High school notebook: Latrobe to recognize ’68 championship team

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, August 18, 2018 | 6:03 PM

Latrobe has one WPIAL football championship.

But the title happened so long ago, people tend to overlook it — 50 years is a long time.

“But that team deserves to be recognized,” Latrobe football coach Jason Marucco said. “Our kids need to see what that group accomplished and understand that it happened in our program.”

The team won’t be passed over any more. Latrobe will use the 50th anniversary of the historic win to remember the greats from ‘68.

A committee of Latrobe alumni formed a scholarship in honor of the coach of the title-winning team, Chuck Findley, and will host a kickoff dinner fundraiser Saturday at Huber Hall in Latrobe.

The champions will be honored before Friday’s night’s season-opening game against Derry at Memorial Stadium.

“After getting to know these guys over the past six months, it is evident what that team meant to the community and how each of them played for each other,” Marucco said. “They are also a living example of the many life lessons that this great game teaches.”

Findley coached the Wildcats from 1957-68, winning Foothills Conference titles in 1959, ‘60, ‘65 and ‘68.

Latrobe defeated Kiski Area, 19-7, in the first WPIAL title game played at Forbes Field, on Nov. 15, 1968.

Dinner tickets are $50, and there are several sponsorship packages (www.eventbrite.com). Tickets can also be purchased at the Greater Latrobe Administration Building, Latrobe-GLSD Parks & Recreation office and the Latrobe Army & Navy store. Call 724-539-4220 for information.

‘Not afraid at all’

Kylie Roebuck is back playing for the Yough football team, and she wasn’t shying away from contact during the first week of camp. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound sophomore was in on a few tackles during drills.

“Not afraid at all,” Yough coach Scott Wood said of Roebuck, who is a backup guard and defensive end who saw some playing time late in games last season. “She gets fired up. She is just another player. She’s out there yelling, ‘Let’s go! Quit being lazy.’ ”

Roebuck gets dressed in a different locker room, but the rest of her team routines are the same as her teammates’.

Wood said Roebuck made an open-field tackle of a standout running back on a rival team last season.

Frankovic switching schools to Pitt

Norwin soccer player Eva Frankovic planned to continue her playing career at Kent State. She committed early. But those plans changed over the summer when Pitt made her an offer she could not pass up.

Frankovic’s mother, Chris, works at Pitt, so Eva can go to school there tuition-free. But she would have had to walk on to play soccer. That was until Pitt offered a scholarship, after Eva had a successful Cup season.

It’s a win-win now, especially since Frankovic is a fan of new coach Randy Waldrum and his staff.

“I thought the new coaching lineup was fantastic. … It’s a better situation financially,” Eva said. “My family is a Pitt family, so I grew up loving Pitt. They liked my defensive style and the way I attack from the back (of the field). I loved the coaches at Kent State. I started to cry when I called to tell them I wasn’t coming there.”

Seton Hill adds Beistel, others

Brian Tucker already had appreciation for his returning wrestlers, but the Seton Hill coach really likes the recruits who will look to complement that core group.

Seton Hill announced Tucker’s latest class Monday. Two recruits hail from Southmoreland in Tyler Griffiths and Jake Beistel. Griffiths, who won 142 times and reached the PIAA Class AA tournament four times, is a potential 149-pounder.

Perhaps the most intriguing recruit is 285-pounder Beistel, who transferred from St. Francis (Pa.), where he was a football player. He posted 146 wrestling wins for the Scotties and was a three-time PIAA placewinner, including a state title.

The Griffins must replace 165-pounder Zach Voytek, a three-time national qualifier from Greensburg Salem. A potential fill-in is 157/165-pounder Luke Ewing, another Greensburg Salem alum, who won a North Coast Classic championship in 2016 and is a former WPIAL qualifier.

Another possible competitor at 125 is Latrobe product Brady Sherback, a four-time WPIAL qualifier who posted 120 wins for the Wildcats.

WCCA golf

The first Westmoreland County Coaches Association event of the fall season will be the third annual girls golf championship, set for 9 a.m. Sept. 5 at Champion Lakes Golf Club in Bolivar.

Organizers will go back to awarding a team trophy again at the nine-hole event.

The boys golf tournament will be Sept. 13 at Latrobe Elks. The boys play 18 holes.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Latrobe, Norwin, Southmoreland, Yough