Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Carlo Denis and Franklin Regional’s Aly Kindelberger

By: Andrew John
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 | 6:18 PM

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Carlo Denis

School: Greensburg Central Catholic

Sport: Soccer

Class: Freshman

Claim to fame: Denis, who has 24 goals on the season, scored three times to lead Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3-1) to a 6-1 win over Iroquois in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs Nov. 5.

“I think it was really good to have a performance like that. It was difficult at the beginning with the offside calls, but it was a good game,” Denis said.

What does it mean to you have a performance like that as a freshman in the state playoffs?

It’s pretty cool and awesome to have three goals and to help the team get this far. It was my first state playoff game, so it was pretty cool to score three goals in it.

How does it feel to be part of a WPIAL champion in your freshman year?

It’s great coming in and being part of the WPIAL champion in my first year. Last year, they got to finals and they lost so it’s cool to win this year.

How has your game grown throughout the year?

I’ve started to get comfortable with the team. It’s fun to play with my friends and teammates. It was a big adjustment from junior high to high school with the physicality and speed of play.

What’s your favorite moment of the year and why?

Winning WPIALs. If we win states, that would be pretty awesome, as well.

Who’s your favorite athlete and why?

Sidney Crosby. I always liked hockey when I was younger, and I always love watching him play.

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Aly Kindelberger

School: Franklin Regional

Sport: Volleyball

Class: Junior

Claim to fame: Kindelberger, who had 435 kills this season, finished with 17 kills and five blocks to lead Franklin Regional (18-3) to a 3-1 win over Conneaut in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Nov. 5. The win was the first state tournament victory in program history. Franklin Regional lost 3-0 to Knoch in the quarterfinals Nov. 9, when Kindelberger finished with 14 kills. Kindelberger, a DePaul commit, was a first-team All-WPIAL selection.

“I thought I played pretty well last week. My team had an amazing season. We went to the semis in WPIAL and quarters in states. It’s the furthest the program has gone. It was a pretty exciting season,” Kindelberger said.

What made you commit to DePaul?

I absolutely love the coaches. They were great. They are pointing the program in a great direction. It’s right in Lincoln Park in Chicago.

What does it mean to be part of the team that brought the program’s first state tournament win?

It’s amazing. I didn’t know we could go this far. As a freshman, we went 0-12. Last year, we moved from AAAA to AAA and we did pretty well by going to the WPIAL playoffs. This year was such a special season.

What was your favorite moment of the year and why?

It had to be the third-to-last game of the regular season when we clinched the section title. Everyone knew that was the game. The parents brought confetti canons and gave section shirts to us.

What did you learn this year that you will work to improve on for your senior season?

I need to improve on my blocking and back-row play.

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?

Marie Curie because she’s one of the greatest female scientists.