Bill Beckner stories, Page 60
Franklin Regional boys clinch section title with gritty victory over Gateway
If Franklin Regional needed a pick-me-up in a section-clinching victory, junior Drew Devola was ready to deliver. The 6-foot-1, 255-pound reserve forward scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, came up with a late steal and made a 3-pointer as No. 2 Franklin Regional celebrated its first section championship since 2018...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad among Duquesne’s best high jumpers
Duquesne senior Sadie Wetzel (Latrobe) moved into a tie for second place on the Dukes’ all-time performance list in the the high jump with a third-place leap of 1.72 meters at the Akron Invitational. She tied Shannon Taub, who is an assistant coach for the Dukes. Wetzel has set a...
McKeesport girls rout Penn-Trafford to stay unbeaten since coaching change
A coaching change has not deterred the McKeesport girls basketball team from its ultimate goal. “We want to win a championship — that comes first,” senior 6-foot forward Rachael Manfredo said Monday night after the No. 2-ranked Tigers had their way with Penn-Trafford, 64-37, in a Section 3-5A game in...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Southmoreland’s Brandon Stone turning pro
Former Southmoreland standout Brandon Stone has left the men’s basketball team at Delaware State and has set a course for the professional level. The 6-foot-11 forward hired an agent and will pursue potential opportunities overseas. He graduated in December. Stone played two seasons at Delaware State after transferring from Robert...
Latrobe 4-star linebacker Alex Tatsch commits to Penn State
The post on “X” came out just before 6 p.m. Sunday from Penn State football coach James Franklin. “#WeAre … Better,” it read. That meant a high school commitment was on its way. And this one turned out to be a big get for the Nittany Lions. PSU snagged one...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: P-T’s Olivia Pepple, Ligonier Valley’s Parker Hollick
Olivia Pepple School: Penn-Trafford Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: A recent 1,000-point career scorer, Pepple poured in a personal-best 29 points in a 58-50 victory over Montour. She made four 3-pointers in the victory. Pepple added 12 points later in the week in a loss to Oakland Catholic....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Roundball Classic finds new home
The Roundball Classic is changing locations. Allen Deep, who has been running the event for decades, said the 20th installment of the all-star basketball weekend will move to North Allegheny. Games traditionally have been played at Geneva College. This year’s event will be May 9-12. “The nice thing is that...
Yough scoring sensation Terek Crosby’s grand plan includes 2k run
The thought of scoring 2,000 career points brings a smile to Terek Crosby’s face. It makes him daydream and drift off course for a minute before he quickly snaps back to the present. It’s like he’s hypnotized and someone snaps their fingers and brings him back. Reaching the coveted milestone...
Norwin notebook: Alex Thomas shines at PIHL all-star game
Alex Thomas delivered two goals and two assists as the Blue team tied the Gold team, 6-6, in the PIHL Class 2A all-star game on Jan. 28 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center. Norwin’s Aaron Varrati added two assists for the Blue. Thomas recently returned to Norwin’s team after...
Norwin girls soccer coach steps down
Citing personal reasons, Norwin girls soccer coach Diane Metzger resigned after three seasons with the program. Metzger, a former PIAA champion with Norwin as a player in 1996, had a record of 22-20-2 with one playoff appearance and one postseason win. “I hope to be back in the soccer world...
Murrysville Star notebook: Ex-Franklin Regional lineman getting Division I offers
Lineman Max Leven left Franklin Regional last year and decided to play football at Bridgton Academy (Maine) to sharpen his skills and better prepare to play at a higher level. The plan is working out for the 6-foot-8, 285-pound tackle. Leven received offers to play at Division I-FCS programs Monmouth,...
Referee collapses during basketball game at Mt. Pleasant, dies
A referee collapsed during halftime of a junior varsity boys basketball game at Mt. Pleasant and died Friday night. Michael Roebuck, 45, a first-year official from New Stanton, was about to take the court for the second half of a game between Yough and Mt. Pleasant when he dropped to...
Franklin Regional boys dig deep to beat Latrobe with strong 2nd half
Halftime talks are like sales pitches. Some work, and some don’t. When Franklin Regional took a six-point deficit into the break Friday night at Latrobe, coach Jesse Reed only dipped a toe into the conversation. “I put in my two cents, then I left it up to the seniors,” Reed...
Mt. Pleasant’s Jackson Hutter makes college decision
An opportunity to play Division I college football has driven Jackson Hutter since he first realized he had the ability to invade opposing backfields and keep teams behind the sticks. A wrecker at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, the senior linebacker from Mt. Pleasant continues to be motivated by the chance...
Star tight end among Class of ’24 in Ligonier Valley Athletics Hall of Fame
Former Connecticut tight end Alec Bloom, who went to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, is among eight individuals and a team highlighting the 2024 Ligonier Valley Athletics Hall of Fame class. The group will be inducted April 13 during a banquet at The Barn at Ligonier Valley....
Norwin’s depth fuels victory over Hempfield as Knights improve to 8-0 in section
Norwin didn’t have its best game offensively on senior night and left the door open just enough for cold-shooting Hempfield to get its hopes up. Senior point guard Bailey Snowberger left the floor just before halftime with a significant nosebleed, and shots were not falling for Norwin as it tried...
6-foot-6 Derry freshman’s game still growing
His father stands 6-foot-10, so Derry freshman Stanley Rajkovich may have room to grow. He’s already 6-6 and showing flashes of a dominance in the post, a budding big with a wing span that goes on for days. But his game is growing, too. With a Kevin Durant frame, Rajkovich...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic savors signature win
Greensburg Central Catholic made a splash at the Shootout at Seton Hill last weekend, posting one of the most impressive regular-season wins in coach Christian Hyland’s five-year tenure. GCC (18-2), the No. 2-ranked team in Class 2A, took complete control in the second half and raced past Class 5A No....
‘We want it’: Norwin girls basketball players excel during small moments in quest for championships
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...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Franklin Regional back in playoff chase after 1-9 start
Franklin Regional’s girls basketball team 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...
Yough boys tough out victory over No. 4 Washington, move into tie for 1st
Yough could feel the tread on a 15-point advantage wearing thin as Washington crept closer with a third-quarter turnaround. But the host Cougars never gave up control, relying on their defense and a big fourth quarter from Terek Crosby for a 43-35 victory over the fourth-ranked Little Prexies on Tuesday...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball picked to win PSAC West
Maybe you’ve heard this one before … Another outstanding season could be in store for the Seton Hill baseball team, which went 48-13 (26-2 PSAC) last season and reached the NCAA Atlantic Super Regional. For the fourth straight year, the team is favored to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference...
Greensburg CC girls adjust, top Serra Catholic to clinch share of section title
The first four or five minutes of the second half “dictate how it goes,” Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball coach Chris Skatell tells his players. He believes that is when many games are won or lost. That stretch of time went pretty well for the No. 1-ranked Centurions on Monday...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: GCC grad Nate Ward transfers to Duquesne
Nate Ward is coming home. After spending four years playing soccer in the Big Ten Conference at Indiana, the former Greensburg Central Catholic standout is set to play a fifth year at Duquesne. Ward, a former TribLive Westmoreland player of the year, graduated from Indiana in December. “I had an...
McKeesport girls, under new coach, beat Greensburg Central Catholic
Matt Miller is used to calling blitzes and cover-2s as the football coach at McKeesport. His defensive calls Saturday night were a little different. Then again, so was the sport. Miller, in unique circumstances after the sudden resignation this week of girls basketball coach Amy Gumbert, guided the Tigers as...
