January 30, 2025 12:01 am
McGuffey swept Avonworth & Laurel Wednesday night, clinching a spot in the WPIAL 2A Wrestling Team Tournament semifinals. McGuffey will take on #2 Derry Area Saturday morning at Peters Township in the Class 2A semifinals. The Highlanders also qualified for the state team tournament next week. Burgettstown and Trinity won first-round matches Wednesday but bowed out in the quarterfinals. Avella, Beth-Center, Canon-McMillan and Jeff-Morgan all lost their opening-round matches and were eliminated. Both classes’ semifinals/finals are scheduled for Saturday at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. We’ll have live coverage of the McGuffey and Thomas Jefferson matches on WJPA-AM (1450) and online. Click for WPIAL Brackets
Wednesday, Jan. 29–1st Round/Quarterfinals
Class 3A at Thomas Jefferson
#6 Trinity > West Allegheny, 41-24
#3 Thomas Jefferson > North Hills, 55-14
Quarterfinals: Thomas Jefferson > Trinity, 39-33
Class 3A at Bethel Park
#5 Norwin > Canon-McMillan, 41-23
#4 Bethel Park > Butler, 50-10
Quarterfinals: Norwin > Bethel Park, 32-28
Class 2A at McGuffey
#3 McGuffey > Avonworth, 62-11
#6 Laurel > Beth-Center, 53-20
Quarterfinals: McGuffey > Laurel, 45-24
Class 2A at Derry Area
#2 Derry Area > Avella, 68-6
#7 Burgettstown > Highlands, 42-34
Quarterfinals: Derry Area > Burgettstown, 49-15
Class 2A at Burrell
#8 Southmoreland > Jeff-Morgan, 36-33
#1 Burrell > Greensburg Salem, 58-15
Quarterfinals: Burrell > Southmoreland, 55-15
January 29, 2025 4:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Frazier is heading back to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The club has agreed to terms with the veteran second baseman/outfielder on a one-year deal worth $1,525,000. The deal is pending Frazier passing a physical. The 33-year-old Frazier spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with the Pirates from 2016-21. He hit .283 with 39 homers and 204 RBIs in 608 games with Pittsburgh. Frazier made the All-Star Game in 2021 before being traded to the San Diego Padres. Frazier has bounced around in recent years and spent the 2024 season with the Kansas City Royals.
January 28, 2025 1:02 am
Boys basketball teams move into their final two weeks of the regular season on Tuesday. All section games must be completed by Sunday, Feb. 9 with playoff brackets due to be released the following day. Monday/Tuesday schedules/scores for Washington/Greene County teams follow.
Playoff spots clinched:
Girls–Peters Township (5A), Beth-Center (2A), Chartiers-Houston (2A), Fort Cherry (2A)
Boys–Peters Township (5A), Waynesburg (3A), Chartiers-Houston (2A), Fort Cherry (2A), Jeff-Morgan (2A), West Greene (2A)
Tuesday, Jan. 28
Girls
5A Peters Township 57, Trinity 33
3A Brownsville 61, Waynesburg 29
2A Carmichaels 45, Bentworth 28
1A West Greene 37, Mapletown 30
Boys
6A Central Catholic 74, Canon-McMillan 53
5A Peters Township 67, Trinity 54
5A Thomas Jefferson 78, Ringgold 47
3A Bishop Canevin 68, McGuffey 56
3A Keystone Oaks 53, Wash High 36
3A Waynesburg 45, Charleroi 43
2A Greensburg Central Catholic 65, Bentworth 43
2A Clairton 60, California 48
2A Carmichaels 61, Beth-Center 52
2A Chartiers-Houston 61, Burgettstown 45
2A Mapletown at Fort Cherry, postponed to Feb. 5
2A West Greene 45, Jeff-Morgan 39
1A Summit Academy 87, Avella 76
Monday, Jan. 27
Girls
6A Mt. Lebanon 33, Canon-McMillan 25
4A South Park 81, Ringgold 33
3A Keystone Oaks 61, Charleroi 21
3A Brownsville 63, McGuffey 46
3A Seton-La Salle 55, Waynesburg 29
2A South Side Area 46, Burgettstown 22
2A Fort Cherry 63, Brentwood 23
2A Beth-Center 51, Jeff-Morgan 27
2A Chartiers-Houston 60, California 25
1A Geibel Catholic 61, Avella 36
1A Serra Catholic 59, Mapletown 19
1A West Greene 58, Monessen 13
January 28, 2025 4:34 am
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, Yaroslav Askarov stopped a penalty shot and the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 to snap a six-game losing streak. Celebrini received a pass from Tyler Toffoli in the slot and converted for his 16th goal of the season to give the Sharks the lead in the third. Askarov then stopped Drew O’Connor on a penalty shot for the most important of his 32 saves, delivering San Jose a much-needed win. Sidney Crosby had scored for Pittsburgh just 24 seconds into the third period to tie the game.
January 28, 2025 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Art Rooney II knows the Pittsburgh Steelers have problems. The team’s longtime president doesn’t think coach Mike Tomlin is one of them despite another quick playoff exit. Rooney says the club remains fully behind Tomlin, who led the Steelers to their fourth postseason berth in the past five years but is now closing in on a decade since winning a playoff game. Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured coach, signed an extension last summer that carries through 2027. While admitting he’s frustrated about the team’s late fade that ended with a blowout loss to Baltimore in the first round, Rooney doesn’t see the dismal finish as proof that Tomlin has lost his touch in the locker room.
January 28, 2025 4:36 am
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Brian Schottenheimer says he’s “ready” to be coach of the Dallas Cowboys after a long career as an NFL assistant. The son of late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer says he has had previous opportunities to pursue head coaching jobs but didn’t think he was ready. The younger Schottenheimer’s chance with the Cowboys comes after 25 years in the league with a handful of college seasons as well. The 51-year-old is the 10th coach in the history of the storied franchise. He’s the seventh hired by owner Jerry Jones since the last time the Cowboys reached an NFC championship game 29 years ago.
January 28, 2025 1:01 am
The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournaments got underway Monday evening with five Washington County teams involved in preliminary matches. Avella was the only winner and advances to the Sweet 16/Quarterfinals on Wednesday. The semifinals/finals are scheduled for Peters Township, Saturday, Feb. 1. We’ll have coverage on-air and online through the tournament continuing with Wednesday action at McGuffey and Thomas Jefferson. Video coverage will be through NFHS Network (subscription required) under agreements with WPIAL/PIAA. Click for WPIAL Brackets
Monday, Jan. 27–Preliminaries
Class 2A at Bentworth
Elizabeth-Forward 53. Chartiers-Houston 46
Avella 48, Bentworth 27
Class 3A at Shaler Area
Moon Area 37, Peters Township 26
Shaler Area 38, Ringgold 36
January 28, 2025 4:37 am
Auburn is the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the second consecutive week. The top five was unchanged with Duke at No. 2, followed by Iowa State, Alabama and Florida. Texas Tech and Vanderbilt are in the Top 25 for the first time this season at the expense of Michigan and West Virginia. UConn fell to No. 25 but managed to extend its poll streak to 52 consecutive weeks.
January 27, 2025 4:33 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns and the Kansas City defense made big stops at key moments to help the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 on Sunday night and reach the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season. Now, they will face the Philadelphia Eagles and try to become the first team ever to hoist three straight Lombardi Trophies. Harrison Butker gave them the lead with his field goal with 3:33 left, and the Kansas City defense stopped Josh Allen and Co. on fourth down, allowing the Chiefs offense to run out the clock on their ninth consecutive playoff victory.
January 27, 2025 4:38 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley dashed 60 yards for a touchdown on Philadelphia’s first play and finished with 118 yards and three scores, Jalen Hurts rushed for three TDs and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. Hurts and the Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons, and this time Barkley is along for the ride. Philadelphia will play former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
