February 21, 2024 4:38 am
The field for the 12-team College Football Playoff will comprise five conference champions and seven at-large selections after the university presidents who oversee the CFP voted unanimously to tweak the format. The move to decrease the number of spots reserved for conference champions from six to five was prompted by realignment, including the demise of the Pac-12. The original plan for the 12-team format was to have the six highest-ranked conference champions, with the top four receiving first-round byes, and six at-large selections.
February 20, 2024 12:01 am
The opening-round struggles continued for most teams in the two-county area including losses at home by Peters Township and Wash High boys teams. The only winner Monday night was the West Greene girls, only the third win by a Washington/Greene County team in this year’s playoffs, the first against a team not from the two-county area. Of the 24 teams that started tournament play, 15 lost in the first round, four others have first-round games on Wednesday, and the last two teams will play their first games in the 6A quarterfinals later this week. As we move through the brackets, we’ll have live coverage of as many games as we can, on-air and online. Our audio stream is free to all. The video, when possible, will be streamed through WPIAL partner NFHS Network (subscription required, links provided). For WPIAL brackets, CLICK HERE.
First Round games
Monday, Feb. 19
1A Girls #8 West Greene 55, #9 Jeannette 33
1A Girls #6 Bishop Canevin 53, #11 Mapletown 17
3A Boys #9 Ellwood City 53, #8 Wash High 36 Listen Here
3A Boys #2 Mohawk 74, #15 McGuffey 39
5A Boys #12 Kiski Area 58, #5 Peters Township 51 Listen/Watch Here
Tuesday, Feb. 20
5A Girls #3 Trinity 59, #14 Woodland Hills 54 Listen/Watch Here
2A Boys #4 Fort Cherry 69, #13 Winchester Thurston 48
2A Boys #8 Serra Catholic 58, #9 Chartiers-Houston 47
2A Boys #5 Bishop Canevin 62, #12 Burgettstown 41 Listen/Watch Here
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Feb. 21
2A Girls #4 Fort Cherry vs. #5 South Side Area, 7:45 pm at Peters Township, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
1A Boys #8 West Greene vs. #1 Imani Christian, 8 pm at Bethel Park
Thursday, Feb. 22 (times to be determined)
6A Girls #7 Pine-Richland at #2 Peters Township, 6:45 pm, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
1A Girls #8 West Greene at #1 Union, 7 pm
February 19, 2024 12:01 am
Every two years, the WPIAL realigns its sections in all sports following the release of new PIAA enrollment cutoffs. The realignment for fall sports was released Monday by the League. Here are some notes for teams from Washington/Greene Counties and the new sections in football, boys/girls soccer and girls volleyball. Click Here for complete re-alignment listings for fall sports.
Football: 6A Canon-McMillan is listed in an eight-team section including Butler who had indicated that they would play an independent schedule. 5A defending champion Peters Township is in a six-team section with Baldwin, Bethel Park, Moon, South Fayette and Upper St. Clair. Aliquippa, thought to be heading for that section, was instead placed in a Northern section with Fox Chapel, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Penn Hills, Plum and Shaler.
Trinity and Ringgold are together in a six-team 4A section along with two-time defending state champion Belle Vernon, Chartiers Valley, Laurel Highland and Thomas Jefferson. McGuffey will have the most frequent flyer miles in the regular season, placed in a 3A section with Avonworth, Beaver, Central Valley, Hopewell, North Catholic and Quaker Valley.
Charleroi, Wash High and Waynesburg are all part of a 2A section with Carlynton, Keystone Oaks, Seton-La Salle and Sto-Rox. 1A teams from the two-county area are split with eight of them in the Tri-County South (Avella, Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Carmichaels, Jeff-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene. The others, Burgettstown, Chartiers-Houston and defending WPIAL champion Fort Cherry, are part of the Black Hills Conference with Bishop Canevin, Cornell, Monessen and Serra Catholic.
Boys Soccer: Canon-McMillan and Peters Township are in the same 4A section along with Connellsville, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Woodland Hills. 3A has Ringgold and Trinity in with traditional opponents Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, Laurel Highlands, McKeesport, South Fayette and Thomas Jefferson. Wash High, part of a co-op with Burgettstown and Fort Cherry, is in another 3A section with Allderdice, Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Uniontown and West Mifflin. McGuffey is in one 2A section comprised mostly on Mon Valley/South Hills teams while Charleroi and Waynesburg are together with mostly Westmoreland County squads. Bemtworth, Beth-Centeer, California and Chartiers-Houston are in a 1A section along with Geibel and Greensburg Central Catholic.
Girls Soccer: Canon-McMillan and Peters Township are together in a 4A section of similar makeup to the boys section, though adding Baldwin and eliminating Woodland Hills. Trinity girls are matched up in a 3A West Hills/South Hills grouping against Bethel Park, Blackhawk, Chartiers Valley, Montour, Moon and West Allegheny. Charleroi, McGuffey and Ringgold are grouped with Belle Vernon, Keystone Oaks, South Park and Steel Valley in a 2A section. All five 1A teams are together, Bentworth, Beth-Center, California, Chartiers-Houston and Waynesburg along with Brownsville.
Girls Volleyball: Traditional South Hills grouping in 4A with Canon-McMillan and Peters Township, joined by Baldwin, Bethel Park, Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair. Trinity is in a 3A mostly West Hills section with Oakland Catholic added in. Ringgold is in another 3A section with neighbors in the Mon Valley and Uniontown areas. All of the area’s 2A teams are together with Bentworth, Burgettstown, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Wash High and Waynesburg joined by Brownsville. 1A has an odd alignment that is being questioned as Jeff-Morgan is in a section with Frazier, Geibel, Greensburg Central Catholic, Serra Catholic and Trinity Christian. The Rockets Greene County neighbors, Carmichaels and Mapletown, along with West Greene, Beth-Center, California and Avella are in another section. Fort Cherry is in yet another 1A section along with Bishop Canevin, Brentwood, Eden Christian,. Hillcrest Christian and Propel Montour.
February 20, 2024 4:49 am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — William Byron launched Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th anniversary season by snapping the team’s nine-year Daytona 500 losing streak with his Monday win in the rain-postponed “Great American Race.” The last Hendrick driver to win the Daytona 500 was Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014. The 26 year old from Charlotte, North Carolina is the sixth different driver to win the 500 for Rick Hendrick, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history who made his way to victory lane on the actual 40th anniversary of his first Cup win. Byron beat Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman as the race ended under one lap of caution.
February 19, 2024 4:41 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored twice in the third period as the Los Angeles Kings rallied past the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1. The Kings won their third straight to finish off a four-game road trip by beating the Penguins on a night Pittsburgh honored franchise icon Jaromir Jagr, who had his No. 68 retired during a pregame ceremony. Sidney Crosby scored his 31st goal of the season for Pittsburgh but the Penguins lost ground in the scramble for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
February 19, 2024 4:39 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have retired Jaromir Jagr’s iconic No. 68. The NHL’s second all-time leading scorer was on hand as his jersey was raised to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. The 52-year-old Jagr spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh from 1990 to 2001, helping the franchise win a pair of Stanley Cups. Jagr is the third Penguins player to have his number retired, joining Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and Michel Briere. While Jagr has played for nine different NHL teams, he says he knows he will be forever linked with Pittsburgh.
February 19, 2024 4:42 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA wanted more competition. It got more points instead — more than ever before. And once again, the All-Star Game was all offense. The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday night in the All-Star Game, with the winners putting up the most points in the game’s 73-year history. The previous mark: 196 by the West in 2016. It was a barrage of records: The total points of 397 smashed the 374 points that were scored in 2017.
February 19, 2024 4:43 am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR has postponed the season-opening Daytona 500 until Monday because of two days of rain at Daytona International Speedway. The race had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, although the weather forecast put that in doubt all week. The final practice for drivers was canceled Saturday, as was the Xfinity Series race. The Xfinity Series race is now scheduled to be held Monday morning, hours ahead of the 4 p.m. start for the Daytona 500. Joey Logano is set to start from the pole for Team Penske.
February 18, 2024 5:31 pm
The first-ever WPIAL Girls Individual Wrestling Championships are in the books, the first step toward the inaugural PIAA Girls Wrestling Finals. The top five finishers are guaranteed spots in the Western Regional at Canon-McMillan in two weeks. The Pittsburgh City League has notified PIAA of only two entries (106 & 112 pounds). That means the WPIAL sixth-place finishers will also advance in every other weight class. Canon-McMillan led the way with 11 top-six finishers. Valarie Solorio, Capri Chambers and Natalie Rush claimed individual championships for Canon-Mac. Norwin and Plum each claimed two individual titles. Trinity has four top-six medalists, Fort Cherry, Peters Township and Ringgold two each. Bentworth has one qualifier. The WJPA Sports Network will have live coverage of the PIAA Girls Western Regional as part of our broadcast of the WPIAL 3A Individual Championships March 1-2.
Championships
100 Valarie Solorio (Canon-McMillan) TF Kristen Walzer (Montour), 16-1 5:46
106 Capri Chambers (Canon-McMillan) F Joanna Saad (North Hills), 2:15
112 Isabella McNutt (Hampton) F Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 1:51
118 Ana Malovich (Butler) F Trinity Moore (Connellsville), 3:44
124 Saphia Davis (Plum) DEC Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 5-0
130 Haley Smarsh (Moon) F Asia Fowler (Woodland Hills), 2:31
136 Ava Golding (Kiski Area) DEC Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 8-2
142 Josephine Dollman (Norwin) F Grace O’Korn (Peters Township), 1:04
148 Contessa Cotelesse (Laurel) F Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley), 1:35
155 Leyna Rumpler (North Allegheny) F Imani Cameron-Botti (Connellsville), 1:25
170 Octavia Walker (Norwin) F Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan), 4:33
190 Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) F Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township), 2:17
235 Alaina Claassen (Plum) F Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland), 1:50
Third Place
100 Miranda Lajevic (Knoch) F Baylee Oreski (Bentworth), 0:41
106 Cheyenne Berglund (Ellwood City) F Atia Digioia (Fox Chapel), 2:08
112 Brin Zehmisch (Butler) DEC Ella Campbell (Burrell), 9-5
118 Yunuen Ayala (Canon-McMillan) F Hannah Williams (North Allegheny), 2:42
124 Bailey Emery (Canon-McMillan) DEC Alexis Brua (Laurel), 6-0
130 Anna Duncan (Ringgold) F Leilani Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 2:15
136 Abigail Dolanch (Fort Cherry) DEC Esther Ward (Mt. Lebanon), 7-1
142 Anastasia Manchester (Butler) F Eva Gray (Canon-McMillan), 2:53
148 Meryn Zangaro (Greater Latrobe) MD Karsyn Champion (Norwin), 15-2
155 Dynisty Williams (Canon-McMillan) F Kaylee Flowers (New Castle), 3:37
170 Kenley Alexander (Seneca Valley) F Rowen Lewis (Greater Latrobe), 2:41
190 Abigail Hewitt (Norwin) F Kaylee Dean (North Allegheny), 3:15
235 Isabella Spotti (Fort Cherry) F Miranda Kantoris (Greater Latrobe), 0:27
Fifth Place
100 Nila Bland (Trinity) DEC Sophia Beanner (Mt. Lebanon), 9-7 SV
106 Zainaya Jones (Valley) F Jordan Gonzales (Trinity), 0:58
112 Addison Elyes (Norwin) F Taylor Chambers (Southmoreland), 4:46
118 Mia Scalise (Ringgold) F Ava McCaffrey (Fox Chapel), 4:13
124 Natalie Tofanelli (Seneca Valley) F Alexia Fisher (New Castle), 4:17
130 Emmaleah Cunningham (Beaver) TF Addison Claassen (Plum), 16-0 4:00
136 Milly Williams (Canon-McMillan) F Kaitlynn Plopi (Butler), 4:11
142 Audrey Morrison (North Allegheny) F Genevieve Hanson (Upper St. Clair), 1:52
148 Tiffany Gathers (Pine Richland) M FOR Elaina Ashby (Trinity)
155 Allyssa Stewart (Laurel) M FOR Brynn Bosack (Pine Richland)
170 Olivia Shultz (Connellsville) DEC Melinda Phillips (Mt. Lebanon), 3-0
190 Elizabeth Kantoris (Greater Latrobe) F Haley Hunter (Seneca Valley), 0:57
235 Daelyn Norris (Trinity) M FOR Vie Filar (Fox Chapel)
February 18, 2024 4:10 pm
Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team capped its 23-2 regular season by earning the top seed in the upcoming Presidents Athletic Conference Tournament. The Presidents went 19-1 through league play, losing only in mid-season to #2 Chatham. W&J later avenged that loss and stayed clean through the remainder of the schedule. Both top seeds will have byes in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, then host the surviving teams in the semifinals on Thursday. The League’s highest remaining seed will host the PAC championship game on Saturday with that winner locking up the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s National Championship Tournament.
PAC Women’s Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals, Tuesday, Feb. 20
#5 Geneva at #4 Allegheny, 7 pm
#6 St. Vincent at #3 Bethany, 7 pm
Semifinals, Thursday, Feb. 22
Geneva/Allegheny winner at #1 Wash & Jeff, 7 pm
St. Vincent/Bethany winner at #2 Chatham, 7:30 pm
Championship, Saturday, Feb. 24
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, time to be determined
