Bill Beckner stories, Page 59
Drive to improve, helpful mentors lead Franklin Regional grad to Division I football
Gentle giant Max Leven had a goal when he left Franklin Regional, but for him to achieve that goal, he felt he needed some fine-tuning. If he was going to be ready to play NCAA Division I college football, the 6-foot-8, 285-pound Leven had to smooth out some rough edges....
With senior guard back from injury, Greensburg Central Catholic girls rout Northgate
While she was cleared to return and was going to need ice treatment after the game, Cara Dupilka wasn’t sure how much she could give Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the playoffs after missing three games with a bone bruise in her left foot. “I’m thinking maybe...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 17, 2024
Girls Class 3A 12-Mt. Pleasant (14-7) at 5-South Park (15-6) 2 p.m. Saturday Winner plays: Winner of 13-Brownsville (12-9)/4-Neshannock (15-7) Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Mt. Pleasant 3rd, Section 3; South Park T-1st, Section 4 Players to watch: Grace Arrigo, Mt. Pleasant; Hayley Bennett, South Park Layup...
PIHL scoring leader Ryan Saginaw among January players of month
League scoring leader Ryan Saginaw of undefeated Bishop Canevin was among the four senior forwards selected as the PIHL’s players of the month for January. Saginaw, who has 70 points on 46 goals and 24 assists, was the top pick for Division 2. The other top players are Evan Benscoter...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Franklin Regional could be headed for rematch
A third meeting between neighboring districts could be on the horizon. Franklin Regional (20-2), the No. 2 seed in WPIAL Class 5A, could face No. 7 Gateway (16-6) if the teams advance to the quarterfinals. Both play at 7 p.m. Monday. Franklin Regional hosts No. 15 Mars (10-12), while Gateway...
Westmoreland County high school basketball playoff preview capsules for Feb. 16, 2024
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class A First round 13-Summit Academy (4-13) at 4-Monessen (17-4) 7 p.m. Friday Winner plays: 5-Union (13-10) Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Summit Academy T-4th, Section 3; Monessen 1st, Section 2 Players to watch: Austin Hindman, Summit Academy; Lorenzo Gardner, Monessen Layup lines:...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Latrobe takes playoff plunge
Latrobe hopes to make a splash in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball playoffs, right after the team dries off. First-year coach Mackenzie Livingston told her girls if they defeated Penn-Trafford last Thursday to clinch a playoff berth, she would jump into the school’s swimming pool, located near the gym....
Elite Westmoreland County basketball teams to open playoffs with legit title hopes
It is not hyperbole to say a special postseason could be in store for Westmoreland County basketball teams — a lengthy, compelling postseason that generates county-wide interest. The talent is there, right alongside the potential. The WPIAL playoffs are scheduled to begin this weekend, and some local teams could be...
Coach with longtime connection to Penn-Trafford girls volleyball takes over program
As a player and coach, Tracy McDonald has been around Penn-Trafford volleyball for the better part of 25 years. She began coaching the Warriors right out of college. “I already have a deep connection to this program and my players,” McDonald said. “I plan to continue to share my love...
4 Westmoreland teams earn top-2 seeds in WPIAL basketball playoffs
When Jesse Reed played Division I college basketball, he and his American University teammates made the NCAA Tournament. Now, Reed has the Franklin Regional boys in the WPIAL’s big dance. The third-year coach finally broke through — and in a big way — as the Panthers (19-2) earned the No....
Breaking down the 2024 WPIAL girls basketball playoff brackets
Class 6A Favorite: With a strong backbone of nonsection games, Norwin strengthened its resume. It has not lost to a WPIAL team this season and did not drop a section game. Four starters are back from a WPIAL and PIAA semifinal team. The Knights, who rely on defense and depth,...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Franklin Regional’s Michael Kemerer joins Brown coaching staff
Five-time All-American wrestler Michael Kemerer, a former standout at Franklin Regional and Iowa, is joining the coaching staff at Brown. Kemerer was an NCAA finalist in 2021 at 174 pounds. In December, he posted on “X,” formerly known as Twitter, that he planned to return from competitive wrestling “after some...
Norwin, GCC girls could draw No. 1 seeds as WPIAL playoff brackets are revealed
Brian Brozeski doesn’t wade too far into the waters of bracketology. The Norwin girls basketball coach would rather look at a playoff bracket as an extension of his team’s schedule. Take it and move on, no questions asked. “Anything can happen,” Brozeski said. “Look at our boys soccer team. There...
Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Mt. Pleasant’s Kiersten O’Connor and Franklin Regional’s Troy McClelland
Kiersten O’Connor School: Mt. Pleasant Sport: Swimming Class: Junior Claim to fame: O’Connor won the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle, while also swimming lead-off legs of the first-place 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relays in a 99-84 victory over Kiski Area. Earlier this season, she won the 100-yard backstroke...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Gardner moves to top spot in Westmoreland record book
Gardner points are usually reserved for WPIAL football tiebreakers. On Friday night, Gardner points went into basketball record books. Monessen senior guard Lorenzo Gardner made history as he scored 64 points to set the Westmoreland County single-game scoring mark, breaking the previous record of 61 by Eric Roslonski of Southmoreland...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Former East Allegheny football coach joins Penn-Trafford staff
Dom Pecora, who served as the head football coach at East Allegheny for the past 11 seasons, is joining Penn-Trafford’s staff as a volunteer assistant. Pecora resigned in January after guiding East Allegheny to eight consecutive playoff appearances. He had a record of 67-48. The Wildcats went 9-3 this season...
Norwin notebook: Wrestlers hit roadblock in WPIAL quarterfinals
Norwin pushed its way into the WPIAL Class 3A team wrestling quarterfinals before running into top-seeded Trinity. The Knights, seeded No. 8 in the 19-team bracket, defeated Plum in the first round, 39-27, before falling to Trinity, 43-19. Jack White (152 pounds) opened the Trinity match with a major decision...
Norwin girls ramp up fun factor while racking up wins
Norwin leads the league in smiles. Watch the girls play basketball and you see an infinite loop of happy moments. High-fives and fist-bumps interrupted by hugs and pats on the back. It looks like fun to play for this team. Senior guard Ava Kobus makes a high-arcing 3-pointer that seems...
Resurgent Franklin Regional girls stay in playoff chase to the end
Franklin Regional picked up a big 45-42 win over Penn Hills on Jan. 26 to stay afloat in the WPIAL Class 5A playoff race. But the Panthers weren’t finished. With senior point guard Angelina Brush back and healthy, they dispatched of Kiski Area, 53-38, to move to 5-5 in Section...
Gateway boys edge Latrobe as Wildcats fall short of playoffs
With the outcome of another game that had a direct effect on theirs already decided, the Latrobe boys basketball team took the court and played for pride. Despite shutting out Gateway in the second quarter, the Wildcats couldn’t earn a season sweep of the visiting Gators and fell 55-53 on...
Norwin girls pass test against Seneca Valley to finish unbeaten in section
When the fourth quarter came around, upset-hungry Seneca Valley stopped attacking. Norwin, in turn, went into full attack mode and never took its eye off the prize. The prize was an undefeated section championship, the first for the Lady Knights since 2015-16, the year they won their most recent WPIAL...
Young Jeannette roster climbs toward top of section ahead of schedule
Adrian Batts never has missed the WPIAL playoffs as coach of the Jeannette boys basketball team. He’s 14 for 14, including, of course, the 2020-21 season when the WPIAL had an open tournament because of the covid pandemic. But he thought this year might challenge his streak. Not end it,...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Teams plan fundraiser for late referee’s family
Yough and Mt. Pleasant are doing their best to remember late basketball referee Michael Roebuck. Yough set up a collection this week to raise money for the family of Roebuck, who collapsed and died last Friday while working the Yough at Mt. Pleasant junior varsity game. Roebuck, 45, was a...
Relentless rebounder flying high for Monessen girls
There is something about looking to the sky that fascinates Hailey Johnson. A Monessen senior basketball player, Johnson wants to be a pilot and plans to go to flight school at Bowling Green next year. Until then, she will continue to rip rebounds down as they bounce off the rim....
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Teams keeping playoff hopes alive
Three Westmoreland County girls basketball teams — Franklin Regional, Latrobe and Yough — are on the playoff bubble heading into the final night of section play. The top four teams and ties for fourth place in each section make the playoffs. Franklin Regional (7-14, 6-6) has done all it can...
