Bill Beckner stories, Page 86
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...
Franklin Regional softball ready to again light up scoreboards
Franklin Regional took a trip south to open the softball season. Expectations for the Panthers are pointing due north. Twelve times last season — over 20 games — the team scored double-digit runs, using extra-base hits to fuel a fluid and fun offense. Coach Jim Armstrong can still hear the...
In happy ending to bus saga, Penguins invite Monessen girls basketball team to game
While Monessen turned down an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins to pay for a coach bus for the girls basketball team’s first-round PIAA playoff game, there apparently were no hard feelings from the hockey team. No penalty box for the Greyhounds. On Monday, the Penguins invited Monessen players and coach...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Sowers, Little stand out for Bloomsburg softball
A local battery is powering the Bloomsburg softball team. Sophomore pitcher Callie Sowers (Hempfield) struck out 11 and scattered seven hits in a 7-0 shutout of IUP. She did not walk a batter. Sophomore catcher Emma Little (Penn-Trafford) had a hit and an RBI in the victory for the Huskies...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls lose in PIAA semifinals
A simple change can make all the difference in a basketball state playoff game. Though the move Kennedy Catholic made was subtle, probably not that noticeable to fans Monday night, Greensburg Central Catholic saw it and tried to adjust to it. But the Centurions could not stop it. Again, this...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Bryce Butler up for Bevo Francis Award
Having your name added to a watch list for a major college sports award is one thing. Making the first cut for that award is another. West Liberty junior basketball star Bryce Butler, a Latrobe graduate, was still standing when the 50-player Bevo Francis Award list was sliced in half...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Belle Vernon’s Macheska goes for PIHL gold with Ringgold
A ring and gold. Steve Macheska already has both as a member of the Belle Vernon football team. Put the two together, and you have the name of the hockey team he will try to lead to yet another championship. The Ringgold hockey team will play for a PIHL Division...
GCC football standout Dlugos will tour Italy with American all-star team
Nate Dlugos enjoys Italian food. Pizza is his favorite. Sometimes, though, it’s spaghetti and meatballs. But what about spaghetti and … footballs? The Greensburg Central Catholic senior was selected to play for the American Football Worldwide Elite Team, which will travel to Italy to take part in educational tours before...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Monday, March 20, 2023
PIAA girls basketball playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Norwin (24-4) vs. Cedar Cliff (29-0) 7 p.m. Monday, Altoona High School District-place: Norwin 7-3; Cedar Cliff 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of Archbishop Carroll (14-11)/Cardinal O’Hara (23-5) in championship at 6 p.m. Friday at Giant Center, Hershey Coaches: Brian Brozeski, Norwin; Scott Weyant,...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan and Latrobe’s Vinny Kilkeary
Mya Morgan School: Greensburg Central Catholic Sport: Basketball Class: Junior Claim to fame: Morgan, a shooting guard, scored 17 of her career-high 33 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday in a 61-48 victory over Maplewood in the second round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. She added 11 points in...
Norwin girls celebrate beating North Allegheny, prep for next game
The bench was warned: Don’t stand and celebrate until the game is over. Stay seated until the ride comes to a full and complete stop. Norwin girls basketball coach Brian Brozeski reiterated the referee’s orders with about 40 seconds left Friday night. Norwin was well in control, but still …...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls want to make the most of year
Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball coach Chris Skatell said earlier this season he is looking forward to seeing what his team does as it continues to develop chemistry and experience, especially in the playoffs. He gives a nod to the future but tries his hardest to stay present. That magnetic...
Norwin notebook: Girls bowling team makes run to regional finals
The Norwin girls bowling team surprised two-time defending champion Freeport, then reached the finals of the Western Pennsylvania Regional Tournament earlier this month at AMF Noble Manor Lanes. After a two-game sweep of Freeport, the Knights fell to Norwin, 171-168, in a close final match in the best-of-three series. Kali...
Greensburg Central Catholic beats WPIAL champ in PIAA quarterfinals
The question was raised in pregame warmups: Could Greensburg Central Catholic compete with WPIAL champion Shenango? GCC was, after all, the fifth-place team in the district. The answer presented itself about a minute into the state playoff game, and it was a resounding, glaring, glowing YES. It was more like,...
Franklin Regional standout goalkeeper Aris Lamanna to play at Coastal Carolina
Aris Lamanna has made her intentions clear: She wants to play high-level soccer for years to come. From youth to cup to high school, the Franklin Regional goalkeeper has slapped away would-be goals and created a stronghold in front of the net for every team she has joined. The 5-foot-11...
Westmoreland high school notes: Norwin, GCC girls basketball teams share connections
Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic will continue their postseason runs in the PIAA girls basketball tournaments Friday night. While they play in different classification, the teams share some connections. First, they will play a quarterfinal doubleheader at Fox Chapel, which will allow local fans to get a look at both...
Westmoreland PIAA basketball playoff capsules: Games for Friday, March 17, 2023
PIAA basketball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Norwin (23-4) vs. North Allegheny (22-5) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com) District-place: Norwin 7-3; North Allegheny 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Cedar Cliff (28-0)/7-2 Upper St. Clair (23-3) Monday in semifinals...
Pitt associate athletic director Chris LaSala to speak at Westmoreland Sports Club
The next featured speaker for the Westmoreland Sports Club will be Chris LaSala, the associate athletic director for football administration at Pitt. LaSala, who will tackle the ever-changing college landscape that now allows athletes to make money and transfer freely with the use of a portal, will talk March 21...
Boord’s record 3-pointers help McKeesport girls sink Penn-Trafford
As each three-pointer splashed down and each smile curled up larger than the last, Malina Boord closed in on a record she had longed to break. As mere mortals around her shook their heads with the same disbelief she displayed in a few shoulder shrugs, the McKeesport senior broke that...
Westmoreland softball preview: Teams infused with young talent
Decked out in practice uniforms, a new custom put in place by coach Tina Madison and her staff, Hempfield had a structured look during a practice last week as softball players fielded sharp grounders and ran bases in a dimly lit auxiliary gym. Large snowflakes fell outside. That can mean...
Westmoreland PIHL playoff capsules: Games for March 15, 2023
PIHL playoffs Class A Semifinals Norwin (17-4) vs. Fox Chapel (19-2) 7 p.m. Wednesday, Robert Morris Island Sports Center, Neville Township Seeds: Norwin Blue No. 3; Fox Chapel Blue No. 1 Winner plays: Winner of Greensburg Salem (18-3)/Kiski Area (17-5) in championship at 8:45 p.m. March 20 at UPMC Lemieux...
