Westmoreland high school notebook: No decision yet on 7-on-7 tournament

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, June 6, 2020 | 8:45 PM

The waiting game continues for the Westmoreland County Coaches Association 7-on-7 football championship.

Don’t write off the event just yet.

The county organization wants to have the annual passing tournament July 18 as scheduled but needs the go-ahead from the state in the way of Gov. Tom Wolf’s phased return to sports, a return to training by the WPIAL and PIAA and more interest from county coaches.

The problem is, coaches are just as uncertain about what is the right thing to do in the coming weeks and months. They, too, seem to be reserving judgment and awaiting guidance from the powers that be.

“As of now, we are in a holding pattern,” WCCA president Larry Sellitto said.

Sellitto said he only has heard back from four of 19 county coaches in the last six weeks. Three of them suggested waiting to proceed.

The WCCA also is awaiting word from Latrobe, which serves as the host site for the event, on whether it will be able to have the tournament again.

“Since none of us have been on the field with our teams, and being uncertain when exactly that might happen, preparation time for teams will be limited,” said Sellitto, who also serves as an assistant football coach at Franklin Regional. “Coaches certainly don’t want to press the issue and have a player injured prior to the season. Once the guidelines are set, I plan to reach out to all of the county head coaches to get their feelings on how to progress.”

Muchnock leaves Ringgold

Lindsy Muchnock, who has local ties, resigned as girls basketball coach at Ringgold after two seasons.

Muchnock, a former standout player at Latrobe who played her college basketball at Seton Hill, is taking a teaching position in Montgomery, Md.

After leaving Seton Hill, Muchnock was an assistant with the Latrobe girls for two years before serving as an assistant at Hempfield for one season. She later had a pair of one-year stints as a head coach, at Plum and Hempfield, leading the latter to the WPIAL quarterfinals in 2017-18.

Mt. Pleasant openings

Mt. Pleasant has had “multiple” applicants for its boys basketball coaching vacancy and is just beginning the initial interview phase, according to athletic director Chris Brunson.

The plan is to do face-to-face interviews using social distancing. Brunson said he would like to have a recommendation for the board by the June 29 meeting.

Allan Bilinsky resigned last month after two seasons leading the Vikings.

The district also is looking to hire coaches for boys golf and cheerleading.

Virtual banquet

The baseball team at Greensburg Central Catholic did not have a season this spring, but that did not prevent coaches and players from having a year-end banquet.

The event was done virtually via Zoom and was a way to honor the team’s six seniors.

“We had a great turnout,” first-year coach Tom Appleby said. “A lot of players and parents.”

Seniors were given the opportunity to say a few words, and Appleby highlighted each of the players’ contributions to the program, great and small.

GCC also recognized a former player, Brendan McGowan, who was killed about one year ago by a lightning strike at Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant Township.

“We had his initials on our caps this season,” Appleby said. “We delivered hats to his family and had a presentation (during the banquet).”

IUP women’s basketball coach Tom McConnell was a guest speaker during the web event. Appleby’s daughter, Carolyn, played for McConnell and was one of his top guards.

Recruiting

• Greensburg Central Catholic senior Ben LaCarte accepted a preferred walk-on offer to play football at Duquesne. He was recruited as a safety. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound LaCarte led GCC last season with eight interceptions and made 41 tackles. He was the second-leading receiver with 29 catches for 335 yards and six touchdowns.

• Fordham and Monmouth offered Norwin rising senior lineman Anthony Giansante (6-4, 290), bringing his number of interested Division I schools to eight.

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