WJPA Sports

Dick Hoak, who spent decades with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a player and coach, has died at the age of 86.  Steelers President Art Rooney II announced his death on Wednesday, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Hoak, a legendary member of the Pittsburgh Steelers family. Dick was part of the foundation of this organization and played an instrumental role in shaping the Steelers as both a player and coach during his 45 years with the team.”  Hoak, from Jeannette, was a running back from 1961-1970, still remaining seventh on the franchise’s all-time rushing list with 3,965 yards.   “Dick represented everything the Steelers stand for with his toughness, loyalty, dedication and an unwavering commitment to the team. First as a player, then as a coach, Dick’s contributions to this organization spanned generations,” Rooney said.  Hoak then served as a running backs coach for the Steelers from 1972-2007, both under Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.  “He was respected and admired by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. His legacy includes coaching some of the all-time great Steelers, including Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Jerome Bettis, and Willie Parker,” Rooney said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Hoak family during this difficult time. He will always be remembered as a valued member of the Steelers family.”

The PIAA girls/boys soccer tournaments and girls volleyball playoffs started Tuesday across the Commonwealth. The format is simple:  first team to four wins takes the championship.  The PIAA soccer finals are scheduled for FNB Stadium at Station Square. Girls volleyball finals will be played at St. Francis University in Loretto. Championship weekend is set for Nov. 20-21. (PIAA District-district finish).

Soccer:  Adam Moessner scored four times, Billy Moyer added a pair of goals as the WPIAL champion Bentworth boys beat Brockway. The Bearcats will meet District 10 champion Mercyhurst Prep Saturday, the third straight year the two two will play in the PIAA tournament. Bentworth won the first two meetings.  The Bentworth girls season ended with a loss to District 10 champion Seneca.

Volleyball:  WPIAL champion Peters Township cruised at home against District 3 third place Lower Dauphin to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against District 1 third place West Chester Rustin.  Waynesburg dropped the first set at District 5 champion Chestnut Ridge but took the next three sets to beat the Lions, earning their first-ever PIAA volleyball tournament win. The Raiders will face WPIAL champion Freeport in Saturday’s quarterfinals.  Fort Cherry heads east to face District 6 champion Purchase Line Wednesday night.

Soccer & volleyball quarterfinals will all be played on Saturday. Sites/times will be released Thursday morning.

PIAA Soccer Brackets
Tuesday, Nov. 10
1A Girls 10-1 Seneca over 7-3 Bentworth, 5-0
1A Boys 7-1 Bentworth over 9-1 Brockway, 6-2

PIAA Girls Volleyball Brackets
Tuesday, Nov. 10
5A 7-1 Peters Township over 3-3 Lower Dauphin, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-16)
3A 7-3 Waynesburg over 5-1 Chestnut Ridge, 3-1 (25-27, 25-20-25-22, 25-15)

Wednesday, Nov. 11
2A 7-3 Fort Cherry at 6-1 Purchase Line, 6 pm

“We are proud to join in the celebration of the Wild Things’ 25^th anniversary season by bringing our premier event back to EQT Park,” said National Association of Professional Baseball Commissioner Steve Tahsler. “Given the strong support that Washington’s fans have shown throughout the club’s history, it is appropriate that Washington is the first team to be awarded the All-Star Game a fourth time.”  The National Association of Professional Baseball, formerly known through the 2026 championship season as the Frontier League, is the country’s largest and longest-running independent baseball league and an MLB Partner League. It includes 20 teams for the 2027 season, with the addition of the Cleburne Railroaders and Kane County Cougars to an already expansive footprint that includes 11 US states and two Canadian provinces.   “Hosting the first All-Star Game under the National Association of Professional Baseball banner is a tremendous opportunity for our organization, our ballpark and our great community to shine on a league-wide stage,” said Vice President of Baseball Operations and Broadcaster, Kyle Dawson. “As the league continues to grow and expand, we’re excited to welcome players, coaches, executives and fans from across the league to EQT Park and show them what makes the Wild Things, Washington County and tri-state region so special. We’re looking forward to making the entire celebration about much more than just baseball with chances for the region to shine and our community to benefit in a big way.”  The league will get into town Monday, July 12 with plans for EQT Park to host festivities Tuesday, July 13 and the All-Star Game Wednesday, July 14

Kirk Cousins is returning to Minnesota. Keenan Allen is heading to San Francisco. Josh Downs is going to Kansas City. Jonathan Taylor is staying in Indianapolis. The Colts’ decision to keep the three-time Pro Bowl running back was the biggest surprise Tuesday when several teams filled needs ahead of the trade deadline. Buffalo added safety Amani Hooker, Denver got linebacker Daiyan Henley, and Baltimore and Atlanta swapped offensive linemen. The Vikings turned to a familiar quarterback to try to rescue a woeful offense, acquiring Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders in a move that bolsters their chances in a competitive NFC North.

Georgia moved into the top spot in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings, while Notre Dame moved up six notches to No. 5 to leapfrog two spots ahead of Miami on the strength of its win over the Hurricanes last weekend. The second of the CFP’s six rankings reveals had its usual share of head-scratchers, starting with Indiana dropping five spots to No. 9 despite not playing last weekend. The rest of the 12-team bracket would include No. 2 Utah, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 UCLA. Then, it was Texas at No. 6, Tennessee at 8, BYU at 10 and Kentucky at 11. No. 24 Boise State would get the last spot as the best team among the Group of Six.