Feb 26, 2018 4 min read

SF’s Saxton chooses Case Western

One of the top passers in WPIAL football history decided on his next step Monday night.

South Fayette quarterback Drew Saxton announced his commitment to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, via Twitter.

Saxton, a three-year starter at South Fayette, threw for 7,368 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career for the Lions. He completed 157 of his 248 passes (63 percent) for 2,749 yards and 33 touchdowns during his senior season, leading South Fayette to its sixth consecutive undefeated regular season.

Several Presidents’ Athletic Conference schools were interested in Saxton before he ultimately choose Case Western.

Penguins trade

for forward

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Josh Jooris from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Greg McKegg.

Jooris is signed through the remainder of this season, and carries an average annual value of $775,000. He will be an unrestricted free agent.

The Penguins reassigned Jooris to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

In another move, the Penguins recalled goaltender Casey DeSmith from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Dominik Simon have been reassigned to WBS.

Jooris, 27, has skated in 31 games with Carolina this year, producing three goals, three assists and six points. He played against the Pens in Pittsburgh’s 6-1 win on Friday night.

Earlier this month, the 6-foot-1, 197-pound Jooris suited up for five American Hockey League games with the Charlotte Checkers, picking up three assists.

A native of Burlington, Ontario, Jooris has played four seasons in the NHL with Carolina, the New York Rangers, Arizona and Calgary. He has 23 goals, 32 assists and 55 points in 204 career NHL contests. His best season came as a rookie with Calgary in 2014-15 when he had 24 points (12G-12A) in 60 regular-season games, then skated in nine playoff games.

Jooris, a right-handed shot, played three years of college hockey at Union College before turning pro.

DeSmith, 26, is playing in his fifth stint of the season with the Penguins. In seven NHL appearances, he is 3-3 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. DeSmith picked up his first NHL victory on January 18 in Los Angeles, making 28 saves on 29 shots.

At the AHL level, the 6-1, 181-pound native of Rochester, New Hampshire has a 16-8-3 record, 2.73 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 27 contests with WBS. DeSmith was named to the AHL All-Star Classic this season, although he did not play in the game because he was in Pittsburgh at the time.

Cal’s Parsons honored

After recording a pair of 30-point games and two double-doubles to close the regular season, California University senior Shatara Parsons was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Athlete of the Week for the sixth time this season.

Parsons averaged 30.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 4.0 steals per game, as the Vulcans earned a pair of divisional wins last week to secure the third seed in the PSAC Tournament. She shot 57.8 percent (26-of-45) from the floor in the victories while playing 77 of a possible 80 minutes.

Parsons opened the week by scoring 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting in a 68-54 victory against Seton Hill.

Cal shuts out Walsh

Sophomore pitchers Anthony Winkler and Bradyn Kail combined for a complete-game shutout on Monday afternoon, as California University finished a three-game sweep over Walsh with a 4-0 victory at Wild Things Park.

The Vulcans improved to 3-2 overall after playing a pair of opponents from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Cavaliers dropped to 0-3 after their season-opening series.

Winkler earned the win after scattering two hits in 5.0 scoreless innings with a career-high six strikeouts against Walsh. The South Park product stranded five runners on base, including two in scoring position.

Chris Wastchak and Bill Hitman each had a home run and two RBI.