Bill Beckner stories, Page 3
Burrell girls continue mastery of Mt. Pleasant, advance to WPIAL Class 2A title game
A blinding sun greeted teams and spectators before kickoff Tuesday night at Gateway. It was tough to see the left side of the field until sunset. Mt. Pleasant didn’t see the first goal coming, either. Burrell’s Allie McMahon scored on a cross from Makiah Buchak just 43 seconds into a...
All-WPIAL girls soccer lists announced
The WPIAL girls soccer playoffs are in full swing as tournaments race toward championships later this week. The WPIAL Soccer Coaches Association recognized the league’s top players Tuesday with the unveiling of the All-WPIAL lists. South Fayette had the most selections with six, while Seneca Valley and Peters Township had...
Seneca Valley perfect from penalty spot in Class 4A shootout win over Norwin
Seneca Valley hadn’t attempted a penalty kick in a game all season. The Raiders didn’t miss on five PKs Monday night in a semifinal shootout to return to the WPIAL girls soccer finals. Madeline Marcotte, who hit the crossbar in last year’s WPIAL title match against Peters Township, redeemed herself...
Greensburg Central Catholic grad Rice picked to lead Carlow’s inaugural baseball team
Carlow will have baseball for the first time, with a side of Rice. The university announced it has hired James Rice to lead the program. It will be the first head-coaching job for the Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, who brings five years of coaching experience to the Celtics. Rice, who...
Westmoreland County high school soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 28, 2025
WPIAL soccer playoffs Class 3A Semifinals 3-Franklin Regional (17-3) vs. 2-Bethel Park (14-2-3) 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dormont Stadium, Dormont Coaches: Nick White, Franklin Regional; Doug Fink, Bethel Park Winner plays: Winner of 8-West Allegheny (12-6)/5-Thomas Jefferson (17-2-1) in championship (time, date TBD) at Highmark Stadium Players to watch: Aidan Alexander,...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Saint Vincent’s Daniel Maddock makes fast impact
Saint Vincent men’s soccer is on the upswing and a lot of the team’s success has to do with the play of freshman forward Daniel Maddock. Looking polished and prepared for NCAA Division III soccer, Maddock has surged to the team’s points lead. He has nine goals and five assists...
WPSCA announces All-WPIAL players, coaches, players of year for boys soccer
The Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association announced its All-WPIAL lists and players and coaches of the year on the eve of the WPIAL semifinals. All-WPIAL Class 4A Owen Ali, Seneca Valley Samuel Beuse, Pine-Richland Ryan Cashman, Pine-Richland Jake Ceklosky, Canon-McMillan Braden Crowe, Hempfield Jordan Crutchfield, Pine-Richland Rocco DiDomenico, Fox Chapel...
WPIAL adds extra day for soccer finals at Highmark Stadium
Highmark Stadium will be a happening place Saturday as playoff fever rolls into Station Square. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will host a USL first-round game Saturday night at 6:30, a development that has caused the WPIAL to alter its schedule for this weekend’s soccer championship games at the stadium. Instead of...
Franklin Regional shows comeback ability ahead of semifinal matchup
Franklin Regional righted two wrongs in the WPIAL boys soccer quarterfinals. First, the Panthers (17-3) won their first overtime game in three tries this season. Secondly, they overcame a 1-0 deficit after two previous opportunities in that situation resulted in losses. A 2-1, double-overtime thriller against No. 6 Chartiers Valley...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Volleyball all-star game up next on WCCA calendar
The next event on the Westmoreland County Coaches Association calendar is the girls volleyball all-star game. The match will be played Nov. 19 at Ligonier Valley High School. After that, the boys basketball showcase will be Dec. 20 at Jeannette and Greensburg Salem. The WCCA wrestling tournaments will be Jan....
Westmoreland high school soccer playoff preview capsule for Oct. 27, 2025
WPIAL soccer playoffs Girls Class 4A Semifinals 3-Norwin (15-3) vs. 2-Seneca Valley (11-3-2) 6:30 p.m. Monday, North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium, McCandless Winner plays: Winner of 1-Peters Township (15-2-2)/5-North Allegheny (15-3-2) in championship (time, date TBD) at Highmark Stadium Coaches: Ashley DeVito, Norwin; Mark Perry, Seneca Valley Players to watch: Neeve...
Plum boys outlast Norwin in penalty shootout to advance to soccer semifinals
As Norwin shooters made the long walk from midfield and stepped to the penalty spot, Chase Eber saw something, felt something. His instincts were tingling. “Their kids looked like they had just seen a ghost,” the Plum goalkeeper said. “I had faith in every single one of my shooters. I...
Norwin girls shake off adversity on road to WPIAL semifinals
Adversity can come at teams without warning in the WPIAL soccer playoffs. There are yellow cards and ill-timed fouls, short benches, cramps and injuries. The Norwin girls encountered their share of misadventure Thursday in the quarterfinals before Leesia Phetsomphou’s clutch winner inside the final minute of the second overtime produced...
Norwin soccer teams relish home playoff games before stadium remodel
Both Norwin varsity soccer teams had a chance to give ole Knights Stadium a playoff sendoff. A benefit of earning a higher seed in the WPIAL soccer postseason is getting a home game for the first two rounds — pending an opening win, of course. The Norwin girls (14-3) were...
Franklin Regional boys soccer bolstered by high seed in WPIAL playoffs
When Franklin Regional reached the WPIAL boys soccer finals last season, the Panthers were slight underdogs as the No. 7 seed. If they get back to Highmark Stadium, it won’t be as much of a surprise. The Panthers were awarded the No. 3 seed this time in what appears to...
Big night for the big guys as Derry linemen spark playoff-clinching win over Yough
Derry lineman Levi Haase hadn’t played since the third game of the season with a knee injury, but, as recovery time and luck would have it, he suited up for senior night. He never thought he’d provide such a spark in a playoff-clinching victory. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound senior intercepted a...
Westmoreland high school soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 25, 2025
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 6-Norwin (11-5-3) at 3-Plum (14-2-2) 2 p.m. Saturday, Mustang Stadium, Plum Winner plays: Winner of 10-Pine-Richland (6-10-2)/2-Fox Chapel (14-2) in semifinals (date, site TBD) Players to watch: Ian Natale, Norwin; Austin Kolankowski, Plum Throw-ins: Norwin shook off a slow start to blank Woodland...
Freshman helps Norwin to 2OT playoff win over Mt. Lebanon
Norwin wasn’t about to let Mt. Lebanon end its season again. And it wasn’t interested in settling things in a penalty round, either. Leesia Phetsomphou saw to that. No, the freshman got her kicks in the waning seconds of double overtime and extended her team’s season. A WPIAL 4A quarterfinal...
Norwin set for one last football game before massive stadium renovation
It won’t be long before much of Norwin Knights Stadium is a pile of rubble, the home-side bleachers, press box and back-of-house areas torn down, the turf and track ripped up to make room for the next “Castle.” The new place is expected to look like a million bucks. OK,...
Westmoreland County high school soccer notebook: Norwin boys ready to take best shot at Plum
Playing Plum again was on Norwin’s short list of goals, but the Knights are not overthinking their third matchup with the Mustangs. No. 6 seeded Norwin (15-5-3) will visit No. 3 Plum (14-2-2) for a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. Plum won the first meeting,...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Playoff berths on the line in Week 9
The WPIAL will release football playoff brackets about 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, but not before the playoff field is filled out Friday night. Qualifiers from Westmoreland County so far are Penn-Trafford (8-1) in Class 5A, Southmoreland (8-1) in 3A and Jeannette (6-3) in A. Several others are on the bubble....
Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsules for Oct. 23, 2025
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Mt. Pleasant (15-4) at 4-Avonworth (16-2-1) 7 p.m. Thursday, Lenzner Field, Emsworth Winner plays: Winner of 9-Beaver (14-4)/1-South Park (18-1) in semifinals (date/time/site TBD) Players to watch: Grant Zahrobsky, Mt. Pleasant; Nate Kline, Avonworth Throw-ins: Mt. Pleasant, fresh off its first section title...
Cruise Lamanna’s goal in 2OT lifts Franklin Regional past Chartiers Valley in WPIAL quarters
Returning to the WPIAL boys soccer semifinals was far from easy, even though Franklin Regional got there on Cruise control. Senior forward Cruise Lamanna made a sensational volley on a setup by junior Rory Bayne and scored a golden goal 1 minute, 38 seconds into the second overtime as the...
Norwin boys take care of Woodland Hills, set up showdown with Plum
Norwin will get another shot to finally solve pesky Plum. After a 4-0 first-round win over Woodland Hills on Tuesday night, the sixth-seeded Knights (11-5-3) will play their section rivals — Plum (14-2-2) is the No. 3 seed — for a third time this season in Saturday’s WPIAL Class 4A...
Westmoreland County soccer playoff preview capsule for Oct. 22, 2025
WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A Quarterfinals 6-Chartiers Valley (11-4-1) at 3-Franklin Regional (16-3) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 7-Mars (12-5-2)/2-Bethel Park (13-2-3) in semifinals (date, site TBD) Players to watch: Thomas Bridges, Franklin Regional; Vinny Dipietro, Chartiers Valley Throw-ins: Franklin Regional blanked Montour in...
