Pittsburg, PA
Film Room: Pittsburgh Found Its Next Special Teams Star
The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their next special teams ace. A team that has had one for years and decades – John Fiala of the late 90s, Clint Kreidwalt, Sean Morey, and Chidi Iwuoma of the mid-2000s, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Tyler Matakevich of the mid-late 2010s, and Miles Killebrew of the 2020s, Carson Bruener is carrying that torch into 2025 and beyond.
A seventh-round pick who made the roster for his ‘teams value, he’s been putting that role to good use. Though Bruener has logged just one defensive snap this season, he’s quickly emerged as a core special teamer. His 220 special teams snaps rank fifth on the team and his 14 tackles on that unit is an excellent number.
Sunday’s showing against Baltimore was his marquee performance to date. Three special teams tackles, all on kick coverage, with high-end reps. Twice, he bowled over his would-be Ravens’ blocker en route to the returner.
On this rep, he is aligned at R2, fourth-in from the left. No. 39 dies a slow death as Bruener runs over him while keying the returner. Baltimore’s runback is clunky with the returner ahead of his up-man, losing a blocker in the process, and Bruener keeps him lateral and pinned to the sideline. Sebastian Castro and Jabrill Peppers also do nice jobs here to run him out of bounds.
Very similar here. Bruener again runs through his blocker even more forcefully this time, and the returner has nowhere to go. Bruener is no longer blocked and in position to make the tackle. He finishes this play off himself.
His final tackle was an assist and not solo. A little less impressive. Still, it was a solid rep shedding the block of TE Charlie Kolar, squaring up the returner, and combining with Peppers to make the stop.
The tackles themselves don’t tell the whole story. Bruener’s three stops put the Ravens at: their 26, 26, and 29 yard line. That’s six to nine yards inside of where a touchback would come out to the 35 yard line. Hidden yardage that works in Pittsburgh’s favor.
An underrated part of Omar Khan/Andy Weidl’s first two draft classes are the seventh round hits. In 2023, there was OL Spencer Anderson. In 2025, Bruener. Two serious contributors to the roster.
Kick and punt coverage are the first line of defense. It must be strong. The Steelers have been excellent here, and Bruener looks like a stud in the making. It wouldn’t be surprising he became a special teams captain in 2026 and held the job for the next seven years.
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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