Bill Beckner stories, Page 20
Penn-Trafford keeps composure to pull away from Franklin Regional
Three things put Penn-Trafford to the test in its series opener against rival Franklin Regional. The Warriors’ stomachs could have been — maybe should have been — in knots. First, there was a two-run homer that trimmed their three-run lead to one in the fourth inning. Then came a self-inflicted...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Shelby Telegdy named Freshman of the Year
A breakthrough season in the circle led conference coaches to circle her name on the ballot. Seton Hill rookie pitcher Shelby Telegdy was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Freshman of the Year. A dual threat who did more than get batters out, Telegdy went 12-9 with a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Norwin girls track and field reaches 8th WPIAL finals in row
The Norwin girls track and field team made quick work of its opponents in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals to continue an impressive run of success. The Lady Knights advanced to the finals for the eighth straight time since 2017. There was no season in 2020. This could be the...
Norwin notebook: Track teams make themselves at home atop podium
The track and field teams continue to highlight the “win” in Norwin. Another impressive showing in a series this season came at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships at Latrobe. The boys and girls teams won titles, while a laundry list of individuals grabbed gold medals. Ryan Schiller broke meet...
Freshman Jorjah Ostrosky sparks Hempfield to victory over Norwin in varsity debut
A freshman got a WPIAL call-up and looked like a grizzled veteran in her varsity debut. Hempfield’s Jorjah Ostrosky was penciled into the starting lineup Friday at Norwin and acted like she had been there before, going a team-best 3 for 3 with two RBIs in a 6-0, weather-shortened victory...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Thompson adds AD to his duties at Greensburg Central Catholic
John “JT” Thompson has been the football coach at Greensburg Central Catholic for two seasons. He will have additional duties as he prepares for a third. Thompson will take over as athletic director following the retirement of Dan Mahoney. A Rome, N.Y., native who has been a football coach for...
Hempfield softball rebounds with mercy-rule win over Pine-Richland
Fresh off a career milestone and a tight loss, Riley Miller made sure Hempfield softball bounced back on senior day. The senior ace, who reached 500 strikeouts in her previous outing — a 2-1 loss to rival and No. 2 Seneca Valley — helped the top-ranked Spartans return to form...
Westmoreland County high school softball notebook: Hempfield pitcher joins elite K club
Riley Miller has proven she is one of the better pitchers to come through one of the state’s great softball programs at Hempfield. The senior has joined an elite group of aces in the Spartans’ record book. Miller, a Kent State commit, reached 500 career strikeouts this week, becoming just...
Norwin lineman finds new Division I home after Saint Francis’ move to D3
Norwin’s Colin Bruno was one of the first to decommit from Saint Francis when the university announced plans to move from NCAA Division I to Division III. He took the news hard because, at the time, it was life changing. The football lineman went from blessed and humbled to stunned...
Norwin baseball team blows past Mt. Lebanon for 9th straight win
With gusty winds whipping out to center all afternoon, any baseball hit deep had a chance of leaving the park Tuesday at Norwin. A harmless-looking fly ball suddenly had jets. Even Ben Geissler managed to get ahold of one. “Normally, I like singles,” the Norwin senior first baseman said. “I...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Ligonier Valley thriving in tight games
Jason Bush didn’t think it could get much better after he watched his Ligonier Valley baseball team score twice in the bottom of the seventh inning last week to walk off Burrell, 3-2. But that was only the beginning. The Rams (6-7) have shown a propensity for late-game thrills. They...
Senior’s return from elbow troubles gives major late-season boost to Franklin Regional rotation
NJ Ramchandran plans to pitch at Division I Fairfield (Conn.) next year. The Franklin Regional senior, however, has been limited on the mound this spring as he recovers from inflammation in the elbow of his throwing arm. To say the Panthers (10-7) are glad the right-hander is back would be...
Mt. Pleasant beats Yough, builds momentum with playoffs on horizon
Now, Mt. Pleasant can celebrate. Having already clinched the Section 1-3A softball title, the Vikings still had business to tend to in the section finale Monday at Yough. Momentum and positive mojo are important for a team headed to the WPIAL playoffs. A team that didn’t want to take a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Poulich continues to add to homer total for RMU softball
Outfielders have been backing up this season when Courtney Poulich comes to the plate for Robert Morris. Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant alum, has been bashing softballs at a record rate for the Colonials. The outfielder smacked two solo home runs in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Cleveland State to set a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Longtime Derry golf coach Smeltzer stepping down
Tracey Smeltzer has done a lot for the Derry boys and girls golf programs, but she is ready to turn the keys over to someone else. Smeltzer is stepping down after 19 years, 12 as head coach. “It was a great ride,” Smeltzer said. “It was not an easy decision,...
Norwin notebook: Knights track and field athletes shine at Butler Invitational
School records fell, some from decades back, as the Norwin track and field teams continued their impressive season at the Butler Invitational, which featured more than 90 teams and 2,000-plus athletes. The girls won the team championship, while several individuals brought home medals. The Norwin boys’ 3,200-meter relay of Enzo...
Addison Ayres to stick with Franklin Regional soccer teammates for senior year
Goalkeeper Addison Ayres considered playing full-time soccer with her Internationals SC team in Akron, Ohio, which would have meant not playing her senior season at Franklin Regional. The Elite Clubs National League team plays higher-level programs, which helps players sharpen their skills for college. But Ayres ultimately opted to stay...
Derry softball team elevates its game to meet competition of higher classification
A jump to WPIAL Class 4A wasn’t something Derry softball could control, but the Trojans knew they had to make a quick adjustment to new opponents, better pitching and deeper lineups. Almost immediately, the girls began to list their goals. Coming up from 3A fit the team’s motif of upping...
Hempfield gets revenge against Norwin
Hempfield waited 11 months and two days for this opportunity. Nearly one year of stewing over a semifinal loss that, in the Spartans’ eyes, cost them another WPIAL softball championship. Norwin upset mighty Hempfield to advance to the final for the first time, sending the No. 1 seed home shocked...
Canon-McMillan rides ‘hit train’ to win over Hempfield
Between innings Wednesday, ace pitcher M.J. Maruschak soft-tossed with a teammate behind his team’s dugout to stay loose. It is a tradition he has adopted, along with throwing and catching a medicine ball. Down time is not an option for the right-hander. The entire Canon-McMillan baseball team looked loose in...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: New date set for Hempfield-Seneca Valley showdown
Hempfield and Seneca Valley, let’s try this again. The Class 6A softball rivals’ first section matchup at Hempfield has been postponed twice because of inclement weather, but the game has been rescheduled again for 4 p.m. May 6 at Robert D. Kalp Field. Hempfield (13-0, 9-0) is ranked No. 1,...
No. 2 Franklin Regional softball overcomes sluggish start, finishes sweep of Latrobe
Chloe Lancaster threw 27 pitches in the first inning Tuesday and gave up two runs in the second. It had the makings of a long afternoon. The situation even prompted movement in the Franklin Regional bullpen, which caught Lancaster’s attention. But the Panthers ace didn’t panic or get flustered. “I...
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Penn-Trafford bolsters resume with nonsection slate
Penn-Trafford is in the thick of the Section 1-5A race, but its nonsection baseball schedule has been beneficial. The Warriors (7-5, 4-2) own three wins over Class 6A teams in Norwin, Hempfield and North Allegheny. The third win is the most impressive because North Allegheny was ranked No. 1 when...
Jeannette grad Marcus Barnes confident his name will be called in NFL Draft
He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in February, but all that did was give him more mental leverage, more fuel to prove the doubters wrong. Jeannette’s Marcus Barnes could have a life-changing week, have his dreams come true, but he won’t hide the giant chip on his...
Seneca Valley’s Lexie Hames nearly untouchable in shutout vs. Norwin
After losing to Pine-Richland twice in a five-day span, Seneca Valley went into its next softball game with some pent-up frustrations. Ace pitcher Lexie Hames and the third-ranked Lady Raiders took it out on Norwin. Hames was on her game in a big way, striking out 19, including the final...
