Latrobe wins WCCA 7-on-7 tourney for 2nd time in row

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, July 20, 2023 | 6:00 PM

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As John Wetzel walked off the field Thursday, he made it clear to his teammates he was far from tired.

His arm wasn’t sore. His legs were fine. He was charged up.

“I’m ready to play another one,” the Latrobe quarterback said with a smile.

Transfixed on validating last year’s title and keeping the positive vibes in the program coming, Wetzel and the Wildcats rolled to their second straight championship in the 12th Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial 7-on-7 Passing Tournament at Latrobe’s Rossi Field.

Does a summer passing event in shorts mean anything? Some say, no.

Latrobe sure believes it does.

“If you’re going to be here, why not say, ‘Let’s win it?’ ” Latrobe second-year coach Ron Prady said.

Latrobe went 6-0, putting a stamp on a banner day with an 18-12 victory over Norwin in the title game.

“The win gave us a really good start to the season last year so we wanted to keep it going,” said Wetzel, who threw touchdown passes to JaTawn Williams and Ben Stratton in the final. “We want to get used to doing this more often.”

Williams pulled in 13 touchdowns and had an interception for Latrobe, which defeated Yough, Mt. Pleasant, Hempfield, Jeannette and Valley in pool play.

“This is great for our kids, but it’s not the end-all,” Prady said. “I want them to play hard and compete, and they did that. They made plays all day.

“The program has come a long way.”

After winning the county title last year, Latrobe went on to post a 6-4 record and its first playoff win since 1968.

What lies ahead this season remains to be seen, but the Wildcats are beaming with newfound confidence.

Norwin went 4-1 to win Pool B, holding back Southmoreland, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem and Latrobe’s “B” team after an opening loss to Kiski Area.

The tournament was the Knights’ first and only 7-on-7 competition of the summer.

Norwin is a two-time champion and three-time county runner-up.

“We came here for the kids to compete and make plays,” Norwin first-year coach Mike Brown said. “I would say, mission accomplished. I am happy with how we played. Coach Prady has a good program. You can see the culture change. His kids are physically and mentally ready to go.”

Southmoreland went 3-2, tying perennial county contender Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Central Catholic and Burrell for second in Pool B.

Burrell clipped Southmoreland, 10-6, in the final game to eliminate the Scotties from the finals.

Southmoreland, showcasing quarterback Kaiden Keefer and several tall receivers, including 6-foot-4 Ty Keffer, had two 30-plus-point games. The Scotties thumped five-time champion Penn-Trafford, 31-8, in the opening game.

A controversial call late in the Burrell game left the Scotties frustrated.

While Burrell coaches contested the whistle— points inadvertently were given for a Scotties interception on a conversion try — the clock continued to run.

The points were erased, but Southmoreland was unable to cash in and time expired.

“We wanted that one,” Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski said. “We deserved to be in the finals. There was about 1:50 left that we lost. Burrell played good defense and played physical. I was pleased with how our kids played.

“We picked it up after the we played (in the Belle Vernon Gold Bowl).”

In the title game, Ben Markle opened with an interception to give Norwin a 3-0 lead.

Williams pulled in a short touchdown from Wetzel and also caught the conversion pass to put Latrobe in front 9-3.

“We wanted to make sure we ran it back,” Williams said of the title. “We wanted to win it. We were running plays prepared and didn’t have to ask the coaches. We balled out today.”

Prady said if there was an MVP on Thursday, it would have been Williams.

“Offensively, defensively, he competed all day,” Prady said. “And does it every day in practice.”

Norwin quarterback Tristyn Tavares went over the middle and found Jake Page for a touchdown to make it 9-9.

An interception by Michael Crnkovic gave Norwin a 12-9 edge, but Latrobe had another drive left in it.

After the Wildcats forced a turnover on downs for 1 point, a hurried Wetzel connected with Brady Prohovic for a first down. Then, he zipped a strike to Stratton for the go-ahead points.

Franklin Regional went 4-1, with Hempfield and Mt. Pleasant going 3-2 in Pool A.

Standout Ayden Hudock of Franklin Regional injured his hamstring on the first play of the day and did not return.

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

Tags: Latrobe, Norwin