Bill Beckner stories, Page 12
Norwin girls keep faith in win over Mt. Lebanon
Seeing was believing for the Norwin girls soccer team. When senior Cameryn Reed scored off a corner kick from sophomore Tatum Casper just three minutes in — for the team’s first goal of the season — the Lady Knights’ confidence began to rise in their matchup against No. 5-ranked Mt....
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2025 Week 1
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week 1 in Westmoreland County: Nonconference Aliquippa (0-0) at Belle Vernon (0-0) 7 p.m. Friday, James Weir Stadium, Rostraver Last year’s meeting: Aliquippa 12, Belle Vernon 0 This is the season opener for both teams. Belle Vernon has a new coach in...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Belle Vernon set to host Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic
A Belle Vernon soccer tradition continues this weekend with the Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic. The event will be Saturday and Sunday at James Weir Stadium. Sasko, a former BVA soccer coach, died in 2016. Proceeds go toward scholarships in his name. The Belle Vernon boys will play twice Saturday. The...
Franklin Regional holds off Penn-Trafford in section opener
Franklin Regional was as opportunistic as it was technical in its first Section 3-3A boys soccer game of the season. It also had no choice but to be composed with Penn-Trafford hot on its bumper. The visiting Panthers had to overcome hard-charging Penn-Trafford’s late surge to hold on for a...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Freshman comes out firing for Franklin Regional
The Franklin Regional girls soccer program appears to have a bright future. Need proof? The Panthers (1-1) started three freshmen in their first two games, and one of them scored all of the goals so far. Freshman Reese Regelski fired in her first career goal from 20 yards as Franklin...
Plum girls soccer picks up where it left off, beats Franklin Regional
Plum opened the season doing what it does best: It won another section game. Led by a productive defense that did more than prevent goals, the Mustangs girls soccer team ran their section winning streak to 28 with a 3-1 victory over rival Franklin Regional in a Section 4-3A game...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Saint Vincent welcomes latest hall of fame class
The 2025 Saint Vincent Athletics Hall of Fame class covers six sports and stretches from the 1970s deep into the 2000s. The inductees will be recognized Sept. 27 at halftime of the Hiram-Saint Vincent football game at Chuck Noll Field. They include: • Joey Butler (2009), basketball — Helped SVC...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Andrisko takes over as Belle Vernon baseball coach
Taylor Andrisko is the new baseball coach at Belle Vernon. The district approved his hiring at last week’s board meeting. Andrisko replaces Tony Watson, who was not retained despite guiding the Leopards to the WPIAL semifinals last season. Andrisko was the coach at California High School for the past three...
Mt. Pleasant’s Lily King helps set swim record in Romania
Mt. Pleasant alum Lily King was part of a world record-breaking relay team in Romania. King and the 400-yard freestyle relay set a world juniors mark at the World Aquatic Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni, Romania. The team of Rylee Erisman, Liberty Clark, Julie Michler and King finished in 3...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Hempfield QB Detruf gets win for late father
With each completion and big gain, Dom Detruf could picture his dad smiling. He could feel it. Hempfield’s senior quarterback played with poise and purpose in Friday night’s season opener at Spartan Stadium, a 28-23 win over North Hills. Detruf completed 14 of 17 passes for 206 yards and three...
After playoff season, Norwin girls hope to keep momentum rolling
Norwin returned to the WPIAL girls soccer playoffs last season and nearly advanced out of the first round, falling to No. 12 seed Mt. Lebanon, 1-0, on penalty kicks (4-3). The fifth-seeded Knights finished 10-8-1, winning seven of their final 10 games to return to the Class 4A postseason after...
Norwin boys leaning on young talent to overcome losses
A stunning, last-second goal by North Hills sent Norwin reeling – and packing – last season, bringing an end to a potential WPIAL title repeat. Norwin players still can’t bear to watch the film. But the Knights have moved on from a 3-2 first-round loss, just like they moved on...
Next wave of starters finding their places in Franklin Regional girls lineup
Graduation is a wonderful accomplishment, but it can cause problems for soccer teams. For the Franklin Regional girls, it is creating competition. “Last season, we had a large and successful senior class,” coach Scott Arnold said. “Great leaders, fantastic players and wonderful people. A lot of them were starters and...
Franklin Regional boys counting on hard work to lessen sting of graduation losses
If Franklin Regional doesn’t outscore opponents, the next best thing will be to outwork them. That could be the Panthers’ M.O. this boys soccer season. “We’ve had very productive summer workouts, which have been very well attended,” coach Nick White said. “The boys are hungry and desire to repeat the...
Penn-Trafford escapes with win over Norwin after controversial late fumble
Norwin was that close to another second-half comeback, but Penn-Trafford held on this time — barely. Tristyn Tavares pushed forward on first-and-goal from th 2-yard line with 1 minute, 22 seconds left and appeared to cross the goal line. But the ball came out, and Lucah Butler recovered for the...
Wisconsin’s Cade Yacamelli among former Westmoreland County stars to watch in Division I, II football
Wisconsin running backs coach Devon Spalding trumpeted the praises of Cade Yacamelli during training camp, saying the former Penn-Trafford star had the ability to “take charge of the room.” Wisconsin opens the season Aug. 28 against Miami (Ohio), and Yacamelli could end up taking charge of the Badgers’ backfield as...
Westmoreland County boys high school soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant has savvy to make noise in Class 2A
With nine returning starters, Mt. Pleasant boys soccer has its sights on a sixth straight WPIAL playoff berth. The season opens Friday, and the Vikings are primed to make their mark in Class 2A. They lost only two starters from a team that took second place in Section 4. “We...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Key players out of Norwin’s lineup
Four players who likely would have had an impact for Norwin are nonfactors — at least for this season. Junior Chase Molinaro, sophomore Turner Raibel, and freshmen Christian Wilson and Mateo Yezovich are playing for the MLS Next, a youth developmental league that does not permit players to dual roster...
Westmoreland County football notebook: Ligonier Valley hopes to shine in ‘Friday Night Lights’ contest
Ligonier Valley is the latest Westmoreland County school to enter the school spirit-driven T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights competition. Latrobe and Derry took part in the season-long contest, which recognizes small towns and their fondness for high school football. Top schools are awarded each week, starting with $5,000 in the...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2025 Week Zero
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week Zero in Westmoreland County: Nonconference Connellsville at Latrobe 7 p.m. Friday, Latrobe Memorial Stadium, Latrobe Last year’s meeting: Latrobe 41, Connellsville 0 Connellsville, which plays an independent schedule outside the WPIAL, finished 3-6 last season. Senior quarterback Caden Matthews leads the...
No-nonsense senior hopes to help Southmoreland achieve biggest goals
Deadpan and focused, Stanley Chapman would just as soon crack a helmet than a smile. With that in mind, you can imagine what picture day was like. Forced grins, squinting at the sun and getting pulled in all directions, while waiting as patiently as he could for practice to start....
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Rosensteel Classic kicks off season Saturday
The new WPIAL girls soccer season begins Friday, but the first big event to watch will be Saturday at Ringgold. The fourth annual Moe Rosensteel Memorial Kickoff Classic will feature four games at Joe Montana Stadium. The schedule is as follows: Franklin Regional vs. Thomas Jefferson (girls) at 10 a.m.,...
Westmoreland County girls high school soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant takes another crack at elusive WPIAL title
The question returns each year like the girls soccer season itself. Is this Mt. Pleasant’s year? Last season ended with another look of disappointment on the faces of Vikings players, who lost to playoff nemesis Burrell, 4-0, in the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals, another promising team left stifled. Mt. Pleasant was...
Soft spoken with a mean streak, Lucas Altier anchors massive Norwin offensive line
Lucas Altier’s goals for his senior season are larger than he is. Unproven and hefty, the Norwin football player stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 315 pounds. He naturally stands out. “He’s the biggest kid I have coached,” Knights coach Mike Brown said of the right tackle. “This is the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Ky’Ron Craggette earns preseason honor
Seton Hill running back Ky’Ron Craggette made a national preseason watch list. Craggette, a redshirt senior, was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 preseason watch list. The list aims to begin the process of identifying All-American-caliber players. There are first, second and “squad,” or honorable mention, teams. Craggette made the...
