March 3, 2025 4:35 am
Pittsburgh freshman cornerback Mason Alexander has died in a car crash in Indiana. According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the 18-year-old Alexander was a passenger in a vehicle that swerved off the road Saturday and struck a tree in Fishers, a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis. The car burst into flames upon impact. Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene. Alexander was a star at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers. He signed with the Panthers in December and enrolled at Pitt in January. Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said the team is “shocked” and that Alexander will always remain a Panther in the eyes of the program.
March 2, 2025 12:07 pm
Saturday, western Pennsylvania wrestlers either earned invitations to the PIAA Wrestling Championships or their seasons came to an end. Multi-district individual regional tournaments were held at Altoona (Southwest 2A boys), Canon-McMillan (West 3A boys) and North Allegheny (West girls) along with 9 other sites across the state. The top seven finishers at Altoona, five at Canon-McMillan and four at North Allegheny earned advancement to the state tournaments at the Giant Center in Hershey. That action begins Thursday. Click on each tournament for medal-bout results.
PIAA 2A Boys Southwest Regional (Altoona)–Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) is the only regional champion among the 12 Washington/Greene County wrestlers heading to the PIAA championships out of the SW AA Regional. McGuffey has four qualifiers, Bentworth and Burgettstown two apiece with Beth-Center, Fort Cherry, Wash High and West Greene one each.
PIAA 3A Boys West Regional (Canon-McMillan)–Nicholas McGarrity (Peters Township) was the lone champion from the two-county area. In fact, he was the only local finalist. Canon-McMillan, Peters Township and Trinity have two qualifiers to the state tournament, Ringgold and Waynesburg have one each.
PIAA Girls West Regional (North Allegheny)–Marlee Solomon and Natalie Rush claimed regional titles for Canon-McMillan. The Big Macs’ duo will be joined by four other CM wrestlers in the state tournament, more than half the two-county’s contingent. Abigail Dolanch (Avella) and Elaina Ashby (Trinity) also won regional titles. Trinity has two qualifiers, Fort Cherry and Peters Township one each.
March 1, 2025 12:26 pm
PIAA 3A Boys West Regional Individual Championships at Canon-McMillan
(top 5 qualify for PIAA Championships)
Championships
107 Nicholas McGarrity (Peters Township) DEC Andrew Alexander (Mifflin County), 9-8
114 Nico Kapusta (Hempfield Area) DEC Mateo Gallegos (DuBois), 6-5
121 Braiden Weaver (Altoona) DEC Leo Joseph (Greater Latrobe), 10-8
127 Santino Sloboda (Butler Area) MAJ DEC Dalton Wenner (Cranberry), 10-0
133 Nico Fanella (Indiana) DEC Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe), 6-4
139 Kai Vielma (Connellsville) DEC Dominic Ferraro (Pine Richland), 9-4
145 Dalton Perry (Central Mountain) DEC Ramil Islamov (Baldwin), 7-6
152 Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) MAJ DEC James Whitbred (State College), 15-4
160 Luke Sipes (Altoona) DEC Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville), 8-1
172 Asher Cunningham (State College) TECH FALL Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson), 18-0 6:00
189 Kendahl Hoare (DuBois) DEC Avery Aurand (Mifflin County), 5-2 SV
215 Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon) DEC Cooper Roscosky (Kiski Area), 1-0
285 Shepherd Turk (Thomas Jefferson) FALL Peyton Kearns (Mifflin County), 2:45
Third Place
107 Tommy Gretz (Connellsville) DEC Michael Johnson (West Allegheny), 5-0
114 Dylan Barrett (Penn Trafford) DEC Zachary Franks (Connellsville), 4-1
121 Nolan Rice (Connellsville) DEC Luke DeSantis (Penn Trafford), 3-0 SV
127 Dom Canali (Trinity) DEC Deklan Barr (Altoona), 7-0
133 Collier Hartman (Canon-McMillan) TECH FALL Cael Yanek (Moon Area), 19-3 5:00
139 Talan Mizenko (South Fayette) DEC Gavin Ciampoli (Altoona), 2-1 TB2
145 Ethan Higgins (Bethel Park) DEC Max Firestine (Franklin Regional), 4-1 SV
152 Evan Petrovich (Connellsville) MAJ DEC Darius McMillon (Peters Township), 12-1
160 Brayden White (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Rook Smith (Montour), 2-0
172 Mario Hutcherson (Kiski Area) TECH FALL MacLane Miller (Pine Richland), 17-2 0:54
189 Mark Gray (Kiski Area) MAJ DEC Hunter Snyder (Greater Latrobe), 12-4
215 Roman Thompson (Pitts. Central Catholic) FALL Jake Conroy (Ringgold), 2:37
285 Philup Rearick (Armstrong) FALL Bradyn McConneha (North Allegheny), 1:39
Fifth Place
107 Zach Rehak (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Bryce Thomas (Moon Area), 10-4
114 Titus Colangelo (Franklin Regional) FALL Kael Davis (State College), 2:42
121 Michael Worsen (Fox Chapel) FORFEIT Ben Fuller (Meadville)
127 Aiden Kunes (Central Mountain) DEC Wyatt Long (Bellefonte), 5-0
133 Nicholas Berrena (State College) DEF Gus Stedeford (North Allegheny), 7-1 2:30
139 TJ Allison (Trinity) DEC Kamden Everly (Mifflin County), 4-1
145 Kase Chopp (Butler Area) TECH FALL Andrew Gall (Bellefonte), 22-3 3:18
152 Ezra Swisher (Bellefonte) DEC Luke Dunlap (South Fayette), 7-0
160 Liam Costa (Moon Area) DEC Noah Weaver (Bellefonte), 11-7
172 Kaleb Kinzey (Armstrong) DEC Jackson Long (Bellefonte), 1-0
189 Jacob Stephenson (Waynesburg) DEC Bryce Brungard (Central Mountain), 4-1
215 Brayden Collins (Canon-McMillan) DEC Carter Wilson (DuBois), 2-1
285 Cam Danna (West Allegheny) DEC D’Angelo Hamilton (Fox Chapel), 2-1
March 1, 2025 12:25 pm
PIAA Girls West Regional Individual Championships at North Allegheny
(top 4 qualify for PIAA Championships)
Championships
100 Kristen Walzer (Montour) DEC Lily Young (Sharpsville), 5-4
106 Finley Fourspring (Corry) FALL Ashley Campbell (General McLane), 0:00
112 Marlee Solomon (Canon-McMillan) TECH FALL Trinity Moore (Connellsville), 17-1 3:38
118 Braylee Ireland (Knoch) DEC Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 3-1 TB2
124 Emmaleah Cunningham (Beaver) DEC Anna Duncan (South Park), 6-4
130 Haley Smarsh (Moon Area) FALL Chloe Zacherl (McDowell), 3:43
136 Ava Golding (Kiski Area) DEC Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 5-1
142 Abigail Dolanch (Avella) DEC Alyssa Tresco (Kiski Area), 8-3
148 Elaina Ashby (Trinity) FALL Evangeline Gray (Canon-McMillan), 1:14
155 Cydney Rea (Northwestern) FALL Whisper Abercrombie (General McLane), 5:02
170 Davaya Truman (Erie) DEC Octavia Walker (Norwin), 14-10
190 Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) TECH FALL Alaina Claassen (Plum), 16-1 5:48
235 Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland) FALL Bella White (Sharpsville), 3:04
Third Place
100 Blythe Letters (Shaler Area) MAJ DEC Ella Clark (General McLane), 10-0
106 Ella Trahan (Fort Cherry) DEC Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 5-3
112 Daylee Watson (Conneaut) DEC Tamara Humphries (Brashear), 11-8
118 Yuni Ayala (Canon-McMillan) DEC Ella McGuire (Fort LeBoeuf), 3-1
124 Aariona Strader (Pine Richland) MAJ DEC Leah Sample (Saegertown), 10-1
130 Saphia Davis (Plum) DEC Kelley Enterline (Greenville), 4-1
136 Maggie Alfera (Laurel) FALL Koda Kuzma (Corry), 0:50
142 Grace Nasman (Upper St. Clair) DEC Alexia Ashby (Trinity), 4-1
148 Tiffany Gathers (Pine Richland) DEC Royale Reno-Gaus (Saegertown), 10-7
155 Karsyn Champion (Norwin) FALL Trinity Webster (Hickory), 3:19
170 Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley) FALL Olivia Shultz (Connellsville), 1:57
190 Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township) DEC Arianna Bernard (Valley), 6-3 SV
235 Brooklyn Pearson (Woodland Hills) FALL London Ellis (Canon-McMillan), 2:53
March 1, 2025 12:24 pm
PIAA 2A Boys Southwest Regional Individual Championships at Altoona
(top 7 qualify for PIAA Championships)
Championships
107 Keegan Bassett (Bishop McCort) MAJ DEC Dakota Santamaria (Tussey Mountain), 10-2
114 Max Dinges (Penns Valley) DEC Eli Herring (Bishop McCort), 8-3
121 Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge), 3-2
127 Erik Carlile (Penns Valley) DEC Antonio Boni (Central Valley), 11-4
133 Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort) TECH FALL Caden Judice (Bald Eagle Area), 23-4 2:21
139 Sam Herring (Bishop McCort) MAJ DEC Gideon Bracken (United), 13-2
145 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) TECH FALL Lucas Boyer (Elizabeth Forward), 21-6 1:25
152 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort) DEC Mason Horwat (Derry), 4-0
160 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort) FALL Owen Ivcic (Bentworth), 1:27
172 Jayden Ofarrill (Bishop McCort) DEC Isaac Lacinski (Burrell), 8-6
189 Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Kyle Scott (Tyrone), 14-9
215 Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) DEC Landon Erdman (Huntingdon Area), 4-2
285 Rowan Holmes (Somerset) DEC Colin Whyte (West Greene), 7-0
Third Place
107 Javeon Chambers (Highlands) TECH FALL Garrett Weyandt (Chestnut Ridge), 15-0 4:14
114 Easton Mull (Chestnut Ridge) DEC Preston Bubash (Elizabeth Forward), 8-5
121 Jack Silfies (Bishop McCort) DEC Tucker Main (McGuffey), 4-2
127 Austin Carfley (Bishop McCort) DEC Burke Niebauer (Central Cambria), 16-12
133 Anthony Mucci (Derry) DEC Drake McClure (Bentworth), 4-1
139 Dawson Lomison (Bald Eagle Area) MAJ DEC Julian Bertucci (Burrell), 12-4
145 Josef Garshnick (United) MAJ DEC Aaron Ickes (Chestnut Ridge), 8-0
152 Jonah Erdely (Frazier) DEC Calio Zanella (Burrell), 5-0
160 Ryan Celaschi (Frazier) DEC Ewan Olson (Derry), 4-2
172 Jackson Angelo (Frazier) MAJ DEC Rocco Reifer (Moshannon Valley), 12-2
189 CJ Pensiero (Bishop McCort) FALL Brady Brown (Derry), 4:08
215 Josh Ryan (Mount Union) FALL Zane Hagans (Somerset), 1:27
285 Jonah McCoy (Westmont Hilltop) DEC Caleb Rodriguez (Bishop McCort), 4-1
Fifth Place
107 Gaige Sholly (Huntingdon Area) DEC Darius Simmons (Burgettstown), 10-5
114 Clayton Ealy (McGuffey) DEC Caleb Hummel (Philipsburg-Osceola), 5-4 SV
121 Carter Thomas (Burrell) FORFEIT Auston Kosanovic (Avonworth), 0-0
127 Wyatt Clouse (Northern Bedford) DEC Griffin Tinsman (Marion Center), 7-1
133 Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey) MAJ DEC Mason Wright (Beth Center), 9-0
139 Lucas Barr (McGuffey) DEC Matthew Danna (Quaker Valley), 4-2
145 Jake Wilson (Central Cambria) FORFEIT Dawson Shaffer (Berlin Brothersvalley), 0-0
152 Gavyn McCray (Freedom) FALL Logan Noyes (Burgettstown), 1:28
160 Gabe Lilly (Ellwood City) DEC Marshall Eckenrode (Cambria Heights), 4-1
172 Landon Delara (Southmoreland) DEC Ezra Masood (Tussey Mountain), 7-2
189 Grayson Mahla (Richland) DEC Zeshawn Williams (Freedom), 6-4
215 Tyler Lobb (Moshannon Valley) DEC Braiden Sudor (Carlynton), 1-0
285 Casey Wilson (Laurel) DEC Howard Brambley (Everett), 2-1 TB2
Seventh Place
107 Carter Christ (Conemaugh Twp) MAJ DEC Warren Woleslagle (Elizabeth Forward), 9-0
114 Bruce Anderchak (Quaker Valley) DEC Aiden Replogle (Northern Bedford), 5-1
121 Dylan Bateman (Derry) FALL Conner Myers (Penns Valley), 1:43
127 Giovanni Beatrice (Derry) FORFEIT Averi Gable (Philipsburg-Osceola), 0-0
133 Brady Kostick (Richland) MAJ DEC Deshonn Valentine (Somerset), 11-0
139 Braden Durst (Berlin Brothersvalley) TECH FALL Brett Klim (Derry), 15-0 4:45
145 Caleb Patton (Washington) DEC Antonio Perkins (Valley), 2-0
152 Braxton Carr (Laurel) DEC Garrett Newman (McGuffey), 5-3
160 Ben Catullo (Burrell) FORFEIT Brayden Lisowski (Penns Valley), 0-0
172 Grady Clark (Huntingdon Area) DEC Marcus Richey (Quaker Valley), 7-5
189 Jayden Imler (Chestnut Ridge) FALL Dom Peruso (Huntingdon Area), 4:04
215 Kolton Carlson (Laurel) FALL Jake Yatsky (Forest Hills), 2:54
285 Henry Barbisch (Carlynton) FALL Alex Rusilko (Bentworth), 2:29
March 2, 2025 5:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to 17 games, and the Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Saturday. Mason Lohrei added a power-play goal for Boston and Charlie Coyle scored an empty-net shorthanded goal. Joonas Korpisalo stopped 29 shots for his first win since Jan. 23 when he shut out Ottawa. Anthony Beauvillier scored a short-handed goal for Pittsburgh and Rickard Rakell scored a power-play goal in the final minute. Alex Nedeljkovic made 23 saves for Pittsburgh.
March 2, 2025 5:55 am
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes got a chance to showcase his expanded repertoire to opposing hitters while pitching in a Grapefruit League game for the first time this year. Skenes has been working on adding a cutter and a running two-seam fastball to complement his electrifying four-seam fastball. The 22-year-old struck out four and allowed four hits, one walk and one run in three innings Saturday in the Pirates’ 5-2 victor over the Baltimore Orioles. Skenes is following up a sensational 2024 season in which he earned NL Rookie of the Year honors.
March 2, 2025 5:50 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chucky Hepburn scored a career-high 37 points to lead No. 19 Louisville to a 79-68 victory over Pittsburgh. Terrence Edwards Jr. added 23 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals who shot 51.1% from the field (23 for 45) and went 11 for 21 (52.4%) from 3-point range. Jaland Lowe led Pittsburgh with 16 points and Zack Austin added 15. Hepburn, a senior transfer from Wisconsin, scored more than 30 for the second time this season.
March 2, 2025 1:23 am
Peters Township boys fell behind 9-0 in the first four minutes and couldn’t get closer than five the rest of the way, losing to Chartiers Valley in the WPIAL 5A championship game. The Indians hurt themselves, missing 15-of-22 foul shots that could have changed the complexion of the game. Chartiers Valley used a stifling defense to win its 7th WPIAL boys championship, not allowing consecutive scored by the Indians until early in the fourth quarter.
Friday, Bri Morreale buried a wide-open three-pointer with a minute to play as Peters Township rallied from 11 points down to knock off #1 South Fayette and win the WPIAL 5A girls championship. Two minutes earlier, Natalie Wetzel had given the Indians their first lead since the first quarter. South Fayette, trying to win its fourth straight WPIAL title, tied with game on a layup by Cierra Rexrode with 90 seconds left in regulation. Peters got the ball into the hands of Wetzel at the far side of the lane, drawing lots of attention. She found Morreale in the right corner for the game-winning bucket, clanking it home off the rim. South Fayette managed just three points in the final quarter after building a 28-17 lead early in the third. Wetzel led Peters Township with 13 points. Haylie Lamonde had game honors with 19, but just three after hitting a 55-foot buzzer beater to end the first half. Click for WPIAL Brackets
The PIAA playoffs will start Friday, March 7 with brackets due out Sunday afternoon. Peters Township and Chartiers-Houston will send both boys and girls to the state tournaments. They’ll be joined by the Canon-McMillan and Fort Cherry girls.
WPIAL Basketball Championships at Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh
Friday, Feb. 28
Girls 5A #2 Peters Township 40, #1 South Fayette 36
Saturday, Mar. 1
Boys 5A #4 Chartiers Valley 73, #6 Peters Township 66
March 1, 2025 1:42 am
High school wrestlers move to PIAA Regional tournaments this weekend with the ultimate goal of advancing to the PIAA Championships next weekend in Hershey. We have live coverage of both the 2A Southwest Regional from Altoona and the 3A West Regional at Canon-McMillan Friday and Saturday. 32 Washington & Greene County wrestlers are in the 2A brackets at the Altoona Field House. The top seven place-winners in each weight earn a trip to Hershey. 18 wrestlers from the two-county area return to Canon-McMillan High School with the top five medalists advancing to states. Listen Here
PIAA 2A Southwest Regional at Altoona Fieldhouse–all coverage on WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
Friday, 4:20 pm Preliminaries, Quarterfinals
Saturday, 8:50 am Semifinals, Consolation Rounds 1-4
Saturday, 5:05 pm Championship & Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th, 7th place)
PIAA 3A West Regional at Canon-McMillan–all coverage on WJPA.com Listen Here
Friday 4:50 pm Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Consolation Round 1
Saturday, 8:50 am Semifinals, Consolation Rounds 2-4
Saturday, 2:50 pm Championship & Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th place)
