Bill Beckner stories, Page 145
Just 1 starter returns for defending WPIAL champion Jeannette
Roy Hall is not sure how this season — his last with the Jayhawks — will play out, but he knows what the main goal is for his football team. “Survival,” he said. “We want to keep our kids healthy and do everything we can to get through the season....
Clairton reloads behind imposing offensive line
It’s a hot July afternoon and Clairton just finished its final 7-on-7 competition of the summer. Next stop: McDonald’s. The players order their value meals, and the coach gets ready to pay. “That’ll be $76.81,” the cashier says. Coach Wayne Wade steps up and handles the transaction. “It would be...
With new coach in place, Greensburg CC to rely on strong defense, deep skill group
It could take some time for Greensburg Central Catholic to find its identity early in the football season. New coach Marko Thomas said the Centurions are ready to try a number of offensive sets until they find one that continually produces results. “I brought in some things from Connellsville, and...
Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turowski has record-breaking day at Manor Valley
Nick Turowski drove the first green Tuesday, ripping a 300-plus-yard drive to about 20 feet to open his nine-hole high school match. He then dropped a birdie putt into the cup and, “I was off to the races.” The sophomore from Penn-Trafford had a day to remember at Manor Valley...
2021 WPIAL Class A football breakdown: Clairton returns size, skill, speed … again
Wayne Wade has heard about Jeannette’s transfer issues and low player turnout. But the Clairton coach wants to see for himself if the ravaged Jayhawks are truly in for the rough go everyone says they are. Call it a respectful nod to the defending WPIAL Class A champions, who throttled...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Penn-Trafford’s Aunkst helps West Virginia to win
Redshirt junior defender Mackenzie Aunkst (Penn-Trafford) dribbled inside the 18-yard box and dropped a perfect cross-pass to teammate Lauren Segalla, who scored a goal for West Virginia in a 4-0, season-opening win over Buffalo. The assist was the first for Aunkst in her career. She has started 31 games for...
‘Dangerous’ senior running back leads Norwin’s quest for respect
Dom Barca appreciates variety in life. He likes a good country song as much as he does an old-school hip-hop jam or some new age rap. “All types,” he said. “I listen to everything.” Kind of like his athletics career. He has tried them all. The Norwin senior has dabbled...
Norwin alum Shasko Bonnett wins halftime kicking contest at Steelers game
The second kicker up in a three-person contest at Heinz Field on Saturday night — with 40,000-plus looking on — Ariel Shasko Bonnett lined up her field-goal try from the 5-yard line. A chip shot? Not for someone who had only began kicking a week ago. She is much more...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Locals make soccer award watch list
The Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award recognizes the best WPIAL girls soccer player “whose play, leadership and passion for the game emulates that of the award’s namesake.” Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel was a soccer standout at Ringgold who was about to begin a college career at West Virginia Wesleyan...
Once-proud programs in Jeannette, Monessen fall on hard times
Jeannette and Monessen have a lot in common. They are small towns that are getting smaller. Both have seen a slow but steady decline in population since the turn of the century. Industrial growth has dwindled, and change has been met with a stiff arm as they forge ahead with...
Norwin grad to kick for cash at Steelers game
Ariel Shasko Bonnett admits she is no kicker, but a few short-range field goals through the uprights at Heinz Field Saturday night could change that perception. Especially for a charity. A Norwin graduate and North Huntingdon resident, Bonnett will be one of three contestants in a kicking contest at halftime...
This season will be last for CMU football coach Rich Lackner
Who knows how far the Carnegie Mellon football team will go this season, but the Tartans’ 2021 run will be the last chapter in the long career of coach Rich Lackner. CMU announced Thursday that Lackner, who has the most wins in program history, will retire at the conclusion of...
Latrobe QB Bobby Fetter displays leadership, perspective for Wildcats
When Bobby Fetter learned he might not be able to play football again after he separated his left shoulder for a third time and needed surgery, the Latrobe senior gained a measure of perspective. He didn’t ask for pity, and he didn’t pout. Instead, he used his consternation to help...
2021 WPIAL golf season primer
High school golf season at a glance Boys Class 3A • Defending champion: Franklin Regional won its first WPIAL title and sent two players to the PIAA tournament, also a program first. The Panthers are not exactly facing a rebuild: They return seniors Zach Abdallah and Jeff Anderchak, both high-30s...
10 WPIAL players make All-American games watch list
The 2021 High School All-American soccer games will be played Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla. The WPIAL might have quite a showing on a national stage. Ten senior players from the district are on the All-American games watch list, which came out Wednesday, including eight girls. Selections will be announced...
Despite defection of teammates, Jeannette’s Justin Shank determined to give his all
Justin Shank often asks himself, “Why me?” Fresh off a WPIAL Class A championship and PIAA runner-up finish as a two-way lineman, the Jeannette senior watched helplessly as teammate after teammate transferred to other schools. “I felt betrayed,” Shank said. “We had all talked about winning another championship with everyone...
After close calls, Latrobe searching for signature winVideo
Latrobe has made things interesting late in the season the past two years, hanging around teams it wasn’t supposed to get in the ring with and nearly pulling stunners. Last year, the Wildcats took Upper St. Clair for a wild ride, finally coming up short in a highlight-filled 52-44 shootout....
No-nonsense lineman helps launch Hempfield into new era
If you like no-nonsense, hand-in-the-dirt linemen with impeccable smarts and a mean streak, Dan Sierk is your guy. The brawny senior from Hempfield will move from tight end to offensive tackle this season and will be a problem for opponents from his defensive end post. You might have a hard...
High school notebook: Derry football coaches bridging the age gap
Football teams are learning how to read gaps at camp this week so they can open running lanes this season. At Derry, coaches are learning what a generation gap feels like. Derry second-year coach Vince Skillings is 62 years old. Take the combined age of three of his assistants, and...
James Piot won, but Oakmont stole show at U.S. Amateur
James Piot was told his clubhead speed ramped up substantially on a few of his drives Sunday during the championship match of the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club. The fifth-year senior at Michigan State is not an exceptionally long hitter, but a glimmer appeared in his eye as...
WPIAL-studded Palomino team co-champs at World Series
It never got to play the actual title game of the Palomino World Series, but the Youngstown Class B AstroFalcons All-Star Team still walked away champions — with some bonus history. The winning sensation felt just like the AstroFalcons thought it would as they celebrated a co-title with Puerto Rico...
WPIAL’s top girls soccer players make Moe Rosensteel award watch list
The Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award recognizes the best WPIAL girls soccer player “whose play, leadership and passion for the game emulates that of the award’s namesake.” Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel was a soccer standout at Ringgold who was about to begin a college career at West Virginia Wesleyan...
James Piot rallies to defeat Austin Greaser at the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont Country Club isn’t all nightmares and ghosts from the past. The storied venue and USGA holy ground is also a place where dreams can come true. Right, James Piot? “I still can’t believe I am holding this trophy,” Piot said. “I still think I’m dreaming.” Piot, 22, a Canton,...
James Piot leads after 18 holes in U.S. Amateur final
James Piot will take a 1-up lead over Austin Greaser into the afternoon round of the 36-hole finale of the 121st U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club. The second 18 will begin at 2:30 p.m. A fifth-year senior at Michigan State and a native of Canton, Mich., Piot was all...
U.S. Amateur notebook: 2003 champion Nick Flanagan returns to Oakmont
Australian Nick Flanagan was in town for the U.S. Amateur, but he had to warm up his throwing arm, not his driver and putter. Talk about a tough pitch shot. Flanagan, the last U.S. Amateur champion to win at Oakmont, in 2003, threw out the first pitch Friday night before...
