Bill Beckner stories, Page 27

WPIAL baseball playoffs Class 5A Third-place game Franklin Regional (19-2) vs. West Allegheny (18-6) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ross Memorial Park, Washington & Jefferson College, Washington Winner: Clinches third place in the WPIAL and a berth into the PIAA playoffs. The loser is eliminated. Players to watch: Darren DeRiggi, Franklin...

2024 WPIAL Class 6A softball championship No. 5 Norwin (10-10) vs. No. 2 Seneca Valley (20-1) 1 p.m. Friday at Lilley Field, Cal (Pa.) How they got here: Norwin defeated Pine-Richland, 3-1, in the quarterfinals; and No. 1 Hempfield, 5-2, in the semifinals. Seneca Valley beat No. 6 Canon-McMillan, 7-1,...

WPIAL softball playoffs Class 5A Third-place game Penn-Trafford (14-6) vs. Latrobe (11-11) 3 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway Winner: Takes third place in the WPIAL for the PIAA playoffs. The loser is fourth. Players to watch: Bella Rubbe, Penn-Trafford; Macie McHugh, Latrobe Extra bases: Penn-Trafford is looking for a repeat of...

Norwin has only three seniors, but they weren’t ready to turn in their softball uniforms before they donned their caps and gowns. The girls graduated Friday, but their allegiance to the Lady Knights program will carry on for at least another week or so. And a diploma could be accompanied...

Results and top scorers from the 20th Roundball Classic all-star basketball games held over the weekend at North Allegheny: Girls Class 3A/A 105, Class 2A/District 10 70 3A: *Avina Norman (Beaver Falls) 23, Julie Spinelli (St. Joseph) 17, Claire Noble (Ellwood City) 16 2A: *Mya Morgan (Greensburg Central Catholic) 15,...

It was closing time this season when Jake Kramer headed to the Cal (Pa.) bullpen. The sophomore out of Hempfield has risen to record status among the program’s relief pitchers, and his postseason honors are rolling in. Kramer was named as a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Second-Team All-American, the...

Brookelyn Kotch School: Norwin Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Kotch did something many pitchers have not done in recent years: She beat Hempfield. Kotch scattered six hits, did not issue a walk and struck our four while forcing 13 flyouts as Norwin upset top-seeded and defending WPIAL Hempfield,...

An all-star game for the top senior softball players in the WPIAL is in the works. Plum coach Phil DiLonardo came up with the idea, and three other coaches are helping to make the game a reality: Tom Sorce of Shaler, Jim Armstrong of Franklin Regional and Jenna Muncie from...

Record-breaking wide receiver Declan O’Brien isn’t done catching passes yet. After a brilliant three-year run at Allegheny College, the Norwin product is planning to play a fifth season at a higher level. O’Brien, an All-Region 2 First Team player as a senior, is joining Delaware as a preferred walk-on. O’Brien...

Norwin senior Luke Denny was a threat in the Knights’ football offense not only because he could catch passes, but also for what he could do after he caught them. Coaches said Denny had “track speed,” and the standout showed it at the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships....

Brian Bearley understands the assignment. A former assistant coach for Franklin Regional hockey under former head coach John Winebrenner, Bearley recently was hired to lead the Panthers. Familiarity with various levels of hockey at Franklin Regional should serve him well. His plan is to maintain a standard already in place...

To Norwin, the signs were there. Two ladybugs landed on a player’s shoulder. When the team arrived at Gateway, players found a heads-up penny at the entrance and picked it up. And don’t forget about the four-leaf clover coach Brian Mesich had in his pocket the whole game. “This had...

Make it four consecutive no-hitters for Ligonier Valley. Only the fourth one belongs to the other team. South Park and pitcher Sydney Sekely had a perfect day in Harrison City. Third-seeded South Park was the team that finally defanged Rams standout pitcher Cheyenne Piper, breaking up her streak of 23...

WPIAL softball playoffs Class 6A Semifinals 5-Norwin (9-10) vs. 1-Hempfield (18-1) 5 p.m. Wednesday at Gateway Winner plays: Winner of 6-Canon-McMillan (7-11)/1-Seneca Valley (19-1) in championship game (date, time TBD) at Cal (Pa.)’s Lilley Field Players to watch: Bailey Snowberger, Norwin; Maggie Howard, Hempfield Extra bases: Hempfield is looking for...

Pitt likes to play “Renegade” by Styx — like the Pittsburgh Pirates do for closer David Bednar — when Phil Fox steps out of the bullpen and trots to the mound to slam the door on teams. The redshirt sophomore reliever is the Panthers’ closer and one of the most...

It’s a banner year for the Roundball Classic and Allen Deep couldn’t be more grateful. The longtime organizer will see his prized high school all-star basketball event — the largest in Western Pennsylvania — turn 20. And with the anniversary comes several new additions, including a venue change, more games...

To have another chance — that is all Bailey Snowberger could ask for. The Norwin standout shortstop has longed to knock off rival Hempfield in the softball playoffs, and she and the Knights will get another chance to do it at 5 p.m. Wednesday when the teams play at Gateway...

WPIAL baseball playoffs Class 5A Semifinals 7-Penn-Trafford (18-3) vs. 6-Franklin Regional (14-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Gateway Winner plays: Winner of 8-Shaler (16-5)/1-West Allegheny (16-3) & 4-Bethel Park (13-6)/12-Trinity (9-8) in championship game (date, time TBD) at Wild Things Park, Washington Players to watch: Carmen Metcalfe, Penn-Trafford; Cole Brinker, Franklin...

When things went sideways for Montour in what would become an excruciatingly long first inning, coach Bob Janeda didn’t fret. One of his players screamed out that it was “only the first” and for his teammates to “get up and stay up.” There was a plenty of baseball left —...

Section 2-5A, it’s your time to flex. A number of local softball coaches have pointed to the section as being one of the strongest in the classification. “Watch out for Penn-Trafford,” said Franklin Regional coach Jim Armstrong, whose Panthers play in the Section 2 but were clipped by Shaler, 3-2,...

WPIAL softball playoffs Class 3A Semifinals 2-Ligonier Valley (15-5) vs. 3-South Park (18-1) 4 p.m. Tuesday at Penn-Trafford Winner plays: Winner of 1-Avonworth (14-3)/4-Mohawk (16-5) in championship (date, time, site TBD) at Cal (Pa.)’s Lilley Field Players to watch: Marlee Miller, Ligonier Valley; Grace Kempton, South Park Extra bases: Ligonier...

Tom Brush is the new women’s basketball coach at Westmoreland County Community College. Brush coached the Hempfield girls for five seasons, from 2018-23, before stepping down because of a change to his work schedule. He is back in the game and ready to take a stab at the college level....

Section 1-5A was an anomaly. It’s rare for four baseball teams to tie for first place, an issue that presented such a seeding dilemma for the WPIAL steering committee that it had to “throw out” numbers and focus solely on creating the best quarterfinal matchups. “That’s what we did. Class...

Local softball fans will get a treat Wednesday if they make a trip to Monroeville. There will be a playoff tripleheader at Gateway. Penn-Trafford will play Thomas Jefferson at 3 p.m. in one WPIAL 5A semifinal, followed by Hempfield and Norwin at 5 in a 6A semifinals, and Latrobe faces...

The Big 5/6 Conference, which covers the top two classifications in WPIAL sports, released its all-section softball and baseball teams. Westmoreland County first-team picks from the lone Class 6A section included Norwin senior shortstop Bailey Snowberger and senior utilty player Brooklyn Kotch and Hempfield sophomore third baseman Lauren Howard, senior...