Bill Beckner stories, Page 97

It was like a release valve was turned for Norwin and Hempfield when enrollment numbers showed the schools would drop to Class 5A for football. That meant leaving the rigors of Class 6A, with a schedule that demands near perfection on a weekly basis just to be able to compete,...

Three-time NCAA champion wrestler Spencer Lee of Iowa is shutting it down for the rest of the season to finally undergo another knee surgery. The top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds coming into the season, Lee has torn both of his anterior cruciate ligaments since competing for the...

Penn-Trafford added some championship toughness to its boys basketball rotation. Football players Tommy Kalkstein and Conlan Greene are back from football season after helping the Warriors win WPIAL and PIAA championships. A pair of juniors, Kalkstein brings athleticism and ball-handling to an already deep backcourt, and Greene helps fill a...

It’s becoming a holiday tradition, Lamont “Showboat” Robinson landing on the pro basketball hall of fame ballot. The question is, is this the year? Robinson, a Jeannette graduate and well-known personality on the comedy basketball circuit, is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame nominee for the fourth straight year....

Senior night shouldn’t take very long at Penn-Trafford this year. Guard Maura Suman might feel a little lonely when the spotlight shines on her. She is the team’s only senior. The Warriors feature just three juniors, five sophomores and seven freshmen, an inexperienced but hungry rotation that isn’t backing down...

Derry knows how to apply and play against box-and-one defenses. The hybrid scheme comes naturally now because the Trojans girls basketball team is seeing more “junk” defenses as opponents try to slow down guard Tiana Moracco. That means they practice them routinely, and Moracco finds ways to shake loose from...

Even Stephen Curry might raise an eyebrow at this stat line. Waynesburg’s Matt Popeck was feeling it Thursday night when the Yellow Jackets hosted Stevenson. He felt like he couldn’t miss, and barely did. The junior guard and Washington graduate made a school-record 11 3-pointers on 13 attempts, a ridiculous...

Playing four games in three days didn’t seem to bother the Chartiers Valley girls basketball team. Especially their starters. The Colts used more bus drivers this week than they did reserves in Thursday night’s WPIAL semifinal rematch against Latrobe, playing their starting five for most of the game in a...

They lined roads and highways to welcome their championship teams home, the night sky glowing red with the flashing lights of fire trucks. Championship teams in football, wrestling, baseball, softball and other sports brought titles home to Westmoreland County. They lined fairways at Oakmont to watch their local boy chase...

A heavy dose of Noah Wright early was enough to offset a big helping of Caden Smith late as the Penn-Trafford boys basketball team avenged an earlier loss to Franklin Regional. Wright, a fiery senior guard, scored 13 of his career-high 24 points in the first quarter for Penn-Trafford, which...

Suffocating opponents from the tip has become a calling card for the Greensburg Salem girls basketball team. The, ahem, still-unbeaten Greensburg Salem girls basketball team. The Golden Lions’ pace is fast. Their hands are in faces. Teams have little time to react to full-court pressure. “Defense is what makes us,...

Almost apologetically, Mya Morgan gave a reaction like Michael Jordan did during his “flu game” from the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Oops, it went in. So did that one. Um, sorry? Morgan, a sophomore shooting guard from Greensburg Central Catholic, put her hands in the air and...

There were doubts about Spencer Lee returning to the wrestling mat this season at Iowa after Lee tore his ACL last year but still competed in — and won his third title at — the NCAA Championships. But Lee came back, with a usual label attached to his name —...

It has been 24 years since Kevin Topper missed low and left at Three Rivers Stadium. A kicker for Penn-Trafford in 1997, his extra point could have tied the WPIAL Class 4A football championship against Upper St. Clair with 18 seconds remaining. But it wasn’t meant to be. Warriors faithful...

Ligonier Valley football coach Roger Beitel always admired Jerry Page. The way Page coached, the way he treated people and the way he lived his life. Page, the longtime football coach at Laurel Valley, died Wednesday at the age of 89. Laurel Valley merged with Ligonier Valley in 2010. Beitel...

Lights out, Matthew. Time to go home. Matthew Marinchak doesn’t always heed the warning when he is getting up shots at the Ligonier Valley High School gym or the Ligonier YMCA. The senior guard from Ligonier Valley gets there early, stays late and does it all again the next day...

Quinton Martin will be one of the most sought-after football recruits in the Class of 2024. But the uber-athletic sophomore from Belle Vernon is showing he is pretty good at basketball, too. The 6-foot-3 forward is fast becoming a scoring threat with consistent double-double potential. Watch him grab a rebound...

Football coach Jason Marucco would not elaborate on why he wants to leave the sidelines at Latrobe, but he did confirm he turned in a letter of resignation and will not return to coach his alma mater. Marucco guided Latrobe for eight seasons and compiled a record of 20-56 with...

Kam Pieper does not have exotic tastes when it comes to her Christmas list. The freshman basketball player from Penn-Trafford is keeping it simple this year. “I don’t know, some Nike socks would be nice,” she said. “All of my other ones have holes in them.” Pieper nearly put holes...

When it started three different lineups in its first four games, it was evident Belle Vernon’s girls basketball team had depth. With a bench that stretches eight to 10 deep, the Leopards (3-1) have a fresh set of guards ready to take the floor in a constant flow. The rotation...

Jenna Dawson takes the basketball court with a giant piece of battle armor on her left leg, a constant reminder of a grueling offseason and the toughness she holds within. The junior guard from Belle Vernon missed last season with a torn ACL and MCL and underwent reconstructive surgeries on...

A local coaching giant is gone but his legacy lives on. Longtime Laurel Valley football and baseball coach Jerry Page died Wednesday morning due to complications from pneumonia, WCCS radio out of Indiana County reported. He was 89. Page coached the Rams, who later merged with Ligonier Valley and kept...

A hole-in-one can do wonders for a round of golf. Palmer Jackson would know. The Notre Dame junior and former Franklin Regional standout made an ace on the 153-yard third hole at Miami Beach Golf Club Tuesday in the third round of the South Beach International Amateur. The highlight helped...

There was some discussion over the halftime score Tuesday night at Yough. The scorekeepers and scoreboard operator were two points short of what the media had tabulated at the break. It all stemmed from a basket off a steal by Belle Vernon sophomore forward Quinton Martin. A basket that happened...

Following an 0-10 season, there has been a change in command at Clarion. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference school announced it is cutting ties with head football coach Chris Weibel and moving in “a new direction.” Assistant Matt Hanhold was elevated to interim head coach while Clarion conducts a search...