Bill Beckner stories, Page 79
Speedy, versatile Samir Crosby puts team first for Greensburg Central Catholic
As he is preparing for a quick photo shoot in the bleachers at Centurions Stadium, Samir Crosby flashes a smile, then shifts to a mean mug, turning to face the camera each time with delight and gravitas. “Want me to flex?” Crosby says, playfully clutching a football. The sophomore from...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Official start of football camp right around corner
After weeks of noncontact workouts and five days of heat acclimatization, WPIAL football teams finally will open training camp Monday. The thought of donning full equipment and going full force against teammates gets players’ interest way up. It’s football season again. “Just the excitement of the team and coaches,” Greensburg...
Author Bill Viola Jr. of North Huntingdon urges readers to ‘earn black belt in life’
From inception to completion, Bill Viola Jr.’s latest book, “Common Sensei: How To Earn a Blackbelt in Life” didn’t necessarily have a core audience. Sure, the martial arts crowd was interested because of their vast knowledge of the collective and awareness of influential people in the business, such as Viola....
District golf notebook: Katie Miller Gee wins 2nd WGAWP amateur
Hempfield alum and girls golf coach Katie Miller Gee made sure the fourth time was the charm. After three straight runner-up finishes at the Women’s Golf Association of Western Pennsylvania Amateur Championship, Miller Gee returned to the winner’s circle, capturing her second title at the event Tuesday at Sunnehanna Country...
Derry quarterback is 1 of 11 on football field, 1 of 10 at home
He comes from a big family — we’re talking jumbo package, here — so Mason Beeman is used to being in close quarters with a lot of people. He also is used to earning his keep in a household where he is one of Michael and Trina Beeman’s 10 children....
Fierce competition defines PSAC as season draws near
Coaches in one of the better NCAA Division II football conferences in the country can’t say enough about the competition in their league. Practice began Monday, and teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will kick up dust against each other this fall as they compete for division titles and...
Awards roll in for Belle Vernon grad Viva Kreis
Like a pair of new socks, two more honors rolled in for Belle Vernon alum Viva Kreis. And they are a perfect fit. The 2023 graduate, who bagged the $10,000 Heisman High School Scholarship Award last December and was an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award...
With new coach at helm, Norwin hungry to return to playoffs
If there is a difference between a Norwin kid and a Hempfield kid, Mike Brown is out to find it. After two years at Hempfield, Brown left to become the coach at Norwin. Some saw it as a lateral move — one 5A school to another, one toiling program for...
2023 WPIAL golf preview: Graduation losses leave boys, girls titles up for grabs
The WPIAL boys and girls golf season opens Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and players to follow this fall. Boys Defending champions Class 3A team: Central Catholic Class 2A team: Sewickley Academy Class 3A individual: Rocco Salvitti, Central Catholic Class 2A individual: Hunter Jurica, Derry Top...
Latrobe’s Maddy Petruzzi commits to Valparaiso
Another Latrobe athlete is set to continue her career at college soccer’s highest level. Junior Maddy Petruzzi announced a verbal commitment to play at Valparaiso of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. “Valparaiso has a variety of majors that I’m interested in pursuing, which was my No. 1 focus...
Ross Township’s Nathan Smith to captain 2025 U.S. Walker Cup team
An exemplary amateur golfer in the Pittsburgh area for decades, Nathan Smith can cross another accomplishment off his career bucket list. And this is a big one. Smith, a Brookville native who lives in Ross Township, was selected by the United States Golf Association to captain the 2025 U.S. Walker...
Norwin’s Max McDowell promoted to Triple-A with Phillies
For the third straight season, Max McDowell will be on the doorstep of a major league call-up. A Norwin alum and eighth-year minor leaguer, McDowell received a promotion Monday when he was elevated to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 29-year-old catcher played...
Former WPIAL golf standouts from Fox Chapel, Plum set to play U.S. Amateur
A pair of former WPIAL golf standouts will play in a USGA event for the first time. Fox Chapel graduate Gregor Meyer and Plum alum Andrew Reynolds finished 1-2 to advance out of a recent qualifier for the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship set for Aug. 14-20 in Colorado. Meyer, who...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Justin Johns, Justin Huss among PAC players to watch
Justin Johns and Justin Huss — one on defense and the other on offense and special teams — could play critical roles this season for the Washington & Jefferson football team, which will open the season No. 2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Association preseason rankings. A senior linebacker out of...
After productive summer, Franklin Regional itching to put on pads
Third-year Franklin Regional football coach Lance Getsy was in a walking boot at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial Passing Tournament at Latrobe. He suffered a fractured left foot while demonstrating a play during a summer workout. “Scout-team quarterback. I rolled left and felt it,” Getsy said, shaking...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Football practice about to heat up
Starting Monday, high school football teams will take part in “heat week,” the customary lead-up to training camp. Yes, football is here again. The required five-day period of heat acclimatization was instituted in 2013 by the PIAA. The idea is for players, who are not permitted to have full contact...
Florida high school coaching legend Vince Zappone, a Greensburg native, dies at 93
Chaminade-Madonna Prep is known for having an elite high school football program in Florida. It has the state championships and high-level talent to prove it. It’s even based in a city called Hollywood, which only adds to the glitz. But the Lions weren’t always King Football in the Sunshine State....
Westmoreland County college football notes: Hempfield grad Justin Sliwoski trades in cleats for scrubs
With the transfer portal calling his name again, Justin Sliwoski had to reluctantly plug up his ears. He decided it was time to put everything into his career. No, not his football career. The former standout quarterback at Hempfield and St. Francis (Pa.) is hanging up his cleats and stepping...
2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Central Catholic’s Anthony Speca
The Harry Truman quote is on his cell phone screen for quick reference. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Anthony Speca of Central Catholic believes those words can be applied to his football team. “From a team standpoint, we have...
Explosive offense has Southmoreland in position for big year
Attend a Southmoreland football game. Stay for the fireworks. Or, is it the other way around? The Scotties have developed into one of the top passing teams in the WPIAL, slinging the ball around the field with purpose and fearlessness. But don’t pigeon-hole them just yet. There is more than...
Moon girls soccer ranked 2nd in United Soccer Coaches’ preseason poll
Moon dropped to Class 3A last season as part of the latest two-year high school sports enrollment cycle. The Tigers’ girls soccer team, though, just keeps rising. After running the table last season and winning WPIAL and PIAA championships with a perfect 24-0 record, the Tigers will start the 2023...
Norwin wrestlers help Team PA to strong showing at junior nationals in Fargo
Like most hopefuls who play the Powerball lottery, Landon Sidun has the right attitude when he goes into a wrestling tournament. A confident, clear-headed attitude. “If you don’t think you can win, why go?” the rising freshman at Norwin said after he hit the jackpot. Sidun became a national champion...
Derry out to break streak, reestablish winning identity
Derry has been living in the shadow of a losing streak that dates to the disruptive covid season of 2020. But second-year coach Mike Arone and the Trojans are committed to stopping it. With a new system now a year old, they are ready to do a little pushing back...
Closure of Alderson Broaddus affects a number of athletes with WPIAL ties
Rumors swirled around campus. The whispers were brooding. But was there any validity to it all? On Monday, student-athletes at Alderson Broaddus found out there indeed was. It was all true. Alderson Broaddus, the private Baptist university in Phillippi, W.Va., is preparing to shut down because of financial difficulties. As...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Jeannette grad Marcus Barnes named preseason All-CAA
William & Mary football was picked to repeat as champion of the Coastal Athletic Association. A local player is expected to have an impact on that title run. Senior Marcus Barnes, a Jeannette graduate, was named an All-CAA honorable mention at safety. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Barnes played in 13 games,...
