Bill Beckner stories, Page 32
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Former Hempfield wrestler wins title for Army
When it comes to wrestling at Army, Ethan Berginc is one good soldier. Berginc, a Jeannette native who wrestled at Hempfield via a co-operative agreement, is on a roll eary in his junior season. Far from his days as a plebe, Berginc won back-to-back titles at 133 pounds, the second...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Pair picked for all-state soccer squad
Latrobe senior Robin Reilly and Mt. Pleasant junior Morgan Gesinski were finalists for the Moe Rosensteel girls soccer award, but the local pair have something else in common. Reilly and Gesinski were selected as all-state players by the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association, Reilly as a midfielder, Gesinski as a forward....
12 girls from WPIAL earn all-state soccer accolades
The Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association announced its all-state girls lists. Three WPIAL players were selected as forwards: Fox Chapel sophomore Emily McKee, senior Brianna Ross of Springdale, and Mt. Pleasant junior Morgan Gesinski. Montour senior Grace Bannon, junior Karly Majeski of Seneca Valley, senior Camryn Klein of Peters Township, Latrobe...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Mt. Pleasant grad Riley Gesinski earns postseason honors at Pitt-Greensburg
It didn’t take Riley Gesinski long to adjust to college-level soccer in the NCAA Division III Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. The freshman midfielder from Pitt-Greensburg made her mark this season, and conference coaches noticed. The former Mt. Pleasant standout was named the AMCC Newcomer of the Year. She led a...
1st-year Jeannette girls basketball coach welcomes bigger roster
Jenna Lusby didn’t have to look far to find an assistant coach as she embarks on her first season as girls basketball coach at Jeannette. Her husband, Arnold, will serve as her assistant. Love and basketball was never truer than this arrangement. The couple met playing pick-up hoops at an...
Jeannette hopes success on football field carries over to basketball court
Waiting on 10 players to return from football season might seem like a burden to some WPIAL basketball coaches. (Cue the “Jeopardy” think music.) But not to Jeannette boys coach Adrian Batts, whose message to the two-sport guys was this: take your time coming back. “For me, it’s not new,”...
Norwin notebook: Soccer standout headlines all-section list
Norwin boys soccer standout Daniel Maddock was named the player of the year in Section 1-4A by the Big 5/6 Conference, an online entity that covers the largest classifications in the WPIAL. A quick, get-ahead-of-the-pack forward, Maddock also was a first-team all-section pick after scoring 22 goals and handing out...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Moe Rosensteel Award winner to be revealed Monday
The winner of the sixth Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year for the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL will be announced at 5 p.m. Monday via social media. The finalists are Morgan Gesinski (Jr., F, Mt. Pleasant), Molly Kubistek (Jr., GK, Peters Township), Emily McKee (So.,...
Finalists announced for 6th annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award for WPIAL’s top 2-way lineman
The six finalists for the sixth annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award are competing to be named the best two-way senior football lineman in the WPIAL, and they still have work to do. All of them still are competing in the WPIAL playoffs. There is a finalist from each of the...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Colleges taking note of Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple
Penn-Trafford senior Tasso Whipple is beginning to experience the college recruiting process. Some in his circle might say it’s about time. Whipple, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back and outside linebacker raked in two college offers this week, from a Division I and II program. His first D-I offer came in...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls move up in class while hunting for another WPIAL title
Greensburg Central Catholic won’t get to defend its WPIAL 2A girls basketball championship. In view of the fact it was bumped up in classification, it will be ring-chasing in Class 3A. The Centurions were subject to the PIAA’s competitive balance formula — based on two consecutive PIAA semifinal appearances and...
With deep roster, Greensburg Central Catholic boys have WPIAL title hopes
With the most seniors he’s had and what could be his deepest rotation, Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball coach Christian Hyland expects his team to make another postseason run. Another championship run could lie ahead. “We want to get back to the finals and get another shot,” Hyland said. “There...
Coaches from variety of backgrounds come together to lead Jeannette on playoff run
Jeannette first-year assistant football coach Dustin Shoaf is a school teacher at Yough, his alma mater and a place where he is the all-time leader in rushing yards. He also works on his family’s farm, so he knows an interesting crop when he sees one. Like the crop of coaches...
Saint Vincent fires football coach Aaron Smetanka, 2 assistants after 1-9 season
After a 1-9 season, Saint Vincent fired head football coach Aaron Smetanka along with offensive coordinator Sam London III and defensive coordinator John Bell, launching an immediate search for new staff members. The remainder of the coaching staff was still listed on the school’s athletics website, but that does not...
Strong returning cast sparks optimism in Franklin Regional girls program
The thought of hanging a section banner on the wall brings a smile to Bernie Pucka’s face. It almost makes him giddy. He hunts pheasant and deer, but he would love to bag a section. “That would be … incredible,” the fourth-year coach of the Franklin Regional girls basketball team...
Upset-minded Jeannette to face toughest task yet in top-seeded Fort Cherry
If Jeannette can turn back Fort Cherry early like it has its past several opponents, the Jayhawks could have a shot at dethroning the top-seeded and defending WPIAL football champion Rangers. The halftime score could reveal whether the Jayhawks have a puncher’s chance, if the Class A kick seekers’ season...
New-look roster to write next chapter for Franklin Regional boys basketball
The word “almost” gets thrown around a lot when people talk about the 2023-24 Franklin Regional boys basketball program. The Panthers almost beat Moon in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game. They almost rallied to put a scare into powerhouse Imhotep Charter in the PIAA championship, their first trip to...
Rosters set for WCCA all-star volleyball match
Rosters are set for the 3rd Westmoreland County Coaches Association All-Star Girls Volleyball Match, which will be played at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Ligonier Valley High School. The game features the top senior players in Westmoreland County. Rosters are as follows: West Kylie Anthony (OH) Penn-Trafford Brandi Brozeski...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Longtime coach Tom Harbert to be honored at Saint Vincent
The Saint Vincent wrestling program will honor one of its greats Tuesday night before the season opener against visiting Shippensburg. The man of the hour will be Tom Harbert, the head wrestling, lacrosse and cross country coach at SVC for over 50 years and a advocate for bringing wrestling back...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Big 5/6 recognizes area soccer, volleyball players and coaches
The Big 5/6 Conference, a web-based outlet that recognizes the achievements of the WPIAL’s largest classifications, announced its all-section teams for boys and girls soccer and girls volleyball. For girls soccer, local players to make the All-Section 1-4A first team were senior midfielder Robin Reilly, junior forward Annalyse Bauer and...
Westmoreland/Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Taylor Doppelheuer, Latrobe’s Joey Crimboli
The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Taylor Doppelheuer School: Southmoreland Class: Senior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: A 6-foot hitter, Doppelheuer led the Scotties to their first PIAA playoff win...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Upstart Jeannette takes cue from basketball team
If the basketball team could do it, so could the football team. That was Jeannette’s mindset Friday night as the Jayhawks double-stamped their surprising run in the WPIAL Class A football playoffs with a second straight upset, 29-23 over rival and fifth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals at Norwin....
Norwin notebook: Cross country teams place at states
Norwin came home from Hershey with more than candy wrappers. For the first time, the Knights boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the PIAA championships. The girls placed sixth on the 3.2-mile course with 196 points, led by Annie Czajkowski, who placed 24th individually. The boys team, fresh...
Norwin’s championship defense ends in unexpected fashion
While the season didn’t end with another WPIAL championship, it did come with a bizarre ending for the Norwin boys soccer team. And a crushing ending, at that. Still, the Knights finished another strong season at 11-6-1 and stayed among the top contenders in Class 4A. “We knew it wasn’t...
Runner-up Franklin Regional takes pride in WPIAL final performance
After they received their silver medals and runner-up trophy, Franklin Regional boys soccer players sat in a circle on the turf at Highmark Stadium. They talked and reflected on a Saturday night along the Monongahela River about how far they had come, how well they had just played and what...
