Bill Beckner stories, Page 16

Familiarity will not be a problem for Denny Zeravica, the new hockey coach at Norwin. He has been around the program for close to two decades, so he knows the key names and faces on and off the ice. Back for a second stint as head coach of the Knights,...

Cole Savage was in the mood for a big-man touchdown. His team is in the mood to make the WPIAL playoffs. Savage had a scoop-and-score, one of four turnovers forced by the Greensburg Salem defense, and the Golden Lions were efficient on offense as they thumped Yough, 37-8, on Friday...

WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A First round 13-Ringgold (10-7-1) at 4-Latrobe (12-4-1) 2 p.m. Saturday, Rossi Field, Latrobe Winner plays: Winner of 12-Montour (9-8)/5-Bethel Park (11-5) on Wednesday in quarterfinals Corner kicks: Ringgold finished fourth in a strong Section 2 that also includes No. 2 seed Thomas Jefferson, No....

Four soccer players, four cheerleaders, two cross country runners and two basketball players are moving on in the WPIAL girls soccer playoffs. That is the makeup of the team at Greensburg Central Catholic, which cruised to a 10-0 victory over host California on Thursday night in a matchup of short-handed...

Friday night’s Greensburg Central Catholic at Frazier Class A Eastern Conference football game has been postponed due to a shortage of players on the Frazier team. The school district said the team is overwhelmed with injuries and would have trouble filling out a lineup. “We have determined that it is...

The WPIAL playoffs are drawing nearer, with the league set to release seedings and pairings Oct. 26. No Westmoreland County team has clinched a playoff berth yet, but several could this week. The top four out of seven teams in Class 6A qualify. Central Catholic and North Allegheny have clinched....

If they don’t beat you with their arms, they’ll beat you with their legs. A number of quarterbacks from Westmoreland County fit the dual-threat description, with the ability to make throws or take off and run with each developing snap. The measure of the best dual-threat QBs often is the...

There is no place like home for eight local soccer teams. The teams learned Wednesday they will be hosting their opening WPIAL playoff games. Higher-seeded teams will play at home in the first two rounds. “Not having to travel is huge,” said Penn-Trafford girls coach Jimmy Mastroianni, whose team is...

WPIAL soccer playoffs Boys Class 3A Preliminary round 17-West Mifflin (3-12) at 16-Belle Vernon (7-9) 6:30 p.m. Thursday, James Weir Stadium, Belle Vernon Winner plays: At No. 1 Moon (17-0) 6 p.m. Saturday in first round Corner kicks: Belle Vernon and West Mifflin finished tied for fourth in Section 3...

Here’s a look at the 2024 WPIAL boys soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Plum was in Class 3A last year and was upset by South Fayette in the quarterfinals, but that was the Mustangs’ last loss. They have allowed 10 goals all season and tied two good 4A teams in...

Three undefeated teams earned No. 1 seeds in the WPIAL boys soccer playoffs. Plum (15-0-3) was rewarded with the top seed in Class 4A, while Moon (17-0) took the top spot in 3A, and Bentworth (15-0) is No. 1 in Class A. In Class 2A, South Park (16-1-1) was given...

Franklin Regional might allow a goal or two, but one thing the Panthers will not do in a game is disconnect. Playing organized is their bond. “As usual, our main strength is staying connected and playing together as a team whether attacking, defending or in transition,” fifth-year coach Scott Arnold...

Latrobe junior Annalyse Bauer has played in various U.S. cities in travel soccer and internationally for a club showcase. The standout midfielder/forward will be on the move again in the future. She is heading west to play in college. Bauer announced she has made a verbal commitment to Eastern Michigan...

Scott Schuchert expects his team to get a similar to draw to last season’s playoffs when Norwin ran the table as a No. 8 seed and won its first WPIAL championship in boys soccer. “Hopefully, it’s the same result, too,” Schuchert said. The WPIAL will announce playoff seedings and matchups...

From a 5-foot-3, 97-pound freshman to a senior who now stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 125 pounds, Jackson Vacanti has grown. But so has his game. All the diminutive soccer player does is make big plays. “I feel like I have gotten better every year,” the midfielder from Greensburg Central Catholic...

Allie DeMatt plans to compete in multiple track and field events in college. She had multiple reasons to like her future destination. The senior from Hempfield announced a commitment to Bucknell of the Patriot League. “Bucknell has great athletics but also an amazing academic record, and their campus is beautiful,”...

Nick Turowski knew he could compete at the NCAA Division I level, but winning might take some time. OK, maybe not. Turowski, a freshman golfer at West Virginia and a Penn-Trafford graduate, won the Red Flash Invitational at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown. He was the only player to finish...

Hockey season has a way of sneaking up on people because it pops up late in the fall season. But the PIHL is back, and local teams already have played a few games. Penn-Trafford jumped out to a 2-0 start, scoring six goals in both games. A 6-0 win over...

Greensburg Salem wore special helmet decals Friday night to honor late assistant coach Rich Bowen, who died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. It wasn’t the standard initials on the crowns, either. No, the Golden Lions made sure the name was loud and proud. The decals stretched down the back...

Southmoreland moved closer to its first conference title since 1979 with a sound victory over rival Mt. Pleasant in the teams’ 50th meeting. Anthony Smith threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns as visiting Southmoreland brushed aside the Vikings, 28-7, in a Class 3A Interstate Conference game Friday night at...

Greensburg Salem football players will wear special helmet decals on their helmets Friday night at Derry to honor assistant coach Rich Bowen, who died earlier this week after a battle with rectal cancer. He was 60. Bowen was in his second year as an assistant coach with the Golden Lions....

Plum seemed to have a lot going against it in the Section 1-4A boys soccer finale. Already dealing with some injuries, the Mustangs had to set up their bench on the opposite sideline of Norwin, so that meant they had to deal with fan noise. Any would-be distractions were not...

In what has been the year of the kicker in the WPIAL, local legs are getting into the act. Eleven kickers from Westmoreland County have connected on field goals, with seven of the kicks sailing 35 or more yards through the uprights. Southmoreland’s Jake Kaylor made a school-record 50-yard field...

A third straight section crown secured, title contender Mt. Pleasant displayed the offensive muscle and goaltending prowess it will throw at teams in the upcoming WPIAL girls soccer playoffs. Morgan Gesinski scored a season-high six goals and assisted another, Rylin Bugosh had four assists and Laurel Rummel made three saves...

WPIAL team golf championships Boys Class 3A 10 a.m. Thursday, Cedarbrook Golf Course, Rostraver (Gold Course) Teams: Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, Plum, Belle Vernon, South Fayette, West Allegheny 2023 champion: Peters Township (371) Divots: Seven-time champion Peters Township won WPIAL and PIAA titles last season with an all-junior lineup but...