A BIG BOOST — At its opening day Saturday, the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association received a big boost from Pirates Charities with the presentation of a $15,000 donation by Bob Nutting, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates; and John Leonard, manager of youth baseball and softball for the organization. — Warren Scott
WELLSBURG — This year’s season for the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association got off to a rocky start, with the discovery that a significant amount of funds were missing, and for at least some, it looked like its teams might not be able to play.
But the community — with a tremendous boost from Pirates Charities, the charitable arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates — has come together to see that its players will be able to take to the field.
Opening day for the volunteer-run youth sports league proved to be a celebration of the support the group has received in many directions, including a $15,000 donation from Pirates Charities presented by Pirates owner Bob Nutting and John Leonard, director of youth baseball and softball for the organization.
Nathan Marshall, a coach for the league, told the many attending, “Three weeks ago, we had nothing — no money, no hopes of anything.”
“I was amazed by how much this community has come together,” he said.
Marshall said not only did support come from local businesses and groups, it came from an unexpected direction.
“Bob (Nutting) called us and said, ‘You’re our neighbor. What can we do to help?” he recalled, adding a similar call was made also by Leonard.
The Pittsburgh Pirates played a big part in the opening ceremonies, with the Pirates Parrot mascot joining members of the Brooke High School baseball team in leading a parade of Wellsburg baseball and softball players and their coaches and parents along city streets to the Betty Carr Recreation Site, where they play.
Pirates alumnus Michael McKenry greeted the players as they approached the ball field, offering a “high five” to each and encouraging them to run onto it.
And Pirates Charities staff held a free drawing for prizes ranging from pitching machines to whiffle ball sets while handing out Pirates items to all players.
Earlier in the week, Pirates staff also conducted a batting camp for the league’s players.
Of the Pirates’ involvement, Nutting said, “I know how important programs like this are in towns like Wheeling (where he lives) and Wellsburg. Seeing the whole community rally around them reminds us of how important youth sports programs are.”
“This is what we built Pirates Charities for,” he said, noting the charity has helped more than 400 youth baseball fields through the years.
Leonard said, “Being able to help a community like Wellsburg is phenomenal. We were more than pleased to be able to help this league have an outstanding year.”
Chad Rogers, vice president of the Wellsburg Baseball and Softball Association, shared the sentiments of Marshall and Joe Pettini, its president, regarding the community’s support.
“All of the sponsors, the small businesses, kept this going. Without them, this wouldn’t happen. And the Pirates stepping up, that was huge,” he said.
Rogers pointed to a sign on which the support of about 30 local businesses and groups was acknowledged, noting many have sponsored teams in the league through the years.
He said the league currently includes about 55 players, from beginners in tee ball to 9- and 10-year-olds in the mustang division.
Rogers confirmed the number has declined in recent years, but he and the league’s recently elected officers and board hope to reverse that.
In addition to Pettini and Rogers, it includes Michelle Mazzella, secretary; and Taylor Wilson, treasurer.
A dark cloud fell over the league in March when former president Eric M. Smith was charged with embezzlement following accusations he had taken thousands of dollars from its funds.
The case against Smith is pending in Brooke County Magistrate Court.
But while real dark clouds hovered above the ball field on Saturday morning, a hopeful attitude prevailed among many in attendance.
“I’m glad they’re able to keep it going,” said Kevin Lyons of Windsor Heights, whose son plays in the pinto division.
Tracy Johnson, another parent of a player, said of the opening day and the Pirates Charities announcement, “This was amazing. It’s really great. The Pirates are really great.”
Johnson was among volunteers overseeing a drawing for an assortment of gift baskets containing items collected by players from each of the league’s teams.
Rogers said the league’s leaders are considering other fundraisers, including possibly a concert by a local band that has offered its services.
“We’re still throwing around a few ideas, but we’re definitely going to have fundraisers,” he said.
Woodbridge, Beckman and Santa Margarita football teams will be going for CIF state titles on Saturday at Fullerton, Buena Park and Saddleback College.
All the finals in 15 divisions will be held either Friday or Saturday in Orange County.
In the 7-AA division, Connor McBride’s Woodbridge Warriors (7-8) will meet Redding Christian (14-0) Saturday at 11 a.m. at Fullerton.
In the 4-A division, Marcello Giuliano’s Beckman Patriots (12-3) will take on El Cerrito (12-2) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Buena Park.
In the open division, Carson Palmer’s Santa Margarita team (10-3) meets De La Salle (12-0) Saturday at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College.
OPEN: De La Salle (12-0) vs. Santa Margarita (10-3) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College
DIVISION 1–AA: Folsom (13-1) vs. Cathedral Catholic (11-2) on Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College.
DIVISION 1–A: Central East, Fresno (13-1) vs. Pacifica, Oxnard (15-0) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3:30 p.m. at Saddleback College.
DIVISION 2–AA: St. Mary’s, Stockton (12-2) vs. Bakersfield Christian (13-0) on Fri., Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. at Saddleback College.
DIVISION 2–A: Sonora (14-0) vs. Rio Hondo Prep (15-0) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. at Saddleback College.
DIVISION 3–AA: St. Ignatius, S.F. (8-6) vs. Ventura (13-2) on Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. at Fullerton.
DIVISION 3–A: McClymonds, Oakland (11-2) vs. RF Kennedy, Delano (12-3) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Fullerton.
DIVISION 4–AA: Sutter (13-1) vs. Barstow (11-3) on Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. at Buena Park.
DIVISION 4–A: El Cerrito (12-2) vs. Beckman 12-3) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Buena Park.
DIVISION 5–AA: Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland (10-4) vs. Christian, El Cajon (8-7) on Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. at Buena Park.
DIVISION 5–A: Calaveras, San Andreas (12-2) vs. Bishop Union (12-3) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. at Fullerton.
DIVISION 6–AA: Lincoln, San Jose (11-3) vs. Valley Center (8-6) on Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. at Fullerton.
DIVISION 6–A: Winters (13-1) vs. Morse, San Diego (10-4) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. at Buena Park.
DIVISION 7–AA: Redding Christian (14-0) vs. Woodbridge, Irvine (7-8) on Sat., Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. at Fullerton.
DIVISION 7–A: Balboa, San Francisco (11-2) vs. South El Monte (11-4) on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. at Buena Park.
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Cal Petersen held onto a simple childhood dream: He wanted to play for the Waterloo Black Hawks.
He grew up in eastern Iowa, and he gravitated toward hockey – a sport often trumped by more popular sports in the state, like baseball, basketball, football and wrestling – because of his family’s history.
And while most young players dreamed of making it to the National Hockey League, Petersen set his sights on the local USHL – the top junior hockey league in the United States – team.
MURRAY—Murray State Athletics boasted another successful Giving Tuesday earlier this week with $289,800 raised to support the department’s strategic priorities and initiatives while the department continuously invests in a world-class experience of the Racers’ more than 400 student-athletes.
The philanthropic day was the second-biggest Giving Tuesday total in Racer Athletics history behind last December’s total of $409,787.
PHILADELPHIA — The ball found him in the left arc, with the game hanging in the balance at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Tie score. 75 seconds left.
Throughout the contest, the Lakers’ offense had sputtered, misfired, stalled.
Then, LeBron James caught, rose, and released. The arc of the shot–– pure. The swish––silent. The crowd, moments earlier a raging sea of noise, was suddenly, stunningly, subdued.
It was the exclamation point on a 29-point, tour-de-force reminder, a 112-108 Lakers victory carved from resilience and authored by an old master who decided, when it mattered most, to take the pen back.
James can do what he wants. He sees the collection of youth on the court; nonetheless, it flourishes under his gaze. But when they need big brother to step in and tend to the business, they can’t; that’s why he is there.
On Sunday, business was messy. Business was necessary.
Luka Dončić, returning from a transatlantic journey for the birth of his daughter, labored to a 31-point, 15-rebound, 11-assist triple-double—his 49th 30-point triple-double, moving him past Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokić for second all-time.
But his shots often rimmed out, his rhythm––absent.
Austin Reaves fought through an off-night where the lid sat snug on the basket.
Enter the connector. The conductor. The closer.
“I really thought his play throughout the game gave us such a lift,” head coach JJ Redick said. “LeBron was like our connector tonight.”
James wasn’t just a scorer; he was a solver. He set bone-rattling screens. He leveraged his gravity. He played a cerebral, grinding game, picking his spots with the precision of a surgeon until the moment demanded a sledgehammer.
That moment arrived with the score knotted at 105 after a Joel Embiid jumper. The Lakers’ previous four possessions: a Reaves miss, a Dončić miss, a Dončić turnover, another Reaves miss. The offense was adrift. The play call was simple, timeless: get the ball to LeBron.
He delivered the three. On the next trip, a 20-foot dagger. Ballgame.
“That was vintage ‘Bron,” Dončić said. “He just decided the game.”
Dončić finished 11-of-14 from the line, his free throws icing the win, but the night belonged to the elder statesman.
“I was tired,” Luka said. “Mentally, I wasn’t there much. I’m just glad we got a win.”
The win was a testament to layered strength. It was Deandre Ayton’s defensive versatility, switching onto Tyrese Maxey, who scored 28 points to lead Philadelphia, and bothering Embiid, who poured in 16 points on 4-of-21 shooting.
It was the team bending but not breaking after a 10-point first-half deficit. It was, as Redick noted, the luxury of having multiple suns in a solar system.
“Some nights… we played through LeBron a lot in the second half tonight. Down the stretch, we played through him,” Redick said.
For James, the win was a personal reaffirmation after injuries and a streak-snapping quiet night in Toronto. He needed the win to show that he still had the magic he’s carried for 23 seasons inside him.
He has it. He has the calm. He has the clutch gene. He now has 1,015 regular-season wins, surpassing Robert Parish for sole possession of second place on the all-time list. A number that speaks of longevity, excellence, and nights like this—nights where he observes, he calculates, and then, decisively, he strikes.
The Lakers will board their flight back to Los Angeles 2-1 on a taxing East Coast trip, and 17-6 on the season.
They will carry many things as they head home: their luggage, Dončić’s historic triple-double and another notch in the win column.
But they also carry the feeling, the secure knowledge that in the grinding heart of a close game, they have an ageless weapon.
A player who can, with a single shot, silence an arena and show the annals of NBA lore that legends don’t fade—they wait for their moment to roar.
Every day is a new experience for Rotary Youth Exchange student Leo Canudas — including the area’s recent snowfalls. The United States was on the shortlist of countries Canudas wanted to attend school in for the year, after years of asking his mom when it would be his turn to spend a year abroad as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange. He did not know anything about Wisconsin when he was finally told he had been accepted and where he would be going. He did learn that Wisconsin is “full of cheese” and that it can get pretty cold. When he arrived at Gibraltar this past fall, he discovered that American school days are longer than those in Bolivia, but he quickly immersed himself after deciding to join the football team.
Canudas’ fall at Gibraltar included being named homecoming king and scoring a touchdown on his first and only carry of the game. A boxer in his home country, Canudas is also taking up another sport he has never played before: basketball. He says it is all part of the Rotary Youth Exchange experience and adds that sometimes you only have one chance to do something — and you should take advantage of it when it comes up.
Canudas will be enrolled at Gibraltar until the end of the school year, by which point he hopes to catch a Packers game and a boxing match before he goes home. You can learn more about the Rotary Youth Exchange program at this link.
HEAR THE STORY ABOUT CANUDAS’ TOUCHDOWN IN THIS YEAR’S GIBRALTAR HOMECOMING GAME
Six Grade 9 players round out the squad.
PRINCE ALBERT – High school basketball season is underway in Prince Albert and the Carlton Crusaders senior girls team had the chance to open in the city at the Kelly Smith Memorial Tournament at Ecole St. Mary
The Crusaders advanced to Saturday’s final after a 68-31 victory over the Indian Head Broncos on Saturday afternoon.
Crusaders head coach Kelsey Pearson said that the dominant performance was great but the club is still working out a few bad habits.
“We have got some work to do,” Pearson said. “Obviously, we missed a lot of easy buckets and that kind of set us back a bit. When your shots aren’t falling, it’s important your defence is even better.”
“We had a little bit of foul trouble,” she added. “We have a young bench, so we’re trying to get the minutes, which was great for them.”
The team got into foul trouble in the third quarter against Indian Head, but eventually fixed things and pulled away further in the fourth quarter. Pearson said the early adversity had its benefits.
“It’s good for it to happen early because then it’s something we can work on in the future,” she said. “We need our players in the game. It’s important that they recognize and understand that.”
As the team got further into the lead against Indian Head, the Crusaders could use their Grade 9 players to give them floor experience.
“We couldn’t get everyone in today, but yesterday we got everyone in,” she said. “We have 14 on our team, so it’s not always going to be like that.”
The Crusaders are coming off a trip to Hoopla as a young team last season. While they’re a more experienced team this year, Pearson said the squad still has many new players.
“We’re young and the experience isn’t there as it has been previous years, but our older girls are doing great at leading, and our younger girls are pretty smart, so they’re catching on quick,” she said. “We’ll just keep working.”
The Crusaders have two Grade 12 players but only one who was on the team last year, guard Lilly Slack. The team has five Grade 11 players, one Grade 10 and six Grade 9 players.
Slack said the team has a good mix of youth and veteran players. Even though it’s still early in the season, she likes what she’s seen so far.
“I think we have a lot of potential on our team,” she said. “Come five months from now, I think we’ll be a very strong team. We’ll be fast, (and) we’ll be running teams to the ground.
“I think our Grade 9s will get a lot of experience and I think we’ll be really fast. I think we’ll have a bunch of good tournaments,” she added.
Slack said that the team likes to stretch the floor and uses their speed to create offence.
“We would like to be a team that runs the court, has fast breaks, and good defence,” she said.
Pearson also said that the roster had a nice balance with the large group of Grade 11 and Grade 9 players.
“Those young girls have never experienced regionals, getting to Hoopla, so they don’t know that competitive drive yet,” she said.
“I’m really hoping to push the girls as far as we can. I would love to give those girls that experience and hopefully make it to Hoopla or get as far as we can with this team.”
The Crusaders opened the Kelly Smith Memorial with a 69-25 win over the Weyburn Eagles on Friday before advancing to the final with the win over Indian Head on Saturday.
Pearson liked what she saw from the players in their first tournament of the season at St. Mary.
“I’m super proud of the girls. They’ve been doing great, working hard. I mean, we can always get better and improve, and the ceiling’s a little higher for us, so we’ve got lots to work on, which is the exciting part, right? Seeing the growth is what I’m most looking forward to this season,” Pearson said.
The Crusaders lost the championship game 62-35 to the Swift Current Ardens on Saturday night but Pearson was still happy to advance to the final.
“I’m just really proud of them,” she said.
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