Bill Beckner stories, Page 196
Terrelle Pryor campaigns for shot with Steelers
It looks like Terrelle Pryor really wants to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It remains to be seen if the Steelers have any interest in signing the journeyman wide receiver from Jeannette, but he is lobbying for an opportunity nonetheless. Pryor, a 30-year-old free agent, proclaimed via Instagram on Sunday...
Hempfield grad Katie Miller receives postseason honor
Another successful summer on the amateur golf circuit earned Katie Miller more postseason recognition. For the second time in three years, the Hempfield and North Carolina alum was named to the Global Golf Post All-Am Team. She was added to the publication’s Mid-Amateur Team. Miller, a Jeannette native, made the...
Thomas Jefferson routs Belle Vernon for 9th WPIAL football championshipVideo
Experience matters in the WPIAL football finals. Teams that have been there and done that always seem to have a significant edge over teams that don’t quite have a feel for the championship atmosphere. Thomas Jefferson is a gleaming example. While names on the roster change and jersey numbers get...
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Honors roll in for Franklin Regional boys soccer
Franklin Regional was lauded for its unbeaten regular season and its second straight WPIAL boys soccer championship. Sophomore forward Anthony DiFalco was awarded WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year, and the Panthers’ Rand Hudson is coach of the year in the classification. Additionally, senior Connor Hudson and junior Cole...
Penn-Trafford QB Gabe Dunlap stands tall after playoff loss to Peters Township
Penn-Trafford football players filed out of the locker room at West Mifflin on Friday night, their collective demeanor one of sadness and frustration. There were tears and dejected spirits after the top-seeded Warriors lost to Peters Township, 28-10, in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals. Suddenly, a promising season was halted...
Peters Township’s dynamic defense downs top-seeded Penn-Trafford in Class 5A semis
It wasn’t the offensive explosion last year’s quarterfinal was, but defense stole the show this time for Peters Township in a playoff rematch with Penn-Trafford. And the result was the same. The fifth-seeded Indians forced five turnovers and used that momentum to do all of their scoring in the second...
Westmoreland football notebook: Ligonier Valley linemen grew into dominant force
Ligonier Valley has some of the better offensive and defensive lines the program has seen, but the hulking blockers are not just successful because of their size. Rams coach Roger Beitel has watched his linemen develop from a young age and has seen their progression through a number of sports,...
Beck Buchanan’s breakaway goals carry Winchester Thurston past GCC, into state finals
Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer coach Tyler Solis watched as his team fired shot after shot at Winchester Thurston, a few that struck the goal posts, bounced the wrong way and somehow stayed out of the net. It was a tense buildup to a disappointing conclusion for the Centurions. “We...
Westmoreland athletes ink with colleges on national signing day
Brenna Springer and Nate Ward had a busy Wednesday. The All-WPIAL seniors from Greensburg Central Catholic took part in national signing day as both inked letters of intent to play Division I soccer. Then, they played in state semifinal games at Peters Township. While one chapter in their athletic lives...
Expect fireworks from Penn-Trafford, Peters Township in WPIAL playoff rematch
Penn-Trafford and Peters Township had a hard time catching their breath in the first quarter last year when they met in a wild WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal at West Mifflin. Yes, there were fireworks. They combined for 42 points, exchanging big plays and massive gains, and were locked at 21-21...
Girls soccer showcase coming to Franklin Regional
There is a newly sponsored girls soccer showcase and it is open to WPIAL seniors who made all-section or All-WPIAL teams this season. East Suburban Sports Medicine Center will host the ESSMC WPIAL Classic on Nov. 23 at Franklin Regional’s Panther Stadium in Murrysville. The event begins at 1 p.m....
Westmoreland campus clippings: UPG women’s soccer punches ticket to NCAAs
Still undefeated and wanting more, the Pitt-Greensburg women’s soccer team won its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Penn State Behrend before 247 at Westmoreland County Community College. The victory secured the Bobcats’ (19-0-1) first spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins...
Franklin Regional grad Andrew Mastovich tabbed AMCC’s top defensive soccer player
Andrew Mastovich lived up to the hype. The senior defender on the Penn State Behrend soccer team was tabbed the preseason defensive player of the year in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. On Tuesday, the honors were validated when he was named AMCC Defensive Player of the Year. Mastovich, a...
Franklin Regional gets dose of perspective on eve of PIAA soccer semifinal
Franklin Regional’s boys soccer team practiced Monday evening under the lights in Murrysville as Veterans Day faded into night. It was the eve of the state semifinals and the Panthers had a fairly light, non-contact workout. Coach Rand Hudson, however, saw fit to make the gathering about more than one-touch...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Seton Hill women’s basketball maintains strong 3-point shooting
The Seton Hill women’s basketball team developed a reputation for being one of the top 3-point shooting teams in Division II last season, and the Griffins aren’t changing the way they play. High-scoring Seton Hill made 33 shots from 3-point range in its first two games. It hit a school-record...
Nate Ward shakes off defenders, leads GCC on deep playoff run
Nate Ward doesn’t fear contact. Maybe that is because the senior soccer player at Greensburg Central Catholic who will take his talents to NCAA Division I Indiana University next season can give it right back. Don’t forget, Ward did a lot more than just kick extra points and field goals...
Greensburg Central Catholic works to overcome Shady Side Academy intimidation
Shady Side Academy represents more to Greensburg Central Catholic than a longtime section and playoff rival. More than its next playoff opponent on the pathway to Hershey. More than ordinary. This team looms large to GCC, but coaches Ashley Davis and Bri Guy want to change that perception, and change...
Westmoreland football notebook: ‘Lights out’ Penn-Trafford defense leads way
Upper St. Clair junior quarterback Ethan Dahlem is a nightmare to defend. He makes plays with his legs and right arm. If you don’t corral him, he runs around in the backfield and finds an open receiver or a lane to run through. Penn-Trafford’s defense did a good enough job...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Girls soccer award formed to honor late Ringgold player
When the Rosensteel family tragically lost their beloved daughter and sister, Kaitlyn, the Western Pennsylvania soccer community embraced them, consoled them and did their best to help them through the grieving process. Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel died in June. Five months later, her father has formed the Kaitlyn “Moe” Rosensteel Scholarship...
Ward golden for Greensburg Central Catholic boys in PIAA quarterfinals
It looked like Springdale had rendered Greensburg Central Catholic senior standout Nate Ward powerless for the better part of 82 minutes Saturday afternoon. As it turns out, Ward was biding his time before delivering another gem to extend the Centurions’ season. The Indiana recruit has a penchant for the dramatic...
Nemeth’s goal the difference as GCC clips Freedom in PIAA Class A quarters
Somehow, Sam Nemeth managed to hoof the ball into the net. Somehow, Greensburg Central Catholic overcame a shortened bench. Some way, the Centurions are headed back to the PIAA semifinals. “It all happened so fast,” said Nemeth, a senior midfielder who provided all the offense GCC needed in a defensively...
Franklin Regional blocks out hype, sets sights on next PIAA opponent
There is only one way to deal with all of the hype and pressure that comes with being a nationally ranked soccer team, one that sits three wins away from its first state title. “Try to ignore it,” Franklin Regional senior forward Nolan Scholze said. “We recognize it, but we...
Central Valley shows no weakness, routs Derry
Rather matter of factly, Derry football coach Tim Sweeney said Central Valley’s greatest strength is the fact that it doesn’t have a weakness. He called the challenge of facing the top-seeded Warriors a “monumental task.” It was, in every sense. Top-seeded Central Valley piled up the yardage, and the big...
Unbeaten Pitt-Greensburg going after AMCC title Saturday
Pitt-Greensburg will try to win the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference women’s soccer title on Saturday afternoon. Each time the Bobcats (18-0-1) take the field, they put their undefeated record on the line. They are the top seed in the tournament for the first time and will face No. 2 Penn...
Westmoreland County football notes: Injured RB Caleb Lisbon inspires Penn-Trafford
He may be injured, but Caleb Lisbon still is very much a part of the Penn-Trafford football team. The Division I-caliber running back and safety suffered a serious knee injury in Week 3 against McKeesport and has not returned to game action. He had surgery last week. But since the...
