Bill Beckner stories, Page 15
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Hempfield’s Brock Heisler
Though he is young for his grade, Brock Heisler has an old-school side to him. The Hempfield senior lineman, who just turned 17, wears vintage T-shirts to practice with pro athletes of the past on them, like Ken Griffey Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Sr. He listens to classic bands like...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Pecora joins Hoffer’s football staff at Yough
They used to cook up pizzas — and 100-yard games — together, but Ben Hoffer and Dom Pecora will be coaching comrades this season at Yough. Pecora, the former head coach at Southmoreland and East Allegheny who most recently worked as an assistant at Penn-Trafford, is joining Hoffer’s staff. Hoffer...
With easy decision made, Norwin pitcher Caden Sivrich sets goal to help Pitt win
Pitt already was firmly on Caden Sivrich’s radar as a possible college landing spot. His mom, Fran Sivrich, is a university employee, meaning he can get a free education there. That was half the battle for the Norwin baseball pitcher, who had Division I college aspirations since he was a...
New Southmoreland girls basketball coach has history with program
As the general manager of Aumer’s Sports Bar & Grille in Mt. Pleasant, Barry Collins wears a lot of hats. He handles supply orders and billing, keeps tabs on customer satisfaction and even brings out food orders and tends bar when needed. But mostly, he supervises. “It’s a lot like...
North Catholic’s Lauren Reitz snags 1st Division I offer
At 6-foot-2, Lauren Reitz has the size to play basketball at the NCAA Division I level. But her game is about more than height. A rising junior forward from Murrysville who attends North Catholic, Reitz received her first Division I scholarship offer this week from Maryland Baltimore County of the...
Penn-Trafford shuts down opponents at WCCA 7-on-7 tourney
Quarterbacks and wide receivers often get the lion’s share of the limelight in 7-on-7 football tournaments. It is the touchdown passes and highlight catches that get the clicks. But Penn-Trafford leaned on its lock-down defensive backs to disrupt opponents Thursday and win another county title in repeat and record-setting fashion....
Well-traveled former Jeannette football standout joins Nebraska coaching staff
Anthony Johnson is no stranger to changing teams. He played basketball and football at several high schools in the WPIAL and City League, most notably Jeannette, before finishing his prep career at Cleveland Heights in Ohio. A key playmaker on Jeannette’s 2017 WPIAL and PIAA championship teams, the 300-pound defensive...
Greensburg’s Brandon Martin draws Division I basketball interest
College offers are rolling in for Brandon Martin. The 6-foot-7 basketball player from Greensburg added two more NCAA Division I scholarship opportunities this week, both from the Mid-American Conference in Kent State and Ohio University. Martin transferred out of Greensburg Central Catholic and is enrolled at The Phelps School in...
2025 Trib 25 Preseason Football All-Star Team: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Samir Crosby
“Route Runner.” That is the title Samir Crosby displays next to his name on his X handle, in all capital letters, a self-imposed moniker he pulled in back shoulder for all to see. “That’s what I am,” Crosby said. “That’s what I do.” The Greensburg Central Catholic rising senior hopes...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WCCA 7-on-7 moving to Hempfield for 2025
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial 7-on-7 football passing tournament returns this week but at a new venue. Hempfield will host the 14th installment of the event, set for 9 a.m. Thursday. Latrobe is the traditional host, but Rossi and Graham-Sobota fields are getting re-turfed this summer. Hempfield’s...
Norwin grad bounces back with Gold Glove season for Seton Hill
One way to put a substandard season behind you is to follow it with a more catchy year. That is what Jack Whalen did this spring with Seton Hill baseball. “Jumpin Jack” got his flash back, canvassing the outfield and delivering clutch hits from the leadoff spot. The rising senior...
Franklin Regional grads happy to be part of Pittsburgh Riveters’ inaugural season
Aris Lamanna is known for soccer goaltending ability, but this season she took on a different role with the Pittsburgh Riveters SC. Fan girl. Lamanna, a Franklin Regional alum and a rising sophomore at Coastal Carolina, was out with a shoulder injury and did not take the field with Pittsburgh’s...
Jeannette grad Pryor, Franklin Regional grad Lee make MaxPreps top 100 list
Two WPIAL Hall of Fame members who played at Westmoreland County high schools were named to MaxPreps’ top 100 high school athletes of the 21st century. The high school sports website recognized top athletes from 2001 to present, with staff members each presenting a list if more than 200 candidates....
Championship women’s basketball coach Jimmy Petruska steps down at Saint Vincent
Referencing his legacy, Jimmy Petruska said he wants to be remembered as a coach who taught life lessons to his players. “I hope I inspired each one of them through the game that I love,” Petruska said in a news release Wednesday announcing his resignation as Saint Vincent women’s basketball...
Former Mt. Pleasant softball star Haylie Brunson takes Division I coaching job
After a short stint as a volunteer assistant on her father’s staff at NCAA Division III Waynesburg, Haylie Brunson is moving on to coach softball at the Division I level. The former Mt. Pleasant and Penn State slugger has accepted a graduate assistant coach position at Longwood University, a member...
5 from Hempfield among 13 Westmoreland County softball players named all-state
When the final votes were tabulated, Hempfield had the most selections among WPIAL teams on the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association all-state teams released Tuesday. The WPIAL champion Spartans featured the Class 6A pitcher of the year, senior Riley Miller, who also made the first team along with four...
WPIAL well represented on Pa. High School Softball Coaches Association all-state teams
The compass pointed west Tuesday morning when the Pennsylvania High School Softball Coaches Association announced its players of the year and all-state teams. Voting showed a strong representation from the WPIAL, with six player of the year awards going to girls from District 7. Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames, the Gatorade...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Jon Dobrinski takes over as Greensburg CC boys soccer coach
Newly hired coach Jon Dobrinski is primed to lead the Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team this fall. An assistant last season, he replaces Ryan Kanner, who resigned in the spring after two seasons. Kanner went 14-19-1 and led the Centurions to the playoffs both years. Dobrinski has coached for...
Norwin basketball enjoying success in summer tournaments
Just reaching a championship game isn’t as fulfilling as winning one, but Norwin will enjoy its recent tournament run just the same. The Knights boys varsity team made the championship game of the fifth annual Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball Tournament before falling to Imani Christian, 66-57, in the title game....
Norwin grad JJ Matijevic keeps slugging in Mexican Baseball League
To follow JJ Matijevic online in the Mexican Baseball League, fans might have to make an extra click to translate the league website into English. No translation is needed when it comes to Matijevic still chasing his dream of playing at the game’s highest level. Watch him swing a bat...
Westmoreland college notebook: Athletic director Chris Snyder exits Seton Hill after 2 decades
Seton Hill is looking for a new athletic director after the departure of Chris Snyder, who led Griffins athletics for 21 years. According to a news release from the university, Snyder is leaving “to look for new opportunities and challenges.” Snyder began working at Seton Hill in 2004 as the...
Westmoreland County Campus Clippings: Coaching switch leads to Butler family reunion at West Liberty
Suddenly, Landon Butler will play for his brother next college basketball season. A Latrobe family reunion is happening at West Liberty after Butler decided to leave Coker University in South Carolina following a coaching change. He is transferring to West Liberty, where Bryce Butler is an assistant coach and former...
Latrobe’s Andy Tatsch chooses to play football at Lehigh
Once his older brother received a scholarship from an NCAA Division I program a couple of years ago, anything was possible for Andy Tatsch. That is how the rising senior from Latrobe first became interested in the recruiting process, when he bought into the idea he also could play at...
Norwin coach guiding more young wrestlers to success on national level
Despite all of his accomplishments coaching wrestling, Kyle Martin still manages to take teams to new levels. Martin, the head coach at Norwin who spends his WPIAL and PIAA offseasons training youth wrestlers, guided Team Pennsylvania to its first victory in the PA 16U Greco Roman National Duals in more...
Imani Christian goes undefeated, tops Norwin for Tre Cunningham Tournament title
The proud owner of a Most Valuable Player trophy and a $1,000 scholarship, Deston Hubbard described what an MVP should be. “Wow, that’s a great question,” the rising senior guard from Imani Christian said. “He has to be a leader. Someone who isn’t just a scorer, but someone holds the...
