Category: Sports

Dillon lands Daytona 500 ride with rebuilding Gaunt Brothers

Dillon lands Daytona 500 ride with rebuilding Gaunt Brothers
By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Ty Dillon landed a Daytona 500 ride with Gaunt Brothers Racing in a pairing of a driver and team both trying to rebuild in 2021. Dillon spent four seasons driving for Germain Racing but lost his ride when lack of sponsorship led the team to close. Gaunt Brothers last year ran its first full Cup season but struggled in part because COVID-19 protocols wiped out almost all practice, qualifying and testing. Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee Company will sponsor the No. 96 Toyota as Dillon attempts to qualify for NASCAR’s Feb. 14 opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Padres acquiring SD native Musgrove from Pirates

AP source: Padres acquiring SD native Musgrove from Pirates
By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres are adding yet another pitcher to their rotation, agreeing to bring right-hander Joe Musgrove to his hometown in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a person familiar with the deal. Another person confirmed the New York Mets were also involved in the trade, acquiring left-hander Joey Lucchesi from San Diego. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the trade had not been announced. Musgrove, who played at Grossmont High in suburban El Cajon, California, will join a rotation that includes Yu Darvish and Blake Snell, who were obtained in blockbuster trades after Christmas.

Guentzel’s winner lifts Penguins by Capitals 4-3 in shootout

Guentzel’s winner lifts Penguins by Capitals 4-3 in shootout
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jake Guentzel beat Ilya Samsonov in the fourth round of a shootout and the Pittsburgh Penguins picked up their first win of the season with a 4-3 victory over Washington. Casey DeSmith stopped 20 shots in regulation then turned aside T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin in the shootout as the Penguins avoided their first 0-3 start since 2015-16. Evan Rodrigues, Colton Sceviour and Marcus Pettersson all scored their first goals of the season for Pittsburgh. Ovechkin got his 707th career goal to move within one of Hall of Famer Mike Gartner for seventh on the all-time list.

Konecny records hat trick, leads Flyers past Penguins 5-2

Konecny records hat trick, leads Flyers past Penguins 5-2
By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Travis Konecny had his first career hat trick to lead the Philadelphia Flyers past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. The Flyers did lose team MVP Sean Couturier to an unspecified injury. Couturier was plowed into the boards and may have hurt his left shoulder. He left after just two shifts and 45 seconds. He scored 22 goals last season and won the Selke Award as the NHL’s top defensive forward. Konecny scored the first goals of the game and another one late in the third to get the hat trick.

Quaker Valley defeats Beaver

The Quaker Valley Quakers beat the Beaver Bobcats tonight 57-26. The Quakers jumped out to an early lead going up 7-0 in the first minute of the game. But, the Bobcats stormed back to make it a 1pt game at the end of the first quarter. The Bobcats momentum did not last long as the Quakers started to pull away taking a 32-17 lead into the half. And, the Quakers continued to not let up in the second half, which led to the Quaker Valley victory.

Steelers part ways with Randy Fichtner, 2 assistants

Steelers part ways with Randy Fichtner, 2 assistants
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are shaking up their coaching staff. The team announced offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and assistants Shaun Sarrett and Tom Bradley will not be back following a first-round playoff loss to Cleveland. Fichtner spent 14 seasons with the Steelers and was promoted to offensive coordinator three years ago. Yet Pittsburgh’s offense struggled down the stretch this season following an 11-0 start. The decision to not retain Fichtner could impact whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns in 2021. Roethlisberger and Fichtner have a close relationship dating back to Fichtner’s stint as quarterbacks coach from 2010-18.

Flyers beat Penguins 6-3 in opener

Farabee has 4-point game, Flyers beat Penguins 6-3
By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Raffl, James van Riemsdyk, Nolan Patrick and Joel Farabee all scored to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night in the first game of the NHL season. Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes scored 20 seconds apart in the third period for the Flyers. Mark Jankowski and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins. The Penguins and Flyers play again Friday in Philly as part of a packed, 56-game schedule necessitated by the pandemic.

CCBC Cancels all Winter Sports, Will Not Resume Play Before April 1, 2020

(Monaca, PA) – Community College of BeWaver County (CCBC) announced today the cancellation of intercollegiate competition for the winter season and will not resume play any sooner than April 1, 2021, due to the ongoing global pandemic and the current state of the spread of COVID-19 both in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in Beaver County. This decision directly impacts the men’s and women’s basketball programs’ competitive schedules. The women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross-country programs will remain on hiatus for the 2020-21 academic year.
“With our Region XX partners, we have considered a number of scenarios regarding the feasibility of competing in NJCAA sports. Together, our institutional leadership has determined that cancelling our winter sports season is necessary to do our part in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our student-athletes and larger community safe by abiding by the best practices and recommendations of
the Commonwealth and CDC,” said Colin Sisk, CCBC Director of Student Life and Athletic Administration. CCBC’s head coaches and athletics administrators are working closely together on opportunities to provide an enriched, fulfilling experience for our Titan student-athletes, including conditioning workouts and practices with their coaches under guidance developed in consultation with Region XX and other
peer institutions. Looking forward to the 2021-22 season, the NJCAA determined that any student-athlete who remains enrolled in good academic standing at an institution, whether they competed in a full schedule, partial schedule, or no schedule at all, would not be charged with a year of intercollegiate eligibility for their sport this academic calendar year (Fall 2020-Spring 2021). Also, they may compete next season, even if this year would have been their second and final year of junior college eligibility.

Browns get back 3, not top corner Denzel Ward for Steelers

Browns get back 3, not top corner Denzel Ward for Steelers
By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns finally caught a needed break when safety Ronnie Harrison, tight end Harrison Bryant and linebacker Malcolm Smith were activated from the COVID-19 list to play in Sunday night’s wild-card game at Pittsburgh. However, the team will not have top cornerback Denzel Ward, who tested positive with the virus last week and isn’t ready to play. The Browns are short-handed for their first playoff game since the 2002 season. Coach Kevin Stefanski and Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio both tested positive this week and can not take part in the game. The Browns have lost 17 straight games at Heinz Field.