Bill Beckner stories, Page 5

Latrobe football fans know the narrative by now. Three consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances have turned around a once downtrodden program and created a fresh wave of interest. The Wildcats are no longer at the back of the line. Now new coach Tom McIntyre wants to make it four in a...

The number 18 — and the man who wore it — will hold significant meaning for three local football programs who are carrying on the memory of T.J. Detruf and providing support for his family. Hempfield senior quarterback Dom Detruf will switch to jersey No. 18 to honor his late...

The WPIAL golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: Peters Township (317) 2024 PIAA champion: Peters Township (227) Favorite: North Allegheny will chase its 11th WPIAL title, first since 2018, with its full...

WPIAL boys golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: North Allegheny (386) 2024 PIAA champion: North Allegheny (286) Favorite: North Allegheny, which won its first WPIAL title since 1971 and doubled down with...

To appreciate the level of excitement at Norwin heading into a new season, one must first understand what the team endured last year. Injuries gnawed the Knights to the bone. It was painful and grueling. “We only had one game where everybody was healthy,” third-year coach Mike Brown said. “And...

Hempfield is doing all the right things off the field in the hopes to capture more wins on it. The Spartans have been conditioning since the winter. So has every other team, yes. But Hempfield makes the offseason an event. They have a weight room goal-board with increasingly larger goal...

Cade Yacamelli was often said to have “freakish” qualities when he played at Penn-Trafford. His teammates were often in awe of how high he could jump vertically and how fast he could sprint. Now at Wisconsin, the budding running back has caught the attention of national pundits, including Bruce Feldman,...

Delaware lineman Fintan Brose is on the NFL radar. Not only that, but Brose, a Hempfield graduate, is eligible to get selected to play in college football’s longest-running all-star game. Brose (6-foot-2, 302 pounds) was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list. The list is intended to highlight the...

The state champion Bushy Run American Legion baseball team was disqualified from the Mid-Atlantic Super Regional because of a deadline issue with clearances for players 18 and older. Adult players must have clearances completed and approved before the start of the Mid-Atlantic tournament, which begins Aug. 6 in Hanover, Md....

The sixth Jeannette Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class was announced Saturday, presented by the Jeannette Educational Foundation. The 2025 class includes nine athletes, one team and one coach. Inductees are: Athletes • Julian Batts, Class of 2015, basketball • A.J. Graves, Class of 2005, wrestling • Ciara Gregory, Class...

The heat is on for WPIAL football players. The customary heat acclimatization week begins Monday around the league, with the start of full-contact training camp fast on its tail the following Monday. Players will wear helmets and shoulder pads this week but can’t have contact with teammates. They must attend...

As players, Gianni Rizzo and Luke Levendosky left different marks on the Norwin football program. Rizzo was a run-smothering linebacker and fleet-footed wide receiver, while Levendosky powered the offense as a pinpoint quarterback. As coaches, they could have a lot to offer their alma mater. Both were added to Mike...

For years, Joey Bayne kicked soccer balls and footballs in the hopes of playing one or both sports at the next level. His grind was year-round, and he did double-duty playing soccer and football in the same season at Franklin Regional. You might call him the fall guy. But it...

When Landon Sidun takes the mat for his next large-scale wrestling competition — likely at the Super 32 Tournament in October in North Carolina — he will let his instincts take the wheel. The gifted 121-pounder cannot wait to pin somebody again. It has been a while. “I have been...

While he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his father and two brothers and continue a family tradition by committing to Brigham Young, Lincoln Hoke can assure you he plays football like his family members. The Pitt recruit knows one way: the Hoke way. “One-hundred percent,” the rising senior lineman...

A familiar name is back on the soccer field at Greensburg Central Catholic. Veteran coach Tom Kennedy will lead the girls program this fall. Kennedy played a key role in forming the girls team when he was at GCC in the early 1990s. He coached the GCC boys team from...

What used to intimidate Michael Makay now makes him stronger. The rising senior at Norwin runs track and cross country with the same purpose and dedication as his teammates, only he has something they do not: autism. Makay said his greatest challenge — perhaps his primary goal — is to...

Girls volleyball season is fast approaching and Erin Salas is preparing to lead a different team this fall. Salas coached Greensburg Central Catholic for three seasons and had a successful run with a WPIAL and PIAA championship in 2024. But she left the program and is now the head coach...

Seton Hill on Friday announced Mandy Sansbury as its new head softball coach. Sansbury brings an extensive resume to Greensburg, with 19 years of college coaching experience. Her stops, starting with the most recent, include Division I Indiana Indianapolis (two years), Division II programs Mount Olive (nine years) and Glenville...

Clay Martin spent three years at one of the nation’s premier NCAA Division II baseball programs, learning from widely respected head coach Marc Marizzaldi at Seton Hill. His time on the “Hill” — that connotation has more than one meaning — has prepared him for the next level. Martin was...

In 11 days, Katie Miller Gee will welcome her girl golfers for Hempfield tryouts. The new WPIAL season arrives Aug. 7. The Spartans coach and former state champion will bring a competitive edge to practice. She is still winning as a player. Miller Gee won her second straight and fifth...

Warren Agostoni was a foundational part of the Latrobe boys soccer team’s history-making run the past couple of seasons. The Wildcats posted their first section title and first playoff win with him netting and building goals. The talented All-WPIAL midfielder, though, won’t carry the momentum into his junior season. At...

When Gianni Rizzo finished his college football career at Duquesne last year as a fifth-year linebacker, he naturally began to think his playing days were over. He turned in his uniform and hit the ice tub. “It’s a long season, and my body hurt,” the Norwin graduate said. But as...

Still-developing plans have Brook Park in Ohio slated to be the home of the Cleveland Browns’ new $2.4 billion dome stadium in 2029. Another football locale is coming to the city much sooner. Next summer, the National High School Football Hall of Fame will move into town. A “letter of...

It’s a Dunn deal. Once a dominating presence around the rim and a now budding college coach, Mary Dunn will soon be teaching her post-up moves to players at Kent State. Dunn, a Trinity graduate, is joining the women’s basketball staff there after two seasons as an assistant at Alabama...