Bill Beckner stories, Page 133
Greensburg Central Catholic girls slam door on Freedom in PIAA quarterfinals
Greensburg Central Catholic and Freedom combined for 21 goals in their previous two matchups this season. In their third meeting, all it took was one. A 25th-minute strike from freshman forward Riley Kerr complemented a stocky defensive performance as the Centurions blanked Freedom, 1-0, in a PIAA Class A girls...
Eden Christian tops Greensburg Central Catholic in PIAA playoffs
Down two starters and a decided underdog because of it, Eden Christian was looking for someone to be the hero in Saturday’s PIAA Class A boys soccer quarterfinal against Greensburg Central Catholic. An unlikely candidate emerged in the clutch. Junior midfielder Ryan Merrick doesn’t get a lot of scoring opportunities,...
Norwin notebook: Goalkeeper comes into her own at Ohio U.
Sam Wexell waited her turn to take over the goalkeeping duties at Ohio. Once she got her chance, she shined. Looking like the protector of the net she was at Norwin, Wexell helped led Ohio to the Mid-American Conference Tournament and an 11-5-3 record. She also earned some hardware. Wexell...
Quick-strike Belle Vernon makes big plays, beats New Castle in Class 4A quarterfinals
Concerns about New Castle’s passing game and trick plays ultimately proved groundless for Belle Vernon in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. It’s a good thing Belle Vernon has a quick-strike offense because it didn’t get many chances to score Friday night. Top-seeded Belle Vernon didn’t need a lot of plays...
Westmoreland County PIAA soccer quarterfinal capsules for Nov. 13, 2021
Boys Class 3A 7-3 Franklin Regional (17-4) vs. 7-1 Hampton (20-1) Noon at Newman Stadium, North Allegheny, McCandless Winner plays: Winner of 12-2 Archbishop Ryan (8-5-1)/7-2 West Allegheny (22-1) in semifinals Tuesday (time, site TBD) Corner kicks: Freshman Joey Bayne netted a pair of goals, including the winner with 8...
Finding keepers not a problem for Franklin Regional, GCC soccer teams
Goalkeepers for the three local teams remaining in the PIAA soccer postseason have been through a revolving door lately. Settling on one netminder has not been an easy task for coaches of the Franklin Regional and Greensburg Central Catholic boys, while the Greensburg Central Catholic girls had to make a...
Westmoreland County soccer notebook: All-WPIAL honors handed out
Several Westmoreland area players were named to the All-WPIAL boys soccer lists, compiled by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. Norwin seniors Caleb Yuricha and Riley Zimmerman were selected in Class 4A, and Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco and juniors Colton Hudson and Jake Kimmich made the 3A list, along...
Westmoreland football notebook: Quietly, Belle Vernon defense plays fast, hits hard, rarely budges
So much has been made of Belle Vernon’s offense, and rightly so. It is electric. People pay to see it. But the top-seeded Leopards can play some defense, too. Almost quietly, the defensive unit has shown up for the biggest games, continually giving senior Devin Whitlock, sophomore Quinton Martin and...
Fresh looks for PIAA soccer quarterfinalists Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic
Joey Bayne figured prominently into the Franklin Regional attack, only not this soon and not this much. He is, after all, a freshman whose best days appeared to lie ahead. But the wide-eyed striker is making a significant impact now, and on a large stage. Bayne scored both goals Tuesday...
Latrobe’s Austin Butler among Westmoreland County faces in new places this college hoops season
Fifth-year seniors and transfers are now a part of college sports, remnants of a life-changing pandemic that shook up programs at all levels, from Division I to NAIA and junior college. College basketball season is beginning this week across the country, and the game is no stranger to fluctuating rosters....
Mt. Pleasant motivated to make history in playoff clash with Avonworth
Motivation can come in many forms at WPIAL football playoff time. There’s the underdog approach — us against the world. Or, the next-man-up mentality. Small-town pride also can carry a lot of weight. But some teams simply are fueled by a want to carve their name into program history. To...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Hempfield grad Tara Zollinger leads Shippensburg back to NCAA Tournament
Tara Zollinger had instant success when she took over the Shippensburg field hockey team, guiding the Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Division II championships — the only coach to do so. Three years later, the Hempfield graduate is still at it. Zollinger led the team this season to a perfect regular...
Westmoreland County PIAA soccer playoff capsules for Nov. 9, 2021
Boys Class 3A First round 7-2 Franklin Regional (16-4) vs. 9-1 Cathedral Prep (17-1-1) 7:30 p.m. at Dollinger Field, Hagerty Family Events Center, Erie Winner plays: Winner of 6-1 Hollidaysburg/7-1 Hampton on Saturday (time, site TBD) Corner kicks: Franklin Regional is back in the state postseason for the third time...
Southmoreland girls soccer pushes through injuries all the way to state tournament
Southmoreland girls soccer players wore blankets on the sideline Thursday night during the WPIAL consolation game against Shady Side Academy at Norwin. When it gets cold, you adjust. Just like when injuries happen, you adjust. Having players who aren’t at 100% doesn’t make coaches all warm and fuzzy. It’s how...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: GCC grad Mikayla Bisignani up for top award
Mikayla Bisignani is up for one of the top awards in women’s college sports. The Greensburg Central Catholic graduate who had a strong combo swimming and track and field career at Johns Hopkins is one of nine finalists for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The award is...
State playoffs familiar territory for Franklin Regional boys soccer team but a 1st for its coach
Thomas Louisy hasn’t experienced the PIAA soccer playoffs as a high school coach. His Franklin Regional boys are teaching him something new with each step they take in the postseason. A couple of his players have plenty of playoff experience as the Panthers (16-4) get set to open the state...
Norwin notebook: Boys soccer team stung by quarterfinal loss
Stunned and seemingly unsure what to do next, Norwin boys soccer players gathered at midfield and talked over a 1-0, season-ending playoff loss to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. The home defeat was quite unexpected — the way it happened, where it happened and who it happened...
Norwin, kept out of playoffs by tiebreakers, savors win in season finale
Norwin players and coaches were all smiles after their final football game of the season. They lingered long after they handled Hempfield, 27-7, on the road to finish 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the WPIAL Class 6A conference. “It’s a blessing to see,” senior quarterback Luke Levendosky said. “Our guys...
Finalists announced for girls soccer’s Moe Rosensteel Award
Three finalists have been announced for the third Moe Rosensteel Player of the Year Award, which recognizes the top player in WPIAL girls soccer. Moon junior midfielder Hailey Longwell, senior midfielder Kelsey Salopek of Steel Valley and junior forward Lucia Wells of North Allegheny are up for the award started...
Franklin Regional grad, baseball standout Kegerreis commits to Delaware
Louie Kegerreis talked about taking a gap year to get ready to play at the highest level of college baseball possible. Turns out, he didn’t need it. The only reference to gap with this kid now might be the extra-base hits he delivers at the next level. Kegerreis, a recent...
Franklin Regional notebook: Girls soccer team falls painfully short of semis
Franklin Regional girls soccer coach Scott Arnold gathered his team together after a WPIAL 3A quarterfinal playoff game that was as emotionally draining as it was physically exhausting. Then, he tried to put a 2-1 shootout loss to South Fayette into perspective. “Strong emotions lead to strong memories,” Arnold said....
Mourning Greensburg Central Catholic loses 1st-round game to OLSH
Shaken by a double dose of tragedy, Greensburg Central Catholic took the field on its first series Friday night with only five players, all of them linemen. The Centurions were flagged for a delay of game, but Our Lady of the Sacred Heart declined it. The moment was subtle yet...
Greensburg Central Catholic girls soccer coach goes into labor on championship game day
The Greensburg Central Catholic girls soccer team will be without its head coach Friday night for the WPIAL Class A championship. Olivia Kruger went into labor Friday morning. She and her husband, Zak Kruger, are expecting their first child. GCC (15-1) will take on Steel Valley (17-3) at 6 p.m....
Greensburg Central Catholic football team staggered by death of 2 assistant coaches in 5 days
Greensburg Central Catholic is dealing with the unfathomable loss of two assistant football coaches. A pair of assistants died within five days of each other this week, leaving the Centurions stunned and saddened on the eve of their WPIAL playoff opener. Joseph Oslosky was killed Thursday in a vehicle accident,...
Southmoreland girls rally late to win, advance to PIAA soccer tournament
The thought of playing in the PIAA playoffs motivated Southmoreland. The program, after all, hadn’t been to the state tournament since 2009. The thought is now a reality. With a late, relentless surge, the Scotties rallied past Shady Side Academy, 3-2, in the WPIAL Class 2A consolation/PIAA play-in game Thursday...
