Bill Beckner stories, Page 183
Poised for big season, Seton Hill baseball accepts cruel fate of emotional year
Tanner Froelich said his team’s “why” is greater than any other team’s when it comes to the disappointment felt by the cancellation of the college baseball season, the evil work of the debilitating coronavirus. “We had such a great start to the year,” said Froelich, a redshirt freshman catcher for...
Senior Spotlight: Hempfield softball standout filled resume with championships, clutch hits
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. With a soft-spoken demeanor and somewhat unassuming presence at the plate, Ashley Orischak can be deceiving. If you want to hear the Hempfield senior softball player make noise, put...
H.S. notebook: New Penn-Trafford soccer coach hopes to ‘take it to the next level’
Judging by Jimmy Mastroianni’s enthusiasm, he is more than ready to get started coaching the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team. “Make no mistake,” he said. “We are looking to take it to the next level.” Mastroianni takes over for Jackie Bartko, who resigned after five successful seasons leading the Warriors. Bartko...
PIHL still hoping to play last 6 playoff games, crown champions
Still wanting and waiting, the PIHL is holding out hope it can finish its postseason. But numerous factors must fall into place for high school hockey teams to return to the ice. League commissioner John Mucha said Friday the six varsity playoff games — five Penguin Cup games that include...
Latrobe hockey still waiting to see if it will play for Penguins CupVideo
One game to go. One abandoned, unresolved game that was left to stew in the penalty box for something it didn’t do. Latrobe is a single victory from a Class AA championship, but the Wildcats’ final PIHL game might never happen. The Penguins Cup final against Baldwin has sat in...
Greensburg Central Catholic duo made mark as students, winners
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. Nate Ward and Samantha Nemeth have a lot in common. Both are outstanding soccer players with college careers in their best sport awaiting them. Both also have a flair for the...
Virtual reality: Western Pa. coaching clinics move to web
Health officials are trying to stop the spread. Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta still is teaching teams how to run it. Liotta refers to the football offense, not the coronavirus, when he addresses a captive audience via his laptop computer. The coronavirus’ spread, though, has not stopped coaches like Liotta...
Senior Spotlight: Thomas Jefferson slugger ‘the epitome of what a team player is’
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Coming to terms with the new normal is half the battle for high school senior athletes who had their spring seasons ripped from their grasp. The waves of fear...
Recovered from arm surgery, Derry pitcher Hood eager to get back into action
One of the great joys of an injured athlete is the day they can return to live action. The day the wait is over, when all of the rehab and patience-testing cashes in its coins. But that day will have to wait for Ryan Hood. The sophomore baseball player from...
Well-rounded Derry standouts Huss, Kelly up for awards
Editor’s note: This is the third in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. A pair of 4.0 students and three-sport athletes from Derry had as much to give in the classroom as they did in athletics. Justin Huss and Kamryn Kelly found a way...
Riverhounds Development Academy graduates record number of players
With 39 standouts committed to play collegiate soccer, and more on the way, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy announced a program record for graduating players. “The variety of schools that the players will be attending shows the positive impact of our developmental platform and recruiting network,” RDA director Scott Gibson...
Latrobe’s Walker signs NAHL tender with Wichita Falls
Add another Latrobe hockey standout to the Wichita Falls Warriors’ roster. Forward Alex Walker signed a tender contract to play for the Warriors, a team in the North American Hockey League. Walker, a junior, joins Latrobe teammate Lane Ruffner, a defenseman who signed with Wichita in December. Walker and Ruffner...
Organizers hold off on canceling Westmoreland County 7-on-7 summer football event
With schools closing across the state, high school sports also were shut down for the spring by the PIAA. In line with that decision, local organizations such as the Westmoreland County Coaches Association also have been affected by the paralyzing restrictions of the coronavirus. The association’s spring and summer schedule...
Senior spotlight: Albert Gallatin shortstop hits all the right notes
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Annalia Paoli plays a mean shortstop. But did you know the senior softball star from Albert Gallatin also plays the guitar and violin? The down time over the last...
Hempfield hoops standout Liberatore picks Marshall
Sarah Liberatore often was asked about her college interest, beginning last year when, as a junior, the basketball standout from Hempfield was beginning to surface on the radars of Division I coaches. But she opted to keep her decision close to the vest, saying she would rather wait until the...
Westmoreland County notebook: Soccer star DiFalco sticking with Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional boys soccer fans can relax. Anthony DiFalco isn’t going anywhere. There have been rumblings the star sophomore forward and two-time WPIAL champion was considering leaving to join a professional academy. DiFalco, who already has Division I interest, did spend a few days training in January with D.C. United,...
Gateway coach Alvis Rogers squared off with Michael Jordan long before his ‘Last Dance’
Each time Alvis Rogers sits down to watch another episode of “The Last Dance,” the 10-part ESPN miniseries about Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, he is time-warped back to his college days at Wake Forest when he and the Demon Deacons went against Jordan and North Carolina. Rogers,...
IUP product Matt Guevremont headed to CFL
A former IUP football lineman is taking his talents north. Expect the landscape to be familiar to Matt Guevremont. A 6-foot-4, 335-pound tackle, Guevremont was taken by the BC Lions in the fifth round of Thursday’s Canadian Football League Draft. He is a native of Pickering, Ontario. The Vancouver-based Lions...
Senior Spotlight: Frazier softball star helping keep steelworkers safe
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Goal-oriented and driven to overpower hitters, softball pitcher Logan Hartman was nearing the school record at Frazier for career strikeouts. “But unfortunately now, I can’t get it,” Hartman said....
Regretful Nusser opens up about dismissal from Belle Vernon basketball team
The latter stages of his senior basketball season took a sharp turn into the abyss, and Cam Nusser admits he could have done some things differently to avoid the unfortunate outcome. The fiery guard from Belle Vernon was here again, gone again throughout the Leopards’ run in the WPIAL and...
Senior Spotlight: 4-sport Avonworth athlete racked up 13 varsity letters in decorated career
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Four-sport athletes don’t have much free time on their hands to begin with, so the shelter-in-place order has wreaked havoc on their daily schedules and preparation. But the down...
Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee honored as country’s best amateur athlete
Ever since Spencer Lee stepped onto the Iowa campus, he has dominated opponents. He is a two-time NCAA champion. The junior also has taken on a big-time reputation in the wrestling world. He is one of the most popular names in the sport. Now, the Franklin Regional alum has a...
Fay-West schools team up with rivals for ‘Spirit Week’ eventVideo
Five schools in the Fay-West slice of Western Pennsylvania are teaming up for a virtual “Spirit Week,” a show of solidarity during the coronavirus shutdown. Next week, Connellsville, Frazier, Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland and Yough will take part in the virtual event with each asked to post photos of school members...
Ligonier Valley’s Kyle Silk has few regrets after tumultuous senior year
When Kyle Silk transferred to Ligonier Valley from United for his senior year, he foresaw an idyllic conclusion to his career in high school athletics. New teammates. A new environment. A fresh start. Today, as he reflects on the past eight months, he wonders what he did to deserve the...
Coach, official Mike Gaffney tries to fill rare down time with sports world on hold
Mike Gaffney is quite conditioned to the changing of the high school sports seasons. In the winter, he is a PIAA basketball referee and serves as an assistant girls basketball coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. Spring gives way to Gaffney serving as coach of the GCC softball team, and he...
