Bill Beckner stories, Page 184
Hempfield softball coaches get pick-me-up from former players
When he finished watching a personalized YouTube video from his former players, Bob Kalp felt a range of emotions. In what has been a bummer of a high school softball season, one that never happened because of the coronavirus lockdown and the PIAA’s cancellation of spring sports, the veteran Hempfield...
Senior Spotlight: Southmoreland multi-sport standout continues to stay upbeat during pandemic
Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight WPIAL spring athletes whose senior years were cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. With a player as spirited and happy-go-lucky as Charity Henderson on the roster, the Southmoreland softball and girls basketball teams had no choice but to feed off her vibe....
IUP’s Fedor sweeps PSAC golf awards
Shaun Fedor strives for double eagles on the golf course. Who doesn’t? But now the IUP golf standout can call himself a double award-winner in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Fedor was tabbed the athlete and freshman of the year in the PSAC, which announced its fall postseason awards and...
Southmoreland girls basketball coach Brian Pritts steps down after banner season
Every day during the stay-at-home era, Brian Pritts has seen firsthand why he put space between himself and basketball. He wakes up at 6 a.m., drinks a tall glass of water, works out and reads. But first, he does a head count of his blessings: his wife, Kristin, and his...
Franklin Regional graduate Michael Kemerer granted another year of eligibility at Iowa
Positive news, in any form, is welcomed by college athletes in these uncertain times. Wrestler Michael Kemerer received an uplifting boost from the NCAA over the weekend as the Iowa senior and Franklin Regional graduate was granted a sixth year of eligibility. That means he will get another shot at...
Cal alum Kaitlynn Fratz makes WBCA’s 30-under-30 coaches list
A former Cal (Pa.) women’s basketball standout is considered one of the country’s young, on-the-rise coaches. Kaitlynn Fratz, an assistant at Maryland, was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 30-under-30 list for the 2019-20 season. Fratz was selected for meeting the criteria of “involvement in community service, mentorship and...
No banquet this year, but YWCA announces sportswomen of the year winners
The YWCA of Westmoreland County canceled its annual awards banquet set for April 7 because of the coronavirus outbreak and has closed its doors until at least April 1. But that did not stop the organization’s tradition of recognizing some of the top female athletes and teams in the county....
Penn-Trafford baseball stays hungry amid uncertainty
When Penn-Trafford baseball players and coaches left practice Friday — their final practice as a group until March 30 at the earliest and maybe their last workout together ever — players were given baseballs to take home. The season hadn’t even begun and the team already was cleaning out its...
Penn-Trafford softball eager to defend state titleVideo
Like every other high school team in the PIAA, Penn-Trafford is trying its best to stay patient and proactive during the coronavirus crisis. But it hasn’t been easy. The softball team can’t practice or gather during these unprecedented times. Just the same, the Warriors are itching to swing their bats...
Report: Oakmont could be backup plan if June’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot is scrapped
Oakmont Country Club has long carried a reputation for being one of the toughest golf courses in the world. Its members might even be considered braggadocious about it, saying the club could host a U.S. Open any day of the week, any time of year. That sentiment might be put...
WPIAL baseball, softball teams bag southern trips over coronavirus pandemic
Knowing the feedback he would get, Aaron Albert could hardly break the news to his players without getting emotional. The Kiski Area baseball coach last week had to tell the Cavaliers their trip to Vero Beach, Fla., was canceled because of safety and travel concerns over the widespread threat of...
PIAA petition gets more support than Frazier senior Curcio expected
When Emi Curcio typed up a petition to the PIAA last week, urging the state’s governing body for high school sports to postpone, not cancel, the spring sports season, she couldn’t have imagined its outreach. “Never in a million years,” said Curcio, a senior softball player at defending PIAA Class...
Norwin softball aims to repeat section championship behind deep pitching staff
(Editor’s note: The PIAA has postponed the start of the spring sports season because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic.) With uncertainty looming about the resumption of practices and the start of the WPIAL softball season — if there is one — Norwin is trying to stay upbeat and focused....
Norwin baseball team has talent to contend for titles
(Editor’s note: The PIAA has postponed the start of the spring sports season because of concerns over the covid-19 pandemic.) Adjusting to life without practice has been no small task for the Norwin baseball team. After the Knights finished a workout Friday, the gates to their home field were sealed...
Two more college governing bodies, NAIA and NJCAA, shut down spring sports
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior College Athletic Association waited as long as they could to make a decision on their spring sports seasons. But, like so many other organizations around the country, both were swept under the current caused by coronavirus. The NAIA and NJCAA...
After losing ace to graduation, Mt. Pleasant softball eager to prove doubters wrong
Mt. Pleasant had its 15 minutes of fame last season when it made the MaxPreps national softball rankings. The Vikings checked in at No. 18 late in the year and went on to play in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game and made the PIAA semifinals. (They lost both games...
Mt. Pleasant baseball hopes to use hard-nosed approach to earn another playoff bid
Like many teams, Mt. Pleasant baseball is not sure when it will play its first game, but at any rate, coach Chris Firmstone likes the makeup of his team. The Vikings’ season-opening trip to Myrtle Beach was canceled by the school district due to escalating safety concerns over the coronavirus....
Westmoreland campus clippings: Latrobe grad Biss picks up honors for Shippensburg
Shippensburg basketball standout Jake Biss had a career season, and his efforts were recognized. The junior from Latrobe was named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region First Team. Biss, who was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division Athlete of the Year, was the point guard...
Westmoreland notebook: European trip on hold for Penn-Trafford soccer standout Schlessinger
Nathan Schlessinger’s soccer career is beginning to take off. The sophomore from Penn-Trafford was selected to play for the 2004 Olympic Development Program National Team, a prestigious honor for a player his age. The ODP team was scheduled to travel next month to Barcelona, Spain, to compete in the Mediterranean...
Postpone, don’t cancel spring sports: Frazier softball player starts online petition to PIAA
A Frazier senior softball player has started an online petition to influence the PIAA’s upcoming decision on what to do with the spring sports season in the state. Emi Curcio, a key player for the defending PIAA Class 2A champion Commodores, hopes the movement she began Friday will sway the...
PSAC, PAC, AMCC college leagues shut down spring sports seasons
Three state college leagues have chimed in on the coronavirus scare with the best interest of student-athletes and fans in mind, each joining a sports world that has gone dark in the last few days. The Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and Allegheny Mountain...
Lancaster Catholic ends Southmoreland’s dream season in PIAA second round
BEDFORD — The party is over for Southmoreland. Perennial power Lancaster Catholic raced to a commanding lead, held off a late flurry and bounced the Scotties from the state playoffs, 64-56, ending the high-wire act that had reached the PIAA Class 4A second round. The Scotties made it respectable by...
Despite heart-breaking ending, Belle Vernon boys basketball proud of effort
After 48 minutes of basketball, Belle Vernon senior forward Jared Hartman was so emotionally wrung out and exhausted, he collapsed to the court and just sat there in a daze. He was numb after playing in a game for the ages. “I have never been a part of something like...
Lancaster Catholic outlasts Belle Vernon in 4OT epicVideo
ALTOONA — Lancaster Catholic won’t get to re-watch the last portion of its insane PIAA second-round win, and it’s unfortunate. “We had someone filming and our iPad died in the seventh quarter,” Crusaders coach Joe Klazas said. “We’ll have a lot to remember, I can tell you that.” The game...
Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Penn State’s Maddie Holmberg honored again
Maddie Holmberg, a Penn State senior and Hempfield alum, was named the United Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year. She is a repeat winner of the award, which has a lot of words in its name but almost seems fitting in that...
