SPORTS

In a groundbreaking achievement, the West Suburban ages 11 and under Boys Little League team has made it to the State Tournament for the first time ever! This milestone comes after the team’s impressive victory in the Section 4 Championship, where they triumphed over Holidaysburg, State College, and Northern Lebanon.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — On Saturday night, the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame returned to the Cambria County War Memorial for the first time in 34 years. Seven people were inducted in the Class of 2024, from athletes, to coaches and an official. The Hall of Fame called...

Windber Area School District's Board of Directors made a game-changing decision last Thursday, approving an agreement to purchase the Iron Horse Sports Complex for $4 million. The Iron Horse is a top-of-the-line complex with indoor facilities and four ballfields that will benefit the Ramblers for years to come. "It's great...

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) – Bishop McCort graduate Aidan Layton has been drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 17th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Layton, 2020 graduate for the Crushers, played collegiate baseball at Division II Seton Hill, where he stood out to scouts. This past season, Layton had a 3.15 earned runs average […]

Playing fundamental baseball proved to be the right recipe for the Latrobe American Legion team in the District 31 championship game Wednesday. Despite two delays, an hour and 45 minutes because of rain and 25 minutes because the lights went out, Latrobe rolled to a 7-0 victory. The Jethawks will...

The District 31 Senior Legion All-Section Team was released yesterday, and several Indiana County stars made the team. Homer City Post 493 infielder Braden Dunn and outfielder Rocco Cosentino both made first team. Dunn batted .407 and had an OPS of .985, with 22 Hits, 16 RBIs and 17 runs. Cosentino batted .378 with an OPS of 1.138, 14 hits, 3 doubles, 4 triples, 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

The PA Youth Legion Western Regional Baseball Tournament comes once more to First Commonwealth Bank Field this week, hosted by the Homer City Area Athletic Boosters. After the unfortunate withdrawal of Marion Center, Indiana County will be represented by league champion S.W. Jack. The action gets underway on Friday. The...

Jul. 15—A few lines of type. That's what started Sue Hozak down the road to a long and distinguished coaching career at Saint Vincent. Hozak has been at the helm of the Bearcats women's volleyball team since its inception in 1985, and this fall, she begins her 40th season on the sidelines. She has coached long enough to oppose her oldest daughter, Kristin Consuegra, who served as Chatham's ...

Latrobe pitcher Jack Stynchula makes a play on a bunt during the District 31 American Legion semifinals against Hempfield East last year. Paul Schofield | TribLive. With the Pennsylvania American Legion Region 7 tournament beginning Saturday, how do Murrysville coach Bob Bozzuto and Latrobe coach Jason Bush handle Wednesday’s District 31 championship game, set for 5:30 p.m. at Greater Latrobe High School? Both coaches are taking the same approach by agreeing with former New York Jets coach Herman Edwards, who said, "You play to win the game.” "We’re treating this like any other game,” Bozzuto said. "There is a lot of tradition, and we’re playing a great program in Latrobe. They’ve been very consistent, and it’s a nice challenge for us. "… We have to play the best possible game.” Latrobe and Murrysville played once this season, and the game ended in a 4-4 tie. It was a game both teams let slip away. Latrobe took a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning by taking advantage of two Murrysville errors. Murrysville tied the score in the sixth inning by taking advantage of Latrobe miscues. "Both teams walked away disappointed that they didn’t win,” Bush said. "You only get so many chances to play for a championship. "We’ll do what we can to win it. We have a game plan, and hopefully we can execute it. Obviously, the pitchers we use probably won’t be eligible to pitch until Monday.” But both teams have deep and strong pitching staffs. Murrysville’s top hurlers are Colin Watson (1.71 earned run average), Erik Streussnig (1.34), Blake Bertucci (1.05) Cole Brinker (1.05) and Josh Hudak (1.50). Max Bernadowski, who was one of the top pitchers for Franklin Regional, hasn’t thrown this summer. Latrobe can counter on the mound with Jack Stynchula (7-0), Haden Sierocky (5-0), Tyler Smith (5-0) and Cole Short (5-0). Logan Bradish, who no-hit Lower Burrell, is another pitcher Bush can use. "You need a lot of arms in the regions and states,” Bush said. "We have a lot of guys to go with. "We’re a pitch-to-contact staff. Our pitchers rely on our defense, which has been great.” And both teams have potent bats the pitchers have to control. Murrysville’s top hitters are Bernadowski (.420), first baseman Nolan Boehm (.418, 17 RBIs), outfielder Brody Reese (.418, 22 RBIs), Bertucci (.405) and Brinker (.380). Erick Batista leads the Jethawks. He’s batting.480 and has scored 50 runs. "He set the table for us from the leadoff spot,” Bush said. Other top hitters include Bradish (.480), Smith (.416) and Sierocky (39 RBIs). "It was nice that some of the older players decided to come back for one more year,” Bush said. "They’ve been great all season, and they don’t want to see the season to end too soon.” Both teams are 4-0 in the playoffs. Murrysville swept Mt. Pleasant and Bushy Run in two games, while Latrobe swept Yough and Hempfield East. The two teams might not have to wait long to get a rematch. If they both are victorious Saturday, they square off Sunday. The District 31 champion will face Bedford at 1:05 p.m. The District 31 runner-up battles host Claysburg at 7:05 p.m. The third place team from the district will face St. Michel at 10:15 a.m., and the fourth place team gets Philipsburg at 4:05 p.m. The third-place game features Hempfield East against Bushy Run at Penn-Trafford at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com. Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free. Get Ad-Free > Sign Up for NotificationsStay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE.

The District 31 American Legion baseball championship game is set, as Latrobe and Murrysville punched their tickets over the weekend. The Jethawks swept Hempfield East in the best-of-three semifinals, winning 1-0 on Friday and scoring a decisive 9-1 triumph on Saturday. In the first victory at Greater Latrobe High School, Haden Sierocky provided the walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, which scored Erick Batista. Jack Stynchula was stellar on the mound for the Jethawks, as he limited Hempfield East to just three hits in the shutout. On Saturday at the University of Pitt-Greensburg, Tyler Smith thrived on the hill, as he spun a three-hitter. Offensively, Smith was 3-for-3, Batista had a pair of hits and two RBIs, and Cooper Basciano also had two hits. In the other semifinals, the Eagles bested Bushy Run 4-3 on Saturday, and edged the Beavers 2-1 on Sunday. In Game 1 at Penn-Trafford High School, the Eagles threw out the potential tying run, Jonny Lovre, at the plate to end the game. Murrysville scored a pair of runs apiece in the second and third innings, as Nolan Boehm had two hits, a pair of RBIs, and scored twice, while Brody Reese notched two doubles. On Sunday at Haymaker Park, the Eagles scored twice in the opening inning, and that was enough run support for pitchers Erik Streussnig and Blake Bertucci. Streussnig and Boehm produced RBIs, while Reese and Cole Brinker each collected two hits. As a result, the top-seeded Jethawks will host No. 3 Murrysville on Wednesday at 5:30, while Bushy Run will welcome Hempfield East in the consolation game at the same time.

District six lost a lot of top running backs to graduation a year ago. A lot of players need to step up to replace these backs. Let’s go over the top returning running backs in the district six for the 2024 season. -Grady Snyder, Central Cambria (2025) •5.7 Yards...