Bill Beckner stories, Page 187

Nate Leopold made a fast transition from high school to college football last season and has carried the momentum over to his sophomore year at John Carroll. Leopold, a Franklin Regional product, made a key impact in two facets of his team’s opening game Saturday. He registered a career-best eight...

Southmoreland is beginning to draw a crowd to Russ Grimm Field. There is a buzz around Alverton, and oft-discouraged fans are starting to come out of the woodwork to see what all the commotion is about. “We feel like we can compete with anyone, and it’s good knowing every win...

It’s a muggy late summer day in Harrison City. The fall sports season has begun, and Warrior Stadium, with its gleaming new artificial turf, is alive with action. The field is split for a dual workout: The No. 1-ranked football team is on one end, the three-time defending WPIAL champion...

Kason Harrell has been waiting … and working out … and waiting … and working out — you get the picture. He hopes the waiting is over for now. The former Hempfield basketball star will take a step closer to a potential professional playing career — at least that is...

For those wondering why Seton Hill is not opening the football season like its PSAC counterparts — games start Thursday, Friday and Saturday — there is a simple explanation. The Griffins did not want to start the season a week later than usual but their initial opponent gave them no...

Excuse Justin Huss for being a little sore last Saturday morning. Running behind a secure line, the Derry senior running back carried the football 33 times for a career-best 261 yards and four touchdowns in the No. 5 Trojans’ 35-27 victory over Freeport in the WPIAL Class 3A Big East...

Class 6A Hempfield (1-1, 0-1) at Norwin (0-2, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday at Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com, 107.1 FM Last week: Pine-Richland 42, Hempfield 14; North Allegheny 42, Norwin 0 Coaches: Rich Bowen, Hempfield; Dave Brozeski, Norwin Players to watch: Blake Remaley, Hempfield (Sr., 6-2,...

Youth golfers will have to compete at one worldly golf course to get to another. The annual Drive, Chip and Putt competition comes to the area again at 1:15 p.m. Saturday at Oakmont Country Club. It will be one of 10 regional competitions held across the country. The top eight...

Penn State Behrend senior defender Andrew Mastovich (Franklin Regional) was named the AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He was one of the leaders of a defense that allowed just five goals in conference play last season and posted 10 shutouts. Behrend is the favorite to win the conference...

Cal (Pa.) senior Lamont McPhatter II is aiming for a second All-American season. McPhatter, a defensive back, was named to the preseason D2Football.com All-American First Team. A consensus first-team All-American last season, McPhatter also is the reining Super Region One Defensive Athlete of the Year. He was the only defensive...

It looks like Terrelle Pryor is back on the NFL free agent market again. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Pryor has reached an injury settlement with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the team has released him. The former Jeannette and Ohio State star initially had been placed on injured reserve...

Former Jeannette standout Ciara Gregory has a bond with the Charlotte women’s basketball program. The former 49ers sharpshooter has lived in the Charlotte area since she graduated a couple of years ago, and she routinely keeps up with the team. The 3-point record-holder will be around the program a lot...

It was only about eight months ago that quarterback Hollis Mathis was leading Penn Hills to a PIAA football championship in Hershey. But the dual-threat quarterback has moved on to college football and his progress has been notably swift. Mathis became the first true freshman at William & Mary to...

A familiar name to the area will take over the softball program at Westmoreland County Community College. Barely finished with her college playing career, former Hempfield all-section player Taylor Bartlow was named coach of the Wolfpack. She wrapped up her time with the Robert Morris team in the spring. What...

While rumors and social media posts claimed otherwise, Terrelle Pryor was not released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday as NFL teams trimmed rosters to 53 players. Instead, the veteran wide receiver from Jeannette was added to the team’s reserve/injured list. Pryor has been struggling with a hamstring injury that...

Westmoreland County Community College had not experienced a win in men’s soccer since 2015 and was tangled in a frustrating streak. But the Wolfpack reversed course Thursday in their season opener, snapping a 40-game winless streak with a 5-4 victory over Allegany (Md.) in overtime in Youngwood. Freshman Ethan Turnbull,...

Nate Ward plays with emotion. You can see it when he scores a goal or if a penalty doesn’t go his team’s way on the soccer field. His facial expressions say it all. So it was no surprise the senior from Greensburg Central Catholic had a big smile on his...

From idea to inception to realization, so much has been made of Jeannette’s new turf playing surface. Now, how about the team that plays on it? And how about this passing game? The second-ranked Jayhawks weren’t about to let down a spirited home crowd in the first game on the...

Yough received some bad news Thursday when MRI results revealed sophomore quarterback Tristan Waldier has a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. Waldier is done for the rest of the season, Cougars coach Scott Wood confirmed. Junior Gamal Marballie moves over from wide receiver and will start under...

MaxPreps captured birds-eye views of what it calls “10 amazing high school football turf fields” from around the country and a local venue made the list. Belle Vernon’s James Weir Stadium, known for its gold-colored turf — they call it “The Beach” — is among a series of unique fields...

It seemed like a fun yet unassuming moment at the end of a recent Latrobe football practice. But it turned into a viral video. Teams have done this particular high-stakes test before, but now more might want to try it. The contest goes like this: Punt the ball to a...

Jeannette football players have watched the transformation at McKee Stadium. From a pooch punt away on their adjacent practice field, they’ve seen the old sod come up, the fresh foundation go down and the artificial turf get rolled out. After a few practices on the sleek surface this week, the...

Pitt-Greensburg has added a wealth of playing experience and depth to its men’s soccer coaching staff. Former standouts Matt Bisceglia and Nick Piccirilli have joined coach Marc Bucci’s staff this season. Bisceglia played goalkeeper at Kiski Area and Robert Morris. Piccirilli, a Center graduate, was an attacking forward at Seton...

Former WPIAL sluggers Alex Kirilloff and JJ Matijevic will stay baseball busy in the coming months. The pair, who play for different Class AA minor league teams — Kirilloff the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Southern League; Matijevic the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Texas League — have been invited...