Bill Beckner stories, Page 73

Lance Getsy channeled his inner Greg Botta on Friday night. Getsy, the Franklin Regional coach who replaced Botta, the longtime leader of the Panthers, drew up a Botta-like gameplan to pull off the upset of the night in the WPIAL, a 16-7 stunner over No. 1 Gateway in the Class...

Norwin girls volleyball returns most of its rotation from last season’s WPIAL Class 4A playoff team. But can all of that talent translate into another postseason bid? The 16th-year coach of the Knights girls volleyball team hopes so. “The players work hard and won’t give up on a play or...

With four top-10 finishers and a little determination to repeat as champion, the Franklin Regional girls golf team defended its Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championship on Sept. 9 at Champion Lakes Golf Course in Bolivar. The event was nine holes. Panthers freshman Gionna Johnson shot 43 to finish third. A...

Franklin Regional already had momentum from a strong start. But when the Panthers added a purpose — to play for an injured teammate — nobody was stopping them. Nobody. Not even No. 1 Gateway. With the straight-ahead strength of a dominant power running game, and an opportunistic defense, the Panthers...

Belle Vernon opened with a quirky kickoff formation with just about every player lined up to one side at the 50-yard line, with a deep kick. Leopards coach Al Yeschenko said the team was just having some fun. But the fun was only beginning. They got even more enjoyment out...

Conlan Greene was a backup quarterback last year at Penn-Trafford but didn’t truly embrace the position because he was more valuable as a tight end and defensive end. He is, after all, heading to Temple on a scholarship to play on the defensive line. Public address announcer P.J. Downs calls...

You would have thought Latrobe had just won a championship as the girls soccer team’s bus pulled out of Franklin Regional on Wednesday night. There was singing and laughing, and it was loud. The celebration showed just how much a 1-0 Section 3-3A victory over fifth-ranked Franklin Regional meant to...

Mt. Pleasant might have a bright future in boys soccer. The proof lies in the team’s present lineup. The Vikings have been rolling out an all-underclassmen starting 11 at times, but that hasn’t prevented them from contending for a section title this season. “At one point, we had five of...

WPIAL realignment caused a shake-up in classifications and sections, and boys soccer saw quite a bit of movement in Westmoreland County. Latrobe and Penn-Trafford moved from 4A to 3A. Greensburg Salem and Belle Vernon went from 3A to 2A, and Jeannette opted to play up a class in 2A. With...

When he played high school basketball at Norwin, Cam Auld was a shooting guard who fired up 3-pointers. When he arrived at Waynesburg, he morphed into something else: a stretch forward who later took on a role as a screener, cutter and rebounder. And something else happened along the way....

Franklin Regional (5-1) is the newest local team to find a spot in the TribLive HSSN rankings. The team moved into the No. 5 spot in Class 3A. All of the Panthers’ wins have come via shutout. The have outscored their opponents 14-1. Franklin Regional has a big test Wednesday...

Seton Hill announced its 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame Class, the 11th class to be enshrined at the school. The newest members include Christine Henderson Deneen (2015 graduate, softball), Alex Haines (2014, baseball), Joe Smith (2017, soccer), and Lauren Teed Clem (2016, volleyball). The four former standouts will be inducted...

One goal is impressive. Two goals? It’s like you’re getting away with something. When Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland and Yough play each other in Section 3-2A girls soccer games, offense is minimal because defense disrupts momentum, talent cancels out talent, and a playoff atmosphere rings out. It is a three-way rivalry...

Moments after a loud, happy celebration — screams and claps to applaud two goals in a row — a subdued hush fell over the crowd at Russ Grimm Field. Even the crickets that chirped all night seemed to stop for a few seconds. Public address announcer Paul Britton, who went...

The girls tennis postseason takes center stage this week on the WPIAL calendar with section singles tournaments across District 7. Tournaments will be Wednesday and Thursday. The top four finishers at each Class 3A site, and top three in 2A, advance to the WPIAL championship Sept. 21-22 at North Allegheny...

Olivia Cernuto School: Southmoreland Sport: Soccer Year: Senior Claim to fame: Cernuto has been scoring goals at a torrid pace and reached a career milestone in the process. The standout forward scored her 100th career goal Thursday in the Scotties’ 7-1 victory over Penn Hills. She had four scores in...

Ligonier Valley does not lose at Weller Field, its home football venue, very often. That made Greensburg Salem’s 35-28 win there Friday that much more impressive. Not counting a forfeit loss to Serra Catholic last year, the Rams (2-1) had won 32 straight on their home field over a seven-year...

Rachel Carter’s first season as coach of the Franklin Regional girls volleyball team was a getting-to-know-you time for the team’s new leader and its players. Now that her system is taking root, the Panthers are ready to build toward the future. “We put a lot of work in last year...

Looking to right a wrong — the Warriors lost at home last week for just the third time since 2013 — Penn-Trafford returned to form at Warrior Stadium. Instead of turning the ball over and going backward with penalties, the Warriors were sound and crisp, back to making big plays...

She played her drive down the left-center of the fairway of the 428-yard 15th hole and had a clear look at the reachable par-5. Izzy Aigner then lasered her distance, grabbed her 7-iron and took dead aim from 166. When her Bridgestone golf ball with a purple “IA” Sharpied on...

When it comes to her college plans, Lily Fenton is all “set.” The senior from Latrobe accepted a preferred walk-on offer to play volleyball at Notre Dame, adding to her family’s rich history of Division I athletes. “Seeing my brother (Reed) go through the recruiting process inspired me,” said Fenton,...

Haden Sierocky went from a quarterback candidate to a versatile weapon and catalyst for Ligonier Valley. The senior running back and defensive back has scored five touchdowns four ways for the Rams (2-0). A film hound who looks for a cerebral edge, the 6-foot, 186-pound Sierocky is just as valuable...

Plum came out like a sprinter in the fastest heat. Latrobe had trouble getting off the starting block. In a showdown of ranked girls soccer teams from Section 3-3A, No. 3 Plum showcased its speed, working up a nice lather offensively early on the way to a 4-2 victory over...

“Move on” is a two-word mantra around the Jeannette boys soccer team these days. The much-improved, ready-to-contend Jeannette boys soccer team, that is. The Jayhawks are playing up voluntarily this season, in Class 2A, to increase competition and play with more public school teams. Last year was fun — an...