Bill Beckner stories, Page 29

Player of the Year Aris Lamanna Sr., Goalkeeper, Franklin Regional Not many goalkeepers in the WPIAL have stood guard like Aris Lamanna has over her prodigious four-year career at Franklin Regional. Consider: She posted a shutout in 50% of her starts — 31 clean sheets in 62 games — and...

Player of the Year Owen Christopher Sr., Midfielder, Norwin Call him the cornerstone, the building block, the pillar. Whatever the case, Owen Christopher held the Norwin boys soccer team up as the Knights made history. Norwin’s world was more interesting with Christopher in it. The Knights won their first WPIAL...

As a postgame press conference wound into its final question and answer Friday night at Acrisure Stadium, Braden Laux grabbed the microphone. “I’d like to say one more thing,” the senior quarterback from Belle Vernon said. “Our line … Without them, we wouldn’t be at this table with this trophy....

With four starters and a number of key reserves back from a WPIAL and PIAA semifinal team, Norwin girls basketball is aging well. Aging like a fine … well, let the coach tell you. “You have different collections every year,” coach Brian Brozeski said. “The feels are always different. It’s...

With only one player back who saw varsity playing time and a roster scrubbed clean by graduation, the Norwin boys are rebuilding but not panicking. “Teams and players are a lot different in February than they are in November,” third-year coach Lance Maha said. “This doesn’t freak me out. “There...

It’s not every season a coach has to replace an all-time talent, but Mt. Pleasant girls basketball’s Scott Giacobbi has that challenge in front of him this winter. Tiffany Zelmore, the second-leading scorer in program history, graduated last season after piling up 1,629 points over her four-year career. “You’re not...

What has happened with Annie Malkowiak is a history-making achievement. But for now, she will file it under past history. Malkowiak is ready to live in the present as the groundbreaking new boys basketball coach at Mt. Pleasant. “I started watching film of last year’s team, and I turned it...

Matt Humbert describes his inside linebackers as having “nonstop motors.” “Relentless speed,” the coach from Belle Vernon said. “So damn quick.” But that is not the impressive part of the middle two players — and a reserve — who play on the back level of the Leopards’ 4-4 defense. It...

Avonworth and Belle Vernon were having spells of déjà vu, even a little total recall, as they prepared to meet for the second year in a row for the WPIAL Class 3A football championship. Many of the same players suited up for the title at Acrisure Stadium a year ago...

Add another Division I college soccer commit to the list at Latrobe. On the same day she was named to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State list, junior defender Ava Yurko announced Tuesday a verbal commitment to Youngstown State, bringing the Latrobe girls’ total of D-I commits in the last...

The Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association announced its girls all-state list Tuesday. Twelve from the WPIAL were selected, including three of the four goalkeepers, in seniors Aris Lamanna of Franklin Regional, Serayah Leech of Moon and Kate McEnroe of Mars. The list also included this year’s Moe Rosensteel Award winner, midfielder...

Bucknell senior wrestler Kurtis Phipps (Norwin) went 4-0 and won an individual title at the Navy Classic. Phipps defeated No. 31 Jake Va Dee of Nebraska in the 133-pound finals. He also had a technical fall and a major decision on the way to the championship. Army: Sophomore 125-pounder Ethan...

One of the most prolific goal scorers in the state, Lola Abraham of Riverview, was named the recipient of the fifth Moe Rosensteel Award, given to the WPIAL’s best girls soccer player. Abraham, a Pitt commit, led the Raiders to their first WPIAL championship appearance and a runner-up finish in...

Greensburg Salem alum Brennan Marion, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UNLV, is one of 57 finalists for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football. A journeyman who has found success at most of his coaching stops, including Pitt and Texas, Marion joined the...

A college freshman now, Aiden Bunker still is reaping the rewards of a terrific career as a student-athlete at Franklin Regional. The 2023 graduate who currently is a swimmer at Villanova, Bunker was named to the USA Swimming Scholastic All-American list, a notable accomplishment for the former WPIAL standout. The...

Senior outside hitter Jillian Pensenstadler was set to represent Norwin at an all-star volleyball event. The inaugural Westmoreland County Coaches Association girls volleyball match was a rousing success last fall, so it was a no-brainer for organizers to bring the event back. This year’s match was scheduled for Nov. 21...

Bob Madison has been coaching girls athletics long enough to have reached a universal truth, at least one that rings true in his mind. “Girls work harder than boys,” the first-year Hempfield girls basketball coach said. “They have this innate nature to want to learn and listen. The boys like...

Last season was a series of gradual improvements interrupted by teaching moments for the Hempfield boys basketball team. The Spartans lost their first two section games by a combined 90 points but won two of their final three to settle at 8-14 overall and 3-7 in Section 2-6A. Section coaches...

Mark Goetz secured future starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, but he wants more. The 25-year-old Greensburg native and Hannastown Golf Club member tied for first in the second stage of tour Q-School with a 19-under-par total of 269 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Highland Oaks —...

Friday was the first official practice date for WPIAL basketball season, but Quinton Martin and some of his teammates are not ready to take the court yet — if at all. Martin, who currently doesn’t plan to play basketball this year, was busy Friday night rushing for 152 yards and...

Ligonier Valley named a new girls basketball coach four days before the official start of practice. The coach not only is an alum but the all-time leading scorer for the program (1,606 points) and a Rams Hall of Famer. Christy (Clark) Hajjar, a 1991 graduate, was hired Monday to replace...

When it comes time to choose a ball carrier for each running play, Belle Vernon has options. Penn State commit Quinton Martin and speedsters Jake Gedekoh and Kole Doppelheuer give the Leopards a nice interplay of gears. “I can’t say enough about our skills guys,” coach Matt Humbert said. “It’s...

A scratched Atlanta Falcons helmet. A Pitt helmet dotted with reward stickers. A shiny national player of the year trophy. A Penn Hills No. 79 jersey that casts a shadow like the man who wore it. Those items and more will be part of a special exhibit honoring local football...

When Greensburg Central Catholic’s girls run their continuation sets on the basketball court, the offense is constantly resetting, coach Chris Skatell said. There is passing and cutting, rotating to new spots and a constant refresh to create shots. This season will be one big reset for the Centurions, who could...