Bill Beckner stories, Page 197
Penn-Trafford’s Ethan Carr gets 1st Division I football offer
Penn-Trafford’s Ethan Carr, one of the WPIAL’s most versatile football players and a top-tier prospect in the Class of 2021, has his first Division I offer. Carr announced Thursday that William & Mary has reached out to him with a scholarship. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Carr has played wide receiver, quarterback...
Westmoreland County high school football Q&A: Derry’s Max Malis
Max Malis lists his three positions on the Derry football team as defensive end, offensive tackle and … fullback? “Well, just like a fullback or sniffer (hybrid player),” he said. “I just block for us.” Does that mean the Trojans’ senior — all 6-foot-3, 270 pounds of him — might...
Central Valley’s clear focus heading into WPIAL Class 3A semifinal: Stop Derry’s Justin Huss
Central Valley football coach Mark Lyons and his staff have devised gameplans to stuff the run before. The Warriors (10-1) are the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs and the top-ranked team in the state. They are responsible for handing vaunted Aliquippa its only loss — a...
GCC soccer pressing for more in state playoffs
Tyler Solis wants more from his team and expects more from his players, especially in the state playoffs. “We need to do a better job of closing out games,” the Greensburg Central Catholic coach said. “We have to finish better. It’s that simple.” Solis harped on that point for several...
GCC gets matching hat tricks from Nate Ward, Carlo Denis to pummel Iroquois
Senior Nate Ward and freshman Carlo Denis were harbingers of promising things to come in the first round of the PIAA Class A boys soccer playoffs. Every time one of them touched the ball, both early and late, something good happened for Greensburg Central Catholic. And while some early offsides...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Soccer trio helps Duquesne to A-10 Tournament
A trio of local players helped lead the Duquesne women’s soccer team into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Sophomore midfielder Hannah Nguyen (Penn-Trafford) has started 16 games and has a goal and an assist, and redshirt junior defender Marley Smith (Norwin) has made 14 starts and sophomore forward Lexi Kendro (Norwin)...
College basketball players to watch from Westmoreland
Here come the Butlers and the Burnses. College basketball season is here again and Westmoreland County will be well represented at the Division I through NAIA levels. While Latrobe has produced the lion’s share of prospects in recent years, the rest of the county also has spread plenty of next-level...
Franklin Regional continues climb in national rankings
With back-to-back WPIAL championships in hand, Franklin Regional rose a few notches in the national boys soccer rankings. TopDrawerSoccer.com released its latest “Fab 50” teams for the fall season Tuesday — opening day for the PIAA playoffs — and Franklin Regional jumped 10 spots to No. 23. The Panthers (19-0-1)...
Westmoreland PIAA soccer playoff capsules for Nov. 5, 2019
Tuesday’s games Boys First round Class 3A Franklin Regional (19-0-1) vs. Bradford (15-5) 8 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny Winner plays: Winner of Cathedral Prep (21-0)/Blackhawk (13-4-4) Saturday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Franklin Regional won its second consecutive WPIAL title with a 2-1 win over playoff rival West Allegheny. Garrett...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Eddins, Austin lead No. 1 Pitt-Johnstown wrestling
Two area wrestlers who were All-Americans at Pitt-Johnstown last year will open this season ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II Super Region I. Senior Chris Eddins, a Greensburg Salem graduate and two-time national champion, is No. 1 at 149 pounds, and redshirt senior Devin Austin (Penn-Trafford) has the top...
Inaugural Moe Rosensteel Award to recognize WPIAL’s best girls soccer player
When the Rosensteel family tragically lost their daughter and sister, 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 Foundation —...
PIAA soccer playoffs sites and times set for Westmoreland teams
Two WPIAL boys champions and three girls runners-up from Westmoreland County will open the PIAA soccer playoffs Tuesday. The boys teams will play in WPIAL territory. Franklin Regional (19-0-1), fresh off back-to-back WPIAL Class 3A titles, will take on District 9 champion Bradford (15-5) at 8 p.m. at North Allegheny....
Westmoreland H.S. notebook: Yough softball coaching job reopens
Yough is looking for a softball coach — again. Kelsey Kuhns was hired less than a month ago to lead the Cougars, but her stay was brief. Kuhns resigned to take a full-time teaching position in another district. Yough athletic director Tom Evans said the job will be reposted. Kuhns...
Westmoreland football notebook: Only 4 teams remain after 1st round of playoffs
And then there were four. The opening night of the high school football postseason began with 12 Westmoreland County teams, but only four advanced Friday. Three teams — WPIAL Class 5A top seed Penn-Trafford (10-1), Class 4A No. 3 Belle Vernon (9-1), and Ligonier Valley (11-0) in District 6 —...
Franklin Regional boys top West Allegheny to successfully defend soccer title
Hit the sweet spot. That’s what raced through Franklin Regional senior Garrett Beaver’s mind as the soccer ball deflected off a defender and landed squarely in front of him. When West Allegheny could not clear the ball after a Franklin Regional shot attempt, Beaver reared back and ripped the rebound...
Sophomore kicker the difference as Derry beats Beaver Falls in OT
Derry just needed a Chance in overtime. First-year sophomore kicker Chance White, moments after watching his counterpart from visiting Beaver Falls miss an extra point, calmly knocked his opportunity through the uprights to lift fourth-seeded Derry to a thrilling 28-27 victory over No. 5 Beaver Falls in a WPIAL Class...
Franklin Regional defense will get test from West Allegheny in WPIAL title rematch
Anthony DiFalco plays soccer with a low-key demeanor, but his advanced skills are unintentionally flashy at times. DiFalco appreciates talent because he exudes it, so even he is impressed with what his team has done so far this season. The Franklin Regional sophomore forward marvels at the 16 shutouts and...
Former coach leaves, new coach named in GCC baseball program
There has been a change at the top of the Greensburg Central Catholic baseball team. Dennis Reist resigned as coach of the Centurions after three seasons and Tom Appleby, Reist’s assistant and the school’s former softball coach, was named as his replacement. Reist left to become the head baseball coach...
Greensburg CC boys soccer eager for another shot at Winchester Thurston
In Greensburg Central Catholic’s last boys soccer game, Ricco Ciccarelli took a delicate pass off the foot of teammate Carlo Denis and ripped a shot past the Springdale goalkeeper for the go-ahead score. The GCC junior then sprinted toward his sideline, made a sharp U-turn and ran to the far...
Westmoreland County running backs in a rush this season
Nathan Roby ran for 189 yards in a game against North Allegheny on Oct. 11. It was an impressive performance against a WPIAL heavyweight — a career night, even. At the time. Compared to what the Hempfield senior running back had in store, it was pedestrian. Roby was just getting...
North Allegheny stops Norwin, wins first WPIAL girls soccer title
With a stiff wind whipping at their backs — the same wind Norwin had in the first half but could not take advantage of — North Allegheny made the conditions work in its favor to win the school’s first WPIAL girls soccer championship. The Tigers scored twice after halftime and,...
Westmoreland County football notes: GCC coach ready for close-up look at record-breaking back Ben Jackson
Greensburg Central Catholic first-year football coach Bret Colbert mentioned recently he was eager to see West Greene senior running back Ben Jackson play, even as a casual observer, to see what all the hype is about. Jackson has rushed for a WPIAL-best 2,711 yards and a league single-season record 46...
Yough softball coach resigns after less than a month on the job
Yough is looking for a softball coach – again. Kelsey Kuhns was hired less than a month ago to lead the Cougars, but her stay was quite brief. That is because she resigned to take a full-time teaching position at West Allegheny. Yough athletic director Tom Evans said the job...
Seton Hill offering free admission for football game against IUP
Who ever said no to free football? Seton Hill will welcome fans into its gates with free admission for Saturday’s game at Greensburg’s Offutt Field. It will be Fan Appreciation Day for the Griffins (2-5), who host No. 19 IUP (7-1) starting at noon in a PSAC West matchup. Gates...
Group effort leads Norwin girls into WPIAL title game vs. North Allegheny
The Norwin girls soccer team returned to the WPIAL championship for the fourth time in five years and will go for its fifth district title Thursday night when it faces North Allegheny in the Class AAAA final at Highmark Stadium. But the top-seeded Knights (18-1) have made their latest playoff...
