Bill Beckner stories, Page 9
Wisconsin’s Cade Yacamelli among former Westmoreland County stars to watch in Division I, II football
Wisconsin running backs coach Devon Spalding trumpeted the praises of Cade Yacamelli during training camp, saying the former Penn-Trafford star had the ability to “take charge of the room.” Wisconsin opens the season Aug. 28 against Miami (Ohio), and Yacamelli could end up taking charge of the Badgers’ backfield as...
Westmoreland County boys high school soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant has savvy to make noise in Class 2A
With nine returning starters, Mt. Pleasant boys soccer has its sights on a sixth straight WPIAL playoff berth. The season opens Friday, and the Vikings are primed to make their mark in Class 2A. They lost only two starters from a team that took second place in Section 4. “We...
Westmoreland County boys soccer notebook: Key players out of Norwin’s lineup
Four players who likely would have had an impact for Norwin are nonfactors — at least for this season. Junior Chase Molinaro, sophomore Turner Raibel, and freshmen Christian Wilson and Mateo Yezovich are playing for the MLS Next, a youth developmental league that does not permit players to dual roster...
Westmoreland County football notebook: Ligonier Valley hopes to shine in ‘Friday Night Lights’ contest
Ligonier Valley is the latest Westmoreland County school to enter the school spirit-driven T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights competition. Latrobe and Derry took part in the season-long contest, which recognizes small towns and their fondness for high school football. Top schools are awarded each week, starting with $5,000 in the...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2025 Week Zero
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Week Zero in Westmoreland County: Nonconference Connellsville at Latrobe 7 p.m. Friday, Latrobe Memorial Stadium, Latrobe Last year’s meeting: Latrobe 41, Connellsville 0 Connellsville, which plays an independent schedule outside the WPIAL, finished 3-6 last season. Senior quarterback Caden Matthews leads the...
No-nonsense senior hopes to help Southmoreland achieve biggest goals
Deadpan and focused, Stanley Chapman would just as soon crack a helmet than a smile. With that in mind, you can imagine what picture day was like. Forced grins, squinting at the sun and getting pulled in all directions, while waiting as patiently as he could for practice to start....
Westmoreland County girls soccer notebook: Rosensteel Classic kicks off season Saturday
The new WPIAL girls soccer season begins Friday, but the first big event to watch will be Saturday at Ringgold. The fourth annual Moe Rosensteel Memorial Kickoff Classic will feature four games at Joe Montana Stadium. The schedule is as follows: Franklin Regional vs. Thomas Jefferson (girls) at 10 a.m.,...
Westmoreland County girls high school soccer preview: Mt. Pleasant takes another crack at elusive WPIAL title
The question returns each year like the girls soccer season itself. Is this Mt. Pleasant’s year? Last season ended with another look of disappointment on the faces of Vikings players, who lost to playoff nemesis Burrell, 4-0, in the WPIAL 2A quarterfinals, another promising team left stifled. Mt. Pleasant was...
Soft spoken with a mean streak, Lucas Altier anchors massive Norwin offensive line
Lucas Altier’s goals for his senior season are larger than he is. Unproven and hefty, the Norwin football player stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 315 pounds. He naturally stands out. “He’s the biggest kid I have coached,” Knights coach Mike Brown said of the right tackle. “This is the...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Seton Hill’s Ky’Ron Craggette earns preseason honor
Seton Hill running back Ky’Ron Craggette made a national preseason watch list. Craggette, a redshirt senior, was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 preseason watch list. The list aims to begin the process of identifying All-American-caliber players. There are first, second and “squad,” or honorable mention, teams. Craggette made the...
Jeannette seeks return to ‘favorite’ role
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Frazier preview will be published later this week. Players in this year’s senior class have been with Tommy Paulone from...
Greensburg Central Catholic offense shows big-play potential
With Samir Crosby eyeing a possible move to receiver and Jerry Davis lined up wide opposite him, Greensburg Central Catholic could have big-play ability downfield. The senior pass-catching duo brings a blend of hands and speed few teams will have this football season. Both can go deep or create in...
Power 4: Westmoreland County standouts, friends, foes eyeing Division I college careers
Samir Crosby and Kymon’e Brown have been exchanging jabs since they began playing Madden against each other in grade school. They are the ultimate friends and foes. They’ve shared dustups and daps, stories of big games and college visits, and a bitter dislike for one another that lasts a few...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Moe Rosensteel watch list released
The watch list for the Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player Award — the top girls soccer player in the WPIAL — came out last week. Local players to make the list are Addison Ayres of Franklin Regional, Annalyse Bauer of Latrobe, Morgan Gesinski of Mt. Pleasant, Jiana Patterson of Hempfield...
Latrobe’s Chris Fite part of 1st University Athletic Association Hall of Fame class
Latrobe alum Chris Fite played professional basketball for more than a decade in Europe. Before that, he was a dominant post player at Rochester and won an NCAA Division III championship in 1990. His college exploits are getting recognized over three decades later. Fite, the men’s basketball coach at Shippensburg,...
Hempfield softball player Claire Mitchell flips college commitment
Hempfield rising senior softball player Claire Mitchell has flipped her college commitment following a coaching change. Mitchell, a standout outfielder, announced she is no longer committed to Maryland Baltimore County and instead will play at Marist of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She decided to leave UMBC after the resignation...
Greensburg C.C. seeking new basketball coach after Christian Hyland resigns
Christian Hyland is stepping down as boys basketball coach at Greensburg Central Catholic after six successful seasons. Hyland, a former GCC point guard who took the job at age 23 after three years as an assistant to Greg Bisignani, said his decision was multifaceted but did not want to get...
As game grows on him, Latrobe senior becomes top lineman
Football wasn’t for Lucas Kolenc in the beginning. It was hard. A chore. About as fun as roofing or pouring concrete in extreme heat. He tried the game as a middle schooler and, by all accounts and with no sugar coating, he hated it. “I didn’t feel like I belonged,”...
Coaching change, player movement do not deter Southmoreland from playoff goal
Editor’s note: Trib HSSN will publish team-by-team previews for one conference per day until the start of the high school football season Aug. 22. Due to production schedule conflicts, the Elizabeth Forward preview will be published later this month. There is a new car smell to the Southmoreland football program....
Former Clairton star Kam Gissendanner takes over Saint Vincent women’s basketball program
Two years? Three years? No, new Saint Vincent women’s basketball coach Kam Gissendanner doesn’t want a grace period for the Bearcats. She wants to win immediately. “We’re going to hit the ground running, quickly,” Gissendanner said Wednesday from Carey Center on SVC’s campus. “Like, we want it right now.” SVC...
After breakout season, Jeannette receiver Jayce Powell ready for encore
Jayce Powell has been stealing scenes in Jeannette football games since he broke into the starting lineup as a freshman. Deep routes, posts, seam shots, catch-and-runs. He’s done it all. Last year, he broke through. He grabbed 57 receptions for 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging a brow-raising 17.9 yards...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Latrobe football team has ‘big’ surprise for opponents
There’s been a big addition to the Latrobe football team. Emphasis on “big.” Rob Young is a sight to see. The senior is every bit of 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, a man-among-boys newcomer who could be a gamechanger for the Wildcats. So how did a former City League kid end...
After breakout season, Hempfield’s Jack Kopas chasing school receiving record
Jack Kopas was elected a team captain this year at Hempfield, a reflection of his breakout junior season and, perhaps more over, his noticeable growth as a player and teammate. “There’s no way the coaches would have seen me as a (future) captain when I was a sophomore,” the senior...
Westmoreland County’s newest football coaches tackle 1st day of official workouts
Dustin Shoaf made sure his team didn’t leave hungry on the final day of football heat acclimatization workouts. The new Southmoreland football coach cut the last practice short Friday and surprised his players with a post-practice meal of brisket and macaroni and cheese for what he called a “well done”...
Girls soccer stars grace Moe Rosensteel award watch list
The watch list is out for the 2025 Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player award in WPIAL girls soccer. Finalists — traditionally three, but four last year — will be named during the WPIAL playoffs, and the winner will be announced after the PIAA championships. Molly Kubistek of Peters Township, a...
