Bill Beckner stories, Page 137

With the Highmark Stadium experience a been-there-done-that kind of thing for the Franklin Regional boys soccer team, the Panthers are just focused on winning another game. Their next game, though, happens to be the WPIAL Class 3A championship, and a win would mean a third straight title for the Panthers....

With teams as evenly matched as West Allegheny and Franklin Regional, differences in high-stakes playoff games against one another usually are subtle to the casual observer. It can be a miscue here or a bad bounce there that decides a winner. But other game-changing plays can be more glaring —...

The All-WPIAL girls soccer selections are out for the 2020 season. All-state picks for the girls, as well as All-WPIAL boys players, are expected to come out next week. Here is the list of honorees by schools: Class 4A Butler Gabby Boden, Sr., F Sam Miller, Sr., F Chloe Weiland,...

WPIAL soccer playoff previews Boys Class AAA Semifinals 3-West Allegheny (15-1) at 2-Franklin Regional (15-2) 6:30 p.m. Monday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 13-South Fayette (11-4-1) at 1-Mars (16-0) in WPIAL championship, 8 p.m. Thursday (site TBD) Hat tricks: West Allegheny and Franklin Regional met in the last...

So they meet again. Franklin Regional (15-2) and West Allegheny (15-1) have become quite familiar with one another in the boys soccer postseason, and the teams will clash again at 6:30 p.m. Monday in a semifinal game in Murrysville. The playoff rivals played each other in the past two WPIAL...

Penn-Trafford at Pine-Richland is an intriguing matchup in next week’s WPIAL Class 5A semifinal. Two well-structured, well-coached programs with a winning tradition. “We’re both like the New England Patriots because everything is so in order,” Warriors quarterback Ethan Carr said. “Things don’t change much.” But similarities aside, there isn’t much...

North Allegheny and Gateway will be host sites for the WPIAL boys and girls soccer championships. The WPIAL announced the locations Saturday for eight title games set for Thursday and Saturday. The championship games usually are played at Highmark Stadium at Station Square, but the venue was not used this...

Norwin qualified for the WPIAL girls volleyball playoffs but did not compete because it had to quarantine for 14 days because of possible covid-19 exposure. The quarantine lasted until Nov. 2, after the playoffs began, so the Knights had to give up their spot, coach Mary Ellen Ferragonio said. Hempfield...

Franklin Regional arranged some objectives early in the boys soccer season like it was laying out a new outfit for the first day of school. Winning the section was first on the list. Bringing home a third consecutive WPIAL title was there, too, a little farther down. Only it wasn’t...

With two high-scoring offenses meeting Friday night at Warrior Stadium, some expected a shootout. Penn-Trafford shot down that notion. The fourth-seeded Warriors took the air out of No. 5 Upper St. Clair and produced a pair of 100-yard rushers in a relatively painless 35-7 victory in a WPIAL Class 5A...

Boys Class 4A Quarterfinals 6-North Allegheny (13-3-1) at 3-Norwin (10-0-2) Noon Saturday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Winner plays: Winner of 10-Butler (11-5-1) at 2-Seneca Valley (11-1-1), 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (site TBD) in semifinals Hat tricks: Norwin has been off since Oct. 19 with a first-round bye. The Knights are...

The WPIAL boys soccer postseason is winding into the semifinals and a number of title contenders feature some of the best players in the state. Fourteen WPIAL players made the Western Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State list, announced Friday morning. Among the selections is Franklin Regional junior forward Anthony DiFalco,...

Rain can create rust on untreated metal. Too much down time can have the same effect on soccer teams. The sharper team after considerable time away from live action was going to win Thursday night when Norwin and North Allegheny met in the WPIAL Class 4A girls quarterfinals. Fifth-seeded North...

At a time when most people are talking about the presidential election, Indiana coach Todd Myers might have cast his vote for boys soccer player of the year. Franklin Regional junior Anthony DiFalco continues to showcase his talent for the No. 2-seeded Panthers, not only as a goal scorer but...

Today’s games Girls Class 4A Quarterfinals 5-North Allegheny (8-2) at 4-Norwin (9-2-1) 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Winner plays: Winner of 1-Peters Township (10-1-1) vs. 8-Seneca Valley (8-3) in semifinals 6:30 p.m. Monday (site TBD). Hat tricks: Norwin, seeking a sixth consecutive appearance in the semifinals, is...

The way Tyler Solis sees it, what happened Tuesday night was a win-win-win situation for his Greensburg Central Catholic boys soccer team. For one, the Centurions won their first-round playoff game to advance in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. Secondly, Solis got to empty his bench and give younger players...

Rematches always are something to look forward to in the WPIAL football postseason. Westmoreland County teams could get their share of them in the coming weeks. While coaches don’t like to look ahead — some bristle at the thought — they had to glance farther down the brackets to see...

Despite being the higher seed, Burrell could not play at home in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A girls soccer playoffs due to a track renovation at Buccaneer Stadium. Instead, the Lady Bucs’ opening matchup against Mt. Pleasant was moved to their opponent’s home field. Burrell, though, still...

Upper St. Clair has forfeited its WPIAL Class AA field hockey semifinal to Penn-Trafford after a person associated with the Panthers’ team tested positive for covid-19. The team will quarantine immediately. The match was scheduled for Tuesday night at Penn-Trafford. Upper St. Clair athletic director Dr. Kevin Dietrick said no...

Greensburg Central Catholic opened its head football coaching position, consequently parting ways with Bret Colbert after two seasons. Colbert had a record of 9-9, including 2-5 this season as the Centurions tied for sixth place in the WPIAL Class A Eastern Conference with Imani Christian. GCC, which began the season...

Boys Class AAA Quarterfinals 10-Indiana (9-4-2) at 2-Franklin Regional (14-2) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Panther Stadium, Murrysville Winner plays: Winner of 6-Moon (12-3) at 3-West Allegheny (14-1) 6:30 p.m. Monday in semifinals (site TBD) Hat tricks: Indiana staved off No. 7 Belle Vernon (14-3) in a shootout (4-3) Saturday, and Josh...

South Fayette pressed Franklin Regional from the start Monday night, but the Panthers tried to overcome the Lions’ push-back speed with patience, waiting for quality scoring opportunities. Panthers first-year coach Scott Arnold said he kept using the same word over and again as his team tried to flip the pace...

Standing on the sidelines as a member of a No. 1 ranked college soccer team is nice, but seeing the field and contributing to a victory is much better. Just ask Luke Mort. A redshirt freshman forward and Greensburg Central Catholic graduate for top-ranked Pitt, scored his first college goal...