Bill Beckner stories, Page 91
Hempfield boys feel lucky to have Harry Sowers in lineup
When a sports reporter first dubbed him “Dirty Harry,” Hempfield’s Harrison Sowers had to do some research. He thought the nickname might be derogatory. “I didn’t know what it meant,” the senior guard said. “I asked my parents about it. I read about it and found out it was for...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Yough in playoff hunt
Yough? In a section race? Believe it. The Cougars girls basketball team is in a three-way tie for second place in a jam-packed Section 4-3A. Yough is 6-8 overall and 3-2 in section after winning three of its last six games. Section wins over Waynesburg (44-38) and McGuffey (39-23) moved...
Dynamic young guards have Greensburg Central Catholic girls in contention ahead of schedule
Greensburg Central Catholic is growing up fast. The girls basketball team has just 11 players and only two seniors, so it might look like their best days could be ahead. But the Centurions, brimming with talent, have emerged as a serious contender in WPIAL Class 2A. To a large degree,...
Norwin boys escape with victory over Hempfield despite free-throw woes
Norwin hasn’t qualified for the WPIAL playoffs yet, but the Knights are already in survive-and-advance mode with their top player on the shelf. The Knights overcame a second-half charge by Hempfield — and some rough free-throw shooting — to escape with a 47-46 Section 3-6A victory Tuesday night in North...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Pitt-Greensburg sets 2nd hall of fame class
Pitt-Greensburg unveiled its second Athletics Hall of Fame class. The inductees will be honored Feb. 10 at Wagner Dining Hall on campus. The class includes Dean Rick Fogle, the men’s golf teams of 1997-2000 and basketball players Jim Kubicek, Kevin Conlon and Kelsey Wilcox. Fogle played a key role in...
Penn-Trafford uses big 3rd quarter to rebound past Latrobe
Penn-Trafford still had the unsavory taste of a bad second half against top-ranked McKeesport in its mouth when it traveled to Latrobe on Monday night. A good way to get rid of it was to have one of its better second halves of the season. The Warriors pumped in 21...
Moon’s Bill Pfeifer named national girls soccer coach of the year
Moon had a girls soccer season to remember in the fall. The Tigers didn’t let anybody get in the way as they collected WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships and finished a perfect 24-0. Moon won WPIAL and state titles last year, as well, in Class 4A. The engineer of...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Hempfield grad Sarah Liberatore shines at Florida Tech
Sarah Liberatore decided to make the move from a Division I program to one playing in Division II. It looks like it was the right move for the former Hempfield standout. Liberatore had a career game last week for Florida Tech, a D-II school in Melbourne, Fla. A sophomore guard,...
Five district basketball players named to Bevo Francis award watch list
They would make a nice starting five. Five district players made the Clarence “Bevo” Francis watch list for the award that recognizes the top small-college basketball player in the country. Bryce Butler of West Liberty, John Paul Kromka of Pitt-Johnstown, Shawndale Jones and Dave Morris of IUP and Jo Valrie...
Westmoreland high school notes: Ligonier Valley rehires Siko as AD
When Ligonier Valley made the giant leap from District 6 to the WPIAL in 2020, Wesley Siko was the Rams’ athletic director and oversaw the move. But soon after, Siko left to become the AD at Ringgold. Two years later, he is back. Ligonier Valley rehired Siko following the resignation...
Norwin’s Savannah Schneck impresses by returning to court after tearing left ACL twice
Savannah Schneck lost her sophomore and junior basketball seasons, and she never will get them back. She spent the better part of 19 months rehabbing an ACL that she tore, had repaired then tore again. Some players never recover from knee injuries like that. But Schneck isn’t some player. She...
Greensburg Salem catcher Gionnah Ruffner to play at Seton Hall
Gionnah Ruffner will take her powerful softball swing to the Big East. The junior from Greensburg Salem made a verbal pledge to play at Seton Hall. The power-hitting catcher also had an offer from Akron. “When I arrived on campus, the first thing I told my dad was I knew...
Westmoreland County athletes of the week: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mya Morgan and Franklin Regional’s Juliano Marion
Mya Morgan School: Greensburg Central Catholic Class: Junior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Morgan has helped lead GCC (12-2, 4-0) to the No. 2 ranking in WPIAL Class 2A. She had 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 57-48 victory over No. 4 Clairton. In the previous game, she had...
Landon Butler scores 1,000th point to propel Latrobe past Penn-Trafford
Landon Butler admitted he became a little sensitive when the ball went through the net just before halftime Friday night. He had chills for a second or two. “Emotions kind of picked up, there,” Butler said. “I had tears in my eyes.” Butler, a senior guard at Latrobe, took a...
3-pointers from McKeesport’s Malina Boord help cool off Penn-Trafford girls
Malina Boord wears No. 3. How appropriate. The senior from McKeesport found her shooting touch from 3-point range early and propelled No. 1 McKeesport to a 59-35 victory over No. 3 Penn-Trafford on Friday in a clash of top-five Class 5A girls basketball teams in Harrison City. Boord connected on...
Expectations keep rising for Highlands girls after win over Greensburg Salem
Highlands girls basketball coach Shawn Bennis used the word “discipline” a lot when he addressed his team after Thursday night’s game. His voice echoed in the hallway outside the locker room beneath the gym floor at Greensburg Salem. Bennis was as pleased as he was relieved after a tight, 54-52...
Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Terek Crosby at 1,000 points and counting
Terek Crosby wasn’t sure how many career points he had earlier this season during a holiday tournament at Greensburg Salem. The junior guard from Yough knows now. Crosby became the latest player from his school to reach the 1,000-point milestone Tuesday when he poured in 34 in a 75-40 victory...
Monessen boys keep underdog mentality despite 10-game winning streak
Monessen is going streaking again. Don’t worry, this isn’t a deleted scene from “Old School.” Although their pressure defense can scare the pants off some opponents. The Greyhounds boys basketball team has posted 10 straight wins and has surged to the top of WPIAL Section 2-A. They stand at 10-1...
Belle Vernon’s Quinton Martin named a MaxPreps All-American
Belle Vernon fans see Quinton Martin as their Captain America. Now, he’s an All-American. The football star made super hero-like plays for the Leopards this past season in leading them to WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships. A five-star prospect who is one of the most sought-after recruits in the...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Franklin Regional focuses on closing out games
Franklin Regional has held halftime and second-half leads this season but has come up short at the final buzzer. Close games have been a regular thing for the Panthers, but they have had trouble squeezing wins out of them. “We have to learn how to play four total quarters and...
South Fayette’s Maddie Webber, Indiana’s Eva Fiala nominated for McDonald’s All-American Game
A pair of WPIAL girls basketball players are nominated for the top all-star game in the nation. South Fayette guard Maddie Webber and Indiana center Eva Fiala are among a nationwide pool of 722 girls and boys nominees for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Games, set for 6:30 p.m. March 28...
With structure in place, Greensburg Salem girls emerge as Class 4A contenders
Greensburg Salem girls basketball players line up differently at times for the national anthem. Sometimes, it is by height — from 6-foot-1 Kaitlyn Mankins down to 5-1 freshman Mya Heasley. Other nights, it is by number: No. 1 Heasley to senior Paytan Henry, who wears No. 34. “It’s about structure...
Franklin Regional boys grind out victory over Latrobe
To win at Latrobe on Tuesday night, Franklin Regional had to slow down, then grind down the Wildcats. A victory had to be earned. The Panthers had to be patient with the lead and play smart basketball down the stretch. They succeeded as three players scored in double figures on...
Greensburg Salem alum Brennan Marion joins UNLV football staff
Trying to keep up with Brennan Marion as a coach is like trying to defend him when he was a big-play wide receiver at Tulsa. He is on the move again. Catch him if you can. Marion, a Greensburg Salem graduate and former Pitt wide receivers coach, was announced Tuesday...
Belle Vernon, Laurel Highlands set for another anticipated matchup
There will be an abundance of athleticism on the basketball court Tuesday night in Uniontown. And odds are it will be another sellout when Belle Vernon (5-5 , 1-1) visits No. 2-ranked Laurel Highlands (9-1, 2-0) in a Section 3-4A boys game at Harold “Horse” Taylor Memorial Gymnasium. While fans...
