Westmoreland high school notebook: Franklin Regional’s Bunker lauded

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, November 19, 2023 | 5:38 PM

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A college freshman now, Aiden Bunker still is reaping the rewards of a terrific career as a student-athlete at Franklin Regional.

The 2023 graduate who currently is a swimmer at Villanova, Bunker was named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All-American list, a notable accomplishment for the former WPIAL standout.

The list includes 1,135 athletes in grades 9-12 who maintained a minimum GPA of 3.5 and met the competition criteria during the qualifying period.

Bunker won a PIAA Class 3A title with the Panthers’ 200-yard medley relay alongside Holden Thomas, Ben Holm and Jason Tosh. He also had a runner-up finish in the 200 free relay (Jason Tosh, Thomas, Holm), and was third in the 200 individual medley.

Bunker was a five-time National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s All-American and holds five Franklin Regional school records.

Soccer all-stars

Ten players and one coach from Westmoreland County schools were selected to participate in the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association boys all-star games Saturday at Pine-Richland.

The first game features Class A vs Class 2A at noon, followed by Class 3A vs. 4A at 2 p.m.

Norwin’s Scott Schuchert, who guided Norwin to its first WPIAL championship and the PIAA 4A semifinals, will lead the 4A all-stars.

The local players are Anthony Scalise and Owen Christopher of Norwin (4A), Dom Kaforey of Franklin Regional and Ben Luchs of Penn-Trafford (3A), Jordan Taylor of Jeannette and Austin Ulery and Luke Rivardo of Mt. Pleasant (2A) and Luke Guerinni, Jayson Ireland and Cam Wagner of Burrell (A).

Other coaches are Nick Malabri of Bentworth (Class A), Marc Bellora of South Park (2A) and Matt McAwley of Hampton (3A).

Resting on Laurel 

Mt. Pleasant sophomore goalkeeper Laurel Rummel has developed into a legitimate shot-stopper for the soccer team.

An All-WPIAL player this season, Rummel had 16 shutouts, giving her 33 for her two-year career.

Rummel tied Anna Riddle for fourth in program history with 16 wins this season and 37 in her career.

By a nose 

Greensburg Central Catholic senior basketball player Mya Morgan could be wearing a face mask early in the season as she recovers from a broken nose she suffered while playing in the fall.

Morgan was going to the basket when she fell awkwardly and hit the floor face down.

Morgan, a Cal (Pa.) commit who needs 65 points for 1,000 in her career, had surgery Nov. 9.

“It’s not the most comfortable thing,” she said of the nose guard. “I will see how it goes.”

Recruiting 

Penn-Trafford senior swimmer Patton Graziano signed to continue his career at West Virginia.

Graziano won 100-yard freestyle titles at the WPIAL Class 3A championships and at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships.

He also placed fifth at the PIAA meet.

• Southmoreland senior Gabriella Grabiak signed to play softball at Pitt-Greensburg. She is a utility infielder who saw time at first, second and third base for the perennially strong Scotties.

Grabiak also plays volleyball at Southmoreland.

• Norwin senior football player Luke Denny had a breakthrough season with 45 receptions for a school-record 1,060 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had 60 tackles and an interception on defense.

Denny grabbed his second Division II scholarship offer, from IUP. The Crimson Hawks join Clarion as schools from the PSAC recruiting Denny.

• Franklin Regional senior Max Bernadowski signed a letter of intent play baseball at Slippery Rock. He is a shortstop and right-handed pitcher for the Panthers.

• Shaeley Reichbaum of Franklin Regional signed to continue her soccer career at St. John Fisher, a Division III program in Rochester, N.Y. Reichbaum played mainly forward for Franklin Regional.

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

Tags: Burrell, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland