Bill Beckner stories, Page 169
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for Monday’s semifinals
WPIAL soccer playoff previews Boys Class AAA Semifinals 3-West Allegheny (15-1) at 2-Franklin Regional (15-2) 6:30 p.m. Monday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 13-South Fayette (11-4-1) at 1-Mars (16-0) in WPIAL championship, 8 p.m. Thursday (site TBD) Hat tricks: West Allegheny and Franklin Regional met in the last...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Franklin Regional boys soccer meets familiar foe
So they meet again. Franklin Regional (15-2) and West Allegheny (15-1) have become quite familiar with one another in the boys soccer postseason, and the teams will clash again at 6:30 p.m. Monday in a semifinal game in Murrysville. The playoff rivals played each other in the past two WPIAL...
Norwin boys soccer charges into WPIAL Class 4A semifinalsVideo
With a wall of six defenders and a goalkeeper lined up across the front of the cage, creating a situation he had never faced before, Caleb Yuricha stepped to the top of the 6-yard box. Then junior then did what strikers do: He struck. Yuricha flicked a shot left of...
Westmoreland high school football notes: P-T, Pine-Richland meet for just 2nd time, and stakes are high
Penn-Trafford at Pine-Richland is an intriguing matchup in next week’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal. Two well-structured, well-coached programs with a winning tradition. “We’re both like the New England Patriots because everything is so in order,” Warriors quarterback Ethan Carr said. “Things don’t change much.” But similarities aside, there isn’t much...
WPIAL announces sites for boys, girls soccer championships
North Allegheny and Gateway will be host sites for the WPIAL boys and girls soccer championships. The WPIAL announced the locations Saturday for eight title games set for Thursday and Saturday. The championship games usually are played at Highmark Stadium at Station Square, but the venue was not used this...
Norwin notebook: Covid-19 quarantine keeps Knights out of volleyball playoffs
Norwin qualified for the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs but did not compete because it had to quarantine for 14 days because of possible covid-19 exposure. The quarantine lasted until Nov. 2, after the playoffs began, so the Knights had to give up their spot, coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio said. Hempfield...
Franklin Regional boys soccer accomplishing preseason goals
Franklin Regional arranged some objectives early in the boys soccer season like it was laying out a new outfit for the first day of school. Winning the section was first on the list. Bringing home a third consecutive WPIAL title was there, too, a little farther down. Only it wasn’t...
Penn-Trafford’s defense does talking against Upper St. Clair in rout
With two high-scoring offenses meeting Friday night at Warrior Stadium, some expected a shootout. Penn-Trafford shot down that notion. The fourth-seeded Warriors took the air out of No. 5 Upper St. Clair and produced a pair of 100-yard rushers in a relatively painless 35-7 victory in a WPIAL Class 5A...
Westmoreland County WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Oct. 31
Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 6-North Allegheny (13-3-1) at 3-Norwin (10-0-2) Noon Saturday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Winner plays: Winner of 10-Butler (11-5-1) at 2-Seneca Valley (11-1-1), 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD) in semifinals Hat tricks: Norwin has been off since Oct. 19 with a first-round bye. The Knights are...
14 from WPIAL make all-state in boys soccer
The WPIAL boys soccer postseason is winding into the semifinals and a number of title contenders feature some of the best players in the state. Fourteen WPIAL players made the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State list, announced Friday morning. Among the selections is Franklin Regional junior forward Anthony DiFalco,...
North Allegheny girls soccer looks sharp in shutout win over Norwin
Rain can create rust on untreated metal. Too much down time can have the same effect on soccer teams. The sharper team after considerable time away from live action was going to win Thursday night when Norwin and North Allegheny met in the WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinals. Fifth-seeded North...
Anthony DiFalco, Franklin Regional too much for Indiana in Class 3A WPIAL soccer quarters
At a time when most people are talking about the presidential election, Indiana coach Todd Myers might have cast his vote for boys soccer player of the year. Franklin Regional junior Anthony DiFalco continues to showcase his talent for the No. 2-seeded Panthers, not only as a goal scorer but...
Military parents of Franklin Regional, Indiana soccer players watch playoff match together overseasVideo
Parents of opposing players watched Wednesday night’s WPIAL Class 3A boys soccer playoff game in Murrysville from more than 6,500 miles away — in Kuwait. Megan Dawson, the stepmother of Franklin Regional sophomore midfielder/defender Sam Dawson, and John Fefolt, the father of Indiana senior goalkeeper Sam Fefolt, are stationed at...
WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Oct. 29
Today’s games Girls Class 4A Quarterfinals 5-North Allegheny (8-2) at 4-Norwin (9-2-1) 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Winner plays: Winner of 1-Peters Township (10-1-1) vs. 8-Seneca Valley (8-3) in semifinals 6:30 p.m. Monday (site TBD). Hat tricks: Norwin, seeking a sixth consecutive appearance in the semifinals, is...
Top-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer empties bench, survives scare
The way Tyler Solis sees it, what happened Tuesday night was a win-win-win situation for his Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team. For one, the Centurions won their first-round playoff game to advance in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Secondly, Solis got to empty his bench and give younger players...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Rematches loom for playoff teams
Rematches always are something to look forward to in the WPIAL football postseason. Westmoreland County teams could get their share of them in the coming weeks. While coaches don’t like to look ahead — some bristle at the thought — they had to glance farther down the brackets to see...
Burrell beats buzzer to take OT win from Mt. Pleasant in WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
Despite being the higher seed, Burrell could not play at home in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer playoffs due to a track renovation at Buccaneer Stadium. Instead, the Lady Bucs’ opening matchup against Mt. Pleasant was moved to their opponent’s home field. Burrell, though, still...
Upper St. Clair field hockey forfeits playoff game after covid exposure
Upper St. Clair has forfeited its WPIAL Class AA field hockey semifinal to Penn-Trafford after a person associated with the Panthers’ team tested positive for covid-19. The team will quarantine immediately. The match was scheduled for Tuesday night at Penn-Trafford. Upper St. Clair athletic director Dr. Kevin Dietrick said no...
Greensburg Central Catholic opens football coach position
Greensburg Central Catholic opened its head football coaching position, consequently parting ways with Bret Colbert after two seasons. Colbert had a record of 9-9, including 2-5 this season as the Centurions tied for sixth place in the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference with Imani Christian. GCC, which began the season...
WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules: Oct. 28
Boys Class AAA Quarterfinals 10-Indiana (9-4-2) at 2-Franklin Regional (14-2) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 6-Moon (12-3) at 3-West Allegheny (14-1) 6:30 p.m. Monday in semifinals (site TBD) Hat tricks: Indiana staved off No. 7 Belle Vernon (14-3) in a shootout (4-3) Saturday, and Josh...
Fearless Franklin Regional edges South Fayette in WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer first round
South Fayette pressed Franklin Regional from the start Monday night, but the Panthers tried to overcome the Lions’ push-back speed with patience, waiting for quality scoring opportunities. Panthers first-year coach Scott Arnold said he kept using the same word over and again as his team tried to flip the pace...
Westmoreland campus clippings: GCC grad Mort scores for No. 1 Pitt men’s soccer
Standing on the sidelines as a member of a No. 1 ranked college soccer team is nice, but seeing the field and contributing to a victory is much better. Just ask Luke Mort. A redshirt freshman forward and Greensburg Central Catholic graduate for top-ranked Pitt, scored his first college goal...
WPIAL soccer playoff capsules for games of Tuesday, Oct. 27
Here are WPIAL soccer playoff preview capsules for Tuesday’s games involving teams from Westmoreland County and the A-K Valley: Boys Class 4A First round 12-Latrobe (6-2-1) at 5-Upper St. Clair (7-5-1) 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Upper St. Clair Stadium, Upper St. Clair Winner plays: At 4-Fox Chapel (10-3), noon Saturday Hat...
Westmoreland high school notebook: PIAA playoffs beckon for trio of teams
A trio of WPIAL championship teams from Westmoreland County will compete this week for state titles. The Franklin Regional boys and Greensburg Central Catholic girls golf teams, and the Latrobe girls tennis team are in the PIAA postseason. Franklin Regional, which captured its first WPIAL title last week as it...
Battle-tested Penn-Trafford girls soccer grows into playoff contender
It has been decades since Penn-Trafford missed the WPIAL girls soccer playoffs. This was not going to be the year the run ended. While the Warriors had to grind a little more than usual to lock down a postseason spot, the team looks to have grown along the way. Tight...
