Category: Sports

NFL contest gives fans chance to party with Lombardi Trophy

NFL contest gives fans chance to party with Lombardi Trophy
NEW YORK (AP) — Ever want to party with the Lombardi Trophy? The NFL is giving fans that chance.
The league is launching a “Lombardi in Your Hometown” contest, which will send the NFL’s championship trophy to one winner’s hometown during wild-card weekend in January. The trophy will appear at a watch party for the winner and friends and family before heading to Miami for the Super Bowl in February.
To enter, fans can post a picture or video demonstrating what they’ve done to deserve a chance to lift the trophy and tag @NFL and #NFL100Contest.
“Long before his name symbolized football greatness, my grandfather taught the core belief that the group is greater than the individual and that people grow stronger together through football,” New Orleans Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi said. “My family is proud that the Lombardi Trophy not only serves to crown Super Bowl champions but will also serve to bring a special set of fans together in one winner’s hometown.”
The contest runs through Nov. 7.
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Bengals bench Andy Dalton, turn to rookie after 0-8 start

Bengals bench Andy Dalton, turn to rookie after 0-8 start
By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) — The winless Bengals benched Andy Dalton heading into their bye week, ending his nine-season run as starter so they can start developing rookie Ryan Finley as his potential long-term replacement.
The move came two days after a 24-10 loss to the Rams in London left Cincinnati 0-8 for the first time in 11 years. It’s the first significant roster change under first-year coach Zac Taylor.
Dalton led the Bengals to five straight playoff appearances from 2011-15 but couldn’t get that elusive postseason win. He has one more year left on his contract, and owner Mike Brown said before the start of the season that how well he performed would determine his future.
Finley, a fourth-round pick, confirmed he’ll start against the Ravens in Week 10.
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Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27-14

Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27-14
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph heard the boos. They were impossible to miss as the minutes passed, the mistakes piled up and the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves down two scores on Monday night to arguably the worst team in the NFL.
Turnovers. Dropped passes. Penalties. Missed opportunities. For the better part of 30 minutes, it was hard to tell if the Steelers or the Miami Dolphins were the team in the midst of a massive rebuild.
“I would have booed that performance too,” Rudolph said. “Coming out slow and it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s a standard here and we weren’t meeting it at the time.”
Eventually, however, Rudolph found his footing. Eventually, the Dolphins morphed back into the team playing for a shot at the top pick in the draft. And eventually the Steelers avoided an embarrassing loss that would have effectively ended the competitive portion of their season by rallying for a 27-14 victory.
Rudolph threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns in his first start after getting knocked unconscious earlier this month against Baltimore, and James Conner added 145 yards and a touchdown on the ground as Pittsburgh (3-4) won consecutive games for the first time since ripping off six straight in the middle of last season.
“You dig a big of a whole there in the first half and I was proud of the way we responded,” Rudolph said.
Rudolph stressed he wasn’t worried about the long-term effects of a frightening concussion he suffered against Baltimore on Oct. 6, when he was knocked cold on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Ravens safety Earl Thomas. Still, he looked shaky at best during an ugly opening quarter that saw the Dolphins grab their first two-touchdown lead over any opponent in more than a year.
Pittsburgh’s first possession ended with Rudolph throwing a pick to Xavien Howard — back in the lineup after missing two games with a knee injury — and its second ended with Rudolph misfiring badly on fourth down. Yet he remained upbeat amid the growing pains and eventually things started to click. Rudolph completed 20 of 36 passes, including a 45-yard touchdown to rookie Diontae Johnson late in the second quarter and a 26-yard strike to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the third quarter that put the Steelers firmly in control.
“We needed to get him going early on because all it takes is that one big play for him,” Pittsburgh wide receiver James Washington said. “His mind is going. He’s got that adrenaline going and (once) we started moving the ball down the field running and passing, we were on.”
And the Dolphins (0-7) were not.
Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 190 yards with two touchdowns and two picks, both to Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who orchestrated a trade from Miami to Pittsburgh last month. But a rare hot start couldn’t prevent Miami from staying winless through seven games for the first time since 2011. The Dolphins have dropped 10 straight dating to last season.
“We just have to continue to keep fighting,” Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “That’s just kind of the place that we’re at right now. Just continue to keep fighting, continue to keep going to practice and trying to get better every single day.”
CURIOUS CALL
The Dolphins, in the midst of an exhaustive rebuild under first-year coach Brian Flores — a process that included trading running back Kenyan Drake to Arizona on Monday for a conditional sixth-round pick in next year’s draft just hours before kickoff — showed their first extended signs of life in an already lost season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s two touchdown passes gave Miami — a 14-point underdog — a 14-point advantage for the first time since Oct. 7, 2018. The Dolphins couldn’t hold on then, allowing the Bengals storm back for a victory. A year later, not much has changed. The Steelers pulled within 14-10 at the break thanks to the first of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s two interceptions and an odd defensive play call by the Dolphins.
Leading by 11 points and with Pittsburgh facing third-and-20 outside of field goal range, Miami opted to blitz and didn’t bother to guard Johnson, who took a short pass from Rudolph and used a couple of downfield blocks by Washington to weave his way 45 yards to the end zone.
“Wanted to be aggressive,” Flores said. “We can second guess a lot of calls. I’m not going to second guess that one. I thought we had success with the call, and they made a play.”
INJURIES
Dolphins: Howard’s return was brief. He left in the second half after aggravating his knee injury. … CB Ken Webster left with an ankle injury in the first half and did not return.
Steelers: Conner left in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. … Ramon Foster (concussion) exited with a concussion in the first half and did not return. … RB Benny Snell left with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: Welcome the New York Jets (1-6) next Sunday. Miami swept the Jets last season.
Steelers: Host Indianapolis (5-2) next Sunday. Pittsburgh has won each of its last five meetings with the Colts.
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Football Playoff Match ups Released!!

5A:

13 Franklin Regional @ 4 Moon  (Winner plays winner of 12Mars @ 5 Peters Township)

4A:

5 Greensburg Salem @ 4 Blackhawk (Winner plays winner of 8 Montour @ 1 Thomas Jefferson)

3A:

8 Mt. Pleasant @  1 Central Valley 

5 Beaver Falls @ 4 Derry Area

(Winners of two games above play each other in the next round)

7 Elizabeth Forward @ 2 Aliquippa (Game at Ambridge High School)

(Winner plays 6 South Park @ 3 North Catholic Winner)

2A:

9 Charleroi @  8 Freedom (Winner plays 16 Shandy Side @1 Washington winner)

10 New Brighton @ 7 Appolo-Ridge (Winner plays 15 Southmorland @ 2 Avonworth winner)

14 Riverside @ 3 Burrgetstown

11 South Side Beaver @ 6 McGuffey

(Winners of above games play each other in next round)

1A

8 OLSH @ Clairton

5 California @ 4 Cornell 

(Winners or above games play each other)

 

Pirates fire GM Neal Huntington, shake front office again

Pirates fire GM Neal Huntington, shake front office again
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ front-office overhaul is complete. The team fired general manager Neal Huntington on Monday, the third high-profile dismissal following a last-place finish in the NL Central.
Pittsburgh parted with manager Clint Hurdle on the final day of the regular season. Team president Frank Coonelly stepped away last week and will be replaced by former Pittsburgh Penguins executive Travis Williams. Kevan Graves will serve as interim general manager while the club begins the search for Huntington’s full-time replacement.
Huntington arrived in Pittsburgh in 2007 and oversaw a franchise-wide makeover in which the club emerged from two decades of losing to reach the playoffs three straight times from 2013-15. The team began to slide out of contention in 2016 and has finished under .500 in three of the last four seasons. Huntington and Hurdle signed four-year contract extensions in 2017 saying they were confident the team had the right plan to stay competitive in one of baseball’s toughest divisions.
Now they’re both out of work following a stunning second-half collapse in which Pittsburgh finished 69-93 amid a series of on-the-field and off-the-field issues, including the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez on felony charges related to a sexual relationship with an underage girl.
Pirates chairman Bob Nutting appeared to give Huntington a vote of confidence when the team dismissed Hurdle, saying on Sept. 29 he strongly believed “Huntington and the leadership team that he has assembled are the right people to continue to lead our baseball operations department.”
After what he called a “thorough review,” Nutting changed course. Coonelly walked away last week, saying he felt new voices were necessary for the franchise to move forward. Nutting stressed that Huntington’s dozen years in Pittsburgh “should always be remembered for ending a long stretch of futility” but felt the move to fire Huntington was “critical” to giving Williams the fresh slate necessary so the Pirates can start anew.
Williams spent a decade with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, eventually rising to chief operating officer while serving as part of a management team that helped the franchise win Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017. He left the Penguins last fall to become president of business operations for the New York Islanders.
Williams will have his hands full when he starts Friday. Finding a general manager will take top priority. The team said it is halting the managerial search until the general manager job is filled.
“Travis was an integral part of the Penguins leadership team over the past decade of success,” Nutting said. “He has a keen understanding of Pittsburgh and appreciates how important our fans are. He will drive a culture of success within our organization.”
Williams called the decision to join the Pirates a “homecoming.”
“It is a tremendous opportunity to come back to a city and a team that I love,” Williams said. “I am excited about working with Bob and the rest of the Pirates family to return this franchise to a winning tradition.”
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“Thru the Eyes of Sly Washington” Freedom vs. Western Beaver, Saturday October 26, 2019

(Industry),Pa.) In this editon of ” Thru the Eyes of Sly Washington” we travel to Western Beaver High School. The Golden Beavers under first year coach Derek Moye could secure a play-off spot with a win against the heavily favored Freedom Bulldogs. A Bulldogs win would mean a share of the 2A MAC title with Neshannock.

On a wet and sloppy afternoon the Golden Beavers turned in an outstanding defensive and offensive display. After a scoreless first quarter, Western Beaver puts the first numbers on the board in the second as they scored a touchdown with the extra point. Freedom fought back a little in the third quarter, taking what they could get with a  field goal. The score was 7-3 in favor of the Golden Beavers going into the fourth quarter. Western Beaver was able to get one last touchdown in the fourth, ending the game with a score of 13-3. Western Beaver secured the fourth play-off spot in the MAC because they had beaten Riverside in head to head competition. With the loss Freedom falls into a second place tie with New Brighton at 5-2 in the MAC. The Bulldogs receie the second play-off spot over the Lions due to beating them head to head. Neshannock who beat Shenango on Friday secured the section crown finishing 6-1 in the MAC with their lone loss coming at the hands of New Brighton.

Tune into Beaver County Radio Monday night October 28, 2019 at 7 pm for the Trib-Live High School Sports Network Play-offs pairing show.

In the mean time check out this edition of thru the eyes of Sly Washington below:

 

 

Robert Morris edged Bryant 24-20, comes from 13 points down

Robert Morris edged Bryant 24-20, comes from 13 points down
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Garrett Houser pulled in a 75-yard pass from George Martin for the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as Robert Morris came from behind to defeat Bryant 24-20 Saturday to remain undefeated in the Northeast Conference.
The Colonials (4-4, 3-0) fell behind 13-0 by halftime, their largest deficit since trailing Sacred Heart by 14 in 2010 — also a comeback win.
The Colonials outscored the Bulldogs (2-7, 1-3) 24-7 in the final two periods despite being outgained in rushing and passing yards.
Back-to-back Bryant turnovers turned into 10 points. Brady Ours intercepted Bryant’s Kory Curtis, leading to a Nick Bisceglia 29-yard field goal as the Colonials cut the gap to 13-10. The Bulldogs’ Gavin Rowley was pushed back for a 16-yard loss on the next possession and fumbled. Jacob Thomas snatched it up at the 3 and scored for a 17-13 Colonials lead.
Bryant took a 20-17 lead early in the fourth on Harrison Easton’s 5-yard TD run, but Robert Morris responded with a three-play, 74-yard drive and the winning TD pass
Jesse Nemerowicz, with six tackles, grabbed the career record for Bryant with 289. The previous record was 285.

Late TD pass lifts Miami past Pittsburgh 16-12

Late TD pass lifts Miami past Pittsburgh 16-12
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Miami head coach Manny Diaz kept telling quarterback Jarren Williams to be ready. That at some point the Hurricanes would need him even though Diaz awarded the starting job to N’Kosi Perry.
Whether Williams initially bought in to whatever Diaz was selling him is up for debate. Neither Williams nor Diaz declined to get into specifics when asked if Williams missed practice in the days ahead of Saturday’s visit to Pittsburgh.
“On the internal stuff, that’s not something I get into,” Diaz said. “I don’t talk about stuff like that.”
Besides, it doesn’t matter now anyway. Consider Williams all in. Let him offer his play during Miami’s game-winning drive in Pittsburgh on Saturday as proof. Thrust into the lineup midway through the fourth quarter after Perry struggled, Williams led the Hurricanes on a 62-yard drive in the final minutes, the last 32 yards coming on a catch-and-run by wide receiver KJ Osborn with 58 seconds remaining that gave Miami a 16-12 victory.
“I said, ‘Hey, it’s time for me to come and step up,'” Williams said. “The guys need me. The team needs me. This program needs me. I’m going to give everybody everything I’ve got.”
Miami (4-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) needed everything Williams had after coming in for Perry, who completed 10 of 24 passes for 104 yards and an interception. Diaz inserted Williams into the lineup after Alex Kessman’s fourth field goal gave the Panthers (5-3, 3-2) a 12-10 lead. Miami went three-and-out on Williams’ first possession. On his second, he directed a drive the Hurricanes hope alters the course of their wildly uneven season.
Williams completed a short pass to Osborn on fourth down at the Miami 47 to keep Miami alive. He later scrambled for a first down that pushed the ball to the Pitt 32. Two snaps later he connected with Osborn, who did most of the work while shedding a pair of defenders on his way to the end zone.
“It was crunch time,” Osborn said. “I braced myself and bounced off some guys. Once I was running, I was happy.”
And Miami was finally in control. Pitt didn’t go anywhere on its final drive, done in by a pair of drops, a sack and a fourth-down heave by Kenny Pickett heave that sailed wide of intended receiver V’Lique Carter. Pickett finished 18 of 32 for 146 yards with the two picks as the Panthers saw their four-game winning streak end on a day they limited Miami to 208 total yards.
“The defense played well enough to win except for that last play,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I think we probably gave up one big play the entire game, which doesn’t happen very often, but it was the one play that they needed to put the game away, and we just didn’t make enough plays period.”
And too many turnovers. The Panthers gave it away three times in the opening 16 minutes, two of them coming on interceptions by Miami cornerback DJ Ivey, the other on a fumble by Pitt wide receiver Taysir Mack. Cam’Ron Harris, starting for injured starter DeeJay Dallas, ran for 60 yards for the Hurricanes, including a 1-yard dive in the second quarter after Ivey’s second pick gave the Hurricanes the ball at the Pitt 17.
Still, an early 10-3 lead wouldn’t hold, forcing Diaz to turn to Williams in the fourth quarter with the game — and perhaps the season — in the balance. After some initial missteps, Williams delivered, though Diaz isn’t exactly in a hurry to name a starter for next week’s visit to rival Florida State.
“As for what this means tomorrow or the next day, I’ll deal with that tomorrow,” Diaz said.
DEJA VU
Last month, Pitt opted to attempt a field goal rather than go for it on fourth-and-goal at the Penn State 1 while trailing by a touchdown. Kessman missed and the Panthers lost. Trailing by a point and with the ball at the Miami 1, Narduzzi again opted to kick, this time intentionally taking a delay of game to give Kessman a better angle to kick. He made it to put the Panthers in front and Pitt’s defense held on Miami’s next possession before faltering late.
Ultimately, Narduzzi believes he made the right call.
“When you’re down, three points puts you ahead and your defense is playing — I don’t know. Again, could go either way,” Narduzzi said. “It’s just got to play the odds, and I guessed wrong, so it’s my fault.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Miami: The Hurricanes still have plenty of questions on offense but at least they have some momentum after coming out on the wrong end of a series of narrow losses in recent weeks.
Pitt: The Panthers have thrived in tight games this year — they came in having won four straight by a combined 10 points — but couldn’t get the one stop they needed and will need considerable help if they want to win the ACC Coastal Division for the second straight year.
UP NEXT
Miami: Visits longtime rival Florida State next Saturday. The Hurricanes have won two straight in the series, including a 24-20 victory in Tallahassee in 2017.
Pitt: Travels to Georgia Tech next Saturday. The teams have split their six meetings since the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013.
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Allen’s punt-return TD leads Duquesne past Wagner 28-24

Allen’s punt-return TD leads Duquesne past Wagner 28-24
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mark Allen returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown 24 seconds into the fourth quarter and Duquesne held on for a 28-24 victory over Wagner on Saturday.
After a scoreless first quarter, Wagner built a 14-0 lead halfway through the second when Christian Alexander-Stevens capped back-to-back drives with scoring runs of 16 and 9 yards, respectively.
Duquesne (5-2, 3-0 Northeast Conference) responded with two touchdowns in the final 1:55 of the quarter. Daniel Parr capped an 11-play, 69-yard drive with a 16-yard TD toss to Davie Henderson on third-and-13. The Dukes’ Jake Dixon forced Myron Morris to fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Connor Barrett recovered at Wagner’s 24-yard line. Duquesne used 10 plays to score with A.J. Hines running it in from 1-yard.
Duquesne opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Allen’s 2-yard TD run for a 21-14 lead. Allen followed with his punt return for a two-score lead.
Alexander-Stevens’ third rushing TD pulled the Seahawks (1-7, 1-2) within 28-21 with 12:40 remaining. Eric Silvester’s 32-yard field goal reduced the deficit to four with 7:47 left. Mason Williams ended it when he picked off Alexander-Stevens with 1:41 left.
Hines finished with 113 yards on 26 carries for Duquesne, which amassed 218 yards on the ground but just 72 through the air.
Alexander-Stevens ran for 61 yards on 11 carries and completed 14 of 28 passes for 191 yards and the costly pick.

No. 6 Penn State handles Michigan State 28-7

No. 6 Penn State handles Michigan State 28-7
By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Pat Freiermuth scored the game’s first two touchdowns.
Turned out that was all No. 6 Penn State really needed against Michigan State’s anemic offense.
Freiermuth and the Nittany Lions would add more points later, and unbeaten Penn State beat the Spartans 28-7 on Saturday. Sean Clifford threw four touchdown passes on a rainy day, and the Nittany Lions avenged close losses to Michigan State from each of the past two seasons.
“I’m very excited that we’re undefeated still, and that’s the only goal I’ve had all season and I plan on going through the whole season doing that,” Clifford said.
The Spartans (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) wrapped up a dreadful stretch in which they lost to Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State by a combined score of 100-17.
Penn State (8-0, 5-0) moves on to a surprising matchup of undefeated teams Nov. 9 at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions had lost five of their previous six against Michigan State.
Clifford’s first touchdown pass to Freiermuth, a 16-yarder, opened the scoring in the first quarter, and those same two players gave Penn State a 13-0 lead with a 19-yard strike in the second. KJ Hamler’s 27-yard TD catch with 1:20 left in the half — plus a successful 2-point conversion — made it 21-0.
A fumbled punt by Michigan State set up Clifford’s 6-yard touchdown toss to Freiermuth in the third quarter. Then the Spartans finally scored for the first time in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 2 seconds of game time. Brian Lewerke found Cody White for a 49-yard pass, and Anthony Williams scored on a 4-yard run.
“From my perspective, we need to execute better,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. “There are things that we can do from a call situation, but we’ve got the same — a lot of the same plays are the same plays that other people run as well, timing and who to go to and those type of things. But we’ll look at everything.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Penn State: The Nittany Lions haven’t won the Land Grant Trophy that often lately, but they had an easy time Saturday. Last weekend, Penn State nearly let a 21-point lead slip away in a win over Michigan. The Nittany Lions had no problems holding on to their big advantage against the Spartans.
“We were able to score enough early on in the first half before things got too messy to be able to get a win. I’m pleased with that,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “The bye week is coming at a tremendous time for us.”
Michigan State: The Spartans might not be as bad as these past three opponents made them look, but they’re struggling just to reach a bowl, and the offense is showing no signs of being able to function effectively against good teams.
EJECTION
Penn State defensive tackle Antonio Shelton was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions had nine penalties for 104 yards.
ROUGH STRETCH
The was the third time in school history that Michigan State played three straight games against teams in the AP top 10. It didn’t go any better the previous two times. In 1970, the Spartans lost 29-0 to Notre Dame, 29-0 to Ohio State and 34-20 to Michigan. The 1972 Michigan State team lost 51-6 to Southern California, 16-0 to Notre Dame and 10-0 to Michigan.
“We just got to loosen up,” Michigan State linebacker Antjuan Simmons said. “We carry a lot of pressure, put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We want to be the best. It kind of wears on you. We had to go back to the basics, just have fun, just trusting our job. Second half, I feel for the most part, we did that. We competed.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
No. 5 Oklahoma’s loss to unranked Kansas State gives Penn State a chance to move up.
UP NEXT
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are off next weekend before traveling to play Minnesota.
Michigan State: The Spartans also have an open date — their second in three weeks. They host Illinois on Nov. 9.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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This version has been corrected to show Michigan State went 2 hours, 11 minutes, 2 seconds of game time without scoring.