Bill Beckner stories, Page 101

The Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association has rounded up its All-WPIAL lists for the season, just in time for the PIAA finals in Hershey. Here are the teams by classification: Class 4A Sean Ahia, Sr., Fox Chapel Evan Anderson, Sr., North Allegheny Ben Beale, Sr., Allderdice Aidan Dyga, Jr., North...

Christine Chiodo has come a long way from her days as a ball girl for the West Allegheny football team. Chiodo, who just completed her first season as the head girls soccer coach at Baldwin, is part of a national mentoring program for on-the-rise coaches. She was named to United...

Payton Wehner hoped he could pilot Central Catholic back to the WPIAL finals so the Vikings could chase down a third straight Class 6A championship. But the sophomore quarterback was hoping to play at Heinz Field. “You know, when I heard it wasn’t going to be at Heinz, I was...

Finalists were announced this week for the third annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award, which recognizes the top senior football lineman in the WPIAL. There are six finalists — one from each classification — and the winner will be announced Dec. 4 at a pancake breakfast at Longue Vue Club in...

Olivia Kruger watched the WPIAL Class A girls soccer championship game Nov. 5 at Highmark Stadium from a hospital bed, shortly after delivering her 8-pound, 4-ounce bundle of joy, James Thomas Kruger. The baby was born minutes after kickoff. Just 11 days later, she had a much better view of...

The search has begun for Jeannette’s next football coach. With the resignation of longtime coach Roy Hall official, the district is taking applications through Nov. 19. Superintendent Matt Jones said interviews will begin after that time, but there is no hard deadline to get a coach in place. The district...

Belle Vernon players wear practice jerseys with three words emblazoned on the back of them. The words are big and bold, deliberate and gold — like the turf at James Weir Stadium. “Do Your Job.” There is more to the job of the team’s wide receivers than meets the eye....

It’s back to Hershey for Greensburg Central Catholic. But it didn’t look promising for a while Tuesday night when standout junior Sara Felder left in the first half with a knee injury during a PIAA girls soccer semifinal against Steel Valley. Felder returned after halftime and needed some time to...

Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s soccer teams, get used to the name. Brooke Horvath didn’t waste any time making an impact at the NCAA Division III level, adding leverage to the lineup at Westminster. The Franklin Regional graduate was lauded for her instantly impressive performance, earning PAC Newcomer of the Year....

Sibling rivalries are a thing of the past for a number of Westmoreland area brothers and sisters who are rooting for one another to succeed at the college level. At Grove City this season, the men’s soccer team had the Kimmich brothers, Matt and Luke, from Franklin Regional. Both defenders...

Four football teams from the Division III Presidents’ Athletic Conference will continue their seasons Saturday with bowl games. The Eastern College Athletic Conference announced its eight-game lineup Monday. The schedule is as follows (some times to be announced): • Asa S. Bushnell Bowl Hobart (8-2) at Westminster (8-2), 1 p.m....

PIAA soccer preview Girls Class A Semifinals Greensburg Central Catholic (17-2) vs. Steel Valley (20-3) 7 p.m. Tuesday, Warrior Stadium, Elizabeth Forward, Elizabeth Road to the semis: GCC — Defeated Mercer, 3-2; and Freedom, 1-0. Steel Valley — Defeated Northern Bedford, 6-1; and West Branch, 5-0. Winner plays: Winner of...

Greensburg Central Catholic went into the WPIAL championship with energy and bravado. The Lady Centurions left Highmark Stadium 10 days ago humbled and heartbroken. Senior Tatum Gretz thinks a good way to erase the bad memories of a 2-1 overtime loss to Steel Valley is to play for a PIAA...

Greensburg Central Catholic and Freedom combined for 21 goals in their previous two matchups this season. In their third meeting, all it took was one. A 25th-minute strike from freshman forward Riley Kerr complemented a stocky defensive performance as the Centurions blanked Freedom, 1-0, in a PIAA Class A girls...

Down two starters and a decided underdog because of it, Eden Christian was looking for someone to be the hero in Saturday’s PIAA Class A boys soccer quarterfinal against Greensburg Central Catholic. An unlikely candidate emerged in the clutch. Junior midfielder Ryan Merrick doesn’t get a lot of scoring opportunities,...

Sam Wexell waited her turn to take over the goalkeeping duties at Ohio. Once she got her chance, she shined. Looking like the protector of the net she was at Norwin, Wexell helped led Ohio to the Mid-American Conference Tournament and an 11-5-3 record. She also earned some hardware. Wexell...

Concerns about New Castle’s passing game and trick plays ultimately proved groundless for Belle Vernon in the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. It’s a good thing Belle Vernon has a quick-strike offense because it didn’t get many chances to score Friday night. Top-seeded Belle Vernon didn’t need a lot of plays...

Boys Class 3A 7-3 Franklin Regional (17-4) vs. 7-1 Hampton (20-1) Noon at Newman Stadium, North Allegheny, McCandless Winner plays: Winner of 12-2 Archbishop Ryan (8-5-1)/7-2 West Allegheny (22-1) in semifinals Tuesday (time, site TBD) Corner kicks: Freshman Joey Bayne netted a pair of goals, including the winner with 8...

Goalkeepers for the three local teams remaining in the PIAA soccer postseason have been through a revolving door lately. Settling on one netminder has not been an easy task for coaches of the Franklin Regional and Greensburg Central Catholic boys, while the Greensburg Central Catholic girls had to make a...

Several Westmoreland area players were named to the All-WPIAL boys soccer lists, compiled by the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. Norwin seniors Caleb Yuricha and Riley Zimmerman were selected in Class 4A, and Franklin Regional senior Anthony DiFalco and juniors Colton Hudson and Jake Kimmich made the 3A list, along...

So much has been made of Belle Vernon’s offense, and rightly so. It is electric. People pay to see it. But the top-seeded Leopards can play some defense, too. Almost quietly, the defensive unit has shown up for the biggest games, continually giving senior Devin Whitlock, sophomore Quinton Martin and...

Joey Bayne figured prominently into the Franklin Regional attack, only not this soon and not this much. He is, after all, a freshman whose best days appeared to lie ahead. But the wide-eyed striker is making a significant impact now, and on a large stage. Bayne scored both goals Tuesday...

Fifth-year seniors and transfers are now a part of college sports, remnants of a life-changing pandemic that shook up programs at all levels, from Division I to NAIA and junior college. College basketball season is beginning this week across the country, and the game is no stranger to fluctuating rosters....

Motivation can come in many forms at WPIAL football playoff time. There’s the underdog approach — us against the world. Or, the next-man-up mentality. Small-town pride also can carry a lot of weight. But some teams simply are fueled by a want to carve their name into program history. To...

Tara Zollinger had instant success when she took over the Shippensburg field hockey team, guiding the Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Division II championships — the only coach to do so. Three years later, the Hempfield graduate is still at it. Zollinger led the team this season to a perfect regular...