Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Streak of teams reaching WPIAL finals continues

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, May 27, 2023 | 3:24 PM

Purchase Photo Options

With the Hempfield, Belle Vernon and Southmoreland softball teams, along with the Latrobe baseball team, reaching the WPIAL finals, a local streak continues.

Westmoreland has had a baseball or softball team in the championships every season since 2014, which means every season since the beginning of six classes.

(There was no spring season in 2020 because of the covid pandemic).

Local baseball champions since 2014 include Franklin Regional (2021), Latrobe (’17), Jeannette (’17), Norwin (’16) and Greensburg Central Catholic (’15).

Softball champions in that time were Mt. Pleasant (2021, ’16), Hempfield (’19, ’18, ’17, ’16, ’15), Southmoreland (’18) and Belle Vernon (’18, ’17, ’15). This is the sixth time since ’14 there are local baseball and softball teams in the finals.

It also is the sixth time multiple softball teams advanced to the title games.

The record was five in 2018: Monessen, Southmoreland, Belle Vernon, Hempfield and Latrobe.

Streaking, take 2

Hempfield softball has what is believed to be the longest winning streak in WPIAL softball history.

The Spartans, during a torrid, three-year reign, won 46 straight games from April 27, 2016, to April 22, 2018.

But they might soon have company.

Neshannock (19-0), the No. 1 seed in WPIAL Class 2A, takes a 45-game winning streak into Thursday’s championship against No. 2 Laurel (16-2).

Penn-Trafford ended Hempfield’s streak in a rare Sunday game. The final was 7-3 at Seton Hill.

The Spartans won five straight WPIAL titles from 2015-19. They went 27-0 in 2017. They also won three consecutive PIAA titles from ’16-18.

Roundball roundup

A number of area players took part in the Roundball Classic senior all-star basketball games last week.

The highlight for Westmoreland players was Yough’s Ty Travillion earning MVP honors for the East team in an 80-74 loss to the West.

Travillion scored a game-high 20 points.

Latrobe sophomore John Wetzel played in the first underclassmen game and earned MVP honors.

Milestone for DiDio

Penn-Trafford senior lacrosse player Sam DiDio reached 100 career points when the Warriors met South Fayette in the playoffs.

The midfielder reached the milestone in about two seasons.

Recruiting

Akron is the latest NCAA Division I program to offer a scholarship to Penn-Trafford junior football lineman Zach Tomosovich.

The Zips are the fourth school from the Mid-American Conference to show strong interest in Tomosovich (6-foot-5, 320 pounds).

He has 15 offers overall.

• Franklin Regional twins signed to play at the next level. Nolan Shilling will play golf at Youngstown State, and Gwen Shilling is headed to Grove City for lacrosse.

• Several Hempfield athletes signed to play at the next level: Dom Falcon (swimming, John Carroll); Nate Harden (swimming, Washington & Jefferson); Caden Horton (lacrosse/hockey, Saint Vincent); Ayiana Martin (track, Seton Hill); Zach Persinger (cheer, St. Francis); and Gage Wheaton (baseball, Seton Hill).

• Jeannette basketball player Jordan Bass will continue her playing career at Carlow. Her sister, Jada, will be a junior there next year.

• Aiden Johnson, a 6-2, 240-pound defensive end and H-back, and his Belle Vernon teammate, Dane Levi (6-3, 280), a lineman, picked up offers to play at Division II Clarion.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Derry Area, Hempfield, Jeannette, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Yough