SPORTSBRIEFING STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Warren JFK wins state golf title
SUNBURY — The Warren JFK golf team had a convincing 23-stroke victory for another Division III state title at NorthStar Golf Club Tuesday.
It was the Eagles’ third straight state title and sixth overall.
Warren JFK shot 309 both days for a two-day total of 618, finishing 23 strokes ahead of Pettisville.
Seniors Andrew Fredenburg (70-78) and Julian Bolino (73-75) both shot 148s to tie for third place, which led the Eagles.
Salem Hills sectional champion Youngstown Mooney was fourth at 648 (332-316).
Mooney senior Alex Eckstein was the state-runner for the second time in three years with a 145 (75-70). He finished five shots behind Kalida sophomore Paul Stechschulte’s 140 (71-69).
Springfield senior Jackson Ensley tied for 15th with a 157 (80-77).
Mooney junior Tyler Guerrieri, the Salem Hills sectional medalist, tied for 49th with a 174 (90-84).
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Warren JFK 618 (309-309); 2. Pettisville 641 (320-321); 3. Berlin Hiland 643 (319-324); 4. Youngstown Mooney 648 (332-316); 5. Van Buren 654 (331-323); 6. Mechanicsburg 653 (331-323); 7. Waterford 661 (335-326); 8. Kalida 665 (323-342); 9. Botkins 671 (349-322); 10. Delphos St. John’s 680 (352-328); 11. New Paris National Trail 687 (353-334); 12. Mogadore 704 (351-353).
Lowry named MAC’s top player
KALAMAZOO, Michigan — Western Michigan sophomore quarterback Broc Lowry has been named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Lowry had a career day in a 42-0 win over Ball State on Saturday. He completed a 23 passes for 241 yards — both career highs — and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 13 times for a career-high 108 yards and one touchdown.
He became the first Broncos quarterback to surpass 100 yards rushing in a game since Sept. 22, 1973 (Paul Jorgensen vs. NIU).
Lowry led Canfield High School to the Ohio Division III state championship in 2022.
Western Michigan is 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the MAC. The Broncos will play at Miami of Ohio on Sept. 25.
Mount player highlighted on ESPN
ALLIANCE — A highlight by Mount Union freshman quarterback Mikey Maloney was featured on ESPN’s Get Up! on Tuesday morning.
Maloney received one of former NFL lineman Jeff Saturday’s three pancakes from the weekend.
As the lead blocker, Maloney threw a pancake block on Wilmington defensive back Nathan Nemeth to clear the way for Kayden Minner’s touchdown run that gave the Purple Raiders a 21-0 lead in the first quarter Saturday at Williams Stadium.
“That is for real chin music from a quarterback,” Jeff Saturday said. “I have never seen a quarterback hand off the ball and get downfield, understanding he was going to make somebody feel the pain.”
The panel got a chuckle when they found out the quarterback’s name is Mikey.
“Sounds like a guy who could knock somebody out,” Saturday said tongue in cheek.
“What happened?” host Mike Greenberg said. “Mikey Maloney took my lunch money.”
Pitt rebounds
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pat Narduzzi keeps putting tests in front of Mason Heintschel. And the Pittsburgh freshman quarterback keeps passing.
The latest came at halftime last weekend at Florida State after Heintschel had thrown interceptions on consecutive possessions to give the Seminoles momentum.
Narduzzi has been around plenty of quarterbacks during his 35-year coaching career. Not all of them handled adversity well. Their demeanor shifts.
Not Heintschel’s.
“He continues to come back,” Narduzzi said. “He’s just got a swagger about him and a confidence that it doesn’t matter.”
Two hours later, Heintschel was kneeling to finish off a 34-31 stunner, an upset the Panthers pulled off thanks in large part to a 321-yard, two-touchdown performance by their teenage quarterback who hardly looks overcome by the stakes or the stage.
“I knew that the guys had my back for sure and they all told me that as well and they knew I wasn’t going to let those two plays phase me,” Heintschel said.
And suddenly, a season that looked on the verge of spinning out of control after back-to-back losses to West Virginia and Louisville in September now looks considerably more promising.
Heintschel’s emergence, the return of do-everything running back Desmond Reid from a left leg injury, and the rise of a handful of other newcomers have combined to give Pitt (4-2, 2-1 ACC) a jolt.
The Panthers head to Syracuse (3-3, 1-2) on Saturday with a chance to get right back into the mix in an ACC that appears to be wide-open behind early frontrunners No. 2 Miami and No. 12 Georgia Tech, both of whom are on the Pitt schedule in late November.
“I think we’ve got a talented team that’s fun to watch, and we’ll be (in) every game the rest of the year,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve been (in) every game so far. It’s not like it’s been 38-10 blowouts and we’ve lost and you’re coming in here hang-dogging. We’re going to be in football games; we’ve just got to take care of the business at hand.”
He’s not wrong. The Panthers held the lead in both of their losses well into the second half, only to let things get away late. Narduzzi pointed to the way Pitt responded against a Florida State team stinging after a loss to the rival Hurricanes as proof his group is maturing.
“Our guys bowed up and knew it’s a 60-minute game,” Narduzzi said. “We came out and played four quarters. We played four better quarters than they did. That’s what counts.”
Heintschel is hardly the only freshman making an impact. Cornerback Shawn Lee has fit in quickly in Pitt’s aggressive press-man scheme. Running backs Ja’Kyrian Turner and Juelz Goff filled in capably — if not quite as explosively — while Reid recovered from a leg injury that briefly had him sporting a cast.
Their production gave offensive coordinator Kade Bell options when Reid returned. Turner ran for a pair of scores against the Seminoles and the electric 5-foot-9 Reid did what he does as well as any back in the country: create havoc in open space. Reid had 200 yards of total offense, including 155 yards receiving, highlighted by a 16-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter that tied the game.
While Narduzzi declined to call his current group of freshmen the best he’s had in his 11 seasons, their development has created a kind of optimism that was hard to come by a few weeks ago.
“It’s opportunity,” Narduzzi said. “Our guys have run with the opportunity.”
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football