Bill Beckner stories, Page 35
Norwin uses pack mentality to take place among WPIAL cross country contenders
Based on returning athletes, Norwin is the top contender in Class 3A to regular frontrunner North Allegheny in WPIAL boys and girls cross country. “We are hoping that when October rolls around, we are still in the conversation,” Knights coach Brian Fleckenstein said. The veteran coach will lead the largest...
Franklin Regional notebook: Devola brothers team up for Panthers
Franklin Regional senior lineman Andrew Devola experienced a special moment with his two brothers in the second game of the football season at Hempfield. All three of the Devolas got into the game for a late series in the Panthers’ 49-26 win. Devola is a two-way lineman who starts. Sophomore...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Penn-Trafford’s Mia Williams, Greensburg Salem’s Luke Sikora
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. Mia Williams School: Penn-Trafford Class: Junior Sport: Tennis Claim to fame: Williams won her third straight section singles championship, defeating Michelle Yan of Franklin...
Short-handed Norwin no match for Seneca Valley in conference opener
Norwin might be improved, but the third-ranked Knights found out the hard way that nothing is going to come easy in Class 6A. Turnovers plagued them early in their conference opener, and it snowballed from there in a 26-6 loss to No. 5 Seneca Valley in the conference opener Friday...
Agostoni’s highlight-reel goals carry Latrobe to boys soccer win over Franklin Regional
The soccer ball left Latrobe defender Brady Kring’s foot and sailed high into the night sky like a punt at Panther Stadium. When it came down, it pinged off a Franklin Regional defender’s shoulder and arrived at the feet of Roman Agostoni, who suddenly became the one in a 2-on-1....
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Jeannette, Ligonier Valley players suspended
Jeannette and Ligonier Valley will be down two players each for the next two games because of ejections that happened last Friday night. An altercation between the teams at last week’s game in Ligonier prompted ejections of all four players. PIAA rules call for a two-game suspension for ejections involving...
Trunzo, Latrobe defense stiffen for tight win over Norwin
Several Latrobe girls soccer players sang the national anthem Tuesday night before a boys home soccer game. On Wednesday night, they were singing the praises of their first-year goalkeeper. Junior Gianna Trunzo earned the teams’ dog tag necklace after she made seven saves, including four in the second half when...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2024 Week 3
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week 3 of the 2024 season: Class 6A No. 1 North Allegheny (3-0) at Hempfield (1-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Hempfield Last week’s result: North Allegheny 18, Penn Hills 14; Hempfield 31, Kiski Area 29 Last year’s meeting:...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Former Monessen standout, 25, takes WPIAL coaching job
California has one of the youngest coaches in the state — and one of the better goal scorers in recent Monessen history. Tyler Caterino is only 25 years old, barely out of college, and he is leading the Trojans this fall. The former goal-scoring forward went on to become an...
Latrobe makes 1st-half goal stand up in boys soccer win over Penn-Trafford
Latrobe strengthened its lead in Section 3-3A boys soccer with a first-half goal and steady play from its defense. It’s a good thing the latter came to play. “We had to be physical and keep working,” Wildcats defender Brady Kring said. “Our communication was good tonight. We had to make...
7 from WPIAL nominated for National High School Football Hall of Fame
Fifty-four players, seven coaches and three teams have been nominated for the third class of the National High School Football Hall of Fame. Once again, the WPIAL will have representation. Longtime Upper St. Clair coach Jim Render, former quarterbacks Dan Marino (Central Catholic), Joe Namath (Beaver Falls), Charlie Batch (Steel...
Greensburg Central Catholic-Clairton football game to be played Friday at Clairton
The Greensburg Central Catholic-Clairton football game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Clairton’s Neil C. Brown Stadium instead of noon Saturday at Thomas Jefferson Stadium as previously scheduled. A $6.6 million renovation project is planned for Clairton’s home field, but athletic director Alexis Trubiani said work on the...
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Penn-Trafford, Latrobe getting used to life in Class 4A
Penn-Trafford and Latrobe are adjusting to life in WPIAL Class 4A. Both were elevated a classification per the new WPIAL enrollment cycle, which lasts two years. “There have been differences,” Penn-Trafford coach Jimmy Mastroianni said. “The pace of play is faster, and we are still adjusting to that.” Penn-Trafford (4-2,...
Mt. Pleasant boys soccer prepares to move forward after injury to top player Johnson
Mt. Pleasant is dealing with the loss of one of its top boys soccer players, but the Vikings are moving forward with an all-hands-on-deck approach. Senior midfielder Aidan Johnson went down with a lower-body injury in a nonsection game against visiting Belle Vernon last week. He was placed on a...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: GCC grad Nate Ward playing final season at St. Louis
Nate Ward had planned to play one last season of college soccer closer to home at Duquesne. But the grad student transfer shifted gears and ended up at St. Louis playing for a nationally ranked program. Ward, a Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, played four years at Indiana of the Big...
Westmoreland high school notebook: WCCA boys golf tournament set for Thursday at Latrobe Elks
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will host its annual boys golf championship Thursday at Latrobe Elks Golf Course. With two-time winner Nick Turowski of Penn-Trafford now playing at West Virginia, the field is more open. The long-hitting Turowski won last year with a 4-under-par 68, adding a title to his...
Westmoreland high school football notebook: Tatsch a force in Latrobe’s ground game
Alex Tatsch might be heading to Penn State to play linebacker, but the Latrobe senior made it clear this summer he had plenty to give the Wildcats as a running back. Remember, Tatsch was limited last season with a labrum tear that required offseason surgery. Now that he is at...
Norwin girls volleyball working to make strides
Norwin girls volleyball finished 3-11 overall and 1-7 in Section 3-4A, which put the Knights in last place. That means there is room for improvement for veteran coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio and her players. Seven returning starters give the team a reason for optimism. Ferragonio said it is too early...
Franklin Regional notebook: Boys soccer team opens section schedule with win
A matchup of first-year coaches in Section 3-3A boys soccer went to Franklin Regional’s Nick White, whose Panthers rang up three second-half goals to pull past Ryan Hankey’s Penn-Trafford team, 3-1, in the section opener Aug. 29. “P-T came out strong, and they were really strong in the back,” said...
Sizzling Greensburg Salem rolls past Valley, off to best start since 2011
Greensburg Salem honored its conference championship football teams from 2003 and ’04 before Friday night’s kickoff. Then, the current Golden Lions took the field looking like a team with similar aspirations. Greensburg Salem continued its best start since 2011, making it a perfect 3 for 3 in home games to...
Agostoni gets hat trick, Latrobe keeps rolling vs. Belle Vernon
On a night when shots were plentiful and goals piled up, Latrobe was more impressed by its defensive play and limiting Belle Vernon’s potent offense in its latest soccer victory. “The defense created the chances,” said senior forward Roman Agostoni, who had a hat trick in the Wildcats’ 5-0 win...
Westmoreland County high school football notebook: Monessen sends scoreboards spinning
Monessen is the highest-scoring team in WPIAL football through two weeks with a brow-raising, 60.5-point average. The Greyhounds, who hadn’t started 2-0 since 2018, have laid out a tapestry of big plays while scoring in a number of ways. A key playmaker is TyVaughn Kershaw, a junior running back, who...
Freshman lights fuse for Penn-Trafford girls in win over Latrobe
Freshman Tori Yurt said she wanted to be more “useful” to the Penn-Trafford girls soccer team after a slow start to the season. How’s this for useful? The 6-foot forward scored two goals to set the pace and propel Penn-Trafford to a 3-2 victory over host Latrobe in the Section...
Hempfield boys soccer revels in streak-snapping win
When Derry scored two goals to pull even with Hempfield, Michael Crowe, Hempfield’s coach, just let it roll. “We, as coaches, didn’t have to say much at halftime,” Crowe said of Tuesday night’s boys soccer game. “Just a few words of calming encouragement, and the boys took it upon themselves...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Aidan Johnson sparks Mt. Pleasant
Mt. Pleasant is off to a strong start to the season. The Vikings (3-1) put up 20 goals, including 10 in a 10-0 win over Brownsville in the Section 4-2A opener. Aidan Johnson leads the team with seven goals. He had four in a 5-0 win against Derry. Ten players...
