January 20, 2026 4:29 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night. The Hoosiers toppled Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season and the national title. The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game. Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 10-point lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes.
January 20, 2026 4:33 am
SEATTLE (AP) — Brett Kulak broke a second-period tie with his first goal of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Seattle Kraken 6-3. Kulak, acquired from Edmonton in December as part of the trade for goalie Tristan Jarry, scored for the first time since last year’s Western Conference final. The defenseman ripped a one-timer to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead with 5:15 left in the second. Connor Dewar had a short-handed goal and an empty-netter for the Penguins, who also got goals from Justin Brazeau, Rickard Rakell and defenseman Parker Witherspoon. Sidney Crosby had two assists in his 1,400th career game, and Stuart Skinner made 20 saves. Ben Meyers, Ryan Lindgren and Eeli Tolvanen also scored for Seattle, which has lost four straight and six of seven.
January 19, 2026 12:01 am
Three weeks from today, the WPIAL Basketball Playoff brackets will be announced. About half of the 19 girls teams from Washington/Greene Counties returned to section play Monday/Tuesday with the rest opening their second half section schedules on Thursday. McGuffey’s Quinn Schumacher hit a three-pointer with just 9 second to play to beat Keystone Oaks, moving the Highlanders into a tie for second with Waynesburg. Wash High’s home win over Brownsville put the Little Prexies into a tie for the final playoff spot with KO. Avella’s home loss to Monessen drops the Eagles three games back of the Greyhounds for the final playoff spot. Here’s the Monday/Tuesday girls section schedule/scores for Washington & Greene County teams.
Girls
Monday
4A Ringgold 54, Southmoreland 33
3A Seton-La Salle 67, Charleroi 17
3A McGuffey 55, Keystone Oaks 52
3A Wash High 48, Brownsville 19
1A Monessen 51, Avella 46
1A West Greene 62, Mapletown 9
Tuesday
5:50 pm 5A Thomas Jefferson at Trinity, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen/Watch Here
5A Baldwin at Peters Township
January 20, 2026 4:30 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have agreed to hire Robert Saleh as their coach, hoping he can speed up their rebuild and end the franchise’s skid of four straight losing seasons. A person familiar with the decision confirmed it to The Associated Press on Monday night, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Saleh spent this season as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, his second stint in that job after spending three-plus seasons as coach of the New York Jets. He did not have a winning season with the Jets and was fired after a 2-3 start in 2024, going 20-36 overall.
January 20, 2026 4:31 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins hired former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach on Monday. The moved ends a swift search for a coach who will be tasked with turning around a losing franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 25 years. Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired earlier this month after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime general manager Chris Grier during the season. Hafley met with the Dolphins for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job. He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami.
January 19, 2026 10:32 am
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have fired Sean McDermott after the team again failed to reach the Super Bowl in his nine seasons, according to two people with direct knowledge of the decision. The move came two days after the Bills were eliminated in a heart-wrenching 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Bills went 12-5 in the regular season and saw their five-year run atop the AFC East end. McDermott transformed the franchise into a perennial winner but was knocked for failing to make a Super Bowl appearance. Buffalo became the NFL’s first team to win a playoff round in six consecutive years but not reach the Super Bowl.
January 19, 2026 4:26 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 to advance to the NFC championship game. Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass by Williams on the Bears’ first possession of the extra period. Stafford completed a 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field-goal range and set up Mevis. The Rams will visit NFC West rival Seattle next Sunday in their first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl.
January 19, 2026 4:28 am
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a TD and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years. They will play at Denver next Sunday. Their last AFC title game trip was during their run to their sixth Super Bowl title in the 2018 season. Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two. The eight combined turnovers were the most in a playoff game since 2015. The Texans have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans.
January 19, 2026 4:30 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Indiana and Miami are playing for the national title Monday night, and if that has you scratching your head thinking “Who?” or “What?” then you are not alone. Even though a new world of paying players and rapid-fire transfers from school to school has shuffled the deck in college sports, nobody thought it would get mixed up this much. And even though both schools have been trending upward of late, both were listed as 100-1 long shots to win the championship at some point this season. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers head into the game being played on Miami’s home field at Hard Rock Stadium as 8 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
January 17, 2026 7:00 am
The WPIAL basketball sprint to the finish line is underway. Just three weeks remain in the regular season. The second half of the campaign opened with a couple crucial 5A Section 3 games. Peters Township lost at Thomas Jefferson as TJ opened a two-game lead on the Indians. Ringgold lost at home to South Fayette, dropping the Rams into fourth place. Unbeaten Chartiers-Houston won at Fort Cherry in 2A Section 3, pushing the Rangers two games back. West Greene crossed the county and beat Carmichaels, taking over sole possession of the fifth and final playoff spot out of the section. Avella’s win over Beaver County Christian moves the Eagles into a first-place tie with Nazareth Prep at the halfway point. Trinity girls got their second half started with a win at Bethel Park, putting three games between the Hillers and the playoff cutlline. Here’s the Friday section scores for Washington & Greene County teams.
Girls
5A Trinity 40, Bethel Park 34
Boys
5A Thomas Jefferson 77, Peters Township 54
5A Trinity 59, Bethel Park 53
5A South Fayette 59, Ringgold 51
2A-1 Bentworth 51, Riverview 35
2A-1 Jeannette 80, California 33
2A-2 Chartiers-Houston 49, Fort Cherry 40
2A-2 Jeff-Morgan 58, Burgettstown 47
2A-2 Beth-Center 78, Mapletown 26
2A-2 West Greene 70, Carmichaels 47
1A Avella 66, Beaver County Christian 30
