Bill Beckner stories, Page 146
Norwin long snapper Xander Smith garnering national attention
Xander Smith is chasing a dream to play college football at the highest level possible. But his vehicle to get there differs from most. While the sophomore at Norwin plays wide receiver and defensive back, his specialty is long snapping. He lives it, breathes it and works tirelessly at it....
Norwin long snapper Xander Smith garnering national attention
Xander Smith is chasing a dream to play college football at the highest level possible. But his vehicle to get there differs from most. While the sophomore at Norwin plays wide receiver and defensive back, his specialty is long snapping. He lives it, breathes it and works tirelessly at it....
Carlow’s Olivia Miller tabbed River States Conference athlete of year
Carlow senior Olivia Miller earned the respect of her opponents during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. Now, she is being held in high regard by every athletic director in the River States Conference. Very high regard. Miller, a Ligonier Valley graduate, was named the RSC Female Athlete...
Norwin alum Emily Harrigan transferring to Pitt
Emily Harrigan is coming home. The former Norwin star has left Rutgers and will have three years of eligibility when she arrives at Pitt to continue her soccer career. Harrigan, a redshirt sophomore, has battled hamstring problems for the last three years as she tries to get into a rhythm...
Running back John Gay IV, Penn-Trafford alum, commits to Maine
John Gay IV did not plan to announce his next college move on Father’s Day, but his coincidental timing would have made his late dad proud. Gay IV, a former Penn-Trafford football standout who recently put his name in the NCAA transfer portal as part of his plan to leave...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Seton Hill hurdler named PSAC athlete of year
Junior Sam Hartman found his way into the fast lane all season for the Seton Hill track and field team. That meant he was probably on the fast track to postseason accolades, too. Sure enough, the two-time national champion earned himself the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year....
Mt. Pleasant’s Mary Smithnosky writes fairy-tale ending to pitching career
A future college outfielder, Mary Smithnosky had to reaffirm to herself that she was a pitcher in her final high school softball season. The position in the circle had to be more than a facade to the senior from Mt. Pleasant, more than a column on the roster. If Smithnosky...
Westmoreland collegiate athletes striking out for new schools
The NCAA transfer portal has been a happening place for college athletes from Westmoreland County. A number of area names have popped up in the portal, which essentially is a free agent pool for players looking to start over and latch on with a new program. Colleges can see the...
Softball a family affair for PIAA champion Mt. Pleasant
UNIVERSITY PARK — Mt. Pleasant took extra time to board the team bus for the ride home Friday from Penn State after the Vikings won the PIAA Class 3A softball championship. A large contingent gathered for photos with the trophy. Coach Chris Brunson tried to direct traffic, but seemed overwhelmed...
Westmoreland notebook: Youngstown State offers Belle Vernon’s Whitlock
Devin Whitlock reeled in his first Division I football scholarship offer. He hopes it will be the first of many to come. The rising senior at Belle Vernon announced an offer from Youngstown State, a program that often tries to cast a net over the WPIAL to land top players...
Norwin grad Anthony DelleFemine sets sights on playing time at Youngstown State
In many ways, Anthony DelleFemine is living proof that to gain something, you have to give something up. But how much can one man lose before he reaches a breaking point? There are days when the former Norwin football standout believes in curses and voodoo dolls. Days when he asks,...
Norwin notebook: Knights baseball, softball players earn spot on Big 5/6 all-section teams
Norwin was well-represented on the Big 5/6 Conference all-section baseball and softball teams. The Big 5/6 recognizes team and individual accomplishments in the WPIAL’s two highest classifications. Norwin baseball had three first-team selections in Setion 2: Jake Kendro, Jack Whalen and Jake Bazala, along with second-teamers Ty Stecko, Alex Gabauer,...
Franklin Regional baseball team looks back on memorable season
Franklin Regional coach Bobby Saddler did not ride the team bus, instead driving separately to what turned out to be his team’s final baseball game of the 2021 season. He had to transport canopies in his pick-up truck. The coach watched as the Panthers’ caravan pulled out of the lot...
Mt. Pleasant rallies past Mid Valley to capture state softball championshipVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Tested for the first time in the postseason, the Mt. Pleasant softball team had to find a higher gear to get around Mid Valley in the state championship game. Rather than committing to memory an early deficit against the only team to score on them in the...
Jeannette athletic director Ryan Hayden resigns
Ryan Hayden is stepping down as athletic director at Jeannette after two years on the job. Hayden, 29, will continue to teach sixth grade in the district. A Hempfield graduate and former Seton Hill baseball player, Hayden wants to pursue a master’s degree, possibly get a principal certification and also...
PIAA Class 3A softball championship preview: Mt. Pleasant vs. Mid Valley
PIAA softball preview Class 3A Championship Mt. Pleasant (20-3) vs. Mid Valley (22-2) 1:30 p.m. Friday, Beard Field, Nittany Lion Softball Park, Penn State University, University Park Coaches: Chris Brunson, Mt. Pleasant; Michael Piercy, Mid Valley Players to watch: Courtney Poulich, Sr., 1B, Mt. Pleasant; Maranda Runco, So., P, Mid...
Weight-training program powers Mt. Pleasant softball’s run to state finals
Each grapefruit the Mt. Pleasant softball team smashes out of the park seems to go farther than the last. It’s obvious this team likes home runs. Juicy home runs. With eight dingers — as they like to call them in softball circles — the Vikings (20-3) have shown a flair...
Mt. Pleasant softball hopes to answer one last call
Mt. Pleasant softball coach Chris Brunson has been receiving dozens of phone calls and texts from fellow coaches and colleagues in the area with good luck wishes, salutes and plaudits. Longtime Hempfield coach Bob Kalp was among them, as was Penn-Trafford coach Denny Little. Both know something about winning PIAA...
PIAA softball notebook: Mt. Pleasant catcher Shawley battles through pain
Lexis Shawley became such a regular with Allegheny Health Network that the medical system decided to use her in one of its commercials. Shawley, the senior catcher for the state finals-bound Mt. Pleasant softball team, has had multiple surgeries — six of them over a five-year period to be exact...
Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock gets 1st Division I offer
Devin Whitlock reeled in his first Division I football scholarship offer, and he hopes it will be the first of many to come. The multi-talented rising senior at Belle Vernon announced an offer from Youngstown State, an FCS program that often tries to cast a net over the WPIAL to...
Former district star, LPGA player Rachel Rohanna Virgili to coach Waynesburg women’s golf
With a playing resume that is, in the words of NBC Sports’ Gary Koch, “Better than most,” Rachel Rohanna Virgili is going to try her hand at coaching. The LPGA touring pro, who starred at Ohio State and Waynesburg High School, was named head women’s golf coach at Waynesburg University....
Mars’ Ellie Coffield wins 2nd straight Gatorade player of year award
Ellie Coffield knows a little something about repeat performances. The recent Mars graduate led her high school soccer team to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships to cap an amazing prep career. Now, she is the recipient of the Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the...
Wild Things add locals Connor Perry, Ben Vicini to roster
The Washington Wild Things added a local pair to their roster Tuesday, announcing the signings of former Norwin and Pitt standout Connor Perry and Ben Vicini, a West Shamokin and Seton Hill product who just played in the NCAA Division II College World Series. Perry, who most recently played in...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Kegerreis named third-team All-American for WCCC
One of the top hitters in the country at the junior college level, Tommy Kegerreis was a bright spot for the Westmoreland County Community College baseball team this spring. The freshman outfielder from Franklin Regional was recognized for his upstart season by being named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings...
Mt. Pleasant softball blanks Punxsutawney, advances to PIAA Class 3A title game
LORETTO — This must be what they mean at Mt. Pleasant when they say, “Row, Vikes.” The Mt. Pleasant softball team left no doubt that it belongs in the state championship, flexing its offensive muscles like it did in the WPIAL finals on the way to a dominating, 13-0 win...
