Bill Beckner stories, Page 48
Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Latrobe’s Kayla Williams, Mt. Pleasant’s Joseph Gardner
Kayla Williams School: Latrobe Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Williams sprinted out of the gates to open the season. The Slippery Rock commit earned her first pitching win of the season, striking out nine, and helped her cause with a big day at the plate in an 11-3...
Westmoreland high school notebook: More Division I offers for Latrobe’s Wetzel
The number of Division I colleges interested in adding John Wetzel to their defensive backfield keeps growing. Wetzel, a junior at Latrobe, pulled in three more scholarship offers, bringing his total to 13. Buffalo, Eastern Michigan and Monmouth extended offers to Wetzel, a 6-foot, 195-pound safety who also plays quarterback...
Franklin Regional players hold heads high despite loss in PIAA title game
HERSHEY — Fin Hutchison was the last basketball player from Franklin Regional to leave Giant Center on Friday night. The senior guard cradled the PIAA Class 5A runner-up trophy like a kid with his favorite toy, gently setting it down to answer questions before heading for the bus. He glowed,...
Led by senior shortstop, scrappy Norwin softball team ready for season
When she is finished dealing assists and taking charges on the basketball court — fully healed nose or not — Bailey Snowberger will rejoin the Norwin softball team. That is where you’ll see the senior shortstop in her true element. “Bailey is a very key player for us in so...
Norwin baseball in good position despite having ‘big shoes to fill’
Second-year Norwin baseball coach Craig Spisak admits there are still new things that he is learning while coaching a much larger program at the Class 6A level. But overall, he feels his “system” is taking root and the players are collectively on board. Norwin finished 8-12 last season and tied...
Franklin Regional softball sluggers back for more in ’24
Get your warning tracks ready. Franklin Regional is back for more. The Panthers softball team blasted 32 home runs last season and there is no reason to believe the can’t hit that many — or more — in 2024. Franklin Regional could be one of the top offensive teams in...
Imhotep Charter finally puts away pesky Franklin Regional to win 10th PIAA basketball title
HERSHEY — Franklin Regional and Imhotep Charter are 300 miles apart, on opposite ends of the state. They are also distant in PIAA championship history and when it comes to producing high-end college talent. But the teams were a lot closer on the scoreboard than many expected Friday night at...
PIAA Class 5A boys basketball championship preview: Franklin Regional vs. Imhotep Charter
PIAA Class 5A boys basketball championship Franklin Regional (27-3) vs. Imhotep Charter (28-3) 8 p.m. Friday at Giant Center, Hershey District seeds: Franklin Regional 7-2; Imhotep Charter 12-1 Coaches: Jesse Reed, Franklin Regional; Andre Noble, Imhotep Charter State titles: Franklin Regional 0; Imhotep Charter 9 Players to watch: Cam Rowell,...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Former coach says don’t count out Franklin Regional
Steve Scorpion probably would not advise anybody to bet against Franklin Regional in Friday night’s PIAA Class 5A championship game. The safe bet, he thinks, is Franklin Regional (27-3) giving Philadelphia powerhouse Imhotep Charter (28-3) a game. Scorpion’s last run with the Panthers was three seasons ago when the current...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Belle Vernon heats up quickly
Cold weather and unplayable fields have handcuffed softball teams through the first few days of the season. But some teams have been fortunate to play, most that either took trips south or play on turf fields. Belle Vernon opened with a bang — at the “Beach.” The defending WPIAL 4A...
Against Philly power, Franklin Regional looks to turn Chocolatetown into Upset City
Don’t expect Franklin Regional to put any extra pressure on itself Friday night in Hershey. “Nobody expects us to win,” senior guard Fin Hutchison said. Said Panthers coach Jesse Reed: “We’re a major underdog. There is no pressure on our end. Everyone is expecting us to go lose.” Fair enough....
Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Franklin Regional pitcher opens with no-hitter
Narayan “NJ” Ramchandran opened the baseball season by closing down Chaminade Prep. The junior pitcher from Franklin Regional threw a no-hitter in the Panthers’ first game of the year, a 6-0 victory in Myrtle Beach, S.C., over a team from Missouri. The right-hander struck out eight and walked two across...
Westmoreland high school notes: Latrobe hockey heads to West Chester
Latrobe wants to hold off uniform turn-in day a little longer. The hockey team is playing in the USA Hockey National Championship tournament this week in West Chester. The event is Wednesday through Friday. Latrobe was set to open against the Valor Screaming Eagles on Wednesday and has games against...
Franklin Regional playoff run rekindles memories of ‘perfect storm’ 1997 team
Rob Greenleaf called it a “perfect storm,” his 1997 Franklin Regional boys basketball team that made the state finals in Hershey. “These guys truly liked each other,” the former Panthers coach and Franklin Regional alum said. “They did everything together. “I remember after we had a (youth) basketball camp, I...
Franklin Regional coach Reed comes full circle with state title game vs. Imhotep Charter
Franklin Regional ripped off the band-aid from its WPIAL boys basketball championship loss to Moon and promptly avenged the defeat with a 60-43 win over the Tigers in Monday’s PIAA Class 5A semifinals. Funny how those state playoffs work, serving as a platform to exorcise demons and reset. Panthers third-year...
Greensburg Central Catholic runs into Kennedy Catholic roadblock in PIAA semifinals again
Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball players came up the stairs at North Allegheny to start the second half wearing their team backpacks. The team was asked to leave their locker room early to free up space for a boys game to follow. Kennedy Catholic also sent the Centurions packing in...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Landon Butler enters transfer portal
Landon Butler’s two brothers have experienced the NCAA transfer portal. Now, he will, too. Butler, a 6-foot-4 freshman, is leaving Montevallo, a Division II school in Alabama, after one season on the basketball team. A Latrobe graduate, Butler played in 28 games, starting seven, and averaged 3.8 points and 2.3...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls get long-awaited rematch with Kennedy Catholic
A red light turned to green when the buzzer sounded Friday night at Forest Hills. It finally was all right for Greensburg Central Catholic to talk about Kennedy Catholic. The Centurions girls basketball team had waited almost a year for a PIAA rematch, and they got it when they beat...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, March 18, 2024
PIAA basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A Semifinals Franklin Regional (26-3) vs. Moon (26-3) 7 p.m. Monday at AHN Arena, Peters Township District seeds: Franklin Regional 7-2; Moon 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 12-2 Archbishop Ryan (20-9) vs. 12-1 Imhotep Charter (26-3) in championship, 8 p.m. Friday at Giant Center, Hershey...
Previewing the 2024 PIHL Penguins Cup championship games
PIHL playoffs Penguins Cup Class 3A Championship 2-North Allegheny (16-4-0-2-0) vs. 1-Pine-Richland (17-4-0-0-1) 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, UPMC Lemieux Complex, Cranberry Winner: Advances to the Pennsylvania Cup state championship to play winner of Flyers Cup. Players to watch: Evan Kerber, North Allegheny; Zachary Howard, Pine-Richland Ice chips: North Allegheny finished tied...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jayla Peterson, Greensburg Salem’s Tristan Gonzales
Jayla Peterson School: Greensburg Central Catholic Class: Sophomore Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Peterson scored a playoff career-high 14 points to help WPIAL champion GCC hold off a comeback from West Middlesex and advance with a 54-45 win in the PIAA Class 2A second round. Peterson, one of the team’s...
Franklin Regional prepares for grudge match with Moon at PIAAs
Just press play, Jesse. As of Friday night, Franklin Regional boys basketball coach Jesse Reed had yet to watch the film of his team’s 53-48 loss to Moon in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game. It was too gut-wrenching a setback to relive. “Now, I guess I have to,” Reed...
Fort Cherry takes care of business vs. Jeannette, reaches PIAA semis
Emotions ran high during some tense moments Saturday in a PIAA Class 2A boys basketball quarterfinal, but Fort Cherry didn’t get caught up in the commotion. The Rangers were too immersed in their long-awaited run through the state tournament. Fort Cherry advanced to the semifinals for the first time since...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Hockey teams join madness
There has been plenty of March Madness around here — on the hardwood and now, on the ice. After five Westmoreland County teams played for WPIAL basketball championships earlier his month, three underdog hockey teams from the county have reached the finals of the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs. Greensburg Salem...
Franklin Regional boys sprint past Shaler and into the PIAA semifinals
If Franklin Regional isn’t sprinting up and down the floor, there is a good chance it isn’t winning basketball games. Transition is the lifeblood of this Panthers team. A Panthers team that has two speeds: fast and turbo-fast. “That’s when our guys are at their best,” coach Jesse Reed said....
