Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Returning players boost Jeannette

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 | 8:05 PM

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Jeannette welcomed junior Austin Emery and senior Deyton Conrad back this week.

Both were clearly glad to be back.

A junior and key facilitator and scorer for the Jayhawks, Emery sustained a calf contusion against Knoch on Sept. 6 and had not played until Monday’s practice.

Conrad missed time with a concussion.

But both contributed heavily to an important, 3-2 win over Leechburg on Tuesday in a game coach Art Cicero called a “must win.”

Emery netted two goals and Conrad assisted one as the Jayhawks (4-4, 2-4) built a 3-0 lead and held on to stay in the WPIAL playoff chase in Section 2-2A.

The win broke a three-game losing streak as the Jayhawks head to Greensburg Salem (3-6, 1-6) on Thursday night.

Norwin on a roll

Norwin has won four straight to get over the .500 mark.

The Knights started 1-4 and had to regroup after some injuries.

The Knights secured a pair of 2-1 wins, over Baldwin and Mt. Lebanon, despite injuries to goalkeeper Anthony Scalise and midfielder Owen Christopher. But both players returned and the Knights clipped No. 4 Upper St. Clair, 1-0, on a goal by Christopher with 25 seconds remaining Tuesday night.

Scalise made four saves in the victory, which keeps Norwin in the playoff chase in Section 2-4A.

Going streaking

A few teams have found a hot streak as the second half of the section schedule approaches.

Franklin Regional has won five in a row, outscoring teams 28-2, to move to 6-3 overall and 6-1 in Section 4-3A with a game at No. 1 Plum on Tuesday. The Panthers started the season 1-3.

Belle Vernon, meantime, has a three-game winning streak that has given it sole possession of first place in Section 3-2A.

Just for kicks

Belle Vernon was being cheeky when it opened last week’s Section 3-2A game at Mt. Pleasant.

The Leopards went with an unconventional kickoff, played all 10 players forward with eight lined up at the 50-yard line. It looked like a football team ready to try and onside kick.

Why the unorthodox formation?

“We were having a little fun,” coach Al Yeschenko said. “We have tried it before. It gives them something to talk about 20 years from now.”

Mt. Pleasant coach Floyd Snyder was not expecting the formation, which he said has only seen at the youth level.

House of Bayne

Franklin Regional sophomore Joey Bayne likes playing at Panther Stadium.

On Friday night, Bayne kicked three field goals in Franklin Regional’s 16-7 upset win over 5A No. 1 Gateway.

Four days later, he scored a goal for the Panthers’ soccer team in an 8-0 victory over Latrobe.

Brotherly love

Belle Vernon’s Rathway brothers, senior Dylan and freshman Preston, hooked up for a goal in a 2-0 win over Mt. Pleasant.

After a scoreless first half, Dylan assisted Preston’s goal for the first of two second-half scores and a win that moved the Leopards into a first-place tie in Section 3-2A with Mt. Pleasant and McGuffey.

“It was beautiful to watch,” Leopards sophomore Trevor Kovatch said. “They earned it.”

Big game hunting

Greensburg Central Catholic bounced back well from its first loss of the season — 4-2 against Sewickley Academy — but now the Centurions face another tough test Tuesday against Bentworth.

Bentworth gave GCC a game on Sept. 1. The Centurions held on for a 4-3 win in Section 2-A.

Other notable games Tuesday include Deer Lakes at Jeannette in Section 2-2A, Franklin Regional at Plum in Section 4-3A, and Belle Vernon at Yough in Section 3-2A.

Plum won the first matchup with the Panthers, 2-0.

Penn-Trafford at Franklin Regional is another solid matchup Thursday.

Rivalry renewed

Longtime rivals Norwin and Penn-Trafford are not in the same classification this year with Penn-Trafford moving down to Class 3A, but the teams made sure to pencil each other in on their schedules.

Penn-Trafford will host a girls-boys doubleheader Saturday with the boys game at 10 a.m. and the girls at 11:30.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford