Bill Beckner stories, Page 160
Jeannette freshman QB Brad Birch draws scholarship offer from Oregon
What seemed like an innocent follow on Twitter led to a college scholarship offer for Jeannette freshman quarterback Brad Birch. It is another example of, as coaches often tell their players, “you never know who is watching.” Birch announced a Division I offer from Oregon on Wednesday, the first for...
Top-ranked Belle Vernon leaves no doubt, routs Yough
There was no early lead for Yough this time against Belle Vernon, a team that skyrocketed to No. 1 in the WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball rankings and jumped to No. 3 in the state rankings since the last time the teams played. Forget the notion this might have been...
Carlow’s Olivia Miller garners 3rd straight RSC track and field honor
Olivia Miller is pretty good at the triple jump. Maybe it is because she likes to do things in threes. Miller, a senior at Carlow and a Ligonier Valley alum, was named the River States Conference Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for the third straight week. She competed in...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Ryan helps Notre Dame to no-hitter
Senior softball pitcher Morgan Ryan made the most of her first start of the season — her fifth at Notre Dame — as the former Hempfield ace contributed to a no-hitter Sunday. Ryan pitched two innings, struck out two and did not walk a batter as the Fighting Irish (3-0)...
Ellie Coffield, Melissa Riggins picked for national All-American soccer game
A pair of WPIAL standout midfielders will represent District 7 in the High School All-American soccer game. Mars’ Ellie Coffield and Melissa Riggins of Shady Side Academy were selected to the national all-star showcase set for May 29 in St. Louis. Coffield, a United Soccer Coaches Region II All-American, was...
Bowen resigns after 9 seasons as Hempfield football coach
Hempfield football coach Rich Bowen resigned Monday after nine seasons, citing professional reasons for his departure. Bowen, 57, had a record of 30-55 with four WPIAL playoff trips, including in 2016 when the Spartans played in WPIAL Class 6A for the first time. “I loved my time at Hempfield. It’s...
Westmoreland County pair savor senior season at West Virginia Wesleyan
With a shortened season, one sawed in half by a late start and a conference-only schedule, West Virginia Wesleyan women’s basketball players are savoring each minute of every game. Count Abi Gabauer and Brittany Stawovy among them. The pair of local seniors have been key contributors for the Bobcats, often...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Expectations high for Seton Hill softball
Seton Hill is anticipating a potentially big season in softball this season, which begins this weekend. The Griffins, who were 7-10 when the 2020 season was halted last March over the pandemic, is No. 2 in the PSAC West preseason coaches poll. Top returnees include grad student Alexis Vargas, who...
Penn-Trafford’s Taylor Lloyd, Malia Kearns commit to D-I soccer programs
It was a productive weekend for the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team. The Warriors saw two standout players make verbal commitments to NCAA Division I programs. Junior goalkeeper Taylor Lloyd announced a pledge to Youngstown State, and junior forward Malia Kearns declared her intentions to play at Robert Morris. Lloyd, who...
WPIAL basketball teams must choose: Playoffs or no?
Many are going. Some are not. Others have stipulations, and a couple more are on the fence. The decision to enter the WPIAL open basketball playoffs is not as easy as you might think, at least for some schools. Opinions are being weighed in the decision-making process. Are we good...
Southmoreland grad forced out of softball after 3 seasons
Adeline Nicholson had a decision to make, but this wasn’t quite like choosing between taking a rip at a 3-0 pitch or chancing a walk. No, the former Southmoreland softball slugger came to a crossroads in her playing career and made a harsh, yet potentially life-changing choice to step away...
Westmoreland notebook: Belle Vernon boys basketball builds on last season’s success
Think of the pressure. Belle Vernon boys basketball made the WPIAL finals for the first time since 1978 last season and won a PIAA playoff game for the first time since ‘81. This year’s Leopards carried the unenviable burden of following that group into 2020-21, in the shadow of the...
Westmoreland players, teams show support for Norwin’s Ty BilinskyVideo
A lot of local basketball players are wearing the No. 5 these days. Navy blue T-shirts with #TyStrong on the front and a 5 on the back are showing up in gyms across Westmoreland County and beyond as teams show their support for Norwin senior Ty Bilinsky, a basketball player...
Gannon, West Chester top PSAC softball coaches polls
Gannon and West Chester will meet for the next Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference softball title. At least that’s the sentiment of conference coaches, who voted those teams as the division favorites on the eve of a new season. The PSAC will be broken into East and West divisions this year....
Norwin notebook: Big day finally arrives for Giansante
Finally, the day of promise arrived for Anthony Giansante. Signing Day allowed Giansante, the burly senior lineman from Norwin, to finally make his dream of playing Division I football a reality. After his first run through the recruiting process fell through for reasons out of his control, the second was...
Norwin girls seek consistency as postseason nears
Norwin plans to be in the thick of the WPIAL Class 6A chase when the playoffs begin later this month. Based on program tradition, it would be unusual if the Knights were not. But coach Brian Brozeski thinks some fine-tuning needs to be done to get his team ready for...
Penn-Trafford boys hold off Norwin charge
For a several-minute stretch late in the first half, Penn-Trafford looked nearly unstoppable. The Warriors ran off 14 straight points to take a 14-point lead over Norwin. Their guards were slashing to the rim, 3-pointers were falling, and they had established a post presence. But the plot thickened in the...
Norwin girls get past rival Penn-Trafford in defensive struggle
Sometimes, rival teams become so enamored with getting defensive stops, they forget to score. So went the story Thursday night in North Huntingdon when Penn-Trafford and Norwin met for the second time this season in girls basketball Section 1-6A. Nobody said rivalry games have to be pretty, but Norwin will...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Williams emerges as scorer for Greensburg CC
Brevan Williams never has been transfixed on becoming a go-to scorer. It just sort of happened organically as he found his place on the court at Greensburg Central Catholic. Williams, a 6-foot-3 junior swingman for the Centurions, has reached double figures in scoring in 10 of 11 games this season,...
New coaches putting their stamps on Westmoreland County basketball programs
Doug Kelly is as reflective about life as he is basketball. He takes a deep breath and pauses to mull over moments, both small and large in scope, before he moves on to the next challenge. Why did that happen? Who is accountable? Did I do all I could? These...
Franklin Regional tops Greensburg Salem for 1st section win
A few games ago, when Franklin Regional played Latrobe, the Panthers could not make a shot. Inside, outside, layups or putbacks — nothing. There was a lid on the rim. In their game at Greensburg Salem on Wednesday night, they couldn’t miss. Especially from long range. “We know we have...
Franklin Regional grad Summers staying with Villanova football team
Hold the phone, Villanova. Todd Summers is staying. Summers, a tight end who played at Franklin Regional, has decided to finish his college career at Villanova. He had planned to attend Duquesne and play one last season, but Villanova offered him a full scholarship to cover his time in the...
Frontcourt duo gives Latrobe girls a towering presence in paint
It’s picture day at Latrobe. Someone says they should snap a photo of the “twin towers.” The photographer aims the lens upward to capture the Wildcats’ dynamic duo. “It’s pretty cool they call us that,” said Wildcats junior forward Anna Rafferty, one-half of the long post pair that also consists...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Penn-Trafford looks for sweep of Norwin
Penn-Trafford will try to do something it hasn’t done in six years — sweep Norwin — when the teams play for the second time this season Thursday night in North Huntingdon. The rivals reunited in section play after two years apart when Penn-Trafford played up in Class 6A. Penn-Trafford (9-2,...
‘Hempfield way’ produces impressive win against Penn-Trafford
Every time Penn-Trafford picked at Hempfield’s double-digit lead and began to close the gap, the Spartans had an answer. When asked about his team’s ability to fend off the visiting Warriors, senior guard Christian Zilli had an answer. “We talked in the locker room, and we said, ‘If we get...
