Bill Beckner stories, Page 50

Norwin’s girls volleyball team was fighting for a playoff spot in Section 3-4A as the regular season winded toward a mid-October finish. The postseason outcome, should it not work in the Lady Knights’ favor, won’t have anything to do with fading effort. “The girls have been working hard every day...

While Norwin’s football team has been more resilient and competitive than is has been in a while, the Knights were trying to get off to better starts. Norwin rallied from 22 points down at halftime in a 37-29 loss at Franklin Regional in Week 6. The Knights scored 15 in...

Mark Twain is believed to have said, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” For Franklin Regional golfers Ali Boyle and Gianna Johnson, a stroll around Diamond Run Golf Club for the WPIAL Class 3A Championship on a perfect, sun-splashed October afternoon was a tune-up for the team postseason. “Obviously we...

The more progressions he goes through and the more repetitions he gets, the more Chase Lemke looks the part of Franklin Regional’s starting quarterback. “I am getting a lot more comfortable in the pocket,” Lemke said Friday night after he led the Panthers to their fourth straight win, 38-15 over...

Longtime volunteer coach and Yough diehard Jim Schaffer is primed to take over as athletic director on Cougar Mountain. Schaffer was hired this week to replace Bill Flow, who resigned in August after just more than a year on the job. An assistant baseball coach in the district for 15...

A soccer game with as many cards as goals wasn’t settled in regulation, so Franklin Regional and Latrobe played overtime in their touchy Section 4-3A rematch. Ben Bigi scored in close with 8 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second overtime to lift Latrobe to a 2-1 victory and a...

Hempfield doesn’t just have a history of winning WPIAL and PIAA championships in softball. The program also has a track record for producing Division I college talent. The latest player to commit to a high-level program is junior Allie Cervola. A shortstop who has played catcher previously for the Spartans,...

There has been plenty of buzz in Latrobe about a promising junior class that includes players such as running back/linebacker Alex Tatsch and quarterback/safety John Wetzel. But a senior might be the glue this promising team needs. Ja’Tawn Williams is having a terrific season in all three phases of the...

Greensburg Central Catholic tried everything against Lola Abraham, marking her with multiple girls in 10-minute intervals as it tried to slow her down. But like she has done against so many other opponents throughout her career, Abraham scratched out those plans in impressive fashion. While some teams look like they’re...

Class 5A Big East Conference Franklin Regional (5-2, 2-1) at Hempfield (1-6, 0-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Last week: Franklin Regional 37, Norwin 29; Seneca Valley 42, Hempfield 13 Last year’s result: Franklin Regional 56, Hempfield 21 Franklin Regional can get a share of the conference title if...

The goal came without any fanfare and it came in a loss, so Jordan Taylor didn’t think much of it. But his score last week in a 4-2 loss at Freeport was a record breaker. Taylor, a Jeannette senior forward, broke the boys’ career goals record for Westmoreland County with...

The thought of ending his soccer career pervaded Luke Domasky’s mind at the start of the season. Many nights, he soaked in his family’s hot tub and pondered his next move. The Mt. Pleasant senior was not sure if he could be as effective after his junior season fell short...

Mt. Pleasant’s pep band played at halftime Tuesday night at Viking Stadium, a rare occurrence for a high school soccer game, but an addition that was befitting to the ambiance of such a big first-place showdown. What isn’t a rare occurrence is Trevor Kovatch scoring goals against Mt. Pleasant. He...

The nation’s leading pass catcher continues to turn heads — those of defensive backs and casual observers. Declan O’Brien, a senior wide receiver at Allegheny College, had a career game Saturday with a school-record 18 receptions for 233 yards and a touchdown in a 35-28 loss to Washington & Jefferson....

Senior night could have been a bummer for Ella Machusko, who has a torn ACL and had written off playing the rest of the season. It could have been a grin-and-bear-it kind of game for the senior defender, who is still supporting a team with low roster numbers. Machusko played...

No matter the roster turnover or how many star players it loses, Southmoreland manages to stay in the thick of the WPIAL girls soccer playoff race. While some programs stall out after a few playoff runs, the Scotties keep on trucking. “This is my fourth year here, and the hope...

Cal (Pa.) senior Malia Anderson (Greensburg Salem) picked up her first individual cross country title by winning the Carnegie Mellon Invitational at Schenley Park. Anderson won the 5K in a time of 18 minutes, 36.1 seconds. She had two runner-up finishes in her career before her victory. Women’s cross country...

Franklin Regional standout junior Toryn Fulton announced Monday she has made a verbal commitment to play college softball at South Florida. Fulton, a power-hitting outfielder who played second base last season for the Panthers, hit .552 with a 1.755 OPS. She had eight home runs, seven doubles and 32 RBIs....

With its offense moving efficiently and fluidly, Latrobe sped up the pace and created frequent scoring opportunities on the way to a 2-0 victory over Franklin Regional on Monday night in a Section 3-3A girls soccer game in Murrysville. Junior midfielder Bri Hoffer and sophomore forward Annalyse Bauer produced goals...

Four girls soccer players from the WPIAL made the watch list for the 2023 High School All-American Game set for Dec. 9 in Charleston, S.C. The game brings together the top girls and boys senior players from across the country. Moon has two players on the list in forward Sydney...

Max Pisula played quarterback when he was in high school. He specialized in defense when he came to Saint Vincent last year, where he initially was listed as a linebacker. But the 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior out of Greensburg Central Catholic is working double duty this season for the Bearcats (2-3,...

The next events on the Westmoreland County Coaches Association fall calendar are the cross country championships. The meets will be Wednesday at Westmoreland County Community College. The boys race will get the day started at 3 p.m., followed by the girls at 3:40. Junior varsity races follow at 4:20. Last...

Morgan Gesinski School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Sophomore Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Gesinski, one of the top goal scorers in WPIAL Class 2A, had five in a 14-0 win over Ligonier Valley, then added another score as the top-ranked Lady Vikings defeated Woodland Hills, 6-0. She leads the team with...

Franklin Regional figured if Norwin was going to play single coverage on its receivers, it would take some shots downfield. When you have a player like Ayden Hudock, the potential reward is worth the risk. An underrated college prospect, Hudock continued to show his athleticism and playmaking ability as he...

While she used to come out sprinting at the start of a cross country race, Annie Czajkowski is more methodical now, pacing herself before a late push to pass. “I used to have nothing left at the end,” she said. Serenity is also part of the plan. A sophomore at...