Bill Beckner stories, Page 101
Westmoreland HS notebook: Latrobe’s Sydney DeGram headed to St. Bonaventure
Latrobe senior softball player Sydney DeGram will play NCAA Division I college softball in the Atlantic 10 Conference. DeGram, an all-section outfielder, committed to St. Bonaventure, near Olean, N.Y. DeGram, who transferred in 2020 from Howell High School in Howell, Mich., hit .426 last season as the Wildcats’ leadoff hitter....
No. 13 Montour upsets No. 4 Franklin Regional in 1st round
As patient and prodding as it was, Montour’s gameplan also was simplistic. Stack the box early and put the offensive attack on a low simmer until the Spartans got better acquainted with Franklin Regional. Once that happened, they could turn up the heat. Sophomore Andrew Prunier understood the assignment and...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Yough’s McKenzie Pritts, Franklin Regional’s Sam Dawson
McKenzie Pritts School: Yough Class: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Pritts scored her 100th career goal as Yough defeated Serra Catholic, 4-0. She had all four goals in the game. The 100th goal came in the 79th minute. A Robert Morris commit, Pritts has helped short-handed Yough earn the...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Norwin star makes move to QB
Essentially a fourth-string quarterback if he was ever a quarterback at all, Jackson Pons was the “break glass in case of emergency” guy at Norwin. Only in a dire situation would the Knights think about moving their talented receiver under center. Injuries and inconsistency plagued Norwin during this one-win season,...
Norwin notebook: Runners set pace at county cross country meet
Get used to seeing the Norwin girls cross country team out in front of the pack. The Lady Knights, who boast a young but talented lineup, ran to a title at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship earlier this month at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood. Norwin edged past...
McKeesport rolls over Latrobe, but Wildcats clinch playoffs
There was good news and bad news for Latrobe’s football team Friday night. The bad news came first: The Wildcats were thumped by No. 2 McKeesport, 54-14, in the Class 4A Big Seven Conference finale at Memorial Stadium. The good news, which softened the blow some: Latrobe is headed to...
Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsules for games of Oct. 22, 2022
Saturday’s games Boys Class 3A First round 13-Montour (9-4-4) at 4-Franklin Regional (14-4) 2 p.m., Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 12-Gateway (10-7-1)/5-Kiski Area (14-3) in quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD) Players to watch: Andrew Prunier, MF, Montour; Colton Hudson, MF, Franklin Regional Corner kicks: Montour finished...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Breaking down the WPIAL playoff format
The WPIAL football playoffs are less than two weeks away. The number of playoff teams in each classification differs, and some spots won’t be decided until the end of the regular season. Here is the breakdown for the postseason in each class: Class 6A — Top four of five teams...
2-sport athletes key to success of Westmoreland County boys soccer playoff teams
Robbie Labuda threw his gym bag in the car, and off he went. An hour drive to McGuffey for a soccer game awaited. The Mt. Pleasant senior barely had time to get his football cleats off after practice, but once he did, his foot was planted on the gas pedal....
Mt. Pleasant girls, GCC boys among top Westmoreland County seeds vying for WPIAL gold
Mt. Pleasant never has won a WPIAL girls soccer title. The league’s soccer committee thinks the Vikings have a legit shot this year. Why else would they be seeded No. 2 in the Class 2A tournament? Mt. Pleasant (16-1), fresh off its first section title since 2016, did not get...
Breaking down the 2022 WPIAL boys soccer playoffs
Here’s a look at the 2022 WPIAL boys soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Who else? Seneca Valley is the two-time defending champion and was the PIAA runner-up last year. The Raiders, ranked No. 1 in 4A for the entire regular season, have not lost and have one tie, against Butler....
Breaking down the 2022 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
Here’s a look at the 2022 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: North Allegheny. The Tigers have 10 shutouts, including seven straight. Their only loss was to Seneca Valley in Section 1 play. Most of last year’s team returned. Speaking of last year, NA still resents a first-round loss...
Sisters bring chemistry lesson to girls soccer playoff teams in Westmoreland County
Regan and Robin Reilly have a secret. A secret, just between sisters. “We are competing to see who scores more goals,” said Regan, a junior defender for the Latrobe girls soccer team. “It’s a little side competition we have.” “They have a little fun with that,” Wildcats coach Jamie Morrison...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Mt. Pleasant grad Sam Napper leading PAC championships
Sam Napper will sit on a lead until April. The senior golfer from Westminster and a Mt. Pleasant graduate, Napper shares the 36-hole lead at the PAC Championships after rounds of 78 and 3-under 69 at Avalon Golf & Country Club in Warren, Ohio. He is tied with Allegheny sophomore...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg women’s tennis defends AMCC title
Pitt-Greensburg pulled off a repeat as it defended its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference women’s tennis title. The Bobcats handled Penn State Behrend, 5-0, in the conference title match. Your 2022 AMCC Women's Tennis Champions, the @upgbobcats! pic.twitter.com/HDi6NLsDhZ— AMCC Sports (@AMCCsports) October 16, 2022 UPG (11-1) will play in the NCAA...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Norwin softball standout commits to St. Francis (Pa.)
Power-hitting catcher Madie Kessler is a Division I commit. The senior from Norwin gave a verbal pledge to Saint Francis (Pa.) of the Northeast Conference. Kessler is a standout catcher who also has played in the outfield and some third base at the travel level. Kessler said the educational environment...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Sara Felder, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Carlo Denis
Sara Felder School: Greensburg Central Catholic Year: Senior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Felder, a Youngstown State commit, scored her 100th career goal when GCC ran past Steel Valley, 11-0, for its third straight win. She had four goals and two assists in the win for the Centurions (8-3, 8-2),...
Westmoreland football notebook: Belle Vernon star Quinton Martin to narrow college choices
Belle Vernon star junior Quinton Martin plans to narrow his list of college scholarship offers to a top 10 soon. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, who made a “Pitt stop” at Belle Vernon on Friday night, hopes his Panthers make the cut, especially after watching the senior playmaker. Martin, a running...
Norwin uses ‘pack mentality’ to rack up cross country success
From the youth level to varsity, the Norwin cross country teams are outpacing the field with regularity. The boys and girls varsity teams posted perfect 8-0 records during the regular season and were primed for strong finishes at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet and in the WPIAL playoffs. “This...
Ex-Jayhawk leads Greensburg Central Catholic past Jeannette
Jaydin Canady likes to play against his former team. The Greensburg Central Catholic senior scored four touchdowns, including one on a 90-yard interception return, as the Centurions overcame a slow start to defeat rival Jeannette, 44-0, on Friday night at Centurion Stadium. Canady ran for 101 yards on five carries...
North Catholic standout Alayna Rocco commits to Harvard
Tribune-Review Terrific 10 basketball player Alayna Rocco of North Catholic is taking her talents to the Ivy League. Rocco, a Trafford resident, announced Thursday night a verbal commitment to Harvard. Incredibly excited and grateful to say I am committed to the application process at Harvard University! Thank you to everyone...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Keefer-to-Keffer connection sparks Southmoreland
Keefer to Keffer. Yes, Southmoreland will take some more of that. It’s become the connection heard throughout Alverton on Friday nights, the tandem everyone is talking about around the Scotties’ program. In their first year playing together at the varsity level, Kadin Keefer and Ty Keffer have become a formidable...
Mt. Pleasant girls soccer stays unbeaten, tops Southmoreland
Usually this late in the girls soccer regular season, section games are precious and carry heavy meaning in the standings. Unbeaten Mt. Pleasant already had secured its first section title since 2016 and a WPIAL playoff spot by the time it hosted rival Southmoreland on Wednesday night. But the No....
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Teams punch tickets to WPIAL playoffs
The WPIAL playoffs are just around the corner, with tournament play slated to start late next week. The top four teams in each section qualify for the postseason. The following Westmoreland County teams have secured playoff spots: Norwin (11-4) in Class 4A; Kiski Area (13-3), Franklin Regional (12-4) and Penn-Trafford...
Section champion Belle Vernon boys soccer team finds many pathways to victory
In many years of following and coaching soccer, Al Yeschenko had never seen a “buzzer-beater” on the pitch. With about two minutes to play in a tie game against Brownsville last week, the Belle Vernon boys coach began to prep mentally for overtime and even pulled some players so they...
