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.
January 3, 2021 7:52 am
NORMAN, Okla. — Umoja Gibson made eight 3-pointers and scored a season-high 29 points, and Oklahoma recovered after blowing an 18-point halftime lead to beat No. 9 West Virginia 75-71 on Saturday. The Sooners (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) have won three straight and four of five against the Mountaineers (8-3, 1-2), including a season sweep in 2019-20. The Sooners also have won four of their last seven games against ranked opponents. Taz Sherman and Jalen Bridges had 19 points each for West Virginia, and Miles McBride had 15. The Mountaineers’ previous losses this season came to No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 3 Kansas. The loss kept coach Bob Huggins from recording his 300th win as West Virginia’s coach. With the score tied at 60, Austin Reaves knocked down a long 2-point jumper and then a 3-pointer – his only one of the game, in nine attempts – with 3:40 left, giving Oklahoma the lead for good.
January 2, 2021 3:51 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Alabama is rolling into another College Football Playoff championship game. DeVonta Smith caught three of fellow Heisman Trophy finalist Mac Jones’ four touchdown passes, Najee Harris ran for 125 yards with a high-hurdling highlight and top-ranked Alabama beat No. 4 Notre Dame 31-14 on Friday in the relocated Rose Bowl game to reach its fifth CFP title game. Alabama will play in its fifth CFP title game in six seasons on Jan. 11 in suburban Miami against No. 3 Ohio State. Notre Dame has lost seven consecutive New Year’s Six games since 2000.
January 2, 2021 3:50 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Justin Fields threw six touchdown passes to outshine Trevor Lawrence, and No. 3 Ohio State avenged last season’s painful College Football Playoff loss to Clemson with a 49-28 victory in the Sugar Bowl semifinal. The 7-0 Buckeyes head to the CFP championship game for the first time since the inaugural playoff to face No. 1 Alabama on Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida. Ohio State beat the Crimson Tide in the semifinals on the way to the 2014 national championship and will now have to go through mighty ‘Bama again. Lawrence is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, but Fields outplayed him on this night, setting a Sugar Bowl record for TD passes.
January 2, 2021 3:52 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Peyton Ramsey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 15 Northwestern’s defense made it stand up in a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. Ramsey totaled 291 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Northwestern, which won its fourth straight bowl game. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Brown, John Raine and Riley Lees had touchdown catches for the Wildcats, who bounced back from an ugly loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Bo Nix threw for 292 yards for Auburn but was often frustrated by Northwestern’s defense, which came in allowing 15.5 points per game, ranked fifth in the nation.
