Bill Beckner stories, Page 53

Norwin and Greensburg Central Catholic will continue their postseason runs in the PIAA girls basketball tournaments Friday night. While they play in different classification, the teams share some connections. First, they will play a quarterfinal doubleheader at Fox Chapel, which will allow local fans to get a look at both...

PIAA basketball playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Norwin (23-4) vs. North Allegheny (22-5) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Fox Chapel High School, Fox Chapel Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com) District-place: Norwin 7-3; North Allegheny 7-1 Winner plays: Winner of 3-1 Cedar Cliff (28-0)/7-2 Upper St. Clair (23-3) Monday in semifinals...

The next featured speaker for the Westmoreland Sports Club will be Chris LaSala, the associate athletic director for football administration at Pitt. LaSala, who will tackle the ever-changing college landscape that now allows athletes to make money and transfer freely with the use of a portal, will talk March 21...

As each three-pointer splashed down and each smile curled up larger than the last, Malina Boord closed in on a record she had longed to break. As mere mortals around her shook their heads with the same disbelief she displayed in a few shoulder shrugs, the McKeesport senior broke that...

Decked out in practice uniforms, a new custom put in place by coach Tina Madison and her staff, Hempfield had a structured look during a practice last week as softball players fielded sharp grounders and ran bases in a dimly lit auxiliary gym. Large snowflakes fell outside. That can mean...

PIHL playoffs Class A Semifinals Norwin (17-4) vs. Fox Chapel (19-2) 7 p.m. Wednesday, Robert Morris Island Sports Center, Neville Township Seeds: Norwin Blue No. 3; Fox Chapel Blue No. 1 Winner plays: Winner of Greensburg Salem (18-3)/Kiski Area (17-5) in championship at 8:45 p.m. March 20 at UPMC Lemieux...

PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Second round Penn-Trafford (18-9) vs. McKeesport (22-5) 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Norwin High School, North Huntingdon Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com) District-seed: Penn-Trafford 7-7; McKeesport 7-3 Winner plays: Winner of 7-2 Oakland Catholic (23-4)/6-1 Hollidaysburg (24-0) Saturday in quarterfinals (time, site TBD)...

Nobody has beaten Spencer Lee this season. The redshirt senior is 17-0 and has dominated his opponents, while extending his winning streak to 55. Five more wins and he will have a fourth NCAA title. The Franklin Regional grad is the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds for the NCAA...

From the time he was a pint-sized ball boy in baggy orange sweats helping his dad, Tim Keefer, a former coach at Oliver, Nick Keefer knew he wanted to be a football coach. He used to carry water into huddles during games at Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh. A few years...

PIHL playoffs Class 2A Semifinals Latrobe (12-7) vs. South Fayette (16-3) 9 p.m. Tuesday, Robert Morris Island Sports Center, Moon Seeds: Latrobe 6, South Fayette 2 Winner plays: Winner of Armstrong (18-3)/Thomas Jefferson (13-8) in championship 6:15 p.m. March 21 at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Cranberry Players to watch: Peyton...

With a flair for the dramatic of late, and an unwavering focus on raising the Penguins Cup again, Norwin is ready for another semifinal matchup with Fox Chapel. The teams will face off at 7 p.m.Wednesday at Robert Morris Island Sports Center in Moon for a spot in the finals....

PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 6A Second round Norwin (22-4) vs. Lebanon (26-2) 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bald Eagle Area High School, Bellefonte Tickets: Upcoming Events | PIAA Box Office (hometownticketing.com) District seed: Norwin 7-3; Lebanon 3-5 Winner plays: Winner of 7-1 North Allegheny (21-5)/7-4 Mt. Lebanon (18-8) Friday in quarterfinals...

When Jordan Geist was in high school, track and field athletes competing at the same meet would stop what they were doing to watch the brawny kid from Knoch send shot puts into orbit. Jordan is about to throw. Get a good spot. “Back up,” meet officials would yell before...

Junior Bryce Butler is known for his ability to get double-doubles on the basketball court for West Liberty. He also likes to double up on awards. The junior from Latrobe, who has led the Hilltoppers into the NCAA Division II Sweet 16, repeated as the Division 2 National Association of...

Latrobe is not about to waste a second chance at PIHL glory. In 2020, the Wildcats hockey team made the Penguins Cup championship, but the covid pandemic sent Latrobe to the penalty box for something it didn’t do. The Wildcats never came out. The championships were canceled, and Latrobe packed...

One Westmoreland County team is guaranteed a spot in the PIHL Class A championship. But there could be two. Blue No. 3 seed Norwin (17-4) will take on No. 1 seed Fox Chapel (19-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in one semifinal, with Blue No. 2 Greensburg Salem (18-3) and Gold...

CRESSON — Yough was up by nine points with six minutes to play in its first PIAA boys basketball playoff game since 2005. The Cougars, though, didn’t feel comfortable. There was something about this Penn Cambria team, with its nonstop hustle and rapid-fire 3-point shooting, that had Yough on edge...

Aside from simply knowing where she was going to college, Alyssa Laukus was surrounded by unknowns when she arrived at Chatham. How would she adapt to her class schedule and student life? She was even more inquisitive as far as basketball went. “I didn’t quite know what to expect coming...

Josephine Dollman School: Norwin Sport: Wrestling Class: Freshman Claim to fame: Dollman, who goes by Jojo, won a title at the inaugural MyHouse Western Regional girls championships at Kiski Area. She needed 2 minutes, 39 seconds to pin Saegertown’s Kacie Mook to capture the 136-pound title. She had three consecutive...

A pair of Norwin swimmers earned spots in the PIAA Class 3A championships, scheduled for March 15-18 at Bucknell University. Nathan Kostrobala and Anna Little qualified for the state meet with strong finishes at the WPIAL championships earlier this month at Pitt. Kostrobala will compete for a state medal in...

He used to have long hair that curled out from beneath his hat and covered the back of his neck. But Mark Goetz has been wearing his hair shorter since he turned professional. While his barber will await his return for another trim, Goetz’s livelihood will soon be about cuts...

WINDBER — Freshman guard Erica Gribble emerged from the locker room with a small bag of ice pressed between her neck and right shoulder. The plastic was tucked under her shirt and peeking out of the top of her jacket. Still, she smiled. “I don’t know what I did, it’s...

Hempfield is expected to promote assistant Nick Keefer to head football coach, according to the board agenda for Monday’s meeting. Keefer was a member of the last two coaches’ staffs, led by Mike Brown and Rich Bowen. Brown resigned Jan. 7 after two years with the Spartans to coach at...

PIAA basketball playoffs Girls Class 5A First round Penn-Trafford (17-9) at Greencastle-Antrim (23-2) 4 p.m. Saturday, Greencastle-Antrim HS, Greencastle District finish: Penn-Trafford 7-7; Greencastle-Antrim 3-1 Winner plays: Winner of McKeesport (21-5)/Northern (21-4) Wednesday in second round (time, site TBD) Players to watch: Olivia Pepple, Penn-Trafford; Rylee Henson, Greencastle-Antrim Layup lines:...

Add Ligonier Valley to the short list of local high schools with an athletic hall of fame. While that list is short, the initial group of inductees is extensive. The Rams announced 10 individuals, two teams and two coaches as part of its first class. The first class is as...