Bill Beckner stories, Page 166

Even though she made it look easy, Claire Oberdorf doesn’t own a copyright notice for playing two sports at a Division I school. The taxing feat has been done before and probably will be attempted again. She owned the endeavor, nonetheless. But here is what sets her apart from the...

WPIAL baseball and softball will take on a different look next spring. The league realigned its sections for the 2020-21 season, and a number of Westmoreland teams will move to new classifications and sections. Three area baseball teams — Penn-Trafford, Derry and Mt. Pleasant — are dropping one classification. Penn-Trafford...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Bella Bucy was born with a rare, congenital hand condition called symbrachydactyly. The Thomas Jefferson senior has underdeveloped, shorter fingers on her right hand. As a result, she was...

All-state forward Luke Peperak is taking his soccer talents to Pitt, where he hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps. The senior from Connellsville will graduate with the most goals in his school’s history (87). He netted 33 as a senior. His brother, Alex, played at Pitt from 2016-19 and...

The last two years, he was a semifinalist. Now, Jason Li is a step closer to winning a prestigious golf award. Li, a junior at Carnegie Mellon and a graduate of Sewickley Academy, is a finalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, presented...

Adjusting to the time change in Ireland was a challenge, and not drawing a whistle when he attacked the rim like Michael Jordan used to against the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons also took some getting used to. Kason Harrell learned the Irish eat large quantities of potatoes, night life in...

The softball seemed suspended in the air before it drifted into foul territory at Latrobe. Jordan Pinneri gave chase late in last year’s WPIAL Class 4A championship, sprinting and eventually corralling the putout behind first base. It was a defensive gem but, more importantly, the second out in a 1-2-3...

Greensburg Central Catholic is looking for a girls soccer coach after the resignation of Ashley Davis, who guided the Centurions for three seasons. Davis left for family reasons: She needs more time to take care of her 9-month-old daughter, Quinn, who was born just before last season. She also would...

If he is going to satisfy his basketball fix next season, it looks like Allan Bilinsky will have to do so from the bleachers. Bilinsky is leaving the Mt. Pleasant boys program after two seasons as coach. His decision to step down is rooted in family: He has two sons...

Steve Petrick thinks he still has something to give college football, and he plans to make his final season count. “One hundred percent,” he said. But Petrick will have to put that punctuation mark on his meandering career at another new school — his fourth in as many years. A...

Editor’s note: This is the 16th in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. When Sarah Pisula starts feeling down during this covid-19 era, she recalls some of the feel-good moments from a feel-good girls basketball season at Southmoreland. “That’s actually been one of the...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Who knew? One of Norwin’s top softball players used to kick a soccer ball around and had big dreams in that sport. Alex Dillner took a lot enjoyment out...

Jim Rocco said he dedicated his soul to basketball. But he won’t sell his soul to the game with other important commitments in his life. Rocco last week resigned as the boys basketball coach at Penn-Trafford after five seasons. His son, Zach, just finished his senior season, and the point...

While Penn-Trafford is known for producing game-breaking quarterbacks, the program might be slightly underrated when it comes to developing wide receivers — the guys who catch many of those passes. Tony Babeo played for the Warriors from 1989-91 and pulled in more receptions than anyone who wore green and gold,...

Editor’s note: This is the 13th in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. They will be remembered for big plays — splash plays, even — from their thrilling prep careers at Mt. Pleasant. Heather Gardner and Jake Johnson were headliners. But mention their names...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. When she was about 8 years old, Sydney Kanuch was playing catch with her grandma. Grandma had never done this before but saw no harm in a simple backyard...

Tanisha Wright retired from the WNBA in 2019 to cap a 14-year playing career. Now the former West Mifflin and Penn State star is returning to the women’s professional league as a coach. Wright on Wednesday was named an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, coached by former Detroit Pistons...

Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Trinity was in the thick of a state title chase in girls basketball when covid-19 shut down the PIAA playoffs. That was painful enough for Marlaina Bozek, a starting...

Challenge accepted. Matt Federovich set out to run a mile every hour for 24 hours as part of a web challenge. But when the Norwin senior was approaching mile No. 20, he became tired and sore. That is when the standout track athlete and soccer player received some helpful advice...

Each time the WPIAL releases section alignments for 2020-21, Ligonier Valley feels more welcomed to the league. Football conferences came out in January, and the Rams, who are leaving District 6 for District 7, were pleased with their draw. On Tuesday, the WPIAL peeled back the curtain to reveal new...

The resignation of Jim Rocco was accepted Monday night at Penn-Trafford, bringing an end to his five-year tenure as boys basketball coach. Rocco will continue to teach forensic science at the high school but no longer will lead the Warriors, who were 54-57 under him with three WPIAL playoff appearances....

Editor’s note: This is the ninth in an 18-part series profiling nominees for the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Awards. All Justin Cramer needs is a challenge. Tell him the quarterback is quick to the outside and he’ll show you how slow he can make him look. Tell Cramer his wrestling...

Josh Pajak thought about taking a break from coaching after he left the Mt. Pleasant girls soccer program. He was set for an extended vacation from the game. Then the Southmoreland girls job opened, and he began to entertain the thought of leading a team at his alma mater. Pajak...