Grass fields a rarity in WPIAL playoffs nowadays — 5 things to watch in high school football
Bentworth’s football team has something that’s becoming rare in the WPIAL playoffs these days. That’s a grass field. Only a handful of first-round games — all in the small-school Class A and 2A brackets — won’t be played on artificial turf, with Laurel, South Side, Mohawk and Apollo-Ridge also hosting...
Roman Wilson earned Steelers’ trust behind the scenes until his chance for breakout game
It was 18 months to the day since he’d become a Pittsburgh Steeler when Roman Wilson had his breakout performance. During Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Wilson had the Steelers’ longest play from scrimmage (45 yards) and their longest touchdown (21 yards) in addition to leading the team...
Football Footnotes: How have the Colts emerged as the NFL’s best? Ask a Steeler who would know
The Indianapolis Colts are one of the feel-good stories of the year. Based on how their offense is humming and how badly the Steelers’ defense is performing, I’m expecting most of Indiana to be feeling pretty good by about 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Colts visit Acrisure Stadium to play...
Folino family brings The Bocce House to O’Hara
The location has changed for a group of avid bocce players, but the love of the game hasn’t. Creating a sporting atmosphere is what Fox Chapel resident Tony Folino and his sons, Frank and Dino Folino, envisioned for The Bocce House of Pittsburgh. The unique complex in RIDC Park in...
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson shreds Dolphins with 4 TD passes in return from injury
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lamar Jackson threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns, showing little rust in his return from a right hamstring strain, and the Baltimore Ravens routed the Miami Dolphins, 28-6, on Thursday night. Jackson completed 18 of 23 passes in his first start since Week 4 against...
Penguins tame Wild as rookie forward Ben Kindel scores in 10th game
Even if they have a handful of 30-somethings close to becoming 40-somethings, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the midst of a youth movement. That pursuit was calcified a bit Thursday as 18-year-old forward Ben Kindel appeared in his 10th NHL contest of the season. Surpassing that threshold formally activated the...
Dumba brings physical presence
Matt Dumba experienced a first in his still-brief tenure as a defenseman with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. Consecutive games. Dumba was in the lineup for Monday’s 6-3 home win against the St. Louis Blues. The right-hander predominantly played on the left side of the third pairing with rookie Harrison...
Avalanche sign Martin Necas to 8-year, $92M contract extension
The Colorado Avalanche signed Martin Necas to an eight-year contract extension through 2034. Necas’ deal is worth $92 million, according to reports. When the contract kicks in starting with the 2026-27 NHL season, Necas will count $11.5 million against the salary cap annually. That is $500,000 a year less than...
Report: Nationals finalizing hire of 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager
The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as manager, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The Nationals fired Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo took over on an interim basis. Butera would be the youngest manager since Minnesota’s Frank Quilici in...
Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles traded in Western Hockey League
Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Peyton Kettles was traded at the junior level within the Western Hockey League on Thursday. The Kelowna Rockets acquired the right-handed Kettles from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for defenseman Jackson Gillespie and five selections in future WHL drafts: • 2027 first round • 2026...
Errors cost Dodgers in World Series Game 6 loss to Blue Jays
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers had two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell on the mound for Game 5 of the World Series with a chance to take a 3-2 lead. Instead, the Dodgers have fallen behind after losing 6-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. Though Snell...
Breaking down WPIAL football playoff matchups for Oct. 31, 2025
Welcome to the start of the 2025 WPIAL football playoffs. Don’t be thrown off if the start of the postseason is a little creepy. There are 25 first-round or quarterfinals games slated for Halloween night around the WPIAL, so 50 teams will have to wait until about 9:30 to find...
If called upon 3 days after joining Steelers, safety Kyle Dugger eager to contribute in game
Kyle Dugger, of course, speaks fluent English. So does the entirety of the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff and defensive unit. Dugger, though, needed to learn what in some ways sounds like a new “language’ — and fast — after officially joining the Steelers on Thursday. Good thing he has a...
Steelers practice report: Darius Slay, Isaac Seumalo out; Pat Freiermuth, Zach Frazier return
Veteran cornerback Darius Slay was absent from Pittsburgh Steelers practice Thursday. The reason listed on the status report was “personal matter.” Slay, who turns 35 on New Year’s Day, is his first season with the Steelers after 12 years, six Pro Bowl berths and a Super Bowl ring earned last...
Steelers captain Cameron Heyward defends criticism of defensive play after successive losses
As a captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, a title he has held for 11 consecutive seasons, Cameron Heyward isn’t afraid to speak his mind when his group underperforms. Such dissatisfaction was on display Sunday when Heyward said the Steelers didn’t handle adversity well and didn’t show enough fight during...
2 Penn State seniors are trending up, another down before Ohio State game
Penn State has an uphill climb to take any positives from its remaining five games. Tilts with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana are up next, followed by more-winnable games against Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers. The Nittany Lions need victories in at least three of those games...
Steelers DC Teryl Austin explains defensive play-call process, dealing with fan criticismVideo
After consecutive games in which his unit was exploited and amid mounting fan frustration, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin vows to stay the course when it comes to communicating with his players. “I just continue to look at my process to make sure it’s right and try to help...
Pitt’s Kavir Bains-Marquez earns honorary ‘Shark’ status after deputizing at linebacker
When Kavir Bains-Marquez stuffed N.C. State’s Wesley Grimes for a loss of 3 yards last weekend, he couldn’t help but toss up a shark fin gesture in celebration. At first glance, it may have seemed odd for Bains-
Marquez, a free safety, to hijack the imagery exclusively utilized by Pitt’s linebackers,...
Shortstop Konnor Griffin, pitcher Bubba Chandler earn top awards for Pirates prospects
Konnor Griffin developed into the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball and Bubba Chandler into the game’s top pitching prospect, so their status in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization was indisputable. The Pirates recognized Griffin with their Honus Wagner Player of the Year and Chandler with the Bob Friend Pitcher of...
Tim Benz: Mike Tomlin’s critique of offense more than a ploy to distract from defensive woes
During their 35-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday, the Steelers had five offensive possessions in the first half. Four of them resulted in trips that penetrated at least the Green Bay 40-yard line. Yet only one touchdown was on the board by halftime, resulting in a 16-7 advantage...
First Call: Why Aaron Rodgers is suddenly backing Pitt; J.J. Watt’s rough outlook for Steelers vs. Colts
Thursday’s “First Call” reveals why Aaron Rodgers is throwing his support behind Pitt. J.J. Watt explains why the “vibes” might not be great for his brother’s defense in Pittsburgh. Logan Cooley discusses his new contract in Utah. And we look at some quirks for the Penguins’ next opponent Thursday night....
U mad, bro?: 2 straight losses, bad defense, retro uniforms have Steelers fans unhappy at Halloween
In a “U mad, bro” post two years ago, I mentioned things that used to make me mad at Halloween. Licorice Good & Plenty came up. There was one house in the neighborhood that used to leave out assorted Good & Plenty mini boxes with a sign that said “Happy...
Rookie Trey Yesavage fans 12 as Blue Jays beat Dodgers to move 1 win from World Series title
LOS ANGELES — Trey Yesavage set a World Series rookie record with 12 strikeouts, and the Toronto Blue Jays opened Game 5 with back-to-back homers in a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday that moved them within one win of their first championship since 1993. Davis Schneider...
Minor league report: Penguins suffer 1st lossVideo
Goaltender Sergei Murashov made 13 saves on 16 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3-1 loss to the Providence Bruins at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. The result was the first loss of the season for Murashov (5-1-0) as well as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-1-0-0). In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s history, only...
Trib 10: 1st round of playoffs features 1 matchup of power-ranked teams
While there was some slight shuffling in both the big school and small school power rankings this week, don’t look for much movement following the first weekend of the WPIAL football playoffs. More than half of the current teams in the Trib 10 are not in action Halloween night. Eleven...
