Bill Beckner stories, Page 41
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2024 Week Zero
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week Zero of the 2024 season: Nonconference Albert Gallatin at Greensburg Salem 7 p.m. Friday, Offutt Field, Greensburg Last year’s result: Did not play Greensburg Salem will kick off its new season in Class 3A with a matchup against...
Westmoreland County standouts dot D-1 college football rosters this fall
Gianni Rizzo and Trent Holler are close friends and always have supported one another in sports despite going to different high schools. The pair has something more in common on the eve of another college football season. Both are set to play a grad season at the Division I level,...
Tackling machine Ethan Shawley brings snarl to Southmoreland defense
Southmoreland’s senior tackling savant makes backyards look nicer in the summer as a landscaper. Come the fall, he demolishes backfields. Disruptive, elusive and violent, Ethan Shawley is a senior middle linebacker whose motivation grows out of being undersized and wanting to be a play ahead of everybody else on the...
WPIAL girls soccer preview: Defending state champ Moon again among teams to beat
WPIAL girls soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: Fox Chapel Runner-up: North Allegheny PIAA champion: Pennridge Team to beat: North Allegheny, which went on to reach the PIAA semifinals after a loss in the WPIAL final, is coming off a 22-win season. Junior Emma Shupansky and senior Madison Miller will...
Southmoreland’s Tim Bukowski to coach opener with late father in mind
Third-year Southmoreland football coach Tim Bukowski will lead the Scotties in their season opener Friday night with a heavy heart after the death of his father. Ron Bukowski, 81, died Monday morning in hospice at his home in Fayette County after an extended bout with cancer. Nicknamed “Arch,” the late...
WPIAL boys soccer preview: Norwin, South Fayette, South Park, Bentworth out to defend titles
WPIAL boys soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: Norwin Runner-up: North Allegheny PIAA champion: Conestoga Team to beat: Norwin won its first WPIAL title in dramatic fashion, posting three shootout wins in six playoff games. Senior Daniel Maddock will be a key scorer with the graduation of all-state leader Owen...
Lineman Colin Bruno wants to put signature on final season at Norwin
His football card collection means a lot to him, as does his assortment of professional sports autographs. But what Norwin’s Colin Bruno might value more is the opportunity to give an autograph seeker, an admirer of his blocking and tackling, his own personal inscription. He can smell the Sharpie pen...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Former Seton Hill basketball player headed to Greece
From Seton Hill to Alabama to Greece, basketball is taking Samuel Tabe around the globe. Tabe, a former go-to scorer at Seton Hill, signed to play professionally with AE Psychiko Athens of the Greek Elite League. The 6-foot-5 guard played his last college season at South Alabama, a Division I...
Greensburg Central Catholic primed to follow Samir Crosby’s lead
Reaching the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class A playoffs was a highlight for Greensburg Central Catholic coach JT Thompson in his first season. The experience his team gained from a first-round win over West Greene and a loss to South Side could yield benefits this fall. GCC had not made...
Thanks to program’s revival, ‘People are talking about Latrobe football’
Mention Latrobe and football in the same breath and, to most people, Pittsburgh Steelers training camp comes to mind. While the crowded summer staple where fans can get up close and personal with the pros was in full force again at Saint Vincent, the Latrobe Wildcats also were ramping up...
Belle Vernon pitcher wowed by Kent State baseball program
Parker Lind was on a campus visit when the magic happened. When he saw his baseball future flash before his eyes. Belle Vernon’s hard-throwing southpaw said he was close to committing to one of the top Division II programs in the country in Seton Hill, but the awe he felt...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Southmoreland QB situation settled
Caden Matthews, a junior who was competing with freshman Anthony Smith for the starting quarterback spot at Southmoreland, left the team during the first week of full-padded training camp. Smith will be the Scotties’ starter. Matthews (6-foot, 180), who was the Scotties’ backup last season, planned to transfer to Connellsville,...
Norwin notebook: Girls basketball standouts catch eye of college coaches
A pair of incoming senior Norwin basketball players are on the radar of NCAA Division II college coaches. Kendall Berger added a two more Division II scholarship offers, while Averi Brozeski added a trio of offers. Clarion and West Virginia Wesleyan joined Seton Hill and Wheeling as a potential destination...
WPIAL girls golf preview: 3A champ Mya Morgan back for Elizabeth Forward
WPIAL girls golf preview Class 3A Team 2023 champion: Peters Township 2023 PIAA champion: Peters Township Teams to watch: Armstrong, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Moon, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair Individual 2023 champion: Mya Morgan, Elizabeth Forward 2023 PIAA champion: Rhianna Gooneratne, Plymouth Whitemarsh Players to watch: Ellie Benson, Peters...
WPIAL boys golf preview: Peters Township out to defend WPIAL, PIAA titles
WPIAL boys golf preview Class 3A Team 2023 champion: Peters Township 2023 PIAA champion: Peters Township Teams to watch: Belle Vernon, Butler, Central Catholic, Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, North Allegheny, Peters Township, Plum, South Fayette Individual 2023 champion: Nick Turowski, Penn-Trafford* 2023 PIAA champion: Hunter Swidzinski, Butler* Players to...
Latrobe lineman knows now’s the time for Wildcats to strike
Hype at Latrobe began with the players long before the community began to stir. The football team is a playoff contender again, and guys like Cody Krall saw it coming. “Every group of seniors grow up saying they can’t wait to play together in high school, and they talk about...
Playmakers abound as Southmoreland continues hunt for elusive playoff win
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 23. Due to a conflict in publishing schedules, the Elizabeth Forward preview will appear next week. At the confluence of talent and potential could be the elusive,...
Greensburg Salem aims to stay healthy, use balanced offense
Balance gives Greensburg Salem the best chance to win, second-year coach Ty George said. “You don’t want to force yourself into a situation where you rely too much (on the run or pass),” George said. “The more options you have, the harder it is to stop.” A couple of injuries...
Peters Township’s Jimmy Ellis, Franklin Regional’s Palmer Jackson bow out at U.S. Amateur
Stroke-play medalist Jimmy Ellis, a Peters Township alum, was ousted in his opening match at the 124th U.S. Amateur on Wednesday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. Ellis, who shot 10-under 132 to take the top seed, including a 9-under 61 in his second round, was upset by...
Norwin honors soccer stars in hall of fame Class of 2024
The 2024 Norwin Athletic Hall of Fame class shines a light on the school’s propensity for producing soccer talent. Five of the nine individuals pegged for induction played soccer for the Knights. The class includes Carter Breen (soccer, Class of 2019), Waylon Davis (football, 1998), Dana Dellefemine (soccer, track and...
Peters Township grad shoots 61 to take medalist honors at U.S. Amateur
Peters Township graduate Jimmy Ellis began the week with little to no expectation at the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship. Ellis, who now lives in Atlantic Beach, Fla., had to buy golf balls and a glove from the pro shop for the second round of stroke play. The stakes began to...
After answering call to arms, Hempfield senior develops into difference maker
Football found Owen Buchholz. It wasn’t the other way around like most high school players. Actually, it was Hempfield coach Nick Keefer who introduced and drew Buchholz to the game a few years ago. Keefer was teaching at Wendover Middle School, and Buchholz was a student. “He also is my...
New Norwin boys basketball coach happy to give back to his alma mater
While he stops short of “dream job” territory, Cam Auld admits the idea of coaching at his high school alma mater crossed his mind before. He’ll always be a Norwin Knight, first as an athlete and now as coach. “Anybody who ends up getting to go back to their school...
Crack of pads, warmth of turf signal start of high school football around Westmoreland County
As a two-time defending WPIAL and PIAA champion, Belle Vernon football must have opened full-contact training camp Monday morning with a sense of entitlement, right? “No,” running back Kole Doppelheuer said. “We came here all business. We didn’t talk about the past. We want to use the same exact recipe,...
Dom Rosensteel becomes a leader on offense, defense for Greensburg Salem
Dom Rosensteel is ready to move the sticks. “What I did last year makes me want to be better,” the Greensburg Salem rising senior said. “I want to add 10 more to everything. I know I can do more.” A wide receiver and safety with pedigree, experience and just the...
