Bill Beckner stories, Page 188

Class 6A Norwin (0-1) at North Allegheny (1-0) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Newman Stadium, McCandless On the air: TribHSSN.triblive.com Coaches: Dave Brozeski, Norwin; Art Walker Jr., North Allegheny Players to watch: Sean Pavlic, Norwin (Sr., 5-8, 155, WR/DB); Luke Colella, North Allegheny (Sr., 5-11. 180, WR/DB) Last week: Penn-Trafford 42, Norwin...

Teammates and coaches like to call Brandon Brown “Slow-mo” when he practices. Yet Brown is considered by many of those same people to be the fastest player on the Greensburg Central Catholic football team. The paradox sits well with Brown, a senior wide receiver and defensive back whose opening-night efforts...

WPIAL soccer season opens Friday. Here are the Tribune-Review boys preseason rankings. Class AAAA 1. Peters Township (18-5) — The Indians fell just short of a WPIAL title after a 2-1 loss to Seneca Valley in the championship. Despite having a short-handed lineup, Peters Township rallied to reach the PIAA...

The WPIAL soccer season opens Friday. Here are some of the top girls soccer players to watch this season from around the district: Justine Appolonia, Yough, Sr., F Ellie Coffield, Mars, Jr., MF Tessa Dellarose, Brownsville, So., MF Megan Donnelly, Pine-Richland, Jr., F Haleigh Finale, South Park, Jr., F Eva...

WPIAL Class 4A girls soccer champions just two years ago, Penn-Trafford ran aground in its bid for a repeat last season. The Warriors finished 12-5 after it was stunned by Butler, 4-1, in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. “I just remember that bus ride home,” senior midfielder Sarah...

Reno Kearns doesn’t try to mask anything by a pretense. He and his Penn-Trafford boys soccer teammates are not satisfied with last season. “The ultimate goal is to make the playoffs, and we didn’t do that,” the senior midfielder said. “We have to do a better job defensively if we...

The WPIAL soccer season opens Friday. Here are some of the top players to watch this season from around the district: • Fletcher Amos, West Allegheny, Sr., MF • Anthony DiFalco, Franklin Regional, So., F • Chad Eldridge, South Fayette, Jr., F • Joe Fonaghy, Canon-McMillan, Jr., F • Connor...

WPIAL soccer season opens Friday. Here are the Tribune-Review boys preseason rankings. Class AAAA 1. Canon-McMillan (16-3) — The Big Macs reached the WPIAL semifinals last year and return several key players, including junior Joe Fonaghy and senior Tommy Samosky. 2. Seneca Valley (19-3-1) 3. North Allegheny (10-6-1) 4. Norwin...

When its latest jaunt through the girls soccer postseason stalled earlier than usual last October, Norwin players and coaches knew the fuel for the following season would come easily. Motivation was tailor-made after a 1-0 loss to Peters Township in the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals that ended the Knights’ season....

It could be another lengthy women’s volleyball season at Seton Hill. The Griffins, who won their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title last year, are the favorites to finish first in the PSAC Southwest Division, according to a preseason coaches poll. Seton Hill made its fifth straight trip to the...

Eight individuals and one team will be inducted into the Saint Vincent Athletic Hall of Fame. The inductions are Sept. 28 at the Fred M. Rogers Center in campus. The new hall class will be recognized during halftime of the Bearcats’ game against Carnegie Mellon that afternoon at Chuck Noll...

Russell Pytlak has been a work-in-progress type of player for coach Scott Wood and his staff at Yough. Not that he needed much grooming. Pytlak’s talents were evident at an early age. If and when he caught up to his body, he’d be a handful for opponents. A player brimming...

Anthony Sherwin tried to find a reason to choose a different college. He looked for faults in his leading pursuer. But he kept circling back to more positives. Bucknell was the place to continue his baseball career. “I chose Bucknell because I thought it was the best fit for me,”...

Former Jeannette star Ciara Gregory has a bond with the North Carolina-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...

Receiver Riley Comforti knows how the route is supposed to be run. Quarterback Zach Cernuto understands where the football should be thrown. When the two converge, when cognition meets connection, it’s pure, big-play magic for Southmoreland. “The more reps they get, the better they are,” Southmoreland football coach Dave Keefer...

Kurt Aumer was viewed as one of the good guys when he played football at Mt. Pleasant. His knack for community involvement and attention to those around him were traits he took with him to college. Now the junior defensive lineman at Monmouth could receive an award because of it....

When Branden Crosby transferred from Greensburg Salem to Latrobe as a freshman, Latrobe football coach Jason Marucco knew little about him. He saw Crosby had athletic ability but didn’t find him a regular position on the team until last season when the 6-foot, 160-pounder took the reins at quarterback. A...

Nonconference Greensburg Salem at Hempfield 7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Coaches: Dave Keefer, Greensburg Salem; Rich Bowen, Hempfield Players to watch: Trent Patrick, Greensburg Salem (Sr., 5-9, 230, QB/LB); Nathan Roby, Hempfield (5-7, 155, RB/DB) Last year: Greensburg Salem (4-7, 4-3), fourth place in Class 4A Big 8 Conference,...

Palmer Jackson graduated from high school two months ago. He is moving into a dorm at Notre Dame this week to begin his freshman year of college. At just 18 years old, Jackson is a teenager about to embark on the next chapter of his life. On the golf course,...

Senior Gabe Dunlap and junior Ethan Carr once competed for the starting quarterback spot at Penn-Trafford. The friendly competition brought out the best in each athlete as they pushed each other to improve. In the end, there were no hard feelings. That is because both have become primary players —...

To the surprise of some, the landmark decision to replace the grass at Jeannette’s McKee Stadium with artificial turf was met with little resistance. Even at a place where change is minimal, more tolerated than accepted — a program where “the old way” still works — a new playing surface...

New Greensburg Central Catholic coach Bret Colbert comes from rich football pedigree. His father, Bob, has 44 years of coaching experience at various levels — high school to the pros — while his uncle, Kevin, is the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “Football shaped me and has been everything...

As an alum and second-year coach, Dave Keefer is all for recognizing high points in the history of Southmoreland football — even if one such commemoration captures a frustrating and cumbersome streak in full perspective. The Scotties’ run of missed playoff trips hits a milestone this season, and Keefer couldn’t...