Bill Beckner stories, Page 91

If the shoe fits … write a book about it. That is what collector Drew Phipps did to share his unbridled passion for something most take for granted. Something to which many will never give a second thought. Wrestling shoes. Not baseball cards, coins or comic books. Phipps has been...

Organizer Kurt Kimmich longs for the return of the Special Needs Awareness Day at Franklin Regional. The unique event celebrates the students of Clelian Heights School for Exceptional Children in Greensburg, through basketball. Sister Charlene Celli of Clelian Heights told Kimmich, “Definitely next year,” when asked if the event would...

A pair of Norwin athletes qualified to compete in the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association Indoor Championships Feb. 27 at Penn State. Juniors Nataiah Robertson-Dutrieuill and Hannah Shaw finished in the top 20 in their events to reach the state finals. Robertson-Dutrieuill earned a spot in the long jump,...

It turns out Penn-Trafford was the last Westmoreland County team to celebrate a PIAA football title in Hershey. The PIAA came out with some shocking news last week, announcing it was moving the state football championships to Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg. The finals have been played at Hershey...

Greensburg Central Catholic’s team size has been a problem for opponents all season. For a few moments early in their playoff game Friday night, the Centurions looked average-sized. But after falling behind, the fourth-seeded Centurions quickly rose to their full height. They went on to dispatch of No. 5 Monessen’s...

Saturday’s game Boys Semifinals Class 4A 3-Belle Vernon (19-3) vs. 2-Montour (19-4) Noon at Bethel Park Coaches: Joe Salvino, Belle Vernon; Bill Minear, Montour Winner plays: Winner of 5-Lincoln Park (17-6)/1-Quaker Valley (21-0), 9 p.m. March 3 in the championship at Petersen Events Center Layup lines: Belle Vernon is aiming...

A basketball career that seemed to begin ages ago is turning to twilight, but Alayna Gribble has one more local stop before she throws her sneakers over the telephone wires. Gribble, a grad student guard at St. Joseph’s and the all-time leading scorer at Norwin, will play in Pittsburgh one...

Tony Grenek is stepping down as the head women’s basketball coach at Point Park after 11 seasons. Grenek had a record of 206-101. The wins are the most in program history. He put together four 20-win seasons and led the Pioneers to eight conference tournament appearances. This season, the Pioneers...

Mallory Daly knows how to take hits and she knows how to dish them out. The sophomore guard from Seton LaSalle was a football player growing up in Brentwood. She played quarterback and defensive back, connecting up with her twin brother, O’Malley, for touchdowns when they were fifth graders. Daly’s...

Belle Vernon was short a couple of key pieces when it played Montour the first time this season. That had a lot to do with the Leopards losing, 65-48, to the Spartans in a late-season matchup at the Hoops for a Cure showcase at North Allegheny. But when the teams...

Friday’s games BOYS Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Monessen (18-4) vs. 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (17-3) 7 p.m. at Norwin Winner plays: Winner of 9-Sto-Rox (12-7)/1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (20-0) Tuesday in semifinals Layup lines: Monessen is one of the hottest teams in the WPIAL, winning 16 straight. The Greyhounds have...

Flat and frustrated at halftime, Bethel Park reminded itself there were still 16 minutes of basketball to play. That the outcome was far from decided and it still had plenty to offer this game. Fourth-seeded Norwin had a nine-point lead and looked to have the No. 5 Black Hawks, who...

With capacity rules decreased and crowds back in gyms, postseason basketball is beginning to feel normal again. But hand-stamp season will really reconnect with normalcy in the PIAA playoffs with the old qualifying format returning. Last year, only WPIAL champions advanced to the state brackets. But the follow-the-winner plan is...

GIRLS Class 2A Quarterfinals 5-Seton La Salle (16-6) at 4-Greensburg Central Catholic (18-4) 7 p.m. Thursday Winner plays: Winner of 9-Apollo-Ridge (16-4)/1-Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-4) Monday in semifinals Layup lines: Seton LaSalle advanced with a 48-35 victory over No. 12 Sto-Rox in the first round. The Rebels...

This was a playoff win built on the bedrock of team basketball. Latrobe made extra passes to enhance shot opportunities, fought through screens to get people open and helped on defense. In the end, it was enough to push the No. 7 Wildcats past No. 10 Mars, 67-62, in a...

Wednesday’ games Girls Quarterfinals Class 6A 5-Bethel Park (10-9) at 4-Norwin (15-5) 7 p.m. Wednesday Winner plays: Winner of 8-Peters Township (13-10)/1-Mt Lebanon (20-1) on Saturday in semifinals Layup lines: Bethel Park finished third in Section 2 behind Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair. There are only two sections in...

Senior Zach Hartman is gearing up for the NCAA Division I wrestling championships with a great strategy. He’s taking down nationally ranked opponents. The 165-pounder from Bucknell, who graduated from Belle Vernon, is ranked No. 18 in the country in his weight class. In a matchup of top-25 competitors who...

The more patient Greensburg Central Catholic became with Chartiers-Houston’s 2-1-2 press, the wider the margin got in the teams’ playoff opener. Fourth-seeded Greensburg Central Catholic found ways around the defense and threaded the ball to Bailey Kuhns and Mya Morgan for backdoor layups and turnaround jumpers. Then, it turned up...

Tuesday’s games Girls First round Class 5A 15-Greensburg Salem (15-7) at 2-South Fayette (18-4) 8 p.m. Winner plays: Winner of 10-Mars (17-5)/7-Latrobe (17-3) 7 p.m. Friday in quarterfinals Layup lines: Greensburg Salem is back in the postseason after losing in the first round last year. The Golden Lions are seeking...

Norwin’s Polczynski sisters are all square. Freshman guard Mara Polczynski helped Grove City avenge an earlier loss to Westminster and her sister, senior Magen Polczynski, as the Wolverines stormed past the Titans for an 87-50 win in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Mara had a career-high 12 points and added six...

Monday’s games Boys First round Class 3A 9-Ligonier Valley (12-10) at 8-Avonworth (15-5) 7 p.m. Monday Winner plays: Winner of 16-Summit Academy (7-8)/1-Ellwood City (20-2) on Thursday in quarterfinals Layup lines: Second-year WPIAL member Ligonier Valley won four of its final five games and finished third in Section 3. Senior...

A torn ACL and the accompanying surgery cost Capri DeCaro her senior basketball season, but the injury did not ward off college suitors looking to recruit the Hempfield senior for track and field. A talented jumper, DeCaro signed last week to join the women’s program at Duquesne. She had one...

The WPIAL team wrestling championship had already been decided, but that didn’t stop Norwin from beating up on opponents. The Knights won the Derry Duals on Feb. 12 in impressive fashion. They went 5-0 to take the title, defeating Meadville (47-19), Franklin Regional (46-22), Trinity (36-33), Derry (52-17) and Frazier...

Norwin players and coaches sprinted toward center court and embraced one another. They soon were joined by some student fans who rushed the court after the final buzzer sounded. It had been a while since the Norwin boys basketball team, the program, felt something like this. Such energy and excitement...

The Franklin Regional boys basketball team needed a win in its final Section 3-5A game of the season to get into the WPIAL playoffs, but neighboring Gateway spoiled the Panthers’ plans. Gateway won, 57-36, to send the Panthers into a three-way tie for third place in the section. The top...