Bill Beckner stories, Page 157

Mikey Gaffney thought Hempfield had a playoff team last year, but the Spartans fell short of reaching the WPIAL boys basketball postseason. A 25-point loss on the final night of the season to rival Latrobe, a perennial playoff team, only rubbed salt in the wound. “I feel like I let...

Demetrious Cox has not played in a football game since this past NFL preseason, just before the Cincinnati Bengals released the former Jeannette star. Which explains why he can’t wait to suit up and sprint onto the field Sunday to begin his XFL career. “It’s an amazing feeling,” Cox said....

Plenty of people who viewed a short video clip last week of Fox Chapel holding the basketball for nearly a minute against Norwin had a strong opinion of what they had just watched. The 45-second clip drew more than 110,000 views — and more than 100 replies — on Twitter....

At Franklin Regional, the thought of missing the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs is just that, a thought — and a bad one, at that. Coach Steve Scorpion and the Panthers don’t plan on letting it become a reality. The winner of Friday night’s Kiski Area (9-11, 6-7) at Franklin Regional...

Michael Kemerer’s attention-grabbing victory last Friday — and a second against another nationally ranked opponent that followed on Sunday — earned him national recognition. Kemerer, a senior at Iowa and a Franklin Regional alum, was tabbed the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week. Ranked No. 2 in the nation at...

Jeannette’s Robert Kennedy kept it as quiet as he could. He made a visit to the East Carolina campus over the weekend and took in the sights. But he had done the same thing in recent weeks at Arkansas State, Marshall, Massachusetts and Old Dominion. This visit, though, was different....

If Penn-Trafford needed momentum heading into its section finale Thursday — a section finale at Latrobe that will decide the final playoff spot in Section 3-5A — then the Warriors found it in a head-turning upset. The Class 5A Warriors stunned Class 6A No. 3 and archrival Norwin, 51-50, Monday...

Grove City junior forward Allison Podkul (Hempfield) had a career-high six assists and five steals to go with six points as Grove City (16-2, 8-2) handed Saint Vincent (13-6, 9-1) its first PAC loss of the season 68-65. Junior Madison Kollar (Latrobe) led Saint Vincent with 16 points, and junior...

Michael Kemerer has won some big matches in his college wrestling career at Iowa, but the one he registered last Friday night turned heads around the country. Kemerer, a redshirt senior out of Franklin Regional who is ranked No. 2 in the nation at 174 pounds, worked his way past...

The WPIAL hit the refresh button on football schedules last week and revealed some intriguing matchups for 2020. In Westmoreland County, teams that have not met for a while, or at all, will play each other next season. Some notable matchups in Week 1 (Sept. 4) include Penn-Trafford at Hempfield,...

A former WPIAL Most Valuable Player from Norwin is joining the Washington Wild Things. Left-handed pitcher Tommy Shirley, a former Houston Astros draft pick with Triple-A minor league experience, was acquired by the local Frontier League team from the New York Boulders. “We are excited to give Tommy the opportunity...

It’s been 61 years since Derry made back-to-back WPIAL playoff appearances in boys basketball. But the Trojans (7-11, 4-4) ended that miserable drought. They will make a return trip to the postseason after clinching a Class 4A berth with a 50-37 Section 1 win Tuesday over Yough. Other local teams...

Jeannette’s Brett Birch is just a sophomore, but his coaches have noted he can do things that are ahead of his years. The way he runs routes. The way he makes catches in traffic and covers ground on defense. The way he leads by example. “One-hundred percent,” Jayhawks coach Roy...

Let the Ethan Carr sweepstakes begin. Carr, the on-the-rise football standout at Penn-Trafford, is starting to see the recruiting process unfold months before he begins his senior season. A versatile prospect who played wide receiver, quarterback, running back, safety and outside linebacker for the Warriors last season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound...

There are three teams left in WPIAL girls basketball with perfect records. Southmoreland (18-0) is one of them. But don’t expect coach Brian Pritts to underscore that point when the Scotties take the floor for practice and games. One of the more detail-oriented coaches in the game, Pritts truly is...

As one of only three seniors on the Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball team, Gia Scala was well aware of the Centurions’ inexperience coming into the season. Scala missed six weeks — three games — but her return to the backcourt has accelerated the team’s maturing process. She likes the...

Defense. Never leave home without it. That is Fox Chapel’s mantra. It is what they know and what they do best. Defense has helped the Foxes put a stranglehold on Section 3-6A and rise to take their place as the top-ranked team in the WPIAL and state. The team’s calling...

Super Bowl Sunday will be a sort of homecoming for La Salle freshman basketball player Brandon Stone (Southmoreland), who will join his teammates for an Atlantic 10 game at Duquesne. The 6-foot-11 Stone has played in 18 games, with two starts, and is averaging 3.3 points in 10.3 minutes for...

One of the reasons Bryce Butler wanted to play at West Liberty was because of the Hilltoppers fast-paced style. The freshman swingman is blending in quite well. Butler, a former Latrobe standout, posted his first collegiate double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds as West Liberty (14-3, 9-2 Mountain East...

Seton Hill once again is mourning the tragic loss of someone from one of its athletic programs. Freshman baseball player Maclean Maund was killed Saturday from injuries he sustained in a vehicle accident on Route 130 near Jeannette. The 19-year-old was a budding, left-handed pitcher who led Penn-Trafford to the...

It was a day of reflection and proper perspective for the Penn-Trafford boys basketball team. A 64-43 win over Jeannette in the final game of the Shootout at Seton Hill showcase Sunday night was nice. It eradicated the bad taste of a section loss to Latrobe two days earlier. But...

A new PIAA enrollment cycle means realignment of WPIAL sections in all sports. Soccer has not joined the six-classification movement, but there are notable changes that will affect the local scene. The most significant change for Westmoreland is on the girls side, where longtime Class A rivals Greensburg Central Catholic...

Norwin plans to play in front of big crowds and in potentially foreign gyms with large courts as a season of high expectations continues toward the WPIAL and PIAA postseason. So playing in the Shootout at Seton Hill came with its advantages. Norwin got more out of the event than...