Bill Beckner stories, Page 29
Westmoreland high school notebook: Big 5/6 recognizes area soccer, volleyball players and coaches
The Big 5/6 Conference, a web-based outlet that recognizes the achievements of the WPIAL’s largest classifications, announced its all-section teams for boys and girls soccer and girls volleyball. For girls soccer, local players to make the All-Section 1-4A first team were senior midfielder Robin Reilly, junior forward Annalyse Bauer and...
Westmoreland/Alle-Kiski Valley athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Taylor Doppelheuer, Latrobe’s Joey Crimboli
The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Taylor Doppelheuer School: Southmoreland Class: Senior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: A 6-foot hitter, Doppelheuer led the Scotties to their first PIAA playoff win...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Upstart Jeannette takes cue from basketball team
If the basketball team could do it, so could the football team. That was Jeannette’s mindset Friday night as the Jayhawks double-stamped their surprising run in the WPIAL Class A football playoffs with a second straight upset, 29-23 over rival and fifth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic in the quarterfinals at Norwin....
Norwin notebook: Cross country teams place at states
Norwin came home from Hershey with more than candy wrappers. For the first time, the Knights boys and girls cross country teams qualified for the PIAA championships. The girls placed sixth on the 3.2-mile course with 196 points, led by Annie Czajkowski, who placed 24th individually. The boys team, fresh...
Norwin’s championship defense ends in unexpected fashion
While the season didn’t end with another WPIAL championship, it did come with a bizarre ending for the Norwin boys soccer team. And a crushing ending, at that. Still, the Knights finished another strong season at 11-6-1 and stayed among the top contenders in Class 4A. “We knew it wasn’t...
Runner-up Franklin Regional takes pride in WPIAL final performance
After they received their silver medals and runner-up trophy, Franklin Regional boys soccer players sat in a circle on the turf at Highmark Stadium. They talked and reflected on a Saturday night along the Monongahela River about how far they had come, how well they had just played and what...
Jeannette pulls another upset, knocks off Greensburg CC in Class A quarterfinals
Kymon’e Brown had not beaten Greensburg Central Catholic during his high school football career, but now Jeannette’s dual-threat quarterback can check the accomplishment off his bucket list. Brown ran for 139 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, threw for 133 yards and another score, and intercepted a pass to...
Avonworth’s Mahan chosen for All-American soccer game
Avonworth soccer standout Fiona Mahan missed most of her senior season with a torn ACL, but that didn’t stop her from making an elite roster. Mahan, an Alabama commit, was selected to the 12th annual High School All-American Game set for Dec. 14 at Wando High School in Charleston, S.C....
Westmoreland County PIAA soccer preview capsule for Nov. 9, 2024
PIAA boys soccer playoffs Class 3A Quarterfinals Franklin Regional (15-4-2) vs. Conrad Weiser (23-1-1) 5 p.m. Saturday, Trojan Stadium, Chambersburg District seeds: Franklin Regional 7-2; Conrad Weiser 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of 8-1 Allderdice (13-4-1)/7-1 Moon (23-0) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) First round: Franklin Regional 6, Bellefonte...
Jeannette’s Tommy Paulone takes pride in bringing alma mater back to prominence
From three wins, to seven, to eight, Jeannette football has climbed back to respectability in three short seasons under Tommy Paulone’s leadership. The gaping wound left by the departure of nearly a dozen transfers in 2021 has all but healed. The rough patch in a proud program’s history is fading...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Franklin Regional appreciates trip to state quarterfinals
When Nick White was an assistant boys soccer coach at Fox Chapel, the Foxes made the PIAA playoffs once in his 10 years there. Now the boys coach at Franklin Regional, White does not undervalue the privilege to play in the state tournament. Franklin Regional (15-4-2), the WPIAL 3A runner-up,...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Jeannette coach wins Steelers honor
Jeannette’s Tommy Paulone was selected as the Steelers High School Coach of the Week after his team’s 23-7 upset of Neshannock in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The 13th-seeded Jayhawks scored 23 unanswered points to soundly dispatch the No. 4 Lancers. Paulone will receive $1,000 for...
Jeannette, Greensburg Central Catholic add playoff stakes to spirited rivalry
Fresh off a head-turning upset of fourth-seeded Neshannock in the first round of the WPIAL football playoffs, Jeannette went back to work this week for its next challenge, and it is a dandy. Of all teams, Greensburg Central Catholic is next up for the Jayhawks, who scored their first postseason...
Reunited Bilinksy brothers at Pitt-Johnstown headline Westmoreland County players in college basketball
Adam Bilinsky wants to gain traction in his slow-going college basketball career, and the former Norwin standout believes he has found a comfort zone with his new team. Bilinsky transferred from Mercyhurst to Pitt-Johnstown, bringing familiarity of PSAC basketball while also reuniting with his brother, Ty, another Norwin alum and...
PIAA boys soccer playoff capsule: Game for Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024
PIAA boys soccer playoffs Class 3A First round Franklin Regional (14-4-2) at Bellefonte (15-3-3) 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bellefonte High School, Bellefonte District place: Franklin Regional 7-2; Bellefonte 6-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Conrad Weiser (21-1)/7-3 Mars (16-2-4) Saturday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Franklin Regional is back in the PIAA...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Dylan Grabowski commits to Liberty
Dylan Grabowski built some equity playing baseball at Patrick & Henry Community College in Virginia. He honed his skills to better prepare himself for a potential future at the Division I level. He improved, and the bigger schools came around. Grabowski recently committed to one of them. The utility man...
High school notes: Mt. Pleasant’s Gesinski, Latrobe’s Reilly in contention for WPIAL soccer award
A local pair are among four finalists for the 6th Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year, presented to the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL. For the first time, there are four finalists. They include junior forward Morgan Gesinski of Mt. Pleasant and Latrobe senior midfielder Robin...
Franklin Regional turns attention to state playoffs after loss in WPIAL Class 3A title game
After they received their silver medals and runner-up trophy, Franklin Regional boys soccer players sat in a circle on the turf at Highmark Stadium. They talked and reflected Saturday night along the Monongahela River about how far they had come, how well they had just played and what could lie...
Moon wins WPIAL boys soccer championship over Franklin Regional
Moon hasn’t lost a soccer game in over a year. Its last defeat came against Franklin Regional, the team it faced in the WPIAL championship, so vengeance was part of the Tigers’ game plan Saturday night. But only a small part. The next opponent in the thread just happened to...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Penn-Trafford peaks at right time
Penn-Trafford is playing winning football at the right time, and coach John Ruane credits preparation and an unheralded contribution from his backups for the consistency. The Warriors (9-2) opened the WPIAL 5A playoffs with a 49-28 victory Friday night over South Fayette for their first postseason win since their great...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Ashlyn Black, Penn-Trafford’s Tyler Funk
The Westmoreland County Athletes of the Week is presented by Smail Kia. Look for the tags and look for the savings at Smail Kia in Greensburg. Ashlyn Black School: Greensburg Central Catholic Class: Junior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: Black led third-seeded GCC to the WPIAL Class A championship match...
Norwin notebook: Soccer teams well represented on all-WPIAL lists
Norwin’s soccer teams were rewarded for strong regular seasons and playoff runs with postseason accolades. The Knights were well-represented on the all-WPIAL lists. Daniel Maddock was selected to the boys Class 4A list, while two Norwin girls made the list in Class 4A in seniors Julia Bursick and Carmella Simco....
Playoff season rejuvenates Norwin girls soccer program
After 110 minutes of playoff soccer and one round of penalty kicks, Norwin girls soccer players were wrung out with emotion. They cried. They hugged each other. They didn’t want to leave the field as exhaustion collided with finality. “It’s OK, girls,” first-year coach Ashley DeVito said. “Listen, it’s OK....
Franklin Regional boys string together upsets in WPIAL playoffs
Franklin Regional’s boys are making a habit out of upsetting teams in the WPIAL playoffs. The seventh-seeded Panthers did it again in the quarterfinals, clipping No. 2 Thomas Jefferson, 2-1, to reach the 3A semifinals for the sixth time in seven years. The momentum carried into the semifinals as the...
Penn-Trafford runs over South Fayette in football playoffs
Back-to-back losses to open the WPIAL football playoffs the last two seasons did not sit well with Tasso Whipple and his Penn-Trafford teammates. “We really wanted to end that streak,” Whipple said. “It’s something we wanted to forget about.” Whipple won’t soon forget the win that turned it around. The...
