Bill Beckner stories, Page 173
Trib HSSN WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings for Sept. 28, 2020
Through Saturday’s games Girls Class 4A 1. Fox Chapel (5-0) 2. Peters Township (4-0) 3. Butler (5-0) 4. North Allegheny (4-1) 5. Mt. Lebanon (3-1) Class 3A 1. Mars (5-0) 2. Plum (4-0) 3. Belle Vernon (4-1) 4. Connellsville (3-0) 5. Franklin Regional (5-0) Class 2A 1. North Catholic (4-0)...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Latrobe holds its own
It was a nonconference game that probably won’t get much attention, but it had plenty of fireworks, nonetheless. The bold-faced headline? Underdog Latrobe went score-for-score with a ranked opponent in a Class 5A shootout. The Wildcats fell to No. 5 Upper St. Clair on Friday at Memorial Stadium, 52-45. They...
Latrobe football seeking opponent for next week
Latrobe suddenly is looking for an opponent for next week after Gateway had to shut down activities because of a covid-19 issue. Two Gateway students tested positive for covid-19, forcing the school to close down for five days. As a result, this past Friday night’s Gateway vs. Pine-Richland nonconference game...
Franklin Regional girls volleyball embraces No. 1 ranking
When the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association released its first set of rankings for the new season, Franklin Regional players and coaches were surprised, thrilled and honored to see their team No. 1 in Class AAA. “We were very excited,” senior outside hitter Nicole Currens said. “We were saying how...
Norwin runners benefit from strength-in-numbers mentality
Norwin cross country isn’t always about crossing the finish line first. Or last, for that matter. Coach Brian Fleckenstein likes to take to social media, particularly Twitter, to make the sport more fun. It is something that has bonded his runners. “Running is hard,” the coach said. “Our sport is...
Norwin notebook: Girls soccer team’s long section winning streak comes to close
Norwin girls soccer coaches and players were not altogether thrilled when the WPIAL two-year realignment cycle brought some change to their section. They couldn’t have been. That’s because Fox Chapel was added to the mix in Section 3-4A. That immediately drew concern. After all, the Foxes almost upset Norwin in...
Mt. Pleasant defense bottles up SouthmorelandVideo
Mt. Pleasant leaned on its defense to keep Southmoreland from making it three straight wins in their historic, 46-game series that dates back 56 years. It was one big stiff-arm for the Vikings who, the rivalry aside, suddenly are a half-game out of first place in the Interstate Conference. The...
WPIAL committee to meet to discuss potential tweaks to soccer playoff format
The WPIAL soccer playoffs could look similar to previous years, but that is not a certainty as a condensed, 32-day regular season winds into late September. A format change could be in order when the WPIAL soccer committee meets next Friday to review the season. As it stands, the top...
After short stay in minors, Chase Rowe returns to La Roche baseball
It’s as if Chase Rowe never left. Rowe, who resigned as the baseball coach at La Roche last year to take a job in the minor leagues, has returned to lead the Redhawks once again. A Knoch and Slippery Rock graduate, Rowe had been the hitting coach for the Norwich...
Norwin boys soccer uses quick-strike offense to top Penn-Trafford
Scoring early has become a trend for the Norwin boys soccer team. The Knights found the net 13 seconds in against Connellsville and struck inside the first five minutes against Latrobe. Fast starts have helped keep the fifth-ranked Knights ahead — and unbeaten. On Thursday night, it was more of...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 3
Class 6A Hempfield (1-1, 1-1) at Mt. Lebanon (0-1, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday, Mt. Lebanon Stadium, Mt. Lebanon After beating Norwin in Week 1, the Spartans were punchless offensively and were blanked by third-ranked Seneca Valley, 38-0. The Raiders held Hempfield to 59 yards rushing. … Mt. Lebanon began the...
Mt. Pleasant boys soccer dominates out of the gates
In soccer, defense often leads to offense. But there are cases where the opposite is true. Take Mt. Pleasant, which shut out its first four opponents by a combined score of 28-0. “Our offense definitely is where our momentum comes from, but we have a strong defense that keeps us...
Westmoreland boys soccer notebook: Franklin Regional still doing what it does best
Franklin Regional allowed a goal in its second game of the season. And another in the fourth. A cause for alarm in Murrysville? Not exactly. The two-time defending WPIAL champion Panthers are 5-0 and doing what they do best: possess the ball, keep it away from opponents and prey on...
H.S. football notebook: Derry’s backup plan working out at QB
When Paul Koontz, a senior who has proven himself as the starting quarterback at Derry, went down with a season-ending knee injury, the Trojans did not panic. Koontz was a third-year starter. But first-year coach Vince Skillings knew he had a formidable backup waiting in the wings in senior Nick...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Norwin tackling tough section schedule
Norwin girls soccer coaches and players were not altogether thrilled when the WPIAL two-year realignment cycle brought some change to their section. They couldn’t have been, mainy because of one team. Fox Chapel was added to the mix in Section 3-4A. That immediately drew concern. After all, the Foxes almost...
Southmoreland the surprise of WPIAL girls soccer
Southmoreland is by no means a girls soccer powerhouse. The program has five wins combined the past two seasons and has not been to the WPIAL playoffs since 2012. It has not won a playoff game in a decade. But suddenly, there were the Scotties upsetting not one, but two...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: WCCC women’s cross country claims victory
While most college athletic programs are shut down for the fall, the Westmoreland Community College women’s cross country team is up and running — ahead of the pack. WCCC posted three individual Top 3 finishes and took six of the top seven spots on the way to a victory Saturday...
New Westmoreland County athletic directors working to keep high school sports humming
The athletic director carousel hasn’t stopped turning in Westmoreland County this year with new faces at new places and newcomers to the position tackling the daily grind of safety protocols and schedule-crunching during covid-19 times. Brandon Rapp was Norwin’s athletic director for seven years and became a fixture there for...
WPIAL boys and girls soccer rankings for Sept. 21, 2020
WPIAL soccer rankings (Through Saturday’s games) Girls Class 4A 1. Fox Chapel (2-0) 2. North Allegheny (2-0) 3. Pine-Richland (0-1) 4. Peters Township (2-0) 5. Norwin (1-2) Class 3A 1. Mars (3-0) 2. Plum (2-0) 3. Belle Vernon (2-1) 4. Oakland Catholic (2-0) 5. Connellsville (2-0) Class 2A 1. North...
Westmoreland football notebook: Defense driving force for Belle Vernon
The stage is set for another clash between Class 4A rivals Belle Vernon and Thomas Jefferson. Both teams won Friday night to move to 2-0 as they get set to square off next Friday night in Jefferson Hills. Fourth-ranked Belle Vernon has been impressive offensively, but how about that defense?...
Norwin golfers take to hilly layout at Youghiogheny
Norwin moved its boys home golf matches to Youghiogheny Country Club near McKeesport. A long way from home? Sort of, yes. But the Knights have taken to the hilly layout. They won their first three matches on the private club that in the past has played host to WPIAL Class...
Norwin boys soccer ready for another playoff run
After a lengthy first-round playoff drought, Norwin broke through and reached at least the WPIAL boys soccer quarterfinals two years in a row. The Knights were the WPIAL Class 4A runner-up in 2018. A mostly young team a year ago, the Knights bring back a number of core players and...
Greensburg Salem records win No. 700 by edging Knoch
At last, 700. Greensburg Salem crept to the doorstep of a milestone victory late last season but could not get it done in the playoffs. The team waited about 10 months to take another crack at it but fell short last week in the season opener. The Golden Lions were...
Jeannette’s James Sanders gets D1 offer after stellar opener
As James Sanders caught passes and padded his yards-after-catch numbers last Friday night against visiting Clairton, he knew in the back of his mind he was creating footage for his highlight video. Sure, it was only Week 1, but in a season that comes with no guarantees, it’s better to...
Westmoreland County don’t miss high school football matchups for Week 2
Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic (1-0, 1-0) vs. Norwin (0-1, 0-1) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Central Catholic is the top-ranked team in the WPIAL for a reason. Norwin had too many mistakes (penalties and turnovers) cost them against Hempfield. … Central Catholic quarterback Branndon Pezzelle...
