Bill Beckner stories, Page 2
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Southmoreland, Ligonier Valley out to make more history
Southmoreland has checked off a number of benchmarks during recent postseason runs. The boys basketball team won its first section title since 1992 last year and doubled down with its first playoff win since 2017. This year, the Scotties (15-8) captured back-to-back section titles for the first time since 1988....
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 20, 2026
Girls Class 6A Quarterfinals 7-Hempfield (13-9) at 2-Norwin (17-4) 6 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 6-North Allegheny (10-11)/3-Upper St. Clair (11-11) Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Aubrey Graney, Norwin; Ava Shipman, Hempfield Layup lines: This is the rubber match between Section 2 opponents who have...
Penn-Trafford ‘ready for anything’ in Class 5A quarterfinal win over Indiana
Having played Indiana twice this year, Penn-Trafford knew the Indians about as well as any team could know an opponent. The Warriors scoured film and replicated what they planned to see in their third meeting. When the Section 2-5A co-champs met in the WPIAL girls basketball quarterfinals, the Warriors were...
Franklin Regional promotes OL/strength coach Brian Johnson to head coaching job
As director of facilities at Franklin Regional, Brian Johnson’s duties range from overseeing maintenance and repairs to coordinating with contractors for building projects. He even has to make occasional proposals at school board meetings. As head football coach of the Panthers, he wants to make sure the program, and its...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 19, 2026
Boys Class 6A Quarterfinals 5-Hempfield (15-7) at 4-Seneca Valley (13-9) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: Winner of 8-Fox Chapel (14-9)/1-Upper St. Clair (21-2) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Danny Husenits, Hempfield; Andrew Omasits, Seneca Valley Layup lines: Hempfield is back in the playoffs for the...
‘You’re older than our coach:’ 32-year-old stars on Westmoreland County Community College court
Julian Thompson calls himself “Unc,” as in uncle. As in, ahem, the elder statesman of the locker room. “I figured I’d get that out of the way and beat them all to it,” the Westmoreland County Community College basketball player said with a laugh. “I knew they’d want to call...
Shaler boys take over 4th quarter, pull away vs. Franklin Regional in WPIAL 5A 1st roundVideo
Franklin Regional led the entire third quarter and was primed to close out Shaler with a strong fourth. But when the final quarter started, the Panthers quickly realized the Titans wanted to win, too. Ninth-seeded Shaler roared back and flattened the No. 8 Panthers in the final eight minutes, scoring...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Penn-Trafford facing familiar foe
Familiarity won’t be a problem for Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals. The Warriors know Indiana well, which could be very beneficial as they go for their first semifinal trip since 2013-14, the year they won their only WPIAL championship. The Section 2 co-champs will tip at...
Westmoreland County high school basketball preview capsules for Feb. 18, 2026
Girls Class 5A Quarterfinals 6-Penn-Trafford (18-5) vs. 3-Indiana (20-3) 7 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 7-Fox Chapel (15-8)/2-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) Saturday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Torrie DeStefano, Penn-Trafford; Julia Antonacci, Indiana Layup lines: This is the third meeting of the season between teams...
Top-seeded Jeannette wears down pesky Brentwood to reach 2A quarterfinals
Eight days off can cause even the best basketball teams to get a little stale. Teams can scrimmage during the playoffs, but that hardly matches the intensity of the WPIAL tournament. Top-seeded Jeannette had to knock off some early rust in its playoff opener, but the defending champions are moving...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent crowns 4 champs, wins PAC wrestling title
With four individual champions and 118.5 points, the Saint Vincent wrestling team captured its second Presidents’ Athletic Conference title in three years over the weekend in Hiram, Ohio. Freshman Logan Connelly (133 pounds), junior Tyler Debnar (141), sophomore Anthony Orlandini (149) and junior Logan Bechtold (165) secured titles to fuel...
Westmoreland high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2026
Girls Class 2A First round 10-Jeannette (15-6) at 7-Burgettstown (15-6) 7 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 15-Bentworth (9-13)/2-Winchester Thurston (18-3) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Navarah Smith, Jeannette; Paige Klodowski, Burgettstown Layup lines: Jeannette is having its best season in years. The Jayhawks have...
PIHL names January players of the month
The PIHL announced its players of the month for January. All three are forwards. The Class 2A selection is Hempfield senior forward Nino DiPietro, who had eight goals – two on the power play — and three assists across three games. DiPietro is a Saint Vincent commit. Hempfield (15-3-0-0) is...
Brian Johnson primed to be next Franklin Regional football coach
Franklin Regional will vote this week to hire Brian Johnson as head football coach, according to the agenda for Wednesday night’s board meeting. Johnson, 43, was the offensive line coach on Lance Getsy’s staff for the past three seasons. Getsy resigned in November after five seasons as head coach. The...
Norwin notebook: Another football recruit makes college choice
The NCAA’s National Signing Day came and went Feb. 4, and another Norwin football player made his commitment official. The Knights had one of their most attractive overall classes to college programs in years. Senior Michael DeFazio, a tight end and linebacker, had nine college offers and decided to go...
Norwin boys, girls gear up for WPIAL basketball playoffs
The Norwin girls and boys basketball teams were primed to enter the WPIAL playoffs. The Norwin girls (16-4) are strong candidates to make a run at another title in Class 6A after reaching the finals the last two years. A late-season loss to Canon-McMillan, the top seed, likely took Norwin...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff capsules for Feb. 16, 2026
Girls Class 4A First round 13-Lincoln Park (10-12) at 4-Belle Vernon (19-3) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 12-Hopewell (6-14)/5-Elizabeth Forward (16-6) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Patty Wesolowski, Lincoln Park; Isis Almyty, Belle Vernon Layup lines: It is the battle of Leopards in the...
Patient Franklin Regional pass rusher finds college fit at West Liberty
Lochlan Bresnahan led his team in quarterback hurries, but that didn’t mean he was in a hurry to commit to a college. The Franklin Regional senior tight end and linebacker — he also played some defensive end — waited until late in the game to choose a side. A late-arriving...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Penn-Trafford ace to pitch for Mercyhurst
Penn-Trafford softball has a Division I pitcher. The defending PIAA Class 5A champion Warriors again will lean on ace Allyson Paulone to lead the way this spring. The only difference this year is that the standout right-hander has her college commitment in tow. Paulone, a junior, announced she will play...
Penn-Trafford girls finally shake loose vs. Franklin Regional in WPIAL 5A 1st round
On a night when the rims were tight and shots weren’t falling, Penn-Trafford had to get used to some initial discomfort before it could find its footing in the playoff opener. “When we’re on, we’re on,” Lady Warriors coach Chuck Fontana said. “When we’re not, we have to get to...
PIHL reschedules all-star games
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League will have its all-star weekend after all. Five all-star games that were postponed because of a snowstorm Jan. 25 will now be played March 29 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center on Neville Island. The schedule is as follows: Division 2, noon; Class A...
Home crowd helps carry Latrobe boys past Mars in basketball playoff openerVideo
With its 14-point lead shaved to five with just more than a minute to play, Latrobe had to buckle up and hold on down the stretch to win its playoff opener Thursday night. The Wildcats made a bunch of free throws, yes, but they had something Mars didn’t with the...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 13, 2026
Girls Class 5A First round 10-Latrobe (11-8) at 7-Fox Chapel (14-8) 7:30 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 15-Penn Hills (11-11)/2-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) on Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Maggie Maiers, Latrobe; Nina Kulikowski, Fox Chapel Layup lines: Latrobe finished third in Section 2, three games...
Greensburg Salem coach Rick Klimchock retires
“Coach K” is OK with his decision. With 425 wins and 22 playoff trips in his scrapbook, longtime local basketball coach Rick Klimchock is retiring from the high school game after nearly four decades on the sidelines. Klimchock spent the last nine seasons leading the Greensburg Salem girls and told...
Family ties strong with Westmoreland County playoff basketball teamsVideo
When the Franklin Regional girls edged past Shaler, 45-43, last week to clinch a WPIAL Class 5A playoff spot, Panthers coach Bernie Pucka and his daughter, Chloe, did interviews for a local broadcast. They stood side-by-side, taking questions after an exciting yet demanding win. Chloe Pucka, a junior guard, made...
