Bill Beckner stories, Page 40
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Hempfield’s Dom Detruf shines in return
Hempfield took the field Friday night in its home opener with a surprise starter at quarterback. Junior Dom Detruf, who tried to keep his medical clearance Wednesday under wraps, returned after limited practice time this summer because of myocarditis — an inflamed heart. “We tried to keep it quiet,” Detruf...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Hempfield’s Jiana Patterson, Latrobe’s Roman Agostoni
Jiana Patterson School: Hempfield Class: Junior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Patterson, a transfer from Greensburg Central Catholic, has made an immediate impact with the Spartans. The talented forward scored two goals as Hempfield defeated North Hills, 2-1, to break an 18-game losing streak. Patterson also scored a goal in...
Veteran lineup has Franklin Regional girls in position to succeed
Good things can happen when most of your returning starters are seniors. The Franklin Regional girls soccer team will lean on experience from a group that has been around the block a few times in WPIAL Class 3A. Key 12th grade returnees include offensive centerpiece Abby Paterline (MF/F), Brooke Blakley...
After productive summer, Franklin Regional boys soccer ready to roll
Franklin Regional boys soccer’s third coach in four years is getting the response he wanted from his players. They showed up to work this summer. “Our voluntary workouts were very well attended, the effort and energy was fantastic, and the boys put in a lot of work in preparation for...
Norwin notebook: Junior takes cross country title
Annie, get your run. Norwin junior Annie Czajkowski opened the cross country season with a bang as she ran to victory at the Riverside Classic Night Invitational at Riverside High School in Ohio. Czajkowski posted a time of 18 minutes, 31.46 seconds to hold back Elena Barrall of Manheim Township...
With deep roster, Norwin girls soccer sets sights on playoff return
If Norwin gets back to the WPIAL girls soccer playoffs after a two-year hiatus, it will be a group effort. New coach Ashley DeVito said under no circumstance should any of her girls should play a full, 80-minute game. “We have so much depth and talent,” she said. “I intend...
‘Strongest core of seniors’ has Norwin boys soccer ready for run at repeat
With an experienced group of seniors as a pillar, Norwin has its eyes on a WPIAL Class 4A repeat. If the Knights do go back-to-back, veteran coach Scott Schuchert believes his veterans will pave the way. “We have the strongest core of seniors I’ve ever had from top to bottom,”...
Franklin Regional rides all-around performance past Hempfield; Detruf returns
Classic ingredients can go a long way on a high school football Friday night. Running game. Defense. Special teams. Mix them up, and it’s a winning recipe. Franklin Regional did that to hold back a Hempfield team that was inspired by the return of its quarterback, winning 49-26 on Friday...
Franklin Regional boys soccer team tops Penn-Trafford in early season section showdown
A matchup of first-year coaches in Section 3-3A boys soccer went to Franklin Regional’s Nick White, whose Panthers rang up three second-half goals to pull past Ryan Hankey’s Penn-Trafford team, 3-1, in the section opener Thursday night in Harrison City. “P-T came out strong, and they were really strong in...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Top kickers give their teams a leg up
Kickers rarely get much limelight. Their extra points are often taken for granted, and casual fans don’t give kickoffs that sail out of the end zone a second thought. But there are a few Westmoreland County kickers worth watching this season, a collection of legs that could be difference makers...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Super start for Southmoreland
Southmoreland picked a fine way to open the boys soccer season: by winning a championship. Second-year coach Brad Smith, a Norwin alum, celebrated with his players after the Scotties won the South Allegheny Classic last weekend in Glassport. The Scotties defeated South Allegheny, 4-0, before topping Derry, 4-2, in the...
Some high school soccer coaches in favor of giving overtime the boot
When there was chatter about the PIAA eliminating overtime from regular-season soccer games this offseason, many coaches smiled with optimism. When the proposal never made it past the strategic planning committee, those same coaches sighed. Now, some are fit to be tied. Teams will continue to play a 10-minute period...
Westmoreland girls soccer notes: County well represented on Moe Rosensteel award watch list
Twelve of the 49 players on the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player Award watch list play for Westmoreland County teams. The award, named after the late Katelyn “Moe” Rosensteel, is in its sixth season and goes to the best player in the WPIAL, according to a committee of voters. Latrobe...
Plum girls thinking Bigger after shutout win over Franklin Regional
Olivia Bigger kicks extra points for the Plum football team. On Monday night, she helped give the girls soccer team an extra goal. The junior set up of an early second-half score to give the Mustangs a two-goal lead on the way to a 2-0 victory over Franklin Regional in...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Area players set for Mercyhurst debut in Division I
Mercyhurst will open its first season as an NCAA Division I football program Thursday at Wheeling. The Lakers are not short on local talent. Eight players from Westmoreland County will suit up in green and white for the team’s D-I debut season. Several are part of the Lakers’ deep linebacker...
Former Franklin Regional standout Hudock recovering nicely after scary motorcycle accident
He doesn’t remember much from the night he almost died, but Ayden Hudock uses words such as “lucky” and “blessed” a lot more since he wrecked his motorcycle. From what those who reconstructed the accident scene have told him, both of those words are appropriate. It was May 25 when...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Baseball, softball teams on move in realignment
Local baseball and softball teams did some shuffling in WPIAL spring sports realignment for 2025. The calibration is for the next two school years. Latrobe continued its recent trend of moving up, with baseball going to Class 5A. Football and girls soccer moved up for this fall season. In addition,...
Chismars put aside sibling rivalry, share QB duties at Greensburg Salem
Sometimes, the Chismar brothers’ car rides home from practice are animated and loud. Other times, post-workout trips back to the crib are quiet. It all depends on the mood. “If we have a good day, we’ll talk about it,” sophomore Brody Chismar said. “If one of us has a bad...
Norwin boys soccer shuts out Franklin Regional to open season
Norwin continues to row in the right direction. After senior forward Daniel Maddock scored the boys soccer team’s first goal of the season, several Knights plopped their backsides on the ground along the sideline, lined up like they were sitting in a boat, and began to row in unison for...
Westmoreland County football notebook: GCC’s Samir Crosby accounts for 6 TDs
Samir Crosby had an impressive performance in a wild opener for Greensburg Central Catholic at Shady Side Academy. The Centurions rallied to win 46-40 as the junior quarterback accounted for six touchdowns. GCC trailed 32-10 in the second quarter before Crosby took command and led a comeback. He scored four...
Late TD pass lifts Jeannette past Mt. Pleasant in comeback victory
Mt. Pleasant appeared to have Jeannette right where it wanted it. A seven-point lead with three minutes and change remaining and a fresh turnover in their hands. But Jeannette wasn’t ready to call it a night. The more chances the Jayhawks got, the hungrier they looked. They came to life...
Watch list announced for Moe Rosensteel girls soccer award
Forty-nine of the top girls soccer players in the district made the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player Award watch list. The high school season opens Friday. The award, named after the late Katelyn “Moe” Rosensteel, is in its sixth season and goes to the best player in the WPIAL, per...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Small schools make best of bare-bones rosters
Teams in the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference have something in common on the eve of a new football season: low roster numbers. Injuries will be magnified as teams try to combat depth issues over the course of a 10-game regular season. With the exception of Riverview, which has 49...
Westmoreland County girls soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant motivated to make title run
Mt. Pleasant is going into a new girls soccer season with a mind eraser. A team that has the talent to make a title run like it did two years ago when it finished as the runner-up, the Vikings stewed over a stunning playoff loss. The team was dealt a...
Westmoreland boys soccer preview: Belle Vernon ready for challenge of jump to 3A
A jump in classification can be less daunting if a team has a lot coming back. Belle Vernon boys soccer is a prime example. The Leopards have a number of key players returning as they go from Class 2A to 3A. That includes standout goal scorer Trevor Kovatch, who has...
