Bill Beckner stories, Page 16
Westmoreland softball playoff preview capsules: Games for May 12, 2025
WPIAL softball playoffs Class 5A First round 1-Penn-Trafford (17-2) vs. 16-Moon (7-8) 5 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin Winner plays: Winner of 8-Plum (14-5)/9-Chartiers Valley (11-6) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Cam Ponko, Penn-Trafford; Katie Demarco, Moon Extra bases: Penn-Trafford is one of the hottest teams in the playoffs, winning...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Ex-Southmoreland coach headed to Uniontown
Uniontown’s new football coach is Tim Bukowski, who was the lead man at Southmoreland for three seasons before resigning in December. He replaces Keith Jeffries, who stepped down after four seasons and a 15-20 record. Bukowski spent seven seasons overall with Southmoreland, four as an assistant, and helped the Scotties...
Franklin Regional notebook: Top track athletes gear up at Pine-Richland
With the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships approaching, several Franklin Regional athletes went to the Pine-Richland Invitational to stay sharp. Sean Cartwright finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.86 seconds to pace the Panthers. The boys 400-meter relay came in eighth (44.39). Caroline Shirley was the top...
Norwin notebook: Softball team secures playoff bid
The Norwin softball team is headed to the WPIAL 6A playoffs again. The Knights (8-10) finished 8-8 in section and had one nonsection game left, at Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford on May 8, before the postseason. Norwin picked up late-season wins over Mt. Lebanon and North Hills after snapping...
WPIAL softball playoffs open with rare 1st-round section clash for 2 Westmoreland County teams
It is rare, but it does happen. The WPIAL usually steers clear of matching section opponents in the first round of the playoffs. Rematches are better suited for the latter rounds, the league believes. But an exception was made for the Class 4A softball tournament. And nobody was more surprised...
Westmoreland County high school softball notebook: More than a dozen teams headed to playoffs
The WPIAL will announce seedings and pairings for the softball playoffs Thursday afternoon. Westmoreland County is a hotbed for softball talent and, like most years, will be well represented in the postseason. Local qualifiers include Hempfield and Norwin in Class 6A; Penn-Trafford, Franklin Regional and Latrobe in 5A; Derry, Greensburg...
Westmoreland baseball notebook: Ligonier Valley, Jeannette take playoff race right to end
The WPIAL will announce baseball playoff seedings and opening-round pairings Friday. The local field of qualifiers is just about set. It includes: Norwin and Hempfield in Class 6A; Penn-Trafford, Latrobe and Franklin Regional in 5A; Belle Vernon, Derry and Greensburg Salem in 4A; Mt. Pleasant and Burrell in 3A; and...
With season turned in right direction, Norwin carrying momentum into playoffs
High school seasons are filled with pivotal moments that send teams in one direction or another, propelling them closer to or away from preset goals. It can be an upset win, a highlight play, a defensive adjustment, a lineup change. In the case of Norwin baseball, it may have been...
Penn-Trafford keeps composure to pull away from Franklin Regional
Three things put Penn-Trafford to the test in its series opener against rival Franklin Regional. The Warriors’ stomachs could have been — maybe should have been — in knots. First, there was a two-run homer that trimmed their three-run lead to one in the fourth inning. Then came a self-inflicted...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Shelby Telegdy named Freshman of the Year
A breakthrough season in the circle led conference coaches to circle her name on the ballot. Seton Hill rookie pitcher Shelby Telegdy was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Freshman of the Year. A dual threat who did more than get batters out, Telegdy went 12-9 with a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Norwin girls track and field reaches 8th WPIAL finals in row
The Norwin girls track and field team made quick work of its opponents in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals to continue an impressive run of success. The Lady Knights advanced to the finals for the eighth straight time since 2017. There was no season in 2020. This could be the...
Norwin notebook: Track teams make themselves at home atop podium
The track and field teams continue to highlight the “win” in Norwin. Another impressive showing in a series this season came at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships at Latrobe. The boys and girls teams won titles, while a laundry list of individuals grabbed gold medals. Ryan Schiller broke meet...
Freshman Jorjah Ostrosky sparks Hempfield to victory over Norwin in varsity debut
A freshman got a WPIAL call-up and looked like a grizzled veteran in her varsity debut. Hempfield’s Jorjah Ostrosky was penciled into the starting lineup Friday at Norwin and acted like she had been there before, going a team-best 3 for 3 with two RBIs in a 6-0, weather-shortened victory...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Thompson adds AD to his duties at Greensburg Central Catholic
John “JT” Thompson has been the football coach at Greensburg Central Catholic for two seasons. He will have additional duties as he prepares for a third. Thompson will take over as athletic director following the retirement of Dan Mahoney. A Rome, N.Y., native who has been a football coach for...
Hempfield softball rebounds with mercy-rule win over Pine-Richland
Fresh off a career milestone and a tight loss, Riley Miller made sure Hempfield softball bounced back on senior day. The senior ace, who reached 500 strikeouts in her previous outing — a 2-1 loss to rival and No. 2 Seneca Valley — helped the top-ranked Spartans return to form...
Westmoreland County high school softball notebook: Hempfield pitcher joins elite K club
Riley Miller has proven she is one of the better pitchers to come through one of the state’s great softball programs at Hempfield. The senior has joined an elite group of aces in the Spartans’ record book. Miller, a Kent State commit, reached 500 career strikeouts this week, becoming just...
Norwin lineman finds new Division I home after Saint Francis’ move to D3
Norwin’s Colin Bruno was one of the first to decommit from Saint Francis when the university announced plans to move from NCAA Division I to Division III. He took the news hard because, at the time, it was life changing. The football lineman went from blessed and humbled to stunned...
Norwin baseball team blows past Mt. Lebanon for 9th straight win
With gusty winds whipping out to center all afternoon, any baseball hit deep had a chance of leaving the park Tuesday at Norwin. A harmless-looking fly ball suddenly had jets. Even Ben Geissler managed to get ahold of one. “Normally, I like singles,” the Norwin senior first baseman said. “I...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Ligonier Valley thriving in tight games
Jason Bush didn’t think it could get much better after he watched his Ligonier Valley baseball team score twice in the bottom of the seventh inning last week to walk off Burrell, 3-2. But that was only the beginning. The Rams (6-7) have shown a propensity for late-game thrills. They...
Senior’s return from elbow troubles gives major late-season boost to Franklin Regional rotation
NJ Ramchandran plans to pitch at Division I Fairfield (Conn.) next year. The Franklin Regional senior, however, has been limited on the mound this spring as he recovers from inflammation in the elbow of his throwing arm. To say the Panthers (10-7) are glad the right-hander is back would be...
Mt. Pleasant beats Yough, builds momentum with playoffs on horizon
Now, Mt. Pleasant can celebrate. Having already clinched the Section 1-3A softball title, the Vikings still had business to tend to in the section finale Monday at Yough. Momentum and positive mojo are important for a team headed to the WPIAL playoffs. A team that didn’t want to take a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Poulich continues to add to homer total for RMU softball
Outfielders have been backing up this season when Courtney Poulich comes to the plate for Robert Morris. Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant alum, has been bashing softballs at a record rate for the Colonials. The outfielder smacked two solo home runs in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Cleveland State to set a...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Longtime Derry golf coach Smeltzer stepping down
Tracey Smeltzer has done a lot for the Derry boys and girls golf programs, but she is ready to turn the keys over to someone else. Smeltzer is stepping down after 19 years, 12 as head coach. “It was a great ride,” Smeltzer said. “It was not an easy decision,...
Norwin notebook: Knights track and field athletes shine at Butler Invitational
School records fell, some from decades back, as the Norwin track and field teams continued their impressive season at the Butler Invitational, which featured more than 90 teams and 2,000-plus athletes. The girls won the team championship, while several individuals brought home medals. The Norwin boys’ 3,200-meter relay of Enzo...
Addison Ayres to stick with Franklin Regional soccer teammates for senior year
Goalkeeper Addison Ayres considered playing full-time soccer with her Internationals SC team in Akron, Ohio, which would have meant not playing her senior season at Franklin Regional. The Elite Clubs National League team plays higher-level programs, which helps players sharpen their skills for college. But Ayres ultimately opted to stay...
