Bill Beckner stories, Page 52

About eight months ago, when he was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer, Joe Purdue said this: “I am letting God take the wheel on this one.” The Franklin Regional grad and former football player put up a fight as support grew around him, but he could not hang on any...

Josie Straigis School: Latrobe Class: Senior Sport: Softball Claim to fame: Straigis helped power Latrobe to a 3-0 start with her bat and her arm. She delivered a walk-off home run to beat Norwin, 9-8, in the opener. In that game, she went 4 for 4 and hit for the...

The great Willie Thrower was said to have the largest hands in football history. The former Ken High football star’s nickname was “Mitts.” He was even recognized for it by Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not.” Cadin Olsen’s hands are not as big as Thrower’s, but the Armstrong senior quarterback was...

Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic made thrilling runs to the girls basketball state semifinals, both finishing one win shy of a trip to Hershey for the finals. With the talent the teams are expecting back, they could be in line for an extended postseason run next year. Norwin fell to...

Six out of nine teams in WPIAL Class 6A will make the playoffs this softball season. Norwin does not plan to be one of the unfortunate three. The WPIAL condensed its largest classification in to one section. It also includes Seneca Valley, North Allegheny, Mt. Lebanon, Hempfield, Baldwin, Butler, Canon-McMillan...

Top-seeded Fox Chapel avenged a loss to Norwin in a semifinal rematch and ended the Knights’ season March 12 with a 7-3 win to advance to the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup final. Norwin was the defending champion. Fox Chapel jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second...

When you have accomplished as much as Bryce Butler has this college basketball season, the to-do list tends to dwindle. With just about every conceivable player of this, player of that accolade in hand, Butler still wants more out of his fourth season at West Liberty. The kid from Latrobe...

He wears navy blue and gold now instead of orange and green, but Craig Spisak still looks the part as a baseball coach preparing for a new season. Uniform day was slightly more hectic this year, however. “It’s still baseball,” he said. “It’s just baseball … with a lot more...

Fun in the sun sure beats cold temperatures when it comes to playing baseball. Three local teams headed south to open the WPIAL season. Belle Vernon held its “spring training” in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Leopards played two games at Baseball City, while also attending pro games between the Philadelphia...

WPIAL passing leader Cadin Olsen led Armstrong football to back-to-back quarterfinal playoff appearances. On Saturday, he is hoping for a different kind of repeat. Olsen is one of five finalists for the Willie Thrower Award, given to the top quarterback from the WPIAL and City League. The award winner will...

Hempfield plans to play deep into the WPIAL and PIAA 6A postseason. Those are the standards set every year by the perennial power. An impressive opener drove that point home. The Lady Spartans (2-0) downed defending WPIAL 5A champion and PIAA runner-up Armstrong, 6-3. Pitcher Riley Miller, who was injured...

Franklin Regional took a trip south to open the softball season. Expectations for the Panthers are pointing due north. Twelve times last season — over 20 games — the team scored double-digit runs, using extra-base hits to fuel a fluid and fun offense. Coach Jim Armstrong can still hear the...

While Monessen turned down an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins to pay for a coach bus for the girls basketball team’s first-round PIAA playoff game, there apparently were no hard feelings from the hockey team. No penalty box for the Greyhounds. On Monday, the Penguins invited Monessen players and coach...

A local battery is powering the Bloomsburg softball team. Sophomore pitcher Callie Sowers (Hempfield) struck out 11 and scattered seven hits in a 7-0 shutout of IUP. She did not walk a batter. Sophomore catcher Emma Little (Penn-Trafford) had a hit and an RBI in the victory for the Huskies...

A simple change can make all the difference in a basketball state playoff game. Though the move Kennedy Catholic made was subtle, probably not that noticeable to fans Monday night, Greensburg Central Catholic saw it and tried to adjust to it. But the Centurions could not stop it. Again, this...

Having your name added to a watch list for a major college sports award is one thing. Making the first cut for that award is another. West Liberty junior basketball star Bryce Butler, a Latrobe graduate, was still standing when the 50-player Bevo Francis Award list was sliced in half...

A ring and gold. Steve Macheska already has both as a member of the Belle Vernon football team. Put the two together, and you have the name of the hockey team he will try to lead to yet another championship. The Ringgold hockey team will play for a PIHL Division...

Nate Dlugos enjoys Italian food. Pizza is his favorite. Sometimes, though, it’s spaghetti and meatballs. But what about spaghetti and … footballs? The Greensburg Central Catholic senior was selected to play for the American Football Worldwide Elite Team, which will travel to Italy to take part in educational tours before...

PIAA girls basketball playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Norwin (24-4) vs. Cedar Cliff (29-0) 7 p.m. Monday, Altoona High School District-place: Norwin 7-3; Cedar Cliff 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of Archbishop Carroll (14-11)/Cardinal O’Hara (23-5) in championship at 6 p.m. Friday at Giant Center, Hershey Coaches: Brian Brozeski, Norwin; Scott Weyant,...

Mya Morgan School: Greensburg Central Catholic Sport: Basketball Class: Junior Claim to fame: Morgan, a shooting guard, scored 17 of her career-high 33 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday in a 61-48 victory over Maplewood in the second round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. She added 11 points in...

The bench was warned: Don’t stand and celebrate until the game is over. Stay seated until the ride comes to a full and complete stop. Norwin girls basketball coach Brian Brozeski reiterated the referee’s orders with about 40 seconds left Friday night. Norwin was well in control, but still …...

Greensburg Central Catholic girls basketball coach Chris Skatell said earlier this season he is looking forward to seeing what his team does as it continues to develop chemistry and experience, especially in the playoffs. He gives a nod to the future but tries his hardest to stay present. That magnetic...

The Norwin girls bowling team surprised two-time defending champion Freeport, then reached the finals of the Western Pennsylvania Regional Tournament earlier this month at AMF Noble Manor Lanes. After a two-game sweep of Freeport, the Knights fell to Norwin, 171-168, in a close final match in the best-of-three series. Kali...

The question was raised in pregame warmups: Could Greensburg Central Catholic compete with WPIAL champion Shenango? GCC was, after all, the fifth-place team in the district. The answer presented itself about a minute into the state playoff game, and it was a resounding, glaring, glowing YES. It was more like,...

Aris Lamanna has made her intentions clear: She wants to play high-level soccer for years to come. From youth to cup to high school, the Franklin Regional goalkeeper has slapped away would-be goals and created a stronghold in front of the net for every team she has joined. The 5-foot-11...