Westmoreland campus clippings: Jeannette grad Marcus Barnes making impact at William & Mary

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, September 26, 2022 | 5:19 PM

Coming out of Jeannette, Marcus Barnes was known for his glue-like hands and football instincts.

His father, Johnnie Barnes, played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers.

If the ball was thrown Marcus Barnes’ way, he was probably going to catch it, no matter if he was on offense or defense.

A playmaker at defensive back when he won WPIAL and PIAA championships with the Jayhawks, Barnes took his talents to William & Mary where he is a starting safety for Mike Tomlin’s alma mater.

Barnes is making some noise this season for the Tribe (3-1).

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior had a game- and career-high 10 tackles in a 35-31 loss to Elon, a week after he had an interception and two pass-breakups against Lafayette.

His 30 tackles are second-most on the team.

Football

Mercyhurst: Grad tight end Jason Armstrong (Latrobe) pulled in a short touchdown pass and finished with three catches for 40 yards, as Mercyhurst lost to IUP, 33-16.

Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Max Mallis (Derry) had a pair of tackles for the Lakers.

St. Francis (Pa.): Redshirt junior Justin Sliwoski (Hempfield) completed 12 of 18 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for a score, in the Red Flash’s 42-26 victory over Norfolk State.

He hooked up with Dawson Snyder for a 26-yard score, and threw 19 yards to Makai Jackson.

He scored on a 27-yard burst. The Red Flash put up 501 yards of offense.

Sophomore Wylie Spiker (Ligonier Valley) made another start along the offensive line.

Washington & Jefferson: Sophomore tight end Zach Cernuto (Southmoreland) caught a touchdown pass for the Presidents (3-1) in a 50-7 victory over Bethany.

Junior linebacker Justin Johns (Franklin Regional) had six tackles and forced fumble on the defensive side of the ball.

Waynesburg: Senior Justin Flack (Derry) rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts in a 31-15 loss to Allegheny.

Flack also has five receptions for 72 yards.

Men’s soccer

Cal (Pa.): Freshman goalkeeper AJ Visco (Penn-Trafford) played a full game for the first time in college and made two saves, but the Vulcans (1-4-1, 0-2 PSAC) lost 1-0 to Slippery Rock.

Grove City: Sophomore defender Luke Kimmich (Franklin Regional) had an assist in a 3-0 victory over Chatham. He added another helper for the Wolverines (4-4) in a 6-0 victory over Franciscan.

Penn State Behrend: Sophomore midfielder Blake Cooper (Franklin Regional) scored the game-winning goal with 36 seconds left in regulation as the Lions edged past Marietta, 2-1. He also had an assist in the victory, which moved Behrend to 4-1-3 on the season.

Pitt-Greensburg: Sophomore Adam Yoder, freshman Zander Plizga and freshman Caleb Yuricha (Norwin) had goals for UPG (2-3-2) in a 4-0 win against Wilson.

Plizga added an assist.

Junior Danny Rodgers and junior Shayne Kasic (Greensburg Salem) combined for the shutout.

Saint Vincent: Junior Jose Hurtado had two goals and sophomore Eduardo Richa added a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory over Washington & Jefferson that moved SVC’s record to 5-3-1, 1-0-1 in the PAC.

Seton Hill: The Griffins picked up their second win of the season, 4-1, over Cal (Pa.) as sophomore Anton Dupont Linden, grad student Wilfred Munn, junior Sebastian Acuna and junior Fletcher Amos scored goals.

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