Bill Beckner stories, Page 34
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Southmoreland freshman hits ground running
Anthony Smith’s progression has been fast, his development swift, as the freshman quarterback leads the Southmoreland football team in his first season. Smith, who had the look of a can’t-miss prospect over the summer and in camp, has not disappointed through five weeks. He is leading Westmoreland County in passing...
Penn-Trafford’s Alexis Brown has full-circle performance 1 year after injury in win over Latrobe
Almost one year to the day — on the same field, against the same opponent — Alexis Brown had a full-circle experience. It came with nerves and tension, as well as adrenaline and relief. But it also came with a brace, much different than the one on her knee. Brown,...
Westmoreland County boys high school soccer notebook: ‘Great goals’ boost Franklin Regional
Connecting on crisp passes is the key to any good build-up at any level of soccer. Franklin Regional can make it look easy at times. Take last week’s game against Allderdice. In an impressive, 2-0 shutout in a key Section 3-3A game, the Panthers moved the ball with purpose, sending...
Westmoreland girls soccer notebook: Penn-Trafford rolling through Class 4A
So much for that difficult transition going from Class 3A to 4A. Penn-Trafford has handled it with relative ease. The Lady Warriors (8-3, 5-0) began the week a game ahead of Latrobe in Section 1. They host Latrobe on Wednesday night. The plan for coach Jimmy Mastroianni was to blend...
Resurgent Westmoreland County soccer teams reaching rebound goals
An energetic group jogs onto the field as one practice ends and another begins at Russ Grimm Field. Body language is a giveaway that the Southmoreland’s boys soccer players can’t wait to get to work, so the football guys can’t exit soon enough. The Scotties get even more pumped up...
No. 2 Riverview survives test from shorthanded Greensburg Central Catholic
Greensburg Central Catholic only had 11 players for most of the night, but that didn’t stop the Centurions from pushing No. 2-ranked Riverview to the limit in their latest Section 4-A girls soccer matchup. After a scoreless first half, the visiting Raiders had to rally a couple of times to...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Latrobe’s Bryce Butler takes on coaching role
Bryce Butler had planned to play professional basketball after college, but an ailing knee made him reconsider playing overseas. Sealing off his career as a player was tough, but it led him to the next best thing: coaching. The former Latrobe star circled back to his college home, West Liberty,...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WPIAL individual golf competitions get underway
The WPIAL golf individual postseason gets serious this week with the start of the championship rounds. The tournaments are 36 holes and spread over two days, a week apart, at different courses. The first round for Class 2A boys will be Monday at Youghiogheny Country Club in McKeesport. The final...
Westmoreland athletes of the week: Mt. Pleasant’s Morgan Gesinski, Latrobe’s Jack Sacriponte
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. Morgan Gesinski School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Junior Sport: Soccer Claim to fame: Gesinski has scored 18 goals, a total that leads the WPIAL. She...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Latrobe focused on minimizing gaffes on offense
Latrobe’s offense was hitting on all cylinders in the first three games as the Wildcats put up 41, 32 and 42 points in wins over Connellsville, Plum and Norwin. But lately, the Wildcats have not sustained drives, a product of strong defensive play from Franklin Regional and Armstrong, yes, but...
Latrobe finally ends scoreless skid, shuts out Armstrong in Big East win
Scoreless for nearly 7 1/2 quarters, Latrobe finally found the end zone. It was a good thing: The Wildcats were growing tired of these three-and-out defensive struggles. Both John Wetzel and Brady Prohovic broke loose for 34-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats finally pried open another stagnant...
Late arrival no problem as unbeaten Charleroi boys top Mt. Pleasant in key section showdown
With Charleroi decidedly controlling possession in the first half, Mt. Pleasant’s scoring chances were slim at best. The Vikings had one shot before halftime. It went into the net, which is good, but overall the offense was fleeting. Still, the Vikings only trailed by a goal at halftime. Junior Dylan...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Top teams looking to shake off losses
A number of Westmoreland County teams are looking for a bounce-back week after losses last Friday, some of whom suffered their first setback of the season. Southmoreland, for instance, was flying high after three straight high-scoring wins. The Scotties won their first three games by an average of 32 points....
Woodland Hills provides ‘right situation’ for Steve Scorpion’s 2nd chance as head coach
His checkered past behind him, Steve Scorpion said faith led him back to the WPIAL head coaching ranks. Woodland Hills hired Scorpion on Wednesday to be its boys head basketball coach, giving the former Franklin Regional coach another shot at doing what he loves. He is clutching the opportunity with...
2nd-half surge helps Mt. Pleasant past improving Yough
An uninspired first half meant a stern halftime talk from the coach. And a stern halftime talk meant a much better second half was in the works. Mt. Pleasant looked more like the No. 1-ranked team in WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer after halftime Wednesday night in a 3-0 shutout...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Latrobe still fine-tuning game
Latrobe coach Jake Rice will take a win any way he can get it, but he thinks his team is capable of more. “Sometimes, you just have to win dirty,” Rice said. By that, the third-year coach was referring to the Wildcats winning despite not playing their best. Their best...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Norwin making steady progress
Norwin sent dangerous shot after dangerous shot at Latrobe goalkeeper Gianna Trunzo, but the first-year netminder either made a terrific save or the ball whizzed by the skin of the post. The Knights dropped a 1-0 decision to the host Wildcats in Section 1-4A, but the late barrage of shots...
Woodland Hills set to hire former Franklin Regional basketball coach
Woodland Hills will vote Wednesday night to hire Steve Scorpion as its head boys basketball coach, according to the board agenda. Scorpion was as an assistant for the last two seasons, one at Woodland Hills and last year at Kiski Area. Woodland Hills will play next season in Class 6A,...
Westmoreland County soccer teams working hard to fill shoes of graduated stars
Winning a championship with bedrock players like midfielder Owen Christopher and goalkeeper Anthony Scalise was invigorating for Norwin last season. The team followed those players’ lead to WPIAL glory. That was the good news. But there also was some bad news: Christopher and Scalise graduated. Franklin Regional’s girls felt the...
Latrobe’s Bell, Mt. Pleasant’s O’Conner commit to D-I schools
A pair of local swimming standouts have made commitments to NCAA Division I programs. Seniors Lauren Bell of Latrobe and Kiersten O’Conner of Mt. Pleasant are primed for the next level. Bell will compete at Marshall, and O’Conner is headed to Connecticut. Other offers for Bell came from James Madison,...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Penn-Trafford grad Cade Yacamelli running with opportunity
As his production increases and his confidence grows, Cade Yacamelli is looking more the part of a Division-I running back. But it didn’t start out that way. Wisconsin’s redshirt sophomore initially was slotted as a defensive back when he left Penn-Trafford for Madison, a loop that surprised him but also...
Westmoreland County high school notebook: Addy Witcoski sets Ligonier Valley golf record
Addy Witcoski went to the golf course Tuesday like she would for any match, unaware she was about to make history. The Ligonier Valley junior was on her game, hitting fairways and greens on the way to a 3-over-par 38, a program record for the Rams. “School records are hard...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Franklin Regional’s Bayne bides his time
Joey Bayne sat out the final 10-plus minutes of a boys soccer game against visiting Latrobe on Thursday with cramps in his leg. The Franklin Regional senior was resting up for Friday’s Class 5A Big East football opener against Latrobe, and it paid off. Little did the kicker know, he...
Latrobe football advances in T-Mobile school spirit competition; ‘multi-million-dollar’ grand prize at stake
Latrobe wants fans from all over town to show their school spirit and turn this football season into one big pep rally. The district has advanced past the first round of a nationwide social media-driven competition called “T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights,” which recognizes small towns and their love of...
Norwin notebook: Pair of basketball standouts headed to Clarion
Call it a package deal. A pair of Norwin girls basketball players are headed for the same college program. Guards Kendall Berger and Averi Brozeski announced they both have committed to Clarion of the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan also offered scholarships to...
