Bill Beckner stories, Page 5
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff capsules for Feb. 16, 2026
Girls Class 4A First round 13-Lincoln Park (10-12) at 4-Belle Vernon (19-3) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 12-Hopewell (6-14)/5-Elizabeth Forward (16-6) Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Patty Wesolowski, Lincoln Park; Isis Almyty, Belle Vernon Layup lines: It is the battle of Leopards in the...
Patient Franklin Regional pass rusher finds college fit at West Liberty
Lochlan Bresnahan led his team in quarterback hurries, but that didn’t mean he was in a hurry to commit to a college. The Franklin Regional senior tight end and linebacker — he also played some defensive end — waited until late in the game to choose a side. A late-arriving...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Penn-Trafford ace to pitch for Mercyhurst
Penn-Trafford softball has a Division I pitcher. The defending PIAA Class 5A champion Warriors again will lean on ace Allyson Paulone to lead the way this spring. The only difference this year is that the standout right-hander has her college commitment in tow. Paulone, a junior, announced she will play...
Penn-Trafford girls finally shake loose vs. Franklin Regional in WPIAL 5A 1st round
On a night when the rims were tight and shots weren’t falling, Penn-Trafford had to get used to some initial discomfort before it could find its footing in the playoff opener. “When we’re on, we’re on,” Lady Warriors coach Chuck Fontana said. “When we’re not, we have to get to...
PIHL reschedules all-star games
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League will have its all-star weekend after all. Five all-star games that were postponed because of a snowstorm Jan. 25 will now be played March 29 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center on Neville Island. The schedule is as follows: Division 2, noon; Class A...
Home crowd helps carry Latrobe boys past Mars in basketball playoff openerVideo
With its 14-point lead shaved to five with just more than a minute to play, Latrobe had to buckle up and hold on down the stretch to win its playoff opener Thursday night. The Wildcats made a bunch of free throws, yes, but they had something Mars didn’t with the...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 13, 2026
Girls Class 5A First round 10-Latrobe (11-8) at 7-Fox Chapel (14-8) 7:30 p.m. Friday Winner plays: Winner of 15-Penn Hills (11-11)/2-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) on Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Maggie Maiers, Latrobe; Nina Kulikowski, Fox Chapel Layup lines: Latrobe finished third in Section 2, three games...
Greensburg Salem coach Rick Klimchock retires
“Coach K” is OK with his decision. With 425 wins and 22 playoff trips in his scrapbook, longtime local basketball coach Rick Klimchock is retiring from the high school game after nearly four decades on the sidelines. Klimchock spent the last nine seasons leading the Greensburg Salem girls and told...
Family ties strong with Westmoreland County playoff basketball teamsVideo
When the Franklin Regional girls edged past Shaler, 45-43, last week to clinch a WPIAL Class 5A playoff spot, Panthers coach Bernie Pucka and his daughter, Chloe, did interviews for a local broadcast. They stood side-by-side, taking questions after an exciting yet demanding win. Chloe Pucka, a junior guard, made...
Westmoreland County high school basketball preview capsules for Feb. 12, 2026
Boys Class 5A Preliminary round 19-Mars (9-13) at 14-Latrobe (9-12) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: At 3-Thomas Jefferson (20-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in first round Players to watch: Austin Wroblewski, Mars; Ian DeCerb, Latrobe Layup lines: Mars, a returning semifinalist, tied for fourth in Section 4 behind Chartiers Valley,...
Westmoreland County campus clips: Saint Vincent men heating up down stretch
Like any coach, Saint Vincent’s D.P. Harris wants his team to play at its best basketball late in the season. The Bearcats appear to be rounding into postseason form with the Presidents Athletic Conference men’s tournament just around the corner. SVC moved to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in the conference...
Jeannette earns top seed, 2 all-Westmoreland matchups set in WPIAL basketball bracketsVideo
It seemed logical enough. Jeannette won the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship last year, returned its entire starting lineup and didn’t lose to a district team this season. Yet there was some belief that the Jayhawks (19-1) would not get the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament. It...
WPIAL basketball teams prepare to learn playoff seeding fates
Jeannette did not lose to a WPIAL team this season and is the defending Class 2A boys basketball champion. But the Jayhawks (18-1) — fresh off their first section title since 2019-20 — are not expecting to get the No. 1 seed when the playoff brackets come out Monday afternoon....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Penn-Trafford hockey holds edge over Hempfield
Penn-Trafford and Hempfield are the frontrunners in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Class 2A standings with the Warriors (14-2-0-0) holding a one-point lead over Hempfield (13-2-1-0) at the beginning of last week. The teams may also be the best two in the classification and on a collision course to meet...
GoFundMe campaign is sending Christine Vincent, mother of Olympic bobsledder Jasmine Jones, to Italy
Although reaching the Olympics is a personal achievement for Jasmine Jones, it also is a joyous triumph for her top supporter: her mother. Christine Graves Vincent clearly holds a lofty spot on Team Jones. “She’s been there for every early morning, every setback, every moment when quitting would’ve been easier...
Norwin notebook: Linebacker commits to Division I Lehigh
Norwin senior linebacker Josh Lenart has committed to a Division I program, pledging to Lehigh of the FCS Patriot League. Lenart said Lehigh felt like home. “Lehigh is where I see myself for the next four years,” he said. “The biggest thing for me was that I wanted to go...
Hempfield boys squeeze past Norwin in OT thriller to close section play
Hempfield gave out free white T-shirts with “Spartan Empire” emblazoned on the front Friday night. But a white-out turned into a red-out. Hempfield and Norwin had their share of blood timeouts — from cuts on knees, bloody noses and a nasty cut above the left eye of Norwin’s Alex Graney...
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown commits to Robert Morris
Jeannette big-play senior Kymon’e Brown will go from throwing touchdown passes to catching them at the college level. The dual-threat quarterback committed to play wide receiver at Robert Morris, achieving his long-time goal of reaching the Division I level. He signed with the Colonials on Friday. Brown (6-foot, 162 pounds)...
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones sprints past challenges to reach Olympic dream
She crashed once, then seven more times, whipping around sharp turns in a twisting bobsled going more than 90 mph. Key people were watching. People who held the keys to unlocking her Olympic dream. People who now had doubts. Jeannette native Jasmine Jones also was a wreck emotionally. The sprinter-turned-Olympic...
Franklin Regional girls score in closing seconds to grab playoff spot over Shaler
Bernie Pucka said he had a feeling his team was going to win. The vibe, the energy, the lack of nervousness from his girls, it all seemed to put him at ease. But the Franklin Regional girls basketball coach didn’t quite envision a finish like this. Junior guard Chloe Pucka...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Derry chasing 1st section title since 1957
Derry has been a before in a room of afters for too long. The Trojans think they are ready to take the next step as a postseason contender. Wins over Elizabeth Forward and Belle Vernon — games that presented problems for Derry in the past — have them in the...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Jeannette players, coach learning to manage frantic style
Jeannette coach Jenna Lusby has come to terms with her team’s style of play. It is fast paced with erratic moments, but it has been working. Lusby often calls the style “chaotic.” “We celebrated the new year, now we’re moving the ball,” Lusby said, referring to a more stagnant offense...
1st-place Gateway boys hang on to quell Penn-Trafford’s comeback attemptVideo
A sign on the wall at Penn-Trafford read “Warning” in white capital letters with a green background. Maybe it was meant for Gateway. Warned or not, the visiting Gators were ready for a frenzied comeback by the host Warriors. Gateway weathered a big shift in momentum and a 22-point third...
Hempfield receiver Kopas takes preferred walk-on offer from Duquesne
Jack Kopas is going Division I after all. The Hempfield senior football player had D-I hopes, but was just about ready to commit to a Division II program in the PSAC when a new team entered the conversation. All of the sudden, Duquesne is his school of choice. Kopas, a...
Canon-McMillan fends off Norwin charge to clinch share of section crownVideo
Top-ranked Norwin slogged through a two-point third quarter — an uncharacteristically empty output on its home floor — and fell behind by 16 going to the fourth. Somehow, it stemmed the tide of a lengthy run by No. 3 Canon-McMillan, closing a 17-point gap to four late before fading for...
