns

There is a second American Legion baseball program in the Penn-Trafford School District.

Trafford returns to District 31 this season after a hiatus of more than 30 years.

“When I graduated from Penn-Trafford in 1990, Trafford had a team,” Trafford coach Brian Lenart said. “We’re 0-3, but we’ll be a lot better when we get some of the high school players.”

Trafford has lost to Young Township (8-7), Unity (9-8) and Hempfield East (4-0).

The team is made up of players from Penn-Trafford, Gateway and Jeannette.

“We’ve had to call up a couple Junior Legion players,” Lenart said. “With two Legion teams in the district, it’s going to help the high school program.”

Bushy Run, the other team in the district, has been a perennial power in District 31. They have elected to delay the start of their season until after the high school season is complete.

“We decided to restart the program to keep the older players from going elsewhere to play travel ball,” Lenart said. “We started the Penn Township Baseball Association, and we’ve been able to field our own travel teams and keep kids playing with their friends instead of going elsewhere. It’s worked, and we have one of the strongest programs in the state.”

On campus

Here’s a look at how Penn-Trafford grads have performed at the collegiate level:

Men’s lacrosse

Seton Hill: Sophomore Carter Green (Penn-Trafford) and grad student Kage Williams were third-team All-American selections by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Sophomore Will Cody and junior Alex Callahan were honorable-mention picks. Grad student Peyton Gensler was an All-American honorable mention by USA Lacrosse Magazine.

Baseball

Bryant: Grad student Tyler Horvat (Penn-Trafford) helped the Bulldogs (35-19) reach the America East championship round. Horvat, a right-handed pitcher, started nine games and had a 4-3 record with two complete games. The Washington & Jefferson transfer had 42 strikeouts and 10 walks in 55 innings with a 3.27 ERA.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

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