Bill Beckner stories, Page 162
Greensburg Salem loses delayed season opener to JeannetteVideo
Greensburg Salem boys basketball coach Mark Zahorchak glared through a doorway as his players ran onto the court. He watched proudly and his Golden Lions, the last WPIAL boys team to take the floor for a game this season, finally returned to action. There were butterflies. There were smiles and...
Franklin Regional’s Brush happy to continue basketball career
Maria Brush wants to be a physician’s assistant. That much was clear when she looked into pursuing a degree in her preferred field at Seton Hill. Basketball would be a bonus if she could somehow make both worlds work simultaneously. The Franklin Regional senior will get that opportunity next year...
Norwin notebook: Giansante headed to Western Carolina
Anthony Giansante could have tapped out. When Western Kentucky pulled his football scholarship offer several months back, and a few other offers went by the wayside, the senior from Norwin had to regroup and essentially start over. He continued to cast lines to college coaches, posting videos of his workouts,...
Penn-Trafford’s Frye brothers accept twin FCS offers as preferred walk-ons
St. Francis bagged a package deal Friday, landing football commitments from Penn-Trafford’s Frye twins — Mason and Nate. The siblings were recruited as defensive backs and will join the program as preferred walk-ons. “It is honestly super exciting to be able to go to the same program,” Mason Frye said....
Hempfield boys attack basket, handle Norwin
Joe Fiedor is that player in practice who never slows down. A constant ball of energy. “I like to play fast and go to the paint,” the Hempfield junior guard said. “I am always going.” A 6-foot guard, Fiedor spent much of the night slashing through the lane and attacking...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Metrosky earns walk-on offer from Pitt
Matt Metrosky had a few NCAA Division II options on his plate when he picked up a surprise offer from a familiar Division I program Thursday. It had him saying, “H2P,” with emphasis. The senior lineman from Greensburg Central Catholic suddenly has a chance to be a preferred walk-on with...
Southmoreland girls use defense to fend off Belle Vernon
Southmoreland doesn’t have a true rival in girls basketball. Belle Vernon might be the closest thing. “It’s always rough when he play here,” Southmoreland junior forward Gracie Spadaro said about Belle Vernon’s gym. Fourth-ranked Southmoreland wasn’t itself in the early going Thursday night as it struggled to run offensive sets,...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys correct course after early season loss
When Greensburg Central Catholic lost by a point to Jeannette earlier this month, 47-46, the Centurions took some stock in themselves and re-racked. The defeat, however early in the season it was, did not demonstrate the Centurions’ best traits. You might even call it an anomaly, second-year coach Christian Hyland...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem, Franklin Regional affected by shutdowns
Greensburg Salem is the only active boys basketball team in the WPIAL that has not played a game this season. Summit Academy also is 0-0 but opted to forego the season. All told, Greensburg Salem has lost 27 days to covid-19 shutdowns, including the mandatory three-week pause of high school...
Former WPIAL champ, Point Park standout Max Kaminsky to coach La Roche men’s golf
It wasn’t all that long ago Max Kaminsky was celebrating a WPIAL golf championship as a freshman at Serra Catholic, the first ninth-grade boy to win a district title. Or, when he was qualifying for NAIA nationals as a long-hitting frontman at Point Park. His game matured fast and so...
Westmoreland high school girls basketball notebook: Yough revels in snapped streak
Yough is showing steady improvement and the proof is in the numbers. Especially one gigantic, glaring number: 99. That was how many section games the Cougars had lost in a row before they finally broke through last week. Yes, they almost lost 100 consecutive section games dating to 2013. Coach...
Local basketball freshmen playing beyond their years
Jim Nesser liked what he saw from Terek Crosby from the moment the promising freshman first laced up his basketball shoes and took the court at Yough. Nesser has coached at a few area schools over a lengthy career, coming full circle at Yough — his first stop in 1988...
3 WPIAL freshmen make MaxPreps All-America football team
Three rising stars in the WPIAL Class of 2024 were named to the MaxPreps All-America Freshman football team. Belle Vernon running back, receiver and defensive back Quinton Martin, Central Catholic tight end/linebacker Anthony Speca and Jeannette quarterback Brad Birch were among the 48 national selections for offense and defense. All...
You’ve got a deal: Mavs owner, Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban meets with Penn-Trafford business class
Not everyone gets a deal with Mark Cuban on “Shark Tank.” But Penn-Trafford business teacher Kim Stefkovich managed to reel in the television show’s most popular shark for her administration and management class — with little effort. This time Cuban, the billionaire businessman from Mt. Lebanon who owns the NBA’s...
Devin Whitlock, freshmen put on a show as Belle Vernon puts away YoughVideo
Devin Whitlock said Belle Vernon is a second-half team. That might be the case from the perspective of the team’s junior point guard, but Yough might argue that the Leopards are a second-quarter team. At least they were on Tuesday night in Herminie. After Yough came out poised to challenge...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Jeannette’s Robert Kennedy transfers
Robert Kennedy is on the move again. The former Jeannette football standout is leaving East Carolina and will transfer to Old Dominion in Norfok, Va. Kennedy, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound safety, played in five games last season as a junior, recording 13 tackles and three pass breakups for East Carolina. He...
No. 1 North Allegheny doesn’t flinch at Penn-Trafford
First place goes to North Allegheny — for now. Penn-Trafford will get another shot at the revered Tigers later this season, but the Lady Warriors will be looking for a better start to the second half than the one they encountered Monday night in a hype-filled home game. Top-ranked North...
Men’s lacrosse team at Seton Hill ranked nationally
Seton Hill has high expectations in men’s lacrosse after the team’s season was cut drastically short in 2020. The Griffins begin the season ranked fifth in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Top 20. They return their top nine scorers and goalkeeper from a team that was 6-0 last season when...
H.S. notebook: Belle Vernon’s Dane Anden gets preferred walk-on offer from Pitt
Dane Anden could hardly believe the news. “When I told him, he was ecstatic,” Belle Vernon football coach Matt Humbert said. “He was really excited.” The news was that Pitt has more than the rumored lukewarm interest in the Leopards senior running back, who was a key cog in last...
Kiski Area girls beat Greensburg Salem on buzzer-beaterVideo
Finally, Greensburg Salem took the court for a girls basketball game. A quick start led to an early double-digit lead against Kiski Area, and it appeared a season opener unlike any other was the Golden Lions’ to lose. Turns out, it was Kiski Area’s to win. Despite an 0-for-9 start...
Norwin notebook: Altieri earns 100th career wrestling victory
John Altieri is headed for a college wrestling career at Clarion. But the Norwin senior has some unfinished business in his final prep season. Milestones often are part of the build-up to WPIAL and PIAA success. Altieri reached one earlier this season when he captured his 100th career victory. The...
Top-5 Hempfield boys show they belong with gritty win over Norwin
Hempfield is neither shying away nor hiding from the Class 6A boys basketball rankings. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. No downplaying going on here. The Spartans are embracing their first visit to the Tribune-Review top five since 2015. “I made a copy of the rankings and passed them out...
Norwin’s Anthony Giansante commits to Western Carolina
Anthony Giansante could have tapped out. When Western Kentucky pulled his football scholarship several months back, and a few other offers also went by the wayside, the senior from Norwin had to regroup and essentially start over. He continued to cast lines to college coaches, posting videos of his workouts,...
Belle Vernon girls get defensive during key section win vs. Mt. Pleasant
The game started an hour earlier than usual, but Belle Vernon’s defenders looked like they would have been ready to go any time of the day. A harassing pressure defense allowed the Leopards to build a double-digit lead by halftime, and the hosts held off a mild comeback by Mt....
Norwin basketball standout Ty Bilinsky back on court after recovering from stroke
Ty Bilinsky took a brief nap Dec. 27 at the home of his mother, Michelle. It was a comfy Sunday. He wore a blue Duke T-shirt and black gym shorts as he crashed on the couch in the living room. Then he woke up to watch some football. Steelers-Colts. “I...
