Bill Beckner stories, Page 111
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent grad Kristin Consuegra joins PAC leadership
Mt. Pleasant native and Saint Vincent graduate Kristin (Hozak) Consuegra has joined the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in a progressive position. Consuegra was named the Assistant Commissioner for Governance and Championships in the conference. The position is funded partially through the NCAA Division III Strategic Alliance Matching Grant and is meant...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Salem among biggest moves in basketball realignment
Summer is just starting, but the WPIAL has its new basketball sections in place for the next winter season. The biggest movers in Westmoreland County are Penn-Trafford and Greensburg Salem, which are dropping from Class 6A. Penn-Trafford will be in 5A in boys and girls hoops. The Greensburg Salem boys...
Norwin grad JJ Matijevic homers for 1st MLB hit
JJ Matijevic’s first major-league hit was a home run. Because of course it was. The Houston Astros rookie power hitter, called up for the second time this season, launched a solo homer into the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid Park on Sunday night in Houston for his...
WPIAL recognizes Norwin grad Sydney Willig for courage in cystic fibrosis fight
It takes courage to do what Sydney Willig does every day. To wear a vibrating vest each morning. To use multiple nebulizers before classes. To constantly ingest medication. When you have cystic fibrosis, it takes courage to do what is necessary to stay alive. Willig wears the illness’ symbolic purple...
Norwin notebook: Lacrosse player honored as positive athlete
Norwin senior Nickolas Harris was one of 32 winners at this year’s Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Awards presentation, done virtually via social media. Harris won the award in boys lacrosse. Athletes are honored for overcoming obstacles, giving back to their schools and communities or having positive attitudes that better those...
Looking to challenge himself, Franklin Regional grad Kadyn Hannah transfers to Cal (Pa.)
The challenge, not the change of scenery, is what attracted Kadyn Hannah to Cal (Pa.). Ever since he left Franklin Regional, Hannah wanted to play at the highest level of college basketball his talent would allow. Feeling somewhat under recruited, he went to La Roche and became an immediate impact...
Spring-Ford quiets Seneca Valley bats in PIAA Class 6A title game
UNIVERSITY PARK — Jules Scogna said she was having some back issues coming into Friday’s Class 6A state softball final at Penn State. The Spring-Ford senior pitcher showed no ill effects in the circle, and she seemed just fine lifting the trophy. Scogna, a Boston University commit, tossed a two-hit...
Former Hempfield standout excited to join reborn Robert Morris hockey program
The reinstatement of the Robert Morris hockey program meant a lot to alumni and fans of the program. It may have meant more to future Colonials prospects like Dominic Schimizzi. His allegiance to RMU was re-energized when hockey came back to Moon. The men’s and women’s programs were cut last...
No extra time needed: Latrobe soccer standout Bulava commits to Maryland
The final pieces of her college decision came together rather quickly. Maybe quicker than a penalty kick. A Maryland coach talked to Ella Bulava on Wednesday afternoon and, by early evening, she was a Maryland commit. Small talk. Offer. Acceptance. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good night. Bulava, a rising junior...
Norwin alum JJ Matijevic recalled to majors with Houston Astros
Things are looking up again for JJ Matijevic. The power hitter was promoted to the Houston Astros for the second time this season from Triple-A Sugar Land. The Astros’ No. 30-ranked prospect out of Norwin has hit 12 home runs and driven in 35 runs this season. The first baseman...
Norwin grad excited to don orange, green as new Yough athletic director
In his stops along a North Carolina-to-Pennsylvania path through high school sports, Bill Flow has worn a number of hats. He coached boys and girls basketball, football, golf and baseball. His new hat will have a “Y” on it for Yough, where he is set to oversee all sports as...
Armstrong wins rematch with Penn-Trafford to return to state championship game
Just think, these teams will be in the same section next year. After their WPIAL championship thriller, Armstrong and Penn-Trafford met again in the PIAA Class 5A softball semifinals Monday. The state final-four game didn’t quite live up to the late-inning drama of the last meeting — there was no...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Palmer Jackson named to PING All-America team
Some might say Palmer Jackson’s golf game is a 9 out of 10. No golfer is perfect. The game won’t allow for it. But Jackson had nine top-10 finishes this past college season, which also points to excellence. The junior from Notre Dame is one of the top players in...
Penn-Trafford softball notebook: Warriors have shot at redemption
The beauty of the state softball playoffs for many WPIAL teams lies in the chance for redemption. Lose to someone in the WPIAL championship; beat them in the PIAA tournament. Erase the past and advance at the same time. Penn-Trafford (20-3) gets another shot at Armstrong (22-4), the team that...
PIAA Class 5A softball semifinals capsule: Penn-Trafford vs. Armstrong
Monday’s game Penn-Trafford (20-3) vs. Armstrong (22-4) 2 p.m. at Mars Centennial School field, Mars Winner plays: Winner of 2-1 Pittston Area (23-0) vs. 1-2 Oxford (10-5) in championship, 4 p.m. Thursday at Penn State Coaches: Denny Little, Penn-Trafford; Doug Flanders, Armstrong Players to watch: Cam Ponko, Fr., 3B, Penn-Trafford;...
Westmoreland HS notebook: Special honor for Norwin’s Rosado Guindin
Norwin senior Sebastian Rosado Guindin knew he was in the running for a unique award, but he was a little taken aback when his name was called. “Yes, I was a surprised when I won,” he said. Rosado Guindin won the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Sports Most...
Penn-Trafford softball uses fluid lineup to great playoff success
Unsatisfied by his team’s offensive output in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, Penn-Trafford softball coach Denny Little decided to tweak his batting order for the quarterfinals. Not that it was anything new for Little, who has snapped the lineup in half, bent it this way and that and...
Going from the pitch to track, Franklin Regional grad Ryan Beard became an All-American at Westminster
Ryan Beard was a key cog in Franklin Regional’s run to the first of back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A soccer championships in 2018. The midfielder was recruited to play at Westminster College. But growing concerns over multiple concussions — six that were diagnosed, including one in the PIAA quarterfinals against Cathedral...
Norwin notebook: Paralympian chosen to promote sport of goalball
A dynamic goal scorer and Paralympian, Calahan Young has made his mark in the sport of goalball. Now the Irwin native and Norwin graduate will be a diplomat for the game he loves. The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, the national governing body for goalball in the Paralympics, named Young...
Norwin senior honored as Pittsburgh area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce MVP
Norwin senior Sebastian Rosado Guindin knew he was in the running for a unique award but was a little taken aback when his name was called. “Yes, I was surprised when I won,” he said. Rosado Guindin won the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Sports Most Valuable Player...
Basketball tournament honoring Tre Cunningham’s memory continues to thrive in Jeannette
Steve and Tracy Bone Cunningham again were showered with warm memories of their son as the three-day Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament reached its midpoint Friday night at Jeannette High School. The second annual event honors the memory of Tre Cunningham, a three-sport star at Jeannette who was killed in...
Small ball, miscues propel Penn-Trafford into PIAA Class 5A semifinals
FAYETTEVILLE — Fundamentals, no matter what time of the season they are or are not executed, carry immense meaning for softball teams. Simple ground balls. Pop-ups. Sacrifice bunts. They all can add up. And they are magnified in the state playoffs because they can make or break seasons. Penn-Trafford used...
Sophomore slugger makes name for herself in middle of Penn-Trafford lineup
Mackenzie Keenan has a number of nicknames. The sophomore softball player at Penn-Trafford has been called “Chuck” and “Chunk” for reasons that can’t altogether be explained around the clubhouse. “We always call her, ‘Line-drive Mack,’” Warriors coach Denny Little said. “Everything she hits is a frozen rope.” Keenan, pronounced ka-nan,...
Westmoreland County PIAA softball playoff capsule for June 9, 2022
Class 5A Quarterfinals Penn-Trafford (19-3) vs. Southern Lehigh (19-6) 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Norlo Park Softball Complex, Fayetteville Winner plays: Winner of Central Mountain (21-2)/Armstrong (21-4) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Extra bases: Penn-Trafford didn’t hit like it can in the first round, sending 14 pop-ups into the...
Penn-Trafford lineman Joe Enick verbally commits to Central Michigan
A steady stream of scholarship offers have followed Joe Enick since late March. More were likely to come this summer. But the football lineman from Penn-Trafford decided it was time to highlight his favorite one. Enick gave a verbal commitment to play at Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. The...
