Bill Beckner stories, Page 28
Franklin Regional’s Abby Paterline named to U.S. Youth Soccer ODP National Team
Every state has an Olympic Development Program for soccer, but not every player makes it as far as Abby Paterline has. The Franklin Regional senior midfielder continued her breakout year at the club level as she was selected to play for the U.S. Youth Soccer ODP National Team, which will...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Age no worry for new Southmoreland football coach Dustin Shoaf
Youth is a state of mind. So says new Southmoreland football coach Dustin Shoaf, who might know a thing or two about the subject. Shoaf is one of the youngest head coaches in the state at age 23. The Yough graduate, who was hired earlier this month, does not want...
North Huntingdon teens chosen for U.S. Army Fight Team
Local martial arts students Gabby Viola and Xander Eddy, both of North Huntingdon, were selected to compete for the U.S. Army Fight Team. Viola, 14, and Eddy, 15, will be Army-sponsored athletes for the 2025 season and represent their country in international and combative sports competitions. Viola and Eddy signed...
Connor Crossey leads inspired Franklin Regional to OT win over Latrobe
From the time Franklin Regional’s Caden Brush, a senior stricken with leukemia, won a ceremonial opening tip while sitting in his wheelchair, the Panthers had someone to play for and a reason to win. And that’s before you factor in the playoff implications that made this a must-win Section 1-5A...
Norwin boys let their play do the talking in important victory over Hempfield
Norwin is talking the talk. Knights first-year boys basketball coach Cam Auld has a computer spinner wheel with his players’ names on it. When he gives it a flick and the arrow lands on a name, that player has to give the next pregame speech. It was Alex Graney’s turn...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Ligonier Valley sharpshooter joins 1,000-point club
Ligonier Valley has a hoop-a-Hollick. “I have loved basketball since middle school,” said senior guard Parker Hollick, who this week became the boys basketball program’s latest 1,000-point scorer. Hollick needed 29 to reach the milestone and netted 33 on Wednesday in a win over Brownsville. Twenty-seven boys have now scored...
Belle Vernon boys basketball finds stride in middle of tumultuous season
A five-game suspension of three starting players could have sent a talented Belle Vernon boys basketball team into an irreversible tailspin. But the Christmas-time disruption may have had the opposite effect on the Leopards, who have not lost since. This could be a WPIAL championship contender that came to realize...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: 5 teams already punched playoff tickets
Five teams from Westmoreland County have secured spots in the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs with just more than a week to play in the regular season. The qualifiers include defending WPIAL 6A champion Norwin (10-6), Section 1-5A leader Franklin Regional (12-5) and undefeated Penn-Trafford (18-0), which should be in line...
Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore zeroes in on big scoring milestone
Belle Vernon senior basketball star Zion Moore has crept to the doorstep of another milestone. And this is a big one. Moore, one of the WPIAL’s top volume scorers, needs 36 points to reach 2,000 for his career. The Leopards (16-4), the No. 2-ranked team in WPIAL Class 4A, host...
Norwin, Greensburg Central Catholic girls ready to take run at repeat
Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic won WPIAL girls basketball championships last year and are gearing up for a repeat with the WPIAL playoffs set to begin in about two weeks. Plenty of work remains before the teams can think about another trip to Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, but at least...
With backs to the wall, Penn-Trafford boys snag a win at Latrobe
Brayden Stone was struggling, having an “off night” as he put it. The Penn-Trafford guard had missed five straight shots, mostly on rim-outs, but kept his head up as a tight Section 1-5A game grew even tighter as it reached the final stretch. With his team’s playoff hopes on the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill women’s basketball moves up to No. 5 ranking
Seton Hill vaulted four spots in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll, taking the No. 5 spot in the top 25. The Griffins (17-2, 11-1 PSAC) continue to look impressive in what has been one of their best regular seasons. The team also ranks fifth in the...
Latrobe’s Andy Tatsch gets 3rd Division I football offer
Latrobe junior Andy Tatsch is looking to follow in his brother Alex’s footsteps to Division I football. The wide receiver and defensive back pulled in a scholarship offer this weekend from Buffalo, giving him three FBS offers. The others are from Akron and West Virginia. Alex Tatsch, a linebacker, is...
Comeback bid comes up short as Norwin falls to Bishop Guilfoyle at Seton Hill
While their comeback was exciting, the end result left the Norwin girls basketball team wanting more. Norwin surged from 16 points down with a madcap third quarter, but couldn’t complete the rally in a 53-50 loss to Bishop Guilfoyle in the opening game of the Shootout at Seton Hill on...
Syracuse offers Southmoreland freshman Anthony Smith
Freshman Anthony Smith’s first NCAA Division I scholarship offer has come in. Some might say it is a surprise it took this long. The Southmoreland quarterback grabbed an offer from Syracuse on Saturday while visiting the university. “It feels great,” Smith said. “It has been something I have been dreaming...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Three Norwin players get college offers on same day
St. Francis (Pa.) came to Norwin looking for football talent and left with three potential prospects. The Red Flash extended preferred walk-on offers to three senior Knights players and all-around good buds in Michael Crnkovic, Mike Strutt and Colin Bruno. The offers rolled in on the same day. If they...
Southmoreland freshman Mickens gets Division I football offer
Jackson Mickens, a freshman defensive end and receiver at Southmoreland, already has a Division I football offer. Akron extended a full scholarship to Mickens (6-foot-1, 215 pounds), who had 11 sacks in his first season of high school football. He also caused three fumbles. On offense, Mickens had 35 receptions...
Norwin girls pop right back up after rare losing streak
A losing streak can teach a team a lot about itself, especially a team that isn’t used to losing. Take Norwin, the defending WPIAL 6A champion. The Knights recently dropped three straight — to North Catholic, Shaler and No. 1 Upper St. Clair. They had not endured such a streak...
Zion Moore leads Belle Vernon past Derry, running winning streak to 7
Late in the first half, Zion Moore saw two toddlers wander onto the court and waddle his way. The Belle Vernon senior guard delicately picked one of them up and passed him over the scorer’s table and then directed the other back to the bleachers. Moore knew them, so he...
Pittsburgh Riveters sign Franklin Regional grad Sydney Lindeman
The Pittsburgh Riveters SC has not played a game yet, but the new pre-professional women’s soccer team just strengthened its defense. The team, set to begin play in May in the USL W League, signed Towson redshirt sophomore and Franklin Regional alum Sydney Lindeman. The 21-year-old defender played club soccer...
Shootout at Seton Hill ready to tip off this weekend
Event director Allen Deep didn’t consider altering the schedule for the Shootout at Seton Hill basketball showcase this weekend, even with five games Sunday that will take fans away from watching the AFC and NFC championship games. The original schedule will remain status quo. The weekend is about basketball, not...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Noah Felentzer filling scoring role at Southmoreland
Noah Felentzer expected to get the basketball more this season for Southmoreland. With the graduation of career 1,500-point scorer Ty Keffer, his scoring would be pivotal to the team’s success. Whether he realized it or not, Keffer helped Felentzer prepare for the go-to role. “I think what prepared me most...
Jim Render, Charlie Batch, Zack Washington Sr. selected to National H.S. Football Hall of Fame
A coaching great and two former star playmakers from the WPIAL are headed for the National High School Football Hall of Fame. Longtime Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render, quarterback Charlie Batch of Steel Valley and running back Zack Washington Sr. of Jeannette are among 33 inductees who will be...
After super start, Franklin Regional girls realize more work lies ahead
A perfect 6 for 6 through the first half of its Section 1-5A schedule, the Franklin Regional girls basketball team breathed a little easier but remained guarded as it collectively glanced at the standings. There still was plenty of work to be done. First place is a precious place to...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Balance, depth key factors in Penn-Trafford’s unbeaten run
Penn-Trafford began the week as one of only three undefeated girls basketball teams in the WPIAL. While the unblemished run has been impressive, it isn’t altogether surprising to the team doing the winning. Veteran coach John Giannikas, who is in his 18th season leading the Warriors (16-0, 8-0), thought last...
