Bill Beckner stories, Page 151
Greensburg Central Catholic grads Nate Ward, Luke Mort to face off in NCAA College Cup
Nate Ward and Luke Mort pondered about the two of them meeting in a college soccer game, but chances seemed slim with them playing in different conferences. If they did meet, it could likely have to be in the postseason, maybe a few years down the road. The former Greensburg...
Seton Hill softball advances to PSAC finals for first time
Seton Hill made history Tuesday. The Griffins softball team downed visiting Gannon, 4-1, to win a best-of-three PSAC semifinals series and advance to the conference finals for the first time. The top seed from the West Division, Seton Hill (32-12) will host East No. 3 West Chester (28-11) in a...
Mt. Pleasant claws its way to victory over Southmoreland in section softball showdownVideo
Haylie Brunson has been one of the toughest outs in the WPIAL this softball season with her .600-something average and 20-plus extra-base hits. But even the senior slugger from Mt. Pleasant knew the challenge that awaited her No. 1-ranked Vikings on Tuesday against No. 2 Southmoreland in a Section 3-3A...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent forced to forfeit PAC playoff spots
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference softball and men’s lacrosse playoffs were going on in full force over the weekend, but one school was missing from both tournaments: Saint Vincent. The Bearcats had to forfeit their earned spots in both tournaments because of a covid-19 shutdown on campus in Unity Township. The...
Greensburg Central Catholic to play 3.5 section games in 2 days
Get used to seeing WPIAL softball teams squeeze in their remaining regular season games this week. The WPIAL will release playoff pairings early Thursday evening so teams are trying to complete their schedules. As a result, Greensburg Central Catholic has a busy Wednesday planned. The Centurions (7-3, 4-2 Section 2-A)...
Busy Roundball Classic week tips off with team practices
It is Roundball Classic week and Western Pennsylvania’s top all-star senior basketball players will begin gathering at Geneva College. Girls teams will practice at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with the boys’ 6A players to follow at 7:30. On Wednesday, the boys’ Class A, 2A, 3A and District 10 all-stars will practice...
No. 2-ranked Southmoreland softball sets back-to-back section doubleheaders
With the regular season winding down and no extension in sight, the Southmoreland softball team suddenly is in cram mode. The No. 2-ranked Scotties have played only nine games, including four in section, and have not yet clinched a playoff spot. That means a busy week lies ahead. Southmoreland (8-1,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill men’s lacrosse racks up honors
Seton Hill cleaned up when postseason awards were announced by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Griffins men’s lacrosse team, which finished second in the standings, reached the conference title game and earned its third straight NCAA Division II Tournament bid, had two major award-winners and 12 all-conference picks. Junior...
Westmoreland high school notebook: YMCA to host summer hoops leagues
A local summer basketball league is taking shape, and it will feature some of the top returning WPIAL girls players and teams. The Greensburg YMCA will host varsity girls and boys leagues beginning June 1. The girls field includes Connellsville, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant and...
Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation
When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...
Seton Hill baseball coach Marc Marizzaldi reaches 600 wins
The coach from the start in 2003, Marc Marizzaldi has molded the Seton Hill baseball program into a model of consistency, on a local and national scale. He has constructed top-tier recruiting classes, cultivated a winning culture and helped turn the Griffins into a Division II power. Over time, wins...
Norwin notebook: Turcovski, fellow Knights athletes shine at WCCA meet
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association Track and Field Championships usually are pretty good to Norwin’s athletes. This year’s event, conducted May 1 at Latrobe, was no different. Jordyn Turcovski took home track MVP honors for the girls after winning the 100- and 200-meter dash events with times of 12.87 and...
Norwin baseball finds ways to finish the job
Close games aren’t always a bad thing, especially when you find ways to win them. Highly touted Norwin knows a little something about razor-thin baseball games this season. The Knights, ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL and No. 4 in the state in Class 6A, had played in six one-run...
Pirone, Treloar form strong 1-2 punch for Franklin Regional rotation
When baseball season began, Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler referenced pitching depth and how it could relate to covid shutdowns for WPIAL teams. He said the staffs with depth probably would negotiate a stoppage best but also could be effective in the new back-to-back section series format. The Panthers (13-0),...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz, WVU senior, headed to NCAA golf regional
College golf just keeps getting better for Mark Goetz. The West Virginia senior from Greensburg was selected to compete in the NCAA Regional qualifier May 15-19 at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. Goetz, who attended The Kiski School and plays out of Hannastown Golf Club, becomes the first individual...
Saint Vincent pulls several teams from PAC postseason over covid cases
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference softball and men’s lacrosse playoffs are going on in full force this weekend, but one school is missing from both tournaments: Saint Vincent. That is because the Bearcats had to forfeit their earned spots in both tournaments because of a covid-19 shutdown, and necessary protocols, on...
Westmoreland players Skrabak, Osikowicz lift Seton Hill softball team into PSAC semis
Seton Hill softball players Jenna Osikowicz and Christiana Skrabak were as impactful in Thursday’s 16-0 runaway against Mercyhurst in the deciding game of a best-of-three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinal series as they have been all season. Osikowicz is a senior with perspective — and a bonus year to play...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s baseball title hopes renewed
Greensburg Central Catholic baseball had serious postseason expectations last year, as in, we can win the WPIAL and PIAA kind of expectations. The Centurions admit they were loaded. The pandemic didn’t care. With a half-dozen seniors unable to play and help to bring those high hopes to fruition, the younger...
Westmoreland high school baseball notebook: Ligonier Valley closes in on playoff spot
Ligonier Valley is on the verge of securing a playoff spot in its first season playing in the WPIAL. The Rams, who had a strong program in District 6 before joining a new league last year, were playing .500 baseball (7-7, 4-4 Section 3-3A) at midweek. Coach Brett Marabito said...
Fun-loving Norwin softball team blanks Hempfield to clinch section titleVideo
When Norwin softball players were told by their coach, Brian Mesich, that an umpire wanted them to “tone it down” on the field, they seemed taken aback. They weren’t sure what that meant, exactly. “They don’t want us to have fun, I guess,” one player said. “So let’s have extra...
Explosive offense helps to carry Southmoreland softball team
Each time Southmoreland smacks an ear-ringing home run over the fence — and it happens often these days — the Scotties exchange fist-bumps and high-fives in a mob at home plate, then it’s on to the next hitter. “New at-bat, new batter, new everything,” said freshman shortstop Amarah McCutcheon. New...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Westminster’s Caterino scores national honor
Westminster junior Tyler Caterino (Monessen) was named the United Soccer Coaches Division III Men’s Soccer Player of the Week. Caterino notched the first hat trick of his career as the Titans defeated Saint Vincent, 4-0, to secure the No. 4 seed in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference playoffs. Caterino helped Westminster...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Playoff picture still cloudy
A nearly washed-out week did not help to uncover more local qualifiers for the WPIAL playoffs. The deadline to finish section games is May 7, although the league may have to grant an extension with this week’s rash of postponements. The playoffs are supposed to start the week of May...
It’s been a banner spring for Seton Hill sports teams
Spring sports teams at Seton Hill felt they had plenty to prove after their 2020 seasons were sawed short because of the pandemic. Many of them have used this year to take out pent up frustration, and it led to conference titles, national rankings and potentially pending success in the...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Flack shines in spring season
Justin Flack is finding his running rhythm out of the Waynesburg backfield, and this season could pave the way for more to come. Flack, a sophomore from Derry, was named to the All-Presidents Athletic Conference First Team as an all-purpose player. Flack led the PAC in rushing yards despite missing...
