Westmoreland high school week ahead: Week of May 6, 2019

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, May 5, 2019 | 6:30 PM

MONDAY

Track and field: The Norwin girls and Hempfield boys will chase titles at the WPIAL team championships at beginning at 4 p.m. at Peters Township.

Softball: Jeannette has clinched a playoff berth in Section 3-A, and an upset at Springdale could go a long way to improve the Jayhawks’s standing.

Other local teams already in the playoffs will jockey for position in the final week of the regular season. That is the case in Section 1-5A with Franklin Regional visiting Latrobe and Laurel Highlands going to Penn-Trafford.

A couple of good nonsection games are Ligonier Valley at Derry and Southmoreland at Albert Gallatin.

Baseball: Latrobe at Hempfield could help to decide the final playoff spot in Section 2-6A, and Norwin at Penn-Trafford could settle the section title.

Again, playoff positioning will be the order of the day in Section 1-4A with Yough at Derry and Knoch playing Greensburg Salem at 5 p.m. at Seton Hill.

Yough and Greensburg Salem are battling for the section title.

Other important games: Thomas Jefferson at Belle Vernon (Section 3-4A) and Serra Catholic at Jeannette (3-2A).

Boys tennis: Franklin Regional will take on Peters Township in the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals.

TUESDAY

Softball: Jeannette at Greensburg Central Catholic in Section 3-A will help get the teams ready for the postseason. GCC may need to win to clinch a berth.

Some intriguing nonsection matchups include Belle Vernon at Mt. Pleasant, Elizabeth Forward at Penn-Trafford and Ligonier Valley at Pine-Richland.

Baseball: Two local nonsection games of note are Steel Valley at Greensburg Central Catholic and Ligonier Valley at Latrobe. The latter will start at 7 p.m.

Boys volleyball: Section 3-AAA could go down to the wire, and a key match has second-place Hempfield at third-place Norwin.

WEDNESDAY

Softball: Playoff tuneups will carry the day, with Frazier at Yough, Leechburg at Greensburg Salem, Ligonier Valley at Latrobe and Penn-Trafford at Norwin.

Baseball: Section standings will begin to settle this week, and three key local games will make that happen: Norwin at Latrobe (2-6A), Gateway at Franklin Regional (1-5A) and Greensburg Salem at Mt. Pleasant (1-4A). The latter two have section-title implications.

THURSDAY

Boys volleyball: The best match of the night could be at Hempfield, where the Spartans host Section 3-AAA-leading Latrobe. Norwin at Penn-Trafford also will attract a crowd.

Softball: The WPIAL will release playoff brackets. The postseason is scheduled to begin May 13.

Two nonsection games worth a look are Norwin at Franklin Regional and Southmoreland at Mt. Pleasant.

Baseball: Franklin Regional at Penn-Trafford will be a stern nonsection test for both playoff teams.

FRIDAY

Baseball: The WPIAL will release playoff brackets. Like softball, the postseason is scheduled to begin May 13.

SATURDAY

Football: The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Underclassmen Showcase will get underway at 9 a.m. at Hempfield. Dozens of college coaches will evaluate players through various drills.

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