Freshman linebacker Alex Tatsch did not play in the Pinstripe Bowl for Penn State because of an injury.
The question now is, will the former Latrobe standout play for the Nittany Lions next season? The answer appears to be yes.
With the coaching change — James Franklin out, Matt Campbell in — current PSU players are planning their futures, whether to stay or go into the transfer portal. But Tatsch (6-foot-2, 231 pounds) looks much more like a building block than a potential free agent.
With the increased playing time he received — he burned his redshirt, playing in six games — indicators and comments point to Tatsch staying in University Park. He appeared in the final five regular-season games and made 14 tackles, one for loss, and broke up a pass.
“The more experience I can get, I think it’s just going to benefit me more,” Tatsch told Lions247. “And, hopefully, it will just keep slingshotting me toward next year.”
Another player who did play in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and shined in the national spotlight was redshirt freshman Quinton Martin (Belle Vernon), who had a minor injury and did not have a carry all season but came out of nowhere by running 20 times for 101 yards in a 22-10 win over Clemson.
He played in six games last year and rushed for 32 yards on 13 carries.
Martin told reporters after the bowl game he planned to reevlauate his situation, which included meeting one-on-one with Campbell.
Men’s basketball
Pitt-Greensburg: The top two 3-point shooters in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference — by percentage — play for the unbeaten Bobcats (9-0).
Sophomore Tyler Freas (Penn-Trafford) has made 10 of 14 3s for 71.4%, and his teammate, senior Matthew Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) is 24 of 49 (49%).
Senior big man Trent Rozich is second in rebounds (8.2) and assists (4.8).
Pitt-Johnstown: Junior guard Adam Bilinsky (Norwin) has started all 12 games for the Mountain Cats, playing 26.9 minutes. He is averaging 9.9 points and is tied for the team lead in steals with 25 and is second with 33 assists.
Westmoreland County Community College: Sophomore forward Julian Thompson (Greensburg Salem) is leading the Wolfpack (2-9) in scoring with a 17.8-point average and also is averaging 13.5 rebounds (8.5 on the defensive end). Thompson played for WCCC in 2013 and returned this year, at age 31, to finish his junior college eligibility.
Women’s basketball
Cedarville: Senior Brianna Zajicek (Norwin) was averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds early in the season for the Yellow Jackets before suffering a season-ending injury. Last season, she started all 29 games and scored 10.4 points and grabbed a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game.
Evansville: Sophomore Elle Snyder (Latrobe) has started 10 of 12 games and is leading the team in rebounds with 6.2 per game.
She scored a season-high 10 points in 24 minutes in a 75-66 loss to Dayton.
Marietta: Sophomore guard Sarah Podkul (Hempfield) has played in 11 games off the bench. She had a seven-point game against Washington & Jefferson.
Penn State Behrend: Junior guard Lilly Palladino (Penn-Trafford) scored a season-high 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 70-64 win over Penn State Altoona. Palladino has started every game this season and is averaging 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Saint Vincent: Senior forward Makenna Maier tied a program record in her 26-point game against La Roche.
She made 8 of 16 3-pointers, tying Janelle Reed’s single-game mark for 3s made. Reed set the record in 2007.
SVC won 65-44 as Maier also grabbed nine rebounds.
Westminster: Sophomore guard Angelina Brush (Franklin Regional) had six assists and five rebounds in a 70-41 victory over Thiel. She is averaging 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in eight games off the bench.
Wrestling
Ohio: Redshirt senior Garrett Thompson (Franklin Regional) is ranked No. 11 in the nation at 174 pounds by The Open Mat. Thompson, however, has yet to take the mat this season.
Last year, he went 31-7 and won a title at the MAC championship, where he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. He qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State: Redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Vinny Kilkeary (Latrobe) is 16-2 this season with eight pins for the Buckeyes.
Football
Waynesburg: Larry Wilson, who has local ties, was named head coach of the Yellow Jackets.
Wilson lives in North Huntingdon.
Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator at Clarion but began coaching college football in 2005 at IUP and also worked at Cal (Pa.) for 16 years.
He was a head coach at Frazier High School and was an assistant athletic director at Ringgold, also serving as an account executive for ESPN Radio and assistant director of baseball operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training.