Bill Beckner stories, Page 66
Franklin Regional surges past Hempfield for 4th straight victory
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...
Yough grad Jim Schaffer named athletic director at alma mater
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...
Latrobe boys get past Franklin Regional in OT in chippy match
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...
Slick-fielding Hempfield shortstop Allie Cervola picks Ohio
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,...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Latrobe senior making impact
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...
Lola Abraham’s 4 goals lift Riverview past GCC in Section 1-A showdown
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...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2023 Week 7
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...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Jeannette’s Jordan Taylor climbs WPIAL all-time goals list
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...
Mt. Pleasant senior thrives after battling through career-threatening hip problem
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...
Trevor Kovatch’s PK goal lifts Belle Vernon to key win over Mt. Pleasant
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...
Norwin grad Declan O’Brien leading nation in receiving for Allegheny College
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....
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Before knee surgery, GCC senior scores one last goal
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...
Despite challenges, Southmoreland girls soccer emerges as perennial playoff program
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...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Greensburg Salem grad wins 1st cross country title
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...
Sought-after Franklin Regional slugger Toryn Fulton commits to South Florida
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....
Latrobe girls soccer picks up pace, ends Franklin Regional win streak
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...
4 WPIAL players on watch list, Moon’s Pfeifer to coach in HS All-American soccer game
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...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: GCC grad Max Pisula working double duty for Saint Vincent
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,...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WCCA cross country meets set for Wednesday
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...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Mt. Pleasant’s Morgan Gesinski, Greensburg Salem’s Hunter Webb
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...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Franklin Regional’s Hudock makes Norwin pay
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...
Norwin runner finds perfect pace, shows plenty of potential
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...
Defense in peak form for Franklin Regional girls soccer
While the math doesn’t seem to add up, defensive play equates to one-sided play. Through 11 games, Franklin Regional had scored just 20 goals, one of the lowest totals among teams with winning records in WPIAL Class 3A. But on the other side, the Panthers had surrendered just eight goals...
Franklin Regional shows grit, staves off furious Norwin rally
Franklin Regional remained in the Big East playoff hunt. Norwin still is looking to start as well as it finishes. Ayden Hudock and Chase Lemke made the offense go, and the Panthers held off a furious second-half rally by Norwin for a 37-29 victory Friday night at Panther Stadium. Hudock...
Clutch goal lifts Mt. Pleasant boys past McGuffey to run win streak to 6
Mt. Pleasant ran its winning streak to six but not before a somewhat painstaking final push at McGuffey. The Vikings pelted the visitors with 18 shots, challenging goalkeeper Sam Stout from a number of angles, before punching in a late goal to finally grant tense home fans some relief. Senior...
