Westmoreland notebook: Penn-Trafford pair pledge to John Carroll football

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 9, 2019 | 4:21 PM

John Carroll football is getting a package deal from Penn-Trafford.

Not long after senior linebacker Niko Rosso committed to the Division III program in University Heights, Ohio, senior wide receiver/defensive back Dimitri George decided to join him.

George (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) was the Warriors’ go-to receiver last season for junior quarterback Gabe Dunlap. George caught 36 receptions for 699 yards and eight touchdowns.

He added 38 tackles and an interception on defense. He said JCU recruited him as an athlete.

Rosso (6-1, 210) had 93 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions for the Warriors last season.

George and Rosso had offers from IUP.

Basketball playoffs

Coaches, athletic directors and WPIAL basketball steering committee members will convene at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree for the annual basketball playoff pairings meeting.

Westmoreland boys teams in the playoff tournaments include: Class 6A: Latrobe and Penn-Trafford; 5A: Franklin Regional; 4A: Derry and Belle Vernon; 3A: Southmoreland; 2A: Jeannette; A: Greensburg Central Catholic and Monessen.

Local girls qualifiers: 6A: Norwin; 5A: Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford; 4A: Southmoreland, Belle Vernon, Greensburg Salem; A: Greensburg Central Catholic.

Kickers sign

Penn-Trafford senior football kicker Keaton Hier signed to play at Cal (Pa.). Hier made 48 extra points and was 5 for 5 on field goals (63 points) last season for the Warriors.

He averaged 36.2 yards per punt.

Nathan Clair, meantime, who kicked for Latrobe, gave his signature to IUP. Clair was 9 of 15 on field goals in his career and was a dependable punter. He averaged 33.4 yards per punt, placing 13 inside the 20-yard line and six inside the 10.

Hogan to Edinboro

Greensburg Central Catholic lineman Matt Hogan signed with Edinboro. A 6-foot-2, 270-pound guard, Hogan also considered Lake Erie and Juniata.

Sarnelli picks UPJ

Penn-Trafford soccer player Gina Sarnelli signed to play at Pitt-Johnstown. The senior midfielder also considered Clarion, Waynesburg, Thiel, and Geneva.

More recruiting

• Greensburg Salem senior wrestler DaJauhn Hertzog committed to Pitt-Johnstown. Hertzog (25-3) is the Tribune-Review’s No. 5-ranked wrestler at 138 pounds.

• Hempfield senior tight end Clay Metz, who saw an uptick in interest over the last few weeks, signed with Seton Hill. He is a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end. He also had offers from Mercyhurst, Millersville, and Cal (Pa.).

• Yough lineman Nate McGill will continue his football career at Waynesburg.

• Greensburg Central Catholic senior receiver Jake Reihart and senior center Sergio Bell will play at Saint Vincent.

• Franklin Regional senior receiver/defensive back Mike Evans picked up an offer from Seton Hill.

Targets and tumblers

WPIAL championships will be decided this week in rifle and gymnastics — team and individual titles in both sports.

The WPIAL rifle team finals will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club, with the individual finals set for noon Thursday at the same site.

The gymnastics finals will be at Moon: the team event at 7 p.m. Friday; the individual finals at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Yough