Bill Beckner stories, Page 93
Penn-Trafford’s Olivia Pepple shines in early season games
One of the top backcourt players in the area, Penn-Trafford junior Olivia Pepple scored 19 points to help lead the Warriors to a 71-50 win over Albert Gallatin in a Section 3-5A game, then scored 21, including five in overtime, in a 46-38 win over Kiski Area last week. Pepple...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Mt. Pleasant grad Dayton Pitzer takes 2nd at Midlands
You can keep your redshirt, Dayton Pitzer is ready to body slam opponents now. The Pitt heavyweight wrestler and three-time PIAA champion at Mt. Pleasant introduced himself to the college mat congregation with three upset wins en route to the finals at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates,...
Norwin’s Anna DeFazio to run at St. Francis (Pa.)
What were your goals when you were 8 years old? Anna DeFazio said she eyed a college track and field career at that age. Yes, she was that determined to run down her dream. She never took her eyes off the road and now, she has achieved her goal. The...
Westmoreland County’s top 10 sports stories of 2022
There were thrilling wins. There were gut-wrenching losses. Records were set and broken. The 2022 local sports year had breakthrough moments and dominating performances, first-time champions, veteran leaders and next-level talent. Teams and individuals left their mark in a tapestry of memories. Here are the top 10 local sports stories...
Hempfield girls basketball team gets tourney win vs. Seton LaSalle
Halftime adjustments do not have to be complicated. They don’t even have to be schematic. In Hempfield’s case Thursday night, they were simple: relax and move to open spots. “We were up eight, but we were missing layups and foul shots and playing rushed,” Lady Spartans coach Tom Brush said....
Westmoreland basketball notebook: Norwin’s Edwards finds range from 3
In a game at Penn-Trafford earlier in the season, Norwin made eight 3-pointers in a quarter. Impressive? Sure. But senior Ryan Edwards nearly outdid that all by himself at Thomas Jefferson last week when he made eight 3s in a 56-41 victory. “It was a lot of fun, especially to...
Early loss jolts Greensburg Central Catholic boys into form
Wake-up calls don’t always happen early enough in the season for a team to react and recover. But in Greensburg Central Catholic’s case, a 58-54 upset loss to Riverview that gave the Centurions the boot from the TribLive HSSN Class 2A rankings produced a lesson learned. “It’s your first section...
Yough boys rally in 4th quarter to defeat Jeannette, end losing skid
Collectively, Yough exhaled as a five-game losing streak got smaller in the rearview mirror. Guard Terek Crosby adjusted the mirror so the team could see the troubling skid fade away. Crosby scored eight of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, including two big 3-pointers, as the Cougars rallied...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Former Latrobe standout makes return
Latrobe welcomed Jenny from the block back to town. The girls program saw its all-time basketball scoring leader return for a holiday tournament at “The Den.” Jen Sobota coaches the McLean girls team from Virginia. McLean played Peters Township on Wednesday in the six-team tournament and will face host Latrobe...
Penn-Trafford girls use tough defense, clutch shooting to get off to brilliant start
With nine games in the first 20 days of the season — seven of them on the road — the Penn-Trafford girls basketball team has had little time to reflect. But with some down time over the holidays, the Warriors could step back and see what has produced an 8-1...
Canceled flights to Las Vegas ground Saint Vincent women’s basketball team
The Saint Vincent women’s basketball team was set for a road trip west for a holiday tournament, but the Bearcats — and their plans — were grounded at the last minute. “The trip was a nightmare,” coach Jimmy Petruska said. “It was a mess from the start.” The Bearcats (7-3)...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: GCC grad Tatum Gretz transfers to Youngstown State
Tatum Gretz changed lanes in her college soccer career. The former Greensburg Central Catholic standout is transferring from Villanova to Youngstown State. She saw limited time as a freshman and sought a change of scenery. “We are excited to add a player like Tatum to the Penguin family,” Penguins coach...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Franklin Regional’s Chiarizio to play at Duquesne
Franklin Regional tight end Nate Chiarizio is a Division I FCS football commit, but he was not a household name around Westmoreland County or Western Pa. Why? Because he did the dirty work for the Panthers. But the team could not put a price on his role. He was critical...
Oakmont’s Sean Knapp wins PAGA senior golfer of year
The Pennsylvania Golf Association Senior Player of the Year needs no introduction. Oakmont’s Sean Knapp has been winning local, state and national championships for decades, so his sixth straight award should come as no surprise. The Hannastown Golf Club member always finds a way to contend, and if he doesn’t...
Though not a football fan, Greensburg C.C.’s Franco Alvarez takes pride in name
Franco Alvarez isn’t a big football fan. In fact, he admittedly didn’t know much about Franco Harris. Yet he has a connection to the late Pittsburgh Steelers great: The junior basketball player from Greensburg Central Catholic is named after Harris. “That’s pretty cool,” Alvarez said. “I think I heard my...
Role player Riley helps GCC boys basketball grind out win over Hempfield
Braden Riley is your prototypical role player. He takes charges and plays energetic defense. He passes and cuts. He defers to the upper-class players. But the Greensburg Central Catholic sophomore guard saw an opportunity to be more assertive and help his team win Thursday night. Riley didn’t score in double...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Cavalry arrives for Belle Vernon
Now that its basketball team is back to full strength, can Belle Vernon make a run at football and basketball titles? The Leopards have eight players back from the football team that won WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships. Three are starters: Quinton Martin, the returning Trib Westmoreland player of...
Southmoreland boys finding different ways to win
The Southmoreland boys basketball team put up 83 points in one game and 44 in another and won both games. So what does that say about the Scotties, who had their best start since 2014-15? “That’s a sign of a good team,” coach Frank Muccino said. “We want to be...
‘He was super:’ Franco Harris was 3-sport star in New Jersey before NFL fame
Before a legendary NFL career that elevated him to football royalty and before his proud college days at Penn State playing for Joe Paterno, the late Franco Harris was a standout three-sport star at a small high school in New Jersey. Some swear Harris was from Pennsylvania because he is...
Penn-Trafford trio signs letters of intent, proving program’s power
The WPIAL and PIAA trophies in the display case at Penn-Trafford tell the story of how far the football program has come. But so do the college signers. The hardware is the centerpiece, the ultimate goal, but NCAA signing day also symbolizes the progress the Warriors have made in recent...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Norwin tops Class 6A poll
There is a new No. 1 in WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball. Undefeated Norwin surged into the top spot after some impressive wins over other ranked teams. Norwin (6-0), which began the season at No. 4, knocked off Class 4A No. 1 South Fayette (43-40), 4A No. 2 Indiana (47-28),...
After knee injury, Greensburg Salem’s Kaitlyn Mankins is back and better than ever
Led to believe she could make a full recovery in four months, a goal-oriented and motivated Kaitlyn Mankins aimed for a shorter time to mend. The Greensburg Salem forward suffered a gruesome injury last January in a game at Franklin Regional. It ended her season 12 games into her sophomore...
Jeannette grad Robert Kennedy to play final college football season at N.C. State
He has been bringing it up since he first fell for the game. Robert Kennedy used to talk about making it to the NFL when he was playing for the Jeannette Midgets youth football organization. When he was slipping tackles and scoring touchdowns in West Jeannette. The multi-talented back mentioned...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Another big award for Saint Vincent’s Irefin
Another postseason honor rolled in for Saint Vincent’s prolific football return specialist, and it’s a big one. Junior Molayo Irefin was named to the D3football.com All-American Third Team after a record-breaking season. He is the Bearcats’ first football All-American since running back Michael Scatena was named Associated Press Little All-America...
Belle Vernon football title celebration continues
Belle Vernon football fans celebrated with their WPIAL and PIAA champion Leopards in a victory parade. The procession Saturday traveled down Broad Avenue in North Belle Vernon. It ended at NBV Community Bank Park, where a ceremony was emceed by BVA defensive coordinator Brett Barish. The team, cheerleaders and band...
