Bill Beckner stories

Substitutions, set pieces and strength fit the alliteration theme as Norwin continued a streak. The newly ranked team in the TribLive Class 4A girls soccer rankings played to its strengths in an impressive 3-0 victory over rival Penn-Trafford to run its winning streak to five and take over first place...

Two of the top goalkeepers to come out of Westmoreland County in recent years played to a 1-1 draw over the weekend. James Madison redshirt freshman Sofia DeCerb (Latrobe) went against sophomore Aris Lamanna (Franklin Regional) in the Sun Belt Conference opener, and the teams tied. Both goalies played all...

When she was pitching for Hempfield, Maddie Uschock had one of the best freeze-frame changeups in WPIAL softball. The former championship ace is changing up her role at Franklin Regional where she recently received a significant promotion. Uschock was named head softball coach of the Panthers after serving as an...

A benchmark football team is part of the 2025 Norwin Athletic Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted Oct. 2 during a banquet at The Venue at Live! Casino in Greensburg. The 1999 football Knights, coached by Tim McCabe, who also joins the ’25 hall class as an individual,...

The stage is set for Norwin’s biggest home football game in years. The fourth-ranked Knights (3-1) dominated No. 5 Seneca Valley on the road Friday night, 56-13, to win their Class 6A conference opener and give themselves a massive boost of confidence going into next week’s showdown with No. 2...

Ellie Lebe School: Penn-Trafford Class: Freshman Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Lebe has burst onto the local girls soccer scene while helping Penn-Trafford move into a first-place tie with Norwin in Section 1-4A. The talented forward had back-to-back hat tricks as Penn-Trafford breezed to wins over Hempfield (11-0) and Woodland...

Matt O’Neil, a significant contributor and two-year letterman for Norwin baseball, will continue his playing career at the NCAA Division I level. O’Neil recently announced a verbal commitment to Mercyhurst, which left the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for the D-1 Northeast Conference in the fall of 2024. O’Neil,...

Norwin’s Adalena Robb finished third at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association girls golf championship at Champion Lakes Golf Course. Robb shot 41 in the nine-hole event, which was won by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Alayna Stawovy (38). Robb and Franklin Regional’s Gianna Johnson were paired together and went back-and-forth. Robb had...

When she was pitching for Hempfield, Maddie Uschock had one of the best freeze-frame changeups in WPIAL softball. The former championship ace is changing up her role at Franklin Regional, where she recently received a significant promotion. Uschock was named head softball coach of the Panthers after serving as pitching...

Apparently, Clairton used an unwanted bye week to work on its passing game — a passing game that was nearly flawless in the team’s return to action. Still miffed over a postponement last week after Shady Side Academy called off their matchup because of multiple alleged injuries, the Bears took...

Girls soccer season is over at Jeannette before it started. The district canceled the team’s season because of a lack of players. The WPIAL has been informed, and Jeannette’s Section 4-A opponents could receive two forfeit wins apiece. Five games already were postponed on the Jayhawks’ schedule before the difficult...

Through three games, Norwin’s offense has been much more than dynamic senior quarterback Tristyn Tavares. Junior Giovanni Rothrauff has rushed for more than 100 yards in every game, taking the pressure off Tavares and allowing the third-year starter to be more balanced. Rothrauff rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown...

At one point Wednesday night, Norwin had seven girls ready to check into the game, and Latrobe had one. They all gathered near the same spot on the sideline, waiting to take the field while giving a snapshot of the disparity in depth between the soccer teams. Norwin leaned on...

For as good as Franklin Regional boys soccer has been offensively at times — 14 goals in six games, a barrage of shots — the Panthers have been equally as efficient on defense. Maybe better. The Panthers posted four straight shutouts, against Latrobe (3-0), Kiski Area (2-0) and Blackhawk (4-0)...

Play for the tie. That was Belle Vernon’s mindset when the game went into overtime. After all, a tie would be like a win against undefeated Franklin Regional, the No. 5-ranked team in the state and the early frontrunner in Section 3-3A boys soccer. But the workmanlike effort the Leopards...

Penn-Trafford has to wonder what it would be like to have a fully healthy lineup, the rotation it should have without unrelenting injuries. But reality won’t let the Warriors daydream. “We knew some girls would be out. We have some phenomenal players,” assistant coach Denny Brown said. “The girls who...

Kevin May has been around wins at Seton Hill before having served as the football team’s defensive coordinator for six years. Now the new head coach has a win all to himself. So does Saint Vincent’s Casey Goff, another rookie head coach who is off and running. May guided the...

Matt O’Neil, a significant contributor and two-year letterman for Norwin baseball, will continue his playing career at the NCAA Division I level. O’Neil recently announced a verbal commitment to Mercyhurst, which left the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for the D-I Northeast Conference in the fall of 2024. O’Neil,...

Down but not out. Week 2 was known for its comebacks as several local teams staged late-game rallies. Penn-Trafford trailed Moon, 24-12, early in the fourth quarter before the Warriors scored twice in a six-minute span Friday to upend the 5A No. 5-ranked Tigers, 25-24. Landyn Stikkel hauled in a...

If the Norwin cross country program formed a “Hands Across America” type of line, it might stretch longer than the trails on which the teams run. And the weather wouldn’t matter. “We have 150 kids (high school and middle school) out there running in the hot weather and elements all...

For all the highlight throws, catches and big numbers it put up in the passing game, Jeannette would just as soon take the big zero it earned in its home opener and hang it on the wall. The zero was on the opponent’s side of the scoreboard in a 31-0...

Rich Kolesar was the coach at Laurel Highlands for six seasons, his last coming in 2024. On Friday night, he will go against his former Mustangs. Kolesar is now a first-year defensive coordinator at Southmoreland, where Dustin Shoaf is a rookie head coach. Kolesar has fond memories of coaching the...

He stands 6-foot-2 and is an imposing shape on the back line at Franklin Regional. Thomas Bridges looks more linebacker than backliner, but the junior defender is committed to futbol, not football. “Coaches have tried to get me to play (football) at school,” Bridges said. “They’ve been trying for a...

Getting the Norwin program back on track would come with its own set of challenges, and Ashley DeVito was cognizant of that when she took over as coach last season. She guided the team back to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs, which used to be a given for the Lady...

Anthony Scalise helped lead the Norwin boys soccer team to a WPIAL championship two years ago, making one highlight save after another in front of the net while catching the eye of college coaches. Penn State Behrend landed the goalkeeper, and in a short time he has become one of...