Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Scoring duos filling the nets

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Carlo Denis and Kyler Miller have formed a formidable one-two scoring punch at Greensburg Central Catholic.

The senior pair combined for 54 goals through 10 games, making them the top scoring tandem in the WPIAL.

Denis had 32 goals and Miller 22.

But they are not alone.

Several other local players have partnered to create dual threats for teams.

Jeannette has Jordan Taylor and Austin Emery, who had combined for 38 goals, 27 from Taylor.

Taylor, a junior, reached a career milestone Tuesday night in a 6-3 win over Freeport: 100 goals.

Colton Hudson (11) and Gary Zhang (nine) were the top scorers for Franklin Regional, and Alex Brown (11) and Daniel Maddock (nine) were leading Norwin.

Streaks continue

Several local teams just keep winning.

Franklin Regional and Norwin extended their winning streaks to nine with wins Tuesday night, and Belle Vernon won its seventh straight game.

Nathaniel Kikel scored as time expired Tuesday to give Belle Vernon a walk-off win over Brownsville, 3-2.

@live_mvi does an amazing job with HS sports!!! With 1 second left. Too wild of a finish not to share. @KovatchTrevor to @NathanielKikel ⚽️ #HML pic.twitter.com/bcTnsOlU9v

— Coach Al (@AlYeschenko) October 5, 2022

Greensburg Central Catholic will take a 23-game section winning streak into next week’s Section 2-A action. The Centurions had won seven straight overall and had not lost in 11 tries in a row at home.

Playoff spots

Six county teams have secured spots in the WPIAL playoffs: Franklin Regional and Kiski Area in Class 3A, Belle Vernon and Mt. Pleasant in 2A and Burrell and Greensburg Central Catholic in A.

Playing for Joe

Franklin Regional is rallying to support Joe Purdue, a former Franklin Regional football player who is battling a brain tumor.

At last week’s home game against Penn-Trafford, the Panthers raised nearly $1,500 for the Purdue family.

Ranks update

Franklin Regional, after its upset of No. 1 Plum, moved up a spot to No. 4 in the TribLive HSSN Class 3A rankings.

Moon took over the No. 1 spot, and Plum dropped to No. 2.

Kiski Area is No. 3, and Thomas Jefferson stayed at No. 5.

Greensburg Central Catholic remained No. 3 in Class A behind Winchester Thurston and Sewickley Academy.

Class A newcomer Burrell cracked the top five for the first time.

The Buccaneers have won five straight, including a 3-1 win over Springdale, which just upset No. 1 Winchester Thurston, 3-1. That should shake up next week’s rankings.

Throw-ins

Franklin Regional has shut out 52 of its last 76 opponents dating to 2018. … Norwin allowed 13 goals in its first five games but has surrendered only four since. … Franklin Regional has allowed one goal since Sept. 1. … South Park is the only undefeated, untied team left in the WPIAL (14-0). … Oct. 13 is the final date for section games. The WPIAL will meet Oct. 19 to draw up playoff brackets, and the playoffs could begin as early as Oct. 20.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Norwin