Westmoreland County high school notebook: Yough welcomes new girls soccer coach

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, July 22, 2023 | 6:01 AM

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Yough’s girls soccer team will have its third coach in three years with the hiring of Robert Broadwater, a Pennsylvania state trooper and former Yough middle school coach.

Broadwater also served as an assistant with Mike Veychek, who resigned after one season coaching the Cougars.

Broadwater was a varsity assistant and head junior varsity coach with the Belle Vernon boys from 2004-07, and also coached in the Yough Youth Soccer Association.

A perennial playoff team, Yough finished 10-7-1 last season and lost to Shady Side Academy, 6-1, in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A a playoffs.

GCC transfers

Three football players from Greensburg Central Catholic transferred to Geibel.

Senior running back/defensive back Da’sjon Craggette, junior lineman Jarrell Braxton, and junior wide receiver/linebacker Ethan Shawley opted to change schools.

Geibel has a football co-operative with Southmoreland, which means they could possibly play for the Scotties.

Craggette rushed for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

Volleyball stars

The Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association boys volleyball all-state teams feature a pair of county players.

Norwin junior Lucas Churchfield was named to the Class 3A second team.

Churchfield, a 5-foot-9 libero, helped lead the Knights (15-7) to the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Senior 6-foot-2 setter Daniel Tarabrella of Penn-Trafford was an honorable mention selection in 3A.

Penn-Trafford (18-3) reached the WPIAL semifinals and fell one win short of the PIAA playoffs.

Overall, six WPIAL players were first-team selections, including four in Class 3A.

Putting on the Reitz

Ryan Reitz is experiencing a new football program this summer as the first-year offensive coordinator at Central Catholic.

A Jeannette alum who coached offense at Jeannette and Hempfield in recent years, Reitz said he and the rest of new coach Ryan Lehmeier’s staff have felt welcomed to a program that has over 120 players signed up for this season.

“The kids are phenomenal people,” Reitz said. “They come up to you every day and ask how you’re doing. Ryan and I have known each other for about 10 years. I used to bounce ideas off of him when he was at Pine-Richland. I went up to their clinic.”

Reitz ran a fast-paced, no-huddle offense at Hempfield. He hopes the Vikings can run it as well.

“We blended a lot of stuff,” Reitz said. “Every team in the country has the same run game. It’s the passing stuff that changes.”

Reitz, 35, is putting miles on his car, but enjoying the new digs.

He continues to work as an inspirational counselor with Wesley Family Services, often speaking to prison inmates, aspiring coaches and other groups. Reitz will not coach with his father, Ray, the former championship coach at Jeannette. After the pair coached together at Hempfield, Ray Reitz also veered off this season and followed head coach Mike Brown to Norwin.

Hempfield staff

New head coach Nick Keefer has his staff ready to begin football season at Hempfield.

Nine assistants will join Keefer, who was himself an assistant for nine years with the Spartans.

Keefer will be the offensive coordinator and coach quarterbacks, while Joel Dolinski and Dave Murray lead the offensive line, Bret Colbert guides the wide receivers and special teams, Tim Keefer works with running backs and David Green the receivers, Zach Keefer will serve as defensive coordinator, Tyler Zimmerman is linebackers coach, Steve Santia has the defensive line, and Jim Kline covers the defensive backs.

Tim Keefer is Nick’s father who used to be the head coach at Oliver and is the head men’s basketball coach at Carlow.

Zach Keefer, Nick’s brother, is the head boys basketball coach at Frazier.

Dolinski is a former Seton Hill head coach, while Murray is the head track and field coach at Hempfield. Colbert used to be the head coach at Greensburg Central Catholic.

Zimmerman, who will continue to serve as strength and conditioning coach, and Santia are carryovers from Brown’s staff.

“We have a great group of guys,” Nick Keefer said. “We’ll take some time to mesh, but I am looking forward to working with them.”

Friday night lights

Hempfield is looking to give fans a better experience at football games and other night events this fall.

The district is updating Spartan Stadium with new LED lights, an improved sound system and a larger screen on its scoreboard.

Two years ago, the stadium received new turf.

The scoreboard screen, roughly 23-by-16 feet, will be able to show more graphics and add to in-game entertainment.

The plan is to get students involved with that aspect.

“Our board was antiquated,” athletic director Brandon Rapp said. “With state-of-the-art technology, why not take advantage of it?”

Rapp said the lights have two “animation” features. Gateway has the same lights at Antimarino Stadium on Monroeville. As an example, when goals are scored in soccer, the lights flash, with color changes an option.

Independence Health will be a key sponsor at the stadium.

Morgan offered

Mya Morgan, a rising senior basketball player at Greensburg Central Catholic, has an offer to play at John Carroll, a Division III school in University Heights, Ohio.

A guard, Morgan averaged 16.8 points and made 55 3-pointers last season for the Centurions, who reached the WPIAL 2A semifinals.

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

Tags: Central Catholic, Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough