January 7, 2022 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt needs 1 1/2 sacks on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens to break Michael Strahan’s single-season record. The Steelers also have a chance to reach the playoffs with a win and some help elsewhere in the league. Watt has 21 1/2 sacks this season, the most by any NFL player since Kansas City’s Justin Houston had 22 in 2014. Watt signed a contract in September that made him the highest-paid defender in the league. It’s been money well spent for the Steelers, who are 8-3 when Watt plays a full game and 0-4-1 when he sits or is limited because of injury.
January 6, 2022 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby and Evan Rodrigues scored 12 seconds apart in the third period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied past the St. Louis Blues 5-3. Crosby scored his fifth, Rodrigues his 14th and Brock McGinn his ninth, as Pittsburgh scored three in the third to erase a 3-2 deficit. Bryan Rust also scored twice for the Penguins, who won their ninth straight. Casey DeSmith stopped 13 shots, but was pulled after the Blues’ third goal. Tristan Jarry, who recently came off the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, stopped all 13 shots in relief. Brayden Schenn returned from injury to score his fifth of the season and 200th of his career. Jordan Kyrou and Colton Parayko also scored for St. Louis.
January 6, 2022 3:47 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – El Ellis scored 18 points off the bench, including seven consecutive for Louisville during a critical late stretch to put the Cardinals ahead for good before holding off Pittsburgh 75-72 on Wednesday night. A second half featuring 16 lead changes finally swung the Cardinals’ way thanks to Ellis, who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 5:11 remaining for a 63-61 lead. The junior guard added another go-ahead jumper and two free throws to make it 67-63 before Sydney Curry added a layup and Noah Locke a 3 for a 72-65 cushion that Louisville needed. Jamaris Burton had 21 points for the Panthers.
January 6, 2022 3:52 am
The NFL has looked into other potential sites for next month’s Super Bowl amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, though the league always develops contingency plans for the game. An NFL spokesperson says the league still plans to play Super Bowl 56 as scheduled in Los Angeles on Feb. 13 but adds the NFL has contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event the Super Bowl can’t be played as scheduled. The Cowboys’ stadium reportedly is one of the facilities contacted.
January 6, 2022 3:46 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger acknowledged that his emotions were still high in the hours following a 12-point win Monday night against Cleveland. Roethlisberger insisted Wednesday morning that he’s solely focused on Sunday’s significant season-finale at Baltimore, a game that will play a role in determining Pittsburgh’s playoff fate. But the 18-year veteran allowed himself to reflect one more time on his final game this past Monday at Heinz Field.
January 4, 2022 2:23 am
PIAA has posted enrollment numbers for the next two-year cycle. The posting includes all schools and the corresponding classifications in all sports. Click Here to see the individual sports reports. The classifications do not include voluntary play-up decisions (due to PIAA by end of day Wednesday) or the results of any Competition Formula adjustments to classes. Following is a list of Washington County schools, their submitted enrollment numbers (boys-girls) and the classification for baseball/softball, basketball, football, soccer, girls volleyball and wrestling.
NOTE: Softball classification parameters were changed by PIAA late yesterday afternoon. The League said that there was a vast difference in the number of teams in 1A & 2A compared to the other four classes. In all sports, PIAA divides the number of competing schools into equal classifications every two years.
Avella (50-47) Base-1A, Soft-1A, GBB-1A, BBB-1A, Foot-1A, GVb-1A
Bentworth (100-115) Base-2A, Soft-2A, GBB-2A, BBB-2A, Foot-1A, GSoc-1A, BSoc-1A, GVb-2A, Wr-2A
Beth-Center (121-117) Base-2A, Soft-2A, GBB-2A, BBB-2A, Foot-1A, GSoc-1A, BSoc-1A, GVb-2A, Wr-2A
Burgettstown (104-99) Base-2A, Soft-2A, GBB-2A, BBB-2A, Foot-1A, GVb-1A, Wr-2A
California (80-94) Base-1A, Soft-1A, GBB-2A, BBB-1A, Foot-1A
Canon-McMillan (563-622) Base-6A, Soft-6A, GBB-6A, BBB-6A, Foot-6A, GSoc-4A, BSoc-4A, GVb-4A, Wr-3A
Charleroi (138-140) Base-2A, Soft-2A, GBB-3A, BBB-3A, Foot-2A, GSoc-1A, BSoc-1A, GVb-2A
Chartiers-Houston (123-95) Base-2A, Soft- 1A, GBB-2A, BBB-2A, Foot-1A, GSoc-1A, BSoc-1A, GVb-1A, Wr-2A
Fort Cherry (95-124) Base-1A, Soft-2A, GBB-2A, BBB-2A, Foot-1A, GVb-2A, Wr-2A
McGuffey (157-183) Base-3A, Soft-3A, GBB-3A, BBB-3A, Foot-2A, GSoc-2A, BSoc-2A, GVb-2A, Wr-2A
Peters Township (452-470) Base-5A, Soft-5A, GBB-6A, BBB-5A, Foot-5A, GSoc-4A, BSoc-3A, GVb-4A, Wr-3A
Ringgold (305-271) Base-4A, Soft-4A, GBB-4A, BBB-4A, Foot-4A, GSoc-3A, BSoc-3A, GVb-3A, Wr-3A
Trinity (372-393) Base-5A, Soft-5A, GBB-5A, BBB-5A, Foot-4A, GSoc-3A, BSoc-3A, GVb-3A, Wr-3A
Washington (133-127) Base-2A, Soft-2A, GBB-2A, BBB-3A, Foot-2A, BSoc-2A, GVb-2A, Wr-2A
January 5, 2022 3:52 am
HOUSTON (AP) – Deuce Vaughn and the Kansas State Wildcats finished a streaky season on a positive note with a dominant 42-20 win over short-handed LSU in the Texas Bowl. Vaughn, a sophomore running back and first-team All-American as an all-purpose player, rushed for 146 yards on 21 carries. He scored four touchdowns – three rushing and one receiving. Kansas State also got a strong performance from quarterback Skylar Thompson, who returned to make his final collegiate start after missing the regular-season finale with an ankle injury. Thompson completed 21 of 28 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Knowles had two touchdown catches and 42 yards receiving.
January 5, 2022 3:55 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will sit out the season finale against Cincinnati so he can undergo shoulder surgery. Mayfield was sacked nine times in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Cincinnati sacks leader Trey Hendrickson and three other starters are among five Bengals that have been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. Center Trey Hopkins and left guard Quinton Spain were sidelined along with safety Vonn Bell. The fifth player is Akeem Davis-Gaither. The Bengals have clinched the AFC North title for their first trip to the playoffs since the 2015 season. Playoff qualifiers Green Bay and Arizona have players coming off and going on the COVID-19 list. Each team has two starters returning.
January 4, 2022 3:54 am
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 123 yards and a touchdown in likely his final start at Heinz Field as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Cleveland 26-14. Roethlisberger says he is leaning toward retirement. He improved to 26-3-1 against the Browns in his 18-year career. The Steelers also kept their slim playoff hopes alive with the victory. Pittsburgh needs a win in its regular-season finale against Baltimore and a loss by Indianapolis to Jacksonville to reach the postseason. Baker Mayfield threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Browns.
January 4, 2022 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NFL’s schedule changes for Week 18 will feature a Sunday night showdown for a playoff berth. To finish off the NFL’s first 17-game season, the Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders game was flexed from daytime to primetime. Both AFC West rivals are 9-7 and the winner will advance to the postseason. The league also switched two games from Sunday to Saturday. Kansas City, already the AFC West champion, will be at Denver, followed by Dallas at Philadelphia. Neither of those games has the strong postseason implications of Chargers-Raiders.
