Category: Sports

Bob Barrickman Previews 3A Football Championship On Sports Slam

/ Beaver County Radio

“This might be the most complete Central Valley team that I’ve seen.”

Thus sspoke Beaver County Radio sports director Bob Barrickman, who talked about the 3A PIAA football championship on the Saturday Sports Slam with Greg Benedetti & Matt Drzik hours before the Central Valley Warriors & Wyoming Area Warriors do battle at Hersheypark Stadium.

Barrickman also talked about the difference between Wyoming and Middletown (loser of the last 3 3A title games) and the strengths and weaknesses of Central Valley heading into the game.

To listen to the full preview, click on the player below!

Governor warns of harm from changes to minor league baseball

/ Beaver County Radio

Governor warns of harm from changes to minor league baseball
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor wants Major League Baseball to rethink a restructuring plan that would affect three minor league teams in his state.
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday wrote to baseball commissioner Robert Manfred to express concern about the impact on the Erie SeaWolves, the Williamsport Crosscutters and the State College Spikes.
The Professional Baseball Agreement between Major League Baseball and the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues expires after the 2020 season. The restructuring proposal would lead to 42 minor league teams being dropped from circuits.
Major league teams say they spend nearly $500 million annually in salary to support the minor leagues but get back only $18 million.
Wolf says the current proposal will put players and employees out of jobs and be economically harmful to host communities.

Penguins sign F Noesen to 1-year deal

/ Beaver County Radio

Penguins sign F Noesen to 1-year deal
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed former New Jersey and Anaheim forward Stefan Noesen to a two-way contract.
Noesen previously agreed to a minor league deal with the Penguins but earned a promotion to the NHL after collecting 14 goals and eight assists in 22 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. The one-year deal has a prorated annual average value of $700,000.
The 26-year-old Noesen played 159 games combined for New Jersey and Anaheim from 2015-19, scoring 24 goals and dishing out 21 assists.
The Penguins announced the signing shortly after forward Patric Hornqvist left practice on Monday with what coach Mike Sullivan described as a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh is off until Wednesday, when it hosts the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
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More AP NHL: www.apnews.com/NHL and www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

Browns, Steelers wear feelings before rematch

/ Beaver County Radio

The Latest: Browns, Steelers wear feelings before rematch
By The Associated Press undefined
The Latest on 12:25 p.m. (all times local):
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The war of words between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns has spilled into their wardrobes.
After Browns coach Freddie Kitchens was spotted wearing a T-shirt that read “Pittsburgh started it” — a reference to the brawl that marred the end of Cleveland’s 21-7 win over the Steelers on Nov. 14 — Cleveland wide receiver Jarvis Landry rocked a sweatshirt emblazed with “Revenge” walking to the visiting locker room at Heinz Field hours before kickoff in the rematch.
Several Steelers responded with provocative T-shirts of their own.
A handful wore shirts that screamed “Free Pouncey,” a nod to starting center Maurkice Pouncey, who is serving the second game of a two-game suspension for kicking and punching Browns defensive end Myles Garrett after Garrett ripped off Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and smacked him with it on the next-to-last snap of the first meeting.
Pittsburgh cornerback Cam Sutton took a cruder approach, sporting a sweatshirt of a child in a Steelers helmet urinating on someone dressed in Browns gear.
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A rivalry already steeped in ill feelings got a lot uglier last month with the brawl between the Steelers and Browns in Cleveland.
On Sunday, the teams meet again in Pittsburgh, with both on the outskirts of playoff contention and needing a victory.
But the focal point, at least heading into the rematch a mere 17 days after the massive fight that resulted in Garrett being suspended indefinitely, is on how high the level of animosity might be. And whether it will impact the performances of the Steelers (6-5) and Browns (5-6).
“I know that it is going to be a lot of trash talking out there and a lot of guys are going to try and get into your head and do things to try and get you out of character,” Browns defensive back Denzel Ward said. “You just have to think about the betterment of the team and just go out there and win the game, but do not do any stupid penalties or anything toward the other team that could hurt this team.”
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Charges filed in stabbing of ex-Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor

/ Beaver County Radio

Charges filed in stabbing of ex-Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A woman was charged with attempted homicide in a Pittsburgh stabbing that critically injured former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who is also facing a charge, police said.
Pryor was taken to the hospital just after 4:30 a.m. Saturday following a dispute with “mutual combatants” in an apartment on the city’s North Side, police said.
Allegheny County prosecutors and police said 24-year-old Shalaya Briston of Munhall was charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault, while Pryor, 30, faces a charge of simple assault.
Gregory Diulus of Vantage Management Group, which represents Pryor, said family members had been told Pryor is expected to make a full recovery. Another call to Diulus was made seeking comment on the charge. Court documents don’t list an attorney for Briston and a listed number for her couldn’t be found Saturday. Diulus said he expects to see Pryor on Sunday.
After Pryor’s illustrious Ohio State career ended in 2011, he spent time with nine NFL teams including the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. He most recently signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but was waived in September after a hamstring injury.
Pryor, a product of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, was a national star in high school — considered one of the top high school football players in the country when he signed with the Buckeyes in 2008. His recruitment drew national attention because he took the unusual step of waiting until mid-March to make his final decision. Most prospects sign in early February.
At Ohio State, Pryor started as a freshman and was the Rose Bowl MVP during his sophomore season in 2009.
Late in the 2010 season, Pryor and some of his teammates were found to have broken NCAA rules by trading their equipment, memorabilia and autographs for tattoos at a shop in the Columbus area.
That NCAA investigation led to the revelation that Ohio State coach Jim Tressel had lied to investigators seeking information on Pryor and his teammates. Tressel, who had won a national championship at Ohio State, was forced to resign on Labor Day weekend 2011.
With allegations of more possible violations mounting and the possibility of a being ruled ineligible, Pryor decided to skip his senior season and leave Ohio State in June 2011. He was selected in the NFL’s supplemental draft later that month by the Oakland Raiders.
Pryor was tied for the most touchdown passes in school history at 57 and second-most wins with 31 total victories at the end of his career, according to the university’s athletics department.
He was never punished in college for the NCAA violations but began his NFL career with a suspension of five games.

Dillion, Boston College chug past Pitt 26-19

/ Beaver County Radio

Dillion, Boston College chug past Pitt 26-19
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steve Addazio turned the corner and saw his players waiting for him. With a shove from freshman defensive tackle Kyiev Bennermon, the Boston College head coach made his way into the middle of what quickly became a giddy mosh pit.
For the next 30 seconds, all the angst over Addazio’s future with the program vanished, replaced by a mixture of relief and joy.
If his team’s 26-19 over Pittsburgh on Saturday was his last stand, so be it. Addazio would prefer to think of it as the launching point for something even more meaningful. The win assured Boston College (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) of a bowl bid for fourth straight year and sixth in Addazio’s seven seasons on the job.
“All I cared about was getting this team to six wins and getting another month with them,” Addazio said. “And then watching what I watched. That was the greatest gift that I got. You want to talk about me? That was a great gift.”
One the Eagles gave him behind another punishing performance by running back AJ Dillon, who racked up 178 yards rushing, 47 of them coming on Boston College’s final drive that drained the final 5:26 off the clock after the Panthers had pulled within a touchdown.
“I went into a different zone,” Dillon said. “I don’t know how to describe that.”
Neither, really, could the Panthers (7-5, 4-4). Pitt entered with the sixth-best rush defense in the country and left shaken after the Eagles ran up 264 yards on the ground, the most the Panthers have allowed since the 2018 ACC championship game.
Dillon is a big back,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He fought for yards. We didn’t tackle 250 pounds very well. He’s a hefty guy.”
A fast one too. Dillon’s 61-yard sprint to the end zone in the third quarter swung momentum back to the Eagles after Pitt had taken the lead on a 39-yard touchdown run by Vincent Davis. Boston College’s defense, which came in next to last in the ACC in points allowed and last in yards allowed, made sure the advantage held up. The Eagles forced four turnovers, produced four sacks and let the Panthers reach the end zone just once.
It also gave Addazio — now 44-44 at Boston College — a chance to stump for an eighth season. The Eagles have 62 players who are redshirt sophomores or younger and managed to reach the postseason despite losing quarterback Anthony Brown to a knee injury in mid-October.
“I’ve got a really good football team,” he said. “We’ve got most everybody coming back. This is going to be one hell of a football team moving forward. And we’ve got another month to tweak it and turn it and coach it and develop it. That is so exciting. I think this can be something special.”
SAME OLD PANTHERS?
Pitt entered the final two weeks of the regular season with a chance to repeat as Coastal Division champions. Instead, the Panthers ended up getting shut out on the road against Virginia Tech then getting pushed around at home by a program that hadn’t won in Pittsburgh since 1998.
Kenny Pickett threw for 323 yards for Pitt and Alex Kessman hit four field goals but the offense’s inability to finish drives remains an issue. The Panthers averaged just 20.2 points this season, taking some of the shine off a year that included a stirring upset over Central Florida and the emergence of a defense that ranked among the best in the ACC.
“I feel like we underachieved this season, tremendously,” senior linebacker Saleem Brightwell said. “I feel like especially with the players we have and the staff, to be 7-5 this year, it’s a fall-off from what we should have been. We’ve just got to come back strong in the bowl game and try to get eight wins this year.”
BIG PICTURE
Boston College: The Eagles need to figure out if a change is in order. Addazio has kept the Eagles competitive but they’re stuck in neutral in the ACC. Boston College has never finished better than .500 in conference play under Addazio’s watch. Yet his slam dance in the mosh pit hinted at how badly he’d like an opportunity to stick around.
“He’s a pretty reserved and tame guy most of the time,” quarterback Dennis Grosel said. “I know he wanted this one badly. We wanted this one for him also. It was nice to see him let some emotion out.”
Pitt: Given a chance to reach the eight-win plateau for the first time since 2016, the Panthers sputtered. The offense having trouble punching it in was hardly surprising. But the way the defense couldn’t get stops even though it knew what was coming was a stunner.
UP NEXT
Boston College: A lower-tier bowl game. Hopefully the Eagles can get it in. Their appearance in last year’s First Responder Bowl against Boise State was cancelled in the first half due to inclement weather.
Pitt: Heading to a bowl game for the 11th time in 12 seasons, though the last two losses sent the Panthers dropping precipitously down the pecking order in the ACC.
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More AP college football: http://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25

Blues beat Penguins 5-2

/ Beaver County Radio

Faulk, Walker score as Blues beat Penguins 5-2
By JOE HARRIS Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nathan Walker didn’t have to wait long for a second chance to snap his scoreless drought.
Justin Faulk and Walker each scored for the first time with the Blues, and St. Louis beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Saturday night.
Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist and Ivan Barbashev and Mackenzie MacEachern also scored for the Blues, who won their third straight game and have points in their last four. Jordan Binnington made 29 saves and improved to 13-4-4.
“Second period wasn’t great, but I thought the first and third were good and we had everybody contributing tonight which is important for sure,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “I’ve said this before: We need everybody to chip in goals and we did that tonight.”
Sam Lafferty and Kris Letang scored for the Penguins, who lost their second straight game. Matt Murray, playing for the first time since Nov. 7, made 22 saves.
Walker’s first goal since Oct. 7, 2017 broke a 1-1 tie for St. Louis with 5:59 left in the second period.
Walker swatted a pass by Schwartz that deflected off Dominik Kahun’s stick in mid-air, and the awkward shot short-hopped Murray to make it 2-1.
“It is actually one thing I kind of worked on in the summer was batting pucks out of the air like that, trying to meet it when it hits the ice and I think I got a little bit lucky there as well,” Walker said.
Murray said he was fooled on the trick shot.
“It just bounced off the ice weird and no more than a foot and a half in the air just over my pad,” Murray said.
Walker, playing in just his second game since being called up from the Blues’ AHL affiliate in San Antonio, thought he had scored the night before against Dallas only to have the goal called back for an offsides call made after a review.
“It was a big goal,” Berube said of the one that counted. “I think it made us feel good about ourselves going into the third period.”
Barbashev made it 3-1 with his second goal in as many games, snapping a wrist shot into the upper left corner after taking a feed from Robert Thomas in the high slot at 2:54 of the third period.
MacEachern added to the Blues’ lead when he redirected Jacob De La Rose’s shot from the point at 7:09.
“I thought our guys did a much better job in the third period of digging in and just doing the little things,” Berube said.
Letang’s shot from the point deflected off Alex Pietrangelo into the net to cut the Penguins’ deficit to 4-2 with 6:57 left in the third.
Schwartz scored his seventh of the year late in the third.
Faulk made it 1-0 at the 7:52 mark of the first period with his first goal since April 6. Ryan O’Reilly stripped the puck from Jared McCann and fed it to Faulk, whose wrist shot went off Murray’s right pad and into the net.
“Obviously it took awhile,” said Faulk, who snapped a 27-game stretch without a goal. “I don’t think it’s the longest one of my career. None of them feel great, but it’s nice to get that first one in.”
Lafferty tied the game 1-1 at the 6:27 mark of the second period. Lafferty used his speed to get past Derrick Pouliot, creating a breakaway that was capped by a backhand-forehand move to beat a sprawling Binnington.
Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin left the game early in the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
“It happened in the first shift of the game, which makes it tough because now you’re going with five defensemen all night,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I thought they fought hard. I thought we made some fatigue mistakes in the third period that maybe we wouldn’t have made if we have a guy like (Dumoulin).”
NOTES
It was the first of two meetings in four days between the Penguins and Blues. St. Louis travels to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for their final regular season meeting. … Both teams were playing their second game in as many nights. … Pittsburgh LW Jake Guentzel had his seven-game point streak snapped. … St. Louis LW David Perron and C Brayden Schenn each extended their point streaks to seven games with assists on Schwartz’s goal.
UP NEXT
Pittsburgh: Hosts St. Louis on Wednesday.
St. Louis: At Chicago on Monday.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

“Thru the Eyes of Sly Washington” Central Valley and Bald Eagle PIAA Semi-Final

/ Beaver County Radio

(Moon Twp., Pa.)  In this weeks edition of “Thru the Eyes of Sly Washington” we are off to Moon Stadium  and the PIAA 3A semi-final. The game featured the WPIAL Champion, Central Valley Warriors and the Bald Eagle Eagles. Beaver County Radio’s Bob Barrickman and Tom Hays had the call of the action. Zach Ulrich reported live on the sidelines throughout the game.

Central Valley started scoring early and never looked back. The defense got the party started with a safety on Bald Eagle Area’s second drive, making the score 2-0. On the ensuing possession, Jalen Guy ran the ball 9 yards up the left side for the score, but after a missed extra point, the score was 8-0. the Bald Eagles fumbled the kick-off, leading to a 30 yard TD catch by Juwan Hall, bringing the score to 15-0. Bald Eagle Area managed to put together a drive as the game was getting out of hand, but a missed field goal stopped them from gaining any momentum. On the next 2 drives, Miles Walker caught a TD and Michael Barbuto ran for a TD on a double reverse, leading to a score of 28-0 at half time.

The Warriors had the mercy rule on their mind when they came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter. Reed Fitsimmons picked a pass off, which resulted in a 6 yard TD run from Ameer Dudley. With the mercy rule now in effect, Central Valley started to pile it on with a 30 yard field goal and a 90 yard interception return for a TD by Matt Merritt. The final score was Central Valley- 45 and Bald Eagle Area- 0. The Warriors will now move onto the PIAA 3A Final next Saturday December 7, 2019 at noon against Wyoming Area. Beaver County Radio will have live coverage of the game from Hershey Pa.

Check out the pictures of these weeks edition of “Thru the Eyes os Sly” below….

Central Valley Shuts Out Bald Eagle Area 45-0

/ Beaver County Radio

In this semi-final match-up, Central Valley started scoring early and never looked back. The defense got the party started with a safety on Bald Eagle Area’s second drive, making the score 2-0. On the ensuing possession, Jalen Guy ran the ball 9 yards up the left side for the score, but after a missed extra point, the score was 8-0. the Bald Eagles fumbled the kick-off, leading to a 30 yard TD catch by Juwan Hall, bringing the score to 15-0. Bald Eagle Area managed to put together a drive as the game was getting out of hand, but a missed field goal stopped them from gaining any momentum. On the next 2 drives, Miles Walker caught a TD and Michael Barbuto ran for a TD on a double reverse, leading to a score of 28-0 at half time.

The Warriors had the mercy rule on the mind when they came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter. Reed Fitsimmons picked a pass off, which resulted in a 6 yard TD run from Ameer Dudley. With the mercy rule now in effect, Central Valley started to pile it on with a 30 yard field goal and a 90 yard interception return for a TD by Matt Merritt. The final score was Central Valley- 45 and Bald Eagle Area- 0.