Bill Beckner stories, Page 19

An uninspired first half meant a stern halftime talk from the coach. And a stern halftime talk meant a much better second half was in the works. Mt. Pleasant looked more like the No. 1-ranked team in WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer after halftime Wednesday night in a 3-0 shutout...

Latrobe coach Jake Rice will take a win any way he can get it, but he thinks his team is capable of more. “Sometimes, you just have to win dirty,” Rice said. By that, the third-year coach was referring to the Wildcats winning despite not playing their best. Their best...

Norwin sent dangerous shot after dangerous shot at Latrobe goalkeeper Gianna Trunzo, but the first-year netminder either made a terrific save or the ball whizzed by the skin of the post. The Knights dropped a 1-0 decision to the host Wildcats in Section 1-4A, but the late barrage of shots...

Woodland Hills will vote Wednesday night to hire Steve Scorpion as its head boys basketball coach, according to the board agenda. Scorpion was as an assistant for the last two seasons, one at Woodland Hills and last year at Kiski Area. Woodland Hills will play next season in Class 6A,...

Winning a championship with bedrock players like midfielder Owen Christopher and goalkeeper Anthony Scalise was invigorating for Norwin last season. The team followed those players’ lead to WPIAL glory. That was the good news. But there also was some bad news: Christopher and Scalise graduated. Franklin Regional’s girls felt the...

A pair of local swimming standouts have made commitments to NCAA Division I programs. Seniors Lauren Bell of Latrobe and Kiersten O’Conner of Mt. Pleasant are primed for the next level. Bell will compete at Marshall, and O’Conner is headed to Connecticut. Other offers for Bell came from James Madison,...

As his production increases and his confidence grows, Cade Yacamelli is looking more the part of a Division-I running back. But it didn’t start out that way. Wisconsin’s redshirt sophomore initially was slotted as a defensive back when he left Penn-Trafford for Madison, a loop that surprised him but also...

Addy Witcoski went to the golf course Tuesday like she would for any match, unaware she was about to make history. The Ligonier Valley junior was on her game, hitting fairways and greens on the way to a 3-over-par 38, a program record for the Rams. “School records are hard...

Joey Bayne sat out the final 10-plus minutes of a boys soccer game against visiting Latrobe on Thursday with cramps in his leg. The Franklin Regional senior was resting up for Friday’s Class 5A Big East football opener against Latrobe, and it paid off. Little did the kicker know, he...

Latrobe wants fans from all over town to show their school spirit and turn this football season into one big pep rally. The district has advanced past the first round of a nationwide social media-driven competition called “T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights,” which recognizes small towns and their love of...

Call it a package deal. A pair of Norwin girls basketball players are headed for the same college program. Guards Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski announced they both have committed to Clarion of the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan also offered scholarships to...

Based on returning athletes, Norwin is the top contender in Class 3A to regular frontrunner North Allegheny in WPIAL boys and girls cross country. “We are hoping that when October rolls around, we are still in the conversation,” Knights coach Brian Fleckenstein said. The veteran coach will lead the largest...

Franklin Regional senior lineman Andrew Devola experienced a special moment with his two brothers in the second game of the football season at Hempfield. All three of the Devolas got into the game for a late series in the Panthers’ 49-26 win. Devola is a two-way lineman who starts. Sophomore...

The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Mia Williams School: Penn-Trafford Class: Junior Sport: Tennis Claim to fame: Williams won her third straight section singles championship, defeating Michelle Yan of Franklin...

Norwin might be improved, but the third-ranked Knights found out the hard way that nothing is going to come easy in Class 6A. Turnovers plagued them early in their conference opener, and it snowballed from there in a 26-6 loss to No. 5 Seneca Valley in the conference opener Friday...

The soccer ball left Latrobe defender Brady Kring’s foot and sailed high into the night sky like a punt at Panther Stadium. When it came down, it pinged off a Franklin Regional defender’s shoulder and arrived at the feet of Roman Agostoni, who suddenly became the one in a 2-on-1....

Jeannette and Ligonier Valley will be down two players each for the next two games because of ejections that happened last Friday night. An altercation between the teams at last week’s game in Ligonier prompted ejections of all four players. PIAA rules call for a two-game suspension for ejections involving...

Several Latrobe girls soccer players sang the national anthem Tuesday night before a boys home soccer game. On Wednesday night, they were singing the praises of their first-year goalkeeper. Junior Gianna Trunzo earned the teams’ dog tag necklace after she made seven saves, including four in the second half when...

Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week 3 of the 2024 season: Class 6A No. 1 North Allegheny (3-0) at Hempfield (1-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Last week’s result: North Allegheny 18, Penn Hills 14; Hempfield 31, Kiski Area 29 Last year’s meeting:...

California has one of the youngest coaches in the state — and one of the better goal scorers in recent Monessen history. Tyler Caterino is only 25 years old, barely out of college, and he is leading the Trojans this fall. The former goal-scoring forward went on to become an...

Latrobe strengthened its lead in Section 3-3A boys soccer with a first-half goal and steady play from its defense. It’s a good thing the latter came to play. “We had to be physical and keep working,” Wildcats defender Brady Kring said. “Our communication was good tonight. We had to make...

Fifty-four players, seven coaches and three teams have been nominated for the third class of the National High School Football Hall of Fame. Once again, the WPIAL will have representation. Longtime Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render, former quarterbacks Dan Marino (Central Catholic), Joe Namath (Beaver Falls), Charlie Batch (Steel...

The Greensburg Central Catholic-Clairton football game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Clairton’s Neil C. Brown Stadium instead of noon Saturday at Thomas Jefferson Stadium as previously scheduled. A $6.6 million renovation project is planned for Clairton’s home field, but athletic director Alexis Trubiani said work on the...

Penn-Trafford and Latrobe are adjusting to life in WPIAL Class 4A. Both were elevated a classification per the new WPIAL enrollment cycle, which lasts two years. “There have been differences,” Penn-Trafford coach Jimmy Mastroianni said. “The pace of play is faster, and we are still adjusting to that.” Penn-Trafford (4-2,...

Mt. Pleasant is dealing with the loss of one of its top boys soccer players, but the Vikings are moving forward with an all-hands-on-deck approach. Senior midfielder Aidan Johnson went down with a lower-body injury in a nonsection game against visiting Belle Vernon last week. He was placed on a...