Bill Beckner stories, Page 98

Some were surprised when Anthony DiFalco signed with Duquesne last week, but the soccer star from Franklin Regional believes he has found the perfect fit. While he had interest from Pitt and Robert Morris, DiFalco went with the Dukes, who finished as the Atlantic 10 runner-up last season. Franklin Regional’s...

Jake Biss is back in the Shippensburg basketball lineup and it didn’t take him long to make an impact. He was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division Athlete of the Week after a couple of 20-point games. In just his third game since returning from an injury, the...

Asked if he has another gear when the game is on the line, a clutch gene, Devin Whitlock framed his answer neatly. “I wouldn’t say it’s another gear,” the Belle Vernon senior guard said. “It’s more of a mentality. It’s not wanting to lose.” The Leopards’ leading man took Saturday’s...

Brevan Willliams can dunk. Anybody who has followed Greensburg Central Catholic boys basketball knows that. But the senior swingman — or is it wing man? — has added to his arsenal. That was evidenced by his three swished 3-pointers Saturday in the opening game of the 3rd Westmoreland County Coaches...

Magen and Mara Polczynski have Jan. 19 and Feb. 16 circled on their calendars. They have for a while now. Those are the days when the Westminster and Grove City women’s basketball teams will meet in Presidents’ Athletic Conference games. The teams are traditional rivals that don’t need much motivation...

Xander Smith and Joey Castle were a one-two special teams punch for Norwin this season. Smith centered long snaps to Castle, who boomed punts into orbit. Castle also made good on extra points and field goals and aimed for touchbacks as the Knights’ kicker. The junior pair continue to follow...

Hockey standout Jamie Mauro is on point at IUP. On point, and on pace, for a career milestone. The grad student forward could reach 200 points when the American Collegiate Hockey Association resumes in January. Through 21 games, he had 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points this season,...

Kiski Area guard Isaiah Gonzalez had to leave the game briefly because he cut his lip and some blood dripped onto the court. He and his teammates were out for blood from the tip in the Section 3-5A opener. Despite a fourth-quarter surge by host Franklin Regional, the Cavaliers build...

The long-awaited college decision of one of the WPIAL’s best soccer players finally came to light Friday. Franklin Regional announced senior forward Anthony DiFalco signed with Duquesne. DiFalco, a three-time All-American, all-region and all-state player who scored 118 goals as a four-year starter for the Panthers, also had interest from...

Jeannette will recommend a former Jayhawks quarterback to be its next head football coach. The school board will vote Monday, according to the agenda, to approve Thomas Paulone Jr. to replace Roy Hall, who stepped down after 37 years on the sidelines, including 13 as head coach. Paulone, 29, is...

It didn’t decide the game, but it didn’t help Mt. Pleasant’s chances of winning it, either. The Vikings had just cut a 14-point deficit to eight with about five minutes remaining Thursday night at Belle Vernon when standout junior forward Tiffany Zelmore was whistled for two quick fouls. The second,...

Greensburg Salem will honor one of its most successful coaches Dec. 29 with “Coach Paul Night,” a tribute to former boys basketball coach Paul Sapotichne. The event will fall in line with the Golden Lions’ game against Riverview, the other school where Sapotichne coached up until his retirement last summer....

Four games is a long way from a full body of work, and Penn-Trafford already has more losses than its football team had all season, but boys basketball coach Doug Kelly sees an intangible in his team that makes him ball up his fist and grit his teeth when he...

Developing depth can be just as important as winning, and Greensburg Central Catholic is doing both as it builds toward section play. “We feel pretty comfortable with our starting five, so the big thing for us right now is six though 10,” Centurions boys basketball coach Christian Hyland said. “We’re...

Franklin Regional girls basketball players are trying to learn a new system under coach Bernie Pucka, and if that means a few extra hours in the gym, so be it. They are committed to the cause after a good start to the season. After playing games last Friday and Saturday,...

Greensburg Salem knows if it is going to compete with the top girls basketball teams in Section 4-5A, it can’t rely solely on the scoring of senior guard Abby Mankins and her sister, sophomore forward Kaitlyn Mankins. Offense will take the team only so far. There has to be more...

Jeannette is ready to hire a football coach. The district will vote on a recommended candidate at a special meeting Monday. Four finalists — all of whom graduated from Jeannette — were chosen, carrying on a traditional trait for recent hires. One of them will replace Roy Hall, who resigned...

Jesse Reed’s first win at Franklin Regional may have aged the young coach some, but he will take it. “I’m 28 going on 48 after that one,” Reed said. The Panthers rallied from a slow start to edge past visiting Penn-Trafford, 53-47, in overtime Monday night in a see-saw first-round...

Michelle Burns came back for a fifth year at Point Park, which basically rendered the women’s basketball program’s record book defenseless. The grad point guard out of Hempfield topped the 1,500-point mark for her career during an 86-84 loss to Washington Adventist. She had 29 points in the game and...

Xander Smith and Joey Castle were a one-two special teams punch for Norwin this season. Smith centered long snaps to Castle, who boomed punts into orbit. Castle also made good on extra points and field goals and aimed for touchbacks as the Knights’ kicker. The junior pair continues to follow...

The wheels were set in motion for a double-digit victory. But the wheels nearly came off for Hempfield in the fourth quarter Saturday night against Franklin Regional. The host Spartans tried to give away the finale of the 17th annual Hempfield Tip-Off Basketball Tournament, watching a 14-point lead dry up...

Playing its first game without senior forward Ben Myers, who has been a staple in the lineup, Penn-Trafford had a different look to its boys basketball team in the season opener. The 6-foot-6 Myers is done for the season with a torn ACL, making the Warriors a much more guard-oriented...

Teams to watch Boys Belle Vernon — The Leopards will be one of the hottest tickets in the WPIAL with their fast-paced style and athleticism producing big numbers and highlights. Electric is not a strong enough word. Greensburg Central Catholic — Blessed with height and senior experience from a WPIAL...

WPIAL basketball season opens Friday, and big expectations — emphasis on big — are coming out of Latrobe. The Wildcats girls basketball team is far from a long shot because it is long across the roster. Teams will be hard-pressed to match Latrobe’s height, which will be complemented by the...

Adam Brownold guided the Winchester Thurston boys soccer team to its first PIAA championship, its second WPIAL title and a 23-0-1 record. The run of success this season led to him being named to the WPIAL Class A co-coach of the year. But the wins, and accolades, kept coming. Brownold...