Bill Beckner stories, Page 141
Norwin notebook: Kicker Joe Castle piling up ‘tackles’
How did Norwin junior kicker Joe Castle get credit for four tackles when he did not hit anyone? Norwin coach Dave Brozeski credits the kicker with a tackle if his kickoff reaches the end zone for a touchback. Four of Castle’s six kickoffs did so Sept. 3 against Latrobe. He...
Franklin Regional girls volleyball embraces changes
It’s not exactly a hot take by Rachel Frye, the new Franklin Regional girls volleyball coach, when she says her team will be watched by many this season. Champions often get the proverbial target on their backs the following year. “After our successful season last year we will have a...
Hempfield football escapes Franklin Regional rally for win
Hempfield made a concerted effort to run the football to open the second half, an impose-your-will mentality driven by junior running back Gino Caesar. Franklin Regional couldn’t stop it. The Panthers nearly rallied, pulling even with the Spartans in the fourth, but the force of the rushing attack and a...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Sophomore Hudock stands out for Franklin Regional
Ayden Hudock stood in a hallway outside the Franklin Regional football locker room before a practice this week, a half-eaten apple in his hand and an unsatisfied hunger to be a star grumbling in his stomach. Hudock couldn’t wait to take another bite. Junior Caden Smith has been a key...
Franklin Regional shocks Greensburg CC for girls county golf title in wild finishVideo
Franklin Regional must have felt like it was stuck in the traffic circle in downtown Ligonier and couldn’t get out. The Panthers ran the gamut of emotions Thursday at the fifth annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association Girls Golf Championship at Champion Lakes Golf Course, going from apparent runners-up to champions...
WCCA girls golf preview: GCC a heavy favorite to 3-peat
5th annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association Girls Golf Championship 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Champion Lakes Golf Course, Bolivar Defending individual champion: Angelika Dewicki, Greensburg Central Catholic Defending team champion: Greensburg Central Catholic Chip shots: The nine-hole tournament began awarding team champions in 2018. GCC has won both titles and is considered...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz up for monthly Ben Hogan Award
An impressive showing at the U.S. Amateur has Mark Goetz in position to win a prestigious award. Goetz, a Greensburg native, Hannastown Golf Club member and fifth-year senior at West Virginia, is one of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award August Golfer of the Month. He joins U.S. Amateur...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notes: Small Jeannette roster battles on
Jeannette already had a small roster before a player had to quarantine due to covid exposure, cutting the girls soccer team roster to nine active players. That meant Jeannette had to postpone Wednesday’s season opener at Ligonier Valley. “We couldn’t play with that many, so we have to wait it...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notes: No hard feelings after 30-0 game
The score caught the attention of soccer fans and casual observers alike, and many of them asked the same question upon seeing it: “Is that a typo?” No, Fox Chapel really beat Southmoreland 30-0 on Saturday at the Canon-McMillan tournament to open boys soccer season. That is one large, crooked...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball adds Belle Vernon grad to staff
The Seton Hill baseball team added Parker Lynn to the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Lynn, a Belle Vernon graduate, will coach catchers and work with offensive details. He played one season at Cal U, where he later coached. He also spent a season as an assistant at West...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg athletics Hall of Fame in the works
Pitt-Greensburg will have an athletics hall of fame for the first time. The university put together a selection committee, which began meeting in June. They will consider past standouts for induction in four categories: student-athlete, coach/administrator, team and honorary. The nomination process begins Wednesday and will end Oct. 15. Nominations...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant helps cancer victims
Mt. Pleasant is raising money for charity through a unique fundraiser that is fit for a king — and queen. Sports teams, the band ensemble and PIAA wrestling champion Dayton Pitzer are collecting money for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society Penny King/Queen event at Mt. Pleasant will...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Belle Vernon, Penn-Trafford set to clash
They don’t make nonconference matchups quite like this one. At least they didn’t used to. The WPIAL scheduled cross-classification games this season, meaning Class 5A teams play teams from 4A, among other matchups. It turned out to be a great idea for the league to create such an impressive matchup...
New coach means clean slate for powerful Norwin girls soccer program
New Norwin girls soccer coach Diane Metzger does not plan to have a starting lineup selected until a few days before the season opener. And when those starters are selected, their positions won’t be etched in stone. “No guarantees,” said Metzger, a Norwin grad and former Lady Knights player who...
Norwin boys soccer team has title run in its sights
Riley Zimmerman played only briefly in the WPIAL Class 4A boys soccer championship three years ago at Highmark Stadium, but the experience resonated with him. Then a Norwin freshman, Zimmerman recalls Knights coach Scott Schuchert telling him to remember the feeling, the atmosphere, the moment — to take it all...
Franklin Regional girls soccer has strong base to build on
With nine returning starters, Franklin Regional’s girls soccer team looks like it will have staying power this season. “We only graduated three seniors, so we have a very experienced team returning,” second-year coach Scott Arnold said. “With so many returning players, we are building up on where we finished last...
Top scorer Anthony DiFalco, Franklin Regional boys soccer teammates set lofty goals
Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco has seen just about everything there is to see in high school soccer. He has won two WPIAL titles, finished as a runner-up and played in the PIAA semifinals twice. He’s been All-WPIAL, all-state and All-American. But even the best players want more. They always...
Penn-Trafford jumps out to early lead in rout of Hempfield
This scoring on the first play of the game thing is catching on at Penn-Trafford. First-year senior quarterback Carter Green did it last week when he scored on a 99-yard run against Norwin. This week it was senior running back Cade Yacamelli who took the first snap from scrimmage to...
Jeannette football team to wear helmet decals to honor late coach Mucci
Thinned-out Jeannette will honor the memory of one of its all-time great football coaches Friday night as players wear special “JM” helmet decals for the late Joe Mucci. Jeannette (0-1) hosts Sto-Rox (1-0) at 7 p.m. at McKee Stadium. The Jayhawks’ coach from 1968-85, Mucci died last December from complications...
Mt. Pleasant junior Casey Shaffer plays on despite death of his mother; ‘She would have wanted me to’
As he surged through the line and wrapped up a Burrell ball carrier for his first tackle of the game — and season — Casey Shaffer could hear a familiar cheer. It was faint, but it rang so true in his ears — and in his heart. His mother had...
Sasko Classic returns at Belle Vernon to kick off soccer season
You know the WPIAL soccer season is here again when the name Paul Sasko appears on schedules. The Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic is back at Belle Vernon after it was canceled last season. The pandemic tightened the early part of the WPIAL schedule and organizers could not find a place...
Viola karate family takes pride in sport’s Olympic debut
Students of Allegheny Shotokan (Viola Karate) Martial Arts in North Huntingdon gathered outside of the dojo in front of a 20-foot screen, like Penguins fans watching a Stanley Cup playoff game on the big screen outside of PPG Paints Arena, to watch the Tokyo Olympics. This summer’s games carried special...
Westmoreland football notebook: Laurel Highlands’ Gallagher next test for Southmoreland
Southmoreland pulled somewhat of a surprise last week when it knocked off McGuffey. The fact the Scotties won was impressive, but how they did it was even more so: big plays and balance propelled them to a 47-22 victory. The final score echoed around the WPIAL. But the celebration must...
In program’s 1st WPIAL season, Hempfield girls golf comes out of clubhouse firing
After playing one season as a club team, Hempfield’s girls golfers were primed to begin their first year as a WPIAL member. The girls are apparently an iron, driver and putter team, too. Nobody saw this kind of start coming. The Lady Spartans have embraced the challenge that comes with...
Pitt-Greensburg to start sports hall of fame
Pitt-Greensburg will have an athletics hall of fame for the first time. The university put together a selection committee which began meeting in June. They will consider past standouts for induction in four categories: student-athlete, coach/administrator, team and honorary. The nomination process begins Wednesday of this week and will end...
