Bill Beckner stories, Page 86
Greensburg Central Catholic girls prep for 1st state playoff game in 5 years
Given its run of 23 straight WPIAL playoff appearances, it is easy to assume Greensburg Central Catholic is a regular in the PIAA girls basketball postseason. But the Centurions have spent more time wondering what the state playoffs are like than playing in them recently. They don’t know about the...
Veteran college coach John Thompson hired to lead Greensburg Central Catholic football team
With more than 20 years of college coaching experience, John “JT” Thompson is bringing a unique perspective to the high school level. Thompson, a native of Rome, N.Y., was announced Monday as football coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. He replaces Marko Thomas, who resigned after two seasons. Thompson, who played...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball to honor championship teams
Seton Hill is getting the band back together to celebrate its baseball benchmarks. The Griffins will honor some of its top teams as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. On March 18, the program’s first championship team will be welcomed back to campus — the 2006 NAIA World Series team...
For Norwin girls basketball team, there’s no substitution for depth
Norwin likes to manage minutes, using group substitutions to keep the lineup fresh at all times. It has become a way of life for the girls basketball team, which returns to the PIAA playoffs this week after three years away. Watch a game, no matter its level of importance, and...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Hockey teams ready for next round
The high school hockey playoffs continue this week for eight Westmoreland County teams. In PIHL Class 2A, No. 8 seed Hempfield (7-11) travels to Kittanning to play No. 1 Armstrong (17-3) in the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. No. 4 seed Penn-Trafford (13-7), meantime, hosts No. 5 Thomas Jefferson (12-8)...
Franklin Regional grad flashing speed in final track season at Westminster
Ryan Beard likes to shave seconds off his track times. The grad student at Westminster continues to shine in the Division III Presidents’ Athletic Conference on a journey that began with soccer and will end at the finish line of a track meet. Beard won the 200-meter dash in record...
Norwin notebook: Adam Bilinsky bids farewell in boys basketball playoff loss
Basketball season ended in the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals for the Norwin boys. The Knights had to face the No. 1 seed in their playoff opener and, although they played with host New Castle for much of the contest, they dropped a 59-47 decision. Norwin ends the season at 14-9...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Penn-Trafford’s Olivia Pepple, Mt. Pleasant’s Joseph Gardner
Olivia Pepple School: Penn-Trafford Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Pepple took over the fourth quarter Thursday against Hampton to keep the Warriors’ season alive. She scored 11 of her 17 points, including a key 3-pointer, as Penn-Trafford won 49-44 to earn seventh place in WPIAL Class 5A. Pepple,...
Aliquippa rallies past Northgate to win 13th WPIAL basketball championship
Minutes after posing for a championship photo, juniors Cam Lindsey and Quentin Good entered the press room wearing sunglasses Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center. Whether it is football or basketball, Aliquippa never seems fazed by the bright lights of WPIAL championship games. Make them play up: Doesn’t matter. Make...
Jasmine Timmerson, North Allegheny girls roll past Upper St. Clair in Class 6A finals
If the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship needed a title in the history books, “All That Jazz” might be the way to go. North Allegheny senior guard Jasmine Timmerson put on a career performance on her future college floor as the queens of 6A added another crown on Friday...
Penn-Trafford girls edge Hampton, earn spot in state tournament
Penn-Trafford has a year-end girls basketball banquet coming up, but coaches, players and their families won’t be talking about what might have been. No, a new topic has suddenly entered the chat with this team: state playoffs. The Warriors were not ready to surrender their season yet as they held...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Mt. Pleasant’s Hutter named MAC Player of the Week
College softball, meet Katie Hutter. A freshman from Mt. Pleasant, Hutter has jumped on Division I pitching early on at Bowling Green. She was lauded with the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week award after a big weekend at the plate. Hutter, an outfielder, reached base 10 times in 17...
Norwin girls atone for semifinal loss to North Allegheny, beat Mt. Lebanon for 3rd place
Apparently, the difference between third and fourth place for Norwin was getting back into character. “The last game left a sour taste in our mouths, so we wanted to come out and play better,” Lady Knights center Lauren Palangio said. “We needed to come out and play more for each...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 2, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A Consolation round Third-place game Greensburg Central Catholic (17-6) at Bishop Canevin (20-5) 6 p.m. Thursday, Upper St. Clair High School, Upper St. Clair Winner: Clinches third place out of the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser is the fourth seed. Players to watch:...
Quentin Goode, Aliquippa overwhelm Greensburg Central Catholic in WPIAL Class 2A semis
“Cheese” turned a frown upside down. Junior 5-foot-9 guard Quentin Goode was tired of seeing Aliquippa lose in the WPIAL semifinals. The Quips had made five straight trips to the final four and came up short each time. But given a sixth opportunity, they made sure the slide was over...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for March 1, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Consolation round Third-place game Norwin (20-4) vs. Mt. Lebanon (17-7) 7 p.m. Wednesday, Norwin High School, North Huntingdon Winner: Clinches third place in the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser goes into the state bracket as the fourth seed. Players to watch: Ava...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad sets track & field record at Allegheny
Allegheny senior Jacob King likes to throw with a baseball hat on his head. He put a cap on the PAC Track and Field Championships with a title. King, a Latrobe product, won the weight throw and broke the meet record in the process. His heave of 16.85 meters shattered...
Westmoreland County high school basketball notebook: Future bright for Norwin girls
Their loss was less than 20 minutes old and the Norwin girls basketball team was already refocusing on the next game, the next challenge, the next tournament. “This was a good learning experience for our girls,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “It was a learning experience for me, too. I’m...
North Allegheny girls rally past Norwin to return to WPIAL Class 6A title game
Before Jasmine Timmerson left Fox Chapel and headed for the team bus, she had one last thing to do. She had to pick up the team’s basketball bag. It’s a heavy, fully loaded basketball bag, which Timmerson could hide inside if she wanted to. A lot of teams have freshmen...
Big man Alvarez starting to play big for Greensburg Central Catholic boys
Always the tallest kid on his basketball teams growing up, 6-foot-5 Franco Alvarez has enjoyed the view from above. “I’ve been tall forever,” the junior forward from Greensburg Central Catholic said. “It wasn’t like I had this big growth spurt. I’ve just grown a little bit every year. I don’t...
Saint Vincent women to open NCAA Tournament Friday
After winning their third Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship in five years, the Saint Vincent women’s basketball team gathered in the Cary Center lounge Monday afternoon to watch the NCAA Division III selection show. The next order of business awaits the Bearcats (22-4), who learned they will face Cortland (N.Y.) in...
Westmoreland WPIAL basketball playoff capsules: Games for Feb. 28, 2023
WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class A Semifinals 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5) vs. 1-Aliquippa (17-6) 6 p.m. Tuesday, West Allegheny High School, Imperial Winner plays: Winner of 6-Northgate (18-6)/2-Bishop Canevin (20-4) in championship 1 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh Coaches: Christian Hyland, Greensburg Central Catholic; Nick Lackovich,...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Norwin grad Brianna Zajicek finds home at Illinois-Springfield
When Brianna Zajicek left Norwin, she thought she had her college basketball future mapped out. But a coaching change prompted her to reroute her plans. She arrived at Illinois-Springfield and is proud to call that school home these days. Zajicek was leading all freshmen in the Great Lakes Valley Conference...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Hempfield’s Maggie Howard commits to Georgetown for softball
Like a hitter looking at the count and situation, Maggie Howard looked at colleges with a similar approach. The Hempfield junior softball player wanted to match up as well academically as she did athletically. That made Georgetown an easy choice. Howard, an outfielder, announced her commitment to play for the...
Norwin do-it-all basketball standout Kendall Berger ‘never satisfied’
Kendall Berger saw minimal varsity time last season for Norwin. She was just another role player in a long line of them, which was fine with her because she was only a freshman and welcomed playing time however it came. Norwin likes to substitute readily, sometimes swapping five for five,...
