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Basketball playoffs on horizon

By Michael Boytim mboytim@altoonamirror.com District 6 recently announced that its basketball championship round will begin on Feb. 24 at Mount Aloysius and that all games prior to the championship and semifinals will be played at the home of the higher seeded team. The season has reached its midway point, so it’s worth looking at some of the top-seeded area squads. On the boys side, Williamsburg is on top in Class 1A and will likely stay there, but that doesn’t mean the Blue Pirates are in the clear of Bishop Carroll Catholic. The Huskies have been a lower seed the last two ...

Revamped schedule helps PSU football

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com Penn State has spent a portion of its Big Ten existence — now since 1993 — wondering whether it was an equal member or still pledging the conference. In that regard, news this week that the league has reworked the Nittany Lions’ 2022 football schedule came as a surprise. As the 2021 was careening out of control, going from 5-0 to six losses in the last eight games and a full faceplant of 7-6, the PSU narrative shifted to 2022 and probably the most murderous six-game stretch to open a season ever. The first six weeks, with no bye, ...

Antonio Brown’s mental health is no joke

Antonio Brown tossed his jersey and shoulder pads toward the bench, threw his glove and undershirt into the stands and ran off the field bare-chested, waving a peace-out sign to fans in the end zone while Tom Brady huddled the offense for an important play. Following his strange outburst Sunday, Brown is out as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one can only hope he finds peace. Brown’s bizarre behavior quickly blew up on social media and dominated NFL headlines around the league on a day when Brady engineered another impressive comeback and several teams clinched playoff ...

Bowl opt-out is personal decision

Matt Corral is right. So is Kenny Pickett. And Jahan Dotson. All three project to be top picks in the NFL draft this spring, and all three approached their team’s recent bowl games with different ideas about participating. Corral, the University of Mississippi’s standout junior quarterback, was adamant that he would join his Rebels teammates in their Sugar Bowl game against Baylor in New Orleans. He nearly paid a heavy price for it, too, as he left the game with an ankle injury. X-rays were negative for a fracture — he suffered a sprain that shouldn’t affect his draft ...

Hooligans enjoying much soccer success in area

There have been a number of outstanding travel teams in our local soccer district. The Energy, a local u-13 girls team, went to the National Finals of the Presidents Cup, and the Blazers Boys Classic team overpowered teams in the PAWest on its way to winning the State Cup Championship. But perhaps the most dominant team to come from the area over a period of years is coach Mike Pastore’s Hooligans Division 1 Classic team from the FC814 Altoona/Hollidaysburg combined club. The Hooligans began as a u-8 team and have won numerous prestigious tournaments and league titles. Pastore ...

TAMPA — With their defense gutted by players who couldn’t wait to leave Penn State one game early and take their chances in the NFL Draft, the Nittany Lions’ only chance in the Outback Bowl was for their offense to carry the load. It didn’t. In fact, the defense, minus six ...