Westmoreland high school notebook: County players advance to WPIAL golf final round

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, September 29, 2024 | 2:58 PM

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The fields are set for the final round of the WPIAL boys and girls golf championships.

On Monday, the girls Class 3A and 2A tournaments will be at Butler Country Club. The first groups go off at 9 a.m.

Locals among the 29-player field in 3A include Katarina DeVito and Milana Yannascoli of Hempfield, Athena Neuschwander and Gianna Johnson of Franklin Regional and Adalena Robb of Norwin.

Alayna Stawovy and Kennedy Kelly of Greensburg Central Catholic, Kendall Campbell of Southmoreland and Morgan Miller of Mt. Pleasant are in the 17-player 2A field.

The boys 2A final round will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Sewickley Heights Country Club. Among the 38 players in the tournament are Braden Riley and Brandon Plunko of Greensburg Central Catholic, Luke Sikora of Greensburg Salem, Ryan Karfelt and Aydan Gross of Mt. Pleasant and Tyler Jones of Ligonier Valley.

The final 18 holes of the boys 3A tournament will be Tuesday at Oakmont Country Club.

Local names in the 42-player field include Colin Holt, Liam Copeland and Dylan Mauser of Franklin Regional, Jack Sacriponte of Latrobe and Seth Tomalski, Jack Edwards and Jordan Mocello of Belle Vernon.

In each tournament, scores from the first round carry over and are cumulative for a 36-hole score.

The top 14 boys from 3A and top 18 from 2A advance to the PIAA championships.

The top seven girls in 3A and top nine in 2A make the state tournament.

Players’ average of the two WPIAL finals rounds cannot exceed 100 for them to advance to the PIAA postseason.

Zubovic commits

Junior Mia Zubovic of Belle Vernon announced she has committed to play softball at Mercyhurst, which is now a Division I school.

A standout catcher who also has played the corner infield spots, Zubovic will join her sister, Ava, on the Lakers’ roster.

Ava Zubovic is a senior who missed last season with a knee injury.

The girls’ brother, Blake, played on the offensive line at Pitt, meaning all three Belle Vernon siblings are Division I athletes.

LV Hall of Fame

Ligonier Valley is accepting nominations for its athletic hall of fame, with the newest class expected to be announced in January.

Organizers also are seeking sponsors to keep the hall of fame running. Corporate sponsors can contribute $500 for the Ram Pride Level and receive advertising and announcements during home events, plus two season passes and parking for home games.

Red/Black Level is $250 and includes announcements and two season passes, while LV Club Level is $100 and includes one season pass and a listing in the banquet program.

“As a district, we are very proud to have our hall of fame to honor our former athletes, coaches and teams,” Rams athletic director Wes Siko said. “We take great pride in our rich tradition here in Ligonier Valley, and this is a great opportunity to showcase and celebrate our legacy.”

Nominations are open until Oct. 31. Contact Siko at wsiko@lvsd.k12.pa.us.

Next for WCCA

The next event on the Westmoreland County Coaches Association schedule is the cross country championships, set for Oct. 9 at Westmoreland County Community College.

Norwin swept the Class 3A team titles last season, with the Derry girls (2A) and Kiski Area boys (2A) also winning championships.

Individual champions were Eliza Miller and Sam Plazio, both of Kiski Area.

Hoops shootout

Greensburg Salem will host its sixth annual girls basketball shootout for varsity and junior varsity teams Nov. 2 at the Hempfield Recreation Center.

Admission is $5 for an all-day ticket.

This year’s teams include Forest Hills, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic, River Valley, Penn-Trafford, Hempfield, Thomas Jefferson, Penns Manor, Johnstown, South Allegheny, Yough, Connellsville, Latrobe and Greensburg Salem.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant