Bill Beckner stories, Page 54
Franklin Regional’s Cam Rowell headlines TribLive Westmoreland boys basketball all-stars
Player of the Year Cam Rowell, Sr., G, Franklin Regional The state championship game looked like it was getting away from Franklin Regional. But just then, Cam Rowell growled. The senior guard took a pass from Colin Masten, who came up with a steal, and broke into the open court...
Norwin’s Lauren Palangio tops list of TribLive Westmoreland girls basketball all-stars
Player of the Year Lauren Palangio, Sr., F, Norwin For teams to play the type of jagged-edged schedule that the Norwin girls played this season, they must have talented players to compete accordingly. Lauren Palangio was one of those players for Norwin, bringing multiple threats to the floor, including old-school...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Curtain call for Norwin stars
The Norwin girls will get the band back together for one last performance. Three senior players — Lauren Palangio, Ava Kobus and Bailey Snowberger — will join their coach, Brian Brozeski, on the Class 6A all-star basketball team at the Roundball Classic on May 26 at North Allegheny. The foursome...
Westmoreland County high school athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Maddie Brown, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ian Shipley
Maddie Brown School: Southmoreland Class: Junior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Brown, the Scotties’ stalwart in the pitching circle for the last few years, has helped the team to a 5-0 start. To boot, the Scotties have yet to allow a run. They have outscored teams 52-0, and only one...
Norwin notebook: Baseball team wins opener
Jackson Huss went 2 for 3 and drove in four runs to pace the Norwin baseball team to a 9-4 victory on the road at Pine-Richland. Matt O’Neil added a hit and two RBIs for Norwin in the season-opening victory. The Knights were primed to begin section play, where teams...
New coach brings energy, ‘tough love’ to Norwin girls soccer program
If there is one promise Ashley DeVito can make to her new Norwin girls soccer players, it is this: “Tough love,” she said. “I am going to push them and challenge them to reach their greatest potential; however, I’ll always provide them the support that they need to do so....
No. 1 Hempfield fends off challenge from hard-hitting Penn-Trafford
With the scoreboard on the fritz, a temporary display panel was used Thursday at Hempfield’s Robert D. Kalp Field. That was the least of the home team’s problems, however, as Penn-Trafford dealt the Spartans their first bout of adversity this season. The Warriors, though, couldn’t deal them their first loss....
Rosters revealed for Roundball Classic all-star games
Rosters are out for the annual Roundball Classic basketball games, set for May 22-26 at North Allegheny. Top senior players from the WPIAL, City League and District 10 were selected to play in the all-star weekend, which ties a bow around another season in Western Pennsylvania. In addition, there will...
In 1st meet of season, Derry junior fires off state’s best javelin throw
After winning a WPIAL Class 2A championship and finishing second in the state last year in the javelin, Derry junior Sophia Mazzoni brought high expectations into this track and field season. She didn’t waste any time showing just how motivated — and prepared — she is to continue her upward...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Latrobe heads west for opener
Tradition never graduates, as the saying goes. That is certainly true with the Latrobe baseball program. The Wildcats opened the season the way they usually do, by making their annual trek to Ohio for a pair of games. Only instead of playing against Upper Arlington, a team coached by Latrobe...
Penn-Trafford baseball avenges tight loss to Fox Chapel by walking it off in rematch
One walk-off win deserves another. Wearing the frustration of a tight loss from two days earlier, Penn-Trafford’s Eric Biroscak led a last-inning rally in a rematch with No.5-ranked Fox Chapel. The senior right fielder delivered a clutch, two-run single in the seventh Wednesday to lift the Warriors to a rousing...
Westmoreland softball notes: Hempfield receives championship rings
Last season had a nice ring to it for Hempfield. The softball team won its eighth WPIAL championship — its sixth title in eight years — and finished as the PIAA runner-up. Before this season began, the team was awarded its championship rings during a small presentation at Spartan Stadium....
Hempfield softball starts fast with season-opening shutout of North Allegheny
Like a bear just out of hibernation, the Hempfield softball team took a big yawn, stretched out its limbs and delivered a shutout in its season opener. After having their first two nonsection games postponed, the defending WPIAL champions had to begin the year with a Class 6A section game...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Sophomore makes history in Pitt-Greensburg baseball’s home opener
Homer rhymes with Domer. Pitt-Greensburg sophomore baseball player James Domer launched a game-winning home run, and earned his first pitching win, as the Bobcats outslugged Chatham, 15-13, in their home opener. In a performance to beat the band, Domer went 6 for 6 with two homers, two doubles, five runs...
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....
