Bill Beckner stories, Page 135

At the start of the NCAA signing period, Norwin had an abundance of college signees who will further their athletic careers in various sports and at various college levels. Twenty-seven athletes made their commitments official in 12 sports. In soccer, Anna Durmis (William & Mary), Maddy Rose (Duquesne), Kennedy Soliday...

National Letter of Intent Day often brings out the best in high school sports programs. That was the case at Franklin Regional last week, when some of the Panthers’ top baseball players made official commitments to college programs with a simple signature. Four senior baseball players inked with college programs,...

Major Division I college football schools are expected to take interest in Belle Vernon freshman Quinton Martin over the next few years. Pitt is the first in line. The Panthers offered Martin, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder who played running back, receiver and defensive back for the Leopards this season. Belle Vernon...

HERSHEY — Seth Skowronek took a vicious soccer-ball-to-the-face hit early in the game, and blood began to run from his nose. He was woozy and shaken. The Greensburg Central Catholic senior defender, though, refused to leave the final soccer game of his career. “I had to push through it,” Skowronek...

HERSHEY — Southern Columbia is known for being a state football power. The school’s girls soccer team can play physical too. With a hounding defense that limited scoring chances for high-scoring Greensburg Central Catholic, forcing the Centurions to play at an uneasy pace, the Tigers ground out a 2-1 victory...

PIAA soccer championships Boys Class A Championship Greensburg Central Catholic (17-1) vs. Faith Christian Academy (15-1) 1:30 p.m. Friday, Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey Coaches: Tyler Solis, GCC; Ryan Clymer, Faith Christian State titles: GCC 0 (first appearance); Faith Christian 0 (first appearance) How they got here: GCC — Defeated Rockwood, 3-2,...

Greensburg Central Catholic’s trip to Hershey for the girls and boys PIAA Class A soccer championships will be a family affair. The girls team has two sets of sisters in senior Sam Felder and sophomore Sara Felder, and junior Bethany Winnor and sophomore Ashley Winnor. The Felders have combined for...

Players and coaches agree, the scoring machine that is the Greensburg Central Catholic girls soccer team could not do what it does without its defensive sidecar. Offense might be its defining characteristic with so many weapons and scoring threats. Coach Olivia Kruger is glad to see that her team has...

Max House hopes this season is good to the last drop. The Greensburg Central Catholic junior goalkeeper, and the defense that plays in front of him, are ready for one last challenge in a season of many, as District 1 champion Faith Christian (15-1) awaits the Centurions (17-1) in the...

Ryan Reitler’s curling corner kick made its way to Greensburg Central Catholic teammate Mason Fabean, who put a firm header on frame. But the ball was deflected by Brockway keeper Lewis Painter, who had played a spirited game to that point. The problem for Brockway was Carlo Denis was waiting....

Still undefeated. Still brimming with talent. Still focused on bringing home a state title. Greensburg Central Catholic continued its offensive charge, jumping on Cambridge Springs early and pushing past the District 10 champions, 7-0, on Tuesday night in North Huntingdon to claim a PIAA Class A girls soccer semifinal victory...

All four of the All-WPIAL boys soccer teams are out, and they include a number of players who are still competing in the PIAA playoffs. Seneca Valley, Mars, Deer Lakes and Greensburg Central Catholic, all in action Tuesday night in the state semifinals, had multiple selections. George Williams of Seneca...

Greensburg Central Catholic has a perennially strong boys soccer program. Tell you something you don’t know, right? Well, despite the Centurions competing for WPIAL titles every year, the team never has advanced to the PIAA finals, which means it has not had the privilege of raising a trophy in Hershey....

It had been a decade since Westmoreland County Community College had an All-American in cross country, but sophomore Olivia Jumper joined elite company when she earned those accolades at the NJCAA Championships at Iowa Central. Jumper, a Greensburg native, crossed the finish line in 22 minutes, 47.75 seconds to finish...

Tuesday’s games Boys Class A Semifinals Greensburg Central Catholic (16-1) vs. Brockway (15-2) 7 p.m., Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Coaches: Tyler Solis, GCC; Andy Daugherty, Brockway Winner plays: Winner of Faith Christian (8-2)/Tulpehocken (15-3-1) in PIAA championship, 1:30 p.m. Friday at HersheyPark Stadium Free kicks: GCC is back in...

The WPIAL announced field hockey all-stars and honorable mentions for the 2020 season, which concluded last week with Pine-Richland (Class AAA), Penn-Trafford (Class AA) and Shady Side Academy (Class A) winning district championships. Pine-Richland and Shady Side Academy play in the PIAA semifinals Tuesday. Here are the selections: Class AAA...

Greensburg Central Catholic is 17-0 and sits a victory away from the girls state soccer championship game in Hershey. But first-year coach Olivia Kruger said her team still might have its best game ahead. Or, at least one of its best games. Kruger looks for improvements each time GCC plays,...

Grace Henderson is one of those rare, multisport athletes who can impact more than one sport in the same season. She also has been known to affect the outcome of multiple sporting events over a few days time. She might win a cross country meet one day and contribute to...

Some day in the near future, Tatum Gretz hopes to be scoring goals in the Big East for Villanova. She has been committed since she was a freshman. Until then, she will continue to fill up the net in big playoff games for Greensburg Central Catholic. The standout junior midfielder...

Central Catholic freshman quarterback Payton Wehner was wheeled off the field on a stretcher in the first quarter of the Vikings’ 38-24 victory over North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 6A football championship. But the North Huntingdon native has begun his recovery. His mother, Joan, a former girls basketball coach...

Vinnie Scalamogna has been coaching hockey at various levels in Western Pennsylvania since 1980, most recently serving as the head coach at Greensburg Central Catholic. But he will embark on a new challenge this season as he takes over the varsity program at Norwin. His longterm insight could go a...

Boys Class A Quarterfinals Greensburg Central Catholic (15-1) vs. Rockwood (18-0) 2 p.m. Saturday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Coaches: Tyler Solis, GCC; Dan Weaver, Rockwood Winner plays: Winner of Brockway (15-2)/Belleville Mennonite (10-8-1) on Tuesday in semifinals (time, site TBD) Free kicks: GCC is coming off winning its second...

The road to Hershey could lead to a homecoming for Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer coach Tyler Solis. The WPIAL Class A champion Centurions (15-1) open the PIAA playoffs at 2 p.m. Saturday against Rockwood (19-0) at Norwin. If GCC can win two more games, it will play for a...

Peters Township (8-0) vs. Pine-Richland (8-0) 7 p.m. Saturday, North Allegheny’s Newman Stadium On the air: Audio stream at TribHSSN.triblive.com Winner plays: Governor Mifflin (7-0) in PIAA semifinals Nov. 20-21. WPIAL titles: Peters Township 0; Pine-Richland 4 (2003, ‘14, ‘17, ‘18) Peters Township (8-0) Player to watch: Donovan McMillon Senior,...