Bill Beckner stories, Page 3
Westmoreland County high school basketball preview capsules for Feb. 12, 2026
Boys Class 5A Preliminary round 19-Mars (9-13) at 14-Latrobe (9-12) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: At 3-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in first round Players to watch: Austin Wroblewski, Mars; Ian DeCerb, Latrobe Layup lines: Mars, a returning semifinalist, tied for fourth in Section 4 behind Chartiers Valley,...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent men heating up down stretch
Like any coach, Saint Vincent’s D.P. Harris wants his team to play at its best basketball late in the season. The Bearcats appear to be rounding into postseason form with the Presidents Athletic Conference men’s tournament just around the corner. SVC moved to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference...
Jeannette earns top seed, 2 all-Westmoreland matchups set in WPIAL basketball bracketsVideo
It seemed logical enough. Jeannette won the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship last year, returned its entire starting lineup and didn’t lose to a district team this season. Yet there was some belief that the Jayhawks (19-1) would not get the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament. It...
WPIAL basketball teams prepare to learn playoff seeding fates
Jeannette did not lose to a WPIAL team this season and is the defending Class 2A boys basketball champion. But the Jayhawks (18-1) — fresh off their first section title since 2019-20 — are not expecting to get the No. 1 seed when the playoff brackets come out Monday afternoon....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Penn-Trafford hockey holds edge over Hempfield
Penn-Trafford and Hempfield are the frontrunners in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Class 2A standings with the Warriors (14-2-0-0) holding a one-point lead over Hempfield (13-2-1-0) at the beginning of last week. The teams may also be the best two in the classification and on a collision course to meet...
GoFundMe campaign is sending Christine Vincent, mother of Olympic bobsledder Jasmine Jones, to Italy
Although reaching the Olympics is a personal achievement for Jasmine Jones, it also is a joyous triumph for her top supporter: her mother. Christine Graves Vincent clearly holds a lofty spot on Team Jones. “She’s been there for every early morning, every setback, every moment when quitting would’ve been easier...
Norwin notebook: Linebacker commits to Division I Lehigh
Norwin senior linebacker Josh Lenart has committed to a Division I program, pledging to Lehigh of the FCS Patriot League. Lenart said Lehigh felt like home. “Lehigh is where I see myself for the next four years,” he said. “The biggest thing for me was that I wanted to go...
Hempfield boys squeeze past Norwin in OT thriller to close section play
Hempfield gave out free white T-shirts with “Spartan Empire” emblazoned on the front Friday night. But a white-out turned into a red-out. Hempfield and Norwin had their share of blood timeouts — from cuts on knees, bloody noses and a nasty cut above the left eye of Norwin’s Alex Graney...
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown commits to Robert Morris
Jeannette big-play senior Kymon’e Brown will go from throwing touchdown passes to catching them at the college level. The dual-threat quarterback committed to play wide receiver at Robert Morris, achieving his long-time goal of reaching the Division I level. He signed with the Colonials on Friday. Brown (6-foot, 162 pounds)...
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones sprints past challenges to reach Olympic dream
She crashed once, then seven more times, whipping around sharp turns in a twisting bobsled going more than 90 mph. Key people were watching. People who held the keys to unlocking her Olympic dream. People who now had doubts. Jeannette native Jasmine Jones also was a wreck emotionally. The sprinter-turned-Olympic...
Franklin Regional girls score in closing seconds to grab playoff spot over Shaler
Bernie Pucka said he had a feeling his team was going to win. The vibe, the energy, the lack of nervousness from his girls, it all seemed to put him at ease. But the Franklin Regional girls basketball coach didn’t quite envision a finish like this. Junior guard Chloe Pucka...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Derry chasing 1st section title since 1957
Derry has been a before in a room of afters for too long. The Trojans think they are ready to take the next step as a postseason contender. Wins over Elizabeth Forward and Belle Vernon — games that presented problems for Derry in the past — have them in the...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Jeannette players, coach learning to manage frantic style
Jeannette coach Jenna Lusby has come to terms with her team’s style of play. It is fast paced with erratic moments, but it has been working. Lusby often calls the style “chaotic.” “We celebrated the new year, now we’re moving the ball,” Lusby said, referring to a more stagnant offense...
1st-place Gateway boys hang on to quell Penn-Trafford’s comeback attemptVideo
A sign on the wall at Penn-Trafford read “Warning” in white capital letters with a green background. Maybe it was meant for Gateway. Warned or not, the visiting Gators were ready for a frenzied comeback by the host Warriors. Gateway weathered a big shift in momentum and a 22-point third...
Hempfield receiver Kopas takes preferred walk-on offer from Duquesne
Jack Kopas is going Division I after all. The Hempfield senior football player had D-I hopes, but was just about ready to commit to a Division II program in the PSAC when a new team entered the conversation. All of the sudden, Duquesne is his school of choice. Kopas, a...
Canon-McMillan fends off Norwin charge to clinch share of section crownVideo
Top-ranked Norwin slogged through a two-point third quarter — an uncharacteristically empty output on its home floor — and fell behind by 16 going to the fourth. Somehow, it stemmed the tide of a lengthy run by No. 3 Canon-McMillan, closing a 17-point gap to four late before fading for...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Norwin grad Bilinsky sets career high for UPJ hoops
They call Adam Bilinsky “Bomber.” The former Norwin basketball standout was on full blast for Pitt-Johnstown against Seton Hill. The junior guard erupted for a career-high 35 points in a 97-88 victory over the visiting Griffins. The top number is impressive. But so is how he got to it. Bilinsky...
Derry lineman Dylan Pitzer commits to walk on at Pitt
For a kid who has his college right there in his last name, Pitt seems like a perfect fit. Dylan Pitzer to Pitt sings. The Derry senior football player announced Monday he is accepting a preferred walk-on offer to play at Pitt, the only Division I school to make him...
Jayla Peterson hits milestone in Greensburg Central Catholic’s statement win over Bishop Guilfoyle
Milestones have a way of following high-level basketball teams on their journey through banner seasons. They are organic rewards that come with the territory. Bonus material on a pathway to the prize. The milestones keep coming for the Greensburg Central Catholic girls, who saw senior Jayla Peterson score her 1,000th...
Greensburg Central Catholic rallies in 2nd half to upend Ligonier Valley at Shootout at Saint Vincent
Greensburg Central Catholic’s latest game was like a microcosm of its season. A lot of people wrote off the Centurions because of a wave of turnover and a young, unproven rotation. But, like the 17-point deficit the boys basketball team faced Saturday night, the outside noise didn’t matter much to...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown gets football offer from Robert Morris
Jeannette two-sport senior athlete Kymon’e Brown appears to be leaning toward football over basketball for college. That is because more schools are leaning in on him. Brown, the shifty playmaking quarterback and defensive back, now has three NCAA Division I scholarship offers. Robert Morris reached out last week, following spread-out...
Norwin notebook: Tristyn Tavares taking talents to Cal (Pa.)
Norwin will miss him, but will cherish the high school football career he left behind. Standout quarterback Tristyn Tavares announced he will play at Cal (Pa.). A four-year starter, Tavares was a first-team all-conference selection in Class 6A. He threw for 1,243 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 738...
Latrobe boys use size to claw past Franklin Regional in must-win game
Latrobe had a contest at halftime called “Can the Cats” where children tried to throw small, rubber cats into a trash can. When the second half got underway, Latrobe’s boys basketball team canned Franklin Regional. Latrobe looked like a team playing with desperation, using a dogged defensive effort and its...
GCC’s Erica Gribble, Quaker Valley’s Oumou Thiero nominated for McDonald’s All-American Game
Two of the WPIAL’s premier girls basketball players are nominated for the country’s most prestigious all-star game. Erica Gribble, a senior point guard at Greensburg Central Catholic, and senior swing forward Oumou “Mimi” Thiero of Quaker Valley are nominees from the East for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Both are living...
Derry’s Dylan Pitzer gets preferred walk-on offer from Pitt football team
Coaches who have worked with him say Dylan Pitzer might have only scratched the surface of his capabilities as a football player. The 6-foot-7, 275-pounder at Derry has gained momentum with NCAA Division II offers, with IUP, Clarion and Glenville State extending offers to the two-way lineman. But a Division...
