January 9, 2025 2:25 am
High school basketball teams across the WPIAL are finishing their first trips through section play between now and Tuesday, Jan. 14. Here’s a rundown of Thursday and Friday section section schedules for teams in Washington & Greene Counties:
Thursday, Jan. 9
Girls
5A Peters Township 62, Uniontown 21
5A Trinity 48, Albert Gallatin 43
4A Laurel Highlands 72, Ringgold 13
3A Brownsville 56, Charleroi 24
3A McGuffey 57, Wash High 50
3A Keystone Oaks 48, Waynesburg 33
2A Brentwood 45, Burgettstown 39
2A Fort Cherry 68, Northgate 3
2A Beth-Center 49, Bentworth 35
2A California 55, Jeff-Morgan 37
2A Chartiers-Houston 58, Carmichaels 17
1A Bishop Canevin 54, Avella 37
1A Clairton 72, Mapletown 34
1A West Greene at Serra Catholic (postponed to Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6:30 pm)
Boys
2A Chartiers-Houston 61, Beth-Center 45
Friday, Jan. 10
Girls
6A Canon-McMillan at Norwin, 6 pm
1A Mapletown at Geibel Catholic
Boys
6A Canon-McMillan at Norwin
5A Peters Township at Ringgold
5A Trinity at South Fayette
3A McGuffey at Sto-Rox
3A Carlynton at Wash High, 6 pm
3A Brownsville at Charleroi
3A Ligonier Valley at Waynesburg
2A California at Bentworth
2A Burgettstown at Beth-Center
2A Chartiers-Houston at Mapletown
2A West Greene at Fort Cherry
2A Carmichaels at Jeff-Morgan
1A Aquinas Academy at Avella
January 8, 2025 12:01 am
The WPIAL dual meet wrestling season heads down the home stretch. The top two teams in each section qualify for the WPIAL Team Tournaments along with two wild cards chosen by the Wrestling Committee. In 3A Section 2, Canon-McMillan and Trinity remain unbeaten and will face off in two weeks with the section title on the line. Peters Township is 2-1 in Section 3 with a match against Mt. Lebanon Jan. 22 with the second spot behind Bethel Park on the line. In Section 7, Ringgold lost to Thomas Jefferson. The Rams will have to beat Belle Vernon in two weeks to grab an automatic bid..
In Class 2A, Chartiers-Houston and McGuffey won their Section 1 opening bouts easily. Burgettstown leads Section 2 with Avella and South Side to meet Jan. 22 with the second spot on the line. Bentworth and Beth-Center are both 2-0 in Section 3 ahead of their match Jan. 22, likely to decide the section title.
Wednesday, Jan. 8
Wrestling
3A-2 Canon-McMillan 52, Waynesburg 15
3A-2 Trinity 63, South Fayette 9
3A-3 Peters Township 46, Upper St. Clair 17
3A-7 Thomas Jefferson 48, Ringgold 12
2A-1 Chartiers-Houston 51, West Greene 24
2A-1 McGuffey 65, Wash High 9
2A-2 Avella 41, Hopewell 22
2A-3 Beth-Center b41, Frazier 30
2A-3 Jeff-Morgan 71, Brownsville 0
Girls Basketball
3A Seton-La Salle 75, Wash High 37
2A Beth-Center 48, Carmichaels 13
Boys Basketball
3A Wash High 61, Sto-Rox 37
2A Frazier 67, California 43
2A West Greene 68, Burgettstown 40
2A Carmichaels 37, Mapletown 27
1A Avella 74, Cornell 31
January 9, 2025 4:46 am
A trip to the College Football Playoff title game awaits for the winner between Penn State and Notre Dame in the semifinals of the first year of the expanded 12-team format. The winning coach Thursday, either Penn State’s James Franklin or Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, will have the chance to become the first Black coach to win a national title at college football’s highest level. Awaiting the winner is a matchup against either Texas or Ohio State. The title will be decided January 20 in Atlanta.
January 9, 2025 4:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson is trying to enjoy the ride as he prepares for the playoffs. Wilson and the Steelers head to Baltimore in the first round searching for the franchise’s first postseason victory in eight years. Wilson’s play has dipped in recent weeks, one of the reasons Pittsburgh heads into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak. The 36-year-old will be a free agent in March. How he fares in the playoffs could determine whether he comes back to Pittsburgh. Wilson says the future will take care of itself and he’s trying to embrace what he calls a “special” time of the season.
January 9, 2025 4:42 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a limited participant in practice for the first time since he suffered a concussion in Week 16, clearing the way for him to start this weekend in an NFC wild-card playoff game. Hurts could return for Sunday’s home game against the Green Bay Packers. He threw for 2,903 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.
January 8, 2025 4:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson scored in the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Tuesday night. Elvis Merzlikins, who made 20 saves, stopped Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby in the shootout, as Columbus came back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period. Adam Fantilli scored a third-period power-play goal and Dmitri Voronkov scored twice, giving him nine goals in seven games. Rickard Rakell scored twice and Michael Bunting set a career high with his eighth power-play goal. Crosby had two assists. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.
January 8, 2025 4:37 am
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 14 of his 19 points after halftime to help No. 4 Duke beat Pittsburgh 76-47. Flagg’s big night included a jaw-dropping play on a coast-to-coast dunk over Guillermo Diaz Graham in the second half. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel added 17 points for the Blue Devils. Duke has now won nine straight games. Cameron Corhen scored 11 points to lead the Panthers. Pitt had won five in a row and was unbeaten in league play coming into Cameron Indoor Stadium. But Pitt shot just 31% and didn’t score for the last eight minutes.
January 8, 2025 4:38 am
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have fired Antonio Pierce after just one season as their full-time coach. It’s the latest in a line of coaching changes for the Raiders over the past several years. Pierce took over as the interim coach midway through the 2023 season and went 5-4 the rest of the way. That earned strong player support for him to get the job on a full-time basis. But the Raiders went on a 10-game losing streak this season to put his job in jeopardy. Minority owner Tom Brady is expected to have a role in the Raiders’ coaching search.
January 7, 2025 2:57 am
Winter weather has forced multiple postponements of high school basketball games around the area. Following is the two-day varsity-only schedule.
Tuesday Girls
6A Canon-McMillan 51, Hempfield 32
5A Peters Township 61, Albert Gallatin 29
4A South Park 54, Ringgold 16
3A McGuffey 52, Waynesburg 34
1A Clairton 83, Avella 41
2A Beth-Center at Carmichaels (postponed to Wednesday, 5:30 pm)
Tuesday Boys
6A Hempfield 66, Canon-McMillan 47
5A Peters Township 62, South Fayette 50
5A Baldwin 72, Ringgold 29
3A McGuffey 69, Keystone Oaks 65
3A Charleroi 60, Mt. Pleasant 44
3A Southmoreland 72, Waynesburg 62
2A Clairton 64, Bentworth 52
2A Fort Cherry 48, Jeff-Morgan 43
3A Sto-Rox at Wash High (postponed to Wednesday, 7:30 pm)
2A Burgettstown at West Greene (postponed to Wednesday, 7 pm)
2A California at Frazier (postponed to Wednesday, 7:30 pm)
2A Mapletown at Carmichaels (postponed to Wednesday, 7 pm)
1A Avella at Cornell (postponed to Wednesday, 7:30 pm)
Monday Girls
2A Fort Cherry 60, Burgettstown 41
January 7, 2025 4:33 am
The Steelers offense may be struggling but that’s not stopping at least two teams from expressing an interest in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. According to reports, The New York Jets and Chicago Bears have requested an interview with him to fill their head coaching vacancies. Because the Steelers are in the playoffs, in-person interviews with coaches under contract cannot take place until January 20 at the earliest. Virtual interviews can take place three days after the Steelers season ends. Smith, of course, is in his first season as the Steelers offensive coordinator.
