March 5, 2024 2:40 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jason Kelce has retired after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce officially called it quits Monday at the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex. The 36-year-old ended a career in which he became not only one of the great centers of his era who played a key role in the franchise’s lone Super Bowl championship but a beloved Philly personality and popular podcast host. Kelce was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft. He ended his career by making 156 straight starts, and he earned six All-Pro Team selections. He said it was always a goal to play his whole career in one city. He played 193 regular-season games for the Eagles.
March 5, 2024 4:31 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed on a $126 million, three-year contract for 2025-27, the fourth-highest average salary in baseball history at $42 million. Wheeler gets $23.5 million this year in the final season of a $118 million, five-year contract. Wheeler’s average trails only Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($70 million), Texas pitcher Max Scherzer ($43.33 million) and Houston pitcher Justin Verlander ($43.33 million).
March 5, 2024 4:29 am
The New Jersey Devils have fired coach Lindy Ruff and named assistant Travis Green as the interim replacement for the rest of the season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald made the surprising move with just over 20 games left to play. The Devils have lost five of seven to fall further out of playoff contention. Ruff was in his fourth season with the club. The Devils reached the second round of the playoffs last year. Green was in his first year with the team as an associate coach on Ruff’s staff. He spent parts of five seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
March 4, 2024 1:55 am
With the WPIAL basketball championships complete, teams turn their attention to the final stretch of the season, the PIAA Basketball Tournament. Action is due to begin Friday, March 8 with the championships Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Four Washington County teams are in the brackets including the Fort Cherry boys & girls teams along with Peters Township and Trinity girls. First round opponents for the County teams are listed along with those of our nearest neighbor in the South Hills, Mon Valley and airport areas. Click PIAA Brackets
PIAA First Round
Friday, March 8
2A Girls WPIAL-7 Fort Cherry at 10-1 Kennedy Catholic, 7 pm
6A Girls WPIAL-3 Peters Township at 3-3 Lebanon, 5:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
6A Girls WPIAL-4 Chartiers Valley at 6-1 Altoona, 7:30 pm
3A Girls WPIAL-5 Keystone Oaks at 10-2 Northwestern, 6 pm
3A Girls WPIAL-6 Seton-La Salle at 9-1 Karns City, 7 pm
5A Boys WPIAL-4 Thomas Jefferson at 3-3 York Suburban, 6 pm
5A Boys WPIAL-6 Bethel Park at 3-2 Hershey, 6 pm
5A Boys 8-1 Obama Academy at WPIAL-1 Moon Area, 7 pm
4A Boys WPIAL-7 Montour at WPIAL-1 Lincoln Park, 7 pm
1A Girls WPIAL-5 Monessen at 9-1 Elk County Catholic, 5:30 pm
1A Boys WPIAL-5 Monessen at 9-1 Elk County Catholic, 7 pm
Saturday, March 9
2A Boys WPIAL-3 Fort Cherry at 9-2 Karns City, 12:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
5A Girls WPIAL-5 Trinity at 10-1 Cathedral Prep, 5:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
5A Girls 3-8 Redland at WPIAL-1 South Fayette, 2 pm
4A Girls WPIAL-3 Elizabeth-Forward at 10-2 Warren, 1 pm
6A Boys 10-1 McDowell at WPIAL-2 Baldwin, 1 pm
6A Boys 3-7 Central Dauphin at WPIAL-1 Upper St. Clair, 1 pm
6A Boys WPIAL-3 Mt. Lebanon at 6-1 State College, 3 pm
2A Boys WPIAL-5 Bishop Canevin at 5-1 Conemaugh Township, 4 pm
March 4, 2024 4:32 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman scored two goals and Leon Draisaitl had three assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1. Ryan McLeod and Connor McDavid each had a goal and an assist, and Corey Perry and Cody Ceci also scored for the Oilers, who have won four in a row and are 31-8-1 in their last 40 games. Calvin Pickard stopped 22 shots. Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins in their third straight loss. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 31 saves.
March 4, 2024 4:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ed Ott, a former major league catcher and coach who helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1979 World Series, has died. He was 72. The Pirates say Ott died Sunday in the central Pennsylvania town of Danville. No further details were provided by the team. Ott was selected by Pittsburgh in the 23rd round of the 1970 amateur draft out of high school. He batted .259 with 33 homers and 195 RBIs in 567 major league games. Ott and Steve Nicosia were the main catchers when the Pirates won it all in 1979.
March 4, 2024 4:38 am
Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. He was 72. ESPN confirmed Mortensen’s death on Sunday. There was no immediate word on the cause or place of death. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could “focus on my health, family and faith.”
March 3, 2024 8:11 am
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 50 seconds left, and the Calgary Flames rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman also scored for Calgary, which has won a season-high five consecutive games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots and the Flames moved five points behind Los Angeles for the second Western Conference wild card. Jonathan Gruden got his first NHL goal, and Lars Eller and Jeff Carter also scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 16 saves. With Tampa Bay’s win earlier in the night, the Penguins fell 10 points behind the Lightning for the second Eastern Conference wild card — though Pittsburgh has five games in hand.
March 3, 2024 7:00 am
Canon-McMillan won three individual championships, qualified eight wrestlers for the inaugural PIAA Championship tournament and won the first=ever regional points title Saturday. Valarie Solorio, Audrey Calgaro and Natalie Rush each won championships, Capri Chambers and Dynisty Williams both finished third with Malia Ramos, Yunuen Ayala & Eva Gray taking fourth. Grace O’Korn & Liliana Giulanielli both won silver medals for Peters Township along with Ringgold’s Anna Duncan. Abilgail Dolanch took third, wrestling for Fort Cherry with teammate Isabella Spotti taking fourth. We’ll have start-to-finish coverage of the first-ever PIAA Girls Championships from the Giant Center starting Thursday afternoon on the WJPA Sports Network (WJPA-AM 1450).
Championships
100 Valarie Solorio (Canon-McMillan) F Kristen Walzer (Montour), 3:04
106 Madilyn Enterline (Greenville) MD Ashley Campbell (General McLane), 12-2
112 Daylee Watson (Conneaut) DEC Emma Johnston (Hickory), 10-3
118 Ana Malovich (Butler) F Trinity Moore (Connellsville), 3:14
124 Saphia Davis (Plum) DEC Kelly Enterline (Greenville), 5-4
130 Haley Smarsh (Moon) F Anna Duncan (Ringgold), 2:47
136 Ava Golding (Kiski Area) MD Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 10-2
142 Josephine Dollman (Norwin) F Grace O’Korn (Peters Township), 1:20
148 Karsyn Champion (Norwin) F Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley), 4:17
155 Leyna Rumpler (North Allegheny) DEC Avry Ryhal (Hickory), 2-1
170 Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan) DEC Octavia Walker (Norwin), 7-0
190 Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) F Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township), 2:41
235 Alaina Claassen (Plum) F Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland), 3:21
Third Place
100 Miranda Lajevic (Knoch) F Sophia Beanner (Mt. Lebanon), 0:33
106 Capri Chambers (Canon-McMillan) DEC Joanna Saad (North Hills), 7-1
112 Tamara Humphries (Brashear) MD Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 14-3
118 Leah Sample (Saegertown) DEC Yunuen Ayala (Canon-McMillan), 7-2
124 Alexis Brua (Laurel) DEC Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 6-1
130 Asia Fowler (Woodland Hills) DEC Kacie Mook (Saegertown), 1-0
136 Abigail Dolanch (Fort Cherry) MD Kasey Kophazy (Warren), 8-0
142 Anastasia Manchester (Butler) DEC Eva Gray (Canon-McMillan), 1-0
148 Contessa Cotelesse (Laurel) F Katie Seamens (Warren), 0:55
155 Dynisty Williams (Canon-McMillan) F Imani Cameron-Botti (Connellsville), 3:32
170 Olivia Shultz (Connellsville) F Rowen Lewis (Greater Latrobe), 3:44
190 Abigail Hewitt (Norwin) F Kailynn Adams (Hickory), 4:05
235 Miranda Kantoris (Greater Latrobe) F Isabella Spotti (Fort Cherry), 1:27
March 3, 2024 7:00 am
Bentworth’s Chris Vargo rolled past Jax Forrest in the 127 pound championship match, beating the #2 ranked wrestler in the state, leading the Bearcats to an impressive showing at the PIAA Southwest AA Regional at Altoona. Bentworth is sending four wrestlers to the state tournament next week in Hershey. Joining Vargo are Owen Ivcic (2nd), Vitali Daniels & Drake McClure, both 4th place finishers. Chartiers-Houston’s Jorden Williams is the only other wrestler from Washington/Greene County to win a regional championship. Burgettstown also has four state qualifiers: Gaven Suica (3rd), Joey Baronick & Parker Sentipal (4th) and Rudy Brown (5th). The other qualifiers from the two-county area include: Mason Wright (Beth-Center), Braedon Welsh (Ft. Cherry), Lucas Barr & Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey), Chase Frameli (Jeff-Morgan) and Colin Whyte (West Greene). AA preliminaries get underway Thursday morning (9 am) at the Giant Center and on the WJPA Sports Network (WJPA-AM 1450).
Championships
107 Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) DEC Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area), 1-0
114 Jorden Williams (Chartiers-Houston) DEC Easton Mull (Chestnut Ridge), 5-3
121 Lincoln Sledzianowski (Bishop McCort) DEC Landon Bainey (West Branch), 7-1
127 Chris Vargo (Bentworth) DEC Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort), 13-7
133 Mason Gibson (Bishop McCort) MD Jack Kazalas (Quaker Valley), 13-5
139 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) F Cooper Hornack (Burrell), 2:24
145 Jackson Butler (Bishop McCort) DEC Owen Ivcic (Bentworth), 11-5
152 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort) DEC Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria), 3-1
160 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort) MD Isaiah Pisano (Hopewell), 19-7
172 Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon) DEC Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry), 3-2
189 Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Andrew McMonagle (Huntingdon), 5-3
215 Rune Lawrence (Frazier) F Josh Ryan (Mount Union), 0:41
285 Brenan Morgan (Central Valley) TF Dylan Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant), 18-3 4:28
Third Place
107 Cam Baker (Burrell) DEC Caleb Hummel (Philipsburg-Osceola), 9-3
114 Caden Judice (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Drake McClure (Bentworth), 2-0
121 Josef Garshnick (United) F Antonio Boni (Central Valley), 2:45
127 Nico Fanella (Indiana) DEC Lucas Barr (McGuffey), 7-5
133 Colten Shunk (Penns Valley) DEC Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown), 3-2
139 Gaven Suica (Burgettstown) DEC Marcus Gable (Philipsburg-Osceola), 4-2
145 Mason Horwat (Derry) DEC Kole Doppelheuer (Belle Vernon), 3-1
152 Ty Watson (Penns Valley) DEC Damon Michaels (Elizabeth Forward), 9-4 SV
160 Chase Frameli (Jefferson Morgan) M FOR Ryan Celaschi (Frazier)
172 Owen McMullen (Bishop McCort) DEC Charles Perkins (Valley), 6-5
189 Jackson Angelo (Frazier) DEC Vitali Daniels (Bentworth), 10-5
215 Rowan Holmes (Somerset) DEC Colin Whyte (West Greene), 7-0
285 Braden Ewing (Tyrone) DEC Joseph Baronick (Burgettstown), 2-1 TB2
Fifth Place
107 Dakota Santamaria (Tussey Mountain) DEC Bruce Anderchak (Quaker Valley), 5-3 SV
114 Erik Carlile (Penns Valley) DEC Anthony Mucci (Derry), 5-2
121 Mason Wright (Beth Center) DEC Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey), 4-1 TB2
127 Gideon Bracken (United) F Don Lindsey (Central Valley), 1:37
133 Tyler Clark (Frazier) DEC Anthony Orlandini (Montour), 5-1
139 Ezra Swisher (Bellefonte) DEC Lucas Boyer (Elizabeth Forward), 4-2 SV
145 Rook Smith (Montour) DEF Jamison Poklembo (Mt. Pleasant), 6-0 3:40
152 Rudy Brown (Burgettstown) MD Greg Shaulis (Mt. Pleasant), 11-3
160 Kaden Barnhart (River Valley) MD Ethan Fetterolf (Penns Valley), 11-1
172 Kyle Scott (Tyrone) DEC George Campbell (Glendale), 3-1
189 Brady Brown (Derry) DEC Eion Snider (Northern Bedford), 7-2
215 Rece Dibert (Northern Bedford) DEC Jordan Butler (Bishop McCort), 5-3
285 Daniel Williams (Glendale) F Jonah McCoy (Westmont Hilltop), 1:22
