Pittsburg, PA
Arizona signee Brandon Smith, prolific offense leads Central East past Pittsburg in NorCal 1-A final
PITTSBURG, Calif. — The game was decided, the Bengals of Central East of Fresno had given up a couple easy fourth-quarter scores but Brandon Smith wasn’t quite satisfied.
The 6-foot, 190-pound senior running took the direct snap, raced up the middle and carried two Pittsburg defenders on his back the final eight yards to finish off a 19-yard run.
He could have gone down easily five to 10 yards earlier, but that’s just not his style. And perhaps, he was making a statement.
The Bengals want to finish the job.
Even though Smith got banged up late in the third quarter, he too wanted to finish and did so with a career high 38 carries for 270 yards and two touchdowns as the Bengals went wire-to-wire to hand an equally hungry Pittsburg squad a 55-36 CIF Northern California Division 1-A home championship game defeat Saturday night under brisk and breezy conditions.
Smith’s determined run came on his 35th carry.
“He’s an absolute stud an a great kid,” Central East coach Kyle Biggs said. “He’s been amazing on both sides of the ball and just does everything for us.”
“Our goal since January was to finish the job,” said Biggs, whose team did so in his fourth season (2019), when they went 15-0, beating favored Sierra Canyon 34-19 in the State 1-AA finals at Cerritos College.
This team (13-1) has one hiccup, a 42-26 loss at Grant in Week 2, but have since rattled off 12 straight wins utilizing perhaps the most complete offense in the state, one which averages 49 points and 541 yards per game.
The Bengals upped those numbers on Saturday, piling up 563 yards and going for 55 points against a prideful program and a defense that had given up just 81 points in its last eight games with two shutouts.
Besides Smith, who signed to the University of Arizona on Wednesday, churning out hard yards inside and outside, junior quarterback Jelani Dippel threw for four touchdowns, two more to Bayon Harris for 49 and 30 yards, his 24th and 25th TD catches of the season. Dippel also rushed for a touchdown to put the finishing touches on this one.
“Jelani has been great all year long and keeps getting better,” Biggs said.
He also hit Cal-signee Eli Morgan with a pretty 35-yard bomb to start the third quarter and a 22-yard to Andrew Garcia, his first TD catch of the season, to start the game.
Add in two brilliant play calls, a 52-yard reverse by speedy Xavier Jones and an 11-yard keeper from Dippel — neither runner was touched on either play — and the Central East offense was on full diplay, leading to a 48-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Pirates (12-3), who largely outplayed Northern California Open Division representative De La Salle-Concord in a 24-17 defeat about a month ago, showed all sorts of pride and athleticism all night, including the brilliant one-hand 7-yard touchdown catch by RJ Mosley, a long and fleet 6-foot-4 receiver who will join Smith at the Unviersity of Arizona.
Mosley (seven catches, 95 yards) added a 42-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter, when fleet sophomore receiver Kenneth Moore, a big play machine, added a 67-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Carlos Torres (13 of 23, 247 yards).
Moore also had a 79-yard catch-and-run — he was caught at the one by Smith — that set up a short TD run, and an 18-yard touchdown catch.
But the Pirates, who bring back many of its top players next year including sophomore quarterback Javale Jones (three completions, 117 yards, and two runs for 45 yards), couldn’t overcome five turnovers, including a fumbled kickoff after Morgan’s touchdown catch to start the second half.
When the Bengals turned that immediately into seven more points on Smith’s second TD run of the night, this one was essentially over at 48-14.
That said, after long touchdown passes to Mosley and Ward cut the deficit to 48-28 early in the fourth and the Pirates forced a three-and-out, a miracle was still in reach.
But linebacker Juan Ochoa made a leaping interception of a Torres pass which sorta sealed it. Dippel did so officially with his 11-yard keeper with 4:41 to go, making it 55-28.
Pittsburg softball improved to 16-4 on the season by sweeping host Kansas City Piper 17-1 in five innings and 15-3 in six innings Saturday afternoon.
Breck Slaughter earned the win in both games. She allowed one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts and two walks over five innings during the opener. Then, she allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks over three innings.
AnnaLynn Hudson pitched the last three innings of the day for the Purple Dragons.
Offensively, Pittsburg scored 17 runs on 20 hits during the opener and all nine Dragons reached the hit column. Kenleigh Warford led with four hits, Breck Slaughter and Micah Gomez each had three and Brecken Campbell, Brette Pasteur, Laney Trisler and Emily Shriver each had two. Slaughter, Trisler and Gomez each doubled twice and Pasteur and Shriver also recorded two-baggers. Brilee Mantooth homered. Gomez led the Dragons with four RBI, Campbell had three and Trisler, Mantooth and Shriver drove in two each.
The Dragons closed out their sweep with 15 runs on just 11 hits. Pasteur had a monster performance at the plate with four runs scored, three hits in three at-bats, two home runs and five RBI; she also worked a pair of walks and proved to be an utter pain for Piper pitchers Reagan Asbury and Harper Cordill.
Campbell also homered and finished with three hits for the Dragons. Slaughter and Shriver both finished with two hits and both seniors doubled.
Pittsburg won four games during the week and outscored Labette County, Independence and Piper by a combined 59-11. The Dragons return to Southeast Kansas League play on the road Monday against Independence; the Dragons beat the Bulldogs 14-1 in five innings last Thursday in Pittsburg.
The Dragons are looking to wrap up at least a share of the SEK League title.
Pittsburg 612 44 — 17 20 0
KC Piper 000 01 — 1 2 5
Breck Slaughter and Peyton Morey; Stella Utter and Ginny Garcia. W: Slaughter. L: Utter. 2B—PHS: Slaughter 2, Brette Pasteur, Emily Shriver, Laney Trisler 2, Micah Gomez 2; KCP: Faith Flournoy. HR—PHS: Brilee Mantooth.
——
Pittsburg 225 105 — 15 7 2
KC Piper 100 101 — 3 6 6
Breck Slaughter, AnnaLynn Hudson (4) and Peyton Morey; Reagan Asbury, Harper Cordill (5) and Faith Flournoy. W: Slaughter. L: Asbury. 2B—PHS: Slaughter. HR—PHs: Brecken Campbell, Brette Pasteur 2; KCP: Ginny Garcia.
This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund/
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers insider just poured gasoline on the Aaron Rodgers fire following latest report of what he was doing in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be in Pittsburgh over the weekend, with the thought that a deal would get done. One Steelers insider backs the report, but adds details that only compound a messy situation.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
At this point, the events of the past two seasons between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers could probably be a book or movie. Everything from walks on the beach, to him throwing with DK Metcalf before signing, to someone capturing him driving a rental car into Pittsburgh has made waves.
This offseason was supposed to be different, and a decision from Rodgers was supposed to come much earlier. However, the Steelers remain in a holding pattern, and one that many believed would end over the weekend, after it was reported that Rodgers would be in town to sign a contract. Well, that seems to be true, but like much of this saga over the past two years, there seems to be a holdup.
Aaron Rodgers 2025 stats
- 3.4 TD to INT ratio.
- 3,322 passing yards.
- 65.7% completion percentage.
Aaron Rodgers visited Pittsburgh, but not the Steelers over the weekend
“Aaron Rodgers has been in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have not met with him yet and instead have been talking with his agent. Rodgers has stayed away from the team’s South Side facility while the three-day rookie minicamp has been going on.” – Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The news from Dulac comes on the heels of the report from 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that Rodgers would be visiting the Steelers over the weekend, with the intention to sign his deal.
That report was backed up nationally by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, but some in Steelers media (Mark Kaboly) said that if Rodgers was going to be in town, that was news to the team.
Omar Khan said as much during a radio hit after the reports surfaced, saying that he didn’t know where Rodgers was, but that talks remained fluid. Of course, general managers, including Omar Khan, have been known to bend the truth, which seems to lie somewhere in the middle here.
The bottom line with Aaron Rodgers
It’s obvious to me that the Steelers and Rodgers are held up over money. I know that it was said to not be the case, but you don’t intentionally avoid meeting with a team and have your agent talk to them, just days after they use a tender that determines your 2026 salary, if you’re just going to sign.
I would be surprised if Rodgers doesn’t sign at this point, but it doesn’t change the monetary situation that needs to be worked out here.
Kennywood honored two longtime employees Saturday who together have worked at the park for a combined 100 years.
Larry Russ and Bobby Trygar started working at Kennywood in 1976.
Russ began his Kennywood career as a games employee, working at the Big Apple dart game. In 1980, Russ applied to the security team and has held positions there ever since, including roles as a corporal, lieutenant, chief, and captain, according to a press release provided by the park.
Trygar began his time at Kennywood by working in the Parkside Café. Since he joined Kennywood, he has helped to maintain some of the park’s most iconic attractions, including the Racer, Log Jammer, and Merry Go Round.
“This is something you dream about. It’s so amazing,” Trygar said. “One of the best things when I worked out here was when I met my wife on the Racer. I was the mechanic. It’s just a great feeling to come here every day, see smiles on people’s faces, it’s tremendous. It gives you that extra boost and happiness.”
“I was planning on going into the mill, like everyone else was during my era,” Russ said. “Of course, the mill shut down. My father told me, ‘You don’t want to [work at the mill]. This place isn’t going to be here that much longer,’ and he was right, so I stuck it out here. I got a full-time position in 1980, and the rest is history.”
The park also dedicated two benches in their honor.
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