Bill Beckner stories, Page 181

The Seton Hill women’s basketball team developed a reputation for being one of the top 3-point shooting teams in Division II last season, and the Griffins aren’t changing the way they play. High-scoring Seton Hill made 33 shots from 3-point range in its first two games. It hit a school-record...

Nate Ward doesn’t fear contact. Maybe that is because the senior soccer player at Greensburg Central Catholic who will take his talents to NCAA Division I Indiana University next season can give it right back. Don’t forget, Ward did a lot more than just kick extra points and field goals...

Shady Side Academy represents more to Greensburg Central Catholic than a longtime section and playoff rival. More than its next playoff opponent on the pathway to Hershey. More than ordinary. This team looms large to GCC, but coaches Ashley Davis and Bri Guy want to change that perception, and change...

Upper St. Clair junior quarterback Ethan Dahlem is a nightmare to defend. He makes plays with his legs and right arm. If you don’t corral him, he runs around in the backfield and finds an open receiver or a lane to run through. Penn-Trafford’s defense did a good enough job...

When the Rosensteel family tragically lost their beloved daughter and sister, Kaitlyn, the Western Pennsylvania soccer community embraced them, consoled them and did their best to help them through the grieving process. Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel died in June. Five months later, her father has formed the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship...

It looked like Springdale had rendered Greensburg Central Catholic senior standout Nate Ward powerless for the better part of 82 minutes Saturday afternoon. As it turns out, Ward was biding his time before delivering another gem to extend the Centurions’ season. The Indiana recruit has a penchant for the dramatic...

Somehow, Sam Nemeth managed to hoof the ball into the net. Somehow, Greensburg Central Catholic overcame a shortened bench. Some way, the Centurions are headed back to the PIAA semifinals. “It all happened so fast,” said Nemeth, a senior midfielder who provided all the offense GCC needed in a defensively...

There is only one way to deal with all of the hype and pressure that comes with being a nationally ranked soccer team, one that sits three wins away from its first state title. “Try to ignore it,” Franklin Regional senior forward Nolan Scholze said. “We recognize it, but we...

Rather matter of factly, Derry football coach Tim Sweeney said Central Valley’s greatest strength is the fact that it doesn’t have a weakness. He called the challenge of facing the top-seeded Warriors a “monumental task.” It was, in every sense. Top-seeded Central Valley piled up the yardage, and the big...

Pitt-Greensburg will try to win the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference women’s soccer title on Saturday afternoon. Each time the Bobcats (18-0-1) take the field, they put their undefeated record on the line. They are the top seed in the tournament for the first time and will face No. 2 Penn...

He may be injured, but Caleb Lisbon still is very much a part of the Penn-Trafford football team. The Division I-caliber running back and safety suffered a serious knee injury in Week 3 against McKeesport and has not returned to game action. He had surgery last week. But since the...

Penn-Trafford’s Ethan Carr, one of the WPIAL’s most versatile football players and a top-tier prospect in the Class of 2021, has his first Division I offer. Carr announced Thursday that William & Mary has reached out to him with a scholarship. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Carr has played wide receiver, quarterback...

Max Malis lists his three positions on the Derry football team as defensive end, offensive tackle and … fullback? “Well, just like a fullback or sniffer (hybrid player),” he said. “I just block for us.” Does that mean the Trojans’ senior — all 6-foot-3, 270 pounds of him — might...

Central Valley football coach Mark Lyons and his staff have devised gameplans to stuff the run before. The Warriors (10-1) are the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs and the top-ranked team in the state. They are responsible for handing vaunted Aliquippa its only loss — a...

Tyler Solis wants more from his team and expects more from his players, especially in the state playoffs. “We need to do a better job of closing out games,” the Greensburg Central Catholic coach said. “We have to finish better. It’s that simple.” Solis harped on that point for several...

Senior Nate Ward and freshman Carlo Denis were harbingers of promising things to come in the first round of the PIAA Class A boys soccer playoffs. Every time one of them touched the ball, both early and late, something good happened for Greensburg Central Catholic. And while some early offsides...

A trio of local players helped lead the Duquesne women’s soccer team into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Sophomore midfielder Hannah Nguyen (Penn-Trafford) has started 16 games and has a goal and an assist, and redshirt junior defender Marley Smith (Norwin) has made 14 starts and sophomore forward Lexi Kendro (Norwin)...

Here come the Butlers and the Burnses. College basketball season is here again and Westmoreland County will be well represented at the Division I through NAIA levels. While Latrobe has produced the lion’s share of prospects in recent years, the rest of the county also has spread plenty of next-level...

With back-to-back WPIAL championships in hand, Franklin Regional rose a few notches in the national boys soccer rankings. TopDrawerSoccer.com released its latest “Fab 50” teams for the fall season Tuesday — opening day for the PIAA playoffs — and Franklin Regional jumped 10 spots to No. 23. The Panthers (19-0-1)...

Tuesday’s games Boys First round Class 3A Franklin Regional (19-0-1) vs. Bradford (15-5) 8 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of Cathedral Prep (21-0)/Blackhawk (13-4-4) Saturday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Franklin Regional won its second consecutive WPIAL title with a 2-1 win over playoff rival West Allegheny. Garrett...

Two area wrestlers who were All-Americans at Pitt-Johnstown last year will open this season ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II Super Region I. Senior Chris Eddins, a Greensburg Salem graduate and two-time national champion, is No. 1 at 149 pounds, and redshirt senior Devin Austin (Penn-Trafford) has the top...

When the Rosensteel family tragically lost their daughter and sister, the Western Pennsylvania soccer community embraced them, consoled them and did their best to help them through the grieving process. Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel died in June. Five months later, her father has formed the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship Foundation —...

Two WPIAL boys champions and three girls runners-up from Westmoreland County will open the PIAA soccer playoffs Tuesday. The boys teams will play in WPIAL territory. Franklin Regional (19-0-1), fresh off back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A titles, will take on District 9 champion Bradford (15-5) at 8 p.m. at North Allegheny....

Yough is looking for a softball coach — again. Kelsey Kuhns was hired less than a month ago to lead the Cougars, but her stay was brief. Kuhns resigned to take a full-time teaching position in another district. Yough athletic director Tom Evans said the job will be reposted. Kuhns...

And then there were four. The opening night of the high school football postseason began with 12 Westmoreland County teams, but only four advanced Friday. Three teams — WPIAL Class 5A top seed Penn-Trafford (10-1), Class 4A No. 3 Belle Vernon (9-1), and Ligonier Valley (11-0) in District 6 —...