Bill Beckner stories, Page 97
Latrobe, Southmoreland, Belle Vernon girls take different paths with star players out
When Latrobe found out standout center Emma Blair was done for the season with a knee injury just three games into the 2022-23 schedule, the first reaction was panic. Cold sweats and worry. Oh no, the sky is falling. But after some time passed, and reflection and practice reps with...
Derry alum John Kerr tabbed national volleyball player of the week for No. 3 Penn State
John Kerr has been a big presence at the net for the third-ranked Penn State volleyball team. On Tuesday, he picked up a big award. Kerr, a Derry graduate, was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week. Kerr, a 6-foot-6 senior opposite hitter,...
Deer Lakes boys run away with another victory over Derry
Deer Lakes is new to the Trib HSSN top-five boys basketball rankings. The No. 3 Lancers continue to show why they deserve recognition among the best in WPIAL Class 3A. High-scoring Deer Lakes registered its fifth straight victory by beating host Derry, 89-64, on Tuesday night in Section 3, using...
Westmoreland campus clippings: County coaches join Washington & Jefferson staff
Former Westmoreland County football standouts Aaron Krepps and Max Garda are joining forces to coach the football team at Washington & Jefferson. Both are W&J alumni. Aaron Krepps, a Belle Vernon graduate, will serve as assistant head coach, while Garda, who played at Burrell, is an intern assistant who will...
Belle Vernon’s Martin playing with elite 7-on-7 football team, will miss some basketball games
Quinton Martin might miss a few basketball games this season as he continues his ascent to major college football. The junior from Belle Vernon is playing 7-on-7 football this winter with the nationally renowned Trillion Boys organization out of Los Angeles. Martin is seeking top-level competition as he works toward...
Westmoreland County Junior Spotlight: Jeannette’s Venicia Vignoli
Venicia Vignoli won’t forget the first win of her high school basketball career any time soon. Why? Because it snapped Jeannette’s 51-game losing streak, a streak that had stretched back to 2020 when she was a freshman. The junior guard has become a go-to scorer for the Jayhawks. A first-year...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Jaylen McDuffie declares for NFL Draft
Jaylen McDuffie, the king of tackles at Seton Hill, is aiming big. One of the top linebackers in NCAA Division II, McDuffie announced he is declaring for the NFL Draft. The redshirt senior, collected a number of postseason honors. He was a Don Hansen Division II All-American, made the D2Football.com...
Defense propelling IUP, the nation’s top-ranked Division II men’s basketball team
Just before Christmas, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team moved into the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division II rankings. It looks like the Crimson Hawks intend to stay there. As each opponent turns on a spit, IUP (17-0) continues to look like the best team in...
Westmoreland high school notebook: GCC’s Mack catches Maine’s eye
Amari Mack caught the attention of college coaches when he received a scholarship offer to play at Sacred Heart as a sophomore. Schools are still plenty interested in the senior from Greensburg Central Catholic. Mack, a 6-foot, 180-pound running back, wide receiver and defensive back, has a preferred walk-on offer...
Norwin’s Jiancristoforo will run for Robert Morris
With a six-days-a-week running schedule that equates to about 40 miles, Emma Jiancristoforo is always on the move. You can catch her running up and down the hills through her neighborhood or trekking the wooded trails of Bushy Run, BY Park or Yough. The Norwin senior’s competitive career also is...
Seton Hill to host high school basketball showcase
A 14-team, seven-game basketball showcase event will take place this weekend at Seton Hill in Greensburg. For the first time, the “Shootout at Seton Hill” will be played over two days at the Griffins’ McKenna Center. There will be two games Saturday and five Sunday. The schedule is as follows:...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Penn-Trafford’s Joe Enick and Belle Vernon’s Jenna Dawson
Joe Enick School: Penn-Trafford Class: Senior Sport: Wrestling Claim to fame: Enick won the heavyweight title at the Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP. He defeated some of the top wrestlers in the state, including No. 1 seed Gunner Treibley of Danville in the semifinals by fall and Brockway’s Gavin Thompson, 1-0,...
Greensburg Central Catholic freshman Erica Gribble stays step ahead of competition
As Erica Gribble was making inroads to high school basketball, she was always a step ahead and a level above her opponents. Now that she’s playing in the WPIAL, she still is. “She always played up one or two grade levels,” said her father, Dan Gribble. “She goes against the...
Franklin Regional junior enjoying breakthrough season
Point guard Cooper Rankin saw limited varsity time last season as he played primarily on the junior varsity team at Franklin Regional. What a difference a year can make. All of a sudden, he is one of the go-to scorers for the varsity Panthers. The breakthrough player of the year...
Franklin Regional notebook: Pair of Panthers win county wrestling titles
Two Franklin Regional wrestlers captured championships at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships earlier this month at Greensburg Salem. Gavyn Beck and Juliano Marion walked off the mat with titles at 160 and 189 pounds. Beck scored a 7-1 decision over Wyatt Schmucker of Latrobe in the finals, while Marion...
Serra Catholic boys stage yet another rally, get past Jeannette
Apparently, all Serra Catholic needs is a double-digit deficit to stir things up and inspire the team. It’s becoming second nature for the Eagles to rumble to life in the second half. The Eagles trailed Riverview by 14 at halftime. They won. They were down 16 at the break against...
Kiski School to host weekend prep basketball showcase
The Kiski School will host an impressive lineup of teams and players for a boys prep basketball showcase this weekend. The Great Atlantic Conference Showcase will be Saturday and Sunday in Saltsburg. Admission is free. The schedule is as follows: Saturday — Westtown (14-8) vs. Scotland Campus (10-6), 1:15 p.m.;...
Woodland Hills takes care of Franklin Regional in section showdown
Woodland Hills flinched, but only slightly, when Franklin Regional cut a 16-point Wolverines advantage to five early in the third quarter. No worries here, the visitors thought. The Wolverines didn’t give away the lead. They cauterized it. Hope Hawkins had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Carmen...
Norwin grad Austen Swankler, former Fox Chapel goalie Chad Veltri nominated for Hobey Baker Award
Two former local players are up for hockey’s Heisman Trophy. Bowling Green sophomore Austen Swankler and Niagara senior Chad Veltri are nominees for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which recognizes the top player in the college game. A Norwin graduate, Swankler is currently on an NCAA-best 16-game scoring streak that...
Latrobe’s Robin Reilly selected to U.S. Youth Soccer ODP national team
Robin Reilly is taking her game to a national stage — again. The Latrobe soccer player was selected for an elite-level experience on the cup circuit for the second year in a row. A sophomore, Reilly was selected to the 2023 United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development national team pool....
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Southmoreland’s Ty Keffer hits 1,000-point mark
Ty Keffer became the ninth male basketball player from Southmoreland to reach the 1,000-point mark Wednesday in the Scotties’ 78-55 victory over visiting Indiana. Keffer, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, hit the milestone on one of his five 3-pointers with 4 minutes, 15 seconds to play in the third quarter. He...
Hempfield boys feel lucky to have Harry Sowers in lineup
When a sports reporter first dubbed him “Dirty Harry,” Hempfield’s Harrison Sowers had to do some research. He thought the nickname might be derogatory. “I didn’t know what it meant,” the senior guard said. “I asked my parents about it. I read about it and found out it was for...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Yough in playoff hunt
Yough? In a section race? Believe it. The Cougars girls basketball team is in a three-way tie for second place in a jam-packed Section 4-3A. Yough is 6-8 overall and 3-2 in section after winning three of its last six games. Section wins over Waynesburg (44-38) and McGuffey (39-23) moved...
Dynamic young guards have Greensburg Central Catholic girls in contention ahead of schedule
Greensburg Central Catholic is growing up fast. The girls basketball team has just 11 players and only two seniors, so it might look like their best days could be ahead. But the Centurions, brimming with talent, have emerged as a serious contender in WPIAL Class 2A. To a large degree,...
Norwin boys escape with victory over Hempfield despite free-throw woes
Norwin hasn’t qualified for the WPIAL playoffs yet, but the Knights are already in survive-and-advance mode with their top player on the shelf. The Knights overcame a second-half charge by Hempfield — and some rough free-throw shooting — to escape with a 47-46 Section 3-6A victory Tuesday night in North...
