Sports briefs 10/21
Boys soccer
Belle Vernon received goals from five different players and defeated Connellsville 5-2 on Monday.
The Leopards (13-1-2) led 2-0 at halftime after goals by Gavin Metzger and Jesse Sobczak. Tyler Perozzi, Nate Stangroom and Chris Showman found the net with shots in the second half. Showman finished the night with a pair of assists.
Belle Vernon goalkeeper Morgan Bunch had to make eight saves.
Pitt kickoff set
Pitt’s Oct. 31 home football game against Georgia Tech will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium and be nationally televised on ESPN2, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced.
Women’s tennis
No. 3 seeded Washington & Jefferson (10-5) defeated visiting Westminster 4-1 in the quarterfinal round of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
W&J will travel to No. 2 seed Grove City on Thursday in the semifinals.
NBA
Javonte Green scored 19 points after not playing in the first half and Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points and eight assists, helping the Detroit Pistons come back and beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 in the season opener Tuesday.
Paul George scored 38 points, the most by a Celtic in his debut. The nine-time All-Star, in his 17th season, showed he’s still got it in his first game with Boston since it acquired him from Philadelphia in exchange for 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Jayson Tatum, though, was off his game. He missed 17 of 23 shots, and had 13 points and 11 assists.
At least $963K in cards stolen
Police in California are investigating the theft of trading cards worth at least $963,000 that were taken from a FedEx truck parked outside of a company that verifies memorabilia.
The truck was broken into on Oct. 13 near Professional Sports Authenticator, also known as PSA, which authenticates trading cards, autographs, comic books, and other memorabilia and grades their condition, Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson Natalie Garcia said in a news release. Pokémon and sports cards were among the items that were stolen, the release said.
The driver had left the truck unattended, Garcia said in a follow-up email Tuesday. How long the driver was gone is part of the investigation, she said.
The truck’s lock was gone and two pallets were taken. A third pallet was disturbed.
NFL
The New York Giants released running back Najee Harris on Tuesday, 48 hours after he had just two carries for four yards in a 34-27 loss to New Orleans.
In the locker room afterward, Harris was critical of his role with the team, saying it was impossible for anyone to get into a rhythm without a steady workload.
Harris, who is coming off a torn left Achilles tendon and signed with the Giants late in training camp, rushed for 99 yards in five games this season, an average of 3.2 yards an attempt.N
• The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran Brandon McManus on Tuesday to be their third kicker of the season.
McManus will begin his 13th NFL season with the Rams (2-4), who cut struggling kicker Harrison Mevis last week. Los Angeles then lost replacement Blake Grupe for the season when he tore a knee ligament while making a tackle on kickoff coverage in his debut during last Sunday’s 18-16 loss to Arizona.
McManus spent the past two seasons with Green Bay, and he began his career with nine seasons in Denver. He won a Super Bowl ring as the Broncos’ kicker in the 2015 season.