Bill Beckner stories, Page 27
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Jeannette not satisfied with 1st-round PIAA win
Jeannette boys basketball coach Adrian Batts said he was concerned Saturday as his team prepared to open the PIAA playoffs. It wasn’t that he thought Jeannette was going to lose. It was just the uniqueness of following a WPIAL title that made him unsure of what to expect. “It was...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Boys Class 2A Jeannette (24-2) vs. Northern Cambria (15-12) 7 p.m. Wednesday at Greater Johnstown High School District seeds: Jeannette 7-1; Northern Cambria (15-12) 6-2 Winner plays: Winner of 7-5 Greensburg Central Catholic (24-3)/7-4 Neshannock (22-4) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Markus McGowan, Jeannette; Caleb Dolney,...
Seton Hill women headed to NCAA DII basketball tournament
Seton Hill will play in the NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament for the first time in 15 years. Accepting an at-large bid Monday, the third-seeded Griffins (23-6) will begin play at noon on Friday against No. 6 Kutztown (22-11) at Edinboro’s McComb Fieldhouse in Erie. Seton Hill beat Kutztown...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Norwin, Franklin Regional grads earn PAC awards
A pair of local products claimed major awards in Presidents’ Athletic Conference basketball. Grove City senior guard Mara Polczynski (Norwin) was named the conference defensive player of the year, while Washington & Jefferson freshman guard Cam Rowell (Franklin Regional) claimed newcomer of the year honors. Polczynski, known for her ability...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff preview capsules for Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Boys Class 5A Second round Latrobe (21-6) vs. Greater Johnstown (25-1) 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pitt-Johnstown District-seed: Latrobe 7-6; Greater Johnstown 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of Chartiers Valley (24-3)/Montour (25-2) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: John Wetzel, Latrobe; Dante Tisinger, Greater Johnstown Layup lines: Latrobe...
Westmoreland H.S. basketball notebook: Brad Wetzel, Latrobe savor PIAA win
The win meant everything to Brad Wetzel. Everything. The four-hour bus trip home across the state Friday night from Exeter Township was a joy ride. The 23rd-year coach enjoyed every second of Latrobe’s victory, including celebrating it with his son, John, the senior point guard. Assistant coach Eric Butler, Wetzel’s...
Franklin Regional’s Student Athlete Leadership Team aims to enhance athletics experience
When Franklin Regional saw what Seneca Valley was doing, the district decided to sprinkle a little salt on its athletics programs — S.A.L.T. that is. The acronym stands for Student Athlete Leadership Team, a program Franklin Regional formed to enhance and direct forward its sports teams and athletes. Think of...
Kymon’e Brown’s ‘flu game’ lifts Jeannette boys past Mercyhurst Prep in PIAA 1st round
Jeannette point guard Kymon’e Brown missed a morning walkthrough Saturday with flu-like symptoms. His stomach hurt, and he was sluggish. While Brown was told to drink a lot of fluids, the junior settled for a steady dose of free throws to help the Jayhawks stay ahead and post a win...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown draws 1st offer
Jeannette football standout Kymon’e Brown is expected to see increased college recruiting attention as the clock ticks toward his senior season. Brown, a quarterback and defensive back, received his first NCAA Division I offer last week as Navy reached out. The TribLive Westmoreland Player of the Year last fall helped...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls pull away from Cambria Heights after tight 1st half
Ask them about the slow start. They’ll tell you how they finished. Fresh off back-to-back championships, Greensburg Central Catholic avoided the proverbial WPIAL hangover by knocking off eight days worth of rust, relying on its star power and finally accelerating past Cambria Heights, 61-31, in a PIAA Class 3A first-round...
Greensburg Central Catholic boys have unfinished business in state playoffs
Greensburg Central Catholic might always wonder what if, but, for now, the boys basketball team is dialed in to what still could be. The Centurions (23-3) were the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs but were upset by No. 8 Union, 44-42, in the quarterfinals. GCC already...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff capsules for March 8, 2025
Boys Class 2A First round Mercyhurst Prep (19-7) at Jeannette (23-2) 1 p.m. Saturday District seeds: Jeannette 7-1; Mercyhurst Prep 10-3 Winner plays: Winner of 9-3 Clarion Limestone (16-10)/6-2 Northern Cambria (14-12) on Wednesday in second round Players to watch: Tanner Ashton, Mercyhurst Prep; Kymon’e Brown, Jeannette Layup lines: Mercyhurst...
Westmoreland County PIAA basketball playoff capsules for March 7, 2025
PIAA basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A First round Latrobe (20-6) at Exeter Township (14-11) 7 p.m. Friday District seeds: Latrobe 7-6; Exeter Township 3-2 Winner plays: Winner of 7-7 Moon (19-7)/6-1 Greater Johnstown (24-1) Tuesday in second round Players to watch: Ian DeCerb, Latrobe; Jayden Ware, Exeter Township Layup lines:...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: GCC’s Erica Gribble proves to be comfortable on big stage
Greensburg Central Catholic junior point guard Erica Gribble has the uncanny ability to treat any place she plays basketball as “just another court.” Just like she can make any date on the schedule “just another game.” Whether it’s the compressed confines of her team’s home floor, an obscure road game...
Latrobe boys seek milestone win for coach Brad Wetzel
Set to travel more than 400 miles round-trip Friday for its PIAA Class 5A boys basketball playoff opener, Latrobe has another number on its mind. The number 300 is more significant to the Wildcats, the sixth-place team from the WPIAL who will play their first state playoff game since 2017....
Norwin girls hope to find momentum in state tournament
Though Norwin did not repeat as WPIAL champions, one could argue the Knights still have momentum going into the PIAA postseason. They did, after all, rally from 13 down to take a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter against Upper St. Clair on Saturday in the Class 6A girls...
Jeannette looks to ride defense, rebounding in PIAA tournament
Jeannette had just won its second WPIAL championship and first since 2008, but the players weren’t tired. Far from it, in fact. “I want to start states tomorrow,” sophomore guard Markus McGowan said. The Jayhawks wanted the crew at Petersen Events Center to leave the lights on. “Let’s play tonight....
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Former Mt. Pleasant coach Chris Brunson wins 1st games at Waynesburg
Waynesburg started the Chris Brunson era with a pair of wins. Brunson, the former championship-winning coach at Mt. Pleasant, won his first two games as Waynesburg’s new softball coach, 3-2 and 14-0 (5 innings) over Penn State Altoona. Sophomore third baseman Brynn Charnesky (Southmoreland) had a double and RBI in...
Westmoreland basketball notebook: PIAA sites revealed for local teams
The PIAA announced first-round times and sites for the state tournaments, which begin Friday and Saturday across the commonwealth. The area’s three WPIAL champions will host opening games. The Belle Vernon boys (21-4) will welcome Farrell (12-11), the fifth-place team from District 10, at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class...
Belle Vernon boys hope to extend Salvino’s final season with state tournament run
On the doorstep of retirement but not quite ready to knock on the door with the PIAA playoffs to come, Joe Salvino still doesn’t crave attention. Not after another WPIAL championship. Not after four decades of winning. Not after the sendoff of sendoffs. In fact, simplicity has been a part...
Norwin notebook: Knights track and field teams win indoor titles
The Norwin boys and girls indoor track and field teams are champions for the first time. Both won titles at the Tri-State Track and Field Coaches Association championships at the Edinboro Bubble. Ryan Schiller won the 60-meter dash in 8.14 seconds, Luke Simpson was first in the mile in 4...
Upper St. Clair battles past Norwin to win 1st WPIAL girls basketball title since ’08
Upper St. Clair finally broke through to win another championship, for Pete’s sake. Coach Pete Serio, denied titles in two of the last three years as the Panthers were stricken by injuries to star players — most recently Rylee Kalocay — was able to celebrate with his team after a...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Norwin celebrates indoor track titles
The Norwin boys and girls indoor track and field teams are champions for the first time. Both won titles at the Tri-State Track & Field Coaches Association Championships last weekend at the Edinboro Bubble. Ryan Schiller won the 60-meter dash in 8.14 seconds, Luke Simpson was first in the mile...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls ready to lace ’em up in state tournament
A reporter asked some Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball players in a postgame news conference if the shoes they wore in the WPIAL championship were new. The entire team wore aqua-green Nike high-tops at Petersen Events Center on Thursday night when they celebrated their second straight title. “No, we’ve had...
Jeannette overwhelms Union to win school’s 2nd WPIAL boys basketball title
Jeannette received new shoes for the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship. The Jayhawks beat the socks off of Union to win their first title in 17 years. Playing an up-tempo style from the beginning, third-seeded Jeannette started quickly, owned the fast break and used balanced scoring and pressure defense...
