Westmoreland County high school notebook: Football season begins with ‘heat week’

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, August 3, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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A PIAA custom since its inception in 2013, “heat week” is the unofficial start to high school football training camp, and it opens Monday around the state.

Players, who will don helmets and shoulder pads but can’t hit, are required to attend five consecutive days of heat acclimatization before the start of full-contact drills.

Official practice starts Aug. 12.

“It is an exciting time because it is the start of a new season,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “Heat camp is our first official opportunity to get better. “

Coaches often use stations to conduct noncontact drills, with mandatory water breaks to get players used to the conditions of camp week.

Teams will scrimmage Aug. 17, and the season opens with Week Zero games Aug. 23.

Offers for Berger, Brozeski

Norwin rising senior basketball players Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski are attracting college interest from Division II schools.

Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan have offered scholarships to both players, with Berger also drawing offers from Clarion and Seton Hill.

Brozeski also has an offer from IUP.

Berger and Brozeski were key players on last year’s WPIAL 6A championship team. Berger was the second-leading scorer for the Knights, and Brozeski was a key reserve.

Another rising senior player for Norwin, Bella Furno, has an opportunity to play at Division III Chatham.

Patterson transfers

Rising junior Jiana Patterson, a talented soccer player, is transferring from Greensburg Central Catholic to Hempfield.

A forward, Patterson has 31 goals and 23 assists in two seasons playing in the WPIAL.

Patterson, a Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy player who made the Exact 11 international team that played in Europe last spring, also is a thrower in track and field.

MP coach searches

Mt. Pleasant has a pair of head coaching vacancies to fill, and interviews have begun for one of the jobs.

The girls basketball opening will be the first to be filled, likely by the end of the month. Scott Giacobbi resigned after 19 seasons.

Once Giacobbi’s replacement is named, the district will begin its search for a softball coach.

Chris Brunson stepped down after six seasons in charge of the softball team to become the head coach at Waynesburg University.

Finals at Norwin again

The WPIAL football championships again will be divided across two weekends. Norwin Knights Stadium again will host a pair of title games: Class 4A and 6A on Nov. 16.

The other four games (5A, 3A, 2A and A) will be Nov. 23 at Acrisure Stadium.

Norwin has been hosting football finals since 2018.

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

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Hempfield, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin