WJPA Sports

GROVE CITY, Pa. – Junior quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) tossed for a career-high 396 yards and three touchdowns, but it was host Grove City who edged the Presidents by a 31-24 score in battle of unbeatens at Robert E. Thorn Field Saturday afternoon. The loss snapped W&J’s 10-game winning streak in the head-to-head series with Grove City. The Presidents are now 4-1 overall. The Wolverines are now in sole possession of first place and in the driver’s seat to capture their first conference title since 1998. Grove City has defeated Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon and W&J in consecutive weeks to start a season 5-0 for the first time since 1926. W&J held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter, but a pair of Grove City touchdowns coupled with a pair of turnovers by the Red and Black enabled the Wolverines to claim their first win in the series since 2011.

PAC Scores, Week 5
Grove City 31, Wash/Jeff 24
Case-Western 334, Bethany 12
Thiel 15, Waynesburg 14
Carnegie-Mellon 19, Allegheny 3
St. Vincent 28, Geneva 19
Westminster idle

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Bell’s two-run double keyed a four-run, eighth-inning rally and the Miami Marlins moved closer to a playoff berth with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Marlins did little through seven innings but broke through against Colin Selby (2-2) to reduce their magic number to earn the NL’s third wild-card spot to two. Miami entered the weekend with a chance to clinch the franchise’s first playoff berth in a non-pandemic-shortened season since 2003. The Marlins didn’t get into Pittsburgh until almost dawn on Friday morning following a long night in New York.

Saturday night, Matt Sieg ran for 277 yards and four touchdowns, threw for 171 yards and three more scores as Fort Cherry won an instant classic over previously unbeaten Bishop Canevin.  Fort Cherry had leads of 21-0 and 34-12 but had to hold on late to get the win. Chartiers-Houston lost to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the Bucs’ 6th straight loss.

Friday night, Canon-McMillan scored first, but #1 Central Catholic rolled from there, handing the Big Macs a mercy-rule defeat. 5A #1 Peters Township crushed Baldwin to remain unbeaten. Trinity had a chance to take control of a 4A Big Seven playoff spot but couldn’t find the endzone, falling at Latrobe. Ringgld’s struggles continue, losing for the 21st straight game. Wash High held Waynesburg to just over 100 total yards as the top-ranked Little Prexies rolled. McGuffey blanked Sto-Rox, staying unbeaten in the Century while Charleroi lost for the fifth straight week. California blanked Mapletown, West Greene got by Monessen. Both winners are 3-0, both losers are 0-3. Beth-Center & Jeff-Morgan won to move into a tie for third. Carmichaels & Bentworth losses have them on the wrong side of the cut line with four weeks to play. Avella got enough players healthy to not only take the field but win at Carlynton with Burgettstown couldn’t hold a third-quarter lead, losing a one-point game to unbeaten Cornell.

Here’s this week’s schedule and scores for Washington & Greene County teams (7 pm unless listed)

1A Black Hills
Ft. Cherry 48, Bishop Canevin, 41
OLSH 21, Chartiers-Houston 12
Avella 32, Carlynton 28
Cornell 14, Burgettstown 13

1A Tri-County South
Jeff-Morgan 35, Bentworth 14
Beth-Center 34, Carmichaels 20
California 52, Mapletown 0
West Greene 41, Monessen 32

2A Century
Wash High 48, Waynesburg 14
McGuffey 17, Sto-Rox 0
Keystone Oaks 41, Charleroi 14

4A Big Seven
Latrobe 25, Trinity 7
McKeesport 48, Ringgold 0

5A Allegheny Six
Peters Township 49, Baldwin 6

6A Tri-County Five
Central Catholic 49, Canon-McMillan 6