Bill Beckner stories, Page 39

When his first football scholarship offer came in, Luke Denny was overcome with emotion. “I called my grandparents crying,” the Norwin senior said. “It was like, this is really happening.” But that offer came during the regular season — Week 4 vs. Woodland Hills — and it was from Division...

Rosemary Gaydos became the latest Norwin track and field athlete to commit to a Division I college program. Gaydos will continue her distance-running and cross country career at St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto. She has lettered every year in cross country, track and field and swimming. Her personal-best times are...

Rosemary Gaydos became the latest Norwin track and field athlete to commit to a Division I college program. Gaydos will continue her distance-running and cross-country career at St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto. Gaydos has lettered every year in cross country, track and field and swimming. Her personal-best times are 19...

Given room to run, Belle Vernon feasted on transition points and loaded up the stat sheet Friday night, ringing up a season high for points in an 85-73 victory at Southmoreland in Section 3-4A boys basketball. Junior 6-foot-6 forward Tommy Davis and junior guard Trevor Kovatch had career scoring nights,...

Some good basketball could be in store on “The Hill” this weekend. The Shootout at Seton Hill, expanded to two days because of its popularity, will be Saturday and Sunday at Seton Hill’s McKenna Center. There will be 11 showcase games over the weekend, eight boys and three girls. The...

It is late January, and the WPIAL basketball regular season is headed for its final two weeks. That can mean only one thing: another winning streak for Monessen. The Greyhounds (12-2, 4-1), like they have the past two seasons, strung together another tapestry of wins along their chase to another...

Norwin could have given the game ball to any number of players after an impressive 64-44 win over rival North Allegheny. Junior Kendall Berger had 21 points and made 11 of 12 free throws Thursday night in North Huntingdon. Sophomore Ava Christopher scored 10 and helped sustain a key fourth-quarter...

Jeannette’s girls basketball team had to cancel Wednesday night’s game at Geibel because it had only four healthy players. Two Jeannette players — Venicia Vignoli and Adrianna Allison — are out with lingering injuries sustained in a car accident Jan. 15. Jeannette’s coach, Anna Leonard, the mother of Vignoli and...

Two of the top teams and rivals in WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball will meet for the second time this season Thursday night when North Allegheny visits Norwin in Section 1. Norwin (13-3, 5-0) is ranked No. 2 and North Allegheny (14-1, 4-1) No. 3 in the TribLive HSSN rankings....

It is a point of pride for the first-year coach at Latrobe, and it makes her eyes light up when it shows itself in key moments, when it is executed properly. “It” is defense. And Latrobe girls basketball coach Mackenzie Livingston teaches it, preaches it and demonstrates it. She thinks...

Braden Riley’s eyes widened as the ball popped loose from Owen Dumbroski’s grasp. The Greensburg Central Catholic guard ripped away a steal with 3.1 seconds, then made 1 of 2 free throws as the No. 2-ranked Centurions edged Serra Catholic, 61-59, in a tight Section 3-2A boys basketball game Tuesday...

College coaches are flocking to Latrobe to meet with junior football prospect Alex Tatsch. Normally, it’s an assistant coach who makes the trip to see the four-star linebacker in person. But on Tuesday, a head coach showed up to sit down with Tatsch. And he came a long way, as...

When Montevallo men’s basketball coach Anthony Komara came to Landon Butler and told the true freshman he would be starting in the season opener, Butler didn’t get sweaty palms. Even if the opponent was the defending NCAA Division II national champion, Nova Southeastern, the team his brother, Bryce, faced in...

Nick White was approved Monday as the boys soccer coach at Franklin Regional. White replaces Lukas Petersen, who resigned after two seasons. Franklin Regional finished 12-9 last season and made a run to the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals after a 2-1 victory over No. 3 seeded Moon. The Panthers were...

Latrobe sold merchandise in the gym lobby Monday night. Hats, shirts, you name it. There were deals on orange-and-black Wildcats gear everywhere. The girls basketball team took an upset special deep into the second half against No. 3 McKeesport but couldn’t finish the deal in a 51-43 loss in Section...

Seton Hill senior basketball player Christiane Frye scored her 1,000th career point as the Griffins (9-7, 6-4) rallied for a 66-62 victory Saturday over visiting Mercyhurst. Frye finished with 18 points, eight in the fourth quarter, while sophomores Helene Cowan (17), Abby Mankins (Greensburg Salem, 12) and Hallie Cowan (11)...

Erica Gribble School: Greensburg Central Catholic Class: Sophomore Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: A Division I college prospect who continues to impress, Gribble had another big week for GCC, which is ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class 2A. She pumped in 23 points in a 62-53 win over Winchester Thurston,...

The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will host its final event of the winter with the swimming and diving championships Friday and Saturday at Derry. Last year, several meet records fell. Returning standout Lily King of Mt. Pleasant, a North Carolina State commit, is worth the price of a ticket. King,...

Norwin’s swimming teams are hoping to take the momentum of a pre-holiday run into the thick of the season schedule. The boys team had a 5-1 record and the girls were 3-3 as WPIAL section play was ramping up. “We (were) heading into the hardest part of the year over...

Uncle Kevin would have been proud. Of a thrilling Franklin Regional win. Of a runaway second overtime by the Panthers in a playoff-like atmosphere. And most of all, of his nephew’s big shot. Franklin Regional guard Fin Hutchison lost his uncle, Kevin Sebunia, who lived three houses down from the...

Section 3 could be the most competitive lineup of teams in WPIAL Class 5A. That much is clear at the halfway point of the schedule. Latrobe gave the standings a rip-roaring jolt Tuesday night with a 63-60 win at No. 1-ranked Gateway. “You see how hard they play,” Gateway coach...

When it came time to piece together the boys basketball schedule for this season at Latrobe, veteran coach Brad Wetzel stretched boundaries. The Wildcats traveled south, then north, looking to sharpen their skills against teams from beyond the depths of WPIAL territory. Seven of their first nine games were against...

Nail files and sandpaper serve a similar purpose to what Kiski Area’s 3-2 zone can do to teams. And, how the Cavaliers win sometimes. But their latest game took it to another level. Or, maybe down one. “Grind it out,” Cavaliers’ coach Corey Smith said. “That’s what you have to...

When a player the caliber of Mya Morgan goes out with an injury, some teams might go into a five-alarm panic. The sky is falling. The season is over. We can’t win without her. But Greensburg Central Catholic isn’t some teams. Morgan, the team’s second-leading scorer and a Cal (Pa.)...

A blend of basketball knowledge and open-mindedness in an always-changing game, along with dependable people around him and sustained longevity, carried Rick Klimchock to a milestone victory. “I’ve been in a constant love affair with hoops,” the Greensburg Salem girls basketball coach said. “It has lasted since 1978. No one...