Bill Beckner stories, Page 152

A prolific passing game. A dynamic defensive secondary. Put them together and you have Pine-Richland vs. Peters Township in the WPIAL Class 5A football championship. The teams’ strengths will be tested when they clash at 7 p.m. Saturday at North Allegheny. It’s no secret that the top-seeded Rams (8-0) love...

Lacey Bernick and Katelyn Kauffman were a dynamic one-two punch for the Norwin girls soccer team. Fast on the outside, nimble on possessions and often marked, the forward/midfielders drew college attention early in their careers as they helped the Knights remain a top-end team in WPIAL Class AAAA. The All-WPIAL...

Fresh off its second consecutive WPIAL championship, the Mars girls soccer team blasted off in the national rankings. Mars is the new No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Fall Top 20 rankings. The Fighting Planets (16-0), who haven’t lost in the regular season in two years, moved up a...

When Olivia Kruger took over the girls soccer team at Greensburg Central Catholic, she wanted to “change the shape” of the Lady Centurions’ attack. Stylistically, they went to a 4-5-1 set. “A lot of things were already in place,” Kruger said. “I have been very lucky that way, and we...

Only district champions make the PIAA soccer playoffs this year, so rematches against other WPIAL teams, practically a staple in the state postseason, is out of the question. That not only makes for a new look to the state tournaments, but it also condenses the brackets to the point where...

Michelle Burns had a double-figure scoring debut for Point Park, which opened the women’s basketball season with a 92-83 loss to Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo. Burns, a senior point guard from Hempfield who was tabbed a preseason all-conference player in the River States Athletic Conference, had 17 points, all in the...

Three finalists have been selected by a panel of media members and coaches for the second Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award, given to the top girls soccer player in Western Pennsylvania. The finalists are last year’s recipient, Mars senior midfielder Ellie Coffield, North Allegheny senior forward Sarah Schupansky...

It has been quite a fall sports season for Franklin Regional, which has found success while also working together as a district to combat covid-19 challenges. Talk about FR Strong. The boys golf team and girls volleyball teams won their first WPIAL championships, and the boys soccer team was a...

For the third time in six years, Class A heavyweights Clairton and Jeannette will meet for a WPIAL championship. Clairton wiped out Shenango, 55-16, and Jeannette handled Rochester, 40-13, in Friday night’s semifinals. It will be a rivalry renewed — a rematch many anticipated, including the coaches, after Clairton defeated...

Norwin has encountered covid-19 like a lot of other school districts in Westmoreland County. In fact, it was one of the first to announce cases among its student body. But unlike the others, the majority of the school’s athletic programs have marched forward, almost without pause, through the WPIAL fall...

A pair of Norwin seniors made a commitment to Division II schools on the same day. Jayden Walker and Danielle Rosso will play baseball and basketball, respectively, at the next level, they announced. Walker, a 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher and first baseman, gave a verbal pledge to Mercyhurst of the Pennsylvania...

Pine-Richland may have dropped in classification this season, but the Rams still seem to be in a class by themselves. The top-ranked team in the state in Class 5A, Pine-Richland used its go-to pass combination of quarterback Cole Spencer and Eli Jochem and its big-play offense to brush aside visiting...

Class A Championship 2-Winchester Thurston (14-1) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (14-1) 3 p.m. Saturday, Antimarino Stadium, Gateway HS, Monroeville Coaches: Adam Brownold, Winchester Thurston; Tyler Solis, GCC How they got here: Winchester Thurston defeated Riverside, 6-0; Brentwood, 6-2; and Sewickley Academy, 2-1. GCC beat Aquinas Academy, 7-5; Eden Christian Academy,...

The Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team might be dealing with a case of mistaken identity this postseason. Where are all of the finesse goals and breakout plays? The wide-open passing and constantly crashing the net? All right, so maybe WPIAL championship teams get critiqued more than others, but the...

Mars and Franklin Regional are very similar teams, both in talent and playing style. They both play deliberate, possession soccer and look to create opportunities in the midfield. But top-seeded Mars switched to a more direct, attacking style in the second half, which produced more opportunities on net and ultimately...

Chase Vecchio plays a hybrid, outside linebacker-cornerback position for Penn-Trafford. But the Warriors senior does not overstep his bounds when the opponent is driving. He covers his assigned area. “Everyone does their job on our defense,” said Vecchio, who has 34 tackles and two interceptions. “Nobody tries to do too...

Boys Class 3A Championship 2-Franklin Regional (16-2) vs. 1-Mars (17-0) 8 p.m. Thursday, Newman Stadium, North Allegheny, McCandless Coaches: Rand Hudson, Franklin Regional; Chris Knauff, Mars How they got here: Franklin Regional defeated Knoch, 7-0; Indiana, 4-0; and West Allegheny, 2-1 (OT); Mars defeated Laurel Highlands, 5-1; Hampton, 1-0; and...

Devin Whitlock’s importance to the Belle Vernon football team cannot be understated. The junior star who moved from receiver to quarterback is having a special season. As in, WPIAL player of the year-caliber stuff. He has led the Leopards (6-1) to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals Friday night at Aliquippa...

Boys Class 4A Semifinals 4-Fox Chapel (11-3) at 1-Peters Township (12-1-1) 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, ClearEdge Stadium, McMurray Winner plays: Winner of 3-Norwin (11-0-2) at No. 2 Seneca Valley (12-1-1) in championship, 3 p.m. Saturday at North Allegheny Hat tricks: After earning a first-round bye, the Foxes scored six goals to...

File Yough under teams peaking at the right time for the WPIAL girls soccer postseason. The ninth-seeded Cougars (11-4) gradually are returning to full strength as they get set to play at No. 5 Avonworth (13-1-1) on Wednesday night in the semifinals. The Class 2A runner-up last year, Yough brought...

The Norwin boys soccer team is back in the WPIAL semifinals for the second time in three years. If the third-seeded Knights (11-0-2) were going to play for a WPIAL Class 4A championship like they did in 2018, coach Scotty Schuchert knew one team would stand in their way: the...

With the Highmark Stadium experience a been-there-done-that kind of thing for the Franklin Regional boys soccer team, the Panthers are just focused on winning another game. Their next game, though, happens to be the WPIAL Class 3A championship, and a win would mean a third straight title for the Panthers....

With teams as evenly matched as West Allegheny and Franklin Regional, differences in high-stakes playoff games against one another usually are subtle to the casual observer. It can be a miscue here or a bad bounce there that decides a winner. But other game-changing plays can be more glaring —...