Bill Beckner stories, Page 78

One of the best boys soccer players to come out of the WPIAL in recent years also is being mentioned with the top talent in the country. Three-time All-American forward Anthony DiFalco, who had a stellar, four-year career at Franklin Regional, was named to the All-USA Today High School Sports...

Working at Lucky Lottery in Trafford has given Ben Hoffer a greater appreciation for the game of chance. There, anyone can scratch off a winner or prosper with a random combination of numbers. The new Yough football coach has his team in line to play the Powerball. Why not? The...

Tasked with taking over a program that initially was going to be in his friend and fellow assistant’s hands, Tim Bukowski is adjusting to his new role as head football coach at Southmoreland as a new season draws near. Bukowski was hired in March after Ron Frederick died suddenly from...

Saint Vincent added some local soccer expertise to its women’s team. Greensburg native Hope Creamer, who played at Greensburg Salem and coached the Greensburg Central Catholic girls, was named an assistant coach with the Bearcats and head coach Bryan Butler. “Hope was a tremendous player and understands what it takes...

Sure, Max McDowell wanted to be there in person when the New York Yankees played the Pittsburgh Pirates in a recent two-game series at PNC Park. The minor-league catcher would have given just about anything to get a call-up to join New York’s big club on the North Shore, 20...

Noah Vogel went to Pitt for what initially looked like an unremarkable football workout. Another day in the blazing summer heat. But his day ended up becoming quite remarkable. Vogel, a senior tight end and defensive end at Norwin, received one-on-one instruction from Pitt great and Super Bowl champion Aaron...

When Bob Colbert started a pair of sports social clubs in Virginia, a few common traits held the concept together and allowed membership to grow: an interest in telling stories, inquisitiveness to learn more about the people telling them and the simple enjoyment of talking sports in a laid-back setting...

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. An athlete of Quinton Martin’s ilk could line up just about anywhere...

A venture that athletic director Zach Kessler said was long overdue, Franklin Regional finally has an athletics hall of fame in place to honor the legacy of its finest athletes. Now, it has its inaugural class. The Franklin Regional Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was unveiled Wednesday. It...

Reduced travel, less expenses and fewer missed classes were among the reasons Carlow University decided to make the move to NCAA Division III. The private Catholic school in Oakland is leaving the NAIA and is headed for the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference starting in 2022-23. Carlow, an NAIA member since...

June did not start the way Zach Kokoska had hoped. After seeing his batting average rise to .231 in early May, the Fresno Grizzlies outfielder and designated hitter went 4 for 26 in his first eight games of June and saw his average dip to .192. But the minor leaguer...

This year’s Jeannette Jayhawk Athletic Hall of Fame class will be a family affair. A father and daughter, and a pair of sisters, will be inducted. The 2022 class was announced Tuesday and it includes 1974 graduate Terry Gregory, a football and basketball standout, who will join his daughter, Ciara,...

Loren Byers took his place among the starting lineup on the Penn State tennis team and put together a strong freshman season. Byers, who is from Greensburg and attended Greensburg Salem for one year before attending 21st Century Cyber Charter School, finished 17-10 in singles, and 6-8 playing doubles for...

Last spring, MaxPreps scoured the country looking for the best female high school coaches of all time in every state. The online prep sports outlet recognized one of the most successful girls volleyball coaches in the WPIAL, naming legendary Norwin leader Sheron Watson as its top coach in Pennsylvania. Watson’s...

Franklin Regional started an athletics hall of fame this year. A future inductee might have just graduated. Caden Smith made the best of his time at Franklin Regional, excelling in three sports for the better part of four years. His senior season was his best as he made first-team all-conference...

Maren Metikosh has a name that rolls off the tongue. It is pure alliteration for broadcasters and announcers at Belle Vernon softball games. Her swing is even smoother. The rising senior had a memorable season for the Leopards as she launched home runs off the Dairy Queen sign in left...

Whether he was finishing a fast break with a thunderous slam dunk, putting back a missed shot or moving the ball with precision in the halfcourt for high-scoring West Liberty, Bryce Butler stood out on the hardwood. Opposing teams were watching the sophomore put in work.They saw his end-to-end talent,...

Emma Blair has her first NCAA Division I scholarship offer. The girls basketball standout from Latrobe was offered over the weekend by South Carolina-Upstate in Valley Falls, S.C. The 6-foot-1 throwback forward, who is known for her prowess to produce double-doubles, averaged 13.6 points and 12.5 rebounds and shot 56%...

Josh Spiegel became a fixture in the Penn State baseball lineup this season and put together an all-conference junior year. A Penn-Trafford graduate, Spiegel was named to the All-Big Ten second team. He played in all 55 games for the Nittany Lions (26-29) and started 53 of them as either...

Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park. Referred to as “the best finisher” Penn-Trafford has had in the John...

Some might say Palmer Jackson’s golf game is a 9 out of 10. No golfer is perfect. The game won’t allow for it. But Jackson had nine top-10 finishes this past college season, which also points to excellence. The junior from Notre Dame is one of the top players in...

The evolution of Mia Smith’s high school softball career began in 2019 when she was a freshman. A closer two seasons ago when Penn-Trafford won a PIAA championship, Smith took over the lead role in the circle this season and shined. She led the Warriors (20-4) to a runner-up finish...

When the baseball finally landed in the second deck high above the field at historic Yankee Stadium, JJ Matijevic had his second big-league hit. Two hits. Two home runs. Matijevic, who started at first base, hit another solo homer as the Houston Astros no-hit the New York Yankees, 3-0, on...

Football prospects are often enthused by college visits and feel an instant connection to certain schools. Conlan Greene had that feeling when he visited Temple over the weekend but it was more than that for the Penn-Trafford rising senior. Having the opportunity to secure a spot on the Owls’ defense...

The New York Mets now own the contract of pitcher Michael Krauza, and, if all goes according to his plan, he will be climbing the minor-league ranks. This could be the big break the hard-throwing right-hander has been looking for. Krauza, a Franklin Regional graduate, will leave the Cleburne (Texas)...