Bill Beckner stories, Page 164
Franklin Regional football program, WCCA mourn loss of Larry Sellitto
Every head football coach has a right-hand man. For longtime Franklin Regional coach Greg Botta, it was Larry Sellitto. “He was my best friend,” Botta said. “He was there during good times and bad. One of the most supportive people I have ever met. He was loved by so many...
Starting 5: A guide to the 2020-21 Westmoreland County high school basketball season
WPIAL basketball season resumes Friday following a three-week pause initiated by Gov. Tom Wolf. Here is a look at the top storylines, teams and players to watch around Westmoreland County. Boys 5 Storylines An invisible opponent: A season unlike any other is about to unfold, and the manner in which...
Former Slippery Rock, Woodland Hills star Jaimire Dutrieuille awarded for ‘noteworthy bravery’
A selfless act of courage by Jaimire Dutrieuille saved someone’s life and almost ended his. It is the reason he will receive the NCAA Award of Valor, presented to a current or former student-athlete, coach or administrator who demonstrates “noteworthy bravery.” As guidelines state, someone who, when “confronted with a...
Westmoreland County basketball notebook: Teams jumping right into section play
A number of local basketball teams will take to the court Friday night and finally open the season after the state’s three-week shutdown of winter sports ended earlier this week. Many teams will jump right into section play. Hempfield, for example, will host Fox Chapel in a boys Section 3...
Norwin catcher Ty 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, soon catching up with the fast pace set by his skill set. “I believed in...
Franklin Regional alum Spencer Lee presented Hodge Trophy as top college wrestler
On the same day the Heisman Trophy was presented to college football’s top player, Spencer Lee was handed wrestling’s equivalent of the award. Lee, a senior at Iowa and a Franklin Regional alum, was presented in person the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s most dominant college wrestler from the...
Carlow men’s basketball making season debut on ESPN3
Swade Redman plans to graduate from Carlow in the spring. He longs to play one final basketball season with the Celtics. For now, he’ll settle for one game. Redman, a Jeannette graduate, will lead his teammates in their national television debut Monday night. The Celtics will visit Youngstown State in...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Norwin grad Wehner in giving mood; Butler finally healthy
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.), a NAIA school in Indianapolis, put together a career day last week in a home victory. The floor leader dished out 10 assists in...
Greensburg Salem opts to resume winter sports Monday
Greensburg Salem is walking back a lengthy pause on winter sports and will now resume practices Monday like most of the WPIAL. Golden Lions first-year athletic director Frank Sundry confirmed Sunday the district’s plans to eradicate initial plans to suspend winter sports until Jan. 26. “I support any measure that...
Top 10 Westmoreland County sports stories of 2020Video
Sports at every level, from pee wees to the pros, have been affected by the menacing coronavirus. There is no dodging it. The global pandemic used 2020 for its big scene, an opponent teams couldn’t even see, stopping some seasons in their tracks and leaving others in tatters. Much to...
Jeannette grad Lamont Robinson, McKeesport’s Swin Cash up for Basketball Hall of Fame
LaMont “Showboat” Robinson and Swin Cash already cemented their places in Western Pennsylvania basketball history with their contributions to the game at multiple levels. Now both are hoping to see their names alongside some of the game’s greats. Robinson and Cash are on the ballot for the Naismith Memorial Basketball...
Westmoreland high school notes: GCC girls soccer player Winnor commits to New Hampshire
Bethany Winnor, a key player on the girls soccer team at Greensburg Central Catholic that won the WPIAL Class A title and finished runner-up in the PIAA this season, will play NCAA Division I soccer. The junior midfielder announced Tuesday her commitment to New Hampshire. Winnor, who led GCC with...
Sean Knapp, Rick Stimmel among state golf postseason award winners
When Sean Knapp wins a golf tournament, he often finds a way to contend for the same title the following year. He has an olfactory sense for finding the top of leaderboards on the amateur circuit. The Oakmont native and Hannastown Golf Club member also has a penchant for raking...
New Hampshire gets commitment from GCC soccer’s Bethany Winnor
Bethany Winnor, a key player on the girls soccer team at Greensburg Central Catholic that won the WPIAL Class A title and finished runner-up in the PIAA this season, will play NCAA Division I college soccer. The junior midfielder announced Tuesday her commitment to New Hampshire. Winnor, who led GCC...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Stone transferring to Robert Morris
In a matter of four days, Brandon Stone set his college basketball career on a new course. Last Saturday, he left the La Salle campus. On Monday, he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. By Tuesday, he had a new suitor: Robert Morris. It happened that quickly for the former Southmoreland...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Football standouts still mulling college offers
While Ethan Carr of Penn-Trafford, James Sanders of Jeannette and Jack Dilts of Kiski Area were the only Division I football signees from Westmoreland County on Wednesday, a number of others from the area could sign in February when the NCAA regular signing period begins. It runs from Feb. 3...
Mars’ Blair Gerlach wins national coach of year award
Most people will be more than happy to throw away calendars from 2020 and hang a new docket on the wall. While the year has been downright revolting to the masses, it has been pretty good to Mars girls soccer coach Blair Gerlach. The leader of the Fightin’ Planets received...
High school basketball teams committed to staying sharp during shutdown
Christian Zilli had his junior baseball season ripped away. The back end of his senior football season also was a casualty of the coronavirus, which dug in its claws and forced the cancellation of two games. But the Hempfield senior is bound and determined to have a basketball season in...
Signing day punctuates season of change for Penn-Trafford, Jeannette stars
One moved from wide receiver to quarterback. The other, from quarterback to receiver. Both made sacrifices to make their teams better. Now a pair of talented athletes from Westmoreland County will look to add to the quality of play at two in-state Division I FCS football programs. Senior Ethan Carr...
Former Southmoreland star Brandon Stone transferring to Robert Morris
In a matter of four days, Brandon Stone set his college basketball career on a new course. On Saturday, he left the La Salle campus. On Monday, he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. By Tuesday, he had a new suitor: Robert Morris. Yes, it happened that quickly for the former...
Jeannette’s James Sanders commits to St. Francis (Pa.)
James Sanders went with the school that recruited him from the beginning. The Jeannette senior standout wide receiver and defensive back verbally committed to St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday, a day before the early signing period begins for NCAA Division I and II programs. He was recruited for defense but...
Hempfield baseball player Brandon Coughlin verbals to Lehigh
Brandon Coughlin was a junior varsity player at Hempfield in 2019, the last time the Spartans played a baseball game. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 season over the covid-19 pandemic, Coughlin has yet to play in a varsity game. But that hasn’t stopped him from earning a Division...
Steelers provide helping hand as Yough renovates weight room
Yough hopes to be flexing its muscles again soon in the WPIAL — with a little lift from the Black and Gold. The school district recently accepted a $15,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Steelers to upgrade its weight room and the project is drawing rave reviews in Herminie. Yough athletes...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Spencer Lee receives award before Iowa football game
Iowa senior wrestler Spencer Lee was honored virtually in April as co-winner of the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award, which recognizes the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete. He actually got his hands on the award over the weekend, accepting it in person. Lee, a Franklin Regional alum, was presented...
Westmoreland high school notebook: FR’s DiFalco awarded again
The honors continued to roll in for Franklin Regional junior soccer star Anthony DiFalco, who garnered United Soccer Coaches Region II All-America and USC All-Region East team honors for the second year in a row. DiFalco, the Trib Westmoreland player of the year, propelled the Panthers to a third straight...
