Bill Beckner stories, Page 172
Mt. Lebanon’s Lindsey Powanda conquers Oakmont, wins school’s first WPIAL girls golf titleVideo
Her notebook was chock-full of scribbles and arrows, subtle reminders and dos and don’ts of how to play Oakmont Country Club. Lindsey Powanda came prepared, but even the best players in the world, no matter how much they’ve analyzed the course, can be humbled at the fabled venue, which welcomed...
No immediate plans for Norwin to suspend sports amid covid-19 shutdown
Norwin is shutting down five schools, including its high school, after seven confirmed cases of covid-19 in the district. But there are no plans to suspend high school athletics. Several Norwin teams played Wednesday, including the girls soccer team, after the district’s announcement that five new cases were traced to...
Westmoreland County football notes: Franklin Regional sneaking up on Class 5A foes
Is that Franklin Regional hiding in the tall grass of the Class 5A Big East Conference? The Panthers are the team nobody is talking about yet as they quietly sit 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big East Conference. Their only loss is to No. 2 Gateway, but they have...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer playing like ‘legitimate’ contender
One mark of a title-contending team is how it responds to playing from behind. How it deals with adversity. Defending WPIAL Class A boys soccer champion Greensburg Central Catholic started the week ranked No. 1 again and looks primed for a repeat championship. And while the Centurions are used to...
Westmoreland boys soccer notebook: Unbeaten Belle Vernon gets record-setting performances
Belle Vernon’s weekend shutout of rival Ringgold allowed a couple of players to move up in the Belle Vernon record book. Class 3A No. 4 Belle Vernon (10-0) remained undefeated with a 3-0 win Saturday over the Rams. In the process, junior forward Daniel Sassak scored the 50th goal of...
Daryn Freedman named basketball coach at Penn State Greater Allegheny
Daryn Freedman is a well-traveled man. In 25-plus years, basketball has given him a tour of the eastern part of the country and provided coaching opportunities at several levels. But with his family here, Western Pennsylvania has become his landing spot for jobs. His latest one will be in the...
Westmoreland high school girls soccer notebook: Daughter gets best of dad in showdown
Izzy Laurita felt a strange type of nervousness last week when Belle Vernon took the field against visiting Hempfield. Normal game jitters were present, but things just felt a little different when Laurita looked across the field and saw … her father … on the opposing sideline. Roland Laurita is...
Franklin Regional girls soccer thriving under 1st-year coach’s new system
Sitting atop Section 1-AAA with a half-game lead as this late-starting girls’ soccer season nears its halfway point pleases Franklin Regional. The Panthers didn’t expect to be in this position. It has happened organically, a byproduct of a commitment to a new coach and his new style of play. But...
WPIAL Class AAA girls golf championship preview: Players face tough test at Oakmont Country Club
WPIAL Class AAA girls golf individual championship 10 a.m. Thursday, Oakmont Country Club, Plum 2019 champion: Isabella Walter, North Allegheny The field: 35 players will compete over 18 holes for the district championship. The player breakdown by county is: Allegheny (17), Butler (5), Westmoreland (4), Washington (4), Fayette (3), Beaver...
Soccer community remembers ‘Moe’ Rosensteel
They will always remember “Moe.” The WPIAL and local soccer community took time Tuesday to again honor the late Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel, a former Ringgold and travel soccer standout and West Virginia Wesleyan recruit who was killed by a lightning strike — along with Greensburg Central Catholic baseball player Brendan...
Resurgent Norwin knocks off No. 1 Fox Chapel in girls soccer clash
For more than two decades, Norwin and Penn-Trafford have ping-ponged section titles in girls soccer. They have been section opponents for a lot longer. If it wasn’t one bringing home the hardware, it was the other. A newcomer from Allegheny County is out to change things up in the rivals’...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: UPG hires Oddis to lead women’s hoops
Pitt-Greensburg did not have to look far to find its next women’s basketball coach. Two-year assistant and former standout player Kelsey Oddis was waiting in the wings. Oddis, a Burrell graduate, will replace Hayley Schaetzle, who resigned after three seasons. “I look forward to continuing to build the culture that...
Assistant Kelsey Oddis promoted to lead Pitt-Greensburg women’s hoops
Pitt-Greensburg did not have to look far to find its next women’s basketball coach. Two-year assistant and former standout player Kelsey Oddis was waiting in the wings. Oddis, a Burrell graduate, will be promoted to replace Hayley Schaetzle, who resigned after three seasons. “I look forward to continuing to build...
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings for Oct. 5, 2020
Here’s a look at this week’s WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings. Records are through Saturday’s games: WPIAL soccer rankings Girls Class 4A 1. Fox Chapel (8-0) 2. Butler (7-0) 3. Peters Township (5-1) 4. North Allegheny (4-2) 5. Moon (5-2) Class 3A 1. Mars (7-0) 2. Plum (7-0) 3....
Kiski Area grad Nevada Smith takes on new role with Texas basketball
He used to splash down 3-pointers at Kiski Area and Bethany and later drew up plays for college and future NBA players. But now Nevada Smith is set to begin a new challenge. He will help shape a Division I college outfit as the men’s basketball director of program development...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Zambruno sisters excited to play in states
Greensburg Central Catholic twin sisters Meghan and Ella Zambruno finally will get to play together in the PIAA Class AA golf championship. Meghan shot 79 to take second place, and Ella carded an 82 for third at the WPIAL championship Thursday at Allegheny Country Club, advancing the juniors to the...
WPIAL Class AAA boys golf championship preview: Field looks crowded
WPIAL Class AAA boys golf individual championship 11 a.m. Tuesday, South Hills Country Club, Whitehall 2019 champion: Scott Bitar, Fox Chapel The field: 36 players will compete for the district title in an 18-hole tournament. The player breakdown by county: Allegheny (18), Westmoreland (8), Butler (3), Washington (3), Beaver (2),...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Penn-Trafford bounces back big
The loss to Peters Township continues to shrink in Penn-Trafford’s rear-view mirror. The Warriors have bounced back emphatically since a 24-21 nonconference defeat that saw the Warriors surrender seven turnovers. They are 2-0 since, including Friday night’s impressive 38-6 win over No. 4 Woodland Hills. “That loss motivated us,” Warriors...
Norwin notebook: Recruiting back open for Anthony Giansante
Norwin senior lineman Anthony Giansante is no longer committed to Western Kentucky. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder, who was recruited as an offensive guard, said WKU made the decision to not bring in any high school offensive linemen this year. He said he was told the program is focusing solely on junior...
Franklin Regional girls soccer benefit from new style of play
Sitting atop Section 1-3A with a game-and-a-half lead as this late-starting girls soccer season nears its halfway point pleases Franklin Regional. But the Panthers didn’t exactly expect to be in this position. It’s happened organically, a byproduct of a commitment to a new coach and his new style of play....
Penn-Trafford shuts down Woodland Hills, makes case for elite status in Class 5A
Penn-Trafford players and coaches say they aren’t necessarily playing with a chip on their shoulder because they have not been ranked all season. They know how deep Class 5A is, but at the same time, think they at least belong in the conversation. The Warriors played like a top-tier team...
Quaker Valley’s Eva Bulger repeats as WPIAL Class AA champ
Eva Bulger has athletic pedigree. The sophomore golf standout from Quaker Valley is the niece of former NFL quarterback Marc Bulger. Her aunts are former Oakland Catholic and West Virginia basketball stars Kate and Meg Bulger. She already seems comfortable being in the spotlight and handling championship pressure. All of...
Sewickley Academy’s Tim Fitzgerald tames Allegheny CC, takes WPIAL Class AA title
As he approached the 18th tee, Tim Fitzgerald asked a group marker where he stood on the leaderboard. When he heard, “You’re up by three,” he exhaled but quickly regrouped before putting a peg in the ground for the final time Thursday. “I still didn’t think it was over by...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 4
Class 6A No. 5 Baldwin (1-0, 0-0) at Norwin (0-3, 0-3) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Baldwin returns to action after shutting down the program and canceling two games after a coach reportedly tested positive for covid-19. The Highlanders, coached by former Derry coach Tim Sweeney, won...
WPIAL soccer teams nearing end of full-season sprint
Once considered a marathon, WPIAL soccer season is a full-on sprint this season. No time to stop off for a rest, either — not in 2020. “It’s a war of attrition,” Norwin boys coach Scott Schuchert said. With the coronavirus forcing a late start to the season — Sept. 14...
