Westmoreland high school notebook: Pecora joins Hoffer’s football staff at Yough

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, July 19, 2025 | 3:57 PM

Purchase Photo Options

They used to cook up pizzas — and 100-yard games — together, but Ben Hoffer and Dom Pecora will be coaching comrades this season at Yough.

Pecora, the former head coach at Southmoreland and East Allegheny who most recently worked as an assistant at Penn-Trafford, is joining Hoffer’s staff.

Hoffer calls Pecora a “senior consultant,” but mentor is more appropriate.

Pecora coached Hoffer at Yough from 2005-08. He was in charge the last time the Cougars won a conference title.

Hoffer worked for Pecora at Dom’s Pizzeria in Trafford.

“It means the world to me both coaching and personally,” Hoffer said about adding Pecora. “He coached us to an undefeated ninth grade season (9-0), the last ninth grade team Yough ever had. In his four years as my running back coach, I had two 1,000-yard seasons and a 401-yard game.

“Also, in life, he has been inspirational and has helped me along the way. Having him on staff is a blessing that I can’t imagine.”

Pecora led East Allegheny to eight straight playoff appearances, a conference title and a semifinal appearance in his final season.

Shootout moved

The annual Shootout at Seton Hill basketball showcase has a new venue and name.

It will now be the Shootout at Saint Vincent College.

The event, set for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2026, has been moved from one Westmoreland County college venue to another.

Seton Hill was temporarily unavailable for those dates because the university was waiting for PSAC schedules to come out, Shootout organizer Allen Deep said.

There will be 16 teams competing in this year’s event, including boys and girls from Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic, McKeesport and Bishop Guilfoyle, as well as boys teams from Jeannette, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Burrell, Kiski Area, Geibel, Armstrong and Eden Christian.

Ligonier Valley vs. Latrobe and Jeannette vs. Franklin Regional are notable matchups.

Greensburg Central Catholic’s teams will play Bishop Guilfoyle as usual, only at the Shootout instead of a yearly home-and-home series.

Roll out the carpet

Latrobe football normally has its summer workouts at Rossi Field, the school’s turf stadium.

But Rossi Field is getting new turf, which has forced the Wildcats to hold workouts off campus.

The turf project, which also includes fresh carpet at the baseball and softball layouts at Graham-Sobota Field, also forced the WCCA 7-on-7 passing tournament to move to a new site at Hempfield.

Latrobe’s team has set up on a grass field behind Memorial Stadium, their home venue.

Memorial Stadium is unavailable because it will be used for the Steelers’ annual Friday night practice.

“I’ve put the water cooler on the back of my truck,” Latrobe first-year coach Tom McIntyre said. “We’ve hauled equipment down there a few times a week. It’s nice we still have the locker rooms there to use.

“We understand, and we’ve made it work with minimum distractions.”

Rossi Field is expected to be ready by Aug. 1, so the Wildcats will be able to have training camp on campus as usual.

Net gains

Senior setter Eric Bisignani and senior outside hitter Owen Ward, both of Latrobe, were honorable-mention selections on the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A boys all-state team.

The 6-foot-4 Bisignani and 6-2 Ward were joined by Penn-Trafford senior Owen Gisi, a 6-4 middle hitter.

Recruiting

Penn-Trafford football player Jamison Yurt has an opportunity to play at Case Western Reserve in Ohio. Yurt (6-1, 220) is a fullback and linebacker for the Warriors.

Lending a hat

The Hempfield football team received a hefty donation to keep contact safe on the field.

Car dealership Jim Shorkey gave the Spartans $5,400 to purchase guardian caps for the team. Guardian caps are the soft-shell helmet covers used to absorb shock from impact and help to reduce head injuries.

Players mainly wear them in practice. While not mandatory, they also can be worn in games.

The Hempfield boosters reached out to Shorkey seeking sponsorship.

“We appreciated Mr. Shorkey making this initiative a reality,” Spartans booster president Jennifer Lippman said. “He went above and beyond to ensure the importance of player safety.”

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

Tags: Hempfield, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Yough