High school notebook: Norwin wrestler Passarelli headed to Davidson

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, April 17, 2022 | 5:02 PM

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Luke Passarelli is taking his wrestling talent to the highest level of the NCAA.

The senior from Norwin committed to Davidson.

Passarelli, a 120-pounder, finished fifth in WPIAL Class 3A this season. He went 28-12 and also placed second in his section and sixth at the Powerade Tournament.

Outside of the high school season, he was a freestyle and Greco-Roman national qualifier and was a member of the Pennsylvania National Junior Duals Team.

He is projected to wrestle at 125 in college.

“Luke has the mental approach to the sport that will help him be a successful athlete at the D-I level,” Norwin coach Kyle Martin said. “He has many weapons — speed, strength, mat awareness and technical knowledge — that will help him be competitive at the next level. Academics will not hinder his success. They will actually bolster it as Luke is a standout in the classroom as well.”

Passarelli was selected as as Academic All-American by the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association.

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Cunningham event returns

Teams will shoot for 3 while playing for Tre.

Jeannette will host the second annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament June 9-11.

The tournament is sponsored by the Jeannette Educational Foundation. More than a dozen high-school teams are expected to compete.

Penn-Trafford won last year.

The event is named for the late Cunningham, a three-sport standout at Jeannette who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2020.

Cost is $150 per team (three-game minimum). Contact: Tim Carney, 724-989-6793.

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Scholar-athlete winners

The WPIAL announced winners of its James Collins Scholar-Athlete Awards. Each recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship.

Among the 20 senior winners (and 142 nominees) were: Anthony DiFalco of Franklin Regional, Carter Green of Penn-Trafford, Maddie Griffin of Ligonier Valley, Gracie Spadaro of Southmoreland and Meghan Zambruno of Greensburg Central Catholic.

Fox Chapel’s Russell Fenton, who has relatives in the area, also was a winner.

DiFalco will play soccer at Duquesne, and Green, a former standout quarterback, is headed to Seton Hill for lacrosse.

Griffin will play softball at Youngstown State, Spadaro basketball at IUP and Zambruno golf at St. Francis (Pa.).

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Net worth

Five county teams held strong in the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Week 3 Poll.

Surging Norwin stayed at No. 3 in Class 3A, with Hempfield (5), Penn-Trafford (6) and Latrobe (9) close behind.

Derry checked in at No. 9 in 2A.

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Milestone scorer

Hempfield senior lacrosse captain Amara Forsyth scored five goals in a recent game against Canon-McMillan to reach a career scoring milestone.

The total put her at an even 100 goals.

The career marker rivals 100 goals in soccer or 1,000 points in basketball.

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

Tags: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland