Bill Beckner stories, Page 83
Westmoreland County boys basketball all-stars: Norwin’s Adam Bilinsky flies highest
Adam Bilinsky Sr., G, Norwin Whether he was commanding a double-team at the top of the key from a defense that didn’t want to get dunked on or pulling up in the lane for a syrupy-smooth jumper, Adam Bilinsky was a tough matchup for any team. “He was the best...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Ligonier Valley’s Haden Sierocky, Franklin Regional’s Toryn Fulton
Haden Sierocky School: Ligonier Valley Class: Senior Sport: Baseball Claim to fame: The left-handed pitcher had a career game against Greensburg Central Catholic as he struck out 17 and allowed one hit in a 6-0 win. A three-sport standout, Sierocky is headed to Seton Hill to play baseball. Sierocky was...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Pair of boys volleyball standouts honored
A local pair of boys volleyball players were lauded by the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association for their recent play. Penn-Trafford senior setter Daniel Tarabrella was named a Class 3A player of the week, while Tyler Nelson, a senior hitter from Latrobe, received the same honor in 2A. Latrobe recently...
Norwin notebook: Volleyball team takes tournament title
The Norwin boys volleyball team won its 16-team tournament on March 25, holding back Butler in the final for the title. The top-seeded Knights beat Central Catholic in the quarterfinals and Latrobe in the semis. Norwin won a couple of matches leading up to the tournament, defeating Baldwin, 3-0, and...
Norwin girls take pride in long playoff run, 24-win season
Norwin did not make its way through the PIAA girls basketball playoffs like it was touring a museum, pausing to look at others’ accomplishments with an enjoy-the-ride mentality. The Lady Knights were not slack-jawed as they stared down each round in the state’s largest classification. No, their run to the...
Clutch defense helps Hempfield hold off Latrobe
With Latrobe on Hempfield’s bumper late in Thursday’s nonsection baseball game, the host Spartans turned to their defense to bail them out of some tense moments, particularly those attached to two of the final three outs. First baseman Adam Hess made a long throw across the diamond to knock out...
Westmoreland baseball notebook: Latrobe keeps tradition going with opening game
The Ohio trip has become a tradition at Latrobe. And if the Wildcats don’t make the trek to Upper Arlington to play the Golden Bears to christen a new baseball season, then the Golden Bears come to them. Upper Arlington is coached by Latrobe alum Nate Phillips. The initial thought...
Franklin Regional baseball team getting strong hitting, pitching in fast start
Junior Blake Bertucci and his fellow Franklin Regional baseball pitchers are playing with less stress these days. With the offense giving them leads to work with, their job is less complex. It comes down to limiting the damage, getting off the field and allowing the hitters to get back to...
Latrobe softball has power, ‘talent to win it all’
Watching softballs fly over the fence can make some coaches jump around like a child on a trampoline. But Latrobe’s Bob Kovalcin doesn’t overreact to home runs. He admits he would rather see base hits and sacrifice bunts, crisp execution over power. “They’ve made a fool out of me,” Kovalcin...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Franklin Regional, Plum put up eye-popping numbers
Plum’s softball field is known for its short dimensions. A coach whose team was playing there for the first time called it a litter box. On Monday, Franklin Regional mistook it for a driving range. In one of the wildest games you will see, Franklin Regional out-clubbed host Plum, 28-19,...
Greensburg Central Catholic baseball gets offense going in rout of Ligonier Valley
After striking out 17 times in the series opener against Ligonier Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic was eager to get the bats around on some pitches in the rematch. The offense had been mostly stagnant through three games this season, and the team was looking to break out. “We walked a...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Jaden Gales named ECAC’s top rookie
Saint Vincent freshman basketball player Jaden Gales continues to reap the benefits of a dazzling debut season. Gales was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Rookie of the Year, and also garnered All-ECAC Second Team honors. Previously, the 6-foot-6 forward was tabbed the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Rookie of...
Latrobe grad Bryce Butler enters transfer portal after standout season at West Liberty
Fresh off a 32-point performance in front of a CBS audience as well as a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Tournament, Bryce Butler is testing the waters of the transfer portal. The Latrobe alum and All-American entered the college database in an effort to attract offers from Division...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg hitters fuel strong start
Pitt-Greensburg knows how to put the business-end of the bat on the baseball. The highest-scoring team in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, the Bobcats have piled up 150 runs, which is 45 more than second-place Hilbert. UPG (11-3) has scored double-digit runs seven times, even racking up 27 in a...
Former Franklin Regional football player Joe Purdue remembered for kindness, positivity
About eight months ago, when he was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer, Joe Purdue said this: “I am letting God take the wheel on this one.” The Franklin Regional grad and former football player put up a fight as support grew around him, but he could not hang on any...
Westmoreland H.S. athletes of the week: Latrobe’s Josie Straigis and Yough’s Jack Sampson
Josie Straigis School: Latrobe Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Straigis helped power Latrobe to a 3-0 start with her bat and her arm. She delivered a walk-off home run to beat Norwin, 9-8, in the opener. In that game, she went 4 for 4 and hit for the...
Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen repeats as Willie Thrower Award winner
The great Willie Thrower was said to have the largest hands in football history. The former Ken High football star’s nickname was “Mitts.” He was even recognized for it by Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not.” Cadin Olsen’s hands are not as big as Thrower’s, but the Armstrong senior quarterback was...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Norwin, GCC girls basketball primed for sustained success
Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic made thrilling runs to the girls basketball state semifinals, both finishing one win shy of a trip to Hershey for the finals. With the talent the teams are expecting back, they could be in line for an extended postseason run next year. Norwin fell to...
With strong returning core, Norwin softball has sights set on playoffs
Six out of nine teams in WPIAL Class 6A will make the playoffs this softball season. Norwin does not plan to be one of the unfortunate three. The WPIAL condensed its largest classification in to one section. It also includes Seneca Valley, North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon, Hempfield, Baldwin, Butler, Canon-McMillan...
Norwin notebook: Fox Chapel ends hockey team’s season
Top-seeded Fox Chapel avenged a loss to Norwin in a semifinal rematch and ended the Knights’ season March 12 with a 7-3 win to advance to the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup final. Norwin was the defending champion. Fox Chapel jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second...
Latrobe alumnus Butler set to lead West Liberty men into NCAA Division II final
When you have accomplished as much as Bryce Butler has this college basketball season, the to-do list tends to dwindle. With just about every conceivable player of this, player of that accolade in hand, Butler still wants more out of his fourth season at West Liberty. The kid from Latrobe...
Former Yough coach Spisak set for new challenge leading Norwin baseball team
He wears navy blue and gold now instead of orange and green, but Craig Spisak still looks the part as a baseball coach preparing for a new season. Uniform day was slightly more hectic this year, however. “It’s still baseball,” he said. “It’s just baseball … with a lot more...
Westmoreland baseball notebook: Several teams head south to tune up for WPIAL season
Fun in the sun sure beats cold temperatures when it comes to playing baseball. Three local teams headed south to open the WPIAL season. Belle Vernon held its “spring training” in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Leopards played two games at Baseball City, while also attending pro games between the Philadelphia...
Armstrong’s Olsen, the 2022 winner, leads candidates for Thrower Award
WPIAL passing leader Cadin Olsen led Armstrong football to back-to-back quarterfinal playoff appearances. On Saturday, he is hoping for a different kind of repeat. Olsen is one of five finalists for the Willie Thrower Award, given to the top quarterback from the WPIAL and City League. The award winner will...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Perennial power Hempfield off to strong start
Hempfield plans to play deep into the WPIAL and PIAA 6A postseason. Those are the standards set every year by the perennial power. An impressive opener drove that point home. The Lady Spartans (2-0) downed defending WPIAL 5A champion and PIAA runner-up Armstrong, 6-3. Pitcher Riley Miller, who was injured...
