Bill Beckner stories, Page 159

Jenna Cole is one of those rare cases: a basketball player who gets to celebrate the 1,000-point mark twice in her college career. Cole, a Norwin graduate and a senior forward at La Roche, accomplished the feat over the weekend as she scored her 1,000th point as a player at...

The WPIAL-infused Shippensburg men’s basketball team is riding a five-game winning streak, which includes an upset over No. 8 West Chester. The Raiders (12-3, 8-1 PSAC) were lauded for their recent success by being named the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Team of the Week. Coached by Latrobe...

It took Bob Rukavina a much shorter time to reach 500 miles than 500 wins, but the latter is well within his grasp. A Lower Burrell native who has traveled 65 miles to work almost every day for 30 years to coach the Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball team, Rukavina needs one...

Nate Ward simply has a knack for creating bedlam. A tie-busting forward in soccer — one of the top recruits in the country in the Class of 2020 — Ward has a penchant for game-winning goals. The Greensburg Central Catholic senior took that tendency onto the basketball court Monday night...

As a standout soccer player, Sam Nemeth has scored winning goals before for Greensburg Central Catholic. She’s been known to show out in the clutch. On Monday night, she got her kicks for the girls basketball team — with some more flair for the dramatic. Nemeth, a senior forward, ran...

Men’s bowling is back at Saint Vincent. The college announced the addition of the sport, which was part of Bearcats athletics until 1982 but has been absent for 38 years. The club team will begin play in the fall and will be coached by Jeff Zidek, who also coaches the...

The Robert Morris Island Sports Center will be the site for the annual PIHL All-Star games on Jan. 26. The schedule starts with the Class B game at noon, followed by Class A at 2 p.m., Class AA at 4 and Class AAA at 6. In Class AA, selections include...

Playing the first home game of his junior basketball season, Norwin’s Jayden Walker was expected to show up to work on an empty stomach. Explanation? “I told him, ‘You’re going to eat tonight,’” Norwin coach Buddy Valinsky said. “Be ready to get the ball. We’re going to feed you.” Walker...

A smile crawled across Matt Johnson’s face as he talked about his basketball team and its inner workings. “It’s been a lot of fun,” the junior point guard at Pitt-Greensburg said. “What we’re doing hasn’t happened by accident. It’s nice to see the whole team commit to the same thing...

Men’s bowling is back at Saint Vincent. The college announced the addition of the sport, which was part of the Bearcats’ athletic program until 1982 but has been absent for 38 years. The club team will begin play in the fall and will be coached by Jeff Zidek, who also...

Playing at home has its advantages. Not playing at home for an extended period can be a real pain. Greensburg Central Catholic would know. The Centurions were 10 games into the regular season — nearly at the halfway point — before they finally played at home. GCC (7-3, 4-0 Section...

As Derry attempted to inbound, Jake Johnson patrolled the baseline slyly with his arms up and his eyes locked in. The basketball belonged to him. In that moment, he was the only player on the floor. The Mt. Pleasant senior guard snatched the ball out of the air, put it...

Brian Pritts had heard of Olivia Cernuto long before the point guard made her way to the varsity at Southmoreland. He was hoping to get the chance to coach her because of the promise she showed. Now that the Scotties girls basketball coach has seen Cernuto match her potential to...

The Southmoreland girls are having their best season, record-wise, in program history. The Scotties found their way to an 11-0 record and No. 3 ranking by the Tribune-Review in WPIAL Class 4A by playing team basketball. That mantra won’t change as the Scotties move forward after the departure of sophomore...

Nick Novak is back in the states with a new house, a baby on the way and a basketball motor that won’t slow down. The former Franklin Regional star, who has been around the globe and back playing professionally for the last seven years, is playing this season for the...

Pitt-Greensburg became U-P-3 on Tuesday night. The men’s basketball team made a school-record 20 3-pointers in a 103-80 victory over visiting Penn College at Chambers Hall. Sophomore guard Jojo France connected connected on 6 of 12 3s, while junior guard Matt Johnson was 4-for-7 from deep. Both players had 18...

Zach Rocco had a feeling he might get to the foul line a lot against Hempfield, depending on how tightly the game was officiated. But he knew if he was hacked, it would be because of his efforts to get to the rim. “I knew they would play physical with...

La Roche’s Jenna Cole had been waiting for a breakout game this season. It finally happened over the weekend. The senior forward out of Norwin put up a season-best 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to power the Redhawks (6-4, 6-0) AMCC) to a 61-57 victory over D’Youville. Cole is...

Unbeaten Southmoreland continued its best start in school history, passing a stern road test in the process, by utilizing what has brought it this far: defensive wherewithal and offensive balance. When the two intersect, this is one dangerous team. Four players scored in double figures, and the stingy Scotties quickly...

A number of local college football players are in Fort Worth, Texas to take part in the College Gridiron Showcase, an invite-only “all-star” event for many of the country’s top seniors. The showcase runs from Jan. 3-8 at McNair Stadium. Among the local contingent is West Liberty strong safety Logan...

Southmoreland will have to continue its best start in girls basketball without one of its best players. Sophomore Bailey Kuhns is no longer on the team, coach Brian Pritts confirmed. Pritts did not give a reason, although Kuhns’ bio on her Twitter account now reads, “Greensburg Central Catholic High School...

Look to the right while cruising up the driveway to Penn-Trafford High School, and it is clear change is happening at the baseball field. When it is not blocked by construction vehicles, the infield glistens on a sunny day. That is because Penn-Trafford is installing artificial turf to the infield...

A number of local college football players are in Fort Worth, Texas to take part in the College Gridiron Showcase, an invite-only “all-star” event for many of the country’s top seniors. The showcase runs from Jan. 3-8 at McNair Stadium. Area players attending the event are cornerback Reid Harrison-Ducros and...