Bill Beckner stories, Page 36

Hungry for Hungary. A pair of local martial artists earned qualification to the U.S. Kickboxing Team that will compete in the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations Junior World Championships in the fall in Budapest. Gabby Viola, 13, and Xander Eddy, 15, won national titles recently at the USA Kickboxing Team...

With seniors Tyree Turner and Franco Alvarez seeing multiple double teams when they had the basketball in the lane, Liam Gallagher saw an opportunity to bail out his teammates and help keep a promising championship run intact. Not that No. 2 seed Greensburg Central Catholic was ever in real danger...

Jesse Reed was elated after his Franklin Regional boys flattened Gateway, 53-35, in the quarterfinals to keep their title chase on course. After spending a few minutes with family, the third-year boys basketball coach looked around an emptying gym at Norwin on Thursday night and flashed a face-covering smile. It...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 2A Semifinals 12-South Side (15-9) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (18-5) 2 p.m. Saturday at AHN Arena, Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 3-Serra Catholic (20-4)/2-Aliquippa (21-3) in championship 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at Petersen Events Center Coaches: Brent Darroch, South Side; Chris Skatell, GCC Players...

Presidents’ Athletic Conference men’s basketball championship Who: No. 2 seed Saint Vincent (23-3) at No. 1 Geneva (23-3) When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Metheny Fieldhouse, Beaver Falls Livestream: www.pacstream.net Coaches: D.P. Harris, Saint Vincent; Jeff Santarsiero, Geneva Players to watch: Dev Ostrowski, Saint Vincent; Trevor Tipton, Geneva Notable: The finalists...

Cam Rowell caught the basketball on the wing, squared up and fired. His 3-pointer splashed down just before the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, and the Franklin Regional senior guard held his shooting hand in the air, his body frozen in a shooter’s pose. “I held it up...

Norwin girls basketball coach Brian Brozeski said his team played “challenged” basketball late in the regular season. Things weren’t quite right. While the top-seeded Knights were not as sharp as the coach had hoped for heading into the postseason — they had to sit through a 14-day layoff — the...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A Quarterfinals 10-Eden Christian (12-10) vs. 2-Greensburg Central Catholic (21-2) 8 p.m. Friday at Fox Chapel Winner plays: Winner of 6-Jeannette (14-7)/3-Northgate (17-5) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Coaches: Aaron Smith, Eden Christian; Christian Hyland, GCC Players to watch: Nathan Garrett, Eden Christian;...

Rochester players tried repeatedly to drive the lane against Greensburg Central Catholic, but the Rams were met with constant resistance. A block here, a deflection and steal there. Denial ruled the paint at Chartiers Valley. Defense is said to win championships. It worked pretty well for the top-seeded Centurions in...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A Quarterfinals 7-Gateway (17-6) vs. 2-Franklin Regional (21-2) 8 p.m. Thursday at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 11-Bethel Park (12-11)/3-Shaler (21-2) on Monday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Coaches: Alvis Rogers, Gateway; Jesse Reed, Franklin Regional Players to watch: Alex Lowry, Gateway; Cooper Rankin, Franklin...

Dr. Greg Bisignani stepped down at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season as boys basketball coach at Greensburg Central Catholic after eight seasons. When he did, he was essentially passing the torch to his protege and former player, Christian Hyland. Two years later, another one of his former Centurions also...

No matter the seed, no matter the matchup, teams want to be sharp when they open the WPIAL basketball postseason. Tournament time, after all, is when it matters. No. 2 seed Greensburg Central Catholic wasn’t perfect, but it was efficient in taking the first step toward its championship goal with...

Duquesne assistant women’s basketball coach Vanessa Abel was selected to participate in the Next Generation Institute by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Abel is a former Southmoreland standout and a Duquesne alum. The second-year institute is an educational program for experienced assistants who have aspirations to be head coaches in...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 2A Quarterfinals 9-Rochester (15-7) vs. 1-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-5) 6 p.m. Wednesday at Chartiers Valley Winner plays: Winner of 12-South Side (14-9)/4-Fort Cherry (17-5) in semifinals Saturday (time, site TBD) Coaches: CJ Iannini, Rochester; Chris Skatell, GCC Players to watch: Tia Yellock, Rochester; Erica Gribble,...

Senior Colin Masten signed a couple of autographs for some wide-eyed kids. Seniors Cooper Rankin and Cam Rowell talked with some college coaches who are recruiting them. Their teammates and coaches ate chocolate-chip cookies as they mingled with the crowd. These are fun times for the Franklin Regional boys, who...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A First round 15-Frazier (11-11) at 2-Greensburg Central Catholic (20-2) 7 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 10-Eden Christian (11-10)/7-Shenango (12-10) on Friday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Frazier 4th, Section 4; GCC 1st Section 3 Players to watch: Dailan McManus, Frazier; Tyree...

It was like Saint Vincent had been here before. But if there was a feeling of deja vu, it was probably driven by adrenaline, not history. The Bearcats, who resurrected their wrestling program after nearly five decades away, cleaned up in their first Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships. Three wrestlers won...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 5A First round 15-Mars (10-12) at 2-Franklin Regional (20-2) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 10-Penn Hills (14-7)/7-Gateway (16-6) on Thursday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Mars T-4th, Section 4; Franklin Regional 1st Section 3 Players to watch: Cam Rowell, Franklin Regional;...

Norwin girls basketball’s thumbprint continues to show up all over the college game. There are almost enough former Lady Knights to form a team at the next level. Here is a look at some of the women impacting Division III and NAIA programs, some of which are national tournament contenders:...

Olivia Kovach School: Mt. Pleasant Class: Sophomore Sport: Gymnastics Claim to fame: Kovach competed in the WPIAL championship meet for the second year in a row and won a gold medal in the balance beam with a score of 9.575. She also finished second in the all-around (37.450) and in...

South Park knew who to turn to when it needed a jolt. When it came time to flip a WPIAL girls basketball playoff game in its favor. Junior point guard Brooke Paylo was the fifth-seeded Eagles’ rail to hold onto in a 37-21 first-round victory over No. 12 Mt. Pleasant...

The legacy of “Fred” lives on at Southmoreland. Organizers have put together an event to not only help young football players improve their skills but also to honor the memory of a beloved coach. The Coach Ron “Fred” Frederick Memorial Youth Football Camp will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m....

Gentle giant Max Leven had a goal when he left Franklin Regional, but for him to achieve that goal, he felt he needed some fine-tuning. If he was going to be ready to play NCAA Division I college football, the 6-foot-8, 285-pound Leven had to smooth out some rough edges....

While she was cleared to return and was going to need ice treatment after the game, Cara Dupilka wasn’t sure how much she could give Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round of the playoffs after missing three games with a bone bruise in her left foot. “I’m thinking maybe...

Girls Class 3A 12-Mt. Pleasant (14-7) at 5-South Park (15-6) 2 p.m. Saturday Winner plays: Winner of 13-Brownsville (12-9)/4-Neshannock (15-7) Wednesday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD) Section finish: Mt. Pleasant 3rd, Section 3; South Park T-1st, Section 4 Players to watch: Grace Arrigo, Mt. Pleasant; Hayley Bennett, South Park Layup...