(Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Posted on Facebook on November 17th, 2025)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer Club will play against FC Tulsa at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, November 22nd at noon for the 2025 United Soccer League (USL) Championship. This is the first time in the twenty-six-year history of the Riverhounds that they will play in the USL Championship game. The Riverhounds defeated Rhode Island FC 1-0 in the 2025 USL Eastern Conference Final at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh on November 15th, 2025.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) holds his arm after a hit by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is optimistic but hardly certain his broken left wrist will be good enough for him to play on Sunday when Pittsburgh visits Chicago.

There’s no question how the rest of him feels about the potential to get a chance to face the Bears one last time.

The 41-year-old four-time MVP clashed memorably for so long with Chicago during his long run in Green Bay earlier in his career.

“There’s incentive for every opponent, but I have enjoyed many a Sunday and Monday and many Thursdays in that city,” Rodgers said. “It’s a great sports town, phenomenal sports fans, and a great place to play.”

Particularly if you win there as much as Rodgers has through the years.

Rodgers is 11-1 at Soldier Field, and permanently etched his name into the lore of the oldest rivalry in the NFL when he memorably told the home crowd during a trip to Chicago in 2021 that he “owned” one of the league’s marquee franchises.

“I feel like we can let bygones be bygones, maybe,” Rodgers said with a smile, then later added, “I hope those fans can put that behind them. I’m sure they can’t. Don’t expect them to.”

There’s a chance Rodgers returns to practice on Thursday wearing a protective brace on the wrist he broke late in the first half of last Sunday’s 32-14 win over Cincinnati. Rodgers was rolling to his left and jumped to heave a pass to the back of the end zone, then landed awkwardly on the wrist of his non-throwing hand.

Mason Rudolph, who was excellent in the second half against the Bengals, will get the nod if Rodgers is unavailable, though it seems the Steelers will exhaust every avenue to make sure that Rodgers can go.

Rodgers said the primary issue will be safety. If he can protect himself and handle the ball normally, he’ll likely be given the OK. He could return to practice as early as Thursday, though Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pointed to Friday as a pivotal day in deciding who will be under center when the Steelers (6-4) try to win in Chicago for just the second time in franchise history.

Rudolph is preparing to be ready if called on, but knows anything can happen. He has been spectacular in his four extended appearances for Pittsburgh, posting a quarterback rating of around 120 during a run that started with engineering three straight victories to get the Steelers into the 2023 playoffs, then a steady two quarters against the Bengals.

“I think I got a lot of different experiences to draw from,” Rudolph said. “Whether you find out the day before the game, or you’re thrown into the game first quarter or in the second half or you get the whole week of reps. So you definitely draw from those experiences.”

The environment in the quarterback room is a bit more relaxed than it was during Rudolph’s first stint with the team from 2018-23. Rodgers and Rudolph both good-naturedly referred to each other as “trolls” on Wednesday.

Rodgers tweaked Rudolph for the lengthy list of “dad jokes” he tries to reel off during a meeting. Rudolph called it one of the “most fun” groups of quarterbacks he’s been around, even if it’s still a little surreal that he’s sharing it with a future Hall of Famer.

When Rudolph and the victorious Steelers made their way to the locker room on Sunday, Rodgers was waiting outside to congratulate him.

“I think if the 14-year-old me knew that I was getting a nice dab from A-Rod after a game, that would be pretty darn exciting,” Rudolph said.

Still, Rudolph knows that Sunday holds special significance for Rodgers beyond the opportunity for Pittsburgh to hold onto its slim lead over Baltimore in the AFC North.

“I think he made the comment early on that there’s certain games that mean a lot and just games you circle, and this was one of them,” Rudolph said. “So I understand his motivation to come back and take the field against an old rival.”

(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images and Focus on Sport, JANUARY 20: American professional football player L.C. Greenwood #68 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams at the Rose Bowl on January 20, 1980 in Pasadena, California. The Steelers defeated the Rams 31-19. (Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The late Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman L.C. Greenwood has now made it to the semi-finals for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 in the seniors category after a recent round of voting from people from the museum located in Canton, Ohio. Greenwood and eight others have reached the semi-finals for this honor as the next vote will pick three finalists for next year’s class. Greenwood was a four-time Super Bowl Champion who played all thirteen of his NFL seasons with the Steelers.     

(Photo of Nicholas Ciriello Courtesy of Amanda Paulovich Photography)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver Falls, PA) Geneva College senior defensive linebacker Nicholas Ciriello earned his spot on the D3 Football.com Team of the Week recently for the first-time ever after his performance in a game on Saturday against Case Western Reserve University that took place in Cleveland, Ohio. This list of players online gives recognition to the top NCAA Division III football players across the country every week. Ciriello finished Geneva’s 43-16 win over Case Western Reserve with 12 total tackles, which includes a career-best 11 solo stops, a sack, two tackles for loss, as well as a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Ciriello also received this recognition one day after he was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Defensive Player of the Week. The only other Geneva player to make the D3 Football.com Team of the Week this season is senior wide receiver Keaton Baker. Geneva is 6-4 overall after the win on Saturday, which means the program has a winning record for the first time since 2009, and will take on SUNY Brockport of Brockport, New York in the ECAC Division III Robert M. “Scotty” Whitelaw Bowl on Saturday, November 22nd at 12 noon in Rochester, New York.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) reacts after he was sacked against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team will evaluate Rodgers’ availability later in the week and that the key to Rodgers’ potential return will be whether he can function safely with a brace protecting the wrist.

Mason Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half of Sunday’s 32-14 over Cincinnati, would start for AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (6-4) when it faces the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers cannot.

The 41-year-old Rodgers, the oldest active player in the league, appeared to hurt the wrist while getting hit after a heave to the end zone with the Steelers driving late in the first half.

The four-time MVP clutched the wrist in the huddle following the play, though he did stay in to make one more pass — an incompletion to Roman Wilson — before the drive ended in a Chris Boswell field goal. Rodgers did not return to the sideline during the second half, though he greeted his teammates in the locker room after they left the field.

(File Photo of New Brighton Area School District Logo and Rochester High School Athletics (Ram) Logo: Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of New Brighton Area School District and Rochester Area School District)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Both the Rochester and New Brighton school boards met yesterday to vote on a potential cooperative agreement between the athletic programs of the two districts for select sports beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The board of Rochester voted 6-1 in favor of tabling to both receive input and to gather more information, while the New Brighton board voted unanimously in a 9-0 vote to move forward. According to New Brighton superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino, he will be meeting with members of Rochester’s administration to discuss the next steps after Rochester chose not to officially vote on the matter. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Penn State head coach James Franklin watches the action against Northwestern during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger,File)

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — James Franklin was hired as Virginia Tech’s coach on Monday, a little more than a month after he was fired during his 12th season at Penn State.

The Hokies became the first Power 4 football program to fill a coaching vacancy this season. Franklin was set to be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday morning.

He was fired by the Nittany Lions on Oct. 12, a day after they lost at home to Northwestern to fall to 3-3.

The 53-year-old Franklin went 104-45 at Penn State, winning a Big Ten championship (in the 2016 season), a Fiesta Bowl (2017) and a Rose Bowl (2022). Last season, he led the Nittany Lions to a first-round victory in the College Football Playoff.

“I’m honored and humbled to join the Hokie family,” Franklin said in a statement. “My vision is simple: to restore unmatched excellence, to build something that lasts, and to serve this university, the Commonwealth of Virginia and our amazing fan base with honor, integrity, and passion. I look forward to getting to work with our players, our staff, and the entire Virginia Tech community.”

Terms of Franklin’s contract were not released. Before he was hired by Virginia Tech, Penn State had been on the hook for a buyout worth nearly $50 million. But Franklin and the Nittany Lions negotiated a settlement under which he’ll be paid $9 million instead, according to multiple reports.

Franklin has a 128-60 overall record, including his three seasons at Vanderbilt. In Blacksburg, he takes over for his former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, who was fired on Sept. 14 after the Hokies lost their first three games by an average of 18.7 points. Virginia Tech started 0-3 for the first time since 1987.

Pry went 16-24, including 10-13 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, in his three-plus seasons. The Hokies (3-7, 2-4 ACC) have since been led by interim coach Philip Montgomery.

Franklin was maligned at Penn State for not winning big games — he went 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll — but he brings credibility to a Virginia Tech program that has struggled since Frank Beamer retired in 2015 after 29 years at the helm.

Athletic director Whit Babcock first hired Justin Fuente and then Pry in hopes of continuing the success enjoyed by Beamer, but both coaches floundered. That prompted Virginia Tech President Tim Sands to form a search committee to hire the next coach and limit the scope of Babcock’s role.

The Hokies have just four winning seasons since Beamer’s retirement and six since since Babcock became the AD in 2014.

The committee landed on Franklin, whose Penn State teams won at least 10 games six times during his tenure. Franklin also showed an ability to recruit in Virginia. In 2023, he signed six of the top 10 prospects in the state, according to various recruiting services, and one of his best players in the past five years was Tyler Warren, a tight end from the Richmond area who was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts this spring and is flourishing as a rookie.

“His experience, passion, and record of success embody our commitment to compete at the highest level,” Sands said of Franklin in a statement. “His selection is the result of unprecedented collaboration by our athletic administration with university leaders, esteemed alumni, including former NFL coaches and players, and our most dedicated supporters.

“James will provide the leadership and inspiration our student-athletes need, and the performance on the field that our university community, alumni, and fans expect and deserve.”

Virginia Tech has committed to providing Franklin with the resources he needs to be successful. The Board of Visitors approved a plan in late September to add $229 million to the athletic department’s budget over the next four years, primarily to bolster the football program. Half of that money, though, is coming from philanthropy and needs to be raised.

(File Photo of Reeves Field in Beaver Falls, Geneva College’s home football stadium)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, NY) Geneva College’s football team is headed to a 2025 postseason bowl game. The Golden Tornadoes will participate in an ECAC Division III bowl known as the 2025 Robert M. “Scotty” Whitelaw Bowl on Saturday, November 22nd tentatively starting at 12 noon taking place in Rochester, New York. Geneva, who is 6-4 overall and 6-2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, will take on SUNY Brockport of Brockport, New York, who is also 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Empire 8 Conference. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown walks after being released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Nov. 13, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

(AP) Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder because a firearm was allegedly used, a prosecutor said Monday.

Brown appeared via video at a brief arraignment hearing in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in which his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, repeated that Brown already entered a not guilty plea. He was released from jail last week on a $25,000 bond and required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

An attempted murder charge in Florida carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence in many cases. But Assistant State Attorney Stephanie Cruz said because Brown allegedly used a gun, he could face double that time behind bars because of a firearm sentencing enhancement. The law also carries a potential 20-year minimum mandatory sentence upon conviction.

Brown, 37, did not speak during the hearing, Judge Marisa Tinkler-Mendez set at status hearing tentatively for Dec. 22. No trial date has been scheduled.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16 and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Eiglarsh said at a previous hearing that the affidavit is mistaken and that Brown actually used his personal firearm, and the shots were not aimed at anyone. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Brown spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.

Brown was extradited last week from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) holds his arm after a hit by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the initial concern is that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a “slight break” in his left, non-throwing wrist. NFL sources told Schefter that Rodgers will undergo further testing today to determine what the full extent of the injury is and how long he will be sidelined. Rodgers sustained the injury late in the second quarter and did not return to the game where the Steelers won 32-14 over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.