Bill Beckner stories, Page 130
Depth shows for GCC boys basketball team in win over Ligonier Valley
Developing depth can be just as important as winning, and Greensburg Central Catholic is doing both as it builds toward section play. “We feel pretty comfortable with our starting five, so the big thing for us right now is six though 10,” Centurions boys basketball coach Christian Hyland said. “We’re...
Franklin Regional girls basketball shows promise in strong opening weekend
Franklin Regional girls basketball players are trying to learn a new system under coach Bernie Pucka, and if that means a few extra hours in the gym, so be it. They are committed to the cause after a good start to the season. After playing games last Friday and Saturday,...
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Greensburg Salem developing depth
Greensburg Salem knows if it is going to compete with the top girls basketball teams in Section 4-5A, it can’t rely solely on the scoring of senior guard Abby Mankins and her sister, sophomore forward Kaitlyn Mankins. Offense will take the team only so far. There has to be more...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Jeannette prepared to carry on football coaching tradition
Jeannette is ready to hire a football coach. The district will vote on a recommended candidate at a special meeting Monday. Four finalists — all of whom graduated from Jeannette — were chosen, carrying on a traditional trait for recent hires. One of them will replace Roy Hall, who resigned...
Franklin Regional stops Penn-Trafford in OT nail-biter, giving coach his 1st win
Jesse Reed’s first win at Franklin Regional may have aged the young coach some, but he will take it. “I’m 28 going on 48 after that one,” Reed said. The Panthers rallied from a slow start to edge past visiting Penn-Trafford, 53-47, in overtime Monday night in a see-saw first-round...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Hempfield’s Burns rewriting record book
Michelle Burns came back for a fifth year at Point Park, which basically rendered the women’s basketball program’s record book defenseless. The grad point guard out of Hempfield topped the 1,500-point mark for her career during an 86-84 loss to Washington Adventist. She had 29 points in the game and...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Norwin pair headed for kicking academy
Xander Smith and Joey Castle were a one-two special teams punch for Norwin this season. Smith centered long snaps to Castle, who boomed punts into orbit. Castle also made good on extra points and field goals and aimed for touchbacks as the Knights’ kicker. The junior pair continues to follow...
Hempfield ekes out victory over scrappy Franklin Regional
The wheels were set in motion for a double-digit victory. But the wheels nearly came off for Hempfield in the fourth quarter Saturday night against Franklin Regional. The host Spartans tried to give away the finale of the 17th annual Hempfield Tip-Off Basketball Tournament, watching a 14-point lead dry up...
Guarded optimism for Penn-Trafford after season-opening win against GCC
Playing its first game without senior forward Ben Myers, who has been a staple in the lineup, Penn-Trafford had a different look to its boys basketball team in the season opener. The 6-foot-6 Myers is done for the season with a torn ACL, making the Warriors a much more guard-oriented...
Starting 5: Westmoreland basketball teams, players and storylines to watch
Teams to watch Boys Belle Vernon — The Leopards will be one of the hottest tickets in the WPIAL with their fast-paced style and athleticism producing big numbers and highlights. Electric is not a strong enough word. Greensburg Central Catholic — Blessed with height and senior experience from a WPIAL...
Latrobe’s fabulous frontcourt among top headline-grabbers in Westmoreland County hoops
WPIAL basketball season opens Friday, and big expectations — emphasis on big — are coming out of Latrobe. The Wildcats girls basketball team is far from a long shot because it is long across the roster. Teams will be hard-pressed to match Latrobe’s height, which will be complemented by the...
4 from WPIAL tabbed state soccer coaches of year
Adam Brownold guided the Winchester Thurston boys soccer team to its first PIAA championship, its second WPIAL title and a 23-0-1 record. The run of success this season led to him being named to the WPIAL Class A co-coach of the year. But the wins, and accolades, kept coming. Brownold...
District college notebook: Coleman named football coach at Waynesburg
Waynesburg named alum and former defensive lineman Dr. Cornelius Coleman as its head football coach. He replaces Chris Smithley, who was transferred to a new position, Assistant Director of Athletics Development, after serving as head coach for four years. Coleman also will work as assistant provost for Undergraduate Learning Experiences....
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Hempfield senior to play ball at Youngstown State
Some people consider Aiden Dunlap a hockey player who also plays baseball — in a Happy Gilmore kind of way. It is quite the contrary, apparently. The Hempfield senior is a baseball player first, hockey player second. At least according to his college decision. Dunlap, a middle infielder with smarts,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg’s Michalek earns all-region honors
Pitt-Greensburg senior Tiffany Michalek capped another outstanding season for the Bobcats as she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team. Michalek led the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in goals (22), assists (10), points (54) and shots (59) as UPG returned to the conference championship for the second...
Belle Vernon sophomore Quinton Martin picks up third Big Ten offer
Picture this: Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin and Cade Yacamelli of Penn-Trafford lining up in the same backfield or defensive secondary at Wisconsin a few years down the road. You never know. Now that Martin has a scholarship offer from the Big Ten Badgers — Yacamelli is already committed to play...
Carnegie Mellon’s Rich Lackner named AFCA regional coach of year
His final season has an unfinished look to it, like a Christmas tree without a star on top, but Rich Lackner still goes out a winner. The longtime football coach at Carnegie Mellon was announced Monday as the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year, making him...
Westmoreland campus clippings: County connections help Pitt to ACC title
Pitt mania is sweeping across the country as the Panthers continue to work their way back to national respectability. The football program’s exploits this season are fitting in with their proud glory days of the past. The ACC champion Panthers have plenty of Westmoreland County connections as they prepare for...
Southmoreland boys basketball team shows signs of growth
Southmoreland mixed and matched its starting five last season as coach Frank Muccino and his staff sought to develop a baby-faced group. Starting wasn’t about prestige, it was about reps. “Plug and play,” said Muccino, who begins his 13th season with the Scotties. “We had a lot of guys playing...
Southmoreland girls basketball team has plenty of experience, talent to continue recent run of success
With 59 wins, a WPIAL runner-up, two WPIAL semifinal trips and a run to the PIAA second round highlighting a three-year run, the Southmoreland girls basketball team has big plans this winter for Year 4. And a big rotation to match. Five starters return from a 16-5 team that reached...
Sydney Lindeman takes Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Soccer Player of the Year honors
Soccer players can get pigeon-holed into a position and the duties that come with it. Franklin Regional senior Sydney Lindeman took the midfielder tag and stretched it three ways. Sure, she lived up to the job description, working the ball between defenders and forwards to create the best scoring opportunities....
Franklin Regional’s Anthony DiFalco again named Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Soccer Player of the Year
Special talents such as Anthony DiFalco don’t come along often. So when the four-year prep career of a player of his caliber comes to a close, the accomplishments, the full body of work, tend to be that much more impressive. Consider what DiFalco did at Franklin Regional: • He was...
Trib HSSN WPIAL girls soccer all-stars: Steel Valley’s Salopek takes game to next level
TribHSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Kelsey Salopek Sr., F, Steel Valley As a Kent State commit, Kelsey Salopek already was on the WPIAL radar, but she took her individual talents a step farther as she led Steel Valley to its first WPIAL championship in its first try. The...
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys soccer all-stars: Franklin Regional’s DiFalco caps remarkable career
Trib HSSN Fab 15 Player of the Year Anthony DiFalco Sr., F, Franklin Regional Special talents like Anthony DiFalco don’t come along that often. So when the four-year prep career of a player of his caliber comes to a close, the accomplishments, the full body of work, tend to be...
Franklin Regional grad Mike Evans Jr. to play football at West Virginia
Mike Evans Jr. is proof the NCAA transfer portal works — if you have patience and are willing to do a little self-promoting. Evans has a new college destination and he couldn’t be more pleased. Relieved to finally arrive at a decision, Evans announced Saturday he will play next season...
