Standout South Side High School football player commits to Syracuse University to play college football as a punter there

(File Photo of Busses Parked at South Side Area School District)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hookstown, PA) A high school football player that stood out at South Side High School in Hookstown committed to Syracuse University to play college football there as a punter on Thursday. The commitment by Mateja Pavlovich to Syracuse University is rare air for South Side High School to get an athlete to commit to a Power football program. According to the South Side Area School District Athletic Department, the commitment by Pavlovich is potentially the first South Side football player to commit to a Power football program since the early 1980s. Aside to being a punter at South Side High School, he was a running back, tight end and kicker there during his four years there. He also got offers to be a punter at Robert Morris University, Bowling Green and West Virginia and as a linebacker at some Division II schools. He also got kicker offers in 2023, with Kentucky most notably. He also joins former South Side standouts to go to Division I programs, joining Harold Garren, who committed to the University of Virginia, Mark Shaw who committed to the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) and Doug Wassel, who committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Paul Skenes to start 2nd straight All-Star Game for NL and Tarik Skubal to open for AL

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

ATLANTA (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes will start his second straight All-Star Game for the National League and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal will open for the American League on Tuesday night at Truist Park.

Major League Baseball made the announcement Saturday night.

Skenes will become the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star Games since Washington’s Max Scherzer and Boston’s Chris Sale in 2017 and ’18. Sale started three in a row beginning in 2016.

Skenes and Skubal are 1-2 in average four-seam fastball velocity among those with 1,500 or more pitches this season, Skenes at 98.2 mph and Skubal at 97.6 mph, according to MLB Statcast.

Skenes worked around Juan Soto’s walk in a scoreless first at Arlington, Texas, last year, throwing at up to 100.1 mph. He made the start after just 11 major league appearances, the fewest for an All-Star.

Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, with five appearances, could take over that mark Tuesday if he pitches.

Skubal pitched a perfect second inning in his first All-Star appearance last year, following Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes to the mound.

A 23-year-old right-hander, Skenes is 4-8 despite a major league-best 2.01 ERA for the Pirates, who are last in the NL Central. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year has 131 strikeouts and 30 walks in 131 innings.

Skubal, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-3 with a 2.23 ERA, striking out 153 and walking 16 in 121 innings.

The Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh tried to help support bringing a Pittsburgh expansion team to the WNBA, but the team was not included in the most recent WNBA expansion

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The WNBA logo and hoop are seen at a WNBA basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/ Jessica Hill, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh made a push for an expansion team in Pittsburgh to join the WNBA, but it did not work out. The company started considering the idea in the fall of 2023 and paid out $90,000 for this Pittsburgh expansion team in the spring of 2024. The city of Philadelphia got an expansion team in the WNBA starting in 2030 on June 30th, 2025 during the most recent expansion of the professional basketball league for women.

Top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna says he’s committing to Penn State

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Canada’s Gavin McKenna (9) skates with the puck as United States’ Drew Fortescue (5) defends during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game in Ottawa, Ontario, Dec. 31, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

(AP) Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State, leaving the Canadian Hockey League for the U.S. college ranks in a long-anticipated decision by one of the sport’s most anticipated prospects since Connor McDavid.

McKenna’s jump highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA’s landmark decision in November to lift its ban on CHL player participation.

After word of McKenna’s destination leaked Monday, he made the announcement on “SportsCenter” on Tuesday. It coincidentally came 15 years to the day after “The Decision” when LeBron James revealed on ESPN he was leaving Cleveland for Miami.

“It was a super tough decision,” McKenna said before donning a Penn State hat. “Obviously there was a lot of great options out there, but I think me, my family and everyone that’s kind of a part of my circle, we all decided that the best spot for me next year will be Penn State University.”

McKenna, who turns 18 in December, is regarded a generational talent and has for the past two years been projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

“The (Western Hockey League) was a great spot, and I’m very grateful for what it did for me and my family,” McKenna said, adding he believes facing bigger, older competition will help make the leap to the NHL easier. “Both options were great, but I just think going to college, being in such a great conference, it’ll really challenge me and prepare me.”

Leaving the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers after two-plus seasons, McKenna joining Nittany Lions makes them an immediate contender to win a Frozen Four title. He had narrowed his choices to Penn State, coming off losing its Frozen Four debut in April, and Michigan State.

“You saw what Penn State did this year making the Frozen Four,” McKenna said. “They’ve come a long ways, and I think next year when I go there, obviously that’s the goal is to win a championship with them.”

The NCAA rule change coincides with schools being allowed to lure recruits with name, image, likeness (NIL) endorsement money, further tipping the scales toward CHL players making the jump. Previously, CHL players were barred from competing in college because they were deemed professionals for receiving a stipend of up to $600 per month for living expenses.

The lifting of the ban led to college hockey officials envisioning the NCAA replacing the CHL as North America’s top producer of NHL draft-ready talent.

From Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is coming off his second full season with Medicine Hat in which he finished second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists), behind 20-year Andrew Cristall’s 132. McKenna’s point total was third among all CHL players, rounded out by OHL’s Michael Misa’s 134. Misa is a year older and was selected second by San Jose in this year’s draft.

McKenna most notably closed this season with a 45-game point streak in which he combined for 32 goals and 100 points, and finished the playoffs with nine goals and 38 points in 16 games. Including playoffs, he failed to register a point just four times.

McKenna’s potential has already caused a ripple effect among NHL teams, who have been guarded about trading their 2026 first-round selections in fear of potentially missing out on a chance to select him.

McKenna’s name even caused a buzz at the Frozen Four in St. Louis, where there was already speculation of him being lured south.

Counting the regular season and playoffs, McKenna combined for 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games in the WHL.

He already has NHL ties in being a cousin by marriage to Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. McKenna grew up in Whitehorse befriending the family of Dylan Cozens, the Ottawa Senators forward who was selected seventh overall by Buffalo in the 2019 draft.

 

Pirates’ Oneil Cruz will bring his record-breaking power to the Home Run Derby

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Oneil Cruz celebrates with third base coach Mike Rabelo (58) after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, known more for delivering hard-hit homers than producing them in quantity, was added Tuesday to next week’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta.

He is the fifth player named as a participant in Monday’s event at Truist Park, which hosts the All-Star Game a night later. Also competing are Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.

“I’m really, really happy just because that’s what I do,” Cruz said ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Kansas City. “I like to hit balls far. I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”

During the fourth inning against the Royals, he hit his 16th homer, a 458-foot blast with an exit velocity of 115.6 mph.

The 26-year-old Cruz hit a career-best 21 homers last season.

“They’ve been trying to get me in the Home Run Derby for the last couple years, but last year, I was coming back from an ankle injury and was not feeling that good at that time,” Cruz said. “But I’m in a good spot right now.”

When the 6-foot-7 Cruz hits a homer, he often hits it hard. On May 25 against visiting Milwaukee, he hit a ball measured at 122.9 mph into the Allegheny River, the highest exit velocity on a home run since Statcast began tracking in 2015.

“Oh, man, I can’t wait to see him hit down there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s going to make Atlanta look small after seeing him hit (batting practice) down there last year and the year before. Just really excited for him and the opportunity he’s got to go be a part of that.”

Cruz also showed off his arm Sunday with a 105.2 mph throw to nail Seattle’s J.P. Crawford at the plate. That was the second-hardest thrown ball to produce an outfield assist recorded by Statcast.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes makes it to the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, which is his second MLB All-Star Game appearance in a row

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has been selected to the 2025 Major League Baseball All-Star Game for the second year in a row. The mustachieoed pitcher made it to the MLB All-Star Game to represent the National League team in both of his two MLB seasons. In the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, Skenes was the starting pitcher for the National League. The 2025 MLB All-Star Game will take place at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, July 15th. According to a statement from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes joins Bob Veale in 1965 and 1966 and Rip Sewell in 1943, 1944, and 1946 as the only Pirates starting pitchers to get All-Star Game selections in at least two straight seasons.

CJ2K basketball league ends its 2025 summer season with two championship games at the “Concrete Jungle” at Brady’s Run Park

(File Photo of Basketball Broadcast Schedule Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) On Wednesday, the CJ2K basketball league ended its 2025 summer season with its two championship basketball games at the “Concrete Jungle” at Brady’s Run Park. This league has partnered up with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cavs Youth Sports for its sixth season. The Pottsville Clovers beat the Vaughnville Villains in the girls game 51-47 for their second straight title. The Hopewell Showtime beat the McKees Rocks Spuronis in the boys game.

Moon Area High School baseball coach Rich Rowe resigns reluctantly because of the negative surveys that went against him

(File Photo of Moon Area High School)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Coraopolis, PA) Moon Area High School baseball coach Rich Rowe has resigned reluctantly after three seasons there because of surveys against him that were negative. June 16th was when Rowe sent in his resignation letter originally but on Monday, the Moon Area School Board had a scheduled meeting and recognized that letter of resignation formally. The fifty-eight-year-old Rowe has been around baseball for over thirty years and has also coached at Blackhawk and Beaver Falls. 

Pittsburgh Penguins trade goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks for a 2028 third-round NHL draft pick

(File Photo of the Pittsburgh Penguins logo with the 2016 background color)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks for a 2028 third-round NHL draft pick. The only goaltender currently on the NHL roster for the Penguins is Tristan Jarry. The Penguins also have goaltenders who both played for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, Joel Blomqvist and prospect Sergei Murashov. Blomqvist played fifteen games last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Murashov also played for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.

University of Pennsylvania updates swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Swimmers including Penn’s Lia Thomas, lane 4, dive into the water at the start of a qualifying heat of the 200 yard freestyle at the Ivy League Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Harvard University, Feb. 18, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday modified a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by her participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case.

The U.S. Education Department and Penn announced the voluntary agreement of the high-profile case that focused on Thomas, who last competed for the Ivy League school in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title.

The department investigated Penn as part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, concluding the university in Philadelphia had violated the rights of female athletes.

Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I records and titles to female athletes who lost to Thomas and send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers, the Education Department said.

By Tuesday afternoon, the Penn website showed other athletes holding the school’s top times in Thomas’ events. The site was annotated with a note that read, “Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set program records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season.”

“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

As part of the settlement, the university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs” and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

In his statement, Jameson said Penn has always been in compliance with NCAA and Title IX rules as they were interpreted at the time, and that the university has never had its own policies around transgender athlete participation. The school has followed changes to eligibility guidelines as they were issued earlier this year, he said. The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes in February, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth.

“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” Jameson said. “At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines thanked President Donald Trump on social media and wrote of the settlement, “ Are pigs flying?” Gaines has said she started her activism against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports after sharing a locker room with Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request and did not respond to emails seeking comment Tuesday. It was not clear how either would determine which events had a transgender athlete participating years later.