Bill Beckner stories, Page 115
Westmoreland campus clippings: Kevin Wanichko adds men’s cross country coach duties at Saint Vincent
Kevin Wanichko is the new men’s cross country coach at Saint Vincent. The Latrobe native will have a busy sports year: He already coaches the men’s and women’s track and field teams, and the women’s cross country team. An SVC alum, Wanichko replaces Andrew Herr, who resigned after 18 seasons...
Coach says Franklin Regional’s Caden Smith ‘will open some eyes’ as Pitt walk-on
Caden Smith didn’t choose football. Football chose him. “Football is the most fun,” the Franklin Regional senior said, comparing the game to his other sports (basketball, baseball). Smith has excelled in all three, earning first-team all-conference/section in each one. He had college interest in those sports, too. But football will...
Westmoreland High School Athletes of the Week: Hempfield’s Liz Tapper, Yough’s James Shoman
Liz Tapper School: Hempfield Sport: Track and field Year: Junior Claim to fame: Tapper puts on a show when she throws the discus — and often other events, too. She holds the No. 1 distance in the event in the state (164 feet, 4 inches), a mark that also ranks...
Norwin notebook: Former, future Knights wrestlers compete at U.S. Open event
There is no offseason for the Norwin wrestling program. A Norwin graduate and a rising standout competed recently in national competitions. Kurtis Phipps, a sophomore at Bucknell, and Landon Sidun, who is set to make the jump from junior high to varsity wrestling, competed at the United States Marine Corps/USA...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant’s Hutter reopens recruitment
Mt. Pleasant softball standout Katie Hutter has changed her college plans. Initially an Akron commit — a decision she made in fall 2020 — Hutter decommitted because of a coaching change. The senior has opened her recruiting. Hutter, a .593 hitter and shortstop, will likely play outfield in college....
Ligonier Valley ace Maddie Griffin to throw out 1st pitch at Pirates game
Ligonier Valley senior softball pitcher Maddie Griffin will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Pittsburgh Pirates play the St. Louis Cardinals on May 22 at PNC Park. The Sunday game starts at 11:35 a.m. Griffin recently threw a 21-strikeout perfect game against Seton LaSalle that turned heads around...
District college notebook: Heder steps down at IUP; Judy breaks another record at Gannon
After two decades on the sidelines, IUP women’s soccer coach Adel Heder is retiring. A former Kiski Area boys soccer coach from 1987-2001, Heder guided the IUP program since ‘01. His overall record of 220-139-24 is the best in program history and he led the Crimson Hawks to two regular-season...
East Allegheny tunes up for baseball playoffs with nonsection win over Greensburg CC
Fresh off its first section title since 1999, upstart East Allegheny used Thursday’s nonsection baseball game at Greensburg Central Catholic for extra reps. Both teams already had clinched WPIAL playoff spots. Now is the time to fine-tune, tweak and tinker. “Everyone got an at-bat,” Wildcats coach Mike Cahill said. “We...
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Southmoreland takes giant leap into playoffs
Senior shortstop/pitcher Anthony Govern said this season was “playoffs or bust” for Southmoreland. He didn’t flinch when he said it. The Scotties have lived up to their long-time-coming goal of reaching the postseason, qualifying for the first time since 2008. The team was 6-6 overall and 5-5 in Section 4-3A...
Stecko taps power potential for Norwin baseball team
Ty Stecko remembers when his baseball bat seemed to weigh more than he did. “I was always tall, but I was really skinny,” the Norwin slugger said about his stature in youth baseball. “I had to put some weight on.” Once a scrawny lamp post, Stecko has grown into a...
District college notebook: All booked up, Ryan misses Seton Hill playoff opener
Morgan Ryan hopes to help Seton Hill softball reach the finals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament. Right after she is done with her own finals. Ryan, the Griffins’ standout grad student pitcher, did not join the team for the PSAC playoff opener Wednesday in Quakertown. She is expected...
Power surge on Cougar Mountain boosts Yough softball team
Yough plays its home games on Cougar Mountain in Sewickley Township. But softball coach Dutch Harvey is lobbying to rename his team’s home address. “It’s become Dinger City here,” Harvey said. Yough isn’t traditionally a leave-the-yard kind of team, but the Cougars are developing a reputation that says otherwise as...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Ligonier Valley’s Griffin gets aggressive
The owner of a 21-strikeout perfect game and three no-hitters this season, Ligonier Valley senior pitcher Maddie Griffin has all the physical tools to dominate in the circle. She has proven that beyond a doubt over the last season-plus of WPIAL and PIAA softball. But the Youngstown State commit, who...
Penn-Trafford uses disciplined attack to back pitcher Grabowski in win over Latrobe
Penn-Trafford baseball coaches and players talked about the importance of hitting and throwing first-pitch strikes against section champion Latrobe. They also discussed ways to possibly drum up offense if they were to earn a Section 1-5A sweep against the Wildcats. It all worked out according to plan, and the Warriors...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Adrian Blewitt named Seton Hill’s women’s soccer coach
Seton Hill announced the hiring of Adrian Blewitt as women’s soccer coach. He replaces Zak Kruger, who was not retained after three seasons. Blewitt spent three years as the head women’s soccer coach at Army West Point and also served as head coach at Arkansas Little Rock for five seasons...
Novacek’s career game helps Yough rally past Southmoreland, win share of Section 4-3A title
Despite pitching one of the best games of his baseball career, Allen Novacek did not earn a decision Monday afternoon. But his team did, and it was as exciting as it was important. “That’s all that matters,” the Yough senior said. Junior Gavin Roebuck delivered a two-run, walk-off single in...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Turner Price named AMCC Player of the Year
The Price was right this season at Pitt-Greensburg. Junior tennis standout Turner Price, a Penn-Trafford graduate, was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Player of the Year for the third time in his career. The award was not given out in 2020. Price finished 7-0 in conference singles play and...
Westmoreland High School Athletes of the Week: Ligonier Valley’s Maddie Griffin, Penn-Trafford’s Dylan Grabowski
Maddie Griffin School: Ligonier Valley Sport: Softball Year: Senior Claim to fame: One of the most dominant arms in the WPIAL, Griffin pitched the fifth perfect game of her high school career, doing so in head-turning fashion Monday as she struck out all 21 in a 3-0 victory over Seton...
Westmoreland HS notebook: Steelers draft goes from Ricketts to Pickett
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ seismic move to select Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of the NFL Draft had fans buzzing, debating and reminiscing. While Pitt has only had one other quarterback go in the first round — former Central Catholic great Dan Marino — Pickett actually followed a...
Franklin Regional track teams claim section titles with undefeated records
Franklin Regional pulled a section double-dip this spring, winning team titles in boys and girls track and field for just the second time in program history. Both teams posted 6-0 section records. Seventh-year coach Bob Ralston knew he had talent but wasn’t sure if it was full-on section-winning kind of...
Norwin track teams celebrate 4th straight outright section titles
Unbeaten in five Section 1-3A meets, the Norwin boys and girls track and field teams pulled off a four-peat: four outright section titles in as many years — the run includes co-titles in 2017. But coach Tim Van Horn thinks the Knights could be in line for larger goals. “I...
Norwin notebook: Norwin wrestlers shine at freestyle tournament
Several Norwin wrestlers took part in the Ultimate Club Duals freestyle tournaments April 24 in State College. The Knights claimed their first trophy in freestyle competition, taking third place with a 6-2 record. Home sweet home? The Norwin softball team thought it finally was going to play on its home...
Penn-Trafford softball team makes most out of few hits in odd mercy-rule win over TJ
Literally, Penn-Trafford walked away with a first-place softball showdown against Thomas Jefferson. The Warriors didn’t even hit a ball out of the infield. Their bats were uncharacteristically quiet, in fact. But they still blew out the visiting Jaguars in five innings. Thomas Jefferson provided 10 walks — and several other...
Penn-Trafford linemen get college attention
A pair of Penn-Trafford football linemen are beginning to gain traction in the recruiting game. Juniors Joe Enick and Conlan Greene, all-conference players who will try to help the Warriors win back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class 5A championships in the fall, hold scholarship offers from Division I-FCS St. Francis (Pa.)...
Hempfield softball stays unbeaten in victory over North Allegheny
A day after moving into the state softball rankings, Hempfield was out to show it belonged there again. The Spartans looked the part in an efficient, 1 hour, 20-minute victory against visiting North Allegheny. The top-ranked team in WPIAL Class 6A and fourth-ranked team in the state got a lift...
