Bill Beckner stories, Page 6

Waynesburg started the Chris Brunson era with a pair of wins. Brunson, the former championship-winning coach at Mt. Pleasant, won his first two games as Waynesburg’s new softball coach, 3-2 and 14-0 (5 innings) over Penn State Altoona. Sophomore third baseman Brynn Charnesky (Southmoreland) had a double and RBI in...

The PIAA announced first-round times and sites for the state tournaments, which begin Friday and Saturday across the commonwealth. The area’s three WPIAL champions will host opening games. The Belle Vernon boys (21-4) will welcome Farrell (12-11), the fifth-place team from District 10, at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class...

The Norwin boys and girls indoor track and field teams are champions for the first time. Both won titles at the Tri-State Track and Field Coaches Association championships at the Edinboro Bubble. Ryan Schiller won the 60-meter dash in 8.14 seconds, Luke Simpson was first in the mile in 4...

The Norwin boys and girls indoor track and field teams are champions for the first time. Both won titles at the Tri-State Track & Field Coaches Association Championships last weekend at the Edinboro Bubble. Ryan Schiller won the 60-meter dash in 8.14 seconds, Luke Simpson was first in the mile...

A reporter asked some Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball players in a postgame news conference if the shoes they wore in the WPIAL championship were new. The entire team wore aqua-green Nike high-tops at Petersen Events Center on Thursday night when they celebrated their second straight title. “No, we’ve had...

Jeannette received new shoes for the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship. The Jayhawks beat the socks off of Union to win their first title in 17 years. Playing an up-tempo style from the beginning, third-seeded Jeannette started quickly, owned the fast break and used balanced scoring and pressure defense...

The celebration was short after Norwin won its WPIAL semifinal over Canon-McMillan on Tuesday night in Mt. Lebanon. Veteran coach Brian Brozeski, who has been through many postseason runs, made sure his team boarded the bus with perspective after a 42-26 win that saw the Knights fend off a late...

WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball championship No. 1 Norwin vs. No. 2 Upper St. Clair 5 p.m. Saturday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network; Audio: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: Norwin 3 (2024, ’15, ’16), Upper St. Clair 6 (2008, ‘03, 1996, ‘94, ‘93, ’73) Norwin (15-7)...

Erica Gribble scored 14 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter and Jayla Peterson had seven of her 15 in the final eight minutes as No. 2 seed Greensburg Central Catholic rallied defeated No. 1 and defending champion Shady Side Academy, 53-50, in the WPIAL Class 3A girls...

Jeannette will lace up new basketball sneakers for the WPIAL title game. Alumni donated money to buy the boys team new Nike shoes for making it to the Class 2A championship game, the Jayhawks’ first appearance in the finals since 2015. Jeannette (22-2) plays Union (19-6) at 5 p.m. Friday...

His voice long gone, Adrian Batts let the moment wash over him after his Jeannette boys basketball team ripped off a 20-point win in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals Monday at jam-packed Fox Chapel. This one was special. “What an amazing effort, lot of grit,” Batts said. “Everything we talked...

WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship No. 8 Union vs. No. 3 Jeannette 5 p.m. Friday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: Union 1 (2003); Jeannette 1 (2008) Union (18-6) Coach: Mark Stanley Projected starting lineup No., Name, Ht., Cl., Pos. 1, Maddox Thompson,...

WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship No. 1 Shady Side Academy vs. No. 2 Greensburg Central Catholic 7 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network; audio: Trib HSSN WPIAL titles: GCC 6 (2024, ’07, ’06, ’03, 1997, ’91); SSA 1 (2024) Shady Side Academy (24-0)...

At 15-7, the Norwin girls don’t have a snazzy record. But that has never been the Knights’ objective. “Sure, it would be cool to beat everyone and be undefeated,” senior guard Kendall Berger said. “But you don’t learn from winning constantly. You grow from losing some and it builds character.”...

In a back hallway, just off the court Saturday at AHN Arena in Peters Township, Joe Salvino looked up at a scrum of reporters who wanted his reaction to a riveting one-point semifinal win. The Belle Vernon boys basketball coach was jovial and made the group chuckle with a couple...

WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball championship No. 1 Belle Vernon vs. No. 2 North Catholic 9 p.m. Thursday, Petersen Events Center On the air: Video livestream: NFHS Network WPIAL titles: North Catholic 5 (2020, ’17, ’16, ’10, ’09); Belle Vernon 1 (1978) Belle Vernon (20-4) Coach: Joe Salvino Projected starting...

Jeannette challenged its big men this week. Be more aggressive, go to the basket, look to score. The post trio of Xavier Odorisio-Farrow, Lonnie Greene and Noah Sunder responded — Green off the bench — in a 45-25 win over No. 2 seed Sewickley Academy in the WPIAL 2A semifinals...

Norwin is approaching its next opponent with caution. The Knights (14-7), a win away from a second straight trip to the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball final, will take on Canon-McMillan (14-8) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon. While Norwin cruised in the first Section 2...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Semifinals 4-Canon-McMillan (14-8) vs. 1-Norwin (14-7) 6 p.m. Tuesday at Mt. Lebanon Winner plays: Winner of 6-Mt. Lebanon (14-9)/2-Upper St. Clair (17-6) 5 p.m. Saturday in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Madison Clair, Canon-McMillan; Bella Furno, Norwin Layup lines: Canon-McMillan defeated...

Kiley Myers was as efficient as she was dominant in her first college softball no-hitter. The Marist grad student and Latrobe graduate blanked Long Island, 9-0, in five innings with precision. She had only two strikeouts but threw just 51 pitches and allowed one baserunner. The fast-throwing right-hander retired 10...

All the talk about Sewickley Academy’s height was canceled out by Jeannette’s post players in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals. Jeannette sent a message with one defining play: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow’s drive and slam over 6-foot-8 Mamadou Kane in the third quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped send...

Kymon’e Brown served up a pointed answer in an interview after his Jeannette Jayhawks pulled off an improbable rally to squeeze past Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals. It was aimed at doubters. “Don’t count us out,” Brown said after Jeannette’s 55-50 win that...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A Semifinals 3-Jeannette (21-2) vs. 2-Sewickley Academy (20-4) 7:30 p.m. Monday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 8-Union (18-6)/4-Neshannock (21-2) at 5 p.m. on Friday in championship at Petersen Events Center Players to watch: Adam Ikamba, Sewickley Academy; Markus McGowan, Jeannette Layup lines: Sewickley...

Belle Vernon’s new boys soccer coach is a former Mon Valley standout. Tyler Caterino was hired last week to lead the Leopards. The former Monessen and Westminster standout is just 25. He coached one season in the WPIAL, last year with the California boys, a playoff team. Caterino is a...

It looks like Greensburg Central Catholic found its third scoring option. And a defensive edge to go along with it. Sophomore Avery Jones helped carry some of the offensive load by scoring a career-high 14 points, and No. 2 seed GCC clamped down defensively to hold No. 3 Our Lady...