Bill Beckner stories, Page 97

Norwin had a strong regular season but bowed out early in the WPIAL Class 3A boys volleyball playoffs. The No. 5-seeded Knights dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 4 Shaler in the quarterfinals. Norwin coach Mike Palaschak said he expected the match to be close, and it was. The Knights...

Franklin Regional track and field coach Bob Ralston has been dealing with a sprained ankle, but it didn’t stop him from leading the Panthers at the WPIAL Class 3A Championship meet at Slippery Rock. The Panthers did not have any PIAA qualifiers, but several athletes performed as well as they...

Barely done with her playing days, Darien Lantz is ready to take on her first head-coaching job at the collegiate level. Lantz was announced Friday as the new women’s basketball coach at Pitt-Greensburg. She replaces Kelsey Oddis, who resigned and accepted another on-campus position. Lantz was an assistant at Thiel...

She cranked a shot into the left-field corner and never saw the outfielder bobble the softball. Emma Henry only had one thing on her mind when the ball left the bat and she made the turn: Keep running. The Greensburg Central Catholic junior got the offense started with a triple...

As sure as he looked at his watch, Mike Liebdzinski knew when he walked off the field Monday at Plum that it was time. The longtime Norwin baseball coach is calling it a career after nearly three decades in the dugout. He told his players about his resignation Thursday. “This...

As Hempfield was making lineup changes late in the game, Seneca Valley players passed the time with a quick round of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game went around the horn. Other players danced to music in between innings. It’s all fun and games these days for the Raiders, and they wouldn’t have...

WPIAL softball playoffs Consolation game Class A Greensburg Central Catholic (12-6) vs. Springdale (11-2) 4 p.m. Thursday at Plum Players to watch: Emma Henry, GCC; Alexis Hrivnak, Springdale Extra bases: GCC is having its best season since 2012, the last time it made the PIAA playoffs. The Centurions must win...

This wasn’t calculated. Nothing about it was based on analytics. And it had nothing to do with what was written on a wrist band. What Penn-Trafford softball coach Denny Little and his staff did in the fifth inning Tuesday was pure, unscripted feel — as good as drawing up a...

Class 6A Semifinals 4-Seneca Valley (11-6) vs. 1-Hempfield (13-3) 4 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 7-North Allegheny (12-9) vs. 3-Pine-Richland (12-4) on June 1 in championship (time TBD) at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Lexie Hames, Seneca Valley; Hannah Uhrinek, Hempfield On the air: Broadcast |...

Aaron Schmook did not set out to commit the week of the PIAA track and field championships. But in a sport that prides itself on timing and separation, his decision seems appropriate all the same. The senior from Norwin has accepted a partial scholarship to throw the javelin at Kent...

Central Catholic sophomore Gavin Kelly is glad there is a quick turnaround from the WPIAL Class 6A baseball quarterfinals to the semifinals. Quick as in, be ready to play again in less than 24 hours. “That’s good. We want to keep playing because we’re hot,” the West Virginia commit said....

Class 5A semifinals 11-Chartiers Valley (15-4) vs. 2-Penn-Trafford (17-2) 5 p.m. at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of 4-North Hills (16-3) vs. 1-Armstrong (18-4) on June 2 (time TBD) in championship at Cal (Pa.) Players to watch: Marie Kinchington, Chartiers Valley; Cam Ponko, Penn-Trafford Extra bases: Chartiers Valley stunned No....

Patrick Comer will lead Westmoreland County Community College sports into the future. Comer, of Greensburg, was named the school’s next athletic director. From the start, he will oversee an important move by the college. WCCC is primed to compete in NJCAA Division II and will offer scholarships to athletes starting...

There is a marked difference in Kylee Piconi’s confidence — and her batting average — lately. As it turns out, the two things are not mutually exclusive. The Penn-Trafford junior shortstop has sparked the Warriors softball team through two rounds of the WPIAL playoffs, all the while ending a hitting...

Gio Vonne Sanders entered the transfer portal looking for an opportunity with another Division I program. The former St. Francis (Pa.) standout defensive back out of Jeannette has a few bites on the line. Northeast Conference teams Duquesne and Sacred Heart, who know Sanders well, have offered scholarships. He recently...

Class 6A quarterfinals 5-Central Catholic (11-9) vs. 4-Norwin (10-8) 4 p.m. at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 8-Seneca Valley (14-7) vs. 1-Mt. Lebanon (13-7) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Cade O’Leary, Central Catholic; Jack Whalen, Norwin Extra bases: Central Catholic finished third in Section 1...

Class 4A quarterfinals 5-Montour (13-4) vs. 4-Yough (13-3) 3 p.m. at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of 8-Freeport (10-6) vs. 1-Beaver (16-0) on Wednesday in semifinals Players to watch: Mia Arndt, Montour; McKenzie Pritts, Yough Extra bases: Montour held off Knoch in the first round 11-9. The Spartans trailed 9-7...

Tre Cunningham’s name and legacy carries on at Jeannette. The late three-sport star, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2020, was honored through a high school boys’ basketball tournament last year at Jeannette. Last week, the Jeannette Educational Foundation presented the Tre Cunningham Memorial Basketball...

Corinn Brewer School: Greensburg Central Catholic Year: Senior Claim to fame: Brewer continues to prove she is one of the elite track and field athletes in the WPIAL. The Notre Dame commit won the pole vault at the WPIAL Class 2A championships at Slippery Rock, while also finishing second in...

The Norwin baseball team rallied to earn a WPIAL Class 6A playoff spot and a decent seed in the bracket. The fourth-seeded Knights (10-8) were scheduled to take on No. 5 Central Catholic (10-9) in the quarterfinals of the eight-team bracket May 23. The Knights were 4-6 at one point...

If Hempfield makes a run to its eighth WPIAL softball title, it will finish it without freshman pitcher Riley Miller. The Spartans ace broke her left foot sliding into second base during the team’s 5-4 WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal win over Norwin on Wednesday at Penn-Trafford. She is done for...

Mia Smith was concerned she might not pitch well Thursday because she had a shaky warmup session on an adjacent field at Plum. When game time arrived, though, the Penn-Trafford senior was practically unhittable. Funny how the best ones can lock in on the biggest stages. “Watch out when she...

Top-seeded Hempfield played the percentages and, as a result, gets to play in the semifinals. Spartans first-year softball coach Tina Madison issued four intentional walks to Norwin — including two in the seventh inning with her team up by one run — and allowed the Knights to load the bases...

WPIAL softball playoffs Capsule previews Class 5A Quarterfinals 10-Shaler (16-3) vs. 2-Penn-Trafford (16-2) 5 p.m. Thursday at Plum Winner plays: Winner of 11-Chartiers Valley (14-4) vs. 3-Trinity (16-2) on Tuesday in the semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Mallor Moran, Shaler; Kylee Picconi, Penn-Trafford Extra bases: Shaler was a...

Class 5A Quarterfinals 8-Penn-Trafford (14-6) vs. 1-Peters Township (19-1) 4:30 p.m. Thursday at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of Thomas Jefferson (14-6) vs. Chartiers Valley (10-11) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Dylan Grabowski, Penn-Trafford; Sam Miller, Penn-Trafford Extra bases: Penn-Trafford won its sixth one-run game...