Westmoreland high school notebook: Flamingos ‘flock’ to area for Belle Vernon fundraiser

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, October 3, 2021 | 3:56 PM

Plastic pink flamingos have been showing up in yards around Belle Vernon, but for good reason.

The Belle Vernon girls soccer team isn’t out to prank anyone. It’s quite the opposite, in fact.

It is all part of a fundraiser that is back for a second straight year.

Money raised goes to the Mon Valley Hospital Cancer Center. The pink flamingos represent October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

There are two teams, with an upperclass player as a driver for each. The teams travel around and place pre-decorated flamingos in random yards.

Each plastic bird comes with a letter with instructions on how to on how to get it removed, “You’ve Been Flocked” the catchphrase to label the concept.

The idea is for those “flocked” to make a donation of $10 or more before they choose where the next bird will be posted.

“The faster the teams move the birds, the more money we make for MVH,” Leopards coach Tracy Lovett said. “We keep track of what bird has the most moves and things like that, too. It’s fun, plus it is done by the players and not just parents.”

The fundraiser also is a team-bonding event.

“MVH was so appreciative last year,” Lovett said. “I like to promote community service. We also went as a team a couple times in the winter to the Bag Brigade and filled food bags. That’s a nice one also. It’s so important to give back.”

Between the pink flamingo event and a pink-out game last year, Belle Vernon donated more than $1,500 to MVH.

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Golf finals

Seven Westmoreland players will compete in the WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship Tuesday at Nemacolin Country Club in Beallsville: Patrick Bush and Tyler Mocello of Belle Vernon; Nolan Shilling, Zach Abdallah and Jeff Anderchak of Franklin Regional; and Nick Turowski and Chase Crissman of Penn-Trafford.

Belle Vernon has not had an individual golf champion since Bo Lustig in 2010, and Tim Moynahan was Franklin Regional’s last champion, in 2002.

Lustig and Moynahan are their school’s lone golf champions.

Penn-Trafford has never had a WPIAL champ in the sport.

The girls Class 3A and 2A finals will be Thursday at Hannasown Golf Club in Greensburg.

Local players in the 3A field are Belle Vernon’s Adreana Scaramucci, Caroline Tragesser and Anna Qin of Franklin Regional, and Raina Jones of Hempfield. Local 2A qualifiers are Meghan Zambruno, Ella Zambruno, Izzy Aigner and Liv Kana of Greensburg Central Catholic.

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Ryder Cup rules

Franklin Regional used some Ryder Cup inspiration to have some fun with a recent nonsection match, converting the format in a nine-hole match against Penn-Trafford at Meadowink Golf Course.

Each team used eight players, and each match was worth points. Three holes were best ball format, three were alternate shot and three others were singles.

Franklin Regional won, 28-20.

Zach Abdallah and Ben Yurko won, 9-3, and Jeff Anderchak and Abdallah picked up 7.5 points in their match. Nolan Shilling and Dan Rafferty also picked up a victory, 6.5 to 5.5.

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Wildcats on a roll

Like its girls basketball team, Latrobe has size and skill around the net in girls volleyball, too.

Senior 6-foot-2 middle hitter Anna Rafferty and 6-1 junior Emma Blair, a dynamic duo in basketball have powered the Wildcats to five straight wins and a record of 8-2 (5-2 section).

Sophomore Elle Snyder, another talented basketball player, also is a key contributor at outside hitter. Junior setter Lilly Fenton gets the attack started. She recently was named the Western PA Volleyball Coaches Association Class AAAA Player of the Week.

Fenton had 55 assists in a win over Hempfield.

Latrobe is ranked No. 10 in Class AAAA.

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Recruiting

Speaking of Latrobe basketball, junior forward Camille Dominick, a 6-foot forward, has an offer to play at Division III Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

Stevens plays in the Division III Middle Atlantic Conference.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford