Rivals Hempfield, Latrobe look to rebound as they meet for 50th time
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Wednesday, September 6, 2023 | 6:32 PM
Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch carries the ball for a touchdown during a game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s John Wetzel carries the ball during a game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s Elijah Bennett carries the ball for a touchdown during a game against Franklin Regional Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Hempfield’s Rogan Katchur bulls into the end zone through Greensburg Salem’s Keegan Young Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Nicholas Marquis pulls in a touchdown pass against Greensburg Salem Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Brayden Gerst stiff-arms Greensburg Salem’s Jackson Hostetler Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Spartan Stadium.
Hempfield’s Anthony Puskar returns a pass intended for Greensburg Salem’s Julian Stevens for a touchdown Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Spartan Stadium.
Latrobe and Hempfield enter Week 2 of the high school football season trying to rebound from their first losses.
The teams collide at 7 p.m. Friday in a nonconference game at Bill Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium looking to get back on track.
This is the 50th meeting between the schools. The first meeting was in 1959, a 22-12 Latrobe win. Hempfield’s first win came in 1961, a 26-6 victory.
The teams met annually from 1959-83 before moving to different conferences. Hempfield leads the series 29-17-3, including last year’s 49-14 victory at Latrobe.
Latrobe second-year coach Ron Prady and Hempfield first-year coach Nick Keefer had plenty of fixes planned for the week.
Latrobe (1-1) was stopped three times inside the Franklin Regional 2-yard line in a 28-21 loss last week, and Hempfield (1-1) was stunned on the road by a much-improved Connellsville team, 28-7.
In both games, penalties were a problem.
Latrobe had a 70-yard touchdown run by quarterback John Wetzel nullified by a block in the back, and Hempfield put itself behind the sticks with numerous holding calls.
“You can’t expect to beat anybody if you commit 10 penalties,” Prady said. “That’s something we have to work hard and fix.
“We’re still learning about our guys and still evaluating them. It’s a learning process. While you want to win every game you play, we’ll grow from last week’s loss. That loss left a bad taste in our mouths.”
Three big plays — a 68-yard touchdown pass from Wetzel to Ja’Tawn Williams and a 99-yard kickoff return by Williams and a 47-yard run by Alex Tatsch — highlighted the Wildcats’ output.
“Big plays are part of the game,” Prady said. “But we definitely need to sustain some drives.”
Latrobe’s defense allowed two touchdown passes in the first half and two Kyle Dupill touchdown runs in the third quarter.
But the Wildcats defense came up with a few key stops in the fourth quarter to keep their hopes alive. Cody Krall recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter when Franklin Regional was trying to run out the clock.
Prady said he has been pleased with the play of Williams, Wetzel, Tatsch, Krall, linebacker Jake Drnjevich, defensive end Tim Myers and defensive back Ben Stratton.
“Hempfield is going to be a tough test,” Prady said. “They lost to a good Connellsville team, and I know they are hungry to get back in the win column.”
Keefer said he hopes his team didn’t take Connellsville lightly after the struggles of the Falcons’ program over the years.
“That could have been the case,” Keefer said. “Connellsville is much improved, and a lot of our players got welcomed to varsity football. Connellsville punched us in the mouth.
“We had a lot of success in our first game, and maybe we took our foot off the gas last week. That’s something we have to correct.”
Hempfield’s offense likes to go at a quick tempo, and Keefer said penalties slowed them down.
“The conference schedule doesn’t start for us until we go to Penn-Trafford in a couple weeks,” Keefer said. “We still have the opportunity to straighten things out.”
Keefer said despite the loss, he liked how senior Lucas Moore played until the final whistle. Keefer also said he likes how the schedule makers allow local teams to play nonconference games against longtime rivals.
“It’s cool that the WPIAL scheduled a lot of local nonconference games,” Keefer said. “The players know a lot the Latrobe players. It should be fun.”
While Hempfield has another nonconference next week to work things out, Latrobe opens conference action Sept. 15 at home against Thomas Jefferson.
Rivalry battle
Hempfield leads Latrobe, 29-17-3, in their all-time series. Here’s a look at all 49 matchups:
2022: Hempfield, 49-14
2015: Hempfield, 62-12
2014: Hempfield, 28-14
2013: Hempfield, 28-7
2012: Hempfield, 43-7
2011: Latrobe, 35-14
2010: Latrobe, 14-12
2009: Hempfield, 40-33
2008: Hempfield, 24-14
2007: Hempfield, 18-7
2006: Latrobe, 21-7
2004: Latrobe, 35-20
2000: Hempfield, 29-6
1999: Latrobe, 14-13
1998: Latrobe, 43-34
1997: Latrobe, 14-5
1996: Hempfield, 26-8
1995: Hempfield, 21-12
1994: Latrobe, 20-8
1993: Latrobe, 21-3
1992: Hempfield, 29-7
1991: Hempfield, 10-3
1990: Hempfield, 45-13
1988: Hempfield, 20-6
1983: Hempfield, 9-6
1982: Hempfield, 28-0
1981: Latrobe, 19-13
1980: Latrobe, 14-13
1979: Hempfield, 35-7
1978: Tie, 0-0
1977: Hempfield, 20-0
1976: Latrobe, 22-6
1975: Hempfield, 20-0
1974: Hempfield, Forfeit
1973: Hempfield, 15-8
1972: Tie, 0-0
1971: Hempfield, 20-0
1970: Latrobe, 14-0
1969: Hempfield, 9-6
1968: Latrobe, 41-0
1967: Tie, 13-13
1966: Hempfield, 30-7
1965: Latrobe, 20-0
1964: Hempfield, 34-12
1963: Hempfield, 21-12
1962: Hempfield, 33-12
1961: Hempfield, 26-6
1960: Latrobe, 13-12
1959: Latrobe, 22-12
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
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