Westmoreland high school notebook: Penn-Trafford, Hempfield football games will play as scheduled

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, September 13, 2020 | 3:18 PM

The status of a pair of local Week 2 football games is no longer up in the air.

Penn-Trafford will play at Class 5A No. 3 Peters Township, and Seneca Valley will visit Hempfield on Friday night.

Peters Township canceled in-person classes recently because of possible covid cases, but the Indians have resumed football workouts. Peters had to postpone its opening game against South Fayette.

Seneca Valley postponed its scrimmage and its opener at North Allegheny as a covid precaution. The school shut down for two days but is back up and running. The brief closure set the football team behind with heat week workouts and players had to reset their clocks for mandatory practice minimums.

So, Penn-Trafford (1-0) and Hempfield (1-0) will be getting opponents that have yet to play a down of football.

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Nemeth reunion

Greensburg Central Catholic girls soccer fans will remember the play well. Jessica Nemeth took a redirect from her sister, then-senior Sam Nemeth, and tapped the ball into the net for a golden goal as GCC knocked off top-seeded Freedom, 4-3, in last year’s WPIAL Class A semifinals.

That connection could happen again at the college level. Jessica Nemeth has committed to play at Division II IUP, where her sister is a freshman soccer player.

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For kicks

WPIAL soccer season starts Monday. Some of the top boys section openers in the area include Central Catholic at Norwin, Connellsville at Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Salem at Thomas Jefferson, Ringgold at Belle Vernon, and Waynesburg at Southmoreland.

Ligonier Valley also makes its WPIAL return at Leechburg.

On the girls’ side, Greensburg Central Catholic hosts Springdale, Albert Gallatin visits Greensburg Salem and Ligonier Valley visits Conemaugh Township in its first WPIAL game since the late 1970s.

Some of the better girls section openers will be Tuesday with Fox Chapel at Penn-Trafford, Latrobe at Norwin, and Waynesburg at Mt. Pleasant.

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Wehner watch

Another freshman football player to watch, maybe now and surely in the future, is Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner.

A transfer from Norwin, he is a fast-rising quarterback who also can be a difference-maker in basketball. He was part of a five-player competition to play quarterback this season for the Vikings. His father, Jim, is an assistant coach at Central.

Payton’s sister, Jayla, was a recent a basketball standout at Norwin. She is playing at Marian.

Norwin hosts Central Catholic on Friday night.

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Kimmich playing golf

Franklin Regional senior Luke Kimmich has made his mark in soccer and basketball, playing pivotal roles in both sports.

But he has taken up a third sport for this fall. He is playing for the golf team — and playing well.

“What a huge pick-up he’s been,” Panthers golf coach Jeff Traphagen said. “He’s a straight-out athlete. He has been our wild card.”

Kimmich carded an even-par 36 in a win over Plum and has been in the high 30s in a few other matches for Franklin Regional (5-0).

Several times, Kimmich has played a golf match, then headed to soccer practice. With soccer playing games next week, he could be more limited for golf.

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Course dominance

Greensburg Central Catholic’s girls golf team is 4-0, and the Centurions have not lost since 2015 — a span of more than 50 matches. The team has not kept a running total because it lost track of so many wins.

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What a match

Penn-Trafford and Norwin played a dandy of a boys golf match Thursday at Manor Valley. Seven players posted rounds in the 30s as Norwin edged the Warriors, 188-189, in their home opener.

For Norwin, Sal Cerilli tied for medalist honors with a 34. Nate Graham shot 36, Trent Kablach added a 37 and Logan Divald shot 39. Nick Turowski also had 34, Alex Turowski posted 36 and Josh Kapcin 39 for Penn-Trafford.

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Tyree coaching again

Tim Tyree, a Monessen grad who coached the Vincentian boys basketball team to a WPIAL title in 2018, has a new coaching position. Tyree has joined the men’s staff at Chatham.

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, Monessen, Norwin, Penn-Trafford