Bill Beckner stories, Page 216
Fun times for Ligonier Valley baseball under 1st-year coach Marabito
The old pie in the face is a time-honored tradition in baseball, however hokey and overplayed it might be. Players of all levels often get splattered with the sweets during postgame interviews. At Ligonier Valley, an assistant coach got his just desserts at a recent practice because he finished last...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WCCA football showcase returns in May
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will host its seventh annual Underclassmen Football Showcase 9 a.m. May 11 at Hempfield’s Spartan Stadium. The event has grown exponentially since it’s start. “For a lot of kids, this is their first taste of college recruiting,” WCCA president Larry Sellitto said. “You look at...
Foothills Football Classic postponed for 2019
Logistical issues left the Foothills Football Classic committee with no choice. So, they punted. Organizers have decided to shelve this year’s Westmoreland County all-star game, which was going to be played in June. The committee plans to bring back the game in 2020. Rosters and coaches had not been selected,...
Westmoreland County contingent forms bond with Pitt-Johnstown softball
Scan the diamond at a Pitt-Johnstown softball game, and there are instant flashbacks to Westmoreland County WPIAL softball circa 2017. Four county schools often are represented on the lineup card. Middle infielders from the area turn double plays, and there is even an all-local battery. Five of the top players...
No. 4 Penn-Trafford breaks out bats to defeat rival Norwin
Jordan and Owen Sabol play for rival baseball teams. The former is a senior center fielder for Penn-Trafford, the latter a senior shortstop at Norwin. Despite living in neighboring districts and playing youth baseball together for years, they are not related. “We’ve been playing against each other since seventh grade,”...
Former IUP, Jeannette coach Carl Davis dies
Former IUP and Jeannette basketball coach Carl Davis died Tuesday, according to WCCS Radio in Indiana. He was 85. An IUP and Indiana County hall of famer, Davis had 10 winning seasons in 13 years at IUP, posting 199 wins and nine playoff trips. He won more than 300 games...
Penn-Trafford product Emma Nedley up for national freshman of year
With a fast transition to college softball, and big numbers to match, Emma Nedley has proven she is one of the top freshmen in the Ivy League. But now the Penn outfielder is on a ballot to be considered the nation’s top newcomer. Nedley, a Penn-Trafford graduate, is one of...
Ligonier Valley baseball keeps rolling with nonsection win over Greensburg CC
Michael Marinchak wears protective glasses when he plays basketball and baseball. The specs essentially have become his trademark. So has his accompanying tunnel vision. The Ligonier Valley junior pitcher kept his poise — just like his defense behind him — and showed no apprehension when Greensburg Central Catholic loaded the...
Cox’s Educated Athletes First plans tour of Saint Vincent
Educated Athletes First, the nonprofit business owned and operated by former Jeannette football standout Demetrious Cox and his father, Dorsey, is making headway. Demetrious Cox, a defensive back with the Cincinnati Bengals, hopes to be a tour guide of sorts for aspiring college athletes and students, giving them, and their...
Mt. Pleasant softball scratches out victory over Class 6A No. 5 Norwin
Mt. Pleasant softball coach Chris Brunson said he can feel a breakout offensive performance coming from his team. He can sense the bats warming up. Until they do, he will take another scraped-together victory while the Vikings continue to display their other notable talents: pitching and defense. Mary Smithnosky and...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Sydney Ball win’s PAC women’s golf title
Sydney Ball sat on a three-shot lead for the better part of six months. The Saint Vincent sophomore, however, still closed the deal. Ball this weekend was named MVP at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s golf championships after winning the title by nine shots at Chestnut RidgeResort in Blairsville. The...
Saint Vincent hoops assistant Nate Bollinger makes 30-under-30 list
New Saint Vincent assistant men’s basketball coach Nate Bollinger was added to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Under Armour 30-under-30 Team. Bollinger is the first coach from the PAC to make the list, which touts the country’s top rising coaches under age 30. The York native spent the last...
Campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Janosko reaches 400 wins
Longtime Saint Vincent College baseball coach Mick Janosko reached another milestone last week with his 400th victory. Janosko, who began coaching the Bearcats in 1998, helped guide the team to a 6-1 victory over Geneva in Latrobe. Junior pitcher Fred Gillespie tossed a three-hitter and senior Bobby Finn tripled and...
Saint Vincent coach Kevin Wanichko helps fellow runner finish Boston Marathon
It was a simple gesture, yet it probably meant more to Kevin Wanichko than placing 1,116th — or perhaps even finishing a grueling, 26-mile jaunt around historic Beantown. Wanichko, the women’s cross country coach at Saint Vincent College, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday morning and gained notoriety after he...
Saint Vincent’s Sydney Ball wins PAC golf title
Sydney Ball sat on a three-shot lead for the better part of six months. The Saint Vincent sophomore, however, still closed the deal. Ball this weekend was named MVP at the PAC Women’s Golf Championships after winning the title by nine shots at Chestnut Ridge Resort in Blairsville. The Pittsford,...
Butler’s Ethan Morton brings home 3-on-3 tournament title
Opponents would rather not go one-on-one against Butler rising star Ethan Morton. Of course, Morton also is pretty good at three-on-three. Morton returned home from Colorado this weekend a champion after he and his three teammates on Team Attack won the USA Basketball 3x3 National Championship. The team finished 8-0...
Inspired Seton Hill women’s volleyball team earns YWCA award
The word special will forever be etched into the 2018 women’s volleyball season at Seton Hill. The Griffins endured tough times but rose to the occasion, turning hardship into motivation, to string together their best season — one thrilling match at a time. They played with reverance and resolve for...
Westmoreland lookahead for Week of April 15, 2019
Highlights of the week ahead in Westmoreland high school sports: MONDAY Softball: Norwin has thrown its hat into the ring of contention in Section 2-6A with three straight wins to get within two games of first-place North Allegheny. The Knights, who are tied with Hempfield for second place, will play...
Westmoreland notebook: Yough’s Shoaf lands in football all-star game
Two-time WPIAL rushing champion Dustin Shoaf will play in an all-star game after all. The senior from Yough received a late invite to the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game. The game will be 2 p.m. May 5 at Mansion Park in Altoona. The West team had 22...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Seton Hill coach resigns
Andy McNab resigned as the Seton Hill women’s soccer coach after four seasons. He is leaving to coach the women’s team at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. McNab spent two years with the Griffins as an assistant. Seton Hill reached the PSAC playoffs the last two years, finishing 12-6-1 in...
Westmoreland baseball, softball teams strive to maintain perfect records
Undefeated Island has been a crowded place. While the population dwindled some this week, those remaining don’t want to leave. Four teams from Westmoreland County baseball and softball take unblemished records into Friday, and they will press on with the hopes of maintaining perfection as the season nears its midway...
Spencer Lee honored at Iowa State Capitol
Former Franklin Regional star Spencer Lee enjoys repeats. Repeat trips to the NCAA wrestling finals. Repeat national championships. And repeat visits to the Iowa State Legislature. Lee, a sophomore at Iowa, was honored for the second year in a row Wednesday at the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines...
Saint Vincent baseball coach Janosko gets 400th win
Longtime Saint Vincent College baseball coach Mick Janosko reached another milestone Wednesday with his 400th victory. Janosko, who began coaching the Bearcats in 1998, helped guide the team to a 6-1 victory over Geneva in Latrobe. Junior pitcher Fred Gillespie tossed a three-hitter and senior Bobby Finn tripled and drove...
Maund pitches No. 2 Penn-Trafford to Section 2-6A shutout over rival Hempfield
Maclean Maund said his go-to pitches weren’t working for him. The fastball wasn’t popping and his curve missed its spots. Not that it showed. The Penn-Trafford senior pitcher soundly negotiated his deficiencies, as minor and well-hidden as they were to the audience at Seton Hill, and tossed a gem. Maund...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Saint Vincent volleyball turns to Wisneski
Saint Vincent has a coach for its newest varsity sport. The school added men’s volleyball, its 24th sport, and Tuesday announced Derry native Scott Wisneski will lead the first-year program, which is expected to begin play for the 2019-20 season. Wisneski was an assistant for the Bearcats women’s volleyball team...
