Penn-Trafford secures a home play-off game with a 20-13 win over Greater Latrobe

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Mia Williams | October 26, 2024

The Penn-Trafford Warriors took down the Greater Latrobe Wildcats 20 to 13 on Oct. 25th at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. P-T relied on star running back Tasso Whipple and a strong defense to secure the victory.

P-T’s Nick Ponko lines up against Latrobe’s Danny Noonman

The game started with Latrobe on offense after a kickoff from Warrior sophomore Jack Miller. The Wildcats looked to find a way into the endzone but strong tackles from P-T’s Kellan Taylor and Jamison Yurt forced Latrobe to punt it away. This gave the opportunity for Penn-Trafford senior Whipple to secure a 9-yard touchdown with a throw from fellow senior, quarterback Jonny Lovre. Miller then made the extra point to put Penn-Trafford up 7-0 with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter.

But clearly up by only seven was not good enough for the Warriors because just 10 seconds later Whipple secured an interception, then bobbled the ball up which was grabbed by P-T quarterback Derek Carr who rushed it 22-yards into the endzone for the second Penn-Trafford touchdown of the night. Miller then came in and made his second extra point of the game.

With P-T up 14-0 with 5:59 left in the first quarter Latrobe was eager to score themselves. The Wildcats centered a good bit of their offensive plays around senior quarterback, John Wetzel, and senior running back, Brady Prohovich but unfortunately for them the Warrior defense was too strong and they punted the ball away. P-T also was then unable to advance anymore down the field and they punted the ball away to end the first quarter.

P-T celebrates after a touchdown

With Latrobe on offense to start the second quarter they looked to score with a first down catch by wide receiver Tyler Bauer, but a sack by Warrior junior Jacob Briggs got Penn-Trafford back on offense. But unfortunately for P-T no score change came in that drive and they punted the ball back to Greater Latrobe. But a false start call forced Latrobe to give the ball right back. But luckily for them they quickly got it back though with an interception from junior Wildcat, Luke Tomo, on the 10-yard line. This allowed for Wetzel to run the ball in from the 1-yard line and put Latrobe on the scoreboard. Kicker Roman Agostoni then made the extra point to shorten P-T’s lead to 14-7 with 2:15 left in the second quarter.

A good series of plays by Warrior’s Michael Cheplick, Micheal Botti and Whipple put P-T close enough for senior Dom Smith to get into the endzone but a penalty for Penn-Trafford canceled the touchdown. With less than 15 seconds left on the clock P-T wanted to extend their lead so they sent out Miller who secured a 34-yard field goal to make the lead 17-7 to end the first half.

Latrobe came out of the locker room after the half looking to take the lead and their playing reflected that. At just 9:03 left in the third quarter Wildcat junior Andy Tatsch, younger brother to Penn State commit Alex Tatsch, got a 52-yard pick six to shorten the Warrior’s lead to 17-13.

Latrobe’s Chris Cochran lines up for a play

The P-T offense, starting to feel the pressure of the Latrobe offense, knew that scoring on the next drive would be very beneficial to help guarantee a win. Whipple took the pressure head on and scored a touchdown but a penalty on P-T canceled out the touchdown and Penn-Trafford lost their second touchdown of the night to a penalty.

A solid run by Smith gave the Warrior’s some hope but an incomplete pass forced them to give it back to Latrobe on downs. Greater Latrobe had some hope to score but a sack by Whipple ended their chances and with it, the third quarter.

Latrobe started the final quarter with a bang with a tackle for loss by senior Cody Krall of P-T’s quarterback but it was not enough to stop Penn-Trafford’s Miller from getting his second field goal of the night and making P-T’s lead 20-13. Penn-Trafford’s defense once again proved their strength forcing Latrobe to put the ball back and end the game.

P-T’s Brandon Long (66) and Landyn Stikkel (33)

The final score was 20 to 13 in Penn-Trafford’s favor and with the win next week P-T secured their first home playoff game since 2021. Penn-Trafford ended the regular season 8-2 and will play an unknown opponent next Friday night at Warrior Stadium.

Contributions by Annabelle Aquino

Interview with Penn-Trafford’s @Jamison_Yurt @tasso_whipple @derekcarr_11 about their 20-13 win over Latrobe.@ptwarriorfb @PTWarriors @RushPedder @Mia_WilliamsPT pic.twitter.com/QoDZyQLo23

— Annabelle Aquino (@AnnabelleA_PT) October 26, 2024