Sports category, Page 789
Willie Thrower: New Kensington man cast the mold for the modern NFL quarterback 70 years ago
Willie Thrower didn’t talk much about his place in NFL history. Not even with his family. His son, Melvin, was in junior high before he learned about his father’s watershed moment. On Super Bowl Sunday in 1988, Melvin Thrower sat with his father in their New Kensington home and watched...
Minor league report: Penguins dropped by CheckersVideo
In his regular season debut, goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 21 saves on 24 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-1 road loss to the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday. Forward Colin White scored the lone goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1-1-0-0). Highlights: The Penguins’ next game...
Bryant hands Robert Morris 3rd straight loss
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Zevi Eckhaus passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score, Simi Bakare added two rushing TDs and Bryant beat Robert Morris, 43-24, Saturday. Eckhaus threw a 21-yard TD pass to Jalen Powell to open the scoring, Maximus Villar tackled Cyrus Bonsu in the end zone and...
New Kensington’s Willie Thrower cast the mold for the modern NFL quarterback 70 years ago
Willie Thrower didn’t talk much about his place in NFL history. Not even with his family. His son, Melvin, was in junior high before he learned about his father’s watershed moment. On Super Bowl Sunday in 1988, Melvin Thrower sat with his father in their New Kensington home and watched...
District college football roundup: Cal (Pa.) starts fast, rolls past Seton Hill
Eric Willis scored on a 75-yard touchdown catch on the first play from scrimmage, sparking Cal (Pa.) to a 41-14 PSAC victory over Seton Hill on Saturday. Davis Black was 14 for 23 for 300 yards and four touchdowns for the Vulcans (5-1, 4-0). Omari Hopkins caught five balls for...
5 things we learned in Week 7 of WPIAL high school football: Long playoff drought over
One of the WPIAL’s longest active playoff droughts is over, and another long streak also could end this year. Jefferson-Morgan was one of four WPIAL teams that had gone at least 10 seasons without reaching the postseason, but the Rockets clinched a playoff spot with a win Friday. Second-year coach...
Riverhounds head into playoffs with 8-game unbeaten streak after scoreless draw in Detroit
They may not have gone about it in the most exciting way possible, but the Pittsburgh Riverhounds will head into the USL Championship playoffs on an eight-game unbeaten streak. Rookie Christian Garner recorded his first pro shutout as the Riverhounds and Detroit City FC played to a scoreless draw Saturday...
Rangers’ Marcus Semien and wife schedule birth during break before ALCS
HOUSTON — The fourth child for Marcus Semien and his wife, Tarah, was due during the AL Championship Series. When her doctor said she was far enough along that it was safe to induce, Tarah told the Texas Rangers’ second baseman they’d be having their baby in the break before...
Penn State’s Drew Allar, Daequan Hardy lead way in rout
STATE COLLEGE — It had been a long time since Daequan Hardy fielded a punt. It won’t be long until he lines up to catch another one. The Penn State cornerback returned two punts for touchdowns, sparking the No. 6 Nittany Lions after a slow start in a 63-0 win...
Penguins to start goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic against Flames
Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to make his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Saturday’s home game against the Calgary Flames at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status approximately two hours before the game. A free agent signing this past offseason, Nedeljkovic played in three games during...
Byron opens NASCAR’s next round of playoffs as championship favoriteVideo
LAS VEGAS — William Byron returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the betting favorite to win the Cup title as the round of eight of NASCAR’s playoffs opens. He is in great shape with a series-high six victories this season, and his first win of the year came at...
Ben Roethlisberger aside, Kenny Pickett holds own against Steelers QB predecessors at start of career
When the Pittsburgh Steelers return from their bye and face the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday, quarterback Kenny Pickett will make his 18th career start. That’s one more than what constitutes an NFL season, which was expanded in 2021. Given that mile marker in Pickett’s nascent career, it seemed like...
Duquesne cruises past Central Connecticut 44-20 behind 3 total touchdowns from ButtsVideo
PITTSBURGH — Darius Perrantes threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns, Taj Butts carried it 12 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and Duquesne cruised past Central Connecticut, 44-20, on Saturday in its Northeast Conference home opener. Duquesne jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the first quarter and...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Kirk Cousins trade speculation an absurd proposition for Steelers
Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi said the Pittsburgh Steelers should trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. One local radio talk show seized that scrap and thrashed about for the best part of an afternoon. Steelers X, of course, went bonkers. Cousins to the Steelers has zero chance of happening....
Defenseman Ryan Shea enjoying fresh start with Penguins
Saturday represented something of a milestone for Pittsburgh Penguins reserve defenseman Ryan Shea. It was his fifth day on the NHL roster, a new career high for existing at the sport’s highest level. During his previous stint with the Dallas Stars, he hadn’t been on that club’s NHL roster for...
Stanford rallies from 29-point deficit, beats Colorado 46-43 in 2nd overtime
BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders had an uneasy feeling, even up 29-0 at halftime. Maybe not the worst collapse in Colorado history about to unfold uneasy, but uneasy anyway. Stanford coach Troy Taylor didn’t really change a thing, just watched as the Cardinal steadily staged the largest comeback in school...
Steelers 4 Downs: Plenty of 1-possession games, Kenny Pickett NFL’s most ‘aggressive’ QB
1. Tight games Likely as much as anything a function of having an above-average defense and below-average offense combining to keep points — and, by extension, victory margins — low, the Pittsburgh Steelers have become a seemingly weekly showcase for close, down-to-the-wire games. Dating to just before Thanksgiving last season,...
Bruising McKeesport running back Spell spells trouble for Gateway
McKeesport fullback Keith Spell was losing steam on a 79-yard touchdown run, so the senior turned, stiff-armed the nearest tackler to the ground and continued into the end zone. That pretty much summed up McKeesport’s offense Friday night as the Tigers’ running backs bullied their way to a 38-28 victory...
GCC, Jeannette resident Crosby spoil Jayhawks’ homecoming
Jeannette celebrated homecoming Friday, but it was a Jeannette resident who spoiled the party. Greensburg Central Catholic sophomore Samir Crosby, who lives in Jeannette, scored three touchdowns to rally the Centurions to a 42-24 victory at McKee Stadium. “This is a big game, especially for me,” Crosby said. “I don’t...
Knoch shuts out rival Freeport, improves to 7-1
After a lopsided shutout loss to rival Freeport last season, Knoch wanted to return the favor Friday at Knights Stadium in the latest installment of the battle for the Traveling Pike Trophy. The Knights held a one-score lead at the break, but two touchdowns in the first minute of the...
Minor league report: Penguins open season with win against CheckersVideo
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins opened their season with a 4-2 road win against the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday. Goaltender Magnus Hellberg made 26 saves on 28 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while forwards Jonathan Gruden and Austin Rueschhoff as well as defensemen Xavier Ouellet and Dmitri...
Tristan Jarry, Penguins shut out Capitals for bounce-back victory
Lars Eller is a member of a unique — and, more accurately, obscure — fraternity of 19 players who have been teammates with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and his counterpart with the Washington Capitals, Alex Ovechkin. The sturdy third-line center who scored the championship-clinching goal that led to the...
Lexi Thompson falls short in her bid to make PGA Tour cut in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Lexi Thompson delivered star-power moments built for a stage like Las Vegas, and when she poured in a pair of long birdie putts Friday, she was on the cusp of history. Thompson was 4 under with seven holes to play. In her sights was a chance to...
Sean Payton, Broncos still searching for right chemistry
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sean Payton is a man in search of his mojo. Payton never lost five of his first six games during his 15 seasons as the New Orleans Saints coach, and the Broncos never have started worse than the 1-5 record they brought back to Denver after their...
Browns tight end David Njoku grateful as he recovers from burns
BEREA, Ohio — As the severe burns on David Njoku’s face and hands continue to heal, the Cleveland Browns tight end feels fortunate. He knows things could be so much worse. “I’m still breathing,” he said. “I still got my vision and everything. I mentally feel great.” Njoku spoke Friday...
