Westmoreland high school notebook: Hempfield’s Brandon Rapp honored by athletic directors association

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 6:43 PM

Hempfield’s Brandon Rapp said the award he will soon receive is more about his profession — and colleagues who know the behind-the-scenes grind of managing high school athletics — than it is about himself.

Rapp will be named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Region IV Athletic Director of the Year and get the award March 19 at the annual PSADA convention at Hershey Lodge.

Zach Kessler of Franklin Regional won the award last year.

“While I am deeply honored to receive this recognition, this award is truly a reflection of the incredible coaches, dedicated staff and hardworking student-athletes we have here,” Rapp said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to work in a region that values athletics so deeply and has such great athletic administrators to work alongside.

“I am simply grateful to play a small part in supporting such a talented and driven group of individuals.”

Each year, the PSADA selects a top AD from each of its six regions. Region IV is the WPIAL and City League.

Rapp, 40, has been an AD for 16 years, including six at Hempfield, where he was hired in July 2020.

He was AD at Norwin for seven years and at Derry for three years before that.

Rapp is a graduate of Keystone High School and Slippery Rock University. Before becoming an athletic administrator, he was the football coach at Redbank Valley.

Since he became AD at Hempfield, the district has added girls wrestling, girls lacrosse, girls golf and unified teams in bocce and track & field.

He orchestrated projects to build a new fitness center and press box at Derry, new turf fields at Norwin and a current $150 million high school renovation at Hempfield.

He is the president of the Western Area Athletic Directors Association and the Big 5/6 Conference.

GCC down two sports

Greensburg Central Catholic will not field two spring sports teams this year.

Because of low roster numbers, there will be no softball or boys lacrosse teams.

“We try to maintain athletic programs that are of interest to students,” GCC athletic director John Thompson said. “Unfortunately, (those two sports) are being impacted by other outside programs or interests competing for student participation. We will continue to try to offer these programs in the future. However, we are going to regroup and devise ways that showcase all of our athletic programs, these two in particular, with the possibility of offering clinics and camps and other ways we may consider improving participation.”

Player of the month

Hempfield junior forward Colby Herron was named the PIHL Class 2A February Player of the Month.

Herron had four goals and four assists in three games for the Spartans, the 2A No. 1 seed, who have advanced to the semifinals.

Herron contributes to a 90.1% penalty kill rate.

Hempfield (17-3-0-0) plays Bethel Park (14-5-1-0) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Robert Morris Island Sports Center.

All-local semifinal

Hempfield won’t be the only Westmoreland team in the hockey semi­finals.

Penn-Trafford (16-5-0-0) and Latrobe (8-10-1-1) will play each other in the other half of the PIHL 2A frozen four at 9 p.m. on Tuesday at RMU Island Sports Center.

The 2A Penguins Cup championship will be 6:15 p.m. March 16 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Third-seeded Penn-Trafford won both regular-season matchups against No. 7 Latrobe, but both were one-goal games (2-1 and 7-6).

In the second game, Penn-Trafford scored four goals in the third period.

Latrobe upset No. 2 Armstrong, 3-1, in the quarterfinals.

Kiski Area was the last local team to win a Penguins Cup title. The Cavaliers won Class A in 2023, a year after Norwin won the same classification.

Franklin Regional won back-to-back Class A titles in 2016-17.

Latrobe was a 2A champion in 2013, and also won in 2008, ’09 and ’10.

Greensburg Central Catholic won 2A titles in 1994 and ’96 and Class A in 1992 and ’93.

Hanging up his cleats

Norwin football lineman Lucas Altier, who overcame injuries to play his senior season and help Norwin reach the WPIAL 6A playoffs, has decided to stop playing the sport.

Altier (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) returned this season after suffering a broken leg as a junior.

In October, he developed a blood clot in his lung and missed the playoff game against North Allegheny.

Altier plans to attend Penn State.

Recruiting

• Norwin wrestler Tanner Shaffer will continue his career at Shippensburg. Shaffer (19-15) finished eighth in WPIAL 3A and second in his section this season at 189 pounds.

• Yough senior Anna Lindner will play softball at Washington & Jefferson.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford