Bill Beckner stories, Page 15

Pitt it it for Chase Kranitz. The former Norwin wrestling standout is leaving Buffalo after his redshirt freshman season and will compete for the Panthers. Kranitz, and several of his Bulls teammates, left the program after learning that John Stutzman was not returning as head coach. Kranitz went 19-11 this...

Practice ends on a pleasant afternoon, and Greensburg Central Catholic sophomores Ian Shipley, Anthony Grippo and Tyler Samide begin to play with an unwound baseball, its spider web-like strings flowing in the breeze while seeming to stretch from home plate to the fence. GCC sure does know how to knock...

Last week’s bout of rainy weather shined a spotlight on fields that are fully covered with artificial turf. Some area schools have fields that are carpeted only on the infield, leaving outfields open to the elements, even with proper drainage. All-turf fields are the envy of the WPIAL neighborhood when...

Yough kept Amarah McCutcheon’s bat quiet, which was an impressive accomplishment. But the softball shortstop from Southmoreland zapped the Cougars with her arm to stifle a seventh-inning rally and keep the Scotties unbeaten. As Yough threatened with two on and two out, McCutcheon snared a sharply hit grounder by freshman...

With one result, Penn-Trafford put Class 5A on notice. The Warriors look like they are back. After a down season that saw them start 1-6 and finish 6-12 after a first-round playoff loss to Trinity, they appear to have returned to form. Just ask No. 5 Armstrong, the returning WPIAL...

Belle Vernon didn’t jump into panic mode when ace pitcher Talia Ross was injured, instead pausing first to let the moment breathe. Remember, slugger and shortstop Ava Zubovic already was out long term with a torn ACL, so the shock from that preseason news helped to brace the Leopards for...

The track and field season is young, but Peyton Murray has the look of a seasoned veteran. The senior from Hempfield broke a meet record while winning the discus title at the 20th annual South Hills Classic Saturday at Baldwin. Murray, a Notre Dame commit, delivered a throw of 170...

Duquesne senior Hannah Seitzinger (Belle Vernon) won the 400-meter run in 55.45 seconds and anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay (3:50.25) at the Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason. Senior Sadie Wetzel (Latrobe) added a third-place finish in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches), while senior Emily Brozeski (Norwin) took...

Franklin Regional’s Kegerreis brothers made a lasting impression when they played for the Panthers. When the team needed an extra-base hit, maybe a home run, they often came through. While both went off to play college baseball, they redirected their path at the next level. Freshman Louie Kegerreis, who hit...

A breakthrough season called for an encore, but Callie Sowers didn’t rest on her laurels or her repertoire to greet the curtain call at Bloomsburg. No, the ace softball pitcher went back into the lab in the offseason. “Last season was a stepping stone for me and a platform to...

Norwin senior Abigail Boyer was one of this year’s winners of the annual Chick Evans Scholarship, awarded to deserving caddies in the region. Boyer will attend Miami University in the fall. The Evans scholarship is worth more than $125,000 and is the largest scholarship for caddies in the country. Boyer...

Norwin senior Abigail Boyer wants to major in fashion design. She wears her latest accomplishment well. Boyer is one of this year’s winners of the annual Western Golf Association Chick Evans Scholarship, awarded to deserving golf caddies in the region. Boyer will attend Miami University in the fall. The Evans...

Talia Ross School: Belle Vernon Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: A hard-throwing southpaw, Ross put her name in the Belle Vernon record book with an impressive performance against Latrobe last weekend. Ross stuck out 20 batters, including the first 19 she faced, as Belle Vernon won 7-0 in...

After a solid turnout during the indoor season, Norwin track and field is primed to carry the momentum into the spring. “We have a very dedicated team with a nice mix of upper and underclassmen,” coach Tim Van Horn said. “This group really works to push each other within their...

Division II athletes one day, Division I the next. That’s the reality of what happened in a flash this week when Mercyhurst University in Erie announced it is leaving the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and joining the Division I Northeast Conference, instantly bolstering the reputation of its...

Phil Fox, Christian Zilli, Jake Kramer and Brandon Coughlin were the top four pitchers on the Hempfield baseball team that reached the WPIAL Class 6A championship game in 2021. With their right arms, the Spartans had speed and craftiness. With their big-game guts, they had fearless winners. These days, the...

Belle Vernon standout softball pitcher Talia Ross suffered a freak injury during practice Wednesday and could miss the rest of the season. Ross, who had a school-record-tying 20-strikeout game last weekend against Latrobe, said an MRI showed a ruptured Achilles tendon. The senior left-hander will see an orthopedic surgeon next...

With a coach whose nickname is “Buzz,” the Hempfield baseball team is beginning to generate some of it in the WPIAL’s largest classification. The Spartans are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in Section 2-6A heading into the final game of their three-game series against Central Catholic. They are averaging 9.5 runs....

Truth be told, Blake Bertucci would love to be pitching to his brother, Luca. That is how the siblings once envisioned it. While the pitcher-catcher combination is absent this season at Franklin Regional, the sentiment remains. Blake Bertucci is a senior pitcher who leads the Panthers’ staff. Luca Bertucci is...

Mt. Pleasant hired James “J.J.” Eckels on Wednesday night to be the district’s full-time athletic director. Allan Bilinsky and Bob Gumbita have been sharing the AD duties since Chris Brunson resigned from the position in 2022. Eckels will not start officially until July 1. A McKeesport graduate, Eckels earned a...

When he heard one of his games was moved because of a schedule change related to Monday’s solar eclipse, Todd Bunner was surprised. When the Southmoreland softball coach looked at his team’s statistics through five games, he wasn’t so surprised. His team is casting quite a shadow over its opponents....

First-year coach Chelsey Frock will tell you what it’s like to lead the Greensburg Central Catholic softball team on the field, just as soon as the Centurions play a game. GCC is one of at least eight WPIAL softball teams that has yet to play in what has been a...

John Winebrenner holds no ill will toward the Franklin Regional Hockey Club board, but that doesn’t mean he agrees with its decision to open his position. Winebrenner, the Panthers’ coach since 2019, was told his time behind the bench is finished, a message that has him questioning why such a...

Ty Linsenbigler is coming home. The former Hempfield standout wrestler is leaving Lock Haven to compete at Seton Hill, where he will reunite with his high school coach, Vince DeAugustine. Wrestling unattached last season as a redshirt sophomore, Linsenbigler went 16-9 with four major decisions and one pin. He was...

Player of the Year Cam Rowell, Sr., G, Franklin Regional The state championship game looked like it was getting away from Franklin Regional. But just then, Cam Rowell growled. The senior guard took a pass from Colin Masten, who came up with a steal, and broke into the open court...