March 5, 2024 4:29 am
The New Jersey Devils have fired coach Lindy Ruff and named assistant Travis Green as the interim replacement for the rest of the season. General manager Tom Fitzgerald made the surprising move with just over 20 games left to play. The Devils have lost five of seven to fall further out of playoff contention. Ruff was in his fourth season with the club. The Devils reached the second round of the playoffs last year. Green was in his first year with the team as an associate coach on Ruff’s staff. He spent parts of five seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
March 4, 2024 1:55 am
With the WPIAL basketball championships complete, teams turn their attention to the final stretch of the season, the PIAA Basketball Tournament. Action is due to begin Friday, March 8 with the championships Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Four Washington County teams are in the brackets including the Fort Cherry boys & girls teams along with Peters Township and Trinity girls. First round opponents for the County teams are listed along with those of our nearest neighbor in the South Hills, Mon Valley and airport areas. Click PIAA Brackets
PIAA First Round
Friday, March 8
2A Girls WPIAL-7 Fort Cherry at 10-1 Kennedy Catholic, 7 pm
6A Girls WPIAL-3 Peters Township at 3-3 Lebanon, 5:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
6A Girls WPIAL-4 Chartiers Valley at 6-1 Altoona, 7:30 pm
3A Girls WPIAL-5 Keystone Oaks at 10-2 Northwestern, 6 pm
3A Girls WPIAL-6 Seton-La Salle at 9-1 Karns City, 7 pm
5A Boys WPIAL-4 Thomas Jefferson at 3-3 York Suburban, 6 pm
5A Boys WPIAL-6 Bethel Park at 3-2 Hershey, 6 pm
5A Boys 8-1 Obama Academy at WPIAL-1 Moon Area, 7 pm
4A Boys WPIAL-7 Montour at WPIAL-1 Lincoln Park, 7 pm
1A Girls WPIAL-5 Monessen at 9-1 Elk County Catholic, 5:30 pm
1A Boys WPIAL-5 Monessen at 9-1 Elk County Catholic, 7 pm
Saturday, March 9
2A Boys WPIAL-3 Fort Cherry at 9-2 Karns City, 12:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
5A Girls WPIAL-5 Trinity at 10-1 Cathedral Prep, 5:45 pm on WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen/Watch Here
5A Girls 3-8 Redland at WPIAL-1 South Fayette, 2 pm
4A Girls WPIAL-3 Elizabeth-Forward at 10-2 Warren, 1 pm
6A Boys 10-1 McDowell at WPIAL-2 Baldwin, 1 pm
6A Boys 3-7 Central Dauphin at WPIAL-1 Upper St. Clair, 1 pm
6A Boys WPIAL-3 Mt. Lebanon at 6-1 State College, 3 pm
2A Boys WPIAL-5 Bishop Canevin at 5-1 Conemaugh Township, 4 pm
March 4, 2024 4:32 am
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Zach Hyman scored two goals and Leon Draisaitl had three assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1. Ryan McLeod and Connor McDavid each had a goal and an assist, and Corey Perry and Cody Ceci also scored for the Oilers, who have won four in a row and are 31-8-1 in their last 40 games. Calvin Pickard stopped 22 shots. Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins in their third straight loss. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 31 saves.
March 4, 2024 4:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ed Ott, a former major league catcher and coach who helped the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1979 World Series, has died. He was 72. The Pirates say Ott died Sunday in the central Pennsylvania town of Danville. No further details were provided by the team. Ott was selected by Pittsburgh in the 23rd round of the 1970 amateur draft out of high school. He batted .259 with 33 homers and 195 RBIs in 567 major league games. Ott and Steve Nicosia were the main catchers when the Pirates won it all in 1979.
March 4, 2024 4:38 am
Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. He was 72. ESPN confirmed Mortensen’s death on Sunday. There was no immediate word on the cause or place of death. Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could “focus on my health, family and faith.”
March 3, 2024 8:11 am
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Yegor Sharangovich scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 50 seconds left, and the Calgary Flames rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman also scored for Calgary, which has won a season-high five consecutive games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 shots and the Flames moved five points behind Los Angeles for the second Western Conference wild card. Jonathan Gruden got his first NHL goal, and Lars Eller and Jeff Carter also scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 16 saves. With Tampa Bay’s win earlier in the night, the Penguins fell 10 points behind the Lightning for the second Eastern Conference wild card — though Pittsburgh has five games in hand.
March 3, 2024 7:00 am
Canon-McMillan won three individual championships, qualified eight wrestlers for the inaugural PIAA Championship tournament and won the first=ever regional points title Saturday. Valarie Solorio, Audrey Calgaro and Natalie Rush each won championships, Capri Chambers and Dynisty Williams both finished third with Malia Ramos, Yunuen Ayala & Eva Gray taking fourth. Grace O’Korn & Liliana Giulanielli both won silver medals for Peters Township along with Ringgold’s Anna Duncan. Abilgail Dolanch took third, wrestling for Fort Cherry with teammate Isabella Spotti taking fourth. We’ll have start-to-finish coverage of the first-ever PIAA Girls Championships from the Giant Center starting Thursday afternoon on the WJPA Sports Network (WJPA-AM 1450).
Championships
100 Valarie Solorio (Canon-McMillan) F Kristen Walzer (Montour), 3:04
106 Madilyn Enterline (Greenville) MD Ashley Campbell (General McLane), 12-2
112 Daylee Watson (Conneaut) DEC Emma Johnston (Hickory), 10-3
118 Ana Malovich (Butler) F Trinity Moore (Connellsville), 3:14
124 Saphia Davis (Plum) DEC Kelly Enterline (Greenville), 5-4
130 Haley Smarsh (Moon) F Anna Duncan (Ringgold), 2:47
136 Ava Golding (Kiski Area) MD Janayah Nobles (Connellsville), 10-2
142 Josephine Dollman (Norwin) F Grace O’Korn (Peters Township), 1:20
148 Karsyn Champion (Norwin) F Hannah Hornick (Seneca Valley), 4:17
155 Leyna Rumpler (North Allegheny) DEC Avry Ryhal (Hickory), 2-1
170 Audrey Calgaro (Canon-McMillan) DEC Octavia Walker (Norwin), 7-0
190 Natalie Rush (Canon-McMillan) F Liliana Giulianelli (Peters Township), 2:41
235 Alaina Claassen (Plum) F Zoey Murphy (Southmoreland), 3:21
Third Place
100 Miranda Lajevic (Knoch) F Sophia Beanner (Mt. Lebanon), 0:33
106 Capri Chambers (Canon-McMillan) DEC Joanna Saad (North Hills), 7-1
112 Tamara Humphries (Brashear) MD Malia Ramos (Canon-McMillan), 14-3
118 Leah Sample (Saegertown) DEC Yunuen Ayala (Canon-McMillan), 7-2
124 Alexis Brua (Laurel) DEC Paige Jox (Mt. Lebanon), 6-1
130 Asia Fowler (Woodland Hills) DEC Kacie Mook (Saegertown), 1-0
136 Abigail Dolanch (Fort Cherry) MD Kasey Kophazy (Warren), 8-0
142 Anastasia Manchester (Butler) DEC Eva Gray (Canon-McMillan), 1-0
148 Contessa Cotelesse (Laurel) F Katie Seamens (Warren), 0:55
155 Dynisty Williams (Canon-McMillan) F Imani Cameron-Botti (Connellsville), 3:32
170 Olivia Shultz (Connellsville) F Rowen Lewis (Greater Latrobe), 3:44
190 Abigail Hewitt (Norwin) F Kailynn Adams (Hickory), 4:05
235 Miranda Kantoris (Greater Latrobe) F Isabella Spotti (Fort Cherry), 1:27
March 3, 2024 7:00 am
Bentworth’s Chris Vargo rolled past Jax Forrest in the 127 pound championship match, beating the #2 ranked wrestler in the state, leading the Bearcats to an impressive showing at the PIAA Southwest AA Regional at Altoona. Bentworth is sending four wrestlers to the state tournament next week in Hershey. Joining Vargo are Owen Ivcic (2nd), Vitali Daniels & Drake McClure, both 4th place finishers. Chartiers-Houston’s Jorden Williams is the only other wrestler from Washington/Greene County to win a regional championship. Burgettstown also has four state qualifiers: Gaven Suica (3rd), Joey Baronick & Parker Sentipal (4th) and Rudy Brown (5th). The other qualifiers from the two-county area include: Mason Wright (Beth-Center), Braedon Welsh (Ft. Cherry), Lucas Barr & Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey), Chase Frameli (Jeff-Morgan) and Colin Whyte (West Greene). AA preliminaries get underway Thursday morning (9 am) at the Giant Center and on the WJPA Sports Network (WJPA-AM 1450).
Championships
107 Dominic Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) DEC Tanner Guenot (Bald Eagle Area), 1-0
114 Jorden Williams (Chartiers-Houston) DEC Easton Mull (Chestnut Ridge), 5-3
121 Lincoln Sledzianowski (Bishop McCort) DEC Landon Bainey (West Branch), 7-1
127 Chris Vargo (Bentworth) DEC Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort), 13-7
133 Mason Gibson (Bishop McCort) MD Jack Kazalas (Quaker Valley), 13-5
139 Bo Bassett (Bishop McCort) F Cooper Hornack (Burrell), 2:24
145 Jackson Butler (Bishop McCort) DEC Owen Ivcic (Bentworth), 11-5
152 Melvin Miller (Bishop McCort) DEC Trent Hoover (Penn Cambria), 3-1
160 Devon Magro (Bishop McCort) MD Isaiah Pisano (Hopewell), 19-7
172 Elijah Brown (Belle Vernon) DEC Braedon Welsh (Fort Cherry), 3-2
189 Caleb Close (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Andrew McMonagle (Huntingdon), 5-3
215 Rune Lawrence (Frazier) F Josh Ryan (Mount Union), 0:41
285 Brenan Morgan (Central Valley) TF Dylan Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant), 18-3 4:28
Third Place
107 Cam Baker (Burrell) DEC Caleb Hummel (Philipsburg-Osceola), 9-3
114 Caden Judice (Bald Eagle Area) DEC Drake McClure (Bentworth), 2-0
121 Josef Garshnick (United) F Antonio Boni (Central Valley), 2:45
127 Nico Fanella (Indiana) DEC Lucas Barr (McGuffey), 7-5
133 Colten Shunk (Penns Valley) DEC Parker Sentipal (Burgettstown), 3-2
139 Gaven Suica (Burgettstown) DEC Marcus Gable (Philipsburg-Osceola), 4-2
145 Mason Horwat (Derry) DEC Kole Doppelheuer (Belle Vernon), 3-1
152 Ty Watson (Penns Valley) DEC Damon Michaels (Elizabeth Forward), 9-4 SV
160 Chase Frameli (Jefferson Morgan) M FOR Ryan Celaschi (Frazier)
172 Owen McMullen (Bishop McCort) DEC Charles Perkins (Valley), 6-5
189 Jackson Angelo (Frazier) DEC Vitali Daniels (Bentworth), 10-5
215 Rowan Holmes (Somerset) DEC Colin Whyte (West Greene), 7-0
285 Braden Ewing (Tyrone) DEC Joseph Baronick (Burgettstown), 2-1 TB2
Fifth Place
107 Dakota Santamaria (Tussey Mountain) DEC Bruce Anderchak (Quaker Valley), 5-3 SV
114 Erik Carlile (Penns Valley) DEC Anthony Mucci (Derry), 5-2
121 Mason Wright (Beth Center) DEC Emmett Wolfe (McGuffey), 4-1 TB2
127 Gideon Bracken (United) F Don Lindsey (Central Valley), 1:37
133 Tyler Clark (Frazier) DEC Anthony Orlandini (Montour), 5-1
139 Ezra Swisher (Bellefonte) DEC Lucas Boyer (Elizabeth Forward), 4-2 SV
145 Rook Smith (Montour) DEF Jamison Poklembo (Mt. Pleasant), 6-0 3:40
152 Rudy Brown (Burgettstown) MD Greg Shaulis (Mt. Pleasant), 11-3
160 Kaden Barnhart (River Valley) MD Ethan Fetterolf (Penns Valley), 11-1
172 Kyle Scott (Tyrone) DEC George Campbell (Glendale), 3-1
189 Brady Brown (Derry) DEC Eion Snider (Northern Bedford), 7-2
215 Rece Dibert (Northern Bedford) DEC Jordan Butler (Bishop McCort), 5-3
285 Daniel Williams (Glendale) F Jonah McCoy (Westmont Hilltop), 1:22
March 3, 2024 7:00 am
Peters Township freshman Nicholas McGarrity scored a takedown in overtime to win the 107-pound WPIAL 3A championship one of three Washington County wrestlers to win titles, leading a contingent of 13 state tournament qualifiers from the two-county area. Canon-McMillan and Trinity each have four wrestlers heading to the Giant Center for Thursday afternoon’s opening round. The Big Macs are led by Andrew Binni, a four-time WPIAL medalist who won his first championship. Collier Hartman & Geno Calgaro finished third, Ryder Joseph fourth. Blake Reihner and Bode Morgan took third for Trinity with TJ & Robbie Allison both finishing fourth. Ringgold’s Jake Conroy is the Rams only qualifier but he’ll head to Hershey as a WPIAL champion. Waynesburg’s Roan Tustin finished second, Ky Szewczyk and Brock Evans fourth. We’ll have start-to-finish coverage from the Giant Center on the WJPA Sports Network (WJPA-AM 1450).
Championships
107 Nicholas McGarrity (Peters Township) DEC Dylan Barrett (Penn Trafford), 6-2 SV
114 Santino Sloboda (Butler) DEC Landon Sidun (Norwin), 5-4
121 Luke Willochell (Greater Latrobe) DEC Tyler Kapusta (Franklin Regional), 1-0
127 Andrew Binni (Canon-McMillan) MD Jake Braun (Greater Latrobe), 19-7
133 Mason Kernan (Bethel Park) DEC Kai Vielma (Connellsville), 7-0
139 Maddox Shaw (Thomas Jefferson) F Dominic Ferraro (Pine Richland), 0:49
145 Evan Petrovich (Connellsville) DEC Hayden Coy (Penn Trafford), 4-2
152 Eli Carr (Hempfield) DEC Nick Jones (West Allegheny), 6-0
160 Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Lonzy Vielma (Connellsville), 11-7
172 Vaughn Spencer (Pine Richland) F Hunter Snyder (Greater Latrobe), 2:33
189 Cooper Roscosky (Kiski Area) DEC Nathan Campbell (Norwin), 4-2 SV
215 Jake Conroy (Ringgold) DEC Aidan Buggey (North Allegheny), 5-1
285 Shepherd Turk (Thomas Jefferson) DEC Roan Tustin (Waynesburg), 3-0
Third Place
107 Nolan Rice (Connellsville) DEC Nico Kapusta (Hempfield), 4-2
114 Leo Joseph (Greater Latrobe) DEC Caiden Harbert (West Allegheny), 8-4
121 Collier Hartman (Canon-McMillan) DEC Connor Smith (Seneca Valley), 5-3
127 Owen Klodowski (Baldwin) DEC Ky Szewczyk (Waynesburg), 4-0
133 Ramil Islamov (Baldwin) DEC Kase Chopp (Butler), 8-3
139 Blake Reihner (Trinity) F Ryder Joseph (Canon-McMillan), 2:27
145 Cole Gibbons (Mt. Lebanon) DEC TJ Allison (Trinity), 3-2
152 Antonino Walker (Plum) DEC Luke Dunlap (South Fayette), 3-0
160 Cordan McDonnell (Bethel Park) DEF Brock Evans (Waynesburg), 0-0
172 Bode Morgan (Trinity) MD Jack Tongel (Plum), 9-0
189 Roman Thompson (Central Catholic) DEF Robbie Allison (Trinity), 0-0
215 Geno Calgaro (Canon-McMillan) DEC Juliano Marion (Franklin Regional), 7-3
285 Ben Lloyd (Mt. Lebanon) F Braydn McConneha (North Allegheny), 1:39
March 2, 2024 7:00 am
The first qualifiers for the PIAA Wrestling Championships were determined Friday night. The top six wrestlers in each weight at the Southwest AA tournament in Altoona advance to Hershey. That means that quarterfinal winners clinch a ticket to states and Bentworth led the way among area teams. Vitali Daniels, Owen Ivcic, Drake McClure and Chris Vargo are all in Saturday’s semifinals. Braydon Taggart is alive in the consolation bracket. Burgettstown’s Parker Sentipal and Gaven Suica are in the semis with four teammates in the consolations. Mason Wright (Beth-Center), Jorden Williams (Chartiers-Houston), Braedon Wright (Fort Cherry) and Lucas Barr (McGuffey) also won their quarterfinal matches to qualify for the state tourney, giving Washington County 10 guaranteed AA qualifiers with another 14 consolation wrestlers still in action. Jeff-Morgan and West Greene have three consolation wrestlers each but no one in the semifinals. Bentworth is second in the team standings behind prohibitive favorite Bishop McCort. Burgettstown is in sixth place heading into Saturday. We’ll have start-to-finish coverage on the WJPA Sports Network with free audio online at wjpa.com and video available via NFHS Network (subscription service).
Southwest AA Regional
8:50 am Semifinals, Consolation Rounds 1-4
5:05 pm Championship & Consolation Finals (3rd, 5th, 7th place)
WPIAL Team Tournament runner-up Trinity sits in third place at the WPIAL AAA Individual Championships, advancing three wrestlers to the semifinals with four others still alive in the consolations. Robbie Allison, Bodie Morgan and Blake Reihner clinch a state tournament berth with one more win. Consolation wrestlers need two straight wins to advance. Canon-McMillan is in seventh place but has four in the semis: Andrew Binni, Geno Calgaro, Collier Hartman and Ryder Joseph. Peters Township (Nicholas McGarrity) and Ringgold (Jake Conroy) each have one semifinalist and four wrestlers in the consolations. Ky Szewczyk and Roan Tustin have reached the semifinals for Waynesburg. The Raiders also have two wrestlers still in consolation brackets. We’ll have coverage of the WPIAL 3A Wrestling Championships and the PIAA West Regional Girls Tournament on the WJPA Sports Network with free audio on WJPA-AM (1450) and online at wjpa.com. We’ll also provide video coverage of the championship finals through the WPIAL partnership with FloWrestling and NFHS Network.
WPIAL AAA Championships & PIAA Girls West Regional
9:50 am Girls Quarterfinals, Boys/Girls Semifinals, Consolation Rounds 2-4
3:50 pm Championship & Consolation Finals (Girls 3rd & 4th place; Boys 3rd-6th place)
