Bill Beckner stories, Page 95
Southmoreland basketball coach earns assist for Belle Vernon football’s state playoff run
Give Frank Muccino a pass for missing Southmoreland’s basketball game Saturday. He has a state championship to win. Muccino, the Scotties’ head boys basketball coach, also is an assistant with the Belle Vernon football team, which will take on Neumann-Goretti on Saturday at Cumberland Valley for the PIAA Class 3A...
Unsung heroes help Belle Vernon to state championship game
Alonzo Wade always has three words in the back of his mind, whether he is lining up wide for a pass route or posturing to make a play at outside linebacker. “Always be ready,” the Belle Vernon sophomore football player said. That mantra has rung true across the roster this...
Norwin boys sharpen game against wide variety of opponents
Lance Maha wanted to diversify the Norwin boys basketball schedule when he took over the program last year. The coach’s end game always was to sharpen his team’s teeth on the defensive end of the floor to boost offensive opportunities on the other. “We want to be a good half-court...
Westmoreland County boys high school basketball notebook: WCCA showcase Saturday
The Westmoreland County Coaches Association will welcome 16 boys basketball teams for its annual showcase Saturday at Hempfield and Jeannette. There will be four games at each site, with corresponding times. The schedule for Hempfield: Derry vs. Southmoreland, noon; Burrell vs. Monessen, 1:30 p.m.; Ligonier Valley vs. Hempfield, 3; Kiski...
Westmoreland County girls basketball notebook: Mt. Pleasant’s Zelmore hits 1,000 the hard way
Tiffany Zelmore reached 1,000 career points, and the Mt. Pleasant senior did so in fewer games than most who achieve the milestone. Mt. Pleasant only played 20 games during Zelmore’s freshman and sophomore seasons and has only made the playoffs once during her career. So she has scored over 1,000...
Hempfield girls get off to quick start with hustle, composure
Two games is a small sample size. But to Hempfield, it can reveal a lot. With hiked-up expectations this season based on success in the offseason, Hempfield won its first two games for a sweep at the Fayette County Tournament at Connellsville. “We played with a lot of energy throughout...
Norwin girls top Penn-Trafford to remain undefeated
Tori Sydeski is often the last girl out of the gym at Norwin basketball practices. “I don’t count how many shots. I just like to end on a make,” the senior guard said. Sydeski didn’t light up the scoreboard — no one did in this game — but the Knights’...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Franklin Regional grad Mike Evans gathering offers
Mike Evans continues to build momentum toward a new college stop. The wide receiver, who entered the NCAA transfer portal and left West Virginia after a short stay, has five Division I offers. The latest is from Alabama State of the Southwestern Conference. The others are from Florida A&M, Georgia...
Westmoreland County campus clippings: Jeannette grad Robert Kennedy enters transfer portal
Robert Kennedy will play his final season of college football in a different uniform. The former Jeannette star announced he is leaving Old Dominion after two seasons. A redshirt junior safety, Kennedy entered the NCAA transfer portal for a third time and plans to play as a grad transfer next...
Westmoreland high school notebook: Mt. Pleasant’s King in top form
Mt. Pleasant’s Lily King is one of the best returning swimmers in the WPIAL this season. The sophomore looks to be in top form. King qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials after an impressive time in the 50-meter freestyle at the Toyota U.S. Open Championships at Greensboro Aquatic Center in...
Defense fuels Norwin boys past Uniontown in tournament final
Norwin is trying to develop a defensive identity early in the season. The fact that said development has come with two wins in two games is a bonus that second-year coach Lance Maha will gladly take. “We want to be a good halfcourt defensive team,” Maha said. “When we share...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Sara Felder earns Tribune-Review Westmoreland Girls Player of the Year honors
As the offense built from the back, slowly at first and then picking up speed, Sara Felder ran wide like a receiver in football. When the pink-shoed senior forward took the ball and turned on her speed, few teams could keep up with her. There were times when she drew...
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Carlo Denis named 2022 Tribune-Review Westmoreland Boys Soccer Player of the Year
When Greensburg Central Catholic needed a goal over the top, it knew whose number to call. Carlo Denis combined speed and a knack for finding space in opposing defenses, giving the Centurions a scoring machine who caused matchup problems for back lines all over WPIAL Class A. The senior forward...
Moon’s Hailey Longwell headlines Trib HSSN Girls Fab 15 Soccer Team
Hailey Longwell had nothing to lose this season. How could she? Her team went a perfect 24-0. The Moon standout powered a run to WPIAL and PIAA championships as the Tigers dropped a class to 3A and dominated. For her efforts, Longwell is the TribLive HSSN Girls Soccer Player of...
Seneca Valley’s Beau Lizewski leads Trib HSSN Boys Fab 15 Soccer Team
When Seneca Valley needed to break down a back line, funnel possession to the midfield or counter an attack, the Raiders knew who get the soccer ball to. Senior midfielder Beau Lizewski has been one of the WPIAL’s most complete players during his prep career, and a winner at that....
Penn-Trafford’s Joe Enick named 4th annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award winner
The more Joe Enick learned about Bill Fralic, the more he saw himself in the football legend. He saw the blue-collar approach to life, the intense work ethic and the passion for the game. He saw the angry football player and the gentle giant. “We were at hunting camp last...
Tyree Turner’s 24 points lift GCC past Penn-Trafford in Hempfield tournament
Tyree Turner said it took him a while to get back into basketball form after football season. “I was so out of (basketball) shape,” said Turner, who plays quarterback for Greensburg Central Catholic. “I had to get in the gym and run a lot.” It didn’t take him long to...
Brennan Marion, Greensburg Salem alum, a candidate to coach at his college alma mater
Brennan Marion has emerged as a candidate for the head football coach vacancy at Tulsa, the college alma mater of the former Greensburg Salem standout. Marion confirmed he interviewed for the opening after Tulsa let Philip Montgomery go after eight seasons. A former wide receiver plagued by knee injuries, Marion...
Starting 5: A primer for high school hoops season in Westmoreland County
The WPIAL basketball season opens Friday. Here are some of the top players, teams and storylines to watch this winter in Westmoreland County. Boys 5 players to watch Adam Bilinsky, Sr., G, Norwin: A Mercyhurst recruit with hops, the 6-foot-3 Bilinsky is a tough matchup who has elevated his game...
Westmoreland County basketball notes: Coaching reunion at Norwin tournament
Norwin will host a tip-off tournament to open boys basketball season Friday. The two-day event will be more like a reunion for three opposing coaches. Norwin coach Lance Maha, Jeannette’s Adrian Batts and Dale Chapman of Steel Valley used to coach together at West Mifflin. Batts and Chapman are Maha’s...
Belle Vernon’s Braden Laux makes impact on both sides of the ball
The more you watch Belle Vernon play, the more logical the question becomes. Is Braden Laux a quarterback who also plays defensive end, or a defensive end who also plays quarterback? Depends on who you ask. The defensive coaches claim him like a native son. “We had him first, then...
Laurel Valley to host ’23 Arnold Palmer Cup match
It seems appropriate that an event in his name should be played in his backyard. The 27th Arnold Palmer Cup matches will be contested at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, tournament organizers announced Wednesday. The event, which uses a Ryder Cup-style format, will be June 8-10 and feature top...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Hempfield’s Brose brothers help Delaware top St. Francis
They’re still friends. A contingent of local players met in the first round of the FCS playoffs, including four Hempfield graduates. But the bragging rights went to the Brose brothers, Braden and Fintan, who helped No. 23 Delaware to a convincing 56-17 victory over visiting Saint Francis (Pa.). Braden Brose,...
Westmoreland campus clippings: Freshman fills nets for Saint Vincent men
Gales force winds ripped through the Carey Center at Saint Vincent last week. Jaden Gales, a freshman from Bishop Canevin, erupted for 32 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bearcats men’s basketball team to a 73-62 victory over Grove City. Gales was named the Presidents Athletic Conference Rookie of...
Yough girls basketball program continues to gain steam as new section awaits
The gymnasium at Yough is squeaking with basketball shoes, and there is energy in the air as girls run laps to open a practice. Their giddy chatter echoes off the bleachers. “Our numbers are up this year across the board,” sixth-year coach Mike Gerdich said. Yough will have 17 players...
