Bill Beckner stories, Page 56

Greensburg Central Catholic basketball player Franco Alvarez likes to take photographs. It has become his hobby. He shoots anything from high school sports to sunsets and flowers in his spare time. The junior forward had an eye on the third quarter in his team’s opening playoff game. And that hot...

Girls Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Burgettstown (18-5) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (19-4) 6 p.m. Wednesday, AHN Arena, Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 8-Brentwood (13-9)/1-Shenango (19-4), Saturday (time, site TBD) in semifinals Players to watch: Kaitlyn Nease, Burgettstown; Avery Davis, Greensburg Central Catholic Layup lines: Burgettstown has made the playoffs five...

Penn State had its first five softball games of the season canceled because of inclement weather at the season-opening Coastal Carolina Tournament. The Nittany Lions had their patience tested, but they took out their frustration on the next opponent. Led by “Queen B,” as she has become known around the...

Yough knew if it was going to capture its first WPIAL boys basketball playoff victory in 18 years, it would have to exhibit self-discipline with the lead, show poise on defense and perhaps, above all, play together. “We had to show up,” junior guard Terek Crosby said. Yough did all...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Boys Class 2A First round 13-Propel Braddock Hills (10-12) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (15-5) 6 p.m. Tuesday, Penn-Trafford High School, Harrison City Winner plays: Winner of 12-Burgettsown (13-9)/5-Eden Christian Academy (16-5) Friday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Ben Mayhew, Propel Braddock Hills; Tyree Turner,...

As the only senior from Allegheny to make the trip to Cleveland, Jacob King showed his young teammates how it’s done. King, a Latrobe graduate, earned his third career victory, and first in the weight toss, at the Ed Finnigan Greater Cleveland Colleges Invite at Case Western Reserve. King’s winning...

The Westmoreland Sports Club will meet again 7 p.m. Thursday for its latest social event. This time, Sam Johnson and Dave Jackel of the Pittsburgh Warriors hockey team will speak to members and guests at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Greensburg. The Warriors are a team of disabled veterans. Johnson is a...

Greensburg Central Catholic is looking for head coaches for boys and girls soccer after the coaches from both programs resigned. Rob Fabean, who led the boys team after two seasons, stepped down and was hired last week to coach the Ringgold boys on a three-year contract. Kara Batey resigned after...

BOYS Class 3A First round 10-Belle Vernon (10-11) at 7-Quaker Valley (14-6) 7 p.m. Monday, Quaker Valley High School, Leetsdale Winner plays: Winner of 15-Freeport (13-9)/2-Laurel Highlands (19-2) Thursday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Zion Moore, Belle Vernon; Joey Coyle, Quaker Valley Layup lines: Belle Vernon had...

Melina Stratigos School: Belle Vernon Sport: Swimming Year: Junior Claim to fame: Stratigos helped the Leopards to a 67-47 victory over Steel Valley as she won the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly and swam legs of the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. She also won a pair...

Falling into an early hole in the WPIAL basketball playoffs is often a bad sign, especially for a lower seed. It certainly didn’t help Mt. Pleasant in its tournament opener. While the Vikings chipped away at a double-digit deficit, they spent the afternoon feeling remorseful about the opening minutes and...

The playoff-bound Norwin hockey team made it four wins in a row as the Knights batted away Indiana. Alex Thomas had three goals and an assist, and Dom Cerilli scored twice in a 5-2 victory for the Knights (14-4-1) on Feb. 9. Burmeister made 24 saves for Norwin, which welcomed...

Pole vaulting was, in the beginning, nothing more than a harmless suggestion to Hannah Shaw. Now, it’s her passion. And it has landed her a spot with a Division I college program. Shaw, a senior at Norwin, will continue her track and field career at Northeastern, a Colonial Athletic Association...

“Just go play.” That was the advice Erica Gribble gave herself as she prepared for the first high school basketball playoff game of her blossoming career. The Greensburg Central Catholic freshman guard didn’t flinch — nor did several of her teammates who tasted the WPIAL playoffs for the first time...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A First round 12-Mt. Pleasant (14-8) vs. 5-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (16-6) Noon Saturday, AHN Arena, Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 13-McGuffey (15-7)/4-Avonworth (15-5), Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Tiffany Zelmore, Mt. Pleasant; Emma Ficorilli, OLSH Layup lines:...

Mikalah Chewning leaned over a trash can behind the Yough bench during the first half as she dealt with flu-like symptoms. Autumn Matthews left late in the third quarter with a possible concussion after she hit her head on the floor. Hailey Bock wasn’t as sharp around the rim as...

Boys Class 5A First round 16-Penn-Trafford (7-15) at 1-Peters Township (18-3) 7 p.m. Friday, AHN Arena, Peters Township Winner plays: Winner of 9-Shaler (16-6)/8-South Fayette (13-9) on Wednesday (time, site TBD) in quarterfinals Players to watch: Tyler Freas, Penn-Trafford; Jack Dunbar, Peters Township Layup lines: Penn-Trafford went from last place...

Somebody turned up the volume at Yough. A season that began with promise, flirted with disappointment, then resurfaced as something special, has the Cougars boys basketball team back in WPIAL contention. A slow dance has kicked into a rumba around Herminie, where the Cougars (15-7) are section champions for the...

Monessen was 2-4 and had just opened Section 2-A play with a loss at West Greene. But then, right as rain, the streak happened. The Greyhounds won 13 in a row, captured their first section title since 2012 and established themselves a contender in WPIAL Class A girls basketball. All...

WPIAL basketball playoffs Girls Class 3A Preliminary round 17-Beaver Falls (9-11) at 16-Yough (10-11) 7 p.m. Thursday at Yough High School, Herminie Winner plays: 1-Shady Side Academy (20-2), noon Saturday at Fox Chapel High School Players to watch: Avina Norman, Beaver Falls; Laney Gerdich, Yough Layup lines: Beaver Falls clinched...

Saint Vincent has a nationally ranked women’s bowling team. For the first time, the Bearcats are listed among the best teams in the National Tenpin Coaches Association Division II/III National Poll. SVC (31-2) checked in a No. 13 in the latest poll. The Bearcats’ .939 winning percentage is the top...

For most of December and even late into January, the Norwin girls looked like the favorite to win WPIAL Class 6A. The Lady Knights were ranked No. 1 for much of the basketball regular season, but a couple of losses to Upper St. Clair and North Allegheny put a dent...

One Division I football scholarship offer often leads to many more for rising prospects. That could be the case for Samir Crosby, a freshman at Greensburg Central Catholic, who already is on the radar following a promising debut season. Crosby picked up his first high-level scholarship offer Monday, from the...

A closer look at the WPIAL girls basketball playoffs, which begin with preliminary round games Thursday night: Class 6A Favorite: Upper St. Clair (19-2) has not lost in 2023 and takes a 13-game winning streak into the postseason. The Panthers reached the finals last year and lost to Mt. Lebanon...

Don’t plan on leaving Seton Hill women’s basketball games early. You might miss the best part. The Griffins have been taking games down to the wire lately: Four recent games were decided by a total of 10 points. They knocked off IUP, 65-60, at home during their 100th anniversary celebration,...