Other Local category, Page 21
Ricky Thornton Jr. captures 1st Firecracker 100 title at Lernerville Speedway
Ricky Thornton Jr.’s breakout season continued with a win at the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway on Saturday night, but he had to earn it. Thornton had an epic battle with Hudson O’Neal, exchanging the lead several times before taking the lead for good on lap 75 and pulling away...
Mason Zeigler ready to race for big money at Lernerville
Mason Zeigler considers himself an “extreme hobbyist” when it comes to racing dirt late models. He doesn’t follow a series full-time, but when there’s a big check on the line anywhere in the Northeast or Midwest, his hauler is typically in the pits. “I guess we’re sort of like a...
North Hills’ Gratz earns 3rd straight American Tae Kwon Do Association regional title
Spencer Gratz, a North Hills Middle School student from Ross Township, won his third consecutive regional title at the American Tae Kwon Do Association Northeast District championships June 10 in Lancaster. A 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Gratz won the title in ATA creative weapons for 11-...
Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair win 25-lap features at Firecracker 100
Rain has been part of the story for the majority of Firecracker 100 weekends, and this year hasn’t been different. But no matter how much Mother Nature has thrown the racetrack’s way, it has prevailed. After a rain delay of more than two hours Friday night, cars returned to the...
Jonathan Davenport wins one for ‘Peanut’ at Lernerville Speedway
Jonathan Davenport has endured some heartbreaking results over the years at Lernerville Speedway, but he always has had an inspiration to win at the track. In 2011, Davenport helped spread his best friend Jamie “Peanut” Brown’s ashes around the top of the Buffalo Township speedway. On Friday, Davenport finally got...
Lernerville’s Firecracker 100 postpones Thursday racing
Persistent rain forced a postponement of the Thursday portion of the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway to Friday. The rain started as an intermittent drizzle during heat races, but it became heavier prior to the scheduled twin 25 lap main events. Thursday’s features are scheduled to be run Friday starting...
Driver Michael Norris enters Lernerville’s Firecracker weekend in partnership with longtime area car owner Corrado
Michael Norris still gets a surreal feeling when he looks for his position on the scoreboard. That’s because he no longer is searching for the familiar No. 72 from his family-owned team. Instead, he is looking for the No. 10. Norris, a Knoch grad, has combined his efforts with his...
Titsworth runs away with 2nd West Penn Open title
There were no dramatic shots or amazing saves during the final round of the 120th annual West Penn Open on Wednesday at Edgewood Country Club. No, Beau Titsworth, who began the final round with a two-shot lead, played a steady final round and walked away with his second title after...
In the midst of big season, Knoch grad Tyler Dietz ready for Firecracker 100 weekend at Lernerville
Tyler Dietz’s late model racing career started with a chance conversation. Already a well-established ace in the pro stock class, Dietz was approached by Dan Huston about a late model he had in his garage at Lernerville Speedway’s season finale weekend, the Steel City Stampede, in 2019. “Dan told me...
Wild shot highlights Day of 120th West Penn Open
Zander Gibson probably won’t win the 120th West Penn Open, which concludes Wednesday. But the amateur from Concord, Ohio, had the shot of the tournament — and maybe his life — that helped him make the cut for the final round. Gibson was sitting at 8-over-par heading to the final...
3-way tie atop West Penn Open 1st-round leaderboard
There was a three-way tie for the lead after Day 1 of the 120th West Penn Open on Monday at Edgewood Country Club. Beau Titsworth, James Lasher and amateur Jimmy Meyers each shot a 3-under-par 67. Titsworth’s round included six birdies and a double-bogey seven on No. 17. Lasher also...
Bushy Run American Legion looks to go to next level with trophy hunt
When Bushy Run coach Scott Peyman met with the team before the first game of the season June 9, he got a few looks when he told them it’s time to take it to another level. “They really haven’t won anything,” Peyman said. “We didn’t win the District 31 regular...
Norwin grad takes reins at North Irwin speed, strength academy
Since it opened 17 years ago, the National Speed and Strength Academy in North Irwin has become a staple in the training space for local athletes. Former Norwin and Mercyhurst football player Jon LoChiatto, who honed his skills at the academy during his athletically formative years, has taken over a...
Sunnehanna Amateur delayed by storms
It wouldn’t be a Sunnehanna Amateur if weather didn’t interrupt play during the 72-hole event. That’s what happened Friday at the 82nd edition at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown: Thunderstorms delayed play for the second time in three rounds. Second-round leader Jackson VanParis, who shot a 9-under par 61 during...
Local motocross racers ready to compete with sport’s best at High Point National
Vincent Luhovey spends most of his days working for his dad’s concrete business. At the same time, he aspires to become a full-time motocross racer. Steve Roman is well past thoughts of professional motocross, but he still enjoys the thrill of slinging a dirt bike through the mud. Both in...
Sekne leads Sunnehanna Amateur
Because of rain Wednesday morning, Round 1 of the 82nd Sunnehanna Amateur was delayed by three hours and was completed Thursday morning. Herman Sekne of Oslo, Norway holds a 1-shot lead after shooting a 6-under par 64 at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown. Three Texans, Johnny Keffer of San Antonio,...
Blues hire Cranberry native Mike Weber as assistant coach
The St. Louis Blues have hired Mike Weber, a native of Cranberry, as an assistant coach. His appointment was announced by the team on Wednesday. A product of the former Pittsburgh Junior Penguins program, Weber, 35, spent parts of eight seasons in the NHL as a physical left-handed defenseman with...
‘Rock star’ Stan Savran left indelible mark on co-workers, fans during iconic career
After diabetes stole some of his toes, Stan Savran’s co-workers at AT&T SportsNet would drive the iconic sportscaster two blocks down North Shore Drive and drop him off at the Bill Mazeroski statue outside PNC Park. “He’d open the door, and it was like a rock star getting out,” said...
Pittsburgh sports broadcasting icon Stan Savran dies at age 76
Stan Savran broke into the Pittsburgh sports scene as it became known as the City of Champions, made his mark as an opinionated anchor with a sharp wit and rose to prominence as the host of “SportsBeat,” the longest-running sports talk show in the market’s television history. After nearly five...
Expectations high for Monroeville Junior Legion this summer
Monroeville Junior Legion coach Rich Otterman saw determination in the eyes of his returning players at the start of the season last month. It is a mission, he said, to go further and reach at least the Western Regional tournament after being eliminated in last year’s Westmoreland County Youth Legion...
Steve Snider 5K attracts 400-plus, benefits Greensburg Salem scholarship, youth recreation
More than 400 runners and walkers turned out in Greensburg on Memorial Day to participate in the inaugural Steve Snider “It’s a Beautiful Day” 5K race. Presented by the Greensburg YMCA, the race was held in remembrance of the late Snider, a longtime Greensburg Salem High School track and cross...
Top college golfers compete at Laurel Valley as Palmer Cup comes home
The 27th Arnold Palmer Cup came home this year, and it might be back again. The Ryder Cup-style competition that features some of the top men’s and women’s collegiate golfers from the United States versus an international team is being played at one of the late Arnold Palmer’s favorite courses:...
Latrobe grad Jake Biss to play in Premier Basketball League
With his first year of professional basketball in the books, Jake Biss is making sure his game stays sharp in the offseason. The former Latrobe and Shippensburg standout guard, who played last season with the Dan Helder Suns in the Netherlands, signed to play this summer with the DuBois Dream,...
Knoch graduate Jordan Geist wins NCAA shot put title for Arizona
Knoch graduate Jordan Geist ended his college track and field career in the most dramatic fashion possible Wednesday night. The Arizona senior won the shot put by 2 centimeters on the final throw of his career at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships at Texas. Geist recorded a throw...
Plum product Alex Kirilloff takes ‘exciting’ step with improved plate discipline
His surgically repaired wrist now healed, Alex Kirilloff is back in the big leagues and back with the Twins as a transformed hitter. The son of a hitting instructor has been known for his bat since the Twins made him the 2016 MLB draft’s 15th overall pick out of Plum...
