Bill Beckner stories, Page 10
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe grad Sofia DeCerb earns preseason honor
James Madison redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb (Latrobe) was named the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. DeCerb started 21 games last season and made the Sun Belt all-tournament team. She produced a conference-best seven shutouts for the conference champion Dukes. She finished 12-4-4 in 21 starts with...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Southmoreland getting new turf in time for fall sports
Southmoreland plans to have new turf installed and ready for a girls soccer game Aug. 27 and the home football opener two nights later. Athletic director Brian Pritts said the old turf will be torn out and replaced at Russ Grimm Field beginning Saturday. The project was supposed to start...
‘Play like an animal every play’: Bobby Smithnosky vies for QB position at Greensburg C.C.
Becoming the starting quarterback at Greensburg Central Catholic motivates sophomore Bobby Smithnosky. Especially with last year’s starter, all-everything senior Samir Crosby, also in the competition. There has been a buzz around GCC that Crosby is going to move to wide receiver, the position he is likely to play in college...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Yough baseball coach Palm steps away
Calling it more of a retirement than a resignation, Dan Palm is leaving the Yough baseball program. He was with the Cougars for 10 years, including the last three as head coach. Palm was Craig Spisak’s assistant for seven seasons and took over when Spisak left to coach at Norwin....
Norwin coach spends summer racking up air miles, helping wrestlers to new heights
When he finally walked in the door to his house in late July, Kyle Martin realized he’d only been home for 10 days since the end of May. Norwin’s wrestling coach took a rock band-like road trip to coach and train youth wrestlers. It is what he does. What he...
Love of the game helps Franklin Regional volleyball standout make instant impact
He gets asked the same question all the time. “Do you play basketball?” But Jason Buczynski, at a towering 6-foot-7, lets down inquisitors gently. Not anymore. The rising junior at Franklin Regional played from age 6-13 but set aside the sport for another with nets. “I did not have passion...
Self-described ‘Yough guy’ takes over school’s boys basketball program
As Yough football’s defensive coordinator, Devin Owens knows his way around Cougar Mountain. And while he graduated from Carrick and lives in Donora, he considers himself a “Yough guy.” “There are great kids and really good people here,” Owens said. “(Football) coach Benny (Hoffer) welcomed me with open arms. They...
Mt. Pleasant soccer star changes college plans, picks Robert Morris
Her first shot at the recruiting game hit the post. The second one, however, she slotted home. Mt. Pleasant rising senior soccer standout Morgan Gesinski announced a verbal commitment to Robert Morris on Thursday, about six months after she decommitted from Mercyhurst because of a coaching change. Gesinski, an all-state...
Norwin punter snags 1st Division I offer
Norwin punter Evan Pfeifer has his first NCAA Division I football opportunity. And he didn’t exactly see it coming. Air Force, an FBS program, extended an offer to the strong-legged senior, who is primed to pin opponents deep this season. Air Force does not offer athletic scholarships, so Pfeifer would...
Despite personnel changes, Latrobe holds bar high
Latrobe football fans know the narrative by now. Three consecutive WPIAL playoff appearances have turned around a once downtrodden program and created a fresh wave of interest. The Wildcats are no longer at the back of the line. Now new coach Tom McIntyre wants to make it four in a...
Hempfield, Jeannette, Penn-Trafford honoring late coach T.J Detruf with jersey number, fundraisers, decals
The number 18 — and the man who wore it — will hold significant meaning for three local football programs who are carrying on the memory of T.J. Detruf and providing support for his family. Hempfield senior quarterback Dom Detruf will switch to jersey No. 18 to honor his late...
WPIAL girls golf preview: Defending champs Peters Township, Shady Side Academy still brimming with talent
The WPIAL golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: Peters Township (317) 2024 PIAA champion: Peters Township (227) Favorite: North Allegheny will chase its 11th WPIAL title, first since 2018, with its full...
WPIAL boys golf preview: North Allegheny, North Catholic set to defend titles
WPIAL boys golf season begins Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and individuals to watch this fall. Class 3A Team 2024 WPIAL champion: North Allegheny (386) 2024 PIAA champion: North Allegheny (286) Favorite: North Allegheny, which won its first WPIAL title since 1971 and doubled down with...
Healthier Norwin boasts size, depth, confidence
To appreciate the level of excitement at Norwin heading into a new season, one must first understand what the team endured last year. Injuries gnawed the Knights to the bone. It was painful and grueling. “We only had one game where everybody was healthy,” third-year coach Mike Brown said. “And...
Hempfield puts focus on offseason work in effort to climb standings
Hempfield is doing all the right things off the field in the hopes to capture more wins on it. The Spartans have been conditioning since the winter. So has every other team, yes. But Hempfield makes the offseason an event. They have a weight room goal-board with increasingly larger goal...
Wisconsin RB, Penn-Trafford grad Cade Yacamelli named to ‘Freaks List’
Cade Yacamelli was often said to have “freakish” qualities when he played at Penn-Trafford. His teammates were often in awe of how high he could jump vertically and how fast he could sprint. Now at Wisconsin, the budding running back has caught the attention of national pundits, including Bruce Feldman,...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Hempfield grad Fintan Brose earns preseason honor
Delaware lineman Fintan Brose is on the NFL radar. Not only that, but Brose, a Hempfield graduate, is eligible to get selected to play in college football’s longest-running all-star game. Brose (6-foot-2, 302 pounds) was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list. The list is intended to highlight the...
Bushy Run American Legion team disqualified from Mid-Atlantic Super Regional
The state champion Bushy Run American Legion baseball team was disqualified from the Mid-Atlantic Super Regional because of a deadline issue with clearances for players 18 and older. Adult players must have clearances completed and approved before the start of the Mid-Atlantic tournament, which begins Aug. 6 in Hanover, Md....
Jeannette announces 6th Hall of Fame class
The sixth Jeannette Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class was announced Saturday, presented by the Jeannette Educational Foundation. The 2025 class includes nine athletes, one team and one coach. Inductees are: Athletes • Julian Batts, Class of 2015, basketball • A.J. Graves, Class of 2005, wrestling • Ciara Gregory, Class...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Heat is on as WPIAL football players prepare for camp
The heat is on for WPIAL football players. The customary heat acclimatization week begins Monday around the league, with the start of full-contact training camp fast on its tail the following Monday. Players will wear helmets and shoulder pads this week but can’t have contact with teammates. They must attend...
Former Norwin standouts Gianni Rizzo, Luke Levendosky bring youth, energy to Knights coaching staff
As players, Gianni Rizzo and Luke Levendosky left different marks on the Norwin football program. Rizzo was a run-smothering linebacker and fleet-footed wide receiver, while Levendosky powered the offense as a pinpoint quarterback. As coaches, they could have a lot to offer their alma mater. Both were added to Mike...
After pulling double duty with Franklin Regional soccer, football, Joey Bayne takes on new challenge
For years, Joey Bayne kicked soccer balls and footballs in the hopes of playing one or both sports at the next level. His grind was year-round, and he did double-duty playing soccer and football in the same season at Franklin Regional. You might call him the fall guy. But it...
Norwin’s Landon Sidun ready to bounce back from injury
When Landon Sidun takes the mat for his next large-scale wrestling competition — likely at the Super 32 Tournament in October in North Carolina — he will let his instincts take the wheel. The gifted 121-pounder cannot wait to pin somebody again. It has been a while. “I have been...
2025 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: North Allegheny’s Lincoln Hoke
While he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his father and two brothers and continue a family tradition by committing to Brigham Young, Lincoln Hoke can assure you he plays football like his family members. The Pitt recruit knows one way: the Hoke way. “One-hundred percent,” the rising senior lineman...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Kennedy back with Greensburg Central Catholic soccer
A familiar name is back on the soccer field at Greensburg Central Catholic. Veteran coach Tom Kennedy will lead the girls program this fall. Kennedy played a key role in forming the girls team when he was at GCC in the early 1990s. He coached the GCC boys team from...
