Late word that Jake Giuriceo‘s scheduled ten-round championship match in Minnesota has been cancelled.  Giuriceo was to face Jason Litzau on September 29, for the interim WBA/NABC Lightweight Championship.

“When Floyd Mayweather Sr. pulled out of the card yesterday, it kind of set things in motion”, remarked Joe Corvino, Giuriceo’s manager.  “Billy Lyell was set to fight on the same card and it was shaping up to be a really good night of boxing, but as we all know, this is sometimes a weird sport to figure out.”

Giuriceo is training with Frank Duarte in California.  The Bull will stay put and keep training in hopes of Corvino patching another deal for him somewhere else.

The best option may be a Roy Jones Jr. card at Mountaineer on September 29.  Jones asked Giuriceo to be on the card when it was being originated.  Corvino and Jones talked about the opportunity that Giuriceo had to face Litzau in Minnesota on the same night.  Jones reportedly said that it was a better opportunity for Giuriceo and that he would take that fight too.

** Photo Courtesy of Ron Stevens

 

Going into Saturday’s home opener, the Youngstown State Penguins have proven plenty in just a week.  Valparaiso, self-admittedly, is a football program that has struggled to get the program where it needs to be winning just one game last season.

The game is a mismatch on paper, but do not tell Eric Wolford that.

“We are going to run our offense and our defense to keep things running smoothly”, remarked Wolford when asked how much would be enough to pull the starters.  “Once we have seen what we need to, we will use some of our depth if we are afforded that opportunity.  They are a football team just like we are and anything can happen.”

6’3″ , 300 lb. Valpo noseman, Bruce Collins, relishes the chance to play in these type of games. With that kind of size, it is fun to tell you that Collins had a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown last season.

“We know that YSU is a good team, we learned that first-hand last season and they are probably ten times better this year if they beat Pitt”, remarked Collins.  “We want to come out and play hard and show that we have heart.”

Collins, referring to last season’s 77-13 blowout loss to the Penguins showed optimism for the Crusader football program.

“This program has really struggled for the past three seasons and we feel like we are getting ready to turn the corner.”

Wolford was emphatic about his desires to pack the Ice Castle.

“It is our home opener and we are coming off of a big win.  People know that this is the place to be now.  We want to pack the tailgate lots, pack the stadium, and represent this great community.”

The Youngstown State volleyball team got three aces in the fifth set and a match-high 17 kills from Missy Hundelt to beat Binghamton 27-25, 21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13 on Friday in the opening  match of the Akron Zips Invitational.

After being out-aced 10-4 through the first three sets, the Penguins had just one receiving error in the final two sets while posting four aces. In the fifth, Casey D’Ambrose had one at match point, Chelsea Guerrieri’s ace gave YSU a 13-11 lead, and Hundelt’s gave the Guins a 9-5 advantage.

The win was YSU’s seventh in a row, and the Penguins have now matched their win total from the previous two seasons combined. YSU is now 7-2, and Binghamton is 1-7.

Youngstown State overcame a 5-0 deficit in the first with a 7-1 run, and the Penguins eventually took a 19-13 lead on a blocking error. Binghamton scored seven of the next eight points to tie the set at 20, and the Bearcats later scored three straight points to go up 25-24. Hundelt’s kill tied the set at 25, and the Penguins scored the next two points on a Shannon Watson kill and an error by Partaleva.

Binghamton trailed 16-13 in the second before closing the set on a 12-5 run, and the Bearcats won the fourth set 25-20.

Youngstown State will try to push its winning streak to eight this evening when it plays SIU-Edwardsville at 5 p.m.

Jake Giuriceo has been training in California under the watchful eye of Frank Duarte for his upcoming fight on September 29 in Minnesota.  Giuriceo will Jason Litzau, who holds a record of 29-3 with 22 KO’s.  The fight is scheduled for ten rounds and is for the WBA/NABA Lightweight Championship.

“Litzau is a good boxer, a tall fighter at 5’10”, and has been on ESPN”, said Giuriceo.  “He can punch, but he does have a tendency to leave himself open sometimes.  It would be a great boost to my career if I can get the win against him.”

The normal procedure before a Giuriceo fight over the last five or so has been a trip to California for a couple of months and then a return to Keith Burnside in a unique dual training system.

“It is a longer camp than usual”, said Giuriceo.  “We are going ten weeks and Frankie and I worked very hard the first three weeks on the things we have never really had the time to do.  One of my better aspects is conditioning, so I am happy to have a ten-rounder.”

Giuriceo (16-1) lost a unanimous decision in Columbus to journeyman Michael Clark  his last time out.  He did not go to California to train for that fight, but said that Duarte offers him insight that Burnside does not, just as Burnside gives Giuriceo things that maybe Duarte cannot.

*Photo Courtesy of Ron Stevens

As the Mahoning Valley Scrappers season comes to a close, a couple of players were moved to Lake County for the playoff push.  Joe Wendle (above) and Tyler Naquin will join Charlie Valerio, who was promoted last week.

Wendle was probably the most consistent Scrapper at the plate this season.  In 61 games, he compiled a .327 batting average and had four home runs.  Wendle also showed defensive versatility being jockeyed between second and third base all season.

Naquin had recently played in three games, his first action since hurting his back and being sidelined since August 2nd.  The Indians #1 Draft Pick of 2012 showed off a great arm while manning CF and developed good plate discipline before the injury forced him out of action for a month.

With the final series being played at State College, an interesting note was that the Pirates short season affiliate had Starling Marte on a rehab assignment before he rejoins Pittsburgh later this week.

 

For the first time in school history, a pair of Youngstown State women’s soccer players have swept the Horizon League weekly awards, the league announced on Tuesday. Junior forward Rachel Morrison was named the league’s offensive player of the week while Ali Viola earned defensive player of the week.

At 4-0-0, Youngstown State is off to the best start in the program’s history. The Penguins knocked off Buffalo, 1-0, before a 4-0 rout of Canisius on Friday.

Morrison scored twice against Canisius, becoming the first YSU player in nearly a year to score more than a single goal in a match. With three goals on the year, Morrison is one of four Horizon League players tied atop the ledger.

Viola did not allow a goal in 180 minutes of play, collecting her second and third shutouts of the year. Against Buffalo, Viola was instrumental in the Penguin win, making nine saves in the match, the second-highest single-game total in the Horizon League this year.  On the week, Viola made 12 saves while moving into third all-time in YSU history for shutouts with five.

The Penguins will travel to Kent State for a match on Friday, Sept. 7 before returning home to host Niagara on Sunday, Sept. 9. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the match, beginning at 4 p.m. ET

Youngstown State University’s Andre Stubbs has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week.  Stubbs had a terrific all-around effort agains Pitt in YSU’s 31-17 win.

In his first game since a season-ending injury in 2011, Stubbs rushed for 71 yards on six carries, caught four passes for 61 yards and had two kickoffs for 40 yards. He caught a 27-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and ran for a 13-yard score in the fourth. He finished with 172 all-purpose yards on the evening. The win against Pitt marked the league’s first-ever victory against a Big East Conference foe.

“We don’t recruit players based on size”, said YSU Coach Eric Wolford.  “We would rather go by the films and see what the guys can do on the field.”

The 5’6″ redshirt freshman from Maple Heights, Ohio, packs a lot of power in that small frame.

Kurt Hess joked at the post game press conference that when the Penguins run an empty backfield set that Stubbs is hard to see, but quickly noted that he usually gets to where he can be seen.  This week, he was pretty visible in the Panthers end zone, twice.

The Youngstown State Athletic Department, in honor of Labor Day, is offering the fans of the Mahoning Valley a special FREE ticket offer on Monday, Sept. 3 only. For every reserved or general admission game ticket purchased on Monday each fan will receive a FREE ticket of equal value. The ticket office at Stambaugh Stadium will have special hours from Noon to 5 p.m. on Monday.

The Penguins, who grabbed the college football headlines with an impressive 31-17 win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field last night, play host to the Valparaiso Crusaders this Saturday in the home opener at Stambaugh Stadium. Kickoff for the contest is 4 p.m.

Season tickets – including reserved, chair back seats and M-24 tailgate passes with a Penguin Club membership – for the six-game home slate, which features three games in September, are also on sale. Beginning on Tuesday, the ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. leading up to Saturday’s home opener.

“Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions, achievements and hard-work of American workers,” noted Eric Wolford, YSU Head Coach. “To honor the tireless effort of the workers and retirees in this Valley, we are offering this one-day special free ticket offer. Our team worked hard on opening night at Pitt and we want to reward our fans with a chance to fill the Ice Castle this Saturday.”

All fans attending YSU’s opener will receive a 2012 schedule magnet. A very limited number of individual game tailgate passes remain for the M-7 tailgate lot ($15). State Farm will sponsor the annual Kids Day Tailgate activities from 1-4 p.m. in the M-7 lot at the corner of Lincoln and Fifth Avenues.

Fans can call 330-941-1978 for more information or log onto YSUSports.com.

The Youngstown State University football team was last at Heinz Field in 2009.  In that contest, the goal was to score and make it to the bus with half the team able to walk.  The result was a 38-3 beating.  Fast forward to 2012, Eric Wolford‘s first shot at the Panthers.

The Penguins recovered an early fumble, marched the field, and never trailed in a 31-17 dismantling of D-I Pittsburgh in what can be considered the biggest win in the Wolford Era.  Kurt Hess looked masterful in running an offense everyone thought could produce, but it was the defense that played with a chip on their shoulders and forced the issue in the upset.

The game was delayed by inclement weather for a half hour, but when it finally started, it was obvious that YSU was in Pittsburgh to do more than take a check home and hopefully score some points.

“We expect to win”, said Wolford.  “This win is a compliment to our staff, our players, and the community.  We demand perfection, coach hard, and know it is a high standard at YSU, to win championships.”

In the first quarter, with the Panthers driving, the YSU defense did something that it hasn’t done in one of these D-I games, create a turnover.  Pitt’s Ray Graham was tackled by YSU’s Dubem Nwadiogbu, who popped the ball out.  Jeremy Edwards picked the pigskin up and advanced it a few yards before YSU’s offense would take the field.

Kurt Hess (above) and the Penguin offense went to work and put together a productive 10-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown.  Hess found Andre Stubbs on a short route that the redshirt freshman turned into a 27-yard touchdown reception.  With the extra point, the Penguins took a 7-0 lead.

Pitt would respond with a touchdown of their own on their next drive when Isaac Bennett capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a four-yard rush to paydirt.  Early in the drive, Pitt QB Tino Sunseri made a good pass to Devin Street on a 3rd-and-8 to keep the drive going.

The resilient Penguins would march again, this time covering 92 yards in 15 plays.  Shane Montgomery, the Penguins offensive coordinator, did a fantastic job of calling plays that kept the Pitt defense on their heels all afternoon.  The Penguins touchdown was a nice 14-yard strike from Hess to Will Shaw to give YSU a 14-7 lead.

“The play calling was great”, said Hess.  “It was a very efficient game plan and we were able to execute it.”

Pitt would drive again, but had to settle for a Kevin Harper 33-yard field goal.  That would make the score at the end of the first half YSU 14 and Pitt 10.

In the second half, YSU took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty.  On a fourth-and -1 play on the Pitt 24, YSU went to the bag of tricks and Jamaine Cook took a pitch to the right side and backed up to fire a little pass to Shaw, who had nobody ten yards around him, for an easy six.  David Brown‘s extra point gave the Penguins a 21-10 lead.

“That play is called Penguin”, explained Wolford.  “We practiced it this week and knew we would use it when we  had a chance on a fourth-and-short situation.”

What happened on Pitt’s next drive may define the Penguins season.  The defense stuffed Pitt on a fourth-and-1 deep in YSU territory.  It was Tevin Williams and Travis Williams stuffing the play to give the Penguins the ball back with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter.

“Anytime it’s fourth down, on either side of the ball, it is a big play,” said senior Aronde Stanton.  “On the play we stuffed them, I was out with cramps and two sophomores stepped in and got the job done.”

From there, Montgomery used Hess to carry out a drive that would cover 78 yards, but more importantly, result in a touchdown that would kill 8:34 of the game clock and boost the Penguins lead to 28-10.  The drive ended when Stubbs gathered his second touchdown of the game, a 13-yard run.

When Pitt got the ball back they used several short plays in hurry-up mode and looked in a hurry to get all 18 points they trailed by throwing some unsuccessful deep balls.  Tino Sunseri missed an open receiver in the end zone by a bit.  On the next play, YSU hurried Sunseri to set up a third-and-10.  The senior quarterback would connect with Joshua Brinson to cut the deficit to 28-17.

With control of the game, the Penguins got the ball back on their 25 with 9:17 left to play.  The YSU offense had to chew clock and get a few first downs.  Facing a 3rd-and-4 with six minutes left, the Penguins Stubbs broke loose and took the ball all the way to the Pitt 22.  Wolford the starting doing exactly what he said he would do – substitute fresh capable bodies.  Torrian Pace was inserted and had two five yard runs.

The drive stalled and YSU settled for a FG from Brown, a 25-yarder that would close the scoring with YSU ahead 31-17.

“We all thought we could do this”, said Stubbs.  “I knew coming in that I would have a chance to make some plays.  We have to stay humble now because we still have ten games to play.”

Stubbs finished the game with six carries for 71 yards and four receptions for 61 yards with one touchdown in each category.

“Andre Stubbs was too short for most schools to recruit”, said Wolford.  “We don’t recruit based on size, we look at the films.”

Hess had a strong game, more than statistically, as a leader of a machine.  Hess finished the game 13-23 for 154 yards and a pair of TD’s.  He also had 9 rushes for 47 yards and just made good decisions for four quarters.

Dale Peterman had nine unassisted tackles for the Penguins.  Teven Williams chipped in with seven tackles.  The Penguins defense did a fantastic job of keeping the Ray Graham / Isaac Bennett combination in check for the majority of the game.  New defensive coordinator Jm Tresey also deserves credit for being aggressive and cleverly scheming against Pitt.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed in the outcome of the game”, said first year Pitt head coach Paul Chryst.  “My hat goes off to Youngstown State.  They are very well coached and tonight they were the better team.”

The Penguins will have their home opener next Saturday when they welcome Valparaiso to Stambaugh Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.

Junior Rachel Morris scored two goals and the Youngstown State women’s soccer team extended its winning streak to four after knocking off Canisius, 4-0, on Friday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Penuins are 4-0 for the first time in school history while Canisius falls to 0-4 on the season.

Morrison, who has has a team-high three goals this season, became the first player to score two goals in a match since Jade Flory scord two against Ursuline College in 2011.

Morrison began the scoring when she received Allison Ludwig‘s corner kick and slapped a shot past Canisius goalkeeper Megan Tock at the 31:30 mark of the first half.

The Guins took a 2-0 lead when freshman Shannon Leghart entered a long pass into the penalty box and a touch pass from Flory found Morrison for her second goal at the 58:57 mark.

Sophomore Chelsey Haney’s got in the scoring column and gave the Penguins a 3-0 at the 78.56 mark after taking a pass from Flory and streaking the last 30 yards for a one-on-one against Canisius keeper  Kailee DeFranks.

Sophomore Cara Armstrong (pictured) tallied YSU’s final goal with just 12 seconds left in the match taking a pass from Leghart and streaking down the left sideline and blasting her second goal of the season into the lower-right corner from 20 yards out.

Junior goalkeeper Ali Viola posted her third shutout of the season and the fifth of her career career while collecting three saves.

The Penguins visit Kent State, Friday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. in Kent, Ohio.