Bill Beckner stories, Page 116

Bob Kovalcin is a throwback. He is as old-school as they come and darn proud of it. “I still have a flip-phone,” the Latrobe softball coach said with a grin. “I don’t even own a computer. Don’t need one.” In addition to his pencil-and-paper stats, Kovalcin also is vintage when...

Vinny Amatucci’s nickname is “Ammo.” The senior third baseman thinks the Latrobe baseball team is locked and loaded and can turn some heads in WPIAL Class 5A — if it can develop pitching. Bats don’t seem to be an issue. The uncertainty on the mound, now that is a different...

Yough football will drop to Class 2A next season, but it will do so without Chris Chunko. Chunko has resigned as head coach after two years in the position. He said his job has become more demanding, taking his attention away from the program. “I can’t put forth the time...

Wrestling once prospered at Saint Vincent College. From 1963-75, the school sponsored a full-fledged NAIA program before it faded into a club team. Rumblings of a program reboot turned into much more than that Thursday when SVC announced wrestling will return as the school’s 24th varsity sport. Backed by supportive...

Mario Cavallaro skated wide as two defenders closed in on his puck-handling teammate, Alex Thomas. Then, in a flash, the pair of sophomore forwards connected for some playoff magic. Thomas delivered a pass to Cavallaro, who fired his second goal of the game into the back of the net 2...

D.P. Harris is reprising his role at Saint Vincent. The college announced Wednesday that Harris is returning to the sidelines as men’s basketball coach. Harris led the Bearcats from 2003-19 before leaving to coach Saint Thomas in Miami Gardens, Fla., where he worked for two seasons. “It’s a beautiful day...

Going from a star player to a coach does not come with an instruction manual. Ciara Gregory spent two years learning the ropes as a graduate assistant at Charlotte where not that long ago, she was breaking 3-point records and sparking scoring runs in the 49ers’ backcourt. Never frozen with...

Seton Hill is parting ways with men’s basketball coach Kendrick Saunders after three seasons. Griffins athletic director Chris Snyder confirmed the university will not retain Saunders or his assistant, Ryan Joyce. Seton Hill finished 3-24 this season, including a 3-19 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division. The...

Jared Kollar has always been effective pitching with a lead. From his days as a senior ace for Latrobe’s WPIAL and PIAA championship winning team to solid outings at Seton Hill, Kollar was efficent with run support. That reputation still holds up at Rutgers. Kollar, a grad student pitcher, saw...

Class A Semifinals 4-Norwin (15-4) vs. 1-Fox Chapel (20-1) 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at RMU Island Sports Center Coaches: Mike Robinson, Norwin; Cam Raidna, Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 7-McDowell (13-8)/3-Quaker Valley (16-5) in the championship game at 8:45 p.m. March 21 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Center, Cranberry Ice chips:...

Another new stop awaits Brandon Stone. The 6-foot-11 forward is departing the Robert Morris basketball team, confirming Monday he will enter the NCAA transfer portal for the second time in his career. He did not want to elaborate on the details of his move at this time. Stone, a junior...

A pair of former Norwin sluggers will get to continue chasing their dreams of playing in the majors. JJ Matijevic and Max McDowell have been invited to spring training — Matijevic with the Houston Astros and McDowell with the New York Yankees. Both nonroster invitees saw promotions from Double-A to...

Dilveer Chaggar is quite familiar with the inner workings of the men’s soccer program at Seton Hill. He was an assistant — full-time, volunteer and as a graduate — with the team for the last six years, so he knows the players and is in touch with the recruiting process....

Tuesday’s games Class 2A Semifinals 4-Penn-Trafford (16-4) vs. 1-Thomas Jefferson (18-1) 7 p.m. at Robert Morris University Island Sports Center, Moon Winner plays: Winner of 3-South Fayette (17-3)/2-Franklin Regional (17-2) in championship 6:30 p.m. March 22 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Cranberry Coaches: Chris Cerutti, Penn-Trafford; John Zeiler, Thomas Jefferson...

West Liberty’s Bryce Butler is going to have to get some extra shelving in his dorm room for all of these awards. The third-year sophomore basketball standout out of Latrobe, was named the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association Atlantic Region Player of the Year. He also made all-region first...

West Liberty’s Bryce Butler is going to have to get some extra shelving in his dorm room for all of these awards. The third-year sophomore basketball standout out of Latrobe, was named the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association Atlantic Region Player of the Year on Saturday. He also made...

Alena Fusetti knows she doesn’t have to be the main scorer on a team with so much depth and balance. But the Blackhawk sophomore had a green light and a feel for the rims Saturday, so she asserted herself in a PIAA Class 4A second-round playoff game. Fusetti poured in...

Franklin Regional is not ready to loosen its grip on the WPIAL championship trophy just yet. The Panthers’ baseball team captured its third title last season, first since 2001, and made the PIAA playoffs before finishing 19-2. With eight seniors gone, you might expect a drop-off in talent and outlook....

Maybe the “Snider Mile” will become a thing in the future. Greensburg Salem will honor the memory of one of its top coaches and mentors by naming its track after longtime cross country and track & field coach Steve Snider. Snider died Feb. 28 after struggling with heart complications. He...

His softball team actually outdoors for a practice on the fourth day of preseason workouts, a day before a winter storm watch in the region, Jim Armstrong did a panorama of the mud-caked field at Franklin Regional. He squinted into the bright afternoon sunshine and smiled. “This is a sweet...

The Norwin wrestling program showcased some potential future standouts at the Pennsylvania Junior High Wrestling State Championships earlier this month at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown. Landon Sidun brought home gold with his victory in the 107-pound weight class. He defeated Melvin Miller in the finals, 10-4, to...

While their teams fell short of the WPIAL postseason, first-year basketball coaches Jesse Reed and Bernie Pucka saw new systems begin to take root and programs take on new personalities this winter. The boys finished 7-14 overall and 5-7 in section and lost out on a tiebreaker to make the...

Ligonier Valley senior Miles Higgins will aim for a WPIAL repeat this spring, but he’ll do so with his college plans firmly in place. Higgins committed to continue his track and field career at North Carolina Wilmington, a Division I program. The 6-foot-3 Higgins won the WPIAL Class 2A javelin...

Belle Vernon didn’t know Jack. “That No. 5, where the (heck) did he come from?” Belle Vernon coach Joe Salvino said after the game. The Leopards won’t soon forget No. 5 after what he did to them in the state playoffs. Quaker Valley is going to remember his performance for...

Boys Class 2A Second round 7-3 Greensburg Central Catholic (19-4) vs. 9-1 Ridgway (21-5) 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Clarion University Coaches: Christian Hyland, GCC; Tony Allegretto, Ridgway Winner plays: Winner of OLSH (24-0)/Carlynton (21-3) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Layup lines: GCC returned to the PIAA playoffs after four years and...