Bill Beckner stories, Page 63
Coaching conundrum can’t slow Norwin’s run to WPIAL boys soccer finals
A referee saw Carter Breen jogging across the field during pregame warmups Tuesday night at Hampton and stopped him. “He asked me if I was one of the players from Norwin,” Breen said. “I laughed. I’m like, ‘No, I’m the coach.’ ” Still looking the part of a youthful player,...
Moon keeper Serayah Leech picked for All-American Game
Moon senior goalkeeper Serayah Leech was selected to play in the 11th annual Girls’ Soccer High School All-American Game, set for Dec. 9 at Wando High School in Charleston, S.C. Moon’s Bill Pfeifer was already slated to coach the East team so he will join Leech in the prestigious event....
No. 8 seed Norwin continues playoff surge, beating Fox Chapel to reach WPIAL finals
Anyone wearing a Halloween mask was not permitted to enter Hampton’s Fridley Field on Tuesday night. Anyone wearing a Norwin boys soccer jersey didn’t want to leave. There was plenty of celebrating to be done by the No. 8-seeded Knights after they clipped No. 5 Fox Chapel, 2-1, to continue...
All-state selections, coaches of year revealed for boys soccer
Fourteen boys soccer players from the WPIAL were named to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State list. Five coaches from Distict 7, meanwhile, garnered coach of the year honors by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. The all-state honorees include Tyler Prex (Seneca Valley), Tristan Ralph (Plum), Kaiden Fischer (South...
Westmoreland WPIAL playoff soccer capsule: Game for Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A Consolation game Franklin Regional (12-8) vs. Montour (15-5) 6 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny Players to watch: Jovan Sankoorikal, Franklin Regional; Jaxson Camp, Montour Throw-ins: The winner qualifies for the PIAA playoffs, and the loser’s season is finished. … Both teams have short weeks...
Ross golfer Nathan Smith to serve as captain in amateur’s East West Matches
Ross Township’s Nathan Smith, a decorated amateur golfer and six-time USGA champion, is going to get used to having the word captain in front of his name. Smith was selected as captain of the East team for the 2024 East West Matches to be played Nov. 1-3, at Maridoe Golf...
Hampton boys top Franklin Regional, return to WPIAL Class 3A final
Music thumped and blared from the Hampton locker room as Luke Fiscus was about to be interviewed after the game. “Want me to go in and turn that down?” the Talbots senior midfielder asked. And break the mood? Fiscus and his teammates had the volume on full blast most of...
Franklin Regional boys soccer coach to step down at end of playoffs
Franklin Regional boys soccer coach Lukas Petersen is stepping down after this season, which isn’t over yet. Petersen, whose wife, Leslie Carrese, is taking a new job in Baltimore, told the team before the playoffs began that he was leaving but revealed it in an interview Monday night. The Panthers...
Westmoreland WPIAL boys soccer playoff capsule: Game for Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 4A Semifinals 8-Norwin (13-5-1) vs. 5-Fox Chapel (12-4-2) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Hampton Winner plays: Winner of 3-Butler (14-2-3)/2-North Allegheny (15-1-2) 5:45 p.m. Saturday in championship at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh Players to watch: Anthony Scalise, Norwin; Colin Lazzara, Fox Chapel Throw-ins: Norwin pushed its way...
Norwin boys will vie for spot in soccer title match without suspended coach
Norwin will make its first WPIAL boys soccer semifinal appearance since 2020 on Tuesday night, but the Knights will be without coach Scott Schuchert, who has to sit out after receiving two yellow cards — the equivalent of a red card — in the quarterfinal upset of No. 1 seed...
Finalists announced for Moe Rosensteel award
Three finalists were announced Monday for the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award, now in its fifth year. The award recognizes the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL. A watch list was put together in August, and a committee of organizers, coaches and media pared it...
2023 All-WPIAL girls soccer teams released
The All-WPIAL girls soccer list was announced Monday. The coaches’ selections are as follows: Lola Abraham, Sr., MF, Riverview Abigail Allan, Sr., MF, South Allegheny Gianna Babusci, Sr., F, Avonworth Shaye Bailey, Sr., F, Freedom Brooklyn Baldensperger, Jr., F, Elizabeth Forward Grace Bannon, Jr., MF, Montour Jillian Botti, Jr., D,...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz aims to qualify for Korn Ferry Tour
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz is through to the next stage of qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour, a minor-league type feeder to the PGA Tour. Goetz, 25, finished tied for 10th at a first-stage tournament last week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove-Crossings in Semmes, Ala. with...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Conlan Greene steps into starting role at Temple
When it comes to Conlan Greene, Temple can keep its redshirt. The former Penn-Trafford standout, who played quarterback and defensive end last season in the WPIAL, is suddenly starting for the Owls at defensive tackle. Injuries to teammates turned Greene into the next man up. According to 24/7 Sports, defensive...
Franklin Regional boys soccer hits stride at perfect time
Franklin Regional found something, and at just the right time. The proof is a pair of playoff upsets for the 11th-seeded Panthers (12-7), who knocked off No. 6 Mars (4-0) before a 2-1, double-overtime win over No. 3 Moon, a team many considered a title contender. Now, a semifinal matchup...
Westmoreland soccer preview capsule: Game for Monday, Oct. 30, 2023
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A Semifinals 11-Franklin Regional (12-7) vs. 2-Hampton (18-2-1) 6 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of 8-South Fayette (11-4-3)/5-Montour (14-4) TBA in championship at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh Players to watch: Tyler Pipon, Franklin Regional; Luke Fiscus, Hampton Throw-ins: Franklin Regional has back-to-back upsets...
Westmoreland HS notebook: Jeannette’s Taylor named Class 2A player of year
Jeannette soccer player Jordan Taylor had a senior season to remember, as he netted a school-record 54 goals to lead the WPIAL. The forward finished with 162 goals, third-most in WPIAL boys soccer history. Taylor’s exploits impressed coaches across Class 2A as he was named the classification’s player of the...
Penn State offers Latrobe LB Alex Tatsch after James Franklin’s chopper lands at school’s practice field
Alex Tatsch now has scholarship offers from the region’s Big 3. Penn State offered the Latrobe junior linebacker Saturday during the Nittany Lions’ game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium. It’s another Power 5 offer on a growing list that includes Pitt and West Virginia. The latest offer came a day...
Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Amarah McCutcheon, Franklin Regional’s Tyler Pipon
Amarah McCutcheon School: Southmoreland Class: Senior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: McCutcheon, an outsider hitter, delivered a team-high 12 kills to power the unbeaten Scotties (19-0) past Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 3-2, in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals. Southmoreland, which had an undefeated regular season for the first...
Burrell girls soccer upsets Mt. Pleasant in OT, reaches WPIAL semifinals for 1st time
With about 10 minutes to play in regulation, Burrell girls soccer coach Frank Nesko had a message for freshman midfielder Mikaya Buchak. He also had a feeling. “I told her, ‘You’re a warrior,’ ” Nesko said. “ ‘You’re going to win it for us.’ ” Those words were prophetic in...
Westmoreland high school football notes: Norwin QB Tavares sets records
Norwin finished in a flourish. A record-setting, big-play flourish for its third win of the season. Sophomore quarterback Tristyn Tavares and senior Luke Denny formed one of the area’s top pass-and-catch combinations, and the pair saved their best for last in a 47-21 win over Hempfield on Friday. Tavares threw...
Norwin notebook: Forward Lauren Palangio makes college decision
One of the top forwards in WPIAL Class 6A basketball has decided on a college destination. Norwin 6-foot-2 senior Lauren Palangio will play at Holy Family, an NCAA Division II school in Philadelphia. Palangio played a key role in Norwin’s run to the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals last season. She...
Tristyn Tavares making impact running Norwin spread offense
Asked if he expected to find his name among the top passers in the WPIAL, Tristyn Tavares didn’t hesitate, like how he doesn’t hesitate when he runs the Norwin offense. Same assurance. Same confidence. Move the sticks, next question. “Yeah, I did,” the sophomore quarterback said. Tavares was the second-leading...
Chase Lemke, Ayden Hudock have become must-watch connection for Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional quarterback Chase Lemke and receiver Ayden Hudock were in a rhythm at just the right time as the Panthers pursued a playoff spot. Franklin Regional (6-2, 3-1) was primed for a Week 9 matchup against Penn-Trafford (4-4, 3-1) in the Class 5A Big East Conference finale. Lemke and...
Clairton pulls it together, routs Jeannette after close 1st quarter
Drahcir Jones said Clairton had no intentions of sharing the Eastern Conference title with anyone. Well, he and his teammates might pass the championship plaque around when they receive it — if that counts. A WPIAL trophy is of greater concern now to the Bears, who showed they are back...
