Penn-Trafford boys track team breaks 51-year drought with win over Hempfield

By: Paul Schofield
Sunday, April 16, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Penn-Trafford defeated Hempfield in a boys track and field dual meet for the first time in 51 years April 12.

The meet, which was tied 75-75, was decided on the most second-place finishes. Both teams won nine events so the tiebreaker was most runner-up finishes.

Winning for the P-T boys were Thomas Cheplick (100- and 200-meter dashes), Aiden Lett (110- and 300-meter hurdles), Ekolous Lett (long jump), Jake McGhee (400), Matt Sarnowski (javelin), the 400-meter relay team and the 1,600-meter relay team.

The boys put themselves in a position to qualify for WPIAL team tournament for the first time in 20 years.

The girls fell to Hempfield, 109-41. The P-T girls’ winners were Kate Schall (100- and 200-meter dashes), Amelia Barilla (400), Lily Gaal (3,200) and the 1,600-meter relay team.

Baseball splits with Plum

The Warriors baseball team improved to 5-3 overall, 3-3 in the Section 1-5A by splitting a two-game series with Plum.

Penn-Trafford won 4-3 on April 11, but dropped a 3-2 decision on April 12 at Plum.

Senior pitcher Nolan Marasti pitched into the seventh inning and struck out five to earn the win.

The Warriors grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning when Brody Hoffman doubled and Dylan Grabowski launched a two-run home run.

After the Mustangs reclaimed the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fifth inning, the Warriors pushed across the winning run on a single by Brady Lane.

Despite an excellent pitching performance the next day from Grabowski, who struck out six and allowed three hits, the Warriors’ bats could only produce two runs and three hits. Ian Temple had an RBI double.

Softball edges Kiski Area

The Warriors snapped a four-game losing streak by outscoring Kiski Area, 10-8, in a Section 2-5A softball game last week.

Penn-Trafford rallied back from a 7-2 deficit in the second inning to score five runs in the bottom of the fifth to claim a 9-7 lead.

Kylie Anthony went 3 for 4 and Cameron Ponko hit a home run and double.

The Warriors are 2-6 overall and 1-2 in the section.

Boys volleyball on a roll

The Warriors boys volleyball team posted a fourth consecutive 3-0 victory on April 11 by defeating Penn Hills last week to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Section 3-3A.

The victory set up key matches against rival Hempfield (April 13), at Norwin (April 19) and at Latrobe (April 20).

Tennis sweeps Hempfield

The boys tennis team posted its second consecutive victory, blanking Hempfield, 5-0, on April 12.

Daniel Lee, Nick Turowski and Dan Setzenfand posted wins in singles competition, while the teams of Pacific Hite and Damian Dynys, and Hunter Muir and Brian Broadwater won their doubles matches.

The Warriors are 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the section.

College scene

Updates on Penn-Trafford athletes playing in college:

Softball

Carlow: In 30 games, senior Morgan Nedley (Penn-Trafford) was hitting .371 with six doubles, and was leading the team with 19 runs scored and 18 RBIs.

Mercyhurst: Junior Morgan Hilty (Penn-Trafford) improved to 9-5 with a complete-game win over Edinboro.

She allowed five hits and one earned run in a 2-1 victory.

Seton Hill: Sophomore Brooke Cleland (Penn-Trafford) hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs, sophomore Bre Athey tripled, and Lauren Dellett earned a save as the Griffins picked up a 3-2 win over IUP to split a doubleheader.

Baseball

Grove City: Junior second baseman Lucca Baccari (Penn-Trafford) singled and doubled to help the Wolverines to an 8-3 bounce-back victory over Allegheny.

Penn State: Josh Spiegel (Penn-Trafford), a redshirt-senior catcher, had two hits, two runs and an RBI as the Nittany Lions defeated Delaware State, 9-2.

Washington & Jefferson: Senior pitcher Tyler Horvat (Penn-Trafford) improved to 6-2 as the Presidents defeated Grove City, 2-1.

In a nine-inning complete game, he recorded six strikeouts and did not issue a walk, while allowing five hits.

Horvat added two hits, including a triple, in a 7-0 win over Chatham, then struck out 10 for a 10-3 win over the Cougars for his 25th career pitching win.

Track and field

Grove City: Junior Gabe Dunlap (Penn-Trafford) won the javelin title at the Mini-Invitational at Robert E. Thorn Field with a throw of 169 feet, 10 inches.

He also ran a leg of the 400-meter relay team that finished third in 43.08 seconds.

Staff writer Bill Beckner Jr. contributed.

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.

Tags: Penn-Trafford