Bill Beckner stories, Page 71
Greensburg Salem golfer’s swing is sweeter with new prosthetic armVideo
As soon as he arrived home from the Hanger Clinic in Greensburg, Ian Smith grabbed a golf club and headed for his backyard. The anticipation was too pressing. The butterflies were swarming in his stomach. He wanted to hug somebody. Now, he could. A few slides and a couple clicks...
Belle Vernon girls golf team finally tees off for its inaugural season
As Vittoria Scaramucci pushed a tee into the ground, set her golf ball on it and took aim down the fairway, the intensity of the moment began to set in. This wasn’t any ordinary tee shot Aug. 18 at Cedarbrook Golf Course’s Red Course. It was the first one in...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Malia Kearns off to fast start at RMU
After earning Horizon League all-freshmen accolades last season, it should not come as a surprise that Penn-Trafford graduate Malia Kearns is making an impact already as a sophomore at Robert Morris. She scored a goal and registered an assist in the team’s first three games, all wins. Her assist came...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: WCCA boys golf championship coming this week
The first event on the Westmoreland County Coaches Association’s fall calendar will take place later this week with the boys golf championship. The 18-hole event begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at Latrobe Elks Golf Course. An individual champion will be crowned, along with Class 3A and 2A team winners. There...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Soccer recruit delivers in clutch for Jeannette
Jeannette football coach Tommy Paulone and his staff were on the lookout for a kicker this offseason. So they cast a line into a pond where desperate coaches hope to get a bite: the soccer team. There they found senior Austin Emery, an accomplished soccer player who had not kicked...
Hempfield girls soccer snaps 46-game losing streak
The streak is over. There aren’t four more refreshing words for the Hempfield girls soccer team to hear. There couldn’t be. Not for a team that hadn’t won a game in almost four years. Not for a team that had not scored a goal in two years. The Spartans were...
Norwin girls soccer driven to return to playoffs
Norwin girls soccer coach Diane Metzger does not like to get too specific with preseason details about her team. That is because the unexpected can show up, well, unexpectedly. Injuries derailed the Lady Knights the last two seasons, leaving a scar in 2022 when the team missed the WPIAL playoffs...
Franklin Regional boys look to reload, climb WPIAL soccer ladder
Lukas Petersen remembers the empty feeling in his body as he watched Montour celebrate a 2-1 upset of his Franklin Regional Panthers in the WPIAL Class 3A first round late last October. He doesn’t want to feel that again. He doesn’t want his players to experience it, either. But nothing...
Latrobe gets all phases clicking in convincing opening-night win over Derry
A few weeks ago, Latrobe Memorial Stadium hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ annual “Friday Night Lights” practice. About 14,000 people showed up to catch a glimpse of the team. While the crowd wasn’t quite as large this time, Latrobe fans filled the bleachers and looked on with similar interest as their...
Yough athletic director resigns
Yough is looking for an athletic director after the resignation of Bill Flow. Flow, who was hired last June, is leaving to teach English at Highlands High School in Harrison Township, Allegheny County. A Norwin graduate, Flow oversaw the replacement of Yough’s basketball court and made other updates aimed at...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Craggette gets comfortable at Southmoreland
Da’sjon Craggette looked comfortable during a few training camp drills, making plays and laughing with his new teammates at Southmoreland. “It’s gone better than I could have imagined,” said Craggette, a senior running back and safety who transferred from Greensburg Central Catholic — by way of Geibel, which does not...
Westmoreland County girls soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant primed for more playoff success
After a WPIAL runner-up season that included a trip to the PIAA Class 2A girls soccer semifinals, Mt. Pleasant is primed for another postseason push. The Vikings, who went 21-3, could have the best lineup their soccer program has seen, and with it, speed, technique and a sense of belonging...
Westmoreland County boys soccer preview: Trevor Kovatch back to lead young Belle Vernon
Fifteen players accounted for points, and 11 scored goals last season for Belle Vernon’s boys soccer team. The balanced production led the Leopards to a section title and a WPIAL Class 3A playoff spot. While they will be young this season, the Leopards still could bounce the ball around and...
Former Jeannette teammates Robert Kennedy, Marcus Barnes suiting up for major college programs
Robert Kennedy and Marcus Barnes were football teammates at Jeannette and won WPIAL and PIAA championships together. They shared the same defensive secondary, ball-hawking with the best in Class A. On offense, Kennedy carried the football and Barnes caught it out wide. Who knew five years later they both would...
Seton Hill promotes assistant Gallagher to head women’s basketball coach after Katarski accepts new role
A promotion, a new role and a change in command. The wheels are in motion with the Seton Hill women’s basketball program. The university announced assistant Maeve Gallagher has been promoted to head coach, while Mark Katarski, who has guided the Griffins for nine seasons and has the program record...
Moe Rosensteel Award watch list for WPIAL’s top girls soccer player announced
The 2023 Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year watch list is here, just a few days before the start of the high school season. This is the fifth year for the award, which is named for the late Katelyn “Moe” Rosensteel and goes to the top girls soccer player in...
Ligonier Valley grad Maddy Grimm helps Texas Smoke win 1st championship
After two years away from high-level softball, Maddy Grimm returned to the game she loves and won a championship. The Ligonier Valley alum helped lead the Texas Smoke to the first championship in the Women’s Professional Fastpitch league. The power-hitting shortstop out of Kent State stretched out her career a...
Senior Kadin Keefer flourishes in Southmoreland’s QB-friendly offense
When Tim Bukowski joined the staff as the offensive coordinator at Southmoreland in 2018, he didn’t just put in a new offense. He made it a priority to develop quarterbacks who could run it. Now the second-year head coach of the Scotties, Bukowski appreciates what he sees in the development...
2023 WPIAL girls soccer preview: Rankings, contenders, players to watch
WPIAL girls soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: North Allegheny Runner-up: Peters Township Team to beat: North Allegheny brings back eight all-section players and should have some offensive pop as the Tigers chase their fourth title in five years. Others to watch: Look for experienced Peters Township to chase down...
Norwin’s Bursick verbally commits to play soccer at Duquesne
Junior Julia Bursick is done playing soccer at Norwin. For now. In a couple of years, she hopes to be playing for Duquesne. In between, she will train and continue to prepare for a post-high school career in soccer and academics. Bursick announced Monday she has verbally committed to play...
After playing QB out of necessity last season, Norwin’s Denny moves to receiver to take advantage of speed
Quarterback was not Luke Denny’s bag. When he played the position last season out of necessity, he did his best to limit mistakes and did what he could to manage the offense and move the sticks. But the role came with a measure of tolerance. “Didn’t like it much,” the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Horvat named Student-Athlete of the Year
Recent Washington & Jefferson graduate Tyler Horvat (Penn-Trafford), known for being one of the top utility baseball players in NCAA Division III, was named the Division III Commissioner’s Association Region VII Student-Athlete of the Year. He is now eligible for the national DIIICA Athlete of the Year award, which will...
2023 WPIAL boys soccer preview: Rankings, contenders, players to watch
WPIAL boys soccer preview Class 4A Defending champion: Pine-Richland Runner-up: Seneca Valley Team to beat: For now, it’s the team at the top. But 4A could be wide open. While the offense will need an infusion of new scorers, Pine-Richland returns several starters from a 15-5-1 team that stunned two-time...
Jeannette program beginning to regain footing
Asked if he was satisfied after a three-win season that saw Jeannette finish fourth in the Eastern Conference and make the WPIAL Class A football playoffs, second-year coach Tommy Paulone paused. “Pleased? Disappointed? I’d say I’m in the middle — slightly miserable,” Paulone said. “We gave away two games. I...
New coach to rely on playmakers at Greensburg Central Catholic
As a former defensive coordinator at Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst and Gannon, and a defensive backs and linebackers coach at St. Francis (Pa.) and Marist, it is clear where JT Thompson’s passion lies in football. “I am all about defense,” said Thompson, the first-year coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. “It’s what...
