Penn-Trafford notebook: Warriors play keep-away to beat Latrobe

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, November 3, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Want to know a good way to win a football game? Make sure the opponent does not possess the football.

That’s what Penn-Trafford did to defeat Latrobe, 20-13, on Oct. 25.

Penn-Trafford played a game of keep-away in the second half at Memorial Stadium.

The Warriors were clinging to a four-point lead in the second half and coach John Ruane decided to put the ball into the hands of running back Tasso Whipple and quarterbacks Derek Carr and Jonny Lovre. The trio and their teammates did a great job keeping the Latrobe defense on the field.

Penn-Trafford ran 37 plays in the second half to Latrobe’s six and had possession of the ball for 20 minutes, 31 seconds to the Wildcats’ 3:29.

Whipple ended up rushing for 160 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown and Carr added 46 yards.

The Warriors finished second in the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference and earned a home game in the Class 5A playoffs. They were scheduled to play host to South Fayette (6-4) on Nov. 1. It was the sixth consecutive victories for the Warriors (8-2, 5-1).

“We had the ball quite a bit in the second half,” Ruane said. “We had the self-inflicted wound with the pick-six and two massive killer penalties on a touchdown run and another long run.

“But I was really proud of our kids. That’s a very difficult team that knows everything that we do and was well prepared. We just had to line up and be better than them when it counted, and I thought in the second half, we did a great job and kept their offense off the field.”

Whipple had a 65-yard touchdown nullified by a holding penalty in the third quarter.

Former Penn-Trafford assistant coach and alumnus Ron Prady coaches Latrobe.

Penn-Trafford got out quickly on its first possession, driving 48 yards in eight plays with Whipple scoring on a 9-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

The lead went to 14-0 two plays later when a John Wetzel pass tipped off Whipple’s hand and into the hands of Carr, who raced 22 yards for a score.

“Tasso made a great play, and I was in the right place at the right time,” Carr said. “It landed in my hands. The defense has made big plays all season. Latrobe played us tough, and we knew it would be a fight because of coach (Ron) Prady.”

Prady was an assistant with Ruane for 10 seasons before coming to Latrobe.

Latrobe settled down after that and Wetzel and the Wildcats’ offense started to find their groove.

Latrobe, however, wouldn’t be stopped the next time it had the ball. Wetzel scored from the 1-yard line to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 14-7.

Penn-Trafford used a hurry-up offense and drove down to the Latrobe 7. A touchdown pass to Dom Smith was nullified by a holding call, and freshman Jack Miller nailed a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the first half for a 17-7 lead.

Latrobe pulled to within 17-13 early in the third quarter when Andy Tatsch returned an interception 52 yards for a score.

But Penn-Trafford’s offense puty together a time-consuming drive to close out the game.

Miller added a 27-yard field goal to make it 20-13 with 5:16 left.

“Tasso is unbelievable,” Ruane said. “It’s every single week. It’s every single carry. He’s an amazing football player.”

Penn-Trafford outgained Latrobe, 300-152.

Still perfect

Penn-Trafford goalie Tyler Funk recorded his third shutout of the season as the Warriors hockey team defeated Canon-McMillan, 2-0, to remain undefeated.

The Warriors (4-0) got goals from Brock Bienemann (first period) and Aiden Drotos (second period). Marco Ferraccio assisted on Drotos’ goal.

Funk stopped all 21 shots.

It was Bienemann’s eighth goal of the season. He has four assists. It was Drotos’ third goal of the season. He has five assists.

The Warriors were set to host Baldwin on Nov. 4.

Seasons end

The season ended for four Penn-Trafford fall sports teams in the WPIAL playoffs.

The field hockey team saw its dominance in Class 2A end with a 2-1 loss to Fox Chapel in the semifinals. Penn-Trafford had won eight consecutive titles.

No. 9 Armstrong stunned the volleyball team, 3-1. The Warriors were seeded No. 8.

The boys soccer dropped a 4-1 decision to Mars, while the girls’ soccer team, which was seeded third, suffered a 3-1 setback to No. 6 Canon-McMillan.

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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