Westmoreland County high school notebook: Southmoreland freshman adds another Division I offer

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Jackson Mickens is only a freshman, but he already has more Division I offers than a lot of seniors.

The fast-rising Southmoreland standout added a second scholarship offer last week as Miami (Ohio) reached out.

Mickens, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound receiver and defensive end, received an offer from Akron in January.

Last season, he was dependable and disruptive.

He had 38 receptions for 485 yards and six touchdowns as one of freshman quarterback Anthony Smith’s top targets. On defense, he made 45 tackles, eight for loss, 11 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Cager invites

Five basketball players from Franklin Regional were selected for the 28th Cager Classic all-star games April 5 at Highlands in Harrison Township.

The players will suit up for the East squads. They are Connor Crossey and Jonah Johnston for the boys and Addison Musto, Toryn Fulton and Madison DeRiggi for the girls.

The girls game is set for 5:30 p.m., with the boys to follow at 7:30.

A skills competition will be April 4.

Each team will have an MVP who will receive a $500 scholarship. The Cager, a staple in the A-K Valley sports year, also features seniors from Apollo-Ridge, Armstrong, Burrell, Butler, Cheswick Christian, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Hampton, Highlands, Kiski Area, Leechburg, Mars, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, St. Joseph, Valley and West Shamokin.

Irish eyes

The Kiski School football team is making an event out of its first game of the 2025 season.

The Cougars, under first-year coach Aaron Smetanka, who coached at Greensburg Central Catholic and Saint Vincent College, will travel to Ireland to start the year.

Kiski School will play the Junior Irish Wolfhounds on Aug. 22 in Dublin as part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament.

The team is set to arrive Aug. 20, hold a pep rally and tailgate leading up to kickoff, then attend the Kansas State-Iowa State game on Aug. 23.

Those college teams are playing in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

On the run

Annie Czajkowski enjoyed a trip to Boston for the New Balance Nationals track and field meet.

She brought home a few souvenirs, including a school record.

Czajkowski set the Norwin girls indoor record with a time of 5 minutes, 3.54 seconds in the mile to finish eighth in her heat.

The junior now has school records in the 800-, 1,600-, and 3,000-meter runs, the two-mile run and the 3,200-meter relay.

Net gains

After a strong start to the spring, Latrobe jumped from No. 8 to No. 4 in the latest Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association poll in Class 3A.

Norwin dropped one spot in No. 6, while Penn-Trafford went from No. 6 to No. 7 and Hempfield fell from the top 10.

In 2A, Derry remained at No. 8.

Recruiting

Latrobe junior football player Andy Tatsch added another Division I offer, from Dartmouth.

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

Tags: Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Hempfield, Kiski School, Latrobe, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland