Bill Beckner stories, Page 4

WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 2A First round 12-Elizabeth Forward (11-7) at 5-Mt. Pleasant (14-4) 6:30 p.m. Monday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Winner plays: Winner of 13-McGuffey (12-6)/4-Avonworth (15-2-1) on Thursday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Aiden Davis, Elizabeth Forward; Tyke Snyder, Mt. Pleasant Throw-ins: Elizabeth Forward is the third-place...

It was youth night at Derry on Friday. After a dominating 33-13 victory by the Trojans against Mt. Pleasant, pint-sized football players and cheerleaders huddled on the tamped-down grass to celebrate at Trojan Stadium. Suddenly, someone cut in to join the fun. A large figure cast a shadow as he...

Michael Hillebrand has been on an offensive tear since he returned from an ankle injury that cost him four games around midseason. He hadn’t scored before he was sidelined Sept. 11 against Allderdice and sat for two weeks but returned to net a pair of goals Sept. 25 at Latrobe....

Ask Derry coaches and players what their team’s identity is, and you’ll get different answers. Some say it’s hands in the dirt, ground-and-pound football. Others think the passing game might be underrated and consider the entire unit to be well-balanced. Or maybe it’s just the physical brand of football and...

WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A First round 14-Montour (9-8) at 3-Franklin Regional (15-3) 1 p.m. Saturday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 11-Trinity (10-5-1)/6-Chartiers Valley (10-4-1) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Brayden Borris, Montour; Mike Hillebrand, Franklin Regional Throw-ins: Montour took fourth in a tough Section...

Win and you’re in. That is as simple as it gets this week for three local teams looking to clinch WPIAL playoff berths. Many playoff spots will not be decided until next week, but a few Westmoreland County teams can take care of business Friday night. Penn-Trafford (7-1, 3-1) secures...

WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A Preliminary round Ringgold (8-8) at Belle Vernon (7-10-1) 6:30 p.m. Thursday, James Weir Stadium, Belle Vernon Winner plays: At 1-Hampton (14-2-2) 12:30 p.m. Saturday in first round Players to watch: Izaiah Wilson, Ringgold; Jackson Pressel, Belle Vernon Throw-ins: Ringgold tied Laurel Highlands for fourth...

When Franklin Regional reached the WPIAL boys soccer finals last season, the Panthers were slight underdogs as the No. 7 seed. If they get back to Highmark Stadium, it won’t be as much of a surprise. The Panthers are No. 3 this time in what appears to be a wide-open...

Here’s a look at the 2025 WPIAL boys soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Peters Township powered its way to the Section 2 title with a defense that allowed just seven goals. The Indians were the No. 2 seed last year and reached the semifinals. Anthony Maiello is the top goal...

It’s been 34 years since a WPIAL boys soccer team won three straight district championships. A pair of teams have a chance to three-peat this season. South Park (17-1) and Bentworth (17-0) were awarded No. 1 seeds in the WPIAL playoffs, the Eagles in Class 2A and the Bearcats in...

Hempfield faced a must-win game last Thursday to extend its season. The Spartans (5-10) came through in the clutch. They played inspired soccer, blanking Gateway, 4-0, to clinch their first WPIAL playoff spot since 2014. Braden Crowe scored two goals and assisted another, and Isaac Pugliese and Tyler Gilpin also...

Mt. Pleasant boys soccer coach Floyd Snyder wore a gray suit with a red and blue tie and dress shoes and capped his outfit with a blue visor to lead his team Tuesday night. The coach looked dapper in his senior night attire, the 18th year he’s dressed up for...

Pitt picked up a commitment from one of the state’s top distance runners as Norwin senior Annie Czajkowski pledged to the Panthers for track and cross country. Czajkowski chose Pitt over other offers from Rutgers, Delaware and Duquesne. She also talked to Penn State and Georgia. Her brother, Noah, is...

The WPIAL will release playoff brackets around 1 p.m. Wednesday on Trib HSSN. The local field of teams is set at 11. They are: Norwin (14-2), Penn-Trafford (9-6-1) and Latrobe (8-6) in Class 4A; Franklin Regional (14-3) and Kiski Area (7-3) in 3A; Belle Vernon (13-4-1), Burrell (9-5-2), Mt. Pleasant...

Longtime Saint Vincent women’s volleyball coach Sue Hozak is among the most successful coaches in the nation. She has the wins to prove it. Hozak, who has guided the team since 1985, picked up her 700th career win as SVC defeated visiting Geneva, 3-0, in a PAC match at Carey...

If all goes as planned, Chase Sikorski will be fielding ground balls one day and coming out of the bullpen the next when he heads off to play college baseball. The Hempfield senior believes he will be a utility man — a pitcher and infielder — at Mercyhurst, where he...

Preslee Horchak School: Hempfield Class: Senior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: Horchak is always in the mood to help her teammates. The setter recently reached 1,000 career assists while helping Hempfield to a 10-3 record and a first-place tie with Penn-Trafford. She had 32 assists in a 3-2 win over...

Hempfield’s injury list is growing, along with a sense of urgency. The Spartans saw three linemen and a receiver/defensive back leave the field and not return in Friday night’s flat 47-8 loss to Seneca Valley. Linemen Jake Wiederstein (arm), Brock Heisler (hand) and Noah Helfrich (shoulder) and receiver Nick Marquis...

Coming off a 1-19 season, second-year Norwin hockey coach Denny Zeravica wants to take what he and his players learned from bouts of adversity and apply it to present times. Last year was last year. That ice has melted. “Even though we had a down year in regard to winning,...

Seneca Valley had been practicing the play it calls “White Whale” for weeks. When offensive tackle Tommy Wuychek, big No. 68, turned the trick play into a “Big Man” touchdown — a 3-yard pitch and run in the second quarter — the Raiders knew it was their night. A whale...

Russ Grimm Field will be jam-packed for Friday night’s Class 3A Interstate Conference football matchup between Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland. Southmoreland officials are urging fans to arrive early. Online ticket sales were stopped after orders reached 1,500, athletic director Brian Pritts said. A limited number of remaining tickets, which are...

A section-championship boys soccer match didn’t get a victor, but it proved to be an ideal tune-up for the upcoming WPIAL playoffs. Norwin and Plum settled on a 0-0 draw on a cold Thursday night at Mustang Stadium in their second Section 1-4A game of the season. Even with the...

Penn-Trafford is showing a penchant for late-game flair. Just like they did against Moon earlier in the season, the fifth-ranked Warriors rallied in the second half last week to get past rival Gateway, 33-23, in Class 5A Big East play. Gateway took a 23-7 lead into halftime before the Warriors...

Addison Ayres saves most of the shots she faces, but the Franklin Regional senior goalkeeper couldn’t save herself after Wednesday night’s game. As the Panthers gathered in their customary circle after a 5-0 Section 4-3A girls soccer victory over visiting Elizabeth Forward, Ayres didn’t see junior teammates Grace Copeland and...

Franklin Regional is getting healthy. That could be bad news for other boys soccer teams in WPIAL Class 3A. “The more we start to get healthy, the more depth we have,” Panthers coach Nick White said. “When we put guys in, the level doesn’t drop.” Senior Keaton Sheetz and sophomore...