November 2, 2023 2:36 am
Canon-McMillan swept Seneca Valley to return to the WPIAL Girls Volleyball Finals. Natalie Carr had 11 kills, Josie Carter 11 assists to lead Canon-McMillan to the championship match for the second time in five year. The Big Macs will face #1 North Allegheny and both have clinched spots in the upcoming PIAA tournament. Meanwhile, the two-county area’s remaining soccer teams continue preparations for the their head-to-head match for the 1A boys WPIAL title Friday night. Bentworth is making its first-ever appearance in the soccer championship contest. Charleroi is in the final for the second straight year. Both are seeking their first district crown. Click for WPIAL Girls Volleyball brackets Click for WPIAL Soccer brackets
Wednesday
Volleyball Semifinals
4A #3 Canon-McMillan 3, #2 Seneca Valley 0
Friday
Soccer Championship at Highmark Stadium, Station Square
1A Boys #7 Bentworth vs. #1 Charleroi, 8 pm
Saturday
Volleyball Championship at Peters Township
4A #3 Canon-McMillan vs. #1 North Allegheny, 5 pm
October 31, 2023 2:51 am
The PIAA today released new enrollment parameters that determine the classifications in which schools will compete during the 2024-2025 & 2025-2026 school years. These numbers are revised every two years based on enrollment figures submitted by the schools. For sports that have six classifications (football, basketball, baseball, softball), the state divides the schools playing a particular sport into six virtually equal classes. In other sports, the schools playing those sports are divided evenly among the specific number of classes. The ‘cut lines’ for the new cycle changed substantially from the current cycle due to a change in how PIAA member schools are to count vo-tech, cyber and charter school students. There are several more steps that will impact specific section determinations: voluntary “play-up” declarations due to be submitted to PIAA by the end of the month, competition formula “bump up” changes based on state-wide success points and inclusion of transfers, and WPIAL committee decisions regarding alignment once these other steps have been completed.
The overall impact is that most teams in Washington & Greene Counties stayed put in their current classifications but schools with large enrollment changes or ones who were close to the previous lines have moved up or down. Following are the changes involving the major sports (Football, soccer, girls volleyball, basketball, baseball & softball) based on our survey of the 19 athletic directors in the two-county area:
Beth-Center girls volleyball and softball both move down to 1A
Burgettstown girls volleyball moves up to 2A
California boys basketball, baseball and softball all move up to 2A
Charleroi football, baseball and softball all move up to 3A, boys & girls soccer both move to 2A
Chartiers-Houston girls volleyball and softball both move to 2A
Fort Cherry baseball moves to 2A
McGuffey football moves to 3A
Peters Township girls basketball moves down to 5A
Ringgold girls soccer moves down to 2A
Wash High baseball, girls basketball and softball all move up to 3A
Jeff-Morgan girls basketball moves up to 2A
Waynesburg softball moves down to 2A
West Greene boys basketball moves up to 2A
November 1, 2023 4:28 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Marcus Semien’s two-run triple and three-run homer powered Texas to a 10-run lead by the third inning, Corey Seager hit another long home run and the Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-7 to move ahead three games to one in the World Series. Texas improved to a record 10-0 on the road this postseason and closed within one win of the first title in the 63-season history of a franchise that started as the expansion Washington Senators in 1961. Nathan Eovaldi tries to clinch the third all-wild card World Series on Wednesday night against Zac Gallen in a rematch of Game 1 starters. The Rangers built a 10-0 cushion and became the first team in Series history with consecutive five-run innings. Jonah Heim also homered for Texas.
November 1, 2023 4:33 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett expects to play when the Steelers host the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. Pickett sat out the second half of a loss to Jacksonville with a rib injury. Pickett says he “for sure” plans to face the Titans. The biggest issue for Pickett will be pain management when his body makes a twisting motion while throwing. Pickett said the best remedy for the injury is rest but that isn’t an option with the team playing on a short week. The Steelers are 4-3 as November begins. The Titans are 3-4.
November 1, 2023 4:31 am
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders have fired coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. The Raiders under McDaniels went 6-11 in 2022 and are 3-5 so far this season for a .360 winning percentage. McDaniels was hired following the 2021 season when Davis opted not to keep interim coach Rich Bisaccia on for the full-time even after he led the team to a surprising playoff run. The Raiders announced that Antonio Pierce will take over as the interim coach. They host the New York Giants on Sunday.
October 31, 2023 4:32 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason McTavish scored a short-handed goal with 11.9 seconds to play and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Pittsburgh was on a two-man advantage for 1:49 at the end of the third period because of a tripping call on McTavish and a separate delay of game penalty. Adam Henrique intercepted a Penguins’ pass and pushed it to McTavish, who beat Tristan Jarry on a breakaway. It was McTavish’s second of the game and fifth of the season. McTavish and Strome are both on five-game point streaks.
October 31, 2023 4:36 am
DETROIT (AP) — Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs ran for a season-high 152 yards and a touchdown, Jared Goff threw for 272 yards with a score, and the Detroit Lions beat the Las Vegas Raiders 26-14. The NFC North-leading Lions stalled on three early drives, settling for field goals, before Goff threw an 18-yard strike to rookie Sam LaPorta to put them ahead 16-7 late in the first half. Goff threw a pick-6 to Marcus Peters early in the third quarter, allowing Las Vegas to pull within two points. But Detroit went back ahead by two scores on Gibbs’ 27-yard touchdown run. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for just 126 yards for the Raiders.
October 31, 2023 4:35 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Corey Seager launched a two-run homer and made a slick defensive play in the eighth inning to start a crucial double play, Max Scherzer combined with four relievers for a gem on the mound and the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series. Texas overcame injuries to Scherzer (pictured) and slugger Adolis García in improving to 9-0 on the road this postseason, this time in front of more than 48,000 fans at Chase Field. The 29-year-old Seager once again showed he was worth every penny of his $325 million contract on the game’s biggest stage. Game 4 is Tuesday in Arizona.
October 31, 2023 4:29 am
SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — South Yorkshire Police are investigating the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson after his neck was cut by a skate blade in an English game. The police have urged the public to avoid speculation about the incident. The English governing body has reacted by making all ice hockey players wear neck guards from the start of 2024. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers at the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered the skate cut in a Champions Cup game. Johnson was a 29-year-old Minnesota native. He appeared in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
October 31, 2023 2:07 am
WPIAL soccer playoffs hit the semifinal round Monday with matches including all three Washington County teams still in the running. Canon-McMillan got a goal from Abbey Ault late in regulation but North Allegheny scored 22 seconds into overtime to eliminate the Big Macs girls squad. The Bentworth boys flipped that script as Ryan Moessner scored early in the game, Burrell tied the match late in regulation and Moessner tallied the golden goal off the post in overtime, sending the Bearcats to Friday’s WPIAL championship game for the first time ever. Charleroi boys’ match also needed overtime but Arlo McIntyre’s penalty kick won it for the Cougars, setting up a third meeting between the section foes. The Cougars won the regular season meetings 2-0 and 2-1. The county is down to one volleyball team as Canon-McMillan travels to Fox Chapel Wednesday night for a semifinal match with Seneca Valley.
Schedules for teams from the two-county area follow. Click for WPIAL Girls Volleyball brackets Click for WPIAL Soccer brackets
Monday
Soccer Semifinals
4A Girls #1 North Allegheny 2, #5 Canon-McMillan 1 OT
1A Boys #7 Bentworth 2, #3 Burrell 1 OT
1A Boys #1 Charleroi 1, #4 Seton-La Salle 0 OT
Wednesday
Volleyball Semifinals
4A #3 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Seneca Valley, 6 pm at Fox Chapel
Friday
Soccer Championship at Highmark Stadium, Station Square
1A Boys #7 Bentworth vs. #1 Charleroi, 8 pm
