Bill Beckner stories, Page 184
Sibling athletes finding ways to stay competitive, in shape during lockdown
Social-distancing is as novel a term in the American vernacular as the virus that created it. But the concept of creating 6-foot spacing between people can be a challenge in a full household. What about a home filled with aspiring college and high school athletes who otherwise at this time...
Former Seton Hill WR Leatherbury signs with Arizona Cardinals
Shane Leatherbury, who played one season at Seton Hill in Greensburg, is set to embark on a professional football career. Leatherbury, who was a freshman for the Griffins in 2015, signed a free agent contract with Arizona Cardinals. After a year in Greensburg, Leatherbury transferred to Towson. There, the Salisbury,...
Norwin lineman Giansante gets 5th college offer
With the status of summer college football prospect camps uncertain because of the coronavirus, Anthony Giansante was not sure what to expect with his recruiting. These are fluctuating times. The Norwin junior football lineman, however, took pride in the fact he had built equity through his efforts in last year’s...
PAC declares team golf champions
With its final rounds thwarted by the coronavirus, the Presidents Athletic Conference declared winners of its team golf championships. The women’s final round was set for April 18 at Chestnut Ridge in Blairsville and the men’s for April 25 at Oglebay Resort (W.Va.), but the spring season was wiped out...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WPIAL names dot Outlaws roster
Travel softball has turnover, just like the high school level. But some teams, like the Ohio Outlaws 18U squad, have managed to sew together the same group for an extended time. It is a valued trait in the current circumstances. “I have coached these same girls for four seasons,” said...
Senior Spotlight: Jeannette ace Faith Johnston ‘proud to be a Jayhawk’
Faith Johnston has every intention of zipping fastballs past opposing hitters next year as a pitcher for the Waynesburg softball team. But she is just as focused on clobbering extra-base hits against opposing arms in the Presidents Athletic Conference. A dual-threat for Jeannette the last few seasons, she hopes to...
Long-snapper Michael Pifer hopes for NFL Draft call
Could a surprise pick in the NFL Draft be … wait for it … a local long-snapper? Michael Pifer is one of the best at the position in the country, and the former Navy standout could hear his name called in the mid- to-late rounds or perhaps draw a free...
Stock continues to rise for Penn-Trafford do-it-all junior Ethan CarrVideo
Ethan Carr put together quite a highlight reel last football season at Penn-Trafford, and it’s a good thing. With the future of summer showcases and camps in question because of coronavirus, top prospects such as Carr might have to use their 2019 film as leverage to score scholarship offers. Restrictions...
Peter Tulk retires, Zach Wilfong takes over Saint Vincent lacrosse
The latest news out of the Saint Vincent men’s lacrosse program is twofold. Peter Tulk is retiring as coach, and his replacement is former Bearcats standout Zach Wilfong, who played for him from 2008-11. Tulk is the winningest coach in program history with a record of 140-122 across two stints...
Senior Spotlight: Penn-Trafford ace exits as program’s winningest pitcher
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Morgan Hilty works at a Dairy Queen but the ace softball pitcher from Penn-Trafford wasn’t able to put the curl on top of her high school career. With the...
Hempfield softball coaches get pick-me-up from former players
When he finished watching a personalized YouTube video from his former players, Bob Kalp felt a range of emotions. In what has been a bummer of a high school softball season, one that never happened because of the coronavirus lockdown and the PIAA’s cancellation of spring sports, the veteran Hempfield...
Senior Spotlight: Southmoreland multi-sport standout continues to stay upbeat during pandemic
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. With a player as spirited and happy-go-lucky as Charity Henderson on the roster, the Southmoreland softball and girls basketball teams had no choice but to feed off her vibe....
IUP’s Fedor sweeps PSAC golf awards
Shaun Fedor strives for double eagles on the golf course. Who doesn’t? But now the IUP golf standout can call himself a double award-winner in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Fedor was tabbed the athlete and freshman of the year in the PSAC, which announced its fall postseason awards and...
Southmoreland girls basketball coach Brian Pritts steps down after banner season
Every day during the stay-at-home era, Brian Pritts has seen firsthand why he put space between himself and basketball. He wakes up at 6 a.m., drinks a tall glass of water, works out and reads. But first, he does a head count of his blessings: his wife, Kristin, and his...
Franklin Regional graduate Michael Kemerer granted another year of eligibility at Iowa
Positive news, in any form, is welcomed by college athletes in these uncertain times. Wrestler Michael Kemerer received an uplifting boost from the NCAA over the weekend as the Iowa senior and Franklin Regional graduate was granted a sixth year of eligibility. That means he will get another shot at...
Cal alum Kaitlynn Fratz makes WBCA’s 30-under-30 coaches list
A former Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball standout is considered one of the country’s young, on-the-rise coaches. Kaitlynn Fratz, an assistant at Maryland, was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 30-under-30 list for the 2019-20 season. Fratz was selected for meeting the criteria of “involvement in community service, mentorship and...
No banquet this year, but YWCA announces sportswomen of the year winners
The YWCA of Westmoreland County canceled its annual awards banquet set for April 7 because of the coronavirus outbreak and has closed its doors until at least April 1. But that did not stop the organization’s tradition of recognizing some of the top female athletes and teams in the county....
Penn-Trafford baseball stays hungry amid uncertainty
When Penn-Trafford baseball players and coaches left practice Friday — their final practice as a group until March 30 at the earliest and maybe their last workout together ever — players were given baseballs to take home. The season hadn’t even begun and the team already was cleaning out its...
Penn-Trafford softball eager to defend state titleVideo
Like every other high school team in the PIAA, Penn-Trafford is trying its best to stay patient and proactive during the coronavirus crisis. But it hasn’t been easy. The softball team can’t practice or gather during these unprecedented times. Just the same, the Warriors are itching to swing their bats...
Report: Oakmont could be backup plan if June’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot is scrapped
Oakmont Country Club has long carried a reputation for being one of the toughest golf courses in the world. Its members might even be considered braggadocious about it, saying the club could host a U.S. Open any day of the week, any time of year. That sentiment might be put...
WPIAL baseball, softball teams bag southern trips over coronavirus pandemic
Knowing the feedback he would get, Aaron Albert could hardly break the news to his players without getting emotional. The Kiski Area baseball coach last week had to tell the Cavaliers their trip to Vero Beach, Fla., was canceled because of safety and travel concerns over the widespread threat of...
PIAA petition gets more support than Frazier senior Curcio expected
When Emi Curcio typed up a petition to the PIAA last week, urging the state’s governing body for high school sports to postpone, not cancel, the spring sports season, she couldn’t have imagined its outreach. “Never in a million years,” said Curcio, a senior softball player at defending PIAA Class...
Norwin softball aims to repeat section championship behind deep pitching staff
(Editor’s note: The PIAA has postponed the start of the spring sports season because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic.) With uncertainty looming about the resumption of practices and the start of the WPIAL softball season — if there is one — Norwin is trying to stay upbeat and focused....
Norwin baseball team has talent to contend for titles
(Editor’s note: The PIAA has postponed the start of the spring sports season because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic.) Adjusting to life without practice has been no small task for the Norwin baseball team. After the Knights finished a workout Friday, the gates to their home field were sealed...
Two more college governing bodies, NAIA and NJCAA, shut down spring sports
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior College Athletic Association waited as long as they could to make a decision on their spring sports seasons. But, like so many other organizations around the country, both were swept under the current caused by coronavirus. The NAIA and NJCAA...
