Bill Beckner stories, Page 180

Sam Salih relied on his seniors so much last year and got so comfortable with a short rotation that he didn’t leave the bench much while coaching the Greensburg Central Catholic girls. “I had that imaginary popcorn,” Salih said. “They were fun to watch.” Salih saw nine freshmen when he...

The WPIAL is generously represented on the All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football teams, which came out Wednesday. The PSAC West Division offensive first team features Slippery Rock senior offensive guard Ryan Podgorski (South Park) and senior kicker Jake Chapla (Plum); IUP redshirt sophomore receiver Duane Brown (Apollo-Ridge); Mercyhurst tight end...

Belle Vernon’s Cam Guess made it all the way to No. 1 in the Kohl’s Kicking Camps national punter rankings last year for the Class of 2020. Pitt made it to No. 1 on the senior’s list of college choices. The strong-legged Guess announced Wednesday night his commitment to Pitt....

Franklin Regional made a rare appearance in the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinals last season with a senior-heavy team. How quickly graduation can change things. Second-year coach Anthony Kobus went from having a veteran group to directing a fledgling lineup that lacks varsity experience. In most cases, new coaches...

When Steve Scorpion took over the Franklin Regional boys basketball program two years ago, he inherited a team loaded with juniors and seniors. Last year, he had an abundance of seniors. Year 3 is underway and Scorpion is a little light on upperclassmen. “It happens,” he said. “We have had...

Some athletes play two sports in separate seasons. Saint Vincent freshman Sara Basala not only plays two sports in the same season, but she also found time to play two in one day. At the conclusion of the Bearcats’ final women’s soccer game of the season Nov. 1, she went...

New coach Gene Brisbane was talking to his players as the first day of girls basketball practice at Derry drew to a close. He was laying the groundwork for a new-but-old play he calls, “Joe.” It is named after Joe Montana. Brisbane asked if anyone knew who Montana was. Show...

Coming off its first winning season since 2001 and its first WPIAL playoff trip since 2008, the Derry boys basketball team has the experience and senior leadership to make another postseason push. This could be the Trojans team that finally wins a playoff game. Maybe the first to make back-to-back...

For the first time, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will send five teams in the NCAA Division II Football Championship. Slippery Rock (11-0) earned the top seed in Super Region 1 and has a bye in the first round. The Rock is No. 8 in the American Football Coaches’ Association...

Ellie Coffield played a pivotal role in leading Mars to an unbeaten season complete with WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA championships. The junior midfielder’s play earned her special recognition. She is the winner of the inaugural Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year Award. The award, reserved for...

It looks like Terrelle Pryor really wants to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It remains to be seen if the Steelers have any interest in signing the journeyman wide receiver from Jeannette, but he is lobbying for an opportunity nonetheless. Pryor, a 30-year-old free agent, proclaimed via Instagram on Sunday...

Another successful summer on the amateur golf circuit earned Katie Miller more postseason recognition. For the second time in three years, the Hempfield and North Carolina alum was named to the Global Golf Post All-Am Team. She was added to the publication’s Mid-Amateur Team. Miller, a Jeannette native, made the...

Franklin Regional was lauded for its unbeaten regular season and its second straight WPIAL boys soccer championship. Sophomore forward Anthony DiFalco was awarded WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year, and the Panthers’ Rand Hudson is coach of the year in the classification. Additionally, senior Connor Hudson and junior Cole...

Penn-Trafford football players filed out of the locker room at West Mifflin on Friday night, their collective demeanor one of sadness and frustration. There were tears and dejected spirits after the top-seeded Warriors lost to Peters Township, 28-10, in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. Suddenly, a promising season was halted...

It wasn’t the offensive explosion last year’s quarterfinal was, but defense stole the show this time for Peters Township in a playoff rematch with Penn-Trafford. And the result was the same. The fifth-seeded Indians forced five turnovers and used that momentum to do all of their scoring in the second...

Ligonier Valley has some of the better offensive and defensive lines the program has seen, but the hulking blockers are not just successful because of their size. Rams coach Roger Beitel has watched his linemen develop from a young age and has seen their progression through a number of sports,...

Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer coach Tyler Solis watched as his team fired shot after shot at Winchester Thurston, a few that struck the goal posts, bounced the wrong way and somehow stayed out of the net. It was a tense buildup to a disappointing conclusion for the Centurions. “We...

Brenna Springer and Nate Ward had a busy Wednesday. The All-WPIAL seniors from Greensburg Central Catholic took part in national signing day as both inked letters of intent to play Division I soccer. Then, they played in state semifinal games at Peters Township. While one chapter in their athletic lives...

Penn-Trafford and Peters Township had a hard time catching their breath in the first quarter last year when they met in a wild WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal at West Mifflin. Yes, there were fireworks. They combined for 42 points, exchanging big plays and massive gains, and were locked at 21-21...

There is a newly sponsored girls soccer showcase and it is open to WPIAL seniors who made all-section or All-WPIAL teams this season. East Suburban Sports Medicine Center will host the ESSMC WPIAL Classic on Nov. 23 at Franklin Regional’s Panther Stadium in Murrysville. The event begins at 1 p.m....

Still undefeated and wanting more, the Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team won its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Penn State Behrend before 247 at Westmoreland County Community College. The victory secured the Bobcats’ (19-0-1) first spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins...

Andrew Mastovich lived up to the hype. The senior defender on the Penn State Behrend soccer team was tabbed the preseason defensive player of the year in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. On Tuesday, the honors were validated when he was named AMCC Defensive Player of the Year. Mastovich, a...

Franklin Regional’s boys soccer team practiced Monday evening under the lights in Murrysville as Veterans Day faded into night. It was the eve of the state semifinals and the Panthers had a fairly light, non-contact workout. Coach Rand Hudson, however, saw fit to make the gathering about more than one-touch...