Bill Beckner stories, Page 172
Resurgent Norwin knocks off No. 1 Fox Chapel in girls soccer clash
For more than two decades, Norwin and Penn-Trafford have ping-ponged section titles in girls soccer. They have been section opponents for a lot longer. If it wasn’t one bringing home the hardware, it was the other. A newcomer from Allegheny County is out to change things up in the rivals’...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: UPG hires Oddis to lead women’s hoops
Pitt-Greensburg did not have to look far to find its next women’s basketball coach. Two-year assistant and former standout player Kelsey Oddis was waiting in the wings. Oddis, a Burrell graduate, will replace Hayley Schaetzle, who resigned after three seasons. “I look forward to continuing to build the culture that...
Assistant Kelsey Oddis promoted to lead Pitt-Greensburg women’s hoops
Pitt-Greensburg did not have to look far to find its next women’s basketball coach. Two-year assistant and former standout player Kelsey Oddis was waiting in the wings. Oddis, a Burrell graduate, will be promoted to replace Hayley Schaetzle, who resigned after three seasons. “I look forward to continuing to build...
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings for Oct. 5, 2020
Here’s a look at this week’s WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings. Records are through Saturday’s games: WPIAL soccer rankings Girls Class 4A 1. Fox Chapel (8-0) 2. Butler (7-0) 3. Peters Township (5-1) 4. North Allegheny (4-2) 5. Moon (5-2) Class 3A 1. Mars (7-0) 2. Plum (7-0) 3....
Kiski Area grad Nevada Smith takes on new role with Texas basketball
He used to splash down 3-pointers at Kiski Area and Bethany and later drew up plays for college and future NBA players. But now Nevada Smith is set to begin a new challenge. He will help shape a Division I college outfit as the men’s basketball director of program development...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Zambruno sisters excited to play in states
Greensburg Central Catholic twin sisters Meghan and Ella Zambruno finally will get to play together in the PIAA Class AA golf championship. Meghan shot 79 to take second place, and Ella carded an 82 for third at the WPIAL championship Thursday at Allegheny Country Club, advancing the juniors to the...
WPIAL Class AAA boys golf championship preview: Field looks crowded
WPIAL Class AAA boys golf individual championship 11 a.m. Tuesday, South Hills Country Club, Whitehall 2019 champion: Scott Bitar, Fox Chapel The field: 36 players will compete for the district title in an 18-hole tournament. The player breakdown by county: Allegheny (18), Westmoreland (8), Butler (3), Washington (3), Beaver (2),...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Penn-Trafford bounces back big
The loss to Peters Township continues to shrink in Penn-Trafford’s rear-view mirror. The Warriors have bounced back emphatically since a 24-21 nonconference defeat that saw the Warriors surrender seven turnovers. They are 2-0 since, including Friday night’s impressive 38-6 win over No. 4 Woodland Hills. “That loss motivated us,” Warriors...
Norwin notebook: Recruiting back open for Anthony Giansante
Norwin senior lineman Anthony Giansante is no longer committed to Western Kentucky. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder, who was recruited as an offensive guard, said WKU made the decision to not bring in any high school offensive linemen this year. He said he was told the program is focusing solely on junior...
Franklin Regional girls soccer benefit from new style of play
Sitting atop Section 1-3A with a game-and-a-half lead as this late-starting girls soccer season nears its halfway point pleases Franklin Regional. But the Panthers didn’t exactly expect to be in this position. It’s happened organically, a byproduct of a commitment to a new coach and his new style of play....
Penn-Trafford shuts down Woodland Hills, makes case for elite status in Class 5A
Penn-Trafford players and coaches say they aren’t necessarily playing with a chip on their shoulder because they have not been ranked all season. They know how deep Class 5A is, but at the same time, think they at least belong in the conversation. The Warriors played like a top-tier team...
Quaker Valley’s Eva Bulger repeats as WPIAL Class AA champ
Eva Bulger has athletic pedigree. The sophomore golf standout from Quaker Valley is the niece of former NFL quarterback Marc Bulger. Her aunts are former Oakland Catholic and West Virginia basketball stars Kate and Meg Bulger. She already seems comfortable being in the spotlight and handling championship pressure. All of...
Sewickley Academy’s Tim Fitzgerald tames Allegheny CC, takes WPIAL Class AA title
As he approached the 18th tee, Tim Fitzgerald asked a group marker where he stood on the leaderboard. When he heard, “You’re up by three,” he exhaled but quickly regrouped before putting a peg in the ground for the final time Thursday. “I still didn’t think it was over by...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 4
Class 6A No. 5 Baldwin (1-0, 0-0) at Norwin (0-3, 0-3) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Baldwin returns to action after shutting down the program and canceling two games after a coach reportedly tested positive for covid-19. The Highlanders, coached by former Derry coach Tim Sweeney, won...
WPIAL soccer teams nearing end of full-season sprint
Once considered a marathon, WPIAL soccer season is a full-on sprint this season. No time to stop off for a rest, either — not in 2020. “It’s a war of attrition,” Norwin boys coach Scott Schuchert said. With the coronavirus forcing a late start to the season — Sept. 14...
WPIAL golf notes: Changes made to girls team tournament format
The WPIAL golf committee moved one of its postseason tournaments to a new venue. The girls Class AAA and AA team tournaments will now be played Monday at Connoquenessing Country Club in Ellwood City. Normally, the girls and boys finals are played at the same site in mid-October at Cedarbrook...
Westmoreland high school boys soccer notebook: Franklin Regional suddenly in seeding talk
One game does not a season make. But can one loss make a playoff seeding? Franklin Regional (7-1) took a rare defeat this week, falling to Section 4-3A neighbor Plum, 2-1, to snap the Panthers’ 45-game unbeaten streak in the regular season. South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson have tied high-toned...
WPIAL Class AA boys championship preview: Sewickley Academy strong again
WPIAL Class AA boys golf championship 9 a.m. Thursday, Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley 2019 champion: JF Aber, Sewickley Academy The field: 44 players will compete for the district title. The breakdown by county — Allegheny (20), Lawrence (8), Westmoreland (5), Beaver (4), Butler (2), Washington (2), Greene (2), Fayette (1)....
WPIAL Class AA girls golf championship preview: Quaker Valley’s Bulger looks for repeat
WPIAL Class AA girls golf championship 10:52 a.m. Thursday, Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley 2019 champion: Eva Bulger, Quaker Valley The field: There are only 12 players in a normally small tournament, and the girls are playing at the same site as the boys, which is not a normal occurrence in...
H.S. football notebook: Jeannette defense getting offensive
Jeannette’s defense is starting to reveal its athleticism and potential. The Class A third-ranked Jayhawks recorded two defensive touchdowns for the second straight week. After allowing 34 points to Clairton in Week 1, Jeannette has yielded six points. Kaelan Piscar returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a score, and...
Norwin soccer player tackles challenges presented by cystic fibrosis
While most students are still sleeping, hours away from their phone alarm sounding to get them up for school, Sydney Willig is up before the sun, wide awake and confronting a disease. She sits up in bed while wearing a vibrating vest, uses two nebulizers and takes numerous medications —...
Westmoreland girls soccer notebook: Loaded with underclassmen, Latrobe on the rise
Latrobe has senior leadership on the soccer field but don’t sleep on the underclassmen who have blended in well and could spell a bright future for the program. “Our team dynamics have shifted quite drastically,” Wildcats girls coach Jamie Morrison said. Latrobe lost only two players to graduation in Madison...
Yough quarterback Tristan Waldier suffers another season-ending injury
In a couple of days, Yough went from not-so-bad news to the worst news of all regarding their starting quarterback. For the second straight year, Tristan Waldier will have his season cut short by a knee injury. Waldier, who injured his right knee in Friday night’s 41-9 loss to South...
Plum boys soccer takes down top-ranked Franklin Regional
Plum senior forward D.D. Flowers thinks his team has as good a chance as anyone to compete for a WPIAL title in Class 3A. After upsetting the two-time defending WPIAL champions, the Mustangs certainly strengthened their case. Flowers had a goal and assisted on another as No. 3 Plum took...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: WCCC women’s cross country nationally ranked
With two wins in as many races to open the season, the Westmoreland County Community College women’s cross country team finds itself in elite company. For the first time, WCCC is ranked No. 2 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll. WCCC won...
