Bill Beckner stories, Page 33
Franklin Regional grad Michael Kemerer joins Minnesota coaching staff
Former All-American wrestler Michael Kemerer will join the University of Minnesota coaching staff this winter. The former Iowa standout spent last season as an assistant at Brown University, which followed his time as a resident athlete at Spartan Combat RTC in Ithaca, N.Y. A Franklin Regional alum, he also worked...
Norwin notebook: Adalena Robb tees it up at WPIAL tournament
For the third time in her golf career, Norwin junior Adalena Robb advanced through sectional qualifying then moved on to the final round of the WPIAL championship. Robb finished 22nd out of 29 players in the first round at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo, shooting a 96, with nines of...
Franklin Regional soccer standout Abby Paterline taking talents to Edinboro
Just like when she helps to create offensive opportunities for Franklin Regional, Abby Paterline was methodical with the college recruiting process. The soccer standout is going to continue her playing career at Edinboro, an NCAA Division II program that plays in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. “Honestly, I took my...
Samir Crosby accounts for 5 TDs, propels Greensburg Central Catholic past Jeannette
If Greensburg Central Catholic was looking for momentum heading into halftime against rival Jeannette, it found it in a flurry. A 30-point first half was punctuated by the Centurions scoring 10 points in 11 seconds as they rolled to a 44-27 victory in a Class A Eastern Conference game on...
Norwin remains in boys soccer section title hunt with gritty win over Gateway
It has been said sophomore Chase Molinaro has a nose for the soccer ball. The Norwin sophomore showed it in a Section 1-4A game Thursday night, using his face to score an insurance goal as the Knights got control of a slow start and held back Gateway, 4-2, in Monroeville....
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Offers coming in for Hempfield lineman
Connections can mean a lot in college football recruiting. The guy who knows a guy could be a recruit’s way in the door. Case in point: Hempfield, where junior lineman Brock Heisler is an NCAA Division I-FBS prospect after he received an offer to play at Arkansas State. First-year Hempfield...
‘Best friends’ collide when Jeannette, Greensburg Central Catholic QBs meet
When Kymon’e Brown and Samir Crosby played on the same youth football team with the Jeannette Midgets, they accounted for more than 50 touchdowns in one season. “Nobody could stop us that year,” Brown said. Crosby threw scoring passes to Brown, and Brown helped block for Crosby on long runs....
Hempfield junior chooses James Madison for softball
Hempfield junior softball pitcher Julia Varhola can bring it on the radar gun, reaching upwards of 65 mph on her fastest deliveries. In two years, she plans to take that speed to the NCAA Division I level. Varhola announced she has made a verbal commitment to James Madison of the...
Norwin girls log another shutout, this time beating Latrobe
Momentum continues to build at Norwin as the girls soccer team returns to relevance. First, the girls looked to make fundamental improvements and learn a new coach’s system. Then, they looked to stay healthy, manage minutes in a deep rotation and pace themselves for a productive stretch run. Now, the...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2024 Week 6
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week 6 of the 2024 season: Class 5A Big East Conference Kiski Area (1-5, 0-3) at Latrobe (4-2, 1-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Latrobe Memorial Stadium, Latrobe Last week’s result: Franklin Regional 35, Kiski Area 30; Woodland Hills 30, Latrobe...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Franklin Regional in the hunt
Four straight section wins and a five-game unbeaten streak overall have Franklin Regional in the hunt for the Section 3-3A title. The Panthers (8-2-1, 7-1) trail first-place Latrobe (9-3, 8-1) by a half-game. The teams are set to meet Tuesday at Latrobe, likely to decide the section crown. The Wildcats...
Latrobe boys soccer shuts out section foe Belle Vernon
If Latrobe is going to live up to the potential and expectations it has set for itself, the team knows it has to handle its business, like winning games it is “supposed” to win. Case in point: the one the Wildcats played Tuesday night against visiting Belle Vernon. Roman Agostoni,...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Injuries can’t derail Penn-Trafford
Penn-Trafford has a unique dynamic going on around the program this season. When a player goes down, another steps up. And it’s not just injuries that have altered the rotation. Still, the team began the week two games up on first place in Section 1-4A. “I just hope we stay...
Franklin Regional girls soccer forward on the mend after violent gym class collision
It was Aug. 27, the fourth day of school. A “team sports” gym class was underway at Franklin Regional, and teachers decided the game of the day would be co-ed softball. Allyssa Velasquez said there was some reluctance at first, but the game went on. Her afternoon changed in an...
Top-ranked Mt. Pleasant girls soccer chasing elusive WPIAL title
This is the year. It has to be, right? Mt. Pleasant finally takes all of its girls soccer talent and breaks through to win a WPIAL championship at Highmark Stadium — an eruption of a celebration following at Station Square. “We hope,” coach Rich Garland said. Mt. Pleasant (11-1, 6-0)...
Peters Township junior, Shady Side Academy freshman dodge raindrops to win WPIAL golf titles
Alyssa Zhang took up golf just four years ago. “It was because of covid,” she said. “I wanted to try something new. I didn’t want to play contact sports anymore.” Zhang’s first WPIAL championship, though, was not contactless. It was clean, crisp contact with her irons on rain-soaked fairways that...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: 4 athletes to join Seton Hill Athletics Hall of Fame
The 2024 Seton Hill Athletics Hall of Fame Class is small, but it packs quite a punch with only four people. This year’s inductees are Brett Craig (Class of 2019, lacrosse), Perry Dellavalle (‘18, baseball), Emily LoPresti (‘19, soccer) and Emma Simmers (‘19, lacrosse). The talented foursome will be honored...
Westmoreland high school notebook: County players advance to WPIAL golf final round
The fields are set for the final round of the WPIAL boys and girls golf championships. On Monday, the girls Class 3A and 2A tournaments will be at Butler Country Club. The first groups go off at 9 a.m. Locals among the 29-player field in 3A include Katarina DeVito and...
WPIAL to crown 2024 boys, girls individual golf champions
Boys Class 3A Final round Tuesday, Oakmont Country Club Defending champion: *Nick Turowski, Penn-Trafford (2-under-par 142) First-round leader: Carson Kittsley, So., Fox Chapel (1-over 73) Chip-ins: Last year’s runner-up, senior Connor McKenzie of Upper St. Clair, is in the 42-player field. … Sophomore Michael Quallich of Baldwin, senior Colton Lusk...
Mt. Pleasant’s Jarett Garn has SportsCenter moment
From triple coverage to national attention. Mt. Pleasant running back Jarett Garn’s highlight-reel touchdown catch was the No. 2 play on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Friday night. In the second quarter, on third-and-14, Garn made a leaping grab on a deep throw from Cole Chatfield over three Yough defenders....
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Yough’s Kuroda stands out in loss
Raidon Kuroda is a unique name. You remember it after you hear it. His performance Friday night also was pretty memorable, even though Yough lost in the closing seconds to Mt. Pleasant, 22-19, at Cougar Mountain Stadium. Kuroda, the Cougars’ 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior quarterback, accounted for 319 yards of offense...
Westmoreland high school athletes of the week: Southmoreland’s Aubrey Seder and Mt. Pleasant’s Aiden Johnson
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. Aubrey Seder School: Southmoreland Sport: Soccer Class: Senior Claim to fame: Seder helped the Scotties to three consecutive wins last week. She had two...
Norwin notebook: Cross country teams sweep at Blue Devil Invitational
The Norwin boys and girls cross country teams captured championships at the Blue Devil Invitational at Buhl Park in Sharon. The boys blew past second-place Lakeview by 72 points (61 to 133) as Thomas Gaydos took first place with a time of 16 minutes, 12 seconds. Luke Simpson was fifth...
Mt. Pleasant gets back on top with close win against Yough
Another week, another Mt. Pleasant squeaker. Mt. Pleasant dispatched of a two-game losing streak and opened Class 3A Interstate Conference play on a high note with another tight finish, rallying late to break Yough’s heart 22-19 on Friday night at Cougar Mountain Stadium. The Vikings (3-3, 1-0) had been involved...
Franklin Regional boys soccer pushes past Penn-Trafford with 2nd-half surge
Concerned but not flustered after letting up a goal just before halftime, Franklin Regional rallied for three second-half goals and ripped past Penn-Trafford, 3-1, in Section 3-3A boys soccer Thursday night at Panther Stadium. “We just knew we had to lock in and play better,” said Danny Christafano, who scored...
