Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Latrobe’s Emerson Skatell and Greensburg CC’s Braden Riley

By: Bill Beckner Jr. And Paul Schofield
Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 8:23 PM

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The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg.

Emerson Skatell

School: Latrobe

Class: Senior

Sport: Cross country

Claim to fame: Skatell ran to victory at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship, completing the 5K race in 18 minutes, 41.10 seconds on the course at Westmoreland County Community College. Skatell finished fourth in the event last year. At the 2023 WPIAL championships, she came in seventh, and she placed 20th at the PIAA meet.

What was it like winning your first WCCA title, and what did it take to win?

It felt great to win my first county title. I was very proud of myself. I knew it was not going to be an easy race, so I just told myself to never give up and keep pushing through the pain because I knew I was capable of winning.

How have you progressed with your times this season?

My times have been mostly in the 18:00s or 19:00s, depending on the course. I just recently ran 18:37 at Paul Short and am hoping to get a new PR possibly at White Oak during WPIALs.

What is your best time?

My best time is 18:20.

Do you have the school record?

Yes, I do, with a time of 19:35.

Did the course at Westmoreland County Community College fit your eye?

It’s mostly a flat course, so it runs fairly fast.

Do you play any other sports?

I run track.

What events do you run in track?

The 4-by-800 (relay), the mile and the 4-by-400.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I was a gymnast for 8 years.

Before I run a race I must ______?

Triple-knot my shoes.

What is your favorite subject in school?

Science.

Do you have a job?

Yes, I babysit.

How does a cross country runner train before a big meet?

Usually the day before a big meet, we do a shakeout run, usually like 3 or 4 miles, and that gets me ready for the race the next day.

Where do you like to run on your own?

I like to run in my neighborhood because it is good for hill training, but there are also some flat areas, too.

What do you like most about living in Latrobe?

I like the community and how it is close to the mountains and the city of Pittsburgh.

Do athletics run in your family?

Yes, my mom was a competitive cheerleader, my dad was a wrestler and my older sister also ran cross country and track.

Are you related to Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball coach Chris Skatell?

Yes, he is my dad’s cousin.

What is your favorite weather season and why?

My favorite weather for running is probably low 60s, but just in general I like the warmer weather in the summer.

How have you dealt with adversity in your life?

I have dealt with adversity in my life by looking at the positive side and always believing in myself.

Who inspires you?

My parents have inspired me to be the best runner and teammate I could be.

Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have a dog named Nash.

Is there any backstory to your first name?

Yes, my mom named me after a country band called Emerson Drive.

Braden Riley

School: Greensburg Central Catholic

Class: Senior

Sport: Golf

Claim to fame: Riley shot 4-over-par 76 on Thursday at the WPIAL Class 2A team championships to help his team to a second-place finish. He also qualified for the PIAA Class 2A individual championship Oct. 21-22 at Penn State.

Talk about your round at Cedarbrook?

It’s been a common theme over the past couple rounds. I just started off very slow. I did Tuesday at Pleasant Valley Country Club in the semifinals, and I was 6-over through seven and then brought back together after that. And it happens we were all going to be counting one stroke that we could have made up somewhere else, and everybody is going to try to blame themselves. But it just happened, we still fought.

You qualified for states. What is your mindset about going to Penn State?

It’s at the Blue course. It’s a little longer than the White course, but it’s very gettable, and my goal is just to go out there and go as low as possible, give myself a chance. Think the winning score will be several under par for sure.

Do you play any other sports?

Yeah, I play basketball. I’ve played basketball since I was in second grade.

Do you plan to play a sport in college?

I think I’m going to attend Grove City to play golf and participate in their mechanical or electrical engineering program.

What is your best round and where was it?

I shot a 68 playing with my friend Sean. It was a casual round and then I realized I was playing well at Hannastown.

What’s your favorite golf course that you played?

Playing Oakmont my sophomore year was a really cool experience. I’d say my favorite course is either Hannastown, which I belong to, or I’ve played the Ocean Course down on Kiawah Island, S.C., which is a very tough course. They are my favorite ones.

Is there any course that would be on your bucket list?

Me and my dad always say we want to go out to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. One of these years when we have some time off, but we’ll see if it happens.

What’s your favorite club in your bag?

My driver. Before my round at Sewickley for the finals, my friend was looking at my swing trying to help me, and then he was looking at my club face to see where I was hitting it, and I realized it cracked in the middle. I cracked my driver, and I haven’t played great these past two rounds, but my driver’s been kind of stable there.

What kind of driver do you have?

It’s the new Titleist TS2.

What type of ball do you play?

I play a TaylorMade TP5x.

Most memorable moment in high school?

I think winning the basketball game against Northgate in the WPIAL semifinals last year. That was a lot of fun. The game was televised, which we all thought was a very big deal, even though there probably weren’t that many people watching, there was a big crowd. It was a great atmosphere, and that was the game where our coach had his baby about two hours before tip-off. He came running in a couple minutes into the game. So that whole day was crazy, it was very fun. And celebrating going to the WPIAL championship after that was a blast.

If you and your teammates are going to go get something to eat after a match or a practice round, where you go, what you get?

We’re big on Texas Roadhouse, but one of my teammates keeps telling me about The Tavern here in Belle Vernon, which haven’t been there yet, but he says good things about it. So, we might go there after the finals.

When you go to Texas Roadhouse, what do you get?

Lots of rolls, and I get a Buffalo chicken sandwich.

If your mom was making your favorite dinner tonight, what would it be?

It’s not my mom, but I’d say my dad’s seafood pasta. He put shrimps and scallops in it. My mom chili is good.

Where do you guys go for vacation?

We go down to Kiawah Island. We go down there a lot. It’s always fun to go. There are some cool golf courses down there. It’s a really nice area.

Do you have a dream vacation spot?

I’d like to plan a trip at Pinehurst, that would be pretty cool, playing some of those courses.

Who is your favorite musician?

I am big into Zach Bryan.

What is the last movie you watched?

“Step Brothers” always makes me laugh.

If they were going to make a movie about you, what type of movie would it be and what actor would play you?

It would be a comedy movie. I’d say Adam Sandler would probably play me when he was younger.

Who is your favorite golfer.

I love watching Max Homa. He’s a dude. He’s got a nice family, too.

LIV or PGA?

PGA, for sure.

Moe’s or Chipotle?

My one friend lives out in Norwin, and they just put one near his house. So, every time I got there, I love Moe’s.

Sheetz or Get Go.

I’d say probably say Sheetz. A pretzel.

Favorite subject at GCC?

I’ve taken lots of math classes and science classes, which are always good to help me get into school, but I enjoyed ceramics. Me and my four friends were in ceramics my sophomore year. It was a blast.

If you were going to have dinner with someone famous, who would it be, and what would you talk about?

That’s a tough one, but it would be Max Homa and we’d talk about his life, how he got to where he is.

Tags: Latrobe