Bill Beckner stories, Page 202
No. 1 Norwin remains undefeated with 3-1 win over rival Penn-Trafford
Top-ranked Norwin built a two-goal cushion by halftime Thursday night but knew the last thing it could do was get comfortable. This was more like a two-goal pin cushion. This was, after all, rival Penn-Trafford visting Knights Stadium and anything is possible when these teams tangle. But faith in what...
Belle Vernon soccer emerges as WPIAL contender ahead of schedule
A team this young is not supposed to be this good, this soon. Its best years should lie ahead. Tell that to the Belle Vernon soccer team. The Leopards start six sophomores. Of the 29 players on the roster, 22 are underclassmen. Yet here are the Leopards, off to their...
Westmoreland football Q&A with Yough’s Gamal Marballie
The closest Gamal Marballie got to playing quarterback in recent years was on his Xbox. “I’m pretty good at video games,” the Yough junior said. But Marballie was thrust into the position on the field when Cougars’ starter Tristan Waldier went down with a knee injury in Week Zero against...
Penn-Trafford defense up for any challenge
Penn-Trafford calls its defensive scheme, “Tribe.” It’s rather appropriate because this group works as one. “We have great chemistry, and we gang-tackle,” senior linebacker Chase Burk said. “If one guy messes up, another is there. We’ve got each other’s backs.” The 3-3-5 stack defense the top-ranked Warriors roll out has...
Westmoreland high school football don’t-miss matchups for Week 4
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-4, 0-3) at Hempfield (2-2, 1-2) 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com, 107.1 FM Last week: North Allegheny 42, Canon-McMillan 6; Central Catholic 31, Hempfield 14 Coaches: Mike Evans, Canon-McMillan; Rich Bowen, Hempfield Players to watch: Jon Quinque, Canon-McMillan (Sr., 5-10, 185, QB);...
Former Seton Hill standout Craig picked in pro lacrosse draft
With his name called in another high-end lacrosse draft, Brett Craig is set to take his skills to the next level. Craig, the former Seton Hill defensive stalwart, was selected by the Colorado Mammoth Tuesday night in the second round of the National Lacrosse League Draft. He was the 26th...
Katie Miller advances in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship
Katie Miller moved on in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur with a pair of match-play wins on Tuesday. Miller, a Hempfield graduate and former mini-tour pro, birdied the 18th hole to force extra golf and then made another birdie on the 19th hole to hold off Mallory Hetzel of Virginia Beach...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: UPG women’s soccer moves up
Pitt-Greensburg looks like it plans to stay in the regional women’s soccer rankings. The Bobcats (5-0) moved up a spot, to No. 8, in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Great Lakes Region rankings. UPG has posted four shutouts and has outscored its opponents 16-2. In addition, a pair of...
Hempfield alum Katie Miller advances in U.S. Women’s Mid-Am
Katie Miller is no stranger to the national stage. She has played in numerous large-scale amateur events conducted by the USGA and has proven she can play with the best. Her latest venture in that arena? So far, so good. Miller, a Hempfield and North Carolina graduate, moved into the...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Jeannette grad Sanders earns NEC honor
Jeannette product Gio Vonne Sanders is making a fast impact for the St. Francis (Pa.) football team. Sanders, a linebacker, was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a two-interception game against Merrimack. The Red Flash won 42-14 to move to 2-1. Sanders, a redshirt sophomore, added three...
St. Francis (Pa.) linebacker Gio Vonne Sanders grabs NEC honor
Jeannette product Gio Vonne Sanders is making a fast impact for the St. Francis (Pa.) football team. Sanders, a linebacker, was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a two-interception game Saturday against Merrimack. The Red Flash won, 42-14, to move to 2-1. Sanders, a redshirt sophomore, added...
Norwin’s Krevokuch lands FBS offer
Norwin football player Tanner Krevokuch has his first Division I-FBS scholarship offer. Krevokuch, the Knights’ 6-foot-4, 205-pound tight end and middle linebacker, announced Sunday that Central Michigan has extended an offer. “This offer means everything to me because it changes my life big time,” Krevokuch said. “It helps for other...
‘More to life than the game’: Head injuries cause some players to rethink football
Zach Guiser has enjoyed life since he left football in 2017, ending his college career early because of concussions. But the sport isn’t far from his mind. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss it,” the Greensburg Central Catholic graduate said. He was a fifth-year senior at University...
Penn-Trafford overcomes injuries to top McKeesport
What concerned Penn-Trafford most about McKeesport this week was the Tigers’ reputation for being a physical opponent. When these teams play, it can get rough. Clean, but rough. Warriors coach John Ruane said this would be one of the most rigorous games his team would play all season — big...
Concord names football locker room after late coach, GCC grad Dawson
Concord football players and coaches will remember Pat Dawson each time they step foot inside their locker room. The university has christened the “Pat Dawson Locker Room” inside Callaghan Stadium to remember a former assistant coach. Dawson, who played at Greensburg Central Catholic and Toledo, died in 2017. He had...
Westmoreland County high school football dont’t-miss matchups for Week 3
Class 6A No. 3 Central Catholic (2-1, 1-1) at Hempfield (2-1, 1-1) 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Last week: North Allegheny 11, Central Catholic 10; Hempfield 34, Norwin 17 Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Rich Bowen, Hempfield Players to watch: Eddie Tillman, Central Catholic (Jr., 5-8, 165, RB);...
Westmoreland football Q&A with Hempfield’s Dillon Ferretti
Dillon Ferretti likes to take pregame power naps. He sets the alarm on his phone so he doesn’t oversleep. “Like a half-hour or an hour,” the Hempfield linebacker said. “It helps me to relax, and I just think about what I want to do in the game.” Not a unique...
UPG women’s soccer team lands spot in regional rankings
Off to a hot start, the Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team has found its way into this week’s regional rankings. The Bobcats (3-0) are No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Association Division III Top 25 for the Great Lakes Region. UPG has not allowed a goal so far as it...
Nathan Dragisich’s 1st career goal is a big one for Duquesne
Nathan Dragisich made his first college soccer goal count. The Duquesne freshman, who starred at West Allegheny, delivered the game-winning goal Tuesday night as the Dukes edged Niagara, 2-1, at Rooney Field. The midfielder fired a shot into the upper-right corner of the net in the 89th minute to break...
Campus clippings: WCCC women’s cross country wins invitational
The Westmoreland County Community College women’s cross country team took ownership the Wolfpack Invitational, led by freshman Brooke Bertovich, who won the individual title with a time of 24 minutes, 3.7 seconds in her first college race. Teammate and freshman Natalie Naponic (Norwin) placed third (24:17.7), freshmen Jenn Baldwin (Southmoreland)...
Franklin Regional, Thomas Jefferson boys soccer teams battle to draw
Soccer ties aren’t always about the action but the reaction. Fifth-ranked Thomas Jefferson packed in its defense like a football team stacking the box against the run Tuesday night. With 10 players back at times for the Jaguars, No. 1 Franklin Regional had trouble doing what it does best: wide...
IUP moves into top 25
Add IUP football to the Division II Top 25. After a 24-13 victory over New Haven, the Crimson Hawks moved into the No. 24 spot in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Duane Brown (Apollo-Ridge) scored a pair of touchdowns and Justice Evans (Kiski Area/Central...
Franklin Regional grad Nate Leopold pulls in OAC honors
After a special game, Nate Leopold was awarded appropriately. A sophomore defensive back at John Carroll, Leopold was named Ohio Athletic Conference Special Teams of the Week after his performance in a 21-7 victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Leopold, a Franklin Regional graduate, had a career-best eight tackles, one for a...
8 golfers advance out of Drive, Chip and Putt regional at Oakmont
Eight regional finalists moved on to the big show in the seventh annual Drive, Chip and Putt competition. Four boys and four girls advanced out of a regional competition held Saturday at storied Oakmont Country Club. The eight players will join 72 others competing in the national finals on April...
Westmoreland campus clippings: FR grad Nate Leopold has big game for John Carroll
Nate Leopold made a fast transition from high school to college football last season and has carried the momentum over to his sophomore year at John Carroll. Leopold, a Franklin Regional product, made a key impact in two facets of his team’s opening game Saturday. He registered a career-best eight...

