Bill Beckner stories, Page 195
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Hempfield lineman heading to St. Francis
Another Hempfield lineman has accepted an invitation to play football at the next level. Senior Ryan Cross, another key blocker for a Spartans unit that helped put up more than 200 rushing yards per game, is headed to St. Francis (Pa.) as a preferred walk-on. He will have a spot...
Hempfield holds off rally to beat rival Greensburg Salem
Greensburg Salem saved its best for last, but it wasn’t enough to get around Hempfield, which fended off the Golden Lions’ late surge in the final game of the Greensburg Salem Holiday Classic. After scoring just 13 points in the first half — a testament to Hempfield’s shot-challenging defense —...
Players from Ligonier Valley, Belle Vernon garner all-state football honors
WPIAL-bound Ligonier Valley’s days of dominating the District 6 Heritage Conference might be over, but the Rams left lasting memories. They also had a run of outstanding individual talent, some considered among the best in the state. That point was validated Saturday when the Pennsylvania Football Writers Class 2A All-State...
Zach Rocco, Penn-Trafford boys hold off Franklin Regional comeback bidVideo
As a 15-point lead faded to five midway through the fourth quarter Friday night, Penn-Trafford did not take on the look of a timid team. Even with inexperienced juniors and sophomores new to that scene handling the ball against full-court pressure and Franklin Regional chipping away, the Warriors showed no...
Five Westmoreland players make all-state football teams
Jeannette football players and coaches will say they did not reach their full potential as a team this season. The Jayhawks made it to No. 1 in the Class A state rankings but ended the year with losses to Clairton and Sto-Rox, the latter defeat coming in the WPIAL quarterfinals....
Penn-Trafford girls use fast start to down Franklin Regional
Penn-Trafford junior guard Allie Prady was hoping she and her teammates would get out of the gates faster than they had in recent basketball games. The Warriors would rather wind up and go early than have to rally late. “We haven’t started out good in the first quarter lately, so...
Injury to teammate gives Derry boys basketball added incentive
Derry started the season with one win in its first five games, so the Trojans needed a victory a week ago in their Section 1-4A opener. What they didn’t need was a devastating and potentially season-changing injury to their one of their best players. Tears were shed and many emotions...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Top matchups on tap at holiday tournaments
Christmas time means holiday basketball tournaments, and there are a few notable ones in the area Friday and Saturday. Two local round-robin events to watch will be at Penn-Trafford and Greensburg Salem. The Penn-Trafford Holiday Tournament, which has girls and boys games (two of each Friday and Saturday), features Norwin...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Latrobe eagerly awaiting return of Anna Rafferty
Latrobe is hoping to get sophomore Anna Rafferty back after the holiday break. The 6-foot-1 forward makes a difference. She has been strong on the low block on offense and a shot-altering presence on defense for the Wildcats (2-4, 0-3), who are looking to dig out of an early hole...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Local trio lead Bucknell wrestling
Three Westmoreland County wrestlers helped lead Bucknell to a 39-7 win Friday over Long Island. No. 15-ranked Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon) won by pin at 165 pounds. Senior 174-pounder Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon) won by decision, and senior Drew Phipps (Norwin) scored a major decision at 197. Phipps has not...
With numbers dwindling, Monessen football coach Mikey Blainefield steps down
Monessen finished the football season with 13 players. Six are seniors. Barring an unlikely boom in participation, that does not bode well for the proud program’s future. With possible dire times ahead, coach Mikey Blainefield handed in his letter of resignation after three seasons. The writing on the wall was...
Westmoreland notebook: Kovalcin returns to coach Latrobe softball
A familiar name is set to take over the Latrobe softball program. Bob Kovalcin, who guided the Wildcats from 2004-12, was hired as coach. Kovalcin, 62, guided Latrobe to three WPIAL titles in 2007, ‘08 and ‘11, along with several PIAA playoff appearances. He was an assistant from 1998-03. He...
Cal (Pa.)’s Jess Strom gets 200th win
Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball coach Jess Strom, of Steel Valley and Penn State fame, reached 200 career wins for the No. 9-ranked Vulcans Friday in a 67-60 victory over West Chester. Only seven other women’s basketball coaches in the PSAC have 200 or more wins. Strom is 200-53 in nine...
Derry’s Justin Huss suffers broken leg in basketball section opener
Derry senior basketball player Justin Huss broke his right leg Friday night in the Trojans’ emotional 59-57 victory over visiting Freeport. Huss went up for a rebound with 2 minutes, 44 seconds left in the second quarter and came down awkwardly. He crashed to the baseline, writhing in pain. The...
Hempfield uses poise, patience to hand Norwin its first loss
It was one of those games where the simplest tasks seemed the most difficult to execute. Passes, layups, even rebounds did not come easy. Nothing was crisp. What did seem to work smoothly for Hempfield in its section opener at Norwin, however, was how its seniors handled a double-digit lead....
Jeannette grad ‘Showboat’ Robinson back on Basketball Hall of Fame ballot
For the third straight year, Lamont “Showboat” Robinson is on the ballot for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Jeannette graduate is known for having a pivotal role in comedy basketball when he played for three Harlem teams: the Globetrotters, Roadkings and Clowns. Among the list of candidates...
Jeannette announces second Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class
After a successful launch of an all-sports hall of fame last year, Jeannette saw fit to make the venture a tradition. To that end, the district announced the second Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class Friday. The 2019 inductees are: • Earl Highlands (Class of 1963, basketball) • Greg Hall...
Penn Hills girls shut down Latrobe in fourth quarter, earn section win
Latrobe could feel the lead slipping away, a lead that never quite seemed safe against a Penn Hills team that felt itchy going against a zone, like it was wearing a wool Christmas sweater and wanted to rip it off. To that end, ugly had to suit the Indians aesthetically,...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Michael Noonan steps into scorer’s role for Latrobe boys
Latrobe began the season looking for a scorer, the next go-to guy who could keep the high-scoring Wildcats in contention for a WPIAL playoff berth and maybe more. While the team has started slow — 2-5 — with some painfully close losses along the way, senior Michael Noonan looks to...
Greensburg Central alum Warren Schaeffer hired to manage Triple-A baseball team
Once a slick-fielding shortstop with power at the plate, Warren Schaeffer continues to pass down his baseball knowledge to aspiring minor-leaguers — perhaps while climbing a different ladder to the big leagues. The former Greensburg Central Catholic star has been named manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Class-AAA affiliate of...
Off to fast start, Norwin boys ready to be tested
Fast starts in basketball are like a big explosion in the first five minutes of a movie. While the scene engages the audience and might even pique their interest, it quickly is forgotten as the rest of the film plays out. Norwin’s boys basketball team has set the tone with...
Hempfield’s Liberatore wrapping up notable career in leadership role
Hempfield’s Sarah Liberatore is one of those high school basketball players who seems to have been playing forever. It’s easy to picture her in Spartans blue and white. The talented, 5-foot-10 guard has been a starter since her freshman season and has become a fixture in the rotation. Michelle Burns,...
Elizabeth Forward softball pitcher Kailey Larcinese verbals to Towson
Growing up around the travel softball circuit and coming up in the WPIAL, Kailey Larcinese heard about the intricacies of the recruiting process. But she has been dealing with them firsthand since she had a breakthrough sophomore season last spring pitching for Elizabeth Forward. “Everyone tells you, ‘You’ll just know...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Norwin takes tune-up trip
Norwin used a pre-holiday trip south to work out some early kinks in its game. Not that the girls basketball team has many. The Lady Knights (3-2) played in the She Got Game Classic last weekend in Springfield, Va., and came home with a 1-1 record. After handling Frederick Douglass...
Linemen highlight numerous early football signings in Westmoreland County
One of the best recruiting years for linemen in Westmoreland County reached its high point Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA Division I early signing period for college prospects. A number of brawny frontmen made their verbal commitments official as they signed national letters of intent to block and...
