Bill Beckner stories, Page 133
Hempfield ekes out victory over scrappy Franklin Regional
The wheels were set in motion for a double-digit victory. But the wheels nearly came off for Hempfield in the fourth quarter Saturday night against Franklin Regional. The host Spartans tried to give away the finale of the 17th annual Hempfield Tip-Off Basketball Tournament, watching a 14-point lead dry up...
Guarded optimism for Penn-Trafford after season-opening win against GCC
Playing its first game without senior forward Ben Myers, who has been a staple in the lineup, Penn-Trafford had a different look to its boys basketball team in the season opener. The 6-foot-6 Myers is done for the season with a torn ACL, making the Warriors a much more guard-oriented...
Starting 5: Westmoreland basketball teams, players and storylines to watch
Teams to watch Boys Belle Vernon — The Leopards will be one of the hottest tickets in the WPIAL with their fast-paced style and athleticism producing big numbers and highlights. Electric is not a strong enough word. Greensburg Central Catholic — Blessed with height and senior experience from a WPIAL...
Latrobe’s fabulous frontcourt among top headline-grabbers in Westmoreland County hoops
WPIAL basketball season opens Friday, and big expectations — emphasis on big — are coming out of Latrobe. The Wildcats girls basketball team is far from a long shot because it is long across the roster. Teams will be hard-pressed to match Latrobe’s height, which will be complemented by the...
4 from WPIAL tabbed state soccer coaches of year
Adam Brownold guided the Winchester Thurston boys soccer team to its first PIAA championship, its second WPIAL title and a 23-0-1 record. The run of success this season led to him being named to the WPIAL Class A co-coach of the year. But the wins, and accolades, kept coming. Brownold...
District college notebook: Coleman named football coach at Waynesburg
Waynesburg named alum and former defensive lineman Dr. Cornelius Coleman as its head football coach. He replaces Chris Smithley, who was transferred to a new position, Assistant Director of Athletics Development, after serving as head coach for four years. Coleman also will work as assistant provost for Undergraduate Learning Experiences....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Hempfield senior to play ball at Youngstown State
Some people consider Aiden Dunlap a hockey player who also plays baseball — in a Happy Gilmore kind of way. It is quite the contrary, apparently. The Hempfield senior is a baseball player first, hockey player second. At least according to his college decision. Dunlap, a middle infielder with smarts,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Michalek earns all-region honors
Pitt-Greensburg senior Tiffany Michalek capped another outstanding season for the Bobcats as she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team. Michalek led the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in goals (22), assists (10), points (54) and shots (59) as UPG returned to the conference championship for the second...
Belle Vernon sophomore Quinton Martin picks up third Big Ten offer
Picture this: Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin and Cade Yacamelli of Penn-Trafford lining up in the same backfield or defensive secondary at Wisconsin a few years down the road. You never know. Now that Martin has a scholarship offer from the Big Ten Badgers — Yacamelli is already committed to play...
Carnegie Mellon’s Rich Lackner named AFCA regional coach of year
His final season has an unfinished look to it, like a Christmas tree without a star on top, but Rich Lackner still goes out a winner. The longtime football coach at Carnegie Mellon was announced Monday as the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year, making him...
Westmoreland campus clippings: County connections help Pitt to ACC title
Pitt mania is sweeping across the country as the Panthers continue to work their way back to national respectability. The football program’s exploits this season are fitting in with their proud glory days of the past. The ACC champion Panthers have plenty of Westmoreland County connections as they prepare for...
Southmoreland boys basketball team shows signs of growth
Southmoreland mixed and matched its starting five last season as coach Frank Muccino and his staff sought to develop a baby-faced group. Starting wasn’t about prestige, it was about reps. “Plug and play,” said Muccino, who begins his 13th season with the Scotties. “We had a lot of guys playing...
Southmoreland girls basketball team has plenty of experience, talent to continue recent run of success
With 59 wins, a WPIAL runner-up, two WPIAL semifinal trips and a run to the PIAA second round highlighting a three-year run, the Southmoreland girls basketball team has big plans this winter for Year 4. And a big rotation to match. Five starters return from a 16-5 team that reached...
Sydney Lindeman takes Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Soccer Player of the Year honors
Soccer players can get pigeon-holed into a position and the duties that come with it. Franklin Regional senior Sydney Lindeman took the midfielder tag and stretched it three ways. Sure, she lived up to the job description, working the ball between defenders and forwards to create the best scoring opportunities....
Franklin Regional’s Anthony DiFalco again named Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Soccer Player of the Year
Special talents such as Anthony DiFalco don’t come along often. So when the four-year prep career of a player of his caliber comes to a close, the accomplishments, the full body of work, tend to be that much more impressive. Consider what DiFalco did at Franklin Regional: • He was...
Trib HSSN WPIAL girls soccer all-stars: Steel Valley’s Salopek takes game to next level
TribHSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Kelsey Salopek Sr., F, Steel Valley As a Kent State commit, Kelsey Salopek already was on the WPIAL radar, but she took her individual talents a step farther as she led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL championship in its first try. The...
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys soccer all-stars: Franklin Regional’s DiFalco caps remarkable career
Trib HSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Anthony DiFalco Sr., F, Franklin Regional Special talents like Anthony DiFalco don’t come along that often. So when the four-year prep career of a player of his caliber comes to a close, the accomplishments, the full body of work, tend to be...
Franklin Regional grad Mike Evans Jr. to play football at West Virginia
Mike Evans Jr. is proof the NCAA transfer portal works — if you have patience and are willing to do a little self-promoting. Evans has a new college destination and he couldn’t be more pleased. Relieved to finally arrive at a decision, Evans announced Saturday he will play next season...
Central Valley’s Sean FitzSimmons receives Bill Fralic Memorial Award
About 12 hours after getting showered with Hershey’s Kisses as he helped his team to a PIAA semifinal win, Sean FitzSimmons was putting away syrup-soaked pancakes in a room full of former Pitt football greats. It’s been a pretty sweet couple of days for the senior from Central Valley. After...
Norwin Star notebook: Adam Bilinsky springs into action on hardwood
Adam Bilinsky can fly. He proved it during AAU basketball season in social media videos that showed him slam-dunking over defenders with ease. Adam Bilinsky T O O K O F F ???????? (@AdamBilinsky) @MasonElite2023 pic.twitter.com/aZpLiVaBj8— Prospect Media (@prospectmedia_) July 13, 2021 But the Norwin junior’s newfound leaping ability didn’t...
When healthy, Norwin girls basketball tough to beat
Norwin has four starters back, but those players rarely formed the same lineup last season because injuries would not allow it. Junior Savannah Schneck and senior Alyssa Laukus missed a combined nine games last season, which gave junior Lauren Palangio a chance to make her name known in the post....
Norwin boys basketball team working to reach potential
Lance Maha feels like he has been at Norwin for ages, but it has been only about three months since he took the boys basketball coaching job in North Huntingdon. His transition has been smooth, and he feels right at home. “The kids have been great,” Maha said. “We’ve had...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: P-T hoops standout tears ACL
Basketball season tips off a week from Friday, and Penn-Trafford already has been dealt a devastating blow to the lineup. Big Ben is done for the season. Senior 6-foot-6 forward Ben Myers tore his ACL and will need six to nine months to recover. The injury occurred during an open...
Point Park, Carlow set for women’s NAIA ‘City Game’
Point Park and Carlow have been watching the schedule with eager eyes as a unique matchup approached. Finally, it is here. The women’s basketball teams will face off Thursday night in the NAIA “City Game” at Duquesne’s new UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m. One team will...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Klimchock picks up 1st UPG win
After a slow start to his debut season, Chris Klimchock (Greensburg Salem) picked up his first win as men’s basketball coach at Pitt-Greensburg. JoJo France had a lot to do with the maiden victory as the senior guard poured in a season-high 34 points to pace the Bobcats to an...
