February 7, 2023 3:46 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator. The Vikings are trying to revive a once-dominant unit that ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh. He spent three years as head coach in Miami prior to that. Flores, who is Black, was fired by the Dolphins. He then filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL. Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense before he went to Miami.
February 7, 2023 3:43 am
UNDATED (AP) – Purdue remains atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll despite losing its second game of the season. The new poll out Monday also saw Marquette push into the top 10 and North Carolina State make its first poll appearance in four years. The Boilermakers earned 38 of 62 first-place votes to stay at No. 1 for a third straight week and seventh time this season. Houston rose to No. 2 with 22 first-place votes. Marquette is in the top 10 for the first time since 2019. That also was the last time N.C. State was ranked before checking in at No. 22.
February 7, 2023 3:45 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Justin Rose is a PGA Tour winner again after four years. Rose made short work on a short Monday with three birdies in four holes. That sent him to a 66 and a three-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Rose had not won since Torrey Pines four years ago. Now he’s headed to the Masters again. The tournament was delayed to a Monday finish because of high wind on Saturday. Rose benefited from that stoppage of play. And he was helped by hardly any wind over the final nine holes he played Monday. Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu finished second.
February 5, 2023 1:24 am
Canon-McMillan topped three-time defending WPIAL 3A champion Waynesburg, 29-28, on criteria Saturday afternoon to win the school’s 22 team title. The teams tied 28-all but the Big Macs claimed the title having won seven matches to the Raiders six. Both teams qualified for the PIAA team tournament beginning Thursday evening at Hershey’s Giant Center. Hempfield edged Connellsville for third place.
Burgettstown never trailed in the title match, beating Burrell, 31-28, to win its third WPIAL wrestling title, the first since 1974. The teams matched each other through eight bouts before the Blue Devils won three of the final five bouts to clinch the match. Both teams will open PIAA team tournament action Thursday afternoon. Defending champion Quaker Valley easily downed Frazier to take third place. PIAA Brackets Class 2A Class 3A
Class 3A
Semifinals
Waynesburg 45, Connellsville 25
Canon-McMillan 37, Hempfield 36
Finals
Canon-McMillan 29, Waynesburg 28, Criteria D (most wins)
Third Place
Hempfield 32, Connellsville 31
Class 2A
Semifinals
Burgettstown 49, Frazier 24
Burrell 31, Quaker Valley 30
Finals
Burgettstown 31, Burrell 24
Third Place
Quaker Valley 46, Frazier 27
Class 3A Final
Canon-McMillan 29, Waynesburg 28 (Criteria D–most wins)
107 Collier Hartman (C-M) Fall Floyd Huff (Way), 2:47
114 Ky Szewczyk (Way) DEC Tanner Mizenko (C-M), 4-2
121 Brandon Dami (C-M) MajDec Albert Medlen (Way), 14-1
127 Ryder Joseph (C-M) Fall Luke Rush (Way), 3:25
133 Andrew Binni (C-M) DEC Joseph Simon (Way), 4-2
139 Josiah Gardner (C-M) DEC Daniel Huffman (Way), 15-11
145 Mac Church (Way) FORFEIT
152 Brock Evans (Way) MajDec Giuseppe Juliani (C-M), 17-8
160 Nate Jones (Way) FORFEIT
**-172 Rocco Welsh (Way) DEC Matthew Furman (C-M), 14-8
189 Gabriel Stafford (C-M) DEC Roan Tustin (Way), 10-5
215 Geno Calgaro (C-M) DEC Brody Evans (Way), 9-4
285 Eli Makel (Way) F Noah Livesay (C-M), 0:22
Class 2A Final
Burgettstown 31, Burrell 24
107 Cameron Baker (Burr) Fall Darius Simmons (Burg), 0:20
114 Parker Sentipal (Burg) MajDec Julian Bertucci (Burr), 9-0
121 Jacob Stewart (Burr) MajDec Daniel Smith (Burr), 11-2
127 Dylan Slovic (Burg) DEC Calio Zanella (Burr), 5-0
133 Cooper Hornack (Burr) DEC Gaven Suica, 5-0
139 Joey Sentipal (Burg) Fall Brady Valovchik (Burr), 0:50
145 Nico Ferra (Burr) DEC Logan Noyes (Burg), 5-0
152 Eric Kovach (Burg) Fall Stephen Hasson (Burr), 2:27
160 Rudy Brown (Burg) DEC Nico Zanella (Burr), 5-4
172 Isaac Lacinski (Burr) FORFEIT
**-189 Jacob Noyes (Burg) DEC Cameron Martin (Burr), 3-2 2OT
215 Luke Boylan (Burg) DEC Tyler Cody (Burg), 6-4 OT
285 Joseph Baronick (Burg) Fall Ian Quinn (Burr), 1:18
February 6, 2023 3:51 am
PHOENIX (AP) – A few minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes landed in Phoenix, the pilot hung a “Chiefs Kingdom” flag out of the window as players, coaches and staff got off the plane and walked across the runway. About an hour later, it was the Philadelphia Eagles who arrived in Arizona, with an “It’s a Philly Thing” flag fluttering in the runway as quarterback Jalen Hurts, coach Nick Sirianni and others made their way to a fleet of buses. Super Bowl 57 is just one week away. The Chiefs will face the Eagles on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
February 6, 2023 4:24 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin got to play together at NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time since 2018. Ovechkin set up Crosby for two goals in the lone game of the 3-on-3 tournament the Metropolitan Division got to play. The longtime rivals and respective captains of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are no stranger to sharing the ice in the same uniform at this event. But with each star in his mid-30s Crosby and Ovechkin understand any All-Star trip could be their last. That made them soak in the event in South Florida a little more than earlier in their careers.
February 6, 2023 3:49 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – The Boston Bruins are atop the NHL standings and running away with the Atlantic Division going into the second half of the season. But the playoff races are hot in the Metropolitan, Central and Pacific with roughly 30 games left to go down the stretch. There are 11 teams in the mix for eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and 10 in the West. All three New York-area teams could make it with the Rangers, Islanders and New Jersey Devils jockeying for position. And out west the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights are among the top contenders.
February 6, 2023 3:49 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – On a day of wild weather at Pebble Beach, Justin Rose was a steady presence. Rose was 9 under in the 19 holes he played Sunday in the weather-delayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. That gives him a two-shot lead going to the Monday finish and a good chance to win for the first time in four years. Rose still has the back nine to play. He leads by two over Denny McCarthy, Peter Malnati and Brendon Todd. The day featured rain, wind, hail and sunshine, sometimes all in one hour. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the pro-am.
February 4, 2023 12:08 am
Some playoff hopes have been realized, others dashed as we move to one week left in the boys basketball regular season. Most teams have two games left in section play. The top four teams in each section qualify for the playoffs plus any unbreakable ties. Here’s a look at the Washington & Greene County boys teams (section records):
Class 6A Canon-McMillan (0-8). The Big Macs have been been eliminated after 1 & 2 point losses the first time through ballooned to double-digit setbacks the second time around.
Class 5A Peters Township (7-1). The Indians share the section lead with Bethel Park. The two meet Feb. 10, the final night of the season, at Peters Township. Trinity (3-5) holds the final playoff spot, having swept Connellsville and beating Ringgold (1-7) the first time through. Trinity has clinched despite winning only once since beating Ringgold the first time through. The Rams will qualify with wins over Connellsville and at Trinity Feb. 10.
Class 3A Wash High (8-2). The Little Prexies have clinched a playoff spot but suffered back-to-back section losses to Brownsville and Yough. Wash High’s game at Waynesburg (1-8) was postponed Friday. McGuffey (5-5) sits in the final playoff position and can clinch with any win. Charleroi (4-6) is one game back of McGuffey but the Highlanders swept the season series. The Cougars must beat Brownsville and Yough and get two McGuffey losses to qualify. Waynesburg has been eliminated.
Class 2A Ft. Cherry (10-0). The Rangers have clinched a share of the section championship and a playoff bid, riding a 16-game win streak into the final two games. Chartiers-Houston (9-2) has also clinched a post-season spot with one game left. Burgettstown (7-3) is comfortably in third place, having lost only to the leaders and has a playoff spot in hand. Carmichaels (5-5) clinched a playoff spot with Friday’s win at Frazer. Bentworth (4-7) sits in fifth place, needing to beat Beth-Center (0-10) and see Carmichaels lose to Ft. Cherry and Chartiers-Houston. Beth-Center has been eliminated.
Class 1A Section 1 Avella (3-5). The Eagles are in fourth place, one game up on Western Beaver. Avella clinches a spot with wins against either of the top two team (Union, Cornell) or with a Western Beaver loss to Rochester or Cornell. Avella and Western Beaver split their home-and-home section series. If they finished tied, both qualify as fourth-place finishers.
Class 1A Section 2 Jeff-Morgan (5-3). The Rockets are in third place with a playoff spot clinched. Mapletown (3-5) is currently fourth with games against Monessen (7-1) and West Greene (1-6). West Greene had Jeff-Morgan, Geibel and the Maples left on the schedule. Mapletown & West Greene split their season series. California (1-7) has been eliminated.
February 5, 2023 7:44 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin got to play together at NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time since 2018. Ovechkin set up Crosby for two goals in the lone game of the 3-on-3 tournament the Metropolitan Division got to play. The longtime rivals and respective captains of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are no stranger to sharing the ice in the same uniform at this event. But with each star in his mid-30s Crosby and Ovechkin understand any All-Star trip could be their last. That made them soak in the event in South Florida a little more than earlier in their careers.
