Bill Beckner stories, Page 18
Norwin notebook: Knights earn key section win over Hempfield
Norwin baseball coach Craig Spisak is a PIAA basketball official who had one of his best seasons. He worked seven WPIAL playoff games and two PIAA tournament games. Spisak is aiming for a similar type of run in his third season in charge of the Knights. Norwin (3-5, 1-2) has...
Franklin Regional’s loaded lineup producing in early-season wins
Averaging close to 10 runs a game doesn’t interest Jim Armstrong as much as you might expect. The Franklin Regional softball coach would rather see his team have zero errors and get out of jams. The bats, it seems, are always going to be there. “I just want us to...
Mt. Pleasant softball uses 2-out rally to beat Southmoreland in slugfest
Mt. Pleasant heard the car horns and the cheers when Southmoreland went ahead in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was like a party erupted behind the outfield fence. But the Lady Vikings made some noise of their own with a two-out rally in their final at-bats to silence...
With more basketball to play, Hempfield grad makes plans to head to Europe
Sarah Liberatore is proof Division II college basketball can be the right fit. It can even open doors to the next level, just like Division I can. Liberatore, a Hempfield graduate who recently finished her college playing career at NCAA Division II Florida Tech, signed with an agency and is...
Contagious hitting sends Penn-Trafford past Latrobe
When Giuliana Youngo saw Cam Ponko’s home run sail over the fence in center field, she wanted in on the action. “When one of us starts hitting, it makes everyone else better,” Youngo said. “We focus a lot on our hitting.” Ponko and Youngo, both seniors, blasted back-to-back solo shots...
Westmoreland County softball notebook: Pitchers also starring for hard-hitting Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional is playing sharp softball, and the proof is in its record: The Panthers are 7-2 overall and sit atop Section 2-5A at 4-0. Veteran coach Jim Armstrong admits the team has taken on an offensive identity in recent years with more emphasis on hitting. Can you fault him...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Strong pitching just the beginning for undefeated Belle Vernon
As one of only six undefeated baseball teams in the WPIAL at the start of the week — and the only undefeated team in Westmoreland County — Belle Vernon once again is leaning on a treacherous pitching rotation to win games. But it doesn’t stop there. “Our starting pitching has...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Mt. Pleasant grads find success in college softball
Mt. Pleasant has been one of the WPIAL’s better softball programs for a decade with WPIAL championships coming in 2016 and ’21, and PIAA championships in ’17 and ’21. Some standout players — and a coach — from those teams have moved on to the next level, and, because of...
Quintet turns Mercyhurst baseball team into ‘Norwin North’
Welcome to “Norwin North,” where the weather gets cold and the bats get hot. The Mercyhurst baseball team has become an offshoot of the Norwin program, a pipeline from North Huntingdon to Erie producing hits and quality starts up and down the lineup. “We always kind of joke about this...
Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore named TribLive Westmoreland boys basketball player of the year
Zion Moore Sr., G, Belle Vernon Asked to describe his senior basketball season in one word, TribLive Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Zion Moore offered this: “History.” Belle Vernon’s high-volume scorer and his teammates produced the program’s first WPIAL championship since 1978 and did so as legendary coach...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Erica Gribble headlines TribLive Westmoreland girls basketball all-stars
Erica Gribble Jr., G, Greensburg Central Catholic Even a second straight WPIAL championship doesn’t fully appease Erica Gribble. It doesn’t quite satisfy her appetite. Division I talents such as Gribble always seem to want more — from themselves, from their teammates, from their next goal. “I want to be more...
Westmoreland high school notebook: County players, coaches set to take part in Roundball all-star games
The 21st Roundball Classic all-star basketball games are set for May 24-25 at North Allegheny. There will be seven all-senior games over two days, four boys and three girls. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, May 24 — Boys – Class 5A (South) vs. District 10, 3 p.m.; Girls –...
Murrysville Star notebook: Franklin Regional baseball scoring runs in bunches
Through six games, Franklin Regional had scored more runs than any baseball team in the WPIAL. The Panthers (5-1) had 68 runs and had reached double digits four times, including back-to-back 18-run games. They outscored Penn Hills 36-3 in a two-game Section 1-5A sweep. In the second game, Jonah Willochell...
Norwin track teams have depth to contend for WPIAL titles
Norwin has taken the upper hand in many section track and field matches in recent years and has the winning streaks to prove it. The program has the talent to add to those streaks — and maybe the trophy case, too. The girls have won 33 straight section meets and...
Norwin notebook: Saint Francis shakeup shocks former Knights
A shakeup at Saint Francis University disrupted the college plans of several Norwin athletes who had their future plans ironed out only to be left shaking the trees for other opportunities. SFU, a longtime NCAA Division I member, announced plans to drop to Division III. Red Flash teams will go...
Martz sisters come through as Franklin Regional earns softball win over Latrobe
Adrianna Martz isn’t going to play softball past high school because of a back issue, so the Franklin Regional junior is making the most of her prep career, one clutch hit at a time. “I have two discs in my back,” Martz said. “I did 12 weeks of physical therapy,...
Fleet-footed Toryn Fulton, Franklin Regional run past Kiski Area
Grizzled veteran coach Jim Armstrong might have said it best. “Walking her is like giving her a triple,” Franklin Regional softball’s head man said of Toryn Fulton, his star 6-foot shortstop. The long-legged South Florida commit put on a baserunning clinic in Wednesday’s 12-2, run-rule victory over visiting Kiski Area...
Westmoreland softball notebook: Greensburg Central Catholic dealing with small roster
Greensburg Central Catholic is playing only section games this season as it deals with low roster numbers. Second-year coach Chelsey Frock has had trouble maintaining a dozen girls on the roster. The Centurions had not played a game through the weekend, having to cancel nonsection matchups with Chartiers-Houston, Seton LaSalle...
Franklin Regional rallies in 6th, defeats Kiski Area
A little patience went a long way for Brady Yarabinetz and Franklin Regional. After Kiski Area tied a tight baseball game in the top of the sixth inning, Yarabinetz took advantage of an opportunity to put the host Panthers back in front to stay. It resulted in their third straight...
Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Franklin Regional sends scoreboards spinning
Six games into a season is a small sample size in which to evaluate a WPIAL baseball team, but based on what Franklin Regional has done in that space, it is probably a safe bet that the Panthers will continue to spray the ball around the park. The Panthers (5-1)...
Good day gets better for Evan Dunlap, Hempfield in win over Norwin
Junior infielder Evan Dunlap was in a good mood before and after Monday’s section opener. So were his Hempfield teammates. Dunlap belted a pair of home runs, and the Spartans limited host Norwin’s effectiveness on the basepaths to take the first game of the teams’ Section 2-6A baseball series, 7-3,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill baseball’s pitching staff among nation’s best
Seton Hill baseball has put together outstanding pitching rotations before, so it’s not exactly a surprise the Griffins have another first-rate band of arms. From the starters to the bullpen, they have been a stingy bunch. The Griffins (17-4), ranked No. 12 in the NCBWA Division II Top 25, boasted...
Dozens of area seniors selected for 21st annual Roundball Classic all-star weekend
The Roundball Classic, the event that ties a bow around high school basketball season, has selected its players and coaches for another installment. The 21st Roundball all-star weekend will be May 24-25 at North Allegheny. There will be seven all-senior games over two days — four boys and three girls...
Family came 1st in Giannikas’ decision to resign from coaching Penn-Trafford girls
John Giannikas had been contemplating this decision all basketball season. It was not easy and gave him restless nights. But while it burdened him, he knew what he had to do. Family must come first in the case of Penn-Trafford’s girls basketball coach, who resigned after 19 seasons leading the...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Area players selected for charity all-star basketball games
Several local basketball players were selected to play in a new charity all-star event. The CJ2K League, which plays outdoors in the summer, is operating the event set for April 5. The CJ2K Bigger Than Basketball Charity Game will be played at Aliquippa High School: girls game at 3 p.m.,...
