Bill Beckner stories, Page 143
Westmoreland boys soccer notebook: Fewer practices makes perfect for Greensburg Central Catholic
Practice doesn’t make perfect. At least that is the case at Greensburg Central Catholic. First-year boys soccer coach Rob Fabean thinks teams can practice too often and overexert energy in between games, which, he believes, is counterproductive — and even costly. It’s not that GCC has low numbers. That is...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Hilty delivers winning goal for Allegheny
Senior Ryan Hilty (Penn-Trafford) scored the winning goal in the 76th minute as the Allegheny men’s soccer team edged past Marietta, 3-2. It was the first score of his career. Cal (Pa.): Sophomore midfielder Zach Vanek (Hempfield) scored his second goal of the season, on a penalty kick, in a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill, St. Vincent football start season hot
It’s mid-September and neither Seton Hill nor Saint Vincent has lost a football game. Seton Hill looks like it is going to grind its way to victories this season, and that will do just fine for a program looking to turn a corner. The Griffins improved to 2-0 with a...
Freshmen provide spark for emerging Mt. Pleasant girls soccer team
A wide-eyed bunch of freshmen are eager to make Mt. Pleasant a WPIAL contender in girls soccer. But don’t expect them to wait to make their mark. They are hungry now, ravenous and ready to soak up every crumb of game experience that comes their way. Four freshmen started in...
Hempfield alum Monica Burns to coach at Alderson Broaddus
Monica “Mo” Burns used to think about what coaching might be like, but she didn’t fully entertain the idea when she was in college. She was too busy breaking records at Wheeling Jesuit a few years ago. But now the profession has Burns’ full attention. The former Hempfield standout was...
Westmoreland notebook: Southmoreland softball standouts earning recognition
WPIAL Class 3A semifinalist Southmoreland had a young softball lineup last season. It lost only three seniors to graduation. Among the roster were a talented crop of freshmen, 10 of them in fact, including power-hitting shortstop Amarah McCutcheon and pitcher Madison Brown. Both are making inroads to college softball through...
WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings: Sept. 12, 2021
WPIAL soccer rankings Girls Class 4A Rank Team Record Last rank 1. Peters Township (2-1-1) 1 2. North Allegheny (1-0) 2 3. Seneca Valley (3-0-1) 3 4. Butler (4-0) 5 5. Moon (2-0) 4 Class 3A 1. Mars (4-0-1) 1 2. Plum (3-0) 2 3. Montour (3-0) 5 4. Franklin...
Soccer Jordan Taylor gets Jeannette boys soccer to think big
Vanity is not among Jordan Taylor’s chief concerns when he tries to put another goal in the net for the Jeannette soccer team. If he can score in a squiggly line instead of flowing cursive, so be it. If force takes a backseat to finesse, then more power to him....
Westmoreland H.S. football notebook: Ligonier Valley finding home in WPIAL
Ligonier Valley might have a WPIAL membership like all of the other football teams in District 7. Member since: 2020. But the Rams are missing a couple of things many of those other schools have: artificial turf and home games. One of the few teams left in Westmoreland County with...
Norwin girls volleyball motivated to find success
Years ago, Norwin’s girls volleyball program was the standard bearer for WPIAL championships. The Knights won 13 straight WPIAL titles from 1973-86, then added two more in ’88 and ’89. This year’s team might not be considered a title contender. Then again, 14th-year coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio is still trying...
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...
