Bill Beckner stories, Page 105
3rd-ranked Belle Vernon too much for Greensburg Salem
Jake Gedekoh is old school. He listens to classic rock. He tells it like it is. He likes to get his uniform dirty. “I love to run the football,” the Belle Vernon junior said. “I love the contact.” Infused by the play of Gedekoh and standout Quinton Martin, third-ranked Belle...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Penn-Trafford ready for resurgent Gateway
Gateway made the loudest statement in the WPIAL last Friday night when it dismantled upstart Hempfield, 60-7, reminding everyone that it is still very much a part of the conversation in the Class 5A Big East Conference. The Gators were, after all, the preseason No. 1 in the classification. Hempfield...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Scoring duos filling the nets
Carlo Denis and Kyler Miller have formed a formidable one-two scoring punch at Greensburg Central Catholic. The senior pair combined for 54 goals through 10 games, making them the top scoring tandem in the WPIAL. Denis had 32 goals and Miller 22. But they are not alone. Several other local...
Penn-Trafford boys soccer fights through injuries, stays in playoff chase
Staggered by injuries, Penn-Trafford has managed to stay in the WPIAL boys soccer playoff chase in its first year in Class 3A. A grind-it-out mentality permeates the program. “We’re not unique,” Warriors coach Sotiri Tsourekis said. “But our boys will fight.” Consider: The Warriors started 1-4, including losses to proven...
Derry’s Hunter Jurica adds WPIAL golf title to list of accomplishments
The kid with the bucket hat keeps crossing things off his bucket list. Hunter Jurica won the Ligonier Country Club championship, a Westmoreland County Coaches Association title and a section title earlier this season. Now, the Derry senior golfer can add a WPIAL championship. “Honestly, I was such a big...
Despite tiny roster, Yough girls soccer team making plays by the dozen
With substitutions in short supply, Yough tries to conserve and persevere. Every game, with a defensive-minded approach and their fingers crossed, the Cougars make do with what they have. Right now, that is 12 players. Eleven starters and one reserve. A microcosm of their situation: In an impressive, 1-0 overtime...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Latrobe senior set for international play
Latrobe senior Chloe Boyette plays defender on the Wildcats’ back line, but, come December, she will be lining up as a goalkeeper on a national stage. Boyette was selected to play for the U19 U.S Youth Futsal International Team set to compete in two months in Lisbon, Portugal. Boyette, a...
WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship preview
WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship final round When: Thursday Where: Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley Defending champion: Nick Turowski, Penn-Trafford Who moves on?: The top 14 finishers advance to the PIAA championship Oct. 17-18 at Penn State University’s Blue Course, State College. Tee times Chip shots: Rocco Salvitti of Central...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Norwin grad Sam Wexell posts 11th career shutout
This one was for all the bricks. And Sam Wexell was a brick wall. Wexell, redshirt senior goalkeeper, batted away and clutched shot after shot for Ohio University, posting the 11th shutout of her college career in a 2-0 victory over Miami. It was the annual “Battle of the Bricks”...
Southmoreland, Yough girls soccer teams battle to draw
With such a light bench, Yough is often content playing more defense than offense. The idea is to defend like crazy and conserve energy for the stretch run. Southmoreland, on the other hand, wants to crank up the scoring. The strategies canceled each other out Monday night as the teams...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent golfers win host tournament
Saint Vincent may have been a gracious host, but that didn’t stop the Bearcats from winning their own golf tournament. The SVC men claimed the title as four individuals finished inside the top five and the team finished with 323 strokes to top Grove City by 16. Junior Brevin Urso...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Franklin Regional’s Bunker commits to Villanova
At first, Aiden Bunker exchanged emails with Villanova to gauge the school’s interest in his swimming talents. Then, he visited the campus, saw the pool and knew it was the backdrop for his future. Bunker, a senior at Franklin Regional, will continue his career with the Wildcats, swimming individual medleys...
WPIAL girls golf championship preview
WPIAL Class 3A girls golf championship, final round When: Tuesday Where: Valley Brook Country Club, McMurray Defending champion: Marissa Malosh, South Fayette Who moves on?: The top seven finishers advance to the PIAA championship Oct. 17-18 at Penn State University. Tee times Chip shots: A new, 36-hole format is in...
WPIAL Class 2A boys golf championship preview
WPIAL Class 2A boys golf championship, final round When: Tuesday Where: Oakmont Country Club Defending champion: Brian McDonnell, Eden Christian Who moves on?: The top 18 finishers advance to the PIAA championship Oct. 17-18 at Penn State University’s Blue Course, State College. Tee times Chip shots: Neither Derry nor Brownsville...
Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Week ending Oct. 2, 2022
Lily Fenton School: Latrobe Sport: Volleyball Year: Senior Claim to fame: Fenton, a standout setter, led unbeaten Latrobe to wins over Armstrong, Indiana and Highlands. She had 42 assists and nine digs in a 3-2 win over Armstrong, added 45 assists and six kills in a 3-2 win over Indiana,...
WCCA will hold inaugural all-star volleyball event in November
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association is adding an event to its fall/winter schedule. The first WCCA All-Star Volleyball Match will be Nov. 22 at Ligonier Valley. It will feature top senior players on East and West teams. Team selections and rosters will be announced closer to the event. Ligonier Valley...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: GCC works RPO to perfection
The run-pass option can be effective, but it relies on timing between the quarterback and his running backs and receivers and blocking schemes that clear space to allow for a clean exchange or throw. Greensburg Central Catholic quarterback Tyree Turner made several “RPOs” work to perfection in the Centurions’ 34-18...
Hempfield softball standout Heisler gives verbal commitment to Penn
Hempfield junior softball player Peyton Heisler will continue her playing career in the Ivy League. Heisler, who played left field and did some pitching last season for the Lady Spartans, announced a verbal commitment to Penn. She said she was recruited an a utility player and pitcher. An Ivy League...
Norwin notebook: Boys soccer team speeds up after slow start
The Norwin boys soccer team is all about streaks this season. The Knights lost three in a row early on but quickly recovered to win five in a row and climb back into the WPIAL playoff race in Section 2-4A. Not that the Knights ever considered themselves “out” of it....
Murrysville notebook: Franklin Regional boys soccer rounding into form
Lukas Petersen said he needed time to get to know his team, his players and his opponents. He was, after all, hired in August to be the Franklin Regional boys soccer coach. About four weeks into his first year, the Panthers are finding their rhythm and adapting to Petersen’s system....
GCC uses big plays to upset Clairton, get 1st win over Bears since 2001
No Greensburg Central Catholic team had beaten Clairton since 2001. This Greensburg Central Catholic team: Hold my Gatorade. Big-play GCC scored on its first offensive snap to ignite one of its biggest upsets in recent years Friday night, a 34-18 victory over the visiting third-ranked Bears in a game that...
Franklin Regional boys soccer earns tough victory over Penn-Trafford
Coming off such a thrilling — and emotionally draining — upset victory against No. 1 Plum, Franklin Regional was hoping Penn-Trafford would not be a “trap game” Thursday night. “That’s something we talked about happening,” Panthers boys soccer coach Lukas Petersen said before the game. It was something the Panthers...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: GCC looks to knock off king Clairton
Pieces of paper with “1998” written on them were plastered all over the Greensburg Central Catholic locker room this week. The rumor going around Carbon was that ‘98 was the last time GCC beat Clairton. It motivated players and coaches, fired them up. That year is close, but the Centurions...
Springdale girls soccer team trips Greensburg CC after going a player down in final minute
Playing 10-on-11 didn’t sit well with Springdale. The thought of being a girl down in overtime against Greensburg Central Catholic in an emotional section game that pitted 1 vs. 2 made the Dynamos nervous. So sophomore Brooke Taliani took that nervous energy and made sure the game ended in regulation...
Norwin boys soccer getting its swagger back, getting into thick of Class 4A picture
Call it conditioned experience. That is what five Norwin senior soccer players are getting — and honing — with each game they play this season. The players’ fast growth from JV a year ago to key varsity contributors has the Knights on a hot streak, back in the thick of...
