Bill Beckner stories, Page 186

Hempfield coach Rich Bowen had an uneasy feeling during pregame warmups. He was antsy and seemed distracted. “We’re banged up,” Bowen said. “We’ll see what happens. They may be 0-4, but they’re a tough football team.” Canon-McMillan coach Mike Evans also was antsy and distracted but for different reason. He...

Top-ranked Norwin built a two-goal cushion by halftime Thursday night but knew the last thing it could do was get comfortable. This was more like a two-goal pin cushion. This was, after all, rival Penn-Trafford visting Knights Stadium and anything is possible when these teams tangle. But faith in what...

A team this young is not supposed to be this good, this soon. Its best years should lie ahead. Tell that to the Belle Vernon soccer team. The Leopards start six sophomores. Of the 29 players on the roster, 22 are underclassmen. Yet here are the Leopards, off to their...

The closest Gamal Marballie got to playing quarterback in recent years was on his Xbox. “I’m pretty good at video games,” the Yough junior said. But Marballie was thrust into the position on the field when Cougars’ starter Tristan Waldier went down with a knee injury in Week Zero against...

Penn-Trafford calls its defensive scheme, “Tribe.” It’s rather appropriate because this group works as one. “We have great chemistry, and we gang-tackle,” senior linebacker Chase Burk said. “If one guy messes up, another is there. We’ve got each other’s backs.” The 3-3-5 stack defense the top-ranked Warriors roll out has...

Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-4, 0-3) at Hempfield (2-2, 1-2) 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com, 107.1 FM Last week: North Allegheny 42, Canon-McMillan 6; Central Catholic 31, Hempfield 14 Coaches: Mike Evans, Canon-McMillan; Rich Bowen, Hempfield Players to watch: Jon Quinque, Canon-McMillan (Sr., 5-10, 185, QB);...

With his name called in another high-end lacrosse draft, Brett Craig is set to take his skills to the next level. Craig, the former Seton Hill defensive stalwart, was selected by the Colorado Mammoth Tuesday night in the second round of the National Lacrosse League Draft. He was the 26th...

Katie Miller moved on in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur with a pair of match-play wins on Tuesday. Miller, a Hempfield graduate and former mini-tour pro, birdied the 18th hole to force extra golf and then made another birdie on the 19th hole to hold off Mallory Hetzel of Virginia Beach...

Pitt-Greensburg looks like it plans to stay in the regional women’s soccer rankings. The Bobcats (5-0) moved up a spot, to No. 8, in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Great Lakes Region rankings. UPG has posted four shutouts and has outscored its opponents 16-2. In addition, a pair of...

Katie Miller is no stranger to the national stage. She has played in numerous large-scale amateur events conducted by the USGA and has proven she can play with the best. Her latest venture in that arena? So far, so good. Miller, a Hempfield and North Carolina graduate, moved into the...

Jeannette product Gio Vonne Sanders is making a fast impact for the St. Francis (Pa.) football team. Sanders, a linebacker, was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a two-interception game against Merrimack. The Red Flash won 42-14 to move to 2-1. Sanders, a redshirt sophomore, added three...

Jeannette product Gio Vonne Sanders is making a fast impact for the St. Francis (Pa.) football team. Sanders, a linebacker, was named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week after a two-interception game Saturday against Merrimack. The Red Flash won, 42-14, to move to 2-1. Sanders, a redshirt sophomore, added...

Norwin football player Tanner Krevokuch has his first Division I-FBS scholarship offer. Krevokuch, the Knights’ 6-foot-4, 205-pound tight end and middle linebacker, announced Sunday that Central Michigan has extended an offer. “This offer means everything to me because it changes my life big time,” Krevokuch said. “It helps for other...

Zach Guiser has enjoyed life since he left football in 2017, ending his college career early because of concussions. But the sport isn’t far from his mind. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss it,” the Greensburg Central Catholic graduate said. He was a fifth-year senior at University...

What concerned Penn-Trafford most about McKeesport this week was the Tigers’ reputation for being a physical opponent. When these teams play, it can get rough. Clean, but rough. Warriors coach John Ruane said this would be one of the most rigorous games his team would play all season — big...

Concord football players and coaches will remember Pat Dawson each time they step foot inside their locker room. The university has christened the “Pat Dawson Locker Room” inside Callaghan Stadium to remember a former assistant coach. Dawson, who played at Greensburg Central Catholic and Toledo, died in 2017. He had...

Class 6A No. 3 Central Catholic (2-1, 1-1) at Hempfield (2-1, 1-1) 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Last week: North Allegheny 11, Central Catholic 10; Hempfield 34, Norwin 17 Coaches: Terry Totten, Central Catholic; Rich Bowen, Hempfield Players to watch: Eddie Tillman, Central Catholic (Jr., 5-8, 165, RB);...

Dillon Ferretti likes to take pregame power naps. He sets the alarm on his phone so he doesn’t oversleep. “Like a half-hour or an hour,” the Hempfield linebacker said. “It helps me to relax, and I just think about what I want to do in the game.” Not a unique...

Off to a hot start, the Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team has found its way into this week’s regional rankings. The Bobcats (3-0) are No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Association Division III Top 25 for the Great Lakes Region. UPG has not allowed a goal so far as it...

Nathan Dragisich made his first college soccer goal count. The Duquesne freshman, who starred at West Allegheny, delivered the game-winning goal Tuesday night as the Dukes edged Niagara, 2-1, at Rooney Field. The midfielder fired a shot into the upper-right corner of the net in the 89th minute to break...

The Westmoreland County Community College women’s cross country team took ownership the Wolfpack Invitational, led by freshman Brooke Bertovich, who won the individual title with a time of 24 minutes, 3.7 seconds in her first college race. Teammate and freshman Natalie Naponic (Norwin) placed third (24:17.7), freshmen Jenn Baldwin (Southmoreland)...

Soccer ties aren’t always about the action but the reaction. Fifth-ranked Thomas Jefferson packed in its defense like a football team stacking the box against the run Tuesday night. With 10 players back at times for the Jaguars, No. 1 Franklin Regional had trouble doing what it does best: wide...

Add IUP football to the Division II Top 25. After a 24-13 victory over New Haven, the Crimson Hawks moved into the No. 24 spot in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Duane Brown (Apollo-Ridge) scored a pair of touchdowns and Justice Evans (Kiski Area/Central...

After a special game, Nate Leopold was awarded appropriately. A sophomore defensive back at John Carroll, Leopold was named Ohio Athletic Conference Special Teams of the Week after his performance in a 21-7 victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Leopold, a Franklin Regional graduate, had a career-best eight tackles, one for a...

Eight regional finalists moved on to the big show in the seventh annual Drive, Chip and Putt competition. Four boys and four girls advanced out of a regional competition held Saturday at storied Oakmont Country Club. The eight players will join 72 others competing in the national finals on April...