Westmoreland County high school notebook: Belle Vernon’s Zubovic picked to all-star game

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 28, 2017 | 7:21 PM

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Blake Zubovic has been around the country for college visits. The Belle Vernon senior football standout had more than a dozen scholarship offers before he committed to Pitt.

But he never has been to Texas.

“Big Z” never has been to Big D.

That could change in January because Zubovic was selected to play for the USA Football National Team in the 2018 International Bowl. The game is Jan. 17 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

He was picked for the U-19 team.

A 6-foot-6, 305-pound Pitt recruit, Zubovic said he “most likely” will participate in the event. His focus for now is the WPIAL playoffs, which begin Friday. He has helped the Leopards to a 9-0 record.

“It's pretty awesome,” Zubovic said. “I'm honored to be recognized to be in such a prestigious bowl. … I can't wait for a great experience.”

Uschock commits

Hempfield senior softball pitcher Maddie Uschock, the heir apparent to program all-timer Morgan Ryan, gave a verbal commitment to Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y.

Dominican is a Division II school just outside of Manhattan. The Chargers play in the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Uschock was 5-0 last season for Hempfield, which won three consecutive WPIAL championships and back-to-back PIAA titles, going 27-0. She struck out 33 and walked 10 in 26 innings, working a curve ball more into her arsenal.

Uschock said Dominican was an out-of-the-blue connection. She said coach Joe Burbridge invited her for a visit after watching her recruiting video.

“He said I met all of the things he wanted in a pitcher, so I thought I'd go up and check it out because it couldn't hurt,” Uschock said. “I ended up falling in love with the school and the area and thought it was really cool to be that close to Manhattan, too.

“He offered me a scholarship after practice, and it was too good to pass up. Then my family went to Cheesecake Factory.”

Seton Hill recruiting

Southmoreland senior Tyler Griffiths will continue his wrestling career at Seton Hill. A 132-pounder last season, he finished second in the PIAA.

A two-time WPIAL champion, he is 116-16 for his career.

• Norwin senior baseball stortstop Nick Zona committed to play for Seton Hill. He hit .478 last season.

More offers for Gay

Penn-Trafford senior running back/defensive back John Gay IV grabbed his second Division I offer, from Navy. He also has offers from Cornell, and Division II Seton Hill.

Gay is the ninth player from Penn-Trafford to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

Apodiakos all-state

Belle Vernon soccer standout Markello Apodiakos became the first player in program history to make the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association all-state team.

The junior forward also was named the Section 3-AAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

He scored a school-record 37 goals and dished nine assists this season for the Leopards (14-5-1), who reached the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals.

In his career, he has 62 goals and 22 assists. The 84 points also is a program record.

Team to watch

Penn-Trafford and Norwin are the powerhouses of girls soccer in local Class AAAA soccer, but another county team appears to have a bright future.

Kiski Area (11-7), which played Norwin and Penn-Trafford tough this season, including a 3-1 loss to Norwin in the WPIAL quarterfinals, will have an abundance of talent returning.

The starting lineup had two freshmen and six sophomores, including Sidney Palla, who scored in the playoff game against Norwin.

“They are going to have a really good team for the next few years,” Norwin coach Lauren Karcher said. “It's good to see our section continue to produce good teams.”

Elma to Tiffin

Penn-Trafford senior Cam Elma will continue his track and field career at Division II Tiffin (Ohio).

A standout thrower, he finished 10th in WPIAL Class AAA last season in the shot put.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Hempfield Area, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland