Sep 2, 2022 4 min read

Girls soccer

Southmoreland scored four first-half goals and went on to a 4-1 victory over Charleroi on Thursday night.

McKenna DeUnger’s goal in the second half was the lone tally for the Cougars.

Boys soccer

Trevor Kovatch scored four goals, assisted on another and Belle Vernon crushed Yough 7-1 on Thursday night.

Kovatch has eight goals to go with three assists through the first two games of the season.

Nathaniel Kikel scored a pair of goals for the Leps and Dylan Timko had one tally.

Belle Vernon led 5-0 at halftime.

• Greensburg Central Catholic did all its scoring in the second half and edged Bentworth, 4-3, Thursday.

Jerzy Timlin scored two goals for Bentworth and Ryan Moessner found the net for the other goal. Moessner had one assist, as did Julian Hays. Goalkeeper Landon Urcho made eight saves for the Bearcats, who led 1-0 at halftime.

Field hockey

Bella Elm and Maddy Holmes scored goals to give Peters Township a 2-0 victory over Shady Side Academy on Thursday night.

Milestone for Meadows’ Merriman

When Partymode finished second Thursday in a Conditioned Pace at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, the significance went beyond the $2,050 check she earned. That check boosted her driver, Aaron Merriman, more than $100 million in career purses.

John Campbell tops the all-time earnings list with nearly $300 million. David Miller is the leading active driver with more than $266 million in purses.

It was yet another milestone for Merriman, 44, the seven-time reigning dash champion who splits his time between The Meadows and Ohio tracks. On July 13, 2022, he celebrated career driving win 14,000 at The Meadows.

Former contender Shavers dies at 74

Earnie Shavers, whose thunderous punches stopped 68 fighters and earned him heavyweight title fights with Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes, has died. He was 78.

Former British boxer and close friend Kenny Rainford told the Associated Press in a telephone call from Liverpool, England, that his close friend died on Thursday in Virginia at the home of one of his daughters.

Shavers’ death came a day after his birthday. Rainford said a funeral is planned for Sept. 17 in Warren, Ohio. Shavers was born in Garland, Alabama, in 1944 and grew up in the Youngstown, Ohio, area. He didn’t take up boxing until he was 22.

Shavers fought from 1969-1995, which included two abbreviated returns from retirement. He finished 74-14-1 with 68 knockouts.

Shavers lost a unanimous decision to Ali in September 1977 at Madison Square Garden in a fight for the WBC and WBA world heavyweight titles. Ali pulled out the victory with a strong rally in the 15th round.

In golf

Lucy Li already is assured of an LPGA Tour card for next year. The 19-year-old Californian played Friday as though she is ready to join the big leagues even sooner.

Li had five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the back nine and kept bogeys off her card the rest of the way for a 7-under 64 that gave her a two-shot lead in the Dana Open.

Another 19-year-old, Chinese rookie Ruoning Yin, and Carlota Ciganda of Spain each had a 69 to trail Li going into the weekend at Highland Meadow.

Li is best known for becoming the youngest player in the U.S. Women’s Open when she qualified at age 11 in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2.

She has won twice this year on the Epson Tour to secure one of the developmental circuit’s 10 LPGA cards for 2023.

Li was at 10-under 132.