September 3, 2023 1:57 am
LATROBE, Pa. — Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) totaled four touchdowns and the Washington & Jefferson College defense forced four turnovers as the Red and Black rolled to a 51-0 victory over host Saint Vincent in the 2023 season opener at Chuck Noll Field. Pugh completed 19-of-30 passes for 292 yards through the air. Pugh also added 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) hauled in a career-high three touchdown receptions in the victory. Bruno Fabryicki (New Salem, Pa. / Albert Gallatin) intercepted a pair of passes to pace the defensive efforts. Owen Petrisek (Bentleyville, PA/Bentworth) rushed for a game-high 66 yards on eight carries, scoring once.
September 3, 2023 7:14 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Drew Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to help No. 7 Penn State beat West Virginia 38-15 on Saturday night in their season opener. KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught two touchdown passes — including a 72-yard dart launched with a simple flick of Allar’s wrist on his second attempt of the game — while Nick Singleton added a rushing touchdown. Malik McClain caught another midway through the fourth quarter for the Nittany Lions, who pulled away after leading 14-7 at halftime. It was the first time the two regional rivals played since meeting every year from 1947 until 1992.
September 3, 2023 7:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Phil Jurkovec threw for a touchdown and ran for another in his return to his hometown and Pittsburgh breezed past Wofford 45-0 in their season opener. Jurkovec, a native of the northern Pittsburgh suburbs who transferred to the Panthers over the winter following stops at Notre Dame and Boston College, completed 17 of 23 passes for 214 yards and a 1-yard toss to Karter Johnson. Jurkovec also ran for 41 yards, including a 23-yard sprint to the end zone in the first quarter, as the Panthers had little trouble with the Terriers.
September 3, 2023 7:15 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Josh Palacios hit a pinch hit home run off Drew VerHagen in the top of the ninth inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 for their fifth straight win. VerHagen entered the game with one out in the ninth inning and hit Andrew McCutchen before Palacios, pinch hitting for Connor Joe, hit a 3-1 pitch into the right field seats for his seventh home run of the season. Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O’Neill all homered for the Cardinals.
September 2, 2023 12:01 am
Canon-McMillan’s struggles against North Allegheny continued Friday night as the host Tigers downed the Big Macs easily, opening 6A conference play for both teams. C-M will host Seneca Valley next week. Peters Township & Trinity both scored decisive wins for the second straight week. They’ll play each other next Friday at Trinity. Ringgold was no match for McGuffey as the Rams lost for the 17th straight game. Wash High won by 25+ for the second straight week, blanking Clairton. Avella snapped a 5-game losing streak and picked up the school’s 355th all-time win. Burgettstown opened the season scoring on its first three possessions to easily hand Beth-Center a fourth consecutive loss. Charleroi wasn’t as fortunate after scrimmaging last week. The Cougars were throttled by California. Ft. Cherry rolled at home against Carmichaels while West Greene won at Chartiers-Houston. Waynesburg and Mapletown both picked up second straight wins to start the year.
6A Tri-County
North Allegheny 30, Canon-McMillan 6
Non-Conference
Avella 22, Bentworth 15
Burgettstown 34, Beth-Center 0
California 47, Charleroi 0
Ft. Cherry 55, Carmichaels 13
McGuffey 48, Ringgold 22
Peters Township 48, Seneca Valley 7
Trinity 38, Chartiers Valley 0
Wash High 26, Clairton 0
West Greene 56, Chartiers-Houston 13
Mapletown 28, Frazier 0
Waynesburg 19, Jeff-Morgan 7
September 2, 2023 3:44 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen came off the bench and knocked in the go-ahead run on an error in the 10th inning, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates extend their winning streak to four games with a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. McCutchen, pinch hitting for Alfonso Rivas, hit a grounder up the middle off JoJo Romero (4-2) that eluded second baseman Nolan Gorman, scoring automatic runner Endy Rodríguez. Llover Peguero scored on a wild pitch, and Bryan Reynolds drove in Ji Hwan Bae with a sacrifice fly to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 4-1. Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Selby (2-0) each pitched a scoreless inning of relief, setting the stage for David Bednar to earn his 30th save of the season.
September 2, 2023 3:47 am
The Atlantic Coast Conference has voted to add Stanford, California and SMU next year. The move provides a landing spot for two more schools from the disintegrating Pac-12 and creates a fourth super conference in major college sports. The additions make the ACC the latest power conference to expand its membership and footprint westward. Starting in August 2024, the ACC will increase its number of football schools to 17 and 18 in most other sports. The Pac-12 will be left with just two members, Oregon State and Washington State.
September 1, 2023 12:01 am
Conference play begins Friday night for Canon-McMillan as the Big Macs travel to Wexford to face top-ranked North Allegheny, the defending WPIAL champion. All other WPIAL teams have non-conference games in Week 1, most still another week away from opening conference play. Burgettstown and Charleroi each take the field for the first time, having opted for scrimmages last weekend. We’re featuring four Washington County teams in our Friday night coverage, celebrating the small-town teams from Avella, Bentworth, Beth-Center and Burgettstown. You’ll hear Bentworth at Avella on WJPA-FM (95.3), Beth-Center at Burgettstown on WJPA-AM (1450). Both games will also be available online.
Week 1 schedule (all Friday, 7 pm unless noted):
6A Tri-County
North Allegheny 30, Canon-McMillan 6
Non-Conference
Avella 22, Bentworth 15
Burgettstown 34, Beth-Center 0
California 47, Charleroi 0
Ft. Cherry 55, Carmichaels 13
McGuffey 48, Ringgold 22
Peters Township 48, Seneca Valley 7
Trinity 38, Chartiers Valley 0
Wash High 26, Clairton 0
West Greene 56, Chartiers-Houston 13
Mapletown 28, Frazier 0
Waynesburg 19, Jeff-Morgan 7
September 1, 2023 4:34 am
Penn State and West Virginia open in a primetime matchup older generations should remember well. The programs — separated by just just 184 miles — played annually from 1947 until 1992 with Penn State winning all but six of those games. An upset in one of the most hostile environments in the country would be a great start for the hopeful Mountaineers who finished ninth in last year’s 10-team Big 12. The Nittany Lions start the season with a talented, deep roster and lofty aspirations. The game will kickoff Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
September 1, 2023 4:35 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bryson Barnes threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Money Parks on Utah’s first play of the game, rushed for another score and No. 14 Utes beat Florida 24-11 on Thursday night in the opener for both teams. Nate Johnson split time at quarterback with Barnes for the Utes with usual starter Cam Rising still recovering from a knee injury in the Rose Bowl. Utah clamped down on defense in Rising’s absence, forcing a turnover and getting five sacks. Graham Mertz threw for 333 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his first start for the Gators. Ricky Pearsall had 92 yards on eight catches. Florida drove inside the red zone four times but totaled only 10 points on those drives.
