Bill Beckner stories, Page 54

With only three returning starters, the Franklin Regional girls volleyball team will have to build experience match by match. Coach Rachel Carter’s team finished 10-11 last season and went 1-1 in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. The Panthers took fourth in Section 4, were tabbed a No. 19 seed in...

With more than 40 running sessions over the summer that often spanned five days a week, Norwin cross country runners developed a flow. A flow for running long races. A flow for competition. And a flow for team chemistry and bonding. One thing is certain: If you run for Norwin,...

Mary Ellen Ferragonio knew her team was taking part in an event that was as unique as it was celebratory. And it still felt special, even though Norwin had played in it two times before. The third Pack the Park outdoor girls volleyball match was played in perfect weather conditions...

With its special teams unit flying to the football and setting field position and its running game in high gear, Franklin Regional handed upstart Connellsville a humbling 38-0 defeat in a nonconference matchup Friday night at Panther Stadium in Murrysville. Franklin Regional (2-1) stuffed the Falcons’ running attack and got...

Kickers often are undervalued, at least by spectators who would rather see big plays and touchdowns. But those special teams leaders could play a key role for Westmoreland County teams as the season moves ahead. Senior Jake Kaylor is another key weapon at Southmoreland, which is expected to keep its...

Connellsville (2-0) at Franklin Regional (1-1) 7 p.m., Friday, Franklin Regional Panther Stadium, Murrysville Last week: Connellsville 28, Hempfield 7; Franklin Regional 28, Latrobe 21 Last year’s result: Franklin Regional 40, Connellsville 0 Franklin Regional welcomes a Connellsville squad off to its best start since 1997 after nonconference wins against...

With an appreciation for possession-style soccer, Ryan Kanner is simplifying the offense in his first season as Greensburg Central Catholic’s boys coach. The scheme he has implemented is not original. In fact, one of the top professional teams in the world uses it. Futbol Club Barcelona employs its “Tiki-Taka” brand...

Norwin is the only Westmoreland County team left in the Trib Live HSSN rankings. Things, of course, could change as the season carries on. But the Knights, who are sitting at No. 5 in Class 4A, are looking strong. They take a 4-1 mark into Thursday’s game at Peters Township....

Wave-crashing scenes from iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links have only been pictures on the web or in golf magazines to Izzy Aigner. “The views are magnificent,” Aigner said. But later this month, she will see them up close. Very close. As in, she will get to play the course with...

Franklin Regional is adopting a next-girl-up mentality after losing a key starter to an injury. Freshman defender Grace Copeland suffered a broken leg in a 1-0 win over Penn-Trafford last week. She is wearing a full leg cast and will miss the remainder of the season. “It’s tough losing a...

When a few Westmoreland County girls soccer players came to a Y in the road — to play or not to play this season — they all chose the same direction. Now, they’re off the map. Three talented players decided to take a year off from high school soccer to...

It didn’t take Cody Rubrecht long to score his first college touchdown. In his first start, in his first college game, the freshman from Greensburg Salem grabbed a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jake Cruz as Seton Hill dropped a 35-24 decision to Wheeling in Thursday’s season opener. He caught the...

Ligonier Valley golfer Brody McIntosh had quite a surprise waiting for him at the sixth hole during last Monday’s match at Norvelt Golf Club. A hole-in-one. Fuming red after making a triple-bogey 7 on No. 5, the senior stomped to the sixth tee, dropped his ball on the teebox without...

Ava Hershberger Class: Senior School: Penn-Trafford Sport: Field hockey Claim to fame: Hershberger, a standout who will play collegiately at Ohio State, scored her 100th career goal when the Warriors defeated Norwin, 5-1. She had a hat trick in the victory. The midfielder has nine goals this season and 105...

Derry did something Friday night it had not done since the disruptive, covid-plagued season of 2020: It won a football game. The Trojans finally knocked down a losing streak that had bedeviled them for nearly three years, defeating Greensburg Salem, 26-21, to end a 20-game skid. The longest active losing...

“Don’t drop the baby” has become one of Norwin’s favorite games to play at volleyball practice. The Lady Knights hope the multi-tasking game makes them sharper this season. Basically, two extra volleyballs are put in play, with teams playing normally with a regular ball, while passing to each other two...

Norwin showed some fight in its first football game of the season. The Knights fell behind early and rallied to tie it at halftime, but ultimately fell to host Upper St. Clair, 24-21. Sophomore quarterback Tristyn Tavares completed 12 of 27 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns, two of...

Franklin Regional will never forget Joe Purdue. The Panthers are wearing helmet decals with the initials “J.P.” this season to remember their late and beloved teammate. A somber moment of silence was held in the Week Zero opener at Panthers Stadium for Purdue, who died in March from pediatric brain...

Four goals. It wasn’t so much about how they happened, but that they happened. Then again, Latrobe players and coaches have come to expect such a performance from Robin Reilly. The junior midfielder had not played a competitive game in two months when she took the field for the first...

Greensburg Central Catholic was hoping Bishop Canevin would be rusty because the highly touted Crusaders did not play a game or scrimmage last week. The Crusaders were, especially early. But they recovered from the groggy start and a slew of penalties, using a huge push up front and some GCC...

Plum is finding different ways to score goals this soccer season. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It can even be boring, as long as the ball goes in the net. The fourth-ranked Mustangs did enough to claim a 1-0 shutout in a chippy Section 3-3A matchup against neighboring Franklin...

John Jablunovsky and Da’sjon Craggette ran wild in their season openers, each rushing for more than 200 yards as their teams won. The speedsters will square off this week as Ligonier Valley (1-0) hosts Southmoreland (1-0) in nonconference action. You want track speed? You’ll get it with these two. This...

When two defensive-minded girls soccer teams get together, you don’t expect to see much offense. Maybe none at all. At least not in the run of play. Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford didn’t take many chances, or shots, as they battled deep into the second half and into overtime Wednesday night,...

Class A No. 2 Bishop Canevin (0-0) at Greensburg Central Catholic (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, Centurions Stadium, Carbon Last week: Bishop Canevin did not play; Greensburg Central Catholic 37, Mt. Pleasant 24 Last year’s meeting: Bishop Canevin 30, Greensburg Central Catholic 14 Two Class A playoff contenders meet in a...

It would not be the start of boys soccer season in the Mon Valley without the Paul Sasko Kickoff Classic at Belle Vernon. The annual Labor Day weekend event, which began under a different name in 2005, is named after Sasko, the former Leopards coach who died in 2016. This...