Westmoreland high school notebook: Franklin Regional’s Kimmich has chance for double titles

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, October 18, 2020 | 5:29 PM

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There were days this fall when Luke Kimmich would play in a nine-hole golf match after school, change clothes and be back in time to join the boys soccer team for a practice or game.

The senior from Franklin Regional pulled double-duty and handled it with the best of the in-season athletes who somehow make the challenge work.

“There were a lot of late nights,” Kimmich said. “It’s been tough to do, but it’s worth it.”

Kimmich took it a step farther by winning a WPIAL championship with the golf team.

He shot 85 on Thursday to help the Panthers raise the trophy for the first time at Cedarbrook Golf Course.

It was his third WPIAL title. He won back-to-back championships in soccer.

With the Panthers the favorite to three-peat, he could end up with two titles in the same season. Now that is making the most of two sports.

Kimmich is a key defender.

“Both of my coaches have been great and so welcoming,” Kimmich said. “They were open to me doing both sports. I thought it could be fun.”

Double dip

Franklin Regional became the first boys golf team from Westmoreland County to win a WPIAL title since Latrobe in 2009. The Wildcats also won in Class AAA.

With the Greensburg Central Catholic girls also winning (Class AA), this is the first time a boys and girls golf team from Westmoreland County won golf titles in the same year.

State golf

The PIAA individual golf championships will be Monday and Tuesday at Heritage Hills Resort.

The Class AA boys and girls will play Monday, and Class AAA will be Tuesday.

The tournament was changed from 36 to 18 holes this season.

Local players set to play for state titles are: Class AAA boys — seniors Chuck Tragesser and Michael Wareham of Franklin Regional; Class AA boys — senior Ben Ritenour of Greensburg Central Catholic; Class AAA girls — none; Class AA girls — Juniors Ella and Meghan Zambruno, senior Angelika Dewicki and freshman Izzy Aigner of Greensburg Central Catholic.

Soccer playoffs

The WPIAL soccer steering committee is expected to meet Wednesday to draw up playoff brackets. The postseason could begin as early as Thursday, but there probably will be games next weekend.

The top four teams in each boys and girls section qualify. The WPIAL has said higher-seeded teams will host playoff games through the semifinals.

Highmark Stadium will not be the host for the WPIAL championship games this year. The league instead will pick high school venues for finals.

Only the WPIAL champions will advance to the PIAA playoffs.

Latrobe in semis

The fifth-seeded Latrobe girls tennis team will try to punch its ticket to the WPIAL Class AAA championship beginning at 3 p.m. Monday when the Wildcats travel to play top-seeded Peters Township in the semifinals.

Latrobe defeated West Allegheny, 5-0, in the first round, then knocked off No. 4 Shady Side Academy, 4-1, in the quarterfinals.

Junior Jenna Bell reached the WPIAL singles semis for the Wildcats, and Bell and senior Addison Kemerer were semifinalists in WPIAL doubles.

Bell was the Section 1 singles champion, and she teamed with Kemerer to take the section doubles title.

Recruiting

Greensburg Central Catholic junior basketball player Bailey Kuhns added a second Division II scholarship offer, this one from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Mercyhurst extended an offer to Kuhn, the 6-foot forward who transferred from Southmoreland.

She also has an offer from Saginaw Valley State (Mich.).

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

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe