Bill Beckner stories, Page 22
Riveters add three more WPIAL alums to inaugural roster
The Pittsburgh Riveters put the finishing touches on their first roster a day before the pre-professional women’s soccer team kicks off its inaugural season. Riveters SC continued to build with local players from the Riverhounds Development Academy, adding Aris Lamanna (Franklin Regional), Mackenzie Dupre (Upper St. Clair) and Aleena Ulke...
Norwin softball pulls off another upset, this time thanks to ‘Smiley Miley’
The darlings of the WPIAL 6A softball playoffs are at it again. And underdog Norwin has “Smiley Miley” to thank for its latest upset. Junior Miley Harrison wasn’t even sure if she would play in the Knights’ playoff opener, but she came up clutch when her name was called to...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Longtime Franklin Regional softball coach Armstrong hangs up cleats
Like any coach, Jim Armstrong wanted his softball players at Franklin Regional to win more than they lost. But seeing them laughing, being loose and enjoying their time in the program sometimes seemed more meaningful. “Let’s work hard, but let’s have fun,” Armstrong said. “It’s just a game.” Armstrong told...
Westmoreland softball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 14, 2025
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals 6-Norwin (9-11) vs. 3-North Allegheny (12-7) 2 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: 2-Seneca Valley (15-3) in semifinals Players to watch: Diem Wardzinski, Norwin; Sammy Plotsko, North Allegheny Extra bases: Norwin made an unforeseen run to the finals last year as a No....
Derry walks it off against Greensburg Salem in Class 4A softball playoff opener
John DePalma’s message to his girls before Derry took the field for the WPIAL softball playoffs was simple. “It’s just softball,” the coach said. But there is softball, and there is playoff softball, and Derry still is relatively new to the latter. After all, the Trojans had only one playoff...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Former GCC standout Stawovy hired as women’s assistant basketball coach at Washington & Lee
Former Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball player Brittany Stawovy was hired as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Division III Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va. Stawovy coached the last two years at Kenyon after two years as a graduate assistant at Division II Seton Hill, where she earned a...
Westmoreland WPIAL softball playoff capsules: Games for Tuesday, May 13, 2025
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A First round 5-Mt. Pleasant (11-5) vs. 12-Keystone Oaks (8-8) 5 p.m. Tuesday at Waynesburg University Winner plays: 4-Avonworth (14-4) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Gia Stanek, Mt. Pleasant; Kennadi Smith, Keystone Oaks Extra bases: Mt. Pleasant, led by first-year coach Paul Reho, won the Section...
Greensburg Central Catholic alum Warren Schaeffer named interim manager of Rockies
The Colorado Rockies’ firing of longtime manager Bud Black means a former WPIAL product will try to get the club back on track. Warren Schaeffer, a native of Vandergrift and a Greensburg Central Catholic alum, was named interim manager Sunday. He had been the third base coach since 2023. Schaeffer,...
Westmoreland softball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 12, 2025
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 5A First round 1-Penn-Trafford (17-2) vs. 16-Moon (7-8) 5 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of 8-Plum (14-5)/9-Chartiers Valley (11-6) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Cam Ponko, Penn-Trafford; Katie Demarco, Moon Extra bases: Penn-Trafford is one of the hottest teams in the playoffs, winning...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Ex-Southmoreland coach headed to Uniontown
Uniontown’s new football coach is Tim Bukowski, who was the lead man at Southmoreland for three seasons before resigning in December. He replaces Keith Jeffries, who stepped down after four seasons and a 15-20 record. Bukowski spent seven seasons overall with Southmoreland, four as an assistant, and helped the Scotties...
Franklin Regional notebook: Top track athletes gear up at Pine-Richland
With the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships approaching, several Franklin Regional athletes went to the Pine-Richland Invitational to stay sharp. Sean Cartwright finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.86 seconds to pace the Panthers. The boys 400-meter relay came in eighth (44.39). Caroline Shirley was the top...
Norwin notebook: Softball team secures playoff bid
The Norwin softball team is headed to the WPIAL 6A playoffs again. The Knights (8-10) finished 8-8 in section and had one nonsection game left, at Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford on May 8, before the postseason. Norwin picked up late-season wins over Mt. Lebanon and North Hills after snapping...
WPIAL softball playoffs open with rare 1st-round section clash for 2 Westmoreland County teams
It is rare, but it does happen. The WPIAL usually steers clear of matching section opponents in the first round of the playoffs. Rematches are better suited for the latter rounds, the league believes. But an exception was made for the Class 4A softball tournament. And nobody was more surprised...
Westmoreland County high school softball notebook: More than a dozen teams headed to playoffs
The WPIAL will announce seedings and pairings for the softball playoffs Thursday afternoon. Westmoreland County is a hotbed for softball talent and, like most years, will be well represented in the postseason. Local qualifiers include Hempfield and Norwin in Class 6A; Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Latrobe in 5A; Derry, Greensburg...
Westmoreland baseball notebook: Ligonier Valley, Jeannette take playoff race right to end
The WPIAL will announce baseball playoff seedings and opening-round pairings Friday. The local field of qualifiers is just about set. It includes: Norwin and Hempfield in Class 6A; Penn-Trafford, Latrobe and Franklin Regional in 5A; Belle Vernon, Derry and Greensburg Salem in 4A; Mt. Pleasant and Burrell in 3A; and...
With season turned in right direction, Norwin carrying momentum into playoffs
High school seasons are filled with pivotal moments that send teams in one direction or another, propelling them closer to or away from preset goals. It can be an upset win, a highlight play, a defensive adjustment, a lineup change. In the case of Norwin baseball, it may have been...
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...
