January 5, 2021 3:46 am
UNDATED (AP) – Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, while fourth-ranked Texas has climbed to its highest perch in nearly a decade. The Bulldogs earned 63 of 64 first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25 to remain at No. 1. Gonzaga and Baylor have been 1-2 in all seven polls this season. Villanova moved up a spot to No. 3. Creighton climbed five spots to fifth and is followed by Kansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan and Iowa.
January 5, 2021 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – ‘Tis the season to be firing NFL head coaches. Two more were shown the door on Monday after the New York Jets said goodbye to Adam Gase. The Chargers have fired head coach Anthony Lynn after four years and a 33-31 record in regular-season games. The Chargers went 21-11 with one playoff appearance in their first two seasons under Lynn, but that was followed by consecutive losing campaigns. Los Angeles won its last four games this season to end up 7-9. Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has been dismissed, a little more than 12 hours after ending the season with a 15th consecutive loss. Marrone went 24-43 in four seasons with the Jaguars, falling a few plays shy of the team’s first Super Bowl in 2017. Jacksonville has dropped 21 of Marrone’s final 24 games, including 15 by double digits.
January 5, 2021 2:39 am
The 14-team NFL playoff field is set, including the the Steelers returning after a two-year absence. The Tampa Bay Bucs and Cleveland Browns broke lengthy playoff droughts and the Washington Football Team grabbed a home game as NFC East champion despite a losing record. AFC #1 Kansas City and NFC #1 Green Bay each have first-round byes. WJPA-AM will have every game of the NFL playoffs through Super Bowl 55 on February 7th.
Saturday, Jan. 9
12:30 pm AFC #7 Indianapolis Colts at #2 Buffalo Bills
4:40 pm NFC #6 Los Angeles Rams at #3 Seattle Seahawks
8:15 pm NFC #5 Tamp Bay Buccaneers at #4 Washington Football Team
Sunday, Jan. 10
12:30 pm AFC #5 Baltimore Ravens at #4 Tennessee Titans
4:40 pm NFC #7 Chicago Bears at #2 New Orleans Saints
8:15 pm AFC #6 Cleveland Browns at #3 Pittsburgh Steelers
January 4, 2021 3:50 am
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph’s return to Cleveland was a success everywhere but the scoreboard. Rudolph threw for a career-high 313 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s 24-22 loss to the Browns while filling in for starter Ben Roethlisberger. Rudolph also exchanged pleasantries with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett afterward. The two shook hands in an attempt to put their ugly 2019 brawl behind them. Coach Mike Tomlin called Rudolph’s performance “gritty.” Rudolph will return to his backup role next week when the Steelers host Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs next Sunday night.
January 4, 2021 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Penguins are betting big on defenseman John Marino. The team signed the 23-year-old Marino to a six-year contract extension. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season and carries an average annual value of $4.4 million. The signing caps a meteoric rise for Marino. The Penguins acquired him from Edmonton in July 2019 in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Marino impressed as a rookie, scoring six goals to go with 20 assists in 56 games to go with a plus-17 rating.
January 4, 2021 2:08 am
COVID-19 continues to impact high school sports, this time reducing the tournament fields for the PIAA Wrestling Championships, both team and individual. State-wide team tournament dates will be set later but they will happen after the individual championships, allowing more teams to complete the regular season. The WPIAL has compacted its team tournaments from 11 days to six. Section Dual Championships will take place Monday, February 8th with only the champion and runner-up moving on to the WPIAL brackets. Third-place teams had qualified in previous years. Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 10th with the WPIAL Finals the following Saturday. Only WPIAL champions will be entered in the PIAA tournament.
Individual tournaments have been revised state-wide as well, taking place Feb. 16-March 13, nearly four full weeks. WJPA will have complete coverage of the team and individual tournaments, though, like the events, our coverage will be different than in years past. Here’s the map to the individual state championships, broken down by classification, for WPIAL schools:
Class 2A
Tuesday, Feb. 16 Sub-Sections (top two advance to Section Finals
Friday, Feb. 19 Section Finals (top two advance to WPIALs)
Saturday, Feb. 20 WPIAL Championships (6 qualifiers, top three advance to SW Regional)
Saturday, Feb. 27 Southwest Regional (8 qualifiers, top four advance to Western Super Regional)
Saturday, March 6 Western Super Regional (8 qualifiers, top four advance to PIAA Finals)
Friday, March 12 PIAA AA Finals (8 qualifiers)
Class 3A
Wednesday, Feb. 17 Sub-Sections (Sections 1, 4) (top two advance to Section Finals)
Thursday, Feb. 18 Sub-Sections (Sections 2, 3) (top two advance to Section Finals)
Saturday, Feb. 20 Section Finals (top two advance to WPIALs)
Saturday, Feb. 27 WPIAL Championships (8 qualifiers, top three advance to Western Super Regional)
Saturday, March 6 Western Super Regional (8 qualifiers, top four advance to PIAA Finals)
Saturday, March 13 PIAA AAA Finals (8 qualifiers)
*–some sites remain undertermined.
Class 2A Section Finals, Class 2A WPIAL Championships, Class 3A WPIAL Championships are scheduled for Canon-McMillan.
Class 2A Southwest Regional is set for Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
PIAA Finals are scheduled for the Giant Center, Hershey.
January 3, 2021 8:03 am
Steelers cornerback Joe Haden has been flagged for a COVID-19 situation and won’t play Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland. Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Haden tested positive for COVID-19, meaning he is mandated to isolate for the next 10 days, even if he tests negative. That means Haden will not be available to play in the opening round of the playoffs for the Steelers next weekend. If Haden’s exposure had been a close contact, he would be required to be out at least five days — as long as he continues to test negative. Steelers tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh have both been added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Browns. Wide receiver Deon Cain and offense tackle Anthony Coyle have also been elevated to the active roster. With Haden out, the Steelers likely will turn to Cameron Sutton and Justin Layne to man his spot against the Browns and next weekend against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
January 3, 2021 3:48 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph are in no mood to rehash their ugly on-field brawl. Rudolph and Garrett will meet for the first time since their fight in November 2019 when the Browns host the Steelers in the regular-season finale. Both players say there is too much at stake for their past to play a factor. The Browns can clinch their first playoff berth in 18 years with a victory. Rudolph will make his first start in more than a year hoping to prove he can still be a starter in the NFL.
January 3, 2021 7:53 am
WASHINGTON — — Toby Okani came off the bench to score 14 points to lead Duquesne to a 75-63 win over George Washington on Saturday. Marcus Weathers had 14 points for Duquesne (2-1, 1-0 Atlantic 10 Conference). Amari Kelly added 13 points. Michael Hughes had 12 points, five assists and three blocks. James Bishop had 21 points for the Colonials (2-7, 1-1). Jamison Battle added 17 points. Matt Moyer had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
