February 16, 2025 6:06 am
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is focused on becoming a more complete pitcher in 2024. The reigning National League Rookie of the Year says he spent the offseason tinkering with adding two new pitches to an arsenal that includes a fastball that regularly hits 100 mph. Skenes says the goal is to give hitters something else to think about when they step to the plate. The 22-year-old added that he’s hoping to be more efficient during his second season and that he can earn the right to be the opening day starter when the regular season arrives in late March.
February 16, 2025 12:01 am
Section, WPIAL, Regional, States–that’s the four-week grind that is the PIAA Wrestling Championship Series. The road opened Saturday with Sectional tournaments across the WPIAL. Washington & Greene County teams competed in 2A Southern Sectional at Burgettstown, 3A Southern Sectional at South Fayette and 3A Eastern Sectional at Norwin. The top six place-winners in each weight paid the toll to stay on the road, advancing to next weekend’s WPIAL Championships. The 2A wrestlers will head to Chartiers Valley. 3A wrestlers head to Canon-McMillan for the next step on the journey. The WPIAL Girls Championships were held Saturday at North Allegheny with the top five place-winners automatically qualifying for the West Regional. The sixth place finisher would qualify in any weight that the Pittsburgh City League champion does not participate. Click on each tournament for medal-bout results.
2A Southern Sectional–McGuffey advanced 11 wrestlers, followed by Burgettstown (8), Avella (7), Chartiers-Houston & Jeff-Morgan (6 each), Beth-Center (5), Bentworth, Wash High & West Greene (4 each), Fort Cherry 3. The other 19 qualifiers include South Side (7), Frazier & Hopewell (5 each) and Brownsville two.
3A Southern Sectional–Trinity leads the way with 9 WPIAL qualifiers. Canon-McMillan advances 6, Peters Township 5 and Waynesburg 4. Bethel Park and Moon Area each have 9 qualifiers among the 3A neighbors. West Allegheny (7), Upper St. Clair (6), Mt. Lebanon (5), Baldwin, Chartiers Valley and South Fayette have four qualifiers each. Montour (3) and Blackhawk (1) round out the field.
3A Eastern Sectional–Ringgold has five WPIAL qualifiers. Thomas Jefferson (7), Belle Vernon (5) and West Mifflin (2) combine for 14 entries. Connellsville and Franklin Regional each have a dozen qualifiers followed by Norwin with 10 more. Penn-Trafford will send seven into next week. Latrobe and Plum have five qualifiers each with Hempfield (4), Gateway (3) and Albert Gallatin (1) rounding out the bracket.
Girls WPIAL Championships–Canon-McMillan led the WPIAL Girls championships with one champion, two runners-up and at least 9 West Regional qualifiers. Marlee Solomon won a major decision to claim the 112 pound championship. Avella’s Abigail Dolanch and Fort Cherry’s Ella Trahan also won WPIAL titles. Dolanch will be joined by Avella teammate Virginia Smith. Trinity has at least two, possibly three, wrestlers advancing to the regional tournament March 1st. Peters Township and Ringgold each have one wrestling moving on.
February 15, 2025 12:01 pm
Bri Morreale scored 14 of her team-high 21 points in the second quarter as the #2 Peters Township girls downed Fox Chapel. Daniela Radulovich had an 8-point opening quarter on the way to a 20-point night as the Indians advanced to the 5A quarterfinals and clinched a PIAA playoff berth. The McGuffey girls led, 22-19, at the half, but were held to just 13 points after intermission and were eliminated. The WPIAL championships return to the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center Feb. 27-March 1. First round scores are listed along with the upcoming schedule for teams from the two-county area. Click for WPIAL Brackets
WPIAL First Round
Friday, Feb. 14
Girls 5A #2 Peters Township 66, #15 Fox Chapel 58
Girls 3A #7 Quaker Valley 39, #10 McGuffey 35
Monday, Feb. 17
Boys 2A #7 Chartiers-Houston vs. #10 Shenango, 7 pm at Chartiers-Houston
Boys 2A #9 Fort Cherry at #8 Union, 6:45 pm WJPA-FM (95.3) or Watch/Listen Here
Boys 2A #15 Bentworth at #2 Sewickley Academy, 6:45 pm WJPA-AM (1450) or Watch/Listen Here
Girls 1A #7 West Greene vs. #10 Eden Christian, 7 pm at West Greene
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Boys 5A #6 Peters Township vs. #11 Penn Hills at Peters Township, 6:45 pm WJPA-FM (95.3) or Watch/Listen Here
Boys 3A #15 Charleroi at #2 South Allegheny, 7 pm
Boys 3A #8 McGuffey vs. #9 Shady Side Academy at McGuffey, 7 pm
Boys 3A #14 Waynesburg at #3 Mohawk, 7 pm
Girls 2A #12 California at #5 Fort Cherry, 6:45 pm WJPA-AM (1450) or Watch/Listen Here
Girls 2A #9 Beth-Center at #8 Laurel, 7 pm
Girls 2A #14 Burgettstown vs. #3 Winchester Thurston at Keystone Oaks, 6 pm
Girls 2A #6 Chartiers-Houston vs. #11 Brentwood at Chartiers-Houston, 7 pm
Girls 2A #15 Carmichaels at #2 Aliquippa 6 pm
WPIAL Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Girls 5A #2 Peters Township vs. #7 Indiana, site/time to be announced
Thursday, Feb. 20
Girls 6A #4 Canon-McMillan vs. #5 Butler at Canon-McMillan, 6 pm
February 14, 2025 8:01 pm
WPIAL Girls Championships at North Allegheny
Championships
100 Kristen Walzer (Montour) DEC Blythe Letters (Shaler Area), 7-0
106 Ella Trahan (Fort Cherry) FALL Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 5:19
112 Marlee Solomon (Canon-McMillan) MAJ DEC Kaila Keesecker (West Mifflin), 14-6
118 Braylee Ireland (Knoch) DEC Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 7-3
124 Anna Duncan (South Park) FALL Aariona Strader (Pine Richland), 5:11
130 Haley Smarsh (Moon Area) MAJ DEC Saphia Davis (Plum), 12-1
136 Ava Golding (Kiski Area) DEC Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 5-1 TB2
142 Abigail Dolanch (Avella) FALL Grace Nasman (Upper St. Clair), 1:37
148 Josephine Dollman (Norwin) FALL Evangeline Gray (Canon-McMillan), 0:24
155 Karsyn Champion (Norwin) DEC Sophia Folks (North Allegheny), 11-8 SV
170 Octavia Walker (Norwin) FALL Virginia Smith (Avella), 0:37
190 Alaina Claassen (Plum) DEC Arianna Bernard (Valley), 3-0
235 Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland) FALL Brooklyn Pearson (Woodland Hills), 0:42
Third Place
100 Everly Harrell (Seneca Valley) FALL Natalia Clem (Canon-McMillan), 1:32
106 Rylee Mains (Southmoreland) FALL Adele Shih-Calabro (Seneca Valley), 4:07
112 Trinity Moore (Connellsville) FALL Rhiana Tolliver (Ringgold), 0:19
118 Yuni Ayala (Canon-McMillan) FALL Brin Zehmisch (Butler Area), 1:56
124 Emmaleah Cunningham (Beaver) FALL Bella Stewart (Burrell), 1:38
130 Maddee Fischer (Seneca Valley) FALL Maranda Weems (Woodland Hills), 2:06
136 Maggie Alfera (Laurel) DEC Ava Williams (Canon-McMillan), 8-1
142 Alyssa Tresco (Kiski Area) DEC Alexia Ashby (Trinity), 6-2
148 Elaina Ashby (Trinity) FALL Tiffany Gathers (Pine Richland), 1:00
155 Contessa Cotelesse (Laurel) FALL Kaeleigh Tuell (Seneca Valley), 2:16
170 Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan) FALL Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley), 2:00
190 Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) FALL Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township), 2:30
235 Monica Osborne (Butler Area) FALL London Ellis (Canon-McMillan), 1:53
Fifth Place
100 Atia Digioia (Fox Chapel) FALL Julieth Flores (Connellsville), 1:39
106 Sophia Beanner (Mt. Lebanon) FORFEIT Ella Campbell (Burrell), 0-0
112 Carly O’Connell (North Allegheny) NC Taylor Chambers (Southmoreland)
118 Sadie Sarver (Greensburg Salem) FALL Emilia Hutcherson (Valley), 1:23
124 Addison Claassen (Plum) FALL Paula Sanchez (Valley), 4:25
130 Juliana VanSlyke (Mt. Lebanon) FALL Emma Petrovich (Connellsville), 3:19
136 Lauren Bachman (Fox Chapel) DEC Lorelei Bungard (North Allegheny), 11-9
142 Kaitlynn Plopi (Butler Area) DEC Katie Koehler (Burrell), 9-8
148 Kaylee Flowers (New Castle) FALL Maya Scott (North Allegheny), 0:59
155 Imani Cameron-Botti (Connellsville) FALL Alaya Henderson (Canon-McMillan), 3:20
170 Olivia Shultz (Connellsville) DEC Lili Maxwell (Greater Latrobe), 2-1
190 Jenna Chapman (Albert Gallatin) DEC Olivia Hageman (Butler Area), 11-4
235 Elizabeth Kantoris (Greater Latrobe) FALL Daelyn Norris (Trinity), 1:27
February 14, 2025 8:00 pm
WPIAL 2A Southern Sectional at Burgettstown
Championships
107 Darius Simmons (Burgettstown) FALL Brayden Hanning (Jefferson Morgan), 5:56
114 Clayton Ealy (McGuffey) DEC Alex Medlen (Beth Center), 8-4
121 Noah Collins (West Greene) FALL Tucker Main (McGuffey), 4:55
127 Danny Smith (Burgettstown) TECH FALL James Dulaney (Jefferson Morgan), 21-5 4:11
133 Drake McClure (Bentworth) DEFAULT Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey)
139 Lucas Barr (McGuffey) FALL Jahvon Woods (Washington), 1:42
145 Victor Bonus (McGuffey) DEC Caleb Patton (Washington), 11-7
152 Jonah Erdely (Frazier) DEC Logan Noyes (Burgettstown), 1-0
160 Owen Ivcic (Bentworth) MAJ DEC Alek Palko (Jefferson Morgan), 10-2
172 Jackson Angelo (Frazier) FALL Noah Layhue (Beth Center), 2:23
189 Malachi Peak (Beth Center) MAJ DEC Aaron Supler (McGuffey), 10-2
215 Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry) FALL Lucian Williams (South Side), 0:49
285 Colin Whyte (West Greene) MAJ DEC Alex Rusilko (Bentworth), 11-0
Third Place
107 Jace Lloyd (Avella) TECH FALL John Dove (Chartiers-Houston), 20-2 3:29
114 Kamden Stamm (Chartiers-Houston) FALL Caleb Dulaney (Jefferson Morgan), 0:45
121 Noah Patton (Washington) FALL Drake Buzzard (Avella), 2:26
127 Lane Ealy (McGuffey) DEC Adam Ware (Avella), 7-0
133 Mason Wright (Beth Center) MAJ DEC Carter Katus (Burgettstown), 13-3
139 Johnny Gilbert (Jefferson Morgan) DEC Bryce Crowson (Bentworth), 9-5
145 Ryder Goe (South Side) DEC Justin Obedobel (Hopewell), 8-3
152 Garrett Newman (McGuffey) FALL Shawn Robertson (Fort Cherry), 4:30
160 Ryan Celaschi (Frazier) TECH FALL Chas Rush (Avella), 17-1 1:39
172 Reid Teagarden (McGuffey) FALL Owen Straight (Chartiers-Houston), 1:27
189 Slayton Williams (South Side) FALL Brayden Bedillion (Avella), 2:11
215 Adam Baloga (Burgettstown) DEC Homer Headlee (Beth Center), 6-3
285 Teddy Gray (Burgettstown) FALL Hank Berner (Hopewell), 3:26
Fifth Place
107 Ian Dilts (South Side) bye
114 Gage Bradley (Burgettstown) FALL Dustin Mace (Avella), 4:38
121 Connor Pinchok (Jefferson Morgan) TECH FALL Jacob Medich (Hopewell), 15-0 3:37
127 Logan Ross (Brownsville) FALL Dominic Lazzaro (South Side), 0:10
133 Evan Tirado (Hopewell) FALL Camron Shaffer (Washington), 2:20
139 Greg Carter (Burgettstown) DEC Emmett Erdely (Frazier), 7-1
145 Chase Celaschi (Frazier) DEC Mark Adkins (Avella), 14-11
152 Levi Yeater (West Greene) FALL Moses Pinkevich (South Side), 1:22
160 Jesus Chavez (Chartiers-Houston) DEC Gage Clayton (McGuffey), 5-1
172 Christian Yanosko (Fort Cherry) TECH FALL Miles Rocco (South Side), 20-4 2:49
189 Austin Gouza (Hopewell) FALL Hayden Hamilton (West Greene), 2:46
215 Leland Laws (Chartiers-Houston) FALL Matthew Furmanek (McGuffey), 4:35
285 Jacob Lyle (Chartiers-Houston) FALL Michael Ulery (Brownsville), 2:18
February 14, 2025 8:00 pm
WPIAL 3A Eastern Sectional at Norwin
Championships
107 Zach Rehak (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Beau Fennick (Franklin Regional), 10-3
114 Nico Kapusta (Hempfield Area) DEC Dylan Barrett (Penn Trafford), 9-7
121 Leo Joseph (Greater Latrobe) DEC Nolan Rice (Connellsville), 4-2 TB2
127 Mikey Ruane (Franklin Regional) MAJ DEC Evan Tolliver (Ringgold), 11-0
133 Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe) TECH FALL Chase Smith (Franklin Regional), 20-3 3:51
139 Kai Vielma (Connellsville) TECH FALL Deydon Soto (Belle Vernon), 17-1 4:49
145 Julian Ruggieri (Connellsville) DEC Max Firestine (Franklin Regional), 8-6
152 Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Evan Petrovich (Connellsville), 11-4
160 Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville) DEC Brayden White (Thomas Jefferson), 11-6
172 Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson) TECH FALL Julien Sepelyak (Plum), 18-3 2:36
189 Hunter Snyder (Greater Latrobe) TECH FALL Zach LaBryer (Thomas Jefferson), 15-0 3:21
215 Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon) TECH FALL Jake Conroy (Ringgold), 15-0 2:43
285 Shepherd Turk (Thomas Jefferson) FALL Frank Grazulis (Plum), 0:36
Third Place
107 Tommy Gretz (Connellsville) FALL Gracin Guglielmo (Belle Vernon), 2:27
114 Coleton Klipa (Norwin) MAJ DEC Leif Syrko (Ringgold), 15-1
121 Nate Caracciolo (Hempfield Area) DEC Luke DeSantis (Penn Trafford), 7-2
127 Daniel Smith (Connellsville) DEC Jacob LaBryer (Thomas Jefferson), 5-3
133 Jake Lilley (Connellsville) TECH FALL Dom Butera (Norwin), 20-2 3:32
139 Nathan Klingensmith (Norwin) DEC Nico Sarnic (Franklin Regional), 2-1 TB2
145 Sydney Hand (Penn Trafford) DEC Colby Hibner (Belle Vernon), 2-1
152 Kole Doppelheuer (Belle Vernon) DEC Jack White (Norwin), 2-0
160 Cristian Lowther (Ringgold) DEC Cooper Dietz (West Mifflin), 4-1
172 Riley Shaffer (Norwin) TECH FALL Jordan Perks (Franklin Regional), 17-0 1:58
189 Henry Patts (Franklin Regional) DEC Santino Brasco (Norwin), 4-0
215 Christopher Cook (Connellsville) DEC Johnny Montgomery (Franklin Regional), 5-2
285 Tyler Gallis (Connellsville) FALL Sebastian Summerville (Norwin), 2:43
Fifth Place
107 Luca Butera (Norwin) TECH FALL Gavin Morris (Albert Gallatin), 16-1 5:00
114 Zachary Franks (Connellsville) DEC Titus Colangelo (Franklin Regional), 6-2
121 Nathan Gulibon (Norwin) DEC Lashawn Haley (West Mifflin), 4-2
127 Logan Ventura (Penn Trafford) FORFEIT Ty King (Hempfield Area)
133 Braden Washington (Gateway) DEC Jake Lang (Penn Trafford), 5-0
139 Jacob Halsted (Hempfield Area) FOR Owen Campbell (Plum)
145 Evan Suedhoff (Norwin) MAJ DEC Douglas Harchick (Plum), 11-3
152 Luke Ankney (Franklin Regional) DEC Trent Reese (Plum), 5-4
160 Ethan Cartwright (Franklin Regional) DEC Logan Matrisch (Penn Trafford), 5-4
172 Cooper Lembo (Connellsville) FALL T.J. Mitchell (Gateway), 0:17
189 Owen Conroy (Ringgold) MAJ DEC Donovan DeLuco (Gateway), 12-1
215 Nico Dominick (Greater Latrobe) FALL Ben Grabowski (Penn Trafford), 3:46
285 Marco Scarton (Greater Latrobe) DEC Elishua Daugherty (Franklin Regional), 4-1
February 14, 2025 8:00 pm
WPIAL 3A Southern Sectional at South Fayette
Championships
107 Nicholas McGarrity (Peters Township) DEC Michael Johnson (West Allegheny), 6-3
114 Lucas Carson (West Allegheny) DEC Parker Jennings (Trinity), 9-4
121 Thomas Bencho (West Allegheny) DEC Gionno Gardner (Canon-McMillan), 14-8
127 Dom Canali (Trinity) MAJ DEC Evan Sala (Mt. Lebanon), 9-0
133 Collier Hartman (Canon-McMillan) DEC Cael Yanek (Moon Area), 7-5
139 T.J. Allison (Trinity) DEC Talan Mizenko (South Fayette), 3-2 UTB
145 Ramil Islamov (Baldwin) TECH FALL Ethan Higgins (Bethel Park), 19-4 4:15
152 Darius McMillon (Peters Township) DEC Cole Gibbons (Mt. Lebanon), 4-1
160 Liam Costa (Moon Area) FALL Brock Evans (Waynesburg), 3:02
172 Devin McCauley (Mt. Lebanon) DEC Michael Olszewski (Moon Area), 6-3 SV
189 Jake Stephenson (Waynesburg) DEC Bryce Collins (Canon-McMillan), 4-1
215 Brayden Collins (Canon-McMillan) DEC Hunter Goelz (Bethel Park), 6-1
285 Cam Danna (West Allegheny) DEC Ben Lloyd (Mt. Lebanon), 2-1 UTB
Third Place
107 Bryce Thomas (Moon Area) DEF Jackson Hoy (Trinity)
114 Karsten Kirchner (Moon Area) FALL Ayden Miller (Baldwin), 4:17
121 Pierce Reinhart (Bethel Park) DEC Jonathan Emma (Mt. Lebanon), 7-0
127 Colton Fisher (Bethel Park) DEC Floyd Huff (Waynesburg), 7-6
133 A.J. Snatchko (West Allegheny) DEC Logan Connolly (Chartiers Valley), 8-5
139 Aden Stout (Bethel Park) DEC Jacob Chacon (Montour), 5-1
145 Devin Junko (Trinity) MAJ DEC Mason Calgaro (Canon-McMillan), 10-1
152 Luke Dunlap (South Fayette) FALL Derek Worstell (Upper St. Clair), 0:23
160 Rook Smith (Montour) FALL Behr Bruckner (Trinity), 4:00
172 Ayden Solomon (Canon-McMillan) DEC Caleb Crawford (Bethel Park), 4-0
189 Jackson Bruckner (Trinity) DEC Owen Bereznay (Moon Area), 2-1
215 Khalil Razipour (Moon Area) FALL Ian Holub (Trinity), 4:54
285 Owen Rush (Canon-McMillan) DEC Michael Gibson (Bethel Park), 6-3 TB2
Fifth Place
107 Cooper Knorr (Chartiers Valley) FALL Spencer Hills (Upper St. Clair), 2:16
114 Alisher Abdurakhmanov (Upper St. Clair) FALL Sam Burgunder (Chartiers Valley), 2:35
121 Brock Dennison (South Fayette) FALL Landon Ault (Trinity), 1:22
127 Dane McMillon (Peters Township) DEC Alex Tucker (Upper St. Clair), 12-10
133 Seth Miller (Bethel Park) DEC Peter Leventis (South Fayette), 7-5
139 Logan Slovick (West Allegheny) MAJ DEC Mike Griffiths (Baldwin), 13-1
145 Blake Schepis (West Allegheny) FORFEIT Elijah Thomas (Moon Area)
152 Ian Bucheli (Bethel Park) FALL Tavis Lindsay (Moon Area), 2:45
160 Maksim Miller (Bethel Park) DEC Luca Coury (Upper St. Clair), 8-1
172 Bryce Catanzaro (Upper St. Clair) FORFEIT Parker Nave (Peters Township)
189 Nate Reed (Blackhawk) FORFEIT Howard Clellen (Chartiers Valley)
215 Mahabullah Amini (Baldwin) FORFEIT Roan Tustin (Waynesburg)
285 Zack Stromock (Peters Township) FALL Jacob Halbedl (Montour), 1:42
February 15, 2025 12:01 am
Bentworth exploded for 29 points in the third quarter to roll past South Side Area and advance in the WPIAL 2A boys basketball playoff bracket. Chris Harper had a game-high 24 points, 13 in the third quarter alone. Ben Hays added 23 points as Head Coach Bob Kennedy picked up his 200th career win. The Bearcats will play at #2 Sewickley Academy Monday evening. Bentworth was the only preliminary-round winner from the two-county area Thursday night. Click for WPIAL Brackets
Thursday, Feb. 13–Preliminaries
Boys 2A #13 Winchester Thurston 50, #20 Beth-Center 39
Boys 2A #15 Bentworth 64, #18 South Side Area 40
Boys 2A #21 Springdale 42, #12 Jeff-Morgan 33
Boys 2A #19 Brentwood 59, #14 West Greene 49
Girls 2A #16 Apollo-Ridge 70, #17 Bentworth 46
February 14, 2025 4:29 am
The New York Jets announced they told quarterback Aaron Rodgers they are moving on without him next season. While Rodgers hasn’t said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season, the Jets with new general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn in charge have officially ruled out a return to New York. In a statement issued by the team, the Jets said they met with the 41-year-old quarterback last week and informed him of their plans. The four-time MVP is the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season. He has one year of non-guaranteed money left on his contract.
February 14, 2025 4:31 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles fans will be swooning on Valentine’s Day as they swarm the city for a Super Bowl parade. There’ll be a lot of love to go around. The underdog Eagles possess the Lombardi trophy after an easy 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is the game’s MVP and running back Saquon Barkley the league’s offensive player of the year. The parade starts at 11 a.m. in South Philadelphia, while the team ceremony kicks off at 2 p.m. on the art museum’s “Rocky” steps. City leaders hope the famously exuberant Eagles fans will stay safe and keep the mood festive.
