Bill Beckner stories, Page 196
New GCC boys coach, 24, looks to carry on winning tradition at his alma materVideo
At 24, Christian Hyland will be one of the youngest head basketball coaches in the state — in the country, for that matter. But taking the reins at Greensburg Central Catholic — his alma mater — gives him a charge and gets his competitive juices flowing again. It’s all he...
WPIAL alums dot All-PSAC West football teams
The WPIAL is generously represented on the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football teams, which came out Wednesday. The PSAC West Division offensive first team features Slippery Rock senior offensive guard Ryan Podgorski (South Park) and senior kicker Jake Chapla (Plum); IUP redshirt sophomore receiver Duane Brown (Apollo-Ridge); Mercyhurst tight end...
Belle Vernon’s Cameron Guess commits to Pitt
Belle Vernon’s Cam Guess made it all the way to No. 1 in the Kohl’s Kicking Camps national punter rankings last year for the Class of 2020. Pitt made it to No. 1 on the senior’s list of college choices. The strong-legged Guess announced Wednesday night his commitment to Pitt....
Rebuilding ahead after breakthrough season for Franklin Regional girls
Franklin Regional made a rare appearance in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals last season with a senior-heavy team. How quickly graduation can change things. Second-year coach Anthony Kobus went from having a veteran group to directing a fledgling lineup that lacks varsity experience. In most cases, new coaches...
Young Franklin Regional boys roster takes aim at 5th straight playoff berth
When Steve Scorpion took over the Franklin Regional boys basketball program two years ago, he inherited a team loaded with juniors and seniors. Last year, he had an abundance of seniors. Year 3 is underway and Scorpion is a little light on upperclassmen. “It happens,” he said. “We have had...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent freshman double dips
Some athletes play two sports in separate seasons. Saint Vincent freshman Sara Basala not only plays two sports in the same season, but she also found time to play two in one day. At the conclusion of the Bearcats’ final women’s soccer game of the season Nov. 1, she went...
Veteran coach brings new ideas to Derry girls program
New coach Gene Brisbane was talking to his players as the first day of girls basketball practice at Derry drew to a close. He was laying the groundwork for a new-but-old play he calls, “Joe.” It is named after Joe Montana. Brisbane asked if anyone knew who Montana was. Show...
Derry boys installing up-tempo offense
Coming off its first winning season since 2001 and its first WPIAL playoff trip since 2008, the Derry boys basketball team has the experience and senior leadership to make another postseason push. This could be the Trojans team that finally wins a playoff game. Maybe the first to make back-to-back...
Handful of PSAC teams head to NCAA football playoffs
For the first time, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will send five teams in the NCAA Division II Football Championship. Slippery Rock (11-0) earned the top seed in Super Region 1 and has a bye in the first round. The Rock is No. 8 in the American Football Coaches’ Association...
Mars’ Ellie Coffield wins Moe Rosensteel Award
Ellie Coffield played a pivotal role in leading Mars to an unbeaten season complete with WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA championships. The junior midfielder’s play earned her special recognition. She is the winner of the inaugural Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award. The award, reserved for...
Terrelle Pryor campaigns for shot with Steelers
It looks like Terrelle Pryor really wants to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It remains to be seen if the Steelers have any interest in signing the journeyman wide receiver from Jeannette, but he is lobbying for an opportunity nonetheless. Pryor, a 30-year-old free agent, proclaimed via Instagram on Sunday...
Hempfield grad Katie Miller receives postseason honor
Another successful summer on the amateur golf circuit earned Katie Miller more postseason recognition. For the second time in three years, the Hempfield and North Carolina alum was named to the Global Golf Post All-Am Team. She was added to the publication’s Mid-Amateur Team. Miller, a Jeannette native, made the...
Thomas Jefferson routs Belle Vernon for 9th WPIAL football championshipVideo
Experience matters in the WPIAL football finals. Teams that have been there and done that always seem to have a significant edge over teams that don’t quite have a feel for the championship atmosphere. Thomas Jefferson is a gleaming example. While names on the roster change and jersey numbers get...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Honors roll in for Franklin Regional boys soccer
Franklin Regional was lauded for its unbeaten regular season and its second straight WPIAL boys soccer championship. Sophomore forward Anthony DiFalco was awarded WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year, and the Panthers’ Rand Hudson is coach of the year in the classification. Additionally, senior Connor Hudson and junior Cole...
Penn-Trafford QB Gabe Dunlap stands tall after playoff loss to Peters Township
Penn-Trafford football players filed out of the locker room at West Mifflin on Friday night, their collective demeanor one of sadness and frustration. There were tears and dejected spirits after the top-seeded Warriors lost to Peters Township, 28-10, in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. Suddenly, a promising season was halted...
Peters Township’s dynamic defense downs top-seeded Penn-Trafford in Class 5A semis
It wasn’t the offensive explosion last year’s quarterfinal was, but defense stole the show this time for Peters Township in a playoff rematch with Penn-Trafford. And the result was the same. The fifth-seeded Indians forced five turnovers and used that momentum to do all of their scoring in the second...
Westmoreland football notebook: Ligonier Valley linemen grew into dominant force
Ligonier Valley has some of the better offensive and defensive lines the program has seen, but the hulking blockers are not just successful because of their size. Rams coach Roger Beitel has watched his linemen develop from a young age and has seen their progression through a number of sports,...
Beck Buchanan’s breakaway goals carry Winchester Thurston past GCC, into state finals
Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer coach Tyler Solis watched as his team fired shot after shot at Winchester Thurston, a few that struck the goal posts, bounced the wrong way and somehow stayed out of the net. It was a tense buildup to a disappointing conclusion for the Centurions. “We...
Westmoreland athletes ink with colleges on national signing day
Brenna Springer and Nate Ward had a busy Wednesday. The All-WPIAL seniors from Greensburg Central Catholic took part in national signing day as both inked letters of intent to play Division I soccer. Then, they played in state semifinal games at Peters Township. While one chapter in their athletic lives...
Expect fireworks from Penn-Trafford, Peters Township in WPIAL playoff rematch
Penn-Trafford and Peters Township had a hard time catching their breath in the first quarter last year when they met in a wild WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal at West Mifflin. Yes, there were fireworks. They combined for 42 points, exchanging big plays and massive gains, and were locked at 21-21...
Girls soccer showcase coming to Franklin Regional
There is a newly sponsored girls soccer showcase and it is open to WPIAL seniors who made all-section or All-WPIAL teams this season. East Suburban Sports Medicine Center will host the ESSMC WPIAL Classic on Nov. 23 at Franklin Regional’s Panther Stadium in Murrysville. The event begins at 1 p.m....
Westmoreland campus clippings: UPG women’s soccer punches ticket to NCAAs
Still undefeated and wanting more, the Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team won its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Penn State Behrend before 247 at Westmoreland County Community College. The victory secured the Bobcats’ (19-0-1) first spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins...
Franklin Regional grad Andrew Mastovich tabbed AMCC’s top defensive soccer player
Andrew Mastovich lived up to the hype. The senior defender on the Penn State Behrend soccer team was tabbed the preseason defensive player of the year in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. On Tuesday, the honors were validated when he was named AMCC Defensive Player of the Year. Mastovich, a...
Franklin Regional gets dose of perspective on eve of PIAA soccer semifinal
Franklin Regional’s boys soccer team practiced Monday evening under the lights in Murrysville as Veterans Day faded into night. It was the eve of the state semifinals and the Panthers had a fairly light, non-contact workout. Coach Rand Hudson, however, saw fit to make the gathering about more than one-touch...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill women’s basketball maintains strong 3-point shooting
The Seton Hill women’s basketball team developed a reputation for being one of the top 3-point shooting teams in Division II last season, and the Griffins aren’t changing the way they play. High-scoring Seton Hill made 33 shots from 3-point range in its first two games. It hit a school-record...
