Bill Beckner stories, Page 33

WPIAL soccer playoffs Class 2A First round 16-Yough (5-13) vs. 1-Avonworth (14-1-2) 8 p.m. Tuesday Winner plays: Winner of 9-Quaker Valley (10-5-1)/8-Southmoreland (10-5) Saturday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Brooke Wieland, Yough; Fiona Mahan, Avonworth Throw-ins: Yough is the only sub.-500 team in the bracket. The Cougars have been shut...

Carlo Denis was a prolific goal scorer during his time at Greensburg Central Catholic. He finished with 139 career goals which, at the time of his graduation, ranked fifth all time in WPIAL history. Now a freshman at Grove City — another GCC program — he is on the board...

Boys Class 2A First round 9-Mt. Pleasant (12-4) at 8-Keystone Oaks (11-5) 7 p.m. Monday, Dormont Stadium Winner plays: Winner of 16-Yough (10-7-1)/1-South Park (18-0) on Thursday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Luke Rivardo, Mt. Pleasant; Ayden Worstell, Keystone Oaks Throw-ins: Mt. Pleasant has produced nine shutouts and allowed a...

Baron “B.B.” Flenory’s name is woven into the fabric of Western Pennsylvania basketball. If you’re around the game, you have heard his name. His exploits are renowned, his reputation glossy. The former Valley High School and Duquesne University star guard scored 81 points as a ninth grader in a 124-52...

Senior Michael Plasko is one of South Fayette’s best basketball players. A fiery guard who can shoot 3-pointers, he averaged 17 points per game last winter. But he also plays a mean forward for the soccer team. In the first half of the Lions’ opening playoff game, the call was,...

Sarah Podkul School: Hempfield Class: Senior Sport: Volleyball Claim to fame: Podkul has helped lead the Spartans on a four-game winning streak and to a WPIAL Class 4A playoff appearance. Podkul, a third-year libero, had 30 digs in a 3-1 victory against Shaler. She added 18 digs in a 3-0...

Three more Westmoreland County teams clinched spots in the WPIAL football playoffs with wins Friday night. One is another resurgent program that has taken its lumps in recent years. With a 29-22 victory over Burrell — and Ligonier Valley’s 31-0 loss to Imani Christian — Derry secured its first postseason...

While it is the time of year to rake leaves, the Norwin cross country teams brought brooms to the county race. Norwin’s girls and boys teams swept the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship earlier this month at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood. The girls placed seven runners in the...

As Norwin discovered, there is a menu of factors for hockey teams to move up in classification in the PIHL. To mention some main ones: The league takes into account previous years’ winning percentages, the number of hockey players in the school’s district and hockey talent in that district, as...

Sophomore Landon Honick didn’t want his team’s playoff hopes to stretch into Week 9. “No, get it over with now,” said Honick, who had an impressive debut at running back for Greensburg Central Catholic, which wiped its collective brow after a close Week 8 encounter with Riverview. Honick rushed for...

Boys Class 3A First round 9-Latrobe (13-3) at 8-South Fayette (10-2-3) 1 p.m. Saturday Winner plays: 16-Chartiers Valley (7-9)/1-Plum (17-1) Wednesday in quarterfinals Players to watch: Roman Agostoni, Latrobe; Nate Belcufine, South Fayette Throw-ins: Latrobe is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Wildcats never have...

Four Westmoreland County teams have clinched WPIAL playoff berths, but more can secure spots this week. There are two weeks left in the regular season. Playoff pairings will come out Oct. 28. Already in the postseason are Latrobe (6-2, 4-1) in Class 4A, Belle Vernon (6-1, 3-0) and Southmoreland (5-3,...

Class 5A Big East Conference No. 5 Gateway (4-4, 4-0) at Norwin (2-6, 1-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Norwin Knights Stadium, North Huntingdon Last week: McKeesport 38, Gateway 28; North Allegheny 53, Norwin 25 Last year’s result: Gateway 42, Norwin 10 Big East champion Gateway is looking to close out conference...

Norwin will have to wait until next weekend to open the WPIAL boys soccer playoffs. Until then, the Knights will be teeming with anticipation. They have been itching for another shot at their nemesis. “I wish the game was tomorrow,” coach Scott Schuchert said Wednesday after learning his Knights (12-5-1)...

Here’s a closer look at the 2023 WPIAL girls soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: The preseason favorite, North Allegheny (17-0) has not lost and has outscored teams 90-10. The Tigers were champions three times in the last four years (2022, ‘20, ‘19). Contenders: Section 2 winner Upper St. Clair (15-1)...

Here’s a closer look at the 2023 WPIAL boys soccer playoffs: Class 4A Favorite: Seneca Valley (13-0-3), which has won three WPIAL titles in the last five years and was the runner-up last year, enters the postseason without a loss. The Raiders, led by veteran coach George Williams, ranked fifth...

Three teams will go for three-peats in the WPIAL soccer playoffs. The Moon girls (Class 3A), Avonworth girls (2A) and Winchester Thurston boys (A) are two-time defending champions. The No. 1 seeds for the boys playoffs are Seneca Valley (4A), Plum (3A), South Park (2A) and Charleroi (A). The girls...

The late Seth Menart was a three-time all-section player at Mt. Pleasant and went on to win a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tile at Cal (Pa.) as a walk-on. The Mt. Pleasant community will continue to keep his memory alive with the 15th annual Seth Menart Memorial Soccer Tournament Nov....

It’s not often a team can take momentum from a loss, but Greensburg Central Catholic did that in a recent setback. The Centurions played top-ranked Charleroi close before falling 1-0. It was a far cry from a 4-1 loss to the Section 2-A champion Cougars earlier in the boys soccer...

When Mason and Brandon Yeschenko were younger, they would put on large, red boxing gloves and settle disputes by going a couple of rounds in the basement. For Halloween one year, one of them dressed as Rocky Balboa. The other, Ivan Drago. “Every game they’d play, no matter what it...

Pitt-Greensburg celebrated a three-peat in women’s tennis. The Bobcats (11-2) swept past Penn State Behrend for a 5-0 victory in the final of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament and their third straight title. UPG advances to the NCAA Tournament in May. Senior Abigail Rosman picked up an 8-4 win...

The WPIAL will announce playoff pairings Wednesday afternoon, and tournaments could start this weekend. Westmoreland County teams in the postseason are Latrobe (12-2), Franklin Regional (11-5-1), Penn-Trafford (11-6), and Kiski Area (7-9-2) in Class 3A; Mt. Pleasant (14-2), Southmoreland (9-5), Yough (5-13) and Burrell (11-4) in 2A; and Greensburg Central...

A GIF of actor Charles S. Dutton, who plays the character Fortune in the film “Rudy,” is popular on the internet. It shows Fortune clapping his hands, showing his appreciation for the title’s main character, the undersized underdog football player who defied the odds as a walk-on at Notre Dame....

Saint Vincent’s soccer teams should play under the lights more often. The women’s team had six players score goals in an 8-0 victory over Thiel, and the Bearcats men tied Thiel, 0-0, last Tuesday night at UPMC Field. It was a historic doubleheader for SVC, which hosted night soccer for...

After a successful debut last year, the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Volleyball All-Star Game will return next month. The event will be 6 p.m. Nov. 21 at Ligonier Valley. Last year, 16 local teams were represented in the East vs. West matchup that includes top senior players selected by coaches....