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.
February 3, 2023 12:01 am
The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments are set for semifinals & finals Saturday. 3A #1 Waynesburg & #2 Canon-McMillan and 2A #1 Burgettstown all look to continue their win streaks, each having beaten a pair of opponents in Wednesday’s opening rounds. The Raiders and Big Macs have separate semifinal matches: Waynesburg against Connellsville, Canon-Mac taking on Hempfield moving toward the 3A championship. The Blue Devils face Frazier, Burrell and defending champion Quaker Valley for the 2A title. The 3A Semifinals/Finals are set for Peters Township Saturday with a 10 am start. Chartiers-Houston hosts the 2A Semifinals/Finals, Saturday, starting at 12 noon. We’ll have all of Saturday’s action on WJPA and online. WPIAL Brackets CLICK HERE
Saturday, Feb. 4
Class 3A Semifinals at Peters Township (10:00 am) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Waynesburg vs. #4 Connellsville
#2 Canon-McMillan vs. #11 Hempfield
Class 3A Finals (11:30) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
Class 2A Semifinals at Chartiers-Houston (12 noon) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
#1 Burgettstown vs. #5 Frazier
#2 Quaker Valley vs. #3 Burrell
Class 2A Finals (1:30 pm) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
February 4, 2023 3:22 am
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – The NHL took advantage of holding All-Star Weekend in South Florida by holding two Skills Competition events outside in the sun. A handful of players took turns hitting golf and hockey shots on a par-4 course. Others shot pucks at foam surfboards to splash opponents into dunk tanks on the beach with plenty flying into the ocean. Sidney Crosby got dunked steps from the beach, while Montreal’s Nick Suzuki holed a birdie with a hockey stick. Inside, Connor McDavid reminded the rest of hockey why he leads the league in goals by going 8 for 8 in the accuracy shooting competition.
February 4, 2023 3:21 am
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – The Denver Broncos made it official in announcing Sean Payton as their new head coach. He will be formally introduced at team headquarters Monday. The Broncos and New Orleans Saints agreed on a compensation package for Payton this week and he has already been busy interviewing candidates for his coaching staff. Payton won a Super Bowl and posted a .631 winning percentage during his 15 seasons as head coach of the Saints. He replaces Nathaniel Hackett, who flopped so badly that he became just the fifth head coach in NFL history not to make it through his first season.
February 4, 2023 3:19 am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Kurt Kitayama has a one-shot lead at Pebble Beach and now comes the hard part. It’s not that Kitayama is going after his first win on the PGA Tour. The conditions figure to be the toughest over the weekend. The starting times for Saturday already have been moved up one hour because of high wind in the forecast. Kitayama has come close to winning. He battled Rory McIlroy in South Carolina and Jon Rahm in Mexico. Only four players from the top 10 at Pebble have won. But with the ever-changing weather, the next 36 holes could be wide open.
February 2, 2023 2:50 am
Most girls basketball teams have two games left in section play. The top four teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL playoffs, plus any unbreakable ties. Here’s an up-to-date look at the 19 Washington & Greene County girls teams (section records):
Class 6A Peters Township (3-6) was in good shape until the current three-game losing skid. The Indians now find themselves a half-game out of the playoffs with three games to play. Canon-McMillan (1-8) staved off elimination with a win over Bethel Park earlier this week.
Class 5A Trinity (7-1) has a playoff spot in hand with games remaining against section leader South Fayette and #3 Lincoln Park.
Class 4A Ringgold (2-8) was eliminated from the playoff chase with Thursday’s setback against Uniontown.
Class 3A Waynesburg (7-1) has clinched a share of the section title and a playoff spot. Charleroi (4-4) is in fourth place, one game ahead of McGuffey (3-5). Charleroi plays winless Brownsville before hosting McGuffey. The Highlanders have to beat Yough (5-3) to have the final game of the season matter.
Class 2A Section 2 Burgettstown (8-0) has clinched a berth and will clinch at least of the section title with any win (at Brentwood, vs. Carlynton). Fort Cherry (4-4) has clinched a playoff spot.
Class 2A Section 4 Wash High (10-0) has clinched a share of the section title and a playoff berth. Chartiers-Houston (9-2), California (7-3) and Carmichaels (5-5) have all clinched while Bentworth (2-9) and Beth-Center (1-9) have been eliminated.
Class 1A West Greene (6-2) had won 70+ straight section games before losing to Avella last week. Now, the Pioneers have dropped two in a row and fallen out of first place. West Greene has clinched a berth along with Avella (5-3). Mapletown (2-6) and Jeff-Morgan (0-8) have been eliminated.
February 2, 2023 2:56 am
Semifinal matchups are set for the WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments. 2A-#1 Burgettstown, 3A-#2 Canon-McMillan and 3A-#1 Waynesburg rolled through Wednesday night’s qualifiers. McGuffey & Jeff-Morgan (both 2A) and Trinity & Peters Township (3A) were all eliminated. Chartiers-Houston hosts the 2A Semifinals/Finals, Saturday, starting at 12 noon. The 3A Semifinals/Finals are set for Peters Township Saturday with a 10 am start. We’ll have all of Saturday’s action on WJPA and online. WPIAL Brackets CLICK HERE
Saturday, Feb. 4
Class 3A Semifinals at Peters Township (10:00 am) WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Waynesburg vs. #4 Connellsville
#2 Canon-McMillan vs. #11 Hempfield
Class 3A Finals (12 noon)
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
Class 2A Semifinals at Chartiers-Houston (12 noon) WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
#1 Burgettstown vs. #5 Frazier
#2 Quaker Valley vs. #3 Burrell
Class 2A Finals (2:00 pm)
Championship Semifinal winners
Third-Place Semifinal losers
February 3, 2023 5:50 am
Thornton was a second-round selection by the Steelers in 1977 out of Northwestern State, a small school in Shreveport, Louisiana. The New Orleans native played all six of his NFL seasons with the Black and Gold, and was a member of the Super Bowl XIII and XIV championship teams in 1979 and 1980. Thornton gained 86 total yards and scored his first postseason touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the 1979 divisional game. He also caught a 22-yard pass in Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams.
February 3, 2023 3:51 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is ready for a big matchup in the Super Bowl. The Eagles can win their second Super Bowl in franchise history with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are both Texas natives. They are both NFL MVP finalists. And they will be the first Black QBs to face off in a Super Bowl. The Chiefs beat the Eagles in October 2021 when Hurts threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes threw for five.
February 3, 2023 3:49 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been charged in a warrant with pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her. Mixon faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing, according to documents filed Thursday in Hamilton County Municipal Court and obtained by The Associated Press. No attorney is listed for him in court records. According to the warrant, Mixon pointed the gun at the woman and told her, “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.” The incident occurred on Jan. 21, the day before the Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game.
