Bill Beckner stories, Page 42
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Tatsch a force in Latrobe’s ground game
Alex Tatsch might be heading to Penn State to play linebacker, but the Latrobe senior made it clear this summer he had plenty to give the Wildcats as a running back. Remember, Tatsch was limited last season with a labrum tear that required offseason surgery. Now that he is at...
Norwin girls volleyball working to make strides
Norwin girls volleyball finished 3-11 overall and 1-7 in Section 3-4A, which put the Knights in last place. That means there is room for improvement for veteran coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio and her players. Seven returning starters give the team a reason for optimism. Ferragonio said it is too early...
Franklin Regional notebook: Boys soccer team opens section schedule with win
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 Aug. 29. “P-T came out strong, and they were really strong in the back,” said...
Sizzling Greensburg Salem rolls past Valley, off to best start since 2011
Greensburg Salem honored its conference championship football teams from 2003 and ’04 before Friday night’s kickoff. Then, the current Golden Lions took the field looking like a team with similar aspirations. Greensburg Salem continued its best start since 2011, making it a perfect 3 for 3 in home games to...
Agostoni gets hat trick, Latrobe keeps rolling vs. Belle Vernon
On a night when shots were plentiful and goals piled up, Latrobe was more impressed by its defensive play and limiting Belle Vernon’s potent offense in its latest soccer victory. “The defense created the chances,” said senior forward Roman Agostoni, who had a hat trick in the Wildcats’ 5-0 win...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Monessen sends scoreboards spinning
Monessen is the highest-scoring team in WPIAL football through two weeks with a brow-raising, 60.5-point average. The Greyhounds, who hadn’t started 2-0 since 2018, have laid out a tapestry of big plays while scoring in a number of ways. A key playmaker is TyVaughn Kershaw, a junior running back, who...
Freshman lights fuse for Penn-Trafford girls in win over Latrobe
Freshman Tori Yurt said she wanted to be more “useful” to the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team after a slow start to the season. How’s this for useful? The 6-foot forward scored two goals to set the pace and propel Penn-Trafford to a 3-2 victory over host Latrobe in the Section...
Hempfield boys soccer revels in streak-snapping win
When Derry scored two goals to pull even with Hempfield, Michael Crowe, Hempfield’s coach, just let it roll. “We, as coaches, didn’t have to say much at halftime,” Crowe said of Tuesday night’s boys soccer game. “Just a few words of calming encouragement, and the boys took it upon themselves...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Aidan Johnson sparks Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant is off to a strong start to the season. The Vikings (3-1) put up 20 goals, including 10 in a 10-0 win over Brownsville in the Section 4-2A opener. Aidan Johnson leads the team with seven goals. He had four in a 5-0 win against Derry. Ten players...
Jeannette girls soccer players determined to keep season going despite low numbers
When Billy Bryant went to Jeannette, he was the Jayhawk mascot. He donned the furry, red-and-blue uniform and the bird head with the bright yellow beak. “If that doesn’t tell you how much Jeannette sports mean to me, I don’t know what will,” Bryant said. “It’s sad what we’re going...
Westmoreland girls soccer notebook: Yough lighting up scoreboards
Yough has struggled with low roster numbers in recent seasons, and with standout Youngstown Stat commit Kendalyn Umbel choosing not to play prep soccer this year and in 2023, the Cougars appeared headed for an uphill climb. But they won three of their first four games, scoring 10 goals in...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Norwin’s Edwards joins Dayton
Patrick Edwards is making his way up the college basketball coaching ladder. The 2018 Norwin graduate was named director of basketball operations at Dayton, his alma mater. “Basketball has always been a love of mine growing up,” Edwards said. “I realized I wanted to coach, specifically at the college level,...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Croushore leaves WPIAL committee
Jim Croushore played 18, then went one more. But he’s packing up his clubs as the top man on the WPIAL golf steering committee. Croushore stepped down before this school year after 19 years on the committee. The former chairman is a principal at Burrell’s Bon Air Elementary School, and...
New coach Santilli well aware of expectations for Greensburg Central Catholic girls golf team
Golf professional Anthony Santilli knew the expectation when he took over as the girls golf coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. Win it all and pose for photos with the trophy. That is what the Centurions have done consistently for nearly a decade. It’s what they know. They are the nine-time...
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...
