Bill Beckner stories, Page 4
Westmoreland County campus clips: Latrobe grad Alex Tatsch looks toward future at Penn State
Freshman linebacker Alex Tatsch did not play in the Pinstripe Bowl for Penn State because of an injury. The question now is, will the former Latrobe standout play for the Nittany Lions next season? The answer appears to be yes. With the coaching change — James Franklin out, Matt Campbell...
Greensburg Salem boys blow past Mt. Pleasant, match last season’s win total
Lights in the gymnasium flickered a few times as high winds ripped past Greensburg Salem on Monday evening. The school’s boys basketball team had a similar effect against Mt. Pleasant. Their play was lights-out on the opening day of the Greensburg Salem Holiday Classic. Greensburg Salem started the second half...
Dominant defense carries Hempfield girls to another big win
The Hempfield girls basketball team is beginning to carve out a defensive identity. The proof came in two mercy-ruled games at the Latrobe Wildcat Christmas Tournament, where they gave up a total of 47 points. Hempfield suffocated host Latrobe from the tip and complemented the effort with balanced scoring in...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Pitzer, Powell honored with football all-state recognition
Jayce Powell and Dylan Pitzer play different positions in dissimilar classifications, but the Westmoreland County football standouts share a distinguished honor. Powell, a junior wide receiver at Jeannette, and Pitzer, a burly senior who plays on the lines at Derry, earned all-state recognition from the Pennsylvania Football Writers. Powell was...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Latrobe using cutting-edge recovery methods
Latrobe might have cornered the market on rest and recovery with the help of physical education teacher Tim Evans. The Wildcats girls team has numerous options when it comes to healing and recharging after practices and games. Even on off days, players can be seen using vibration, compression and shock-wave...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Belle Vernon loses key player to transfer
Belle Vernon senior guard Curty Wade, one of the team’s top scorers this season, did not play last weekend at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Showcase at Jeannette and will not return to the team this season. That is because Wade has enrolled at The Kiski School and plans to...
PIHL announces all-star teams
The top hockey players in the PIHL will converge on Robert Morris University on Jan. 25 for the league’s annual all-star games. The five-game schedule at RMU Island Sports Center has Division 2 Gold vs. Division 2 Blue; Class A (1) Gold vs. Class A (1) Blue; Class 2A (2)...
Penn-Trafford boys rally, get late basket from Ponko to defeat Latrobe
Nick Ponko caught the basketball at the high post, turned into an open lane and completed a frantic rally. He took two dribbles and scored on a left-handed layup with 4.1 seconds remaining to lift Penn-Trafford to a 67-65 comeback victory over Latrobe in another Section 1-5A nailbiter between the...
Kiski Area football coach Colyn Haugh resigns, takes position in CFL
Colyn Haugh called Tuesday a “bittersweet day” because he officially was moving on from one opportunity to the next in his coaching career. After one season in charge of the Kiski Area football program, Haugh announced he is stepping down as coach. As for the next chapter, Haugh, a Franklin...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Nick Turowski repeats as Amateur Player of the Year
West Virginia sophomore Nick Turowski was a repeat winner of the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s W.C. Fownes Jr. Amateur Player of the Year. Turowski, a Penn-Trafford graduate, earned 155 points for a substantial lead over the other candidates. The Hannastown Golf Club member again bagged an award that “exemplifies the highest...
Jeannette boys take care of business against 6A Norwin
Given the fact Jeannette was leading but not in complete control, Jayce Powell felt the need to be vocal in the huddle. He fired up the Jayhawks with his voice, but his game also did a lot of talking. The junior guard scored 11 of his 16 points in the...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Brewer picks Bucknell
Grant Brewer made his college commitment official and then went into relaxation mode. The Greensburg Central Catholic senior joined his family for a vacation to Peru a few days after signing a letter of intent to compete in track and field at Division I Bucknell. It seems like an appropriate...
Franklin Regional boys get benefit of late goaltending call, earn hard-fought victory over Gateway
With the score tied in the closing seconds, Webber Rankin emerged from a crowd of players and found himself wide open in the lane. He caught Alec Masten’s pass in stride and went up for a layup. The shot was blocked fiercely out of bounds by Gateway’s Mykel Bruce-McCrommon. But...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: WCCA showcase on tap this weekend
Ten local boys teams will gather at a pair of county gyms Saturday for the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Boys Basketball Showcase. The round-robin event will be played at Greensburg Salem and Jeannette. The schedule is as follows: At Greensburg Salem: Ligonier Valley vs. Greensburg Salem, 1:30 p.m.; Hempfield vs....
Westmoreland campus clippings: Offensive lineman Dane Levi gets plenty of interest after entering portal
Interest is picking up for offensive lineman Dane Levi (Belle Vernon). Since he put his name in the NCAA transfer portal, Levi (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) has picked up Division II offers from Slippery Rock, Lake Erie, Bluefield State, West Chester, Saint Anselm, Gannon and Clarion. Levi has three years of...
After 4 seasons at Wisconsin, Penn-Trafford grad Cade Yacamelli enters transfer portal
Cade Yacamelli wants to finish his college football career with an exclamation point, not a question mark. The former Penn-Trafford star feels unfulfilled and somewhat unproven, like he still has much to offer a Division I running backs room. But there still is time and a soon-to-be suitor. If Yacamelli...
Former Penn-Trafford RB Cade Yacamelli will enter transfer portal after 4 years at Wisconsin
After dropping on the depth chart, Wisconsin’s most experienced running back is rushing out the door. Former Penn-Trafford running back Cade Yacamelli announced Tuesday he is departing the Badgers after four years and will enter the NCAA transfer portal. The redshirt junior rushed for 571 yards and two touchdowns and...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Seton Hill volleyball coaching legend Rick Hall retires
Rick Hall used to play on beer-sponsored pro beach volleyball tours. He might have time to hit the sand again. After 41 seasons, Hall is retiring as women’s volleyball coach at Seton Hill. The Griffins’ hall of famer finished with a record of 822-453. “After 41 years, countless practices, bus...
Greensburg Salem alum Brennan Marion named offensive coordinator at Colorado
Brennan Marion grew up watching Deion Sanders play. “Prime Time” always seemed to make the SportsCenter highlights as an NFL cornerback or MLB outfielder. The dual-sport playmaker played for five teams in each league. All of the sudden, Sanders is going to be Marion’s boss. Marion, a Greensburg Salem alum,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad Aris Lamanna wraps up strong season for Coastal Carolina women’s soccer
Goalkeeper Aris Lamanna played the entire women’s soccer season for Coastal Carolina — all 1,440 minutes — with a torn labrum. The former Franklin Regional standout put off surgery until mid-November, and she announced the procedure went well. If she had any discomfort or restraints this fall, she didn’t show...
Starting 5: Spotlight shines on Jeannette in Westmoreland County boys basketball
Previewing high school boys basketball season in Westmoreland County: 5 players to watch Kymon’e Brown Sr., G, Jeannette Floor leader and one of area’s top all-around players averaged 12.5 points, 6.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.4 rebounds a game for the WPIAL 2A champs. Ian DeCerb Sr., F, Latrobe Athletic...
Seton Hill men lead wire-to-wire to defeat Pitt-Greensburg in matchup of unbeatens
Seton Hill has been hatching plans to change the way it defends. The personnel the talented Griffins have allows them to guard straight up. How they shield against opposing teams could dictate how far they go this college basketball season. “We’re trying to play more man-to-man,” Griffins coach Ben Wilkins...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Iuzzolino reaches 1,000 career points
Members of the Saint Vincent men’s basketball team want to be like Mike. The Bearcats (3-1) came up short against undefeated Hood (6-0), but senior guard Mike Iuzzolino reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career. Senior Dev Ostrowski made seven 3-pointers and finished with 25 points to lead SVC, junior...
Norwin cross country teams head to regional meet with berth at nationals at stake
Norwin already has proven itself to the state by winning its first PIAA Class 3A cross country championship. Now, the mighty girls team will try to make its mark nationally. Norwin will compete at the Nike Cross Country Northeast Regional on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. The...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Reitz family adds to WPIAL title collection
Hang another WPIAL championship on the Reitz family tree. Jeannette natives Ray and Ryan Reitz, a father-and-son coaching duo at Central Catholic, brought home a Class 6A title last week with the Vikings’ 42-7 victory over North Allegheny. Next, they are primed to chase a PIAA championship. Ryan is the...
