LAKE TWP. ‒ A 68-year-old Mogadore man was shot over the weekend during an altercation with an Uber driver, Uniontown police said Police Chief Michael Batchick said police were called to the 600 block of Pontius Road at 12:15 a.m He said that an altercation began for an unknown reason inside the vehicle The Uber driver was taking the client to his home at the time The passenger was taken to the Summa Health — System Akron Campus His injuries were described as not being life-threatening Batchik said the incident is under investigation "We gathered evidence and once we are able to go through all the evidence then it will be determined whether charges will be filed or not," he said Northwest Canton: Man hospitalized after being shot at a home Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com A homeless man is charged with setting fire to international flags in the George Marshall Memorial Plaza Friday morning raising the Turkish flag on a pole as it was actively burning They had been dispatched to the scene upon hearing reports of a man pulling down the Chinese flag and lighting it on fire Police arrested Jones as the fire department arrived on scene and put out the fire Jones faces charges in connection with the Turkish flag as well as that of Sweden which was also found to be burnt beyond use There was no motive indicated for the fires or the choice of flags The city put the cost of replacing the flags and ropes at $280.06 a Uniontown native who went on to become U.S secretary of state and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Jones is charged with institutional vandalism of property as well as misdemeanor charges of intentional desecration of public property Jones is lodged in the Fayette County jail If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy — The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Wednesday crash on Grafton Road that claimed the life of a Uniontown woman and injured three other people deputies were sent to the 2500 block of Grafton Road (Route 119) to respond to a three-vehicle collision According to information provided by the sheriff’s office a 2020 Harley-Davidson ridden by Brian Livingood of Reedsville followed by a 2017 Ford F-250 driven by Jerry Robinson with passenger Michael Mitchell A 2003 Mercury Mountaineer operated by Chelsea Deziray Johnson of Uniontown was traveling north when the vehicle crossed the center line and entered the southbound lane Johnson’s vehicle apparently struck the rear of Livingood’s motorcycle The Mercury then collided head-on with the pickup truck Livingood suffered serious injuries and was transported to Ruby Memorial Hospital where he remained in the intensive care unit as of Thursday morning Robinson and Mitchell were taken to the same hospital for treatment of minor or non-life-threatening injuries Anyone with additional information and/or video footage of the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 304-291-7260 Copyright © Herald-Standard | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Restaurant Brings Approximately 100 Jobs to Community Donates $25,000 to Address Food Insecurity  The Chick-fil-A PlayTM  App is your home for free games and activities designed to create more time with your favorite people a Uniontown woman sentenced to up to 19 years in prison in the death of her 23-month-old daughter is out on bond was granted non-monetary bond on Wednesday by Fayette County Judge Linda Cordaro Dusha’s attorneys told the judge that she will live with her mother her 13-year-old son and her sister in Greensburg Dusha’s release comes as she awaits an appeal hearing in June to determine whether she will get a new trial in the death of her daughter were living in Fayette County when they were charged with the child’s death from malnutrition and dehydration who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in 2018 wants her plea and sentence vacated because prosecutors relied on a report from pathologist Dr Cyril Wecht that stated Lydia weighed 10 pounds when she died another pathologist reviewed the evidence and testified that the weight was incorrect leading both Wright and Dusha to file post-conviction appeals Wright’s appeal was resolved after the state attorney general’s office dismissed his third-degree murder conviction last year He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to time served Dusha’s case is still being handled by the county district attorney’s office which is fighting the post-conviction appeal “This is unprecedented; I’ve never seen anything like this before It’s truly an extraordinary case,” her attorney Robert Perkins said during the bail hearing on Monday “I think it’s an injustice that Mr who was released from the county jail on Wednesday had to report to the county adult probation office for pretrial services The bail order specifically noted that Dusha did not have to wear an ankle monitor Neither Dusha’s attorneys nor Assistant District Attorney Melinda Dellarose A Uniontown woman sentenced for third-degree murder in the 2016 death of her 23-month-old daughter is now seeking bail as she petitions the court for a new trial appeared before Fayette County Judge Linda Codaro on Monday argued that prosecutors relied on “erroneous” evidence about how her daughter weighed when she died in 2016 “Andrea Dusha is in jail for murdering her daughter when Dusha’s daughter’s death was not a homicide,” Perkins said were living in Fayette County when they were charged with the death of their daughter Lydia Prosecutors relied on a report from forensic pathologist Dr Cyril Wecht that said the child weighed 10 pounds another pathologist looked at the evidence and testified the weight was incorrect Wright’s appeal was resolved after the state attorney general’s office dismissed his third-degree murder conviction He pleaded guilty to lesser changes and was sentenced to time served Assistant District Attorney Melinda Dellarose argued Dusha’s circumstances differed from her boyfriend’s while Dusha pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and accepted her 9 ½-to-19-year sentence She took responsibility for the death of her 23-month-old child,” Dellarose said Dusha’s attorney argued that because the state prosecutors already determined Lydia’s death was not a homicide in Wright’s case that finding should extend to Dusha’s since both cases used the same evidence It’s truly an extraordinary case,” Perkins said Dusha’s attorneys have argued – unsuccessfully – to remove county prosecutors from her case and have the state attorney general’s office oversee the case as they did Wright’s her attorneys said she’s made the most out of her decade in prison receiving straight A’s in her college-level courses and working as a tutor she has also been an active participant in the county’s IGNITE re-entry program “While many people would have given up after experiencing the horrors that Ms who will require “substantial help” as she recovers from a severe leg injury Dusha’s mother currently lives with her younger sister and Dusha’s 13-year-old son in Greensburg Felicia works as an assistant public defender in Pittsburgh Codaro said she would make a decision soon on whether to grant bail Uniontown police are seeking two teenagers who allegedly stole a firearm from an apartment receiving stolen property and carrying a firearm without a license Grooms faces several criminal conspiracy charges Tuesday police were called to the 100 block of Pershing Court Charging documents accuse Floyd and Grooms of holding Jae’din Lewis at gunpoint and forcing their way into his apartment The pair allegedly fled the apartment with a handgun belonging to Lewis’ mother There are active warrants for the arrests of both Floyd and Groom A tradition dating back to the 1930s will again wind its way through the streets of Uniontown organized by American Legion Lafayette Post 51 It has its roots in the response to radical activity in Fayette County that followed the coal strike of 1933 communists asked the city for permission to hold a May Day parade a pro-worker celebration commonly held in the Soviet Union and other countries A simple yes or no could stoke unrest either way A group of five Legionnaires proposed a compromise: a large celebration and parade celebrating America that could encompass everybody “The parade is for all nationalities to be able to come together and express their pride in being an American,” said ​​Post Commander Paul Palya Several hundred people line the streets for the parade each year This year’s parade route will begin at the intersection of East Church and Main streets then hang a left and go down Main Street to Mount Vernon Avenue where participants will turn right to end the parade she has been the state’s deputy adjutant general for veterans affairs reintegration and outreach and veterans’ programs retiring in 2016 with the rank of brigadier general who will start lining up for the parade around 5:30 p.m Palya said the parade is expected to last about an hour crowds can expect to see a mix of marching bands from schools and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and children waving flags while dressed in red “It’s kind of leaning a little bit towards more military but we try to keep it open to everybody,” Palya said The American Legion Lafayette Post 51 Americanism Parade in Uniontown will be held May 1 East Church Street between Marshall Park and Marshall Manor Vehicle transporting Grand Marshal Brigadier Gen American Legion Post 51 Commander and Auxiliaries Jefferson Street between Library and Marshall Park (Access from Pennsylvania Avenue) Laurel Highlands Middle School Marching Band Post 51 Legion Riders (Behind marching bands) Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Group (Behind marching bands) Amvets Rider Group (Behind marching bands) Uniontown Public Library Parking Lot (Access from Jefferson Street) Cub Scout Pack 654 (Unload at Saint John Church Parking Lot) East Church Street (Access from Gallatin Avenue) ATVs and side by sides are not permitted without the approval of the Uniontown Police Department Participating bands and ROTC groups can safely unload trailers John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church parking lot on Jefferson Street There will be safe pick-up at the end of parade for all participants and groups with trailers or buses at the St Mary School parking lot on Mount Vernon Avenue Any organization that wants to participate please call the American Legion at 724-438-8041 with his family and very good friend by his side a son of the late Edward and Laura Bowers Klippi Therese de LiSieux Roman Catholic Church of Uniontown He was employed at LaFayette Memorial Park and then worked at Uniontown Hospital Dave is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years Anselma “Angie” Crapp Klippi; son whom he raised as his own: Jerry Kensinger and his wife Laura; Shanna Kensinger; and Mark Cancilla; four grandchildren A very special thank you to Pastor Dennis and his wife A very special thank you to Thelma and Kelly from Amedisys Healthcare and Rhianon and Nicole from Amedisys Hospice for their kindness and compassionate care from 9 until the time of a funeral service at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in LaFayette Memorial Park Noah’s week: The Lady Red Raiders’ starting pitcher earned three victories in the circle and hit three home runs as Uniontown defeated Section 4-2A and cross-town rival Laurel Highlands before earning a pair of victories over Belle Vernon in section play Noah had an RBI in the Lady Red Raiders’ 2-1 victory over the Fillies on Monday she allowed one unearned run on two hits over seven innings with nine strikeouts and two walks The junior hit a solo home run in a 10-5 victory over the Lady Leopards on Tuesday Uniontown suffered a 4-2 setback to Elizabeth Forward on Wednesday In the second game against Belle Vernon in less than 48 hours and the fourth of the week Noah hit the game-tying home run with a blast to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning at Bailey Park with the Lady Red Raiders trailing Uniontown earned a 6-5 win in walk-off style after Noah tied the game “I am used to throwing a lot of pitches and I think I was close to 400 last week,” Noah said “We have had multiple games in a week but I can’t remember four in a row like that as I have been the starting pitcher for the team since my freshman year.” Noah had a feeling the Lady Leopards were attempting to walk her in Thursday’s game “She missed her spot and went inside on the pitch I hit,” Noah said “That is the nice thing about playing at home You are able to have the last at-bat.” The next step: Uniontown is in a battle for one of the four playoffs spots out of Section 2-4A and has a shot to finish third in the section The Lady Red Raiders are eager to have their program take the next step and I think we can really do something and make it past the first round of the playoffs,” Noah said “We have really grown since my freshman year.” The next level: Noah is weighing her options in regards to playing softball in college but she has been honing her skills for her travel ball team “I have been to softball camps and I would like to play at the collegiate level,” Noah said “You get a lot of recognition that comes with playing travel ball and there were 75 college coaches there.” The following students were named to the honor roll at Uniontown Area High School for the second nine weeks of the 2024-25 school year Uniontown’s former treasurer was found guilty Tuesday of embezzling $112,000 from a collective of area churches during her time chairing its board of trustees A Fayette County jury took about three hours to find Antoinette Hodge Using her position with the Youghiogheny Western Baptist Association she wrongly withdrew money from group accounts and falsified checks worth tens of thousands of dollars She had volunteered for the YWBA from 2018 to 2022 when the board voted to remove her from her post “There was a very thorough investigation by the state police in conjunction with my bureau of investigation here at the district attorney’s office,” said Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele “And we were able to bring her to justice for what she did It’s terrible anytime anybody takes advantage of an organization like the YWBA the jury reviewed 77 individual transactions and 25 alleged forged documents One transaction was a withdrawal from the YWBA’s money market account Others were checks made out to her — or In the two counts where the jury voted to acquit “Although the signature may or may not have been placed there by somebody other than the true signatory I think the jury felt that they looked like they were cashed by the right people,” Aubele said those two checks really didn’t take away from the money that she took They found her guilty of pretty much everything that we were alleging she did wrong.” The YWBA consists of 27 churches in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia The churches pay membership dues to the organization which also collects funds through church donations and fundraisers declined to comment on the verdict Wednesday Hodge’s attorney was unavailable for comment the Fayette County Public Defenders’ Office said Wednesday Hodge’s sentencing is scheduled for April 30 Aubele plans to ask to have Hodge sentenced to a term in state prison consecutively with the time she is already serving she was sentenced to 21 months to 10 years in prison for stealing $106,750 in tax payments in her role as Uniontown’s treasurer in 2020 and 2021 She was also ordered to pay more than $220,000 in restitution which included the cost of a forensic audit conducted on behalf of the city Aubele doubted the YWBA will ever see the full amount of money it’s owed she would likely be put on a payment plan topping out at a few hundred dollars a month He said it would “probably take longer than her life expectancy to pay anyone back — if it ever happens.” where we can’t make the victims whole we’re left with trying to deter conduct from anybody else should they decide to decimate an organization as she has,” he said Jase Dravecky and Scottie Maskil combined on a four-hit shutout as Carmichaels defeated visiting Uniontown 10-0 in a six-inning nonsection game Friday Robbie Wilson-Jones and Jordan Davis each doubled for the Mikes (8-4) Mount Pleasant did all of its scoring in one inning and beat visiting Belle Vernon 8-7 in a non-section game Mount Pleasant scored eight times in the third when the Vikings were helped by three errors and two hit batsmen A Uniontown man was shot and killed at the Washington Estates mobile home park in Canton Township Sunday morning was shot at his girlfriend’s residence on Broadmore Drive at about 3:40 a.m. according to Washington County Coroner Tim Warco The incident is being investigated as a homicide and is under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police (This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.) The Meadville and Uniontown boys basketball seasons came to an end on Monday The seasons didn't end on the basketball court but after a ruling from the PIAA after their game was suspended Friday because of a fight between fans in the stands that spilled out onto the court that also involved players “Due to the blatant violations of the PIAA bylaws Uniontown basketball game will be recorded as a forfeiture for each team.” The PIAA officially posted a “double forfeiture” on the Class 5A boys basketball bracket and put Hershey into the quarterfinals on Friday More: District 10 basketball playoff scores, other high school winter sports results are here Senior Kellen Ball is one of five seniors on the Meadville roster who both scored more than 1,000 points in their careers including its three leading scorers in Calvin Winfrey We’re exploring our legal options and trying to get a better explanation from the PIAA as to what we should have done," said Meadville coach Mark McElhinny by waiting until the end of the day for the announcement they didn’t give us much time for legal recourse but we have some wonderful young men who didn’t deserve this so we’ll do whatever we can." "We are disappointed that our season ended the way it did We thank everyone that has shown their support We look forward to continued success from our boys basketball program," said Uniontown athletic director Harry Kaufman Meadville Police Chief Michael Stefanucci, in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon, announced that seven people — four adults and three teenagers — were facing misdemeanor charges in connection with the fight. The PIAA statement continues “PIAA publicly censures both schools for the actions in the March 7 2025 PIAA first round inter-district basketball contest held at Meadville High School against Uniontown High School Both schools are removed from the PIAA inter-district basketball tournament and are suspended from participation for the remainder of the 2024-25 basketball tournament.” Both schools are also removed from the 2025-26 PIAA basketball tournament unless certain provisions are adhered to The PIAA lists five things both schools must do before the PIAA basketball tournament next year: Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber A Tuscaloosa woman has died after a serious two-vehicle crash in Marengo County which also injured two other people a spokesperson for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Troopers in our region said their Highway Patrol Division was called to the scene of a crash around 2:45 p.m Highway 80 when her car collided head-on with a 2011 Ford Edge being driven by a young man from Demopolis King said the Tuscaloosa woman was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash and was critically injured She was taken to Whitfield Regional Hospitalm but Troopers say she succumbed to her injuries there and died The driver of the Ford was injured and taken to the same hospital and a passenger in Myers' Camry was hurt and hospitalized at DCH Regional Medical Center in Northport The crash happened about a mile west of Uniontown in Marengo County and no other details were available on Monday afternoon Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) A Tuscaloosa woman has died after a serious two-vehicle crash in Marengo County which also injured two other people.\nRead More Juliet White scored on Lyric McLee’s sacrifice fly and Uniontown rallied from a five-run deficit for a 6-5 walk-off win over Belle Vernon on Thursday in Section 2-4A softball play at Bailey Park 7-5) swept the season series against the Lady Leopards (3-4 Uniontown trailed 5-3 entering the bottom of the seventh inning but tied the game when starting and winning pitcher Emmaleigh Noah hit a two-run home run to left field that scored Alexa Budner who led off the frame with a double to left White reached second base on an error that was hit to left field Lauren White was intentionally walked before being forced out at second base on Graci Rodeheaver’s force out Juliet White advanced to third on Rodeheaver’s force out to set the stage for McLee who hit her sacrifice fly to right field on a 2-2 count Belle Vernon scored five runs in the second inning for a 5-0 lead The Lady Red Raiders cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fifth inning on Juliet White’s three-run blast Oakland Catholic 0 — Payton Senge threw a five-inning one hitter in the Mustangs’ Section 2-4A triumph over the Eagles Senge had 12 strikeouts and no walks in earning the pitching victory The freshman’s lone hit was a lead-off triple to Nina Hillard in the fifth inning It added one in the second and fourth frames Kayla Howell had a triple and double for the Fillies Bethel Park 5 — Maggie Orndorff’s single to right field scored Addison Lloyd as the Lady Falcons earned a walk-off triumph over the Lady Black Hawks in Section 4-5A play Lloyd reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning and advanced to third on Cali Leichliter’s double to left field before Orndorff’s hit on an 0-2 count as Connellsville improved to 2-2 in the section and 6-2 overall Bethel Park fell to 4-3 in section play and 8-3 overall Ligonier Valley 4 — The Lady Vikings remain unbeaten in Section 1-3A play following a victory over the Lady Rams Danica Trainer allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits over seven innings for the pitching victory Natalie Bizup doubled and Elyse Witcoski hit a home run for Ligonier Valley (2-2 Mount Pleasant improved to 6-0 in section play and 8-3 overall Washington 4 — Ava Clark doubled and had two hits in the Lady Falcons’ win over the Lady Prexies in Section 4-2A action Clark earned the triumph in the pitching circle after yielding four runs (two earned) on nine hits in seven innings 7-3) had a 4-0 lead after two innings before Washington (0-4 The Lady Falcons added a run in the sixth and two in the seventh The Lady Prexies responded with an equal amount of runs in the final two frames Bentworth 8 — The Lady Commodores exploded for nine runs in the eighth inning en route to a Section 2-4A victory over the Lady Bearcats Grace Polkabla and Grace Vaughn each had a double Hiles had four hits and drove in three runs Hartman had three singles in addition to her double Hiles earned the win in the pitching circle as the Lady Commodores improved to 3-1 in section play and 6-2 overall Bentworth’s Nora Lindley hit a home run Teammate Zoie McDonald doubled in the back-and-forth affair 5-5) had a 7-0 lead after four innings before Frazier’s offense came to life The Lady Commodores scored three runs apiece in the fifth and sixth inning before adding one in the top of the seventh frame to send the game into extra innings Bentworth added one run in the bottom of the seventh Southmoreland 3 — The Red Raiders used six pitchers in earning a non-section win over the Scotties at Bailey Park 2-7) and went two innings before winning pitcher Lane Smiley pitched a clean inning in the third Brayden Hinzy and Gary Smitley followed with each throwing one inning apiece The Red Raiders only allowed one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts and five walks 1-9) had a 1-0 lead after the first inning before Uniontown scored three in the second and one in the third frame The Scotties scored one run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings The Red Raiders scored three in the fourth inning Hinzy and Shane Kelly added two hits apiece Martin and Lucas Payton chipped in with two RBIs apiece Avella 5 — The Rockets rallied from a five-run deficit to edge the Eagles and sweep the Section 1-1A season series 10-2) had a 5-0 lead after five innings before Jefferson-Morgan (5-3 6-3) put up six runs in the sixth and one in the seventh The Rockets’ John Woodward tied the game at 5-5 with a three-run home run to center field in the sixth inning Jefferson-Morgan’s Tyler McVay scored the winning run on an error The Rockets’ Deakyn DeHoet had two RBIs Monessen 0 — The Commodores’ Dalian McManus pitched a five-inning one-hit shutout in non-section play at Monessen 6-5) scored four runs in the second inning The Commodores’ Brant Alekson had three hits Teammate Noah Bachinski tripled and drove in three runs Beth-Center 2 — Gary Thorpe’s line-drive single to right field scored Nash Petroff in the Falcons’ non-section walk-off win over the Bulldogs at Redstone Field The game was tied at 2-2 after seven innings before Petroff singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth Hunter Pelehac singled to set the stage for Thorpe Petroff allowed two runs on four hits over five innings with nine strikeouts and one walk Teammate Jeremiah McDonald earned the pitching victory in relief with three scoreless innings Had allowed one hit with seven strikeouts and one base on balls Beth-Center’s Eli Wright was 4 for 4 Burrell 3 — The Vikings rallied for a three-run deficit to edge the Buccaneers in Section 3-3A action 7-4) avenged a 10-5 setback to Burrell (6-2 Jacob Kitz allowed three runs in the first inning but settled down to throw six scoreless to earn the victory The Vikings scored two in the second and three in the sixth Jordan Grieff tied the game with an RBI single and Dane Firmstone’s two-run base hit proved to be the game winner Mount Pleasant’s Santino Marne had multiple hits Waynesburg Central 5 — The Raiders battled but lost their first game of the season in non-secton play to the Leopards at Meadowlark Park 9-2) scored three in the top of the third to tie the game at 4-4 before taking an 8-4 advantage with four in the top of the fifth frame The Raiders scored one run in the bottom of the seventh Ian Porter earned the win in relief after allowing one earned run on three hits in 5⅓ innings pitched Belle Vernon’s Connor Bergman had two doubles and scored two runs Waynesburg Central’s Alex VanSickle and Derek Turcheck doubled and had multiple hits with Turcheck’s three and VanSickle’s two Laurel Highlands 1 — The Vikings scored two runs on an error and held off the Mustangs in a non-section win Hopewell got on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh when Ben McDonald tripled and scored on James Gill’s base hit Drew Donovan walked before he and Gill scored when Jacob Knobloch reached on an error for a 3-0 lead 1-8) cut the deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh when Sevi Vecchiolla doubled to lead off the frame and scored on Nick Crouch’s base hit to center field induced a game-inning double play following Crouch’s run-scoring single McDonald had four strikeouts and two walks over seven innings but allowed just four hits with four strikeouts and one walk over six innings Albert Gallatin 1 — The Hillers jumped out early and cruised to a non-section victory over the Colonials 5-5) scored three runs in the first inning The Hillers scored two runs in the fifth frame Karson Hathaway doubled and drove in one run for Trinity 4-5) scored in the fourth when Jason Myers scored on Evan Weakland’s sacrifice fly to left field Carmichaels 0 — The Jayhawks scored one run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings and Wyatt Schaeffer pitched a five-hit shutout in a Section 1-1A triumph over the Mikes Schaeffer struck out two and walked one in seven innings Carmichaels’ Colin Andrews allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits over 4⅔ innings The Mikes fell to 5-3 in section play and 6-4 overall a daughter of Rose Funk Rectanus of Uniontown She was a huge animal lover and enjoyed nature and the woods Sheena graduated from Uniontown High School from 12 noon until the hour of the funeral service at 2 p.m Interment will follow in Sansom Chapel Cemetery the family asks that donations be made to one’s favorite animal shelter MEADVILLE – Uniontown had courageously battled back from an 18-point deficit and still had hopes of pulling out a victory midway through the fourth quarter at Meadville Friday night came to an abrupt end in the most unlikely fashion Meadville got 23 points from Jack Burchard and 21 from Lucas Lutheran in a 63-55 win over Uniontown in a PIAA Class 5A first round playoff game that was called by the officiating crew with 3:12 still on the clock after fighting in the stands led to an on-court melee that was escalated by fans running on the court The District 10 champion Bulldogs (17-8) advance to Tuesday’s second round although they may not be with their full complement of players due to the happenings at the end of Friday’s game which are sure to be reviewed by the PIAA The Red Raiders finish their season at 22-5 “It’s just unfortunate it had to end that way,” Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said We were in foul trouble and into our bench but they wanted to play it out and see what would’ve happened early in the third quarter but Kelan Milsom’s bucket off a rebound followed by another offensive board that resulted in a three-point play began a Uniontown comeback Isaac Ellsworth ended the quarter with a pair of free throws that got the Red Raiders to within 58-49 heading into the fourth quarter “We battled back but we got in foul trouble,” Kezmarsky said “I knew our guys would never quit no matter how much they got down Uniontown held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first half of the final frame while getting three points from Calvin Winfrey III and then a clutch 3-pointer by Notorious Grooms with 4:12 left to pull the Red Raiders within three at 58-55 Kamarii Pope answered for Meadville with a 3-pointer then after Uniontown missed a shot at the other end Pope converted a layup to push the margin up to eight Winfrey fouled out on a charge call with 3:19 left but seven seconds later Milsom poked the ball free from Burchard Ellsworth gathered it in and was fouled as he passed the ball to Milsom After the whistle was blown Milsom seemingly innocently went down and dropped in a layup Lutheran signaled for a technical foul and the officials inexplicably then called one on Milsom “They said that he dunked the ball,” Kezmarsky said “It’s tough he had to foul out on that play Isaac’s at the foul line and if he makes them both it’s back to a two-possession game with over three minutes left and I think our pressure was starting to get to them.” there was a confrontation between players near Meadville’s bench that the officials defused but soon after a fight broke out in the stands behind the Bulldogs bench and then a melee involving players from both teams ensued and several fans ran on the court and got involved Eventually the officiating crew got together and decided to end the game with 3:12 remaining “We had a couple timeouts left and the game was turning,” Kezmarsky said scoring a team-high 17 points with a pair of 3-pointers Ellsworth and Winfrey followed with 13 points apiece and Grooms added 10 points Meadville hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter in opening up a 12-point lead until Grooms banked in a spectacular shot just inside halfcourt at the buzzer to make it 25-16 The Bulldogs increased their advantage up to 45-27 on a 3-pointer by Lutheran late in the second quarter but an Ellsworth 3-pointer made it 45-30 at halftime “We scouted them and knew what good shooters they were,” Kezmarsky said “We thought we matched up with their shooters but they still shot the ball very well They beat Erie McDowell which is a very good basketball program “It’s not easy to play a state game on the road It’s tough to win in somebody else’s gym.” It was the final game for Uniontown 1,000-point scorers Grooms and Winfrey as well as starters Milsom and Ayden Kiefer Grooms ends his career as the Red Raiders’ second-leading all-time scorer with 1,684 falling just 37 points short of Terrence Vaughns’ program record 1,721 Winfrey broke the school single-game scoring mark with 47 points in a WPIAL consolation win over Penn-Trafford on Feb “This was a special group,” Kezmarsky said “Last year we lost Jamire Braxton and K’Adrian McLee and also Jeremiah Hager to graduation To lose those three players and also move up in classification and have the year we’ve had A lot of times we were playing a lineup with a 6-1 center “They’re really hurting right now but in a couple weeks when they look back I think they’ll realize how much they’ve given to Uniontown basketball over the past three to four years Uniontown Area High School will bring the classic musical “Grease” to the stage this spring taking audience members back to high school with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies “With our final performance of ‘Newsies’ last spring we said goodbye to a very strong group of seniors the torch has been passed down to a much younger group largely made up of sophomores and juniors,” said Wyatt Wilson Drama Club sponsor and Band and Choral director Set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School the musical is set after the secret summer romance of T-Bird Danny Zuko and innocent transfer student Sandy Dumbrowski (she went by the name Sandy Olsson in the 1978 movie) It includes song favorites like “Grease,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One That I Want.” a perfect combination for a group of new high school performers Rylan Jeffreys and Isa Braun star in the lead roles and the entire cast brings the “Born to Hand Jive” segment alive with hand clapping choreography Wilson said he is confident the younger performers will wow audiences “What this group lacks in experience they more than make up for with talent and passion for performing This show has definitely put their comedic chops to the test but they’ve had a great time bringing the wildly-over-the-top students of Rydell High to life,” Wilson said Though the community can expect a similar experience to the past few years at the Margaret A the website that hosts online ticket sales has changed Visit https://cur8.com/14261/project/84935 to purchase tickets for $15 A Uniontown woman is accused of throwing a mirror at police while she barcadaded herself inside the room of a house early Tuesday morning Uniontown police said Thomas Beck claimed that Merika Maust had broken into 36 Cleveland Ave in Uniontown and locked herself into a room at around 1 a.m Police said when they were able to force the door open Maust threw a large mirror at one of the officers Police said they deployed a Taser after Maust because she continued to fight with them The complaint did not indicate why Maust was inside of Beck’s home She is currently being housed at the Fayette county jail in lieu of a $20,000 bond Her preliminary hearing is scheduled in front of District Judge Jason Cox later this month A Uniontown man charged with paying a teenager in cash and drugs to carry out a fatal shooting will represent himself in two cases one of which carries a possible death sentence “You’re asking to basically put your life in your own hands as opposed to having an attorney who has been through a capital case multiple times,” Fayette County Judge Linda Cordaro told Calvin Huffman on Monday “Is that what you’re asking?” the judge asked Huffman The 38-year-old is accused of compensating then-14-year-old Antonyo Owens with $5,000 and three large bags of marijuana to kill Anthony Jones The fatal shooting took place in broad daylight near a church in Uniontown’s East End on June 6 Huffman is also charged with trying to escape from the Fayette County jail Huffman said he did not receive “effective assistance” from his lawyer “My attorney has failed to file critical motions for discovery which has hindered my ability to prepare a proper defense I cannot prepare to contest the charges against me and I invoke my Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial,” he said both of Huffman’s court-appointed attorneys were present Ben Goodwin was appointed to represent him in the escape case an attorney certified by the state to handle death penalty cases told Cordaro he had prepared three motions on Huffman’s behalf but waited to file them until a court made a decision on whether or not Huffman would represent himself The motions included requests for additional counsel a litigation specialist and an investigator said he had three conversations with his client prior to Monday’s hearing The motion for Huffman to represent himself was filed on March 17 Huffman told Cordaro he did not graduate high school He also told the judge he understood that he would not be able to claim his trial attorney was ineffective if he represents himself “That is a recourse that a defendant has . and you wouldn’t have the same ability to file for ineffectiveness,” she said Cordaro also asked about Huffman’s familiarity with the rules of how evidence is presented to which Huffman replied with “A little bit.” “And how is it that you are familiar with rules of evidence?” the judge asked Codaro said Huffman had made an “intelligent and voluntary waiver of his rights” and granted his request to represent himself She also said a stand-by attorney would be appointed to assist with procedural questions during trial MONONGAHELA – Peters Township boys basketball coach Joe Urmann knew his team faced a tough task His sixth-seeded Indians were going up against an experienced high-flying third-seeded Uniontown team that had won 12 games in a row Friday night It would take a stellar effort from his players to pull off the upset in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal matchup gummed up the Red Raiders offense with their rugged defense and pulled out a stunning 56-52 victory at Ringgold High School Peters Township sophomore Jake Wetzel used his 6-8 frame to the best of his advantage against the smaller Red Raiders in scoring 18 points Sean Thelk hit four-3-pointers in tallying 12 points and Dylan Donovan also scored 12 points as the Indians improved to 17-7 “I’m just super proud of our guys’ effort tonight,” Urmann said Peters Township is now one step away from playing for the district title at the Petersen Events Center 15 Penn-Trafford in Tuesday’s semifinal with the time and site to be determined Uniontown falls to 20-4 and into the consolation bracket where its seeding for the PIAA tournament will be decided potent offense so we had to get creative in terms of how we were going to slow them down,” Urmann said of how he approached the Red Raiders defensively “They’ve got some really talented players and are well coached Our guys just really dug in and guarded at a high level I don’t want to give away too many of the things we did.” one of Uniontown’s two 1,000-point scorers along with fellow senior Notorious Grooms tied Wetzel for game-high honors with 18 points sharpshooter Isaac Ellsworth hit four 3-pointers in scoring 14 points and Kelan Milsom added 11 points ending up with six points all from the foul line maybe three really good scorers,” Urmann said I think they average like 73 points per game so that was a pretty tall task But our guys were up to it and did an awesome job.” Peters Township had to survive a late Uniontown comeback attempt before it could celebrate The Indians took a 42-38 lead into the fourth quarter and increased their advantage to eight twice the second time on a layup by Ben Miller with three minutes to play hit a jump shot and a 3-pointer to get the Red Raiders within 52-49 with just under two minutes left After Lucas Rost made one of two free throws Winfrey drove in for a layup to make it 53-51 with 1:17 remaining forcing a five-second call but Uniontown had trouble finding an open shot Ellsworth missed on a baseline drive and Wetzel was fouled with six seconds left and made one of two from the line Peters Township fouled Winfrey before he could get off a 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds left “We didn’t want them to shoot a three,” Urmann said Winfrey made the first and intentionally missed the second but Uniontown was called for a lane violation The Red Raiders fouled Rost with 0.8 seconds left and he made both free throws to seal the victory “Tough game,” Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said Their 6-8 kid really gave us a lot of problems Kezmarsky commended his players for fighting until the final buzzer “Our kids battled back in the fourth quarter there was no quit in them,” Kezmarsky said “These kids wanted so badly to get to the Pete But we still have the state tournament to look forward to.” There were four lead changes and three ties in the first quarter with Thelk hitting two 3-pointers for Peters Township and Ellsworth and Cam Dugan each making a 3-pointer for Uniontown which also got a three-point play from Winfrey as the Red Raiders built a 15-10 advantage The Indians fought back to tie it twice in the second quarter but Uniontown held a 26-25 lead at halftime The Indians opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run that included two baskets by Wetzel and another 3-pointer by Thelk to go up 33-28 and they never trailed again “As only a sophomore that’s probably the biggest crowd he’s played in front of He was good on defense and he definitely helped us out on offense not just a bunch of guys that wear the same colored jersey And I told them this win is rare and it’s special and to value it and enjoy the ride.” Uniontown Area School District launched its cyber school in 2024 with live instruction if a student was in need of a remote or cyber educational experience the school district paid the tuition for an outside program “What sets ours apart for K-6 is the dedicated teachers to the cyber education we’ve integrated it into our regular teachers’ schedules,” said Curriculum Coordinator “Students at home follow the schedule just like they would in person but they log on to the course remotely.” Teachers prepare course work for remote and in-person students and in the event a student returns to in-person school they are able to adjust and maintain their coursework without any loss in instruction “There’re a lot of reasons students need cyber They may be having trouble in the traditional school setting and they can come in and out because they’re all on the same schedule,” Harris said “We’re trying to stop the bleed with the funds leaving the school district and so we’re hoping parents choose our cyber option.” Uniontown Area School District also took the leap into online testing last year the state will move to online testing assessments USAD administrators decided to take advantage of the online trial testing to prepare for the official launch “We chose to take the plunge to get our teachers students and tech department ready for online testing,” Harris said “The principals worked really hard to check and make sure everything is up and running We’ve done the online tutorials and trained teachers who have in turn The first round went better than expected.” they’re embracing artificial intelligence (AI) Some local school districts use it to help make their master schedule We trained a small group of teachers last year and have plans to train all of our teachers in the future,” Harris said Lesson plans can be utilized through AI programs a teacher can request a third-grade lesson on multiplication that uses hands-on activities Harris said AI can be used in behavioral plans too “We can request a behavior plan for a student with this diagnosis who likes race cars and it’ll give you search options and tailored specifically for the student,” Harris said we don’t want anyone using ChatGPT to create their essay We’re able to limit those kind of things on the school iPad’s It’s something we have to edit and make it appropriate for the student.” In a world where technology is continuing to increase Harris hopes to embrace it and use it to their advantage when possible “It’s something available to us and we need to use it responsibly and to the best of our ability,” Harris said All charges against three suspects accused of homicide in the drive-by shooting that killed a teen in Uniontown more than four years ago have been dismissed after a Fayette County judge determined there was insufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial Malik Belt and Devyon Dennis was formally dropped Thursday following a December habeas hearing before Judge Linda Cordaro who ruled there wasn’t enough evidence against the three to tie them to the fatal shooting of Kaii McCargo in September 2020 “It’s a rare occasion that you get charges like that dismissed in a habeas motion but even after the (November 2023) preliminary hearing (the prosecution) quite frankly didn’t have any evidence against any of them,” said defense attorney Anthony Jackson “It was word of mouth and they didn’t have any evidence are bound by evidence,” said defense attorney Blaine Jones it’s not hearsay (evidence) or an ‘I wish it was this way.’ Does the commonwealth have the evidence to go forward … and the judge decided that the commonwealth did not meet their burden at the preliminary hearing You have these men who sat in jail (for years) was a passenger in a vehicle parked in the 100 block of Evans Street in the city on Sept when another car pulled up beside it and multiple gunshots were fired told investigators he was able to roll out of his seat to avoid the gunfire Uniontown police filed charges against the three suspects in April 2023 conspiracy and numerous other felony and misdemeanor counts and were held without bond at the Fayette County jail until this week when they were released Fayette County District Attorney Michael Aubele said they were disappointed with Cordaro’s decision “We sympathize with the (McCargo) family,” he said “We do believe we had enough to move forward but unfortunately the evidence in the case wasn’t very strong despite the efforts of Uniontown police and everyone involved A lot of witnesses we needed didn’t come together.” who inherited the case from former district attorney Richard Bower said the evidence presented was not as solid as he was hoping when he took office last January He added that a press conference held by his predecessor in April 2023 in which Bower announced he would seek the death penalty did not help the prosecution “The case put together by my predecessor was put together very quickly and very poorly,” Aubele said Both Jackson and Jones said they were shocked when their clients were ordered to stand trial following the November 2023 preliminary hearing since prosecutors provided no concrete evidence connecting the three suspects to the killing were juveniles at the time of McCargo’s killing “You could kinda tell that he did not think it was a strong case,” Jackson said of how he thought Aubele viewed the cast that he inherited after the preliminary hearing you’re allowed to add additional evidence …They knew where the case stood and they didn’t fight very hard to dismiss the case.” who publicly expressed his displeasure about the case following the preliminary hearing said Friday that his client and family were still keeping things in perspective I don’t think anyone can necessarily celebrate over that,” Jones said of the decision to dismiss the case Belt’s family is happy he’s home but he maintained from the start he was innocent.” Aubele said Friday that they would pursue any new leads that came their way although he did not appear to be optimistic that the case would be solved “Every case remains open and we’ll continue to keep it open and continue to investigate,” Aubele said “If we are able to gather more evidence we will certainly look to file or take additional steps.” “We are disappointed that our season ended the way it did,” Uniontown athletic director Harry Kaufman said in a statement “We thank everyone that has shown their support We look forward to continued success from our boys basketball program.” Each school must fulfill a list of requirements imposed Monday by the PIAA or else its boys basketball team will be barred from next season’s state playoffs • Each school must submit a plan of action “detailing what processes are in place to prevent situations like this from occurring in the future.” The deadline is March 19 • All players and coaches on the current roster must complete NFHS educational courses related to sportsmanship • The spectators “whose identities are known to school administration” must be banned from attendance at school-sponsored activities until June 15 The PIAA also reprimanded each school for violating PIAA bylaws by “not addressing the unsportsmanlike behavior” of their spectators The Uniontown-Meadville winner was scheduled to face District 3 champion Hershey (22-3) in a second-round game Tuesday Uniontown (22-5) was the fifth seed from the WPIAL Meadville (16-9) was the District 10 champion Meadville led 63-55 when the game was halted Ugly ending to the Meadville game with several fans taken off in cuffs. Game called with 3:12 left. Bulldogs win 63-55 pic.twitter.com/zHjDwLQ3EY — Tom Reisenweber (@ETNreisenweber) March 8, 2025 If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase More than 100 demonstrators gathered at the George C Marshall Memorial Plaza in Uniontown on Saturday to protest the policies and actions that President Donald Trump has taken since resuming office Protesters waved signs with messages denouncing Trump’s handling of international relations and domestic policies Some motorists expressed their disagreement while others honked their horns and gave thumbs-up in support of the demonstration I’m outraged with what is going on in the government,” said Danielle Lancaster a middle school teacher who lives in Uniontown and attended the rally with her husband it’s just scary what could happen in the future under this administration.” Demonstrators said they were dismayed by the flurry of actions over the past seven weeks ranging from the president’s efforts to lay off thousands of federal workers and his announcement of tariffs on imports all of which Trump says has the country on the right track Other protesters expressed concern with the influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk and his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a blueprint for overhauling the federal government “What’s going on in this country is absolutely terrible I didn’t vote for Musk,” said Pam Newmeyer of Uniontown While those gathered expressed concerns about Trump’s actions his approval rating is 47% – the highest it’s been in either of his times in office according to an NBC News poll released Sunday The efforts of DOGE received a 46% approval rating in the poll but 51% of those queried held a negative view of Musk Saturday’s event was organized by the Democratic Women of Fayette County one of the largest Democratic Women’s organizations in Pennsylvania “I think it’s important that we not only protest in Washington but that it’s important for people in Fayette County to know that there are still blue dots in the county and that we are going to fight,” said Tracy Wilson noting the event provided a platform for people who are worried about what they believe is a government that no longer serves the interests of the people said she attended the rally “to stand up for the rights of everyone – women men and marginalized communities,” and she is worried that “Trump is destroying our country.” a retired Laurel Highlands Middle School teacher said she is concerned about a litany of issues; among them Trump’s cuts to federal programs including the Department of Education his efforts to ramp up timber production and mining in national forests and on public lands and souring relations with once-close allies You don’t just go in and cut the Department of Education without realizing what you’re doing You don’t just go in and cut cancer research by the billions of dollars when people are dying daily from cancer You don’t just go in and randomly cut jobs and programs at the (U.S “This Republican party is not for the working people Elon Musk called Social Security a Ponzi scheme,” he said “You can see what they want to do with Social Security Grace Trimmer was a few minutes late for practice Wednesday afternoon That’s not because the Uniontown senior has a notion to be tardy As the top distance runner on the Lady Red Raiders’ track & field team student with a 4.38 GPA and a member of multiple clubs and organizations Trimmer is the antithesis of running behind as she had a National Honor Society meeting As Trimmer entered the inside of Bill Power Stadium where Everhart was having a meeting prior to practice her teammates applauded her for being named one of the 10 female award winners for the 34th annual WPIAL James Collins Scholar Athlete Award Ten males were also honored from a group of 158 nominees including Mount Pleasant’s David Mutter Each winner is awarded a scholarship of $1,000 to attend the college of their choice Trimmer has already committed to continue her academic and cross country and track & field careers at Lehigh University Mutter had originally committed to swim for the University of Alabama but due to roster cuts because of the House vs the Crimson Tide had to trim their men’s roster to 22 he is looking to compete for another school Trimmer is the first Uniontown scholar-athlete to win the award which drew praise from athletic director Harry Kaufman “Uniontown is so proud of Grace,” said Kaufman “It’s a well deserving accomplishment for such a great kid and an awesome family.” Trimmer has earned a total of nine varsity letters two in swimming and three in track & field She is almost guaranteed to earn her fourth letter in track & field this season “I was second in the mile (1,600 meters) and third in the two-mile (3,200 meters) at the Latrobe Invitational which was definitely nice because I really haven’t had competition yet this season so it was nice to have people push me,” Trimmer said “I am going to the Butler Invitational tomorrow to run the 3,200 and that should provide me with some good competition.” Trimmer was the captain of the cross country team and she is serving as the captain of the track & field team She was second as a senior and third as a junior at the WPIAL Cross Country Championships Trimmer helped the Lady Red Raiders’ cross country team to four straight section titles She is the school record holder in cross country Trimmer credits Everhart with instilling in her the values to succeed as an athlete Everhart takes the cross country team to the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children every year and also ensures his athletes know the importance of keeping up with their academics “My parents have always instilled a really good work ethic in me,” Trimmer said “Joe (Everhart) wants us to be good people Trimmer made shirts for the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children posters for mental health Public Service Announcements and organized and worked local 5K races “We went down this summer and were able to paint on T-shirts which was really nice,” Trimmer said Trimmer is also a member of the National Art Society French Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes Trimmer serves as the secretary for the National Honor Society Trimmer has volunteered her time to help with Red Cross blood drives nursing home visitations PennDOT Paint the Plow and the Sheepskin Trail clean-up “I have to keep up with Hope,” Grace Trimmer said Mutter won five state championships over his illustrious swimming career while maintaining a 4.0 GPA He won two silver and four bronze medals as a junior and senior in the state meet Mutter won back-to-back state titles in the 200 medley relay and 100 butterfly He set a state record in the 100 butterfly as a junior three silvers and a bronze in the WPIAL Swimming & Diving Championships He won district titles in the 200 medley relay and 100 butterfly in his junior and senior seasons Mutter was part of the WPIAL record-breaking 200 medley relay team as a junior He set the 100 butterfly district record as a junior who garnered All-American honors in swimming and diving was coached by Sandy Felice in high school It was an old-fashioned duel on Monday afternoon at the “Mustang Corral.” but it wasn’t a “six-shooter” that Laurel Highlands’ Payton Senge and Uniontown’s Emmaleigh Noah were using as the two combined to allow three runs (one earned) on five hits over seven innings with 20 strikeouts and two walks but the Lady Red Raiders were able to rally with one run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings for a 2-1 victory over the Mustangs in another chapter of the “cross-town rivalry.” Uniontown improved to 3-2 in Section 2-4A play and 5-4 overall Laurel Highlands fell to 2-3 in section action and 3-6 overall The Lady Red Raiders have moved into fourth place in the section standings “We have a bunch of really good softball players which is different from kids who want to play softball,” Uniontown coach Jason White said “It has been a good injection of talent into this program.” Uniontown didn’t hide from tough competition in non-section play “I set our schedule up on purpose to play the South Parks and I was hoping that was going to give us the strong start we needed The Mustangs are in fifth place in Section 2-4A but head coach Patrick Livingston noted how close his young team is from breaking through but I feel like we are moving in the right direction,” Livingston said “This is the third game in a row that we’ve lost by one run third baseman and left fielder are freshmen We hope our youth can lead to a bright future.” earned the victory in the pitching circle after allowing one unearned run on two hits in seven innings “She (Noah) did a great job today of pitching and not just throwing the ball hard and trying to beat people with some velocity because she has good velocity,” White said Senge yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits over seven innings “It was a great pitching battle,” Livingston said “We had a great outing from our freshman pitcher We just hope to turn some of these one-run games around in our favor.” Laurel Highlands took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Harlie Dirda reached on an error and Kayla Howell scored Howell had reached first base on a bunt single before Senge advanced to first on a fielder’s choice The Lady Red Raiders were unable to tag Howell out at second which put Senge and Howell on first and second with one out Uniontown tied the game at 1-1 in the next half-inning when Alexa Budner singled to third base and advanced to second on an error She advanced to third base on a passed ball before scoring on Noah’s grounder to second base The Lady Red Raiders took the lead in the fifth after Lyric McLee reached on an error and they ended up with two runs,” Livingston said McLee and Lauren White each singled for Uniontown TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service MONONGAHELA – Uniontown’s boys basketball team had its sights set on playing in the Petersen Events Center this season That goal of reaching the site of the WPIAL basketball championships came to an abrupt end at the hands of sixth-seeded Peters Township which handed the third-seeded Red Raiders a surprising 56-52 loss in the Class 5A quarterfinals at Ringgold High School Friday night The Indians got 18 points from sophomore Jake Wetzel who took full advantage of his 6-foot-8 frame against the smaller Red Raiders and held off a late Uniontown rally to advance to Tuesday’s district semifinals against Mars Uniontown has no choice now but to poke in a new destination for its quest: Hershey The Red Raiders (20-4) have already qualified for the PIAA tournament which concludes at the Giants Center in Hershey on March 28 The loss to the Indians dropped Uniontown into the consolation brackets to determine their place in the state brackets “Tough game,” said Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky whose team had its 12-game winning streak snapped Sean Thelk hit four-3-pointers in tallying 12 points and Dylan Donovan also scored 12 points for the Indians (17-7) Calvin Winfrey III led the Red Raiders and tied Wetzel for game-high honors with 18 points one of Uniontown’s two 1,000-point scorers along with Winfrey was held without a field goal by Peters Township They play very aggressive defense,” Kezmarsky said After Lucas Rost made one of two free throws for PT but Uniontown had trouble finding an open shot as it worked the ball around Wetzel grabbed the rebound and was fouled with six seconds left and made one of two from the line “We were trying to get Calvin to drive and if somebody would leave Isaac we were going to kick the ball to him,” Kezmarsky explained “Our offense all night was to try to get Calvin and Tori to the rim Time was running down and Isaac tried to make a play.” “We didn’t want them to shoot a three,” Peters Township coach Joe Urmann said We played really good defense in the fourth quarter.” The Indians pulled the upset by slowing the pace gumming up the Red Raiders offense with their rugged defense “We didn’t score as much as usual early in the game,” Kezmarsky said “We just didn’t make as many shots tonight as we normally do.” Calvin Winfrey III and Notorious Grooms took it hard The two Uniontown senior 1,000-point scorers were crushed by their team’s WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal loss to Peters Township on Friday dwelling on the loss all weekend,” Grooms said “So I had to come out and make a statement.” Winfrey hit five 3-pointers and rang up a career-high 47 points and Grooms added 20 as the Red Raiders rallied in the second half to knock off Penn-Trafford Everhart Memorial Gymnasium on Monday night which had already secured a spot in the PIAA tournament will host Latrobe Wednesday in the WPIAL Class 5A fifth-place consolation game before beginning the state playoffs on March 7 Kelan Milsom added 11 points before fouling out late as the Red Raiders improved to 21-4 on the season The Warriors (14-11) fall into the seventh-place consolation game at Moon He scored 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter added seven points in the second and 13 more in both the third and fourth quarters sinking one trey in each of the last three frames “Once I got the first seven I knew it was going to be a good night “Both of us have been talking about that loss ever since it happened Now it’s time to try to get a state title.” “We told Calvin we want him going to the basket,” Uniontown coach Rob Kezmarsky said “I haven’t seen a player go to the basket like him When they tried to stop that he was making his shots and that’s a credit to all the shots he’s taken in practice in his life to get to this point.” Grooms also had an inspiring performance with his passing despite being forced to leave the game twice in the fourth quarter with a bloody nose “I always try to do those extra little things to help us win games,” Grooms said “We kept saying we’ve still got another chance in the states so let’s shock the world.” which upended second-seeded Baldwin in the first round before falling to Mars in the quarterfinals when a potential game-winning 3-pointer wouldn’t go down gave Uniontown all it could handle for three quarters There were seven lead changes and three ties in the first quarter which ended in a 20-20 deadlock and Penn-Trafford held a 36-34 halftime advantage “We didn’t play the best defense for a while there but there are times when the other team’s just making shots Kelan especially played great defense in the second half.” The Warriors went up by seven twice in the third quarter but after taking a 55-48 lead on a 3-pointer by Jack Weishaar the Red Raiders closed the quarter on a 14-4 run that included a pair of 3-point plays by Grooms and seven points by Winfrey and never trailed again Uniontown opened the fourth with a 10-point run to go up 72-59 and Penn-Trafford never got closer than nine the rest of the way The Red Raiders effectively went to their delay game when the clock ticked under five minutes the highlight being a no-look pass Grooms zipped to Cam Dugan for a layup that made it 78-65 Uniontown converted seven of 10 free throws down the stretch “We did a great job handling the basketball when we spread the floor,” Kezmarsky said “That’s one thing we’ve done really well all year.” Zach Feldman scored 21 points to pace the Warriors who also got 17 points from Brayden Stone and 13 points “I have so much respect for Coach (Doug) Kelly and their players,” Kezmarsky said of P-T They’ve improved as the season has gone on and that’s a credit to their team and their coaches “This is a very tough game for both teams,” Kezmarsky said “We both had a chance in very close games to be in the semifinals and it didn’t work out.” Kezmarsky knew his players were devastated by the Peters Township loss “Calvin and Tori are just wonderful kids and there’s nobody that hurt more than them then take a couple days off and see what we can do March 7 “But they don’t have to prove anything to me with what they’ve done We were one game from the state final when these guys were sophomores we were the only ones who stood up to Lincoln Park last year We’re going to be in the state playoffs three years in a row and there’s not a lot of programs that can say that.” With another consolation game and at least one PIAA game left Winfrey and Grooms will have taken part in at least 20 playoff games in their careers when the season ends “I laugh because that’s a lot more than me,” said Kezmarsky who was a 1,000-point scorer and a WPIAL scoring champion at Laurel Highlands (assistant) Coach (Warare) Gladman played in one.” Winfrey and Grooms would like nothing more than to push their total to 24 The 72nd Annual Uniontown Sausage Feed returns on Sunday and will be inside for the first time since the pandemic The all you can eat feed is from 10:00 to 5:00 in the Uniontown Community Building Tickets are available at the door with cash or check for 18 dollars for adults 10 dollars for kids 6 to 12 and 3 dollars for kids under 6 Volunteers will be making and serving over 2,000 pounds of sausage Colton FFA student will also host a cash bingo game during the feed Money raised goes to the Uniontown Community Building