Bill Beckner stories, Page 85
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 14, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Second round Norwin (22-4) vs. Lebanon (26-2) 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bald Eagle Area High School, Bellefonte Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com) District seed: Norwin 7-3; Lebanon 3-5 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 North Allegheny (21-5)/7-4 Mt. Lebanon (18-8) Friday in quarterfinals...
Knoch grad Jordan Geist claims NCAA indoor shot put title for Arizona
When Jordan Geist was in high school, track and field athletes competing at the same meet would stop what they were doing to watch the brawny kid from Knoch send shot puts into orbit. Jordan is about to throw. Get a good spot. “Back up,” meet officials would yell before...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Bryce Butler helps West Liberty reach Sweet 16
Junior Bryce Butler is known for his ability to get double-doubles on the basketball court for West Liberty. He also likes to double up on awards. The junior from Latrobe, who has led the Hilltoppers into the NCAA Division II Sweet 16, repeated as the Division 2 National Association of...
Latrobe hockey relishes 2nd chance in Penguins Cup playoffs
Latrobe is not about to waste a second chance at PIHL glory. In 2020, the Wildcats hockey team made the Penguins Cup championship, but the covid pandemic sent Latrobe to the penalty box for something it didn’t do. The Wildcats never came out. The championships were canceled, and Latrobe packed...
Westmoreland high school notebook: PIHL Class A final could feature 2 local teams
One Westmoreland County team is guaranteed a spot in the PIHL Class A championship. But there could be two. Blue No. 3 seed Norwin (17-4) will take on No. 1 seed Fox Chapel (19-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in one semifinal, with Blue No. 2 Greensburg Salem (18-3) and Gold...
Yough boys blitzed by Penn Cambria in fourth quarter in PIAA defeat
CRESSON — Yough was up by nine points with six minutes to play in its first PIAA boys basketball playoff game since 2005. The Cougars, though, didn’t feel comfortable. There was something about this Penn Cambria team, with its nonstop hustle and rapid-fire 3-point shooting, that had Yough on edge...
Norwin grad hits ground running with Chatham women’s basketball team
Aside from simply knowing where she was going to college, Alyssa Laukus was surrounded by unknowns when she arrived at Chatham. How would she adapt to her class schedule and student life? She was even more inquisitive as far as basketball went. “I didn’t quite know what to expect coming...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Norwin’s Josephine Dollman, Southmoreland’s Henry Miller
Josephine Dollman School: Norwin Sport: Wrestling Class: Freshman Claim to fame: Dollman, who goes by Jojo, won a title at the inaugural MyHouse Western Regional girls championships at Kiski Area. She needed 2 minutes, 39 seconds to pin Saegertown’s Kacie Mook to capture the 136-pound title. She had three consecutive...
Norwin notebook: Pair of Knights swimmers make states
A pair of Norwin swimmers earned spots in the PIAA Class 3A championships, scheduled for March 15-18 at Bucknell University. Nathan Kostrobala and Anna Little qualified for the state meet with strong finishes at the WPIAL championships earlier this month at Pitt. Kostrobala will compete for a state medal in...
Greensburg’s Mark Goetz finishes second at PGA Tour Canada Q-school event
He used to have long hair that curled out from beneath his hat and covered the back of his neck. But Mark Goetz has been wearing his hair shorter since he turned professional. While his barber will await his return for another trim, Goetz’s livelihood will soon be about cuts...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls shake off slow start, roll past Windber in PIAA 1st round
WINDBER — Freshman guard Erica Gribble emerged from the locker room with a small bag of ice pressed between her neck and right shoulder. The plastic was tucked under her shirt and peeking out of the top of her jacket. Still, she smiled. “I don’t know what I did, it’s...
Hempfield set to promote assistant to head football coach
Hempfield is expected to promote assistant Nick Keefer to head football coach, according to the board agenda for Monday’s meeting. Keefer was a member of the last two coaches’ staffs, led by Mike Brown and Rich Bowen. Brown resigned Jan. 7 after two years with the Spartans to coach at...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 11, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (17-9) at Greencastle-Antrim (23-2) 4 p.m. Saturday, Greencastle-Antrim HS, Greencastle District finish: Penn-Trafford 7-7; Greencastle-Antrim 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of McKeesport (21-5)/Northern (21-4) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford; Rylee Henson, Greencastle-Antrim Layup lines:...
10 athletes among inductees for Ligonier Valley’s 1st Hall of Fame class
Add Ligonier Valley to the short list of local high schools with an athletic hall of fame. While that list is short, the initial group of inductees is extensive. The Rams announced 10 individuals, two teams and two coaches as part of its first class. The first class is as...
Latrobe grad Bryce Butler again earns Region Player of the Year honors at West Liberty
Bryce Butler is known for his ability to get double-doubles on the basketball court at West Liberty. He also likes to double up on awards. The 6-foot-5 junior from Latrobe repeated as the Division 2 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Atlantic Region Player of the Year, while also...
Latrobe headed to PIHL semifinals after Bishop McCort is forced to forfeit quarterfinal win
Ousted in the quarterfinals, Latrobe is suddenly back in the PIHL Penguins Cup playoffs. The Wildcats’ season took a surprising turn when they were informed Thursday night they are Class 2A semifinalists. The reason is because No. 3 seed Bishop McCort used an ineligible player in a 2-1 overtime victory...
Short-handed Monessen girls keep grinding toward PIAA opponent
It’s been an exhausting week for Monessen’s girls basketball team, and it still has a game to play. Let’s set the scene heading into the PIAA girls basketball playoffs. It’s another long trip north — three-plus hours, in fact, almost to the New York state line — for the Greyhounds,...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 10, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A First round Norwin (21-4) at Central Dauphin (20-5) 6 p.m. Friday, Central Dauphin High School, Harrisburg District finish: Norwin 7-3; Central Dauphin 3-3 Winner plays: Winner of Haverford (27-1)/Lebanon (26-2) Tuesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Kendall Berger, Norwin; Lauren...
After fighting through consolation bracket, Yough boys set for return to PIAA playoffs
The lead for Mohawk was 11 points. The task for Yough was fearsome. But just when their season began circling the drain, the Cougars showed their coach how tough they are. A charged-up second half not only allowed Yough to rally for a 70-67 victory over Mohawk, but it also...
Penn-Trafford’s young girls basketball roster arrives in state playoffs ahead of schedule
Two sophomores, one junior, one senior and one freshman. A small, eighth-period study hall? No. It is the Penn-Trafford girls basketball team’s starting five. “Our young kids have been in some big games and have really played well for us,” coach John Giannikas said. “They’re growing up fast.” They’re going...
Colleges lining up to offer Franklin Regional goalkeeper Aris Lamanna
Watch a Franklin Regional girls soccer game the last couple seasons, and you’ll see defense. Lots of defense. The Panthers don’t give up many goals. In practically every game, especially those against better competition, one player tends to chew up the scenes. Not every actor is a movie star, and...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Latrobe’s Butler follows brothers into college ball
Landon Butler became the fourth member of his family to commit to a college for basketball. The Latrobe senior announced he will play at Montevallo, a Division II school in Alabama. Montevallo plays in the Gulf South Conference. Butler led Latrobe in scoring this season at 18 points per game....
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Turner keeps driving
A newspaper photo is framed and propped up on the aluminum ledge of a dry-erase board in the boys basketball coaches’ office at Greensburg Central Catholic. It shows Tyree Turner driving to the basket through a throng of arms. Arms wrapped around his. Arms trying to push back the junior...
February players of the month announced by PIHL
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League announced its February players of the month. Luke Hinds of Chartiers Valley (Class A), Timur Naleton of Bishop McCort (2A) and Ringgold’s Trent Hawk (Division 2) were the top players last month. No award was given in 3A. Hinds, a junior defenseman and league all-star,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Sidney McCully earns pair of AMCC honors
Senior Sidney McCully is one of those players who makes an impact on both ends of the basketball court. The coaches in her team’s conference second that assertion. McCully, a point guard at Pitt-Greensburg, picked up a pair of awards for her standout play as she was named the Allegheny...
