Bill Beckner stories, Page 84

Strobe lights flash at Gateway when teams score goals. As if Mars wasn’t flashy enough. The top-seeded Fightin’ Planets made it 80 straight games without a loss via a 4-1 victory over No. 5 Latrobe in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal Tuesday night in Monroeville. Now they will continue their...

WPIAL girls soccer playoffs Today’s game Class A consolation Greensburg Central Catholic (12-5) vs. Waynesburg (16-4) 8 p.m., Peters Township High School, McMurray What’s at stake?: The winner advances to the PIAA playoffs. The loser’s season is over. Players to watch: Sara Felder, F, GCC; Ashlyn Basinger, F, Waynesburg Corner...

After nine seasons as Norwin’s head football coach, Dave Brozeski is stepping down from the position. He turned in his resignation four days after the Knights closed out a 1-9 season. “It was time,” Brozeski said. “I needed to do what is right for the program. It was a privilege...

Three players from Western Pennsylvania were selected to play in the High School All-American soccer games set for Dec. 10 in Panama City, Fla. Rosters for the annual all-star games were announced Tuesday afternoon. The nationally ranked Mars girls, who will play Latrobe Tuesday night in the WPIAL Class 3A...

Mike Evans continues to search for the right fit in college football. The former Franklin Regional standout receiver played only three games at Robert Morris before transferring to West Virginia. But before he ever saw the field in Morgantown, he was on the move again, entering his name into the...

If any team has been a thorn in Freedom’s side in recent years, it’s Greensburg Central Catholic. GCC had knocked the Bulldogs out of the WPIAL and PIAA Class A girls soccer playoffs four times in three years. Shaye Bailey had seen enough. Bailey took a high through ball and...

Two Westmoreland girls soccer teams have attempted to knock three-time defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Mars from these playoffs, but Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional have come up short despite Herculean efforts. Both took Mars to overtime and lost 1-0. Another local team, Latrobe (12-2-2), will get its shot at the...

WPIAL soccer playoffs preview Class 3A Semifinals 5-Latrobe (12-2-2) vs. 1-Mars (16-0) 6 p.m. Tuesday, Pete Antimarino Stadium, Gateway High School, Monroeville Winner plays: Winner of 3-Plum (16-1)/2-Moon (18-0) Nov. 5 in WPIAL championship at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh (time TBD) Coaches: Jamie Morrison, Latrobe; Blair Gerlach, Mars Players to watch:...

Amateur Palmer Jackson is like a sponge when he is around professional golfers or plays high-level events at premier courses. So when he was granted a sponsor exemption to play his first event on the PGA Tour, he had his mental notebook ready. Jackson, a Franklin Regional grad and a...

The Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association announced its all-state team Sunday night. Fourteen WPIAL players made the list, including several whose teams are still alive in the WPIAL playoffs. The selections are: • Anders Bordoy, Kiski Area • Carlo Denis, Greensburg Central Catholic • Dan Gormley, South Fayette • Kaiden...

WPIAL soccer playoffs preview Girls Class A Semifinals 5-Greensburg Central Catholic (12-4) vs. 1-Freedom (15-4) 6 p.m. Monday at North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, McCandless Winner plays: Winner of 6-Waynesburg (16-3)/2-Springdale (15-3) Friday in WPIAL championship at Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh (time TBD) Coaches: Kara Batey, GCC; Colin Williams, Freedom Players to...

Rarely does a loss generate this much attention. The Penn-Trafford girls soccer team nearly did what no team has been able to do for three years: Beat Mars. Mars, the three-time defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A girls soccer champion, was backed into the ropes Monday night in a WPIAL...

Someone who once was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” had disappeared into the crowd. After a legendary WPIAL career, many wondered what ever became of Bailey Cartwright. Four years flew by at Notre Dame, and Cartwright only played three games as she combated reoccurring leg problems. The...

Marissa Garn wears No. 99. The Mt. Pleasant senior soccer player has her reasons for the unique jersey number. “I can’t wear 100,” Garn said. “I used to wear No. 1 in youth soccer. I am a faithful Christian, and I believe in giving 100 percent. I know God has...

Robin Reilly School: Latrobe Year: Sophomore Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: The sophomore midfielder put together one of her best performances in a season that has included many of them, scoring three goals and adding two assists to lead Latrobe to its first WPIAL playoff win in girls soccer, 6-1...

All things considered, Greensburg Central Catholic coach Marko Thomas was thrilled with his team’s result Friday night — a 48-21 win over Leechburg that clinched the Eastern Conference title. “When you have so many guys out and guys playing different positions, you never know,” Thomas said. “We know we can...

The Norwin boys soccer team played some of its best soccer late in the season and it led to a quality seeding in the WPIAL playoffs. The Knights (11-6) received the No. 3 seed in Class 4A and, since there are only eight teams in the bracket, the Knights earned...

Soccer season continued for one Franklin Regional soccer team, while another saw its season end abruptly. The girls team advanced to the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over South Fayette. Abby Paterline scored for the Panthers (11-5-2) with about 15 minutes to play on a penalty kick....

Greensburg Central Catholic was not in a sharing mood Friday night. With the outright Eastern Conference title dangling like a carrot in front of them, the third-ranked Centurions made sure they took care of business with a 48-21 victory over No. 4 Leechburg in the conference finale. Da’sjon Craggette ran...

WPIAL soccer playoffs preview Girls Class 2A Quarterfinals 7-Freeport (14-2) at 2-Mt. Pleasant (17-1) Noon Saturday, Viking Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Winners plays: Winner of 6-Shady Side Academy (10-5)/3-South Park (13-5) 8 p.m. Tuesday in semifinals (site TBD) Players to watch: Aleah Parison, F, Freeport; Morgan Gesinski, F, Mt. Pleasant Corner...

Try as they might, teams just can’t stop the streak. Franklin Regional “parked the bus,” as coaches like to say, employing a back-line-heavy approach behind the ball to make scoring a chore for mighty Mars. With eight girls back, the Panthers contested shots, played physically and continuously cleared the ball,...

Latrobe quickly put a loss to No. 2 McKeesport in the past and clung to perspective with a trip to the WPIAL playoffs clinched. The Wildcats (5-4) will head to the postseason for just the third time since 2003, secure in an improved mindset and culture reset in the program....

Class 5A Big East Norwin (1-8, 0-4) at Hempfield (5-4, 1-3) 7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Township Neither team is heading to the WPIAL postseason, so this matchup is for pride. Norwin suffered its sixth straight loss, falling 42-10 to Gateway. Nick Urey, one of four quarterbacks the Knights...

WPIAL soccer playoffs preview Girls Class 3A Quarterfinals 5-Latrobe (11-2-2) at 4-Thomas Jefferson (17-2) 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Thomas Jefferson Stadium, Jefferson Hills Winner plays: Winner of 9-Franklin Regional (11-5-2)/1-Mars (15-0), 8 p.m. Tuesday in semifinals (site TBD) Players to watch: Robin Reilly, MF, Latrobe; Bella Vozar, MF, Thomas Jefferson Corner...

When teams open the WPIAL soccer playoffs, they immediately look to take the pressure off. It’s about that first clean shift, that first productive possession and that all-important opening goal. Ultimately, it can all add up to the first win, like it did Tuesday night for the Mt. Pleasant girls....