January 10, 2022 3:50 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – Ben Roethlisberger delayed his retirement a little longer, guiding Pittsburgh to a 16-13 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens that left the Steelers on the verge of an improbable playoff berth. Then they had to sweat out a dramatic night game between the Chargers and Raiders. Any result other than a tie would put Pittsburgh in the postseason, but those two teams were indeed deadlocked until Las Vegas kicked a field goal at the end of overtime to win 35-32. Now Pittsburgh plays at Kansas City next weekend to open the playoffs.
January 10, 2022 3:53 am
The Steelers and Raiders are going to the playoffs as AFC wild cards after Daniel Carlson drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, giving Vegas a 35-32 win over the Chargers and eliminating Los Angeles. Derek Carr threw two scoring strikes to Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs rushed for 132 yards and a TD. Justin Herbert threw for three TD’s, including a last-second scoring toss in regulation before the Raiders earned their fourth straight win. A tie would have put the Chargers in the postseason.
January 10, 2022 3:55 am
UNDATED (AP) – Vic Fangio has been fired as coach of the Broncos after going 19-30 in three seasons. The move comes one day after Denver’s season-ending 28-24 loss to Kansas City. Fangio had a fourth year left on his contract with a team option for 2023. Fangio got the job after more than three decades as an assistant, and he burnished his reputation as a defensive master during his time in Denver. The Broncos finished 7-10 this season. They went 7-9 in Fangio’s first year
January 10, 2022 3:46 am
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – An Australian judge has reinstated tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled last week because he is unvaccinated for COVID-19. Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly also ordered the government to release Djokovic from Melbourne hotel quarantine within 30 minutes of his decision. Djokovic is in Australia to compete in the Australian Open, which he’s won nine times.
January 9, 2022 1:12 am
Defending PIAA dual meet champion Waynesburg won six individual titles but had to win three of the final four weight classes to claim the team title at the Tri-County Wrestling Championships. Rocco Welsh (172), Eli Makel (215) and Noah Tustin (285), Ky Szewczyk (113), Joseph Simon (126) won close decisions while Colton Stoneking (138) scored a fall for the Raiders who finished with 202.5 team points. Runner-up Burgettstown led during the final session until Makel & Tustin picked up late wins, Makel’s in overtime. The Blue Devils had a pair of champions, Parker (106) & Joey Sentipal (132), along with four other top three finishers. Burgettstown finished the two-day tournament with 197 points, followed by Beth-Center (170.5), Canon-McMillan (142.5) and Peters Township (134). Trinity, Ringgold, Fort Cherry, South Fayette and Jeff-Morgan round out the top 10. The championship bout results are listed below. Here’s the FloWrestling link for all results.
106 Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown) DEC Tanner Mizenko (Canon-McMillan), 1-0
113 Ky Szewczyk (Waynesburg) DEC TJ Allison (Trinity), 5-3
120 Jacob Houpt (Canon-McMillan) TF Luke Dunlap (South Fayette), 25-10 5:00
126 Joseph Simon (Waynesburg) DEC Chris Vargo (Bentworth), 1-0
132 Joey Sentipal (Burgettstown) DEC Blake Reihner (Trinity), 5-2
138 Colton Stoneking (Waynesburg) F Rudy Brown (Burgettstown), 4:53
145 Chase Frameli (Jefferson Morgan) DEC Ryan Celaschi (Frazier), 5-0
152 Tyler Berish (Beth Center) MD Anthony Lancos (Burgettstown), 15-3
160 Trevor Pettit (Beth Center) F Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry), 3:43
172 Rocco Welsh (Waynesburg) DEC Rune Lawrence (Frazier), 6-2
189 Jake Conroy (Ringgold) F Broxon Dean (Canon-McMillan), 1:02
215 Eli Makel (Waynesburg) DEC Phillip Nave (Peters Township), 6-4 SV
285 Noah Tustin (Waynesburg) DEC Ty Banco (Trinity), 5-3
January 9, 2022 7:45 am
DALLAS (AP) — Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski scored 1:15 apart late in the third period and the Dallas Stars stopped Pittsburgh’s winning streak at 10 games, beating the Penguins 3-2 on Saturday. Hintz scored on a backhander with 3:46 left after Pavelski converted off a rebound with 5:01 to go, sending the Stars to their fourth straight win. Hintz and Pavelski share the team lead with 13 goals, and it was Hintz’s fourth winner this season. Denis Gurianov also scored and Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots for Dallas. Jason Robertson assisted on all three goals and has a 10-game home points streak. The two third-period goals capped a period in which Dallas outshot Pittsburgh 15-8 after being outshot 21-17 before in the first two. Brian Dumoulin and Kasperi Kapanen scored in a 25-second span early in the first period for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry made 29 saves. Pittsburgh had the NHL’s longest winning streak this season. It is 18-1-1 when leading after two periods and 18-2 when scoring first. Before the game, the Penguins added forwards Bryan Rust and Brock McGinn to their COVID-19 protocol list. Rust had seven goals and four assists in Pittsburgh’s last three games after missing the previous 11 with a lower-body injury.
January 9, 2022 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – Pittsburgh’s matchup at Baltimore this weekend will likely be Ben Roethlisberger’s final game. The Steelers can make the postseason with a win but only if Jacksonville upsets Indianapolis and the Raiders-Chargers game doesn’t end in a tie. Baltimore is in with a win, plus losses by the Colts and Chargers, and a loss or tie by Miami. So the chance of either of these teams playing on past Sunday is remote. And the Ravens won’t have quarterback Lamar Jackson because of a lingering ankle injury. Nevertheless, Steelers-Ravens always arrives with a good bit of buzz. The Ravens will honor Terrell Suggs, the franchise’s career sacks leader.
January 9, 2022 7:55 am
Ben Roethlisberger’s career is not the only one reportedly coming to an end this offseason in Pittsburgh. NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero say longtime Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert is expected to step down from the position following the 2022 NFL Draft. His current contract expires at that point. The GM had been working on one-year contracts for several years to reportedly give him flexibility as to when he wanted to call it quits. Colbert has been in charge of personnel since 2000, winning two Super Bowls and reaching a third, while compiling a record of 225-124-3. Internal names in the organization like VP of football and business administration Omar Khan or pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt could be options to replace Colbert
January 8, 2022 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo says college football needs a peacemaker. He says the administrators responsible for managing the College Football Playoff appear to be at an impasse when it comes to expansion. Nobody is against expanding the current field of four, but they now seem to be entrenched in opposing positions regarding how and when. The CFP’s management committee is scheduled to meet in Indianapolis this weekend to discuss a new format for deciding a champion. Russo says someone needs to have the authority to build consensus among the group.
January 7, 2022 3:54 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins won their 10th straight game with a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel each scored two goals for the Penguins. The Penguins haven’t lost since Dec. 1 against Edmonton. The Penguins won five games during the streak on the road and can at least think about the team record of 17 straight set over March-April 1993. The Penguins also won 15 straight games in March 2013 and have winning streaks of 12, 11 and 10 games in franchise history. Cam Atkinson scored his 14th goal of the season for the Flyers in the second period and Oskar Lindblom scored a power-play goal in the third.
