Bill Beckner stories, Page 42

Robert Kennedy used to talk about playing in the NFL. What it would be like and how he would get there. Only Kennedy, the former Jeannette star quarterback and defensive back who made his way to Power Five football as a safety at N.C. State, wasn’t dreamy about the concept...

Seton Hill redshirt senior defensive lineman Dioh Desuah was named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award, which recognizes the top defensive players in small-college football. He is among 36 NCAA Division II finalists for the award named after the former Dallas Cowboys safety and Hall of Famer who appeared...

Lauren Palangio School: Norwin Class: Senior Sport: Basketball Claim to fame: Palangio, a 6-foot-1 center for the Knights, is one of the top post players in WPIAL Class 6A. The Division II Holy Family commit had 14 points and 10 rebounds in an impressive 75-44 win over McKeesport, the No....

Norwin football player Luke Denny popped up on a lot of college radar screens after a big play-filled senior season. As Division II offers roll in, Denny received a preferred walk-on invitation from a Power Five school. West Virginia presented him with an opportunity to come in and work for...

Teams have tried to slow down Greensburg Central Catholic in a number of ways, but this was something new. Coach Bill Swan and Hempfield took advantage of the new five-foul format and used some of their fouls tactically in the first and second quarters, forcing fast-paced GCC to slow down...

Admission is free for Saint Vincent men’s games, but some fans might gladly shell out a few bucks to watch this exciting brand of basketball. If you do attend a game, you probably want to stay until the end. The Bearcats (12-0) are making a habit out of tight finishes,...

Norwin senior point guard Bailey Snowberger said her team has not played its best basketball game yet. A runaway nonsection win over the No. 1-ranked team in Class 5A surely will have to rank up there, though. Norwin, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, scratched out an unsteady first quarter...

Former Franklin Regional coach Steve Scorpion is back on the sideline. Scorpion is an assistant this season at Kiski Area. He applied for the Kiski Area girls head coaching position, but when he did not get the job, Cavaliers boys coach Corey Smith invited him onto his bench. “The (girls...

There are times when Ty Keffer feels like he’s playing the drums instead of lead guitar for the Southmoreland basketball team. But that is OK because the Scotties still rock. “I knew from summer league we had other guys who could score,” said Keffer, a senior guard with more than...

Regan Kerr has a good reason for becoming a referee. “My mom told me to get a job, so I thought, why not be a ref?” said Kerr, a junior basketball player at Greensburg Salem. The 5-foot-11 forward passed her PIAA officials’ certification test about two months ago and has...

The post-Tiffany Zelmore era could have begun a number of ways at Mt. Pleasant. But five wins in the first six games? Not even coach Scott Giacobbi saw that coming. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Giacobbi, who is in his 19th season leading the girls. “I knew it...

Deer Lakes welcomed reserve forward Nate Moore back to the lineup Tuesday night following a football injury. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior’s return helped one of his teammates have a career night. You might say the Lancers shared the Love. Senior forward Wayne Love scored a career-high 28 points on 14-of-18...

Proximity to home had a little something to do with Riley Miller’s college decision. The ace softball pitcher from Hempfield is not going to play in Pennsylvania, but she decided to work the outside corner. Riley, a junior, announced Tuesday she has committed to Kent State in Portage County, Ohio....

He may hike the ball backward, but Trent Holler keeps pushing his football career forward. A grad transfer center and Latrobe graduate, Holler announced Tuesday he will be playing on the offensive line at Memphis. The 6-foot-2, 306-pound Holler tossed his name into the NCAA transfer portal earlier this month....

Belle Vernon alum Devin Hannan said this season has been “nothing short of a blessing.” The grad student offensive lineman at Valdosta State capped a terrific final year of college football by being named to the Associated Press All-America second team. The honor follows Hannan’s selection to the American Football...

Conner Ralston returned from a broken collarbone as if nothing ever happened. The junior forward on the Avonworth hockey team led the Antelopes to four wins in five games in November and was named the PIHL Class A Player of the Month. Ralston had 10 goals and five assists last...

Player of the year Quinton Martin Sr., RB/DB, Belle Vernon As running back Quinton Martin bounced outside and ripped into the secondary for what would end up his final touchdown for Belle Vernon — a 92-yard run in the PIAA championship at Cumberland Valley — the star-studded senior began to...

High-energy defensive lineman Anthony Johnson, who played briefly at Jeannette where he spearheaded a championship defense, committed to Illinois. He is a transfer from Youngstown State. Johnson (6-3, 300) entered the transfer portal after a strong junior season at YSU where he had 25 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and five...

Gianni Rizzo has been playing college football since 2019 and still has a year to go. But the Duquesne junior linebacker out of Norwin will be hard pressed to top this season. Saving his best for late in the year when the Dukes made a push into the NCAA FCS...

Dylan McCullough sank a career-high five 3-pointers for a personal-best 19 points as the Norwin boys basketball team evened its record at 2-2 with a 63-58 win over Latrobe at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Showcase on Dec. 9 at Jeannette. The Knights blew a 12-point lead but managed to...

A pair of Westmoreland County senior quarterbacks were honored by the coaches of the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference, one for his play on defense. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Tyree Turner was voted the conference’s offensive player of the year, while Jeannette’s Payton Molter received top honors as the best defensive...

Kymone Brown didn’t score in the first quarter Friday night, so coach Adrian Batts pulled the Jeannette sophomore guard aside. “I wasn’t playing how I can play,” Brown said. “Coach had a talk with me. Everything he said made sense. He said, ‘Go get yours.’ ” Brown got his, and...

Mt. Pleasant is hosting a basketball tripleheader Friday night to raise money for a scholarship in the name of late Vikings’ baseball and basketball player Dom Giallonardo. The Vikings will host Southmoreland. The junior varsity boys will play at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity teams — girls at 6:30...

College coaches are turning up the volume to hear the cracking of pads on junior John Wetzel’s highlight film. “It’s similar to what you see with (Alex) Tatsch,” Latrobe coach Ron Prady said. “It’s violent. They hit, and guys go backwards.” Tatsch and Wetzel have been pillars in the Wildcats’...

Mike Iuzzolino remembers using the floor of coach D.P. Harris’ office as a pretend highway. “When I was 8, I used to play with my toy trucks under his desk,” the Saint Vincent junior guard said. “I grew up here.” Iuzzolino spent four years as a curious tag-a-long with a...