Bill Beckner stories, Page 185

Penn-Trafford was not clicking offensively. The running game was sluggish, passes were off the mark and the sticks weren’t moving with normal rapidity. The Warriors’ defense, however, was there to bail it out. No. 1 Penn-Trafford held Latrobe to one first down, pressured the Wildcats’ continuously and pounded down a...

Pitt-Greensburg had some special guests in for a visit Friday. No, they weren’t recruits; these basketball players’ recruiting days have long since passed — and they were courted at a much higher level. But the group has plenty of game and put it on display for spectators inside Chambers Hall....

Just five years ago, Kelsey Kuhns was leading the Southmoreland softball team from behind the dish. Suddenly, the former standout catcher is a head coach at another Westmoreland County program. Kuhns, 23, has been named the next coach at Yough. She replaces Art “Dutch” Harvey, who resigned in June after...

An influx of freshmen can raise a number of concerns for soccer coaches at the high school level. While the issues aren’t always pressing, they are worth examining at some point – in many cases, sooner than later. Are they equipped to handle the varsity game? Is it too early...

Penn-Trafford takes road trips on a bus. It scores touchdowns by Carr. Ethan Carr put on a show last week in the top-ranked Warriors’ home game against Plum. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior tied a single-game school record with five touchdowns, finding the end zone three ways in a 47-17 victory...

Class 6A No. 2 Central Catholic (5-1, 3-1) at Norwin (2-4, 1-3) 7 p.m. Friday at Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Last week: Central Catholic 29, Pine-Richland 7; Norwin 49, Butler 21 Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Dave Brozeski, Central Catholic Players to watch: Eddy Tillman, Central Catholic (Jr., 5-8,...

Educated Athletes First is providing another college tour experience and stepping up its game at that. EAF, the nonprofit venture of former Jeannette star athlete Demetrious Cox and his father, Dorsey, designed to help aspiring athletes and their parents along the path to college-level sports and academics, will hit the...

Point Park men’s basketball coach Joe Lewandowski has assembled another 3-on-3 team to represent the states overseas. Lewandowski, who guided Team USA to a FIBA 3x3 World Cup title with a 7-0 record over the summer in Amsterdam, will lead another four-player crew to the 2019 FIBA Men’s 3x3 U23...

Robert Kennedy knew there were no guarantees when he took the junior college route. The former Jeannette star quarterback and defensive back — Mr. PA Football for small schools in 2018 — decided to play at Lackawanna. The plan was to be patient, work on his game, get stronger physically...

A pair of Jeannette graduates led Lackawanna College (4-0) to a runaway victory. Sophomore defensive back Robert Kennedy returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown, and sophomore teammate Kareem Hall ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns in an 83-0 win over Erie Community College. Hall, who transferred from...

When Yough played at Mt. Pleasant earlier in the girls soccer season, the visiting Cougars only led by one goal with three minutes to play. A couple of late scores polished off a three-goal victory. “The score was not indicative of how close it was,” Yough coach Dann Appolonia said....

The Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team continues to display offensive firepower — and keeps rolling along. Freshman Ashley Lucas netted two goals and junior Allie Grimm, sophomore Tiffany Michalek, and sophomore McKenzie Huntebrinker each scored one as the Bobcats blanked Hilbert, 5-0, to remain unbeaten at 9-0 (2-0 AMCC). The Bobcats...

The WPIAL Class AAA boys individual golf championship will be Tuesday at Fox Chapel Golf Club. The first tee times are at 8 a.m. and the last at 10:50. There will be 18 twosomes. The top 14 finishers in the 18-hole tournament advance to the PIAA Western Regional on Oct....

Former Harlem Globetrotter LaMont “Showboat” Robinson is all about opportunity and recognizing the greats at their crafts — those at center stage and many more who work behind the scenes. He is known for basketball, but Robinson founded the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. Now, he created a basketball...

One of the most anticipated and hyped games in Southmoreland football history came with all the grandeur and set dressing befitting such an event. Hundreds of fans showed up, many of them hours before kickoff. Parking lots filled to capacity. Hundreds of pom poms were handed out at the gate....

Seton Hill junior outside hitter Viktoria Farian was named the PSAC Southwest Division Women’s Volleyball Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. Farian, the reigning conference athlete of the year, had 82 kills, 55 digs and a double-double across four matches, including a career-best 28 kills against...

A rigorous offseason of training is what Brett Birch credits for his impact on the Jeannette football team. Just a sophomore, Birch is a key two-way contributor, making plays on offense and defense for the WPIAL Class A No. 1-ranked Jayhawks (5-0). A slot receiver and cornerback, he has four...

Class 6A Butler (0-5, 0-3) at Norwin (1-4, 1-3) 7 p.m. Friday at Norwin Knights Stadium On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com; 1050 AM Last week: Seneca Valley 55, Butler 0; Pine-Richland 46, Norwin 0 Coaches: Eric Christy, Butler; Dave Brozeski, Norwin Players to watch: Nate Cornibe, Butler (Sr., 6-4, 280, OL/DL);...

Sophomore Olivia Zambruno (Greensburg Central Catholic) put together her best collegiate finish for the Penn State women’s golf team. The former three-time PIAA champion posted rounds of 74, 72 and 73 for a 3-over-par total of 219 and finished tied for eighth at the 43rd annual Nittany Lion Invitational at...

Earlier this year, Seton Hill’s Nichole McClendon played for the Guatemalan national softball team in the 2020 WBSC Americas Qualifier in Surrey, British Columbia. McClendon chronicled some of her experiences in a piece on the Seton Hill athletics website titled, “Fighting For The Ultimate Dream.” Not only did McClendon, an...

Todd Summers is on pace for a career season at Villanova, and he is becoming a greater pass-catching threat for the Wildcats (4-0). The junior tight end from Franklin Regional had a touchdown catch, his third of the season, as the Wildcats defeated Towson, 52-45. Summers had a four-reception game...

Greensburg’s Rocco Mediate credits his lucky hat — the one decorated by his 4-year-old daughter — for having at least something to do with his latest victory on the PGA Tour Champions. Mediate this weekend won the Sanford International, his first win on the 50-and-older circuit in three years. His...

Each game carries more meaning for Southmoreland. The Scotties continue to chase history, an entire town following every move they make on the football field as they march toward a long-awaited return to the WPIAL playoffs. Their latest high-scoring victory — a 62-21 win at Brownsville on Friday night —...