Bill Beckner stories, Page 41

If there is a difference between a Norwin kid and a Hempfield kid, Mike Brown is out to find it. After two years at Hempfield, Brown left to become the coach at Norwin. Some saw it as a lateral move — one 5A school to another, one toiling program for...

The WPIAL boys and girls golf season opens Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the top teams and players to follow this fall. Boys Defending champions Class 3A team: Central Catholic Class 2A team: Sewickley Academy Class 3A individual: Rocco Salvitti, Central Catholic Class 2A individual: Hunter Jurica, Derry Top...

Another Latrobe athlete is set to continue her career at college soccer’s highest level. Junior Maddy Petruzzi announced a verbal commitment to play at Valparaiso of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. “Valparaiso has a variety of majors that I’m interested in pursuing, which was my No. 1 focus...

An exemplary amateur golfer in the Pittsburgh area for decades, Nathan Smith can cross another accomplishment off his career bucket list. And this is a big one. Smith, a Brookville native who lives in Ross Township, was selected by the United States Golf Association to captain the 2025 U.S. Walker...

For the third straight season, Max McDowell will be on the doorstep of a major league call-up. A Norwin alum and eighth-year minor leaguer, McDowell received a promotion Monday when he was elevated to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 29-year-old catcher played...

A pair of former WPIAL golf standouts will play in a USGA event for the first time. Fox Chapel graduate Gregor Meyer and Plum alum Andrew Reynolds finished 1-2 to advance out of a recent qualifier for the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship set for Aug. 14-20 in Colorado. Meyer, who...

Justin Johns and Justin Huss — one on defense and the other on offense and special teams — could play critical roles this season for the Washington & Jefferson football team, which will open the season No. 2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Association preseason rankings. A senior linebacker out of...

Third-year Franklin Regional football coach Lance Getsy was in a walking boot at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial Passing Tournament at Latrobe. He suffered a fractured left foot while demonstrating a play during a summer workout. “Scout-team quarterback. I rolled left and felt it,” Getsy said, shaking...

Starting Monday, high school football teams will take part in “heat week,” the customary lead-up to training camp. Yes, football is here again. The required five-day period of heat acclimatization was instituted in 2013 by the PIAA. The idea is for players, who are not permitted to have full contact...

Chaminade-Madonna Prep is known for having an elite high school football program in Florida. It has the state championships and high-level talent to prove it. It’s even based in a city called Hollywood, which only adds to the glitz. But the Lions weren’t always King Football in the Sunshine State....

With the transfer portal calling his name again, Justin Sliwoski had to reluctantly plug up his ears. He decided it was time to put everything into his career. No, not his football career. The former standout quarterback at Hempfield and St. Francis (Pa.) is hanging up his cleats and stepping...

The Harry Truman quote is on his cell phone screen for quick reference. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Anthony Speca of Central Catholic believes those words can be applied to his football team. “From a team standpoint, we have...

Attend a Southmoreland football game. Stay for the fireworks. Or, is it the other way around? The Scotties have developed into one of the top passing teams in the WPIAL, slinging the ball around the field with purpose and fearlessness. But don’t pigeon-hole them just yet. There is more than...

Moon dropped to Class 3A last season as part of the latest two-year high school sports enrollment cycle. The Tigers’ girls soccer team, though, just keeps rising. After running the table last season and winning WPIAL and PIAA championships with a perfect 24-0 record, the Tigers will start the 2023...

Like most hopefuls who play the Powerball lottery, Landon Sidun has the right attitude when he goes into a wrestling tournament. A confident, clear-headed attitude. “If you don’t think you can win, why go?” the rising freshman at Norwin said after he hit the jackpot. Sidun became a national champion...

Derry has been living in the shadow of a losing streak that dates to the disruptive covid season of 2020. But second-year coach Mike Arone and the Trojans are committed to stopping it. With a new system now a year old, they are ready to do a little pushing back...

Rumors swirled around campus. The whispers were brooding. But was there any validity to it all? On Monday, student-athletes at Alderson Broaddus found out there indeed was. It was all true. Alderson Broaddus, the private Baptist university in Phillippi, W.Va., is preparing to shut down because of financial difficulties. As...

William & Mary football was picked to repeat as champion of the Coastal Athletic Association. A local player is expected to have an impact on that title run. Senior Marcus Barnes, a Jeannette graduate, was named an All-CAA honorable mention at safety. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Barnes played in 13 games,...

As Courtney Poulich leans in to give a wide-eyed softball player some hitting advice, she can’t help but get nostalgic. “Giving lessons teaches us to appreciate the sport even more, and we are constantly mastering our skills by teaching others,” said Poulich, a Mt. Pleasant graduate and a rising junior...

Quinton Martin is talented, but will he be the best high school football player in the country this season? It’s a matter of opinion, for now. SBLive (Scorebooklive.com) recently asked that question and gave a list of 20 players, including Martin, who will be up for a fan vote that...

When his team was flagged for a hold last week during the championship of the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Larry Sellitto Memorial 7-on-7 Passing Tournament at Latrobe, Norwin’s Jackson Pons showed his frustration. He threw up his hands and walked away from the play. First-year coach Mike Brown reeled in...

Palmer Jackson knows what it is like to be under par on the golf course. But his college golf career is plus-one. Jackson, a standout out of Franklin Regional, announced he will play a fifth year at Notre Dame, delaying his plans to turn professional. “I really want to go...

“Better Call Sal” is becoming a popular catchphrase among the Milwaukee Brewers fanbase. It even made its way to T-shirts. Just a few days ago, the message was more like, better call up Sal. The Brewers did promote their prized prospect, Sal Frelick, and he has not disappointed. He is...

Monessen’s senior class is looking to give back while remembering a friend and helping another. The seniors will play a powderpuff football game at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Stadium. Organizers hope the fundraiser will allow seniors to purchase a memorial bench for Amari Altomore, who was killed in a...

After a scintillating major-league debut, Sal Frelick left American Family Field with his ears ringing from the loudest applause he has ever heard. And it was all for him. Frelick, a fast-rising prospect who has ties to Greensburg, banged out three hits in as many at-bats, drove in a pair...