Bill Beckner stories, Page 163
Franklin Regional faces difficult task in replacing Greg Botta, 2 other coaches
Greg Botta won 177 games in 27 seasons at Franklin Regional. He ranks third all time in Westmoreland County in football wins behind legendary coaches Dick Dilts of Kiski Area (214) and Joe Mucci (184), who led teams at Jeannette and Greensburg Central Catholic. The decades-long coach at Franklin Regional...
WPIAL coaches have mixed feelings about open basketball playoffs
Yes, we’re open. Derry girls basketball coach Gene Brisbane was coaching the Jeannette boys 37 years ago when the WPIAL opened the playoff door to everybody. The league held a free-for-all tournament where any team that wanted to compete in the postseason could. At the time, Brisbane wasn’t sure what...
Former Jeannette star Demetrious Cox signs with CFL team
Back in the WPIAL where he once was a star quarterback, Demetrious Cox spent this past fall coaching defensive backs at West Mifflin. But the 26-year-old Jeannette alumnus, who went on to play at Michigan State and got a taste of the NFL, is not ready to call it a...
Hempfield rallies from behind then holds off Penn-Trafford late
Hempfield picked up its defensive tempo late in the first half and carried the upsurge into the second half, rallying from 12 down early to finally overtake Penn-Trafford and hand the Warriors their first loss, 54-51, on Friday night in Section 3-6A boys basketball. “I think our pressure at the...
Another championship Franklin Regional coach, volleyball’s Mike Feorene, steps down
Another day, another high-profile Franklin Regional coach heading out the door. It’s been some week for the district, which saw another successful coach resign — the third since Monday. Mike Feorene is stepping down as girls volleyball coach after eight seasons. He follows longtime football coach Greg Botta and boys...
Westmoreland boys basketball notebook: Franklin Regional adds size to its lineup
Franklin Regional has been known to produce good guards under alum and former standout Steve Scorpion. Commanding guards with a handle on the offense who can score and defend. But this year’s team appears to have some size to complement his backcourt. “It’s good to have post guys in this...
PAC announces schedule for late-starting basketball season
Basketball is coming back in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with a shared chorus among the 10 schools: better late than never. The NCAA Division III league, which postponed winter sports months ago when the covid-19 pandemic bum-rushed daily life, released modified schedules Thursday with each men’s and women’s team playing...
Hudson resigns after highly successful 2nd stint as Franklin Regional boys soccer coach
Rand Hudson has two loves in his life. His family and soccer. Sooner or later, he knew one was going to take precedence over the other. Finding the right time to make one a priority was his challenge, but he did not want to drag out his decision any longer....
Westmoreland girls basketball notebook: Mt. Pleasant off to unbeaten start
Mt. Pleasant coach Scott Giacobbi is not quite ready to schedule a parade up and down Route 31, but he has enjoyed his team’s quick start. A long season awaits, but the Vikings are 3-0 and tied for first place in Section 3-4A with No. 1 Southmoreland, the team they’ll...
Covid changes rearrange Greensburg Salem basketball schedules
Greensburg Salem has not played a girls basketball game since Feb. 8 of last year. That means it will be nearly one calendar year since the Golden Lions faced an opponent for a meaningful competition when they finally take the floor Jan. 23. At least that is the planned date...
Michelle Burns becomes Point Park’s 3-point queen
Michelle Burns scored a team-high 29 points and made some school history along the way Tuesday night in Point Park’s 78-74 loss to visiting Ohio Christian. The Hempfield grad and senior guard broke Point Park’s career record for 3-pointers made as she connected on 5 of 12 attempts from behind...
Ligonier Valley winter sports teams finally get down to preparing for WPIAL debuts
Ligonier Valley athletes and coaches were getting restless. When the school district shut down sports activities Nov. 18 — yes, that long ago — the Rams were left to their own devices as far as training and working out, all with their anticipated debut in the WPIAL on the horizon....
Third-ranked Jeannette boys edge Greensburg Central Catholic on late putbackVideo
That Greensburg Central Catholic had played a game and Jeannette had not heading into the teams’ Section 3-2A boys basketball matchup was mostly irrelevant to the coaches. When rivals like these get together, the present tends to upstage the past. “Doesn’t matter,” GCC coach Christian Hyland said. “It’s GCC-Jeannette.” Jeannette...
Longtime Franklin Regional football coach Greg Botta retires
Maybe there were precursors the end was coming, and the time was right to go. From an abnormal training camp to the final game, Greg Botta said this past high school football season had a different feel to it. With the ongoing covid-19 protocols and day-to-day uncertainty, it was a...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Jeannette grad Redman gets to play on ESPN
Senior Swade Redman plans to graduate from Carlow in the spring. He longs to play one final basketball season with the Celtics. For now, he will settle for one game. Redman, a Jeannette graduate, led his teammates in their national television debut last week at Youngstown State in a game...
Norwin grad Alayna Gribble making successful comeback at St. Joseph’s
From academics to basketball, Alayna Gribble likes to stay a step ahead of things in her life. She prefers to be on time and get her work done early. Why wait? On a Monday, she already is thinking about Wednesday’s plans. Procrastination is like a turnover on a fast break:...
Greensburg Salem girls basketball shut down for 10 more days
One step forward, two steps back. Greensburg Salem cannot seem to gain any traction in girls basketball due to the covid-19 pandemic, which once again has halted play in the program. Team activities have been suspended for 10 more days due to a covid case. Coach Rick Klimchock’s team will...
New Greensburg Salem AD getting comfortable in homecoming
Frank Sundry had not walked the hallways at Greensburg Salem for more than 16 years when he returned to take over as the school’s athletic director in October. The environment still felt familiar, the sites had not changed much and there was a sense of comfort returning to his alma...
Norwin notebook: Jayla Wehner running the point at Marian
Former Norwin standout Jayla Wehner was in a giving mood during the holiday season. The freshman point guard for the women’s basketball team at Marian (Ind.), an NAIA school in Indianapolis, put together a career day as she led the offense in a home victory earlier this month. The floor...
Norwin athletes return to action after preaching positivity during shutdown
Tried and true, some Norwin athletes were ready when Gov. Tom Wolf put high school sports on pause again for three weeks. No practice? No problem. That is because they had been through this before. They endured a previous delay in the spring, training on their own and taking part...
Coronavirus taking bite out of Allen Deep’s usual basketball showcase schedule
Basketball season in western Pennsylvania would not seem complete without the showcase events organized by Allen Deep. His various charity events, from multiple team shootouts across the region to the season-capping Roundball Classic at Geneve, have become seasonal staples. The WPIAL resumed on-court action Friday, but this unusual season likely...
Westmoreland high school notes: Norwin’s Stecko gives verbal commitment to Mount St. Mary’s
From the first time he watched college baseball on television, Ty Stecko wanted to play at the next level. He believed he could grow into a Division I talent, and his confidence blossomed over time and caught up with his skills. “I believed in myself through my childhood,” he said....
Leading medical expert says some winter sports run greater covid risk than others
With a disclaimer, Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease and critical care physician, said he is all for winter sports resuming in the WPIAL. He wants to see people active and living their normal lives again. Adalja, who has discussed the effects of covid-19 and “dark days ahead” with media...
Franklin Regional boys give rude Class 5A welcome to Latrobe
Latrobe has been in the WPIAL’s largest classification since it began playing basketball decades ago. But the Wildcats got a humbling welcome to Class 5A when the covid-stalled season restarted Friday night. The Wildcats, making their debut in the classification after dropping from 6A, struggled to string together offense and...
High school basketball will have much different look — and sound — when it resumesVideo
When Buddy Valinsky coached in the City League, basketball games were played in the afternoon in front of only a few fans. Some games had no audience because of intensified, neighboring rivalries officials feared could lead to trouble. “It was pretty quiet sometimes,” said Valinsky, who coached Allderdice, his alma...
