Basketball
Injuries a concern for Cal Poly football team
Sep 04, 05:34 AM
By Joshua D. Scroggin, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Sept. 04--Ryan Taylor might not be playing tonight. He wasn't wearing pads at the upper sports complex this week. Still, the Cal Poly sophomore's attire said it all.
Unable to practice because of a back injury, the Mustangs receiver sported a green T-shirt with a "CP" logo that read, "Nothing hurts when you win."
It's an appropriate slogan considering how many Cal Poly players were hurt in the final weeks leading up to tonight's season opener against visiting Humboldt State, the start of year two under head coach Tim Walsh.
Taylor is among a few Mustangs players that will be held out, but he is part of a bigger injury list that includes several key contributors who will be suiting up with nagging strains and sprains.
A victory over the Division II Lumberjacks could help everyone forget about them for a while.
Cal Poly will get its first look at West Virginia transfer running back Mark Rodgers, who did not gain academic eligibility in time to take handoffs in the team's only intrasquad scrimmage two weeks ago.
Rodgers has track sprinter's speed and a Football Bowl Subdivision pedigree that points to him being a major contributor, just like receiver Dominique Johnson was after transferring from UCLA last season.
Johnson led the Mustangs with 43 catches for 741 yards despite suffering a shoulder dislocation and partial labrum tear early in the year. He'll be out tonight because of an NCAA ruling rather than an injury.
Still, the list of offensive players who missed practice time because of day-to-day injuries or were held out for precautionary measures is long.
Despite joining the team almost two weeks into training camp, Rodgers has looked fast, but he hasn't been running behind Cal Poly's first-team offensive line very often.
Five of the Mustangs' top six offensive linemen have been banged up. Several didn't play in the scrimmage, during which quarterbacks Tony Smith and Andre Broadous both sustained leg injuries while battling for the starting job.
Broadous, still hobbling this week with an ankle sprain, took longer to recuperate, and that helped tip the scales toward Smith, who will be starting tonight -- as he did every game in a 4-7 season in 2009.
Despite the injuries, the only offensive lineman not expected to play tonight, Walsh said, was right tackle Art Munoz, who is still recovering from a broken leg he suffered in the second game last season.
"I feel strongly that we'll be as good as we can be healthwise (tonight)," Walsh said. "It's a concern from a timing standpoint, but from the experience standpoint, most of the guys that aren't practicing are guys that have 15-16 games that they've played, and they have great game experience."
They'll be going up against a defensive front made up of three seniors and Oregon transfer Andrew Iupati, the 6-foot-1, 310-pound younger brother of San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati.
"They're supposed to be real good," Cal Poly senior guard Will Mitchell said. "We're not too concerned with that because it doesn't change our game plan. It doesn't matter who lines up -- you can put eight in the box, whatever -- we're going to run our offense, and we're going to adjust to it on the fly."
Walsh has continued to run the triple-option offense, a scheme instituted by former coach Rich Ellerson in 2007.
Coaches have also added a shotgun option package in the offseason that could see its debut tonight.
His injury caused him to fall behind backup Doug Shumway on the depth chart, but Broadous excelled running the shotgun formation during spring drills. Broadous could still see action against Humboldt State, Walsh said, under one condition.
"We want to make sure if he plays this week, it's because he's 100 percent," Walsh said. "If not, then Doug's ready and Tony's ready, and we feel very confident that they can do what we need them to do to win the football game."
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BRIEF: Hot topics for today's Michigan State game
Sep 04, 05:21 AM
By Shannon Shelton, Detroit Free Press
Sept. 04--The 3-4 defense:
The Spartans are staying tight-lipped about how often they will veer from the base 4-3 defensive scheme. We just know they have practiced the 3-4 and it could be used at some point. But knowing it's possible could make it difficult for opponents to plan for it, which is exactly how the Spartans want it.
William Gholston:
MSU fans and observers have been waiting to see what this highly recruited player can contribute as a true freshman. Expect him to play against Western, as he's listed on the depth chart behind sophomore Tyler Hoover and redshirt freshman Denzel Drone at defensive end. But how significant will his role be?
The offensive line:
Can the newly constructed right side develop quickly to help the unit support the run? Right tackle J'Michael Deane, a fifth-year senior, won the job at his position, and sophomore Chris McDonald will handle right-guard duties. It'll be interesting to see how successful the running game is with them.
Contact SHANNON SHELTON: 313-223-3215 or slshelton@freepress.com. Read more in her Spartans blog at freep.com/spartansblog.
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Ex-NBA star Barkley dishes out an assist at C.C. of Scranton
Sep 04, 05:18 AM
By Marty Myers, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Sept. 04--CLARKS SUMMIT -- His NBA career earned him induction in to the Naismith Hall of Fame. He was an 11-time all-star and one of only five men to score 20,000 points, grab 10,000 rebounds and hand out 4,000 assists.
Charles Barkley knows what it is to be blessed, and he was at the Country Club of Scranton to give back on Friday.
A round of golf with Barkley was auctioned off at last year's Par for Parkinson's tourney at Scranton. Club member Mike Conflitti Sr. won the live auction for the chance for him, his son Mike Jr. and Brian Bell to play golf with Barkley.
"I've exceeded all my expectations, and to play basketball for a living, if you get to play a sport for a living, it's really, really awesome," said Barkley, a famed pupil of the Hank Haney Project on The Golf Channel. "I've exceeded every goal of mine in my life. I'm just blessed.
"As good as basketball was, getting paid to watch it is ridiculous, I tell people. Especially as a man."
Barkley's appearance couldn't come at a better time for the Marian C. Bell Foundation, formed by her husband Brian, daughter Bridget and other family members to raise funds and awareness of Parkinson's.
Their tournament is next month at Scranton.
"We support the Michael J. Fox Foundation because they do the most for Parkinson's research at the moment," said Bridget Bell. "It will be our fifth annual Par for Parkinson's golf event."
Barkley is glad to help out a charity that helps a friend like Fox.
"Michael is a good friend and it just takes a little bit of time out of my day," Barkley said. "I'm really excited to be here with these guys." Barkley, a TNT network analyst, recently dropped 40-some pounds. His weight may be where he likes it, but his golf swing isn't.
"I never know what to expect when I come out here," Barkley said. "I've been working hard on my game, three or four hours a day, working on some different things. I haven't found anything yet. I'm working on something new right now and hopefully it will work." That's playing left-handed, which he's tried for the last three weeks. But not Friday.
"I flipped a coin and right-handed won today," Barkley said.
Not that golf is easy from either side, but for anyone who's ever wondered, Barkley makes it clear which is harder to master.
"Basketball is a lot harder than golf," Barkley said. "Young, old, fat, skinny can play golf, but they can't play basketball. Golf is just a learned technique. If you put a little time and effort into it, you can't play on tour but you can be a good player."
Contact the writer: mmyers@timesshamrock.com
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It's stop-the-rush week at UNH: 'Cats open today with Central Connecticut
Sep 04, 04:54 AM
By Al Pike, Foster's Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.
Sept. 04--DURHAM -- For a defense committed to stopping the run, there's no better challenge than facing an opponent determined to establish it.
That's what the University of New Hampshire football team will see in today's season opener at Cowell Stadium (noon) against Central Connecticut, which was ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing the last two years.
"The premise of our defense is stopping the run," said UNH coach Sean McDonnell, "and there's no better test than going against a team that likes to do it and does it very, very well."
The Blue Devils aren't the same pushovers they were seven years ago when the Wildcats romped, 70-20, the last time the teams met. They're coming off a 9-3 campaign and a Northeast Conference title, their third since 2004 and their first outright championship.
And they're picked to repeat in a league that gets an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs this season for the first time.
"They're a pretty good team," said senior cornerback Dino Vasso. "They won their conference last year. They had nine wins. They've got a new guy playing quarterback. They're a two-back team. Coach Mac said they're top 10 in the country in rushing offense the past two years.
"So that's what they're going to try to do. They're going to try to run the ball. Defensively, we've got to stop the run and then make some plays (in the secondary). They're kind of similar to some of the teams we play and a little bit of what our offense does. The work our offense gave us all camp is going to help us out for the first game."
The Blue Devils have scored at least one rushing touchdown in 45 straight games.
"They want to establish the run," McDonnell said, "and then use play-pass and the short passing game after that."
UNH allowed 3.4 yards per rush last season to rank fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Wildcat run defense will be under even more stress next week at Pitt, which features dynamic sophomore Dion Lewis, who ranked third nationally in rushing last season at the FBS level.
But for now the focus is on the Blue Devils, who gained an average of 219.4 yards per game last season on the ground with featured back James Mallory getting a large chunk of that. Mallory was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2009 but has since graduated.
Senior Brian Fowler averaged almost seven yards a carry last season and is the Blue Devils' leading returning rusher. The offensive line is anchored by senior Mike Allison, a preseason all-conference pick.
"They come off the ball," McDonnell said, "and they like to run it downhill."
Offensively, the Wildcats averaged 31.8 points a game last season to lead the CAA. Although quarterback R.J. Toman returns, they lost their top two receivers and leading rusher.
Plus senior running back Sean Jellison is questionable for the opener with turf toe. So Toman might have to find new weapons.
"We need to be mentally focused each and every week," Toman said.
The offensive line hopes to jell early.
"We have to stay calm and sit back and take what they give us," said sophomore center Chris Zarkoskie. "We know the schemes. They've coached us up well. They'll show us a couple fronts. We've just to be able to do a good job and not get frazzled if they show us a different look or two here or there."
"It is a young group," said junior tight end Chris Jeannot, "but I think they have enough experience. They know the calls. They know what we're doing. I think we'll be fine."
In addition to Jellison, offensive tackle Seth Price (shoulder), cornerback Tyler Sargent (foot) and defensive tackle Lance Mailloux (shoulder) are questionable for today's game.
Receiver Mickey Mangieri is out for the season with a broken leg suffered in last week's scrimmage. He fractured both the tibia and fibula in his right leg while blocking on a running play.
He had surgery last Friday, and McDonnell hopes he'll be back in time for winter workouts.
"Great kid," McDonnell said. "That's why everybody was so shook up. He's as good a kid as there is in the program. It's a bad break. He's extremely disappointed. The outpouring from the kids to him has been special. He's that kind of kid."
Today's game will include a sibling rivalry. Londonderry's Sean Ryan is a backup guard for UNH while older brother, Casey Ryan, is expected to make his first career start at left tackle for Central Connecticut.
"Our family is very excited," said Sean Ryan, a redshirt freshman. "My dad ordered like 60 tickets. It'll be a big thing for our family. They've been talking about it for a while."
North Hampton's Mike MacArthur, a graduate of Winnacunnet High School, will handle the kickoffs.
"He's been a pleasant surprise," McDonnell said.
The placekicker's job between MacArthur, a redshirt freshman, and A.J. DeLago, a sophomore, was still up for grabs as of midweek.
Punter Ryan Glasgow and safety Mike Perkins have been suspended for the opener for breaking team and athletic department rules. That means tight end Kyle Auffray will do the punting today.
"He gets the ball off pretty quick and he locates it pretty well," McDonnell said.
New CC offensive coordinator Tim Stowers was the head coach at Rhode Island from 2000 to 2007 where his defensive coordinator was Jeff McInerney, now in his fifth season as the head coach at Central Connecticut.
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Duke has the fewest questions; others face many
Sep 04, 04:51 AM
By Luke DeCock, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Sept. 04--Who exactly will be on the field for North Carolina today against Louisiana State may be the biggest mystery of the entire football season. This was supposed to be the year the Tar Heels had all the answers. Instead, they may face the most questions.
In a surprising twist, the team facing the least might just be their long-suffering rivals from down the highway, Duke.
The confusion over the state of the North Carolina football program is the most significant contributor to the state of confusion when it comes to football in North Carolina, but the Tar Heels are hardly alone when it comes to posing questions no one can answer.
No one knows what to expect from N.C. State, or Wake Forest, or East Carolina. There's one program left among the state's FBS teams, and Duke faces the fewest questions of all going into tonight's game against Elon.
Offensively, they bring back nine starters, if not the most important -- quarterback, where the prolific Thad Lewis is gone -- but Duke coach David Cutcliffe has the utmost confidence in sophomore Sean Renfree's ability to get the ball to experienced wide receivers Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon and Austin Kelly. If Desmond Scott can pop a few runs, the Blue Devils should be able to put some points on the board.
"Well, let's hope there is one," Cutcliffe said this week in response to a question about Duke's running game, which managed only 762 yards last season, almost a third of that coming in the rain against N.C. Central. But it should be noted that Mississippi's two all-time leading rushers -- Deuce McAllister and Joe Gunn -- both played under Cutcliffe.
Defensively, they have to break in five new starters while playing a completely different scheme. Cutcliffe is a little less certain about this side of the ball, but the bar isn't set very high for improvement, especially if his recruits continue to close the speed gap that has long existed between Duke and the rest of the ACC.
"I have great confidence that we're going to play hard, and great confidence that we'll chase the football and play as hard as we can possibly play," Cutcliffe said. "I think when you're going into your first game with so many unknowns, that's one of the areas I'm anxious to see how we respond."
There have been seasons where Duke was a known commodity, but typically it was known that the Blue Devils would finish last in the ACC. That probably won't happen this season, not with Virginia in the Coastal Division. Unfortunately for Duke, the rest of the Coastal is stacked, but solid improvement in the form of a 7-5 or 6-6 season -- and that elusive bowl bid -- is a distinct possibility.
Elsewhere, it's hard to pin down the prospects. Defense was supposed to be the key for N.C. State this season, but the surprising and stealthy move of Dean Haynes from cornerback to halfback raises questions about the Wolfpack's running game as well. Everyone knew the Wolfpack was short of depth at defensive back; how dire must the situation be at running back to steal a player from one problem position and make him an immediate starter at another?
There is no uncertainty about the rest of N.C. State's offense, with Russell Wilson at quarterback and talented wide receivers, but Tom O'Brien is at a point in his tenure when he needs to provide the right answers if N.C. State is going to avoid a fifth straight losing season.
If O'Brien is under the most pressure to produce in his time with the Wolfpack, Ruffin McNeill couldn't be under less pressure at East Carolina. Coming off back-to-back Conference USA titles under Skip Holtz, a rebuilding year isn't going to sting too badly -- particularly if the crazy new schemes McNeill is bringing with him from Texas Tech are entertaining.
Wake Forest, which opened the season with a 53-13 rout of Presbyterian on Thursday, has the most known commodity of all in coach Jim Grobe, whose work at Wake is nothing short of miraculous. The Deacons' defense should be better, as should the ground game, but replacing four-year starter Riley Skinner at quarterback won't be easy.
And then there's North Carolina, a team that two months ago was poised to make a run at the ACC title and is now instead practicing more damage control than football. Whether the Tar Heels can move past this and perform is anyone's guess.
Across the area, across the state, the football season that fully opens today is one of very few certainties and very many mysteries. The program with the least questions just happens to be the one that has typically faced the most: Duke.
luke.decock@newsobserver .com, twitter.com/LukeDeCock or (919) 829-8947
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Temple takes wild, 31-24 Mayor's Cup win over Villanova
Sep 04, 04:24 AM
By Kevin Tatum, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sept. 04--A mass of red-and-white jerseys had massed near the 20-yard line on Friday evening at Lincoln Financial Field. There, players from visiting Villanova and Temple were exchanging handshakes and hugs after another nailbiter in the second annual Mayor's Cup.
With three seconds remaining, Temple's Brandon McManus -- a sophomore who in the first half had nailed a career-best 53-yard field goal -- hit a 43-yarder and the Owls took a 31-24 victory in a nonconference battle that was the season opener for both squads.
"We had our opportunities to win the game," Villanova coach Andy Talley said. "That was a fantastic game that could have gone either way. People in Philadelphia should really embrace college football, because if you have two teams that can put on a game like this, it's tremendous for the people who came and both programs."
The final margin was established when Temple defensive back Justin Gildea ran 26 yards with a fumble for a touchdown with no time remaining. After McManus' last three-pointer gave the Owls a 25-24 edge, Villanova took the kickoff and tried to keep the game alive with a series of laterals before losing control of the ball.
Last year, 'Nova took the trophy home after securing a 27-24 victory with a last-second field goal. The rematch drew a crowd of 32,193.
"I thought Brandon would hit it," Temple coach Al Golden said about the game-winner. "You've got to believe in the guys, and then you have to let the guys win the game."
Villanova, which had a 14-10 edge at halftime, was up by 21-13 with 14 minutes, 47 seconds to go. Temple went ahead, 22-21, before the Wildcats' Nick Yako kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:51 showing on the clock. Yako's kick, which put his team ahead, 24-22, came after Temple quarterback Chester Stewart fumbled a snap at his own 24-yard line.
Villanova, which won the Football Championship Subdivision national title last year in a 14-1 season, is the preseason favorite to do it again and also was designated as the team to beat in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Temple was coming off a 9-4 finish that gave the program its first winning season since 1990 and is the favorite in the Mid-American Conference. The Owls tied for first place in the East Division last fall and then lost to UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, where Temple played in a postseason event for the first time since 1979.
Yako, who booted the game-winner against Temple last fall, missed on a 38-yard field goal on Villanova's first possession. A 43-yard return of the opening kickoff by the Wildcats' Matt Szczur had set up 'Nova at its own 48.
Szczur nearly went all the way, but he stepped out of bounds while being pursued up the right sideline.
When the Temple offense took over, it was 5-foot-5, 170-pound Matt Brown who lined up behind Stewart. Brown got the nod over Bernard Pierce, the team's leading rusher last season who missed valuable practice time after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the team's preseason camp.
Pierce, who is under consideration for a few of the postseason awards that go to the nation's top running back, made his first appearance against 'Nova on a third-down play during the Owls' first series. But it was Brown who scored the first points of the game when he later took a pitchout from Stewart on an option play that appeared to be snuffed out -- until the quarterback got rid of the ball at the last second.
Brown reversed field and raced 17 yards, diving at the pylon in the right corner of the end zone. Temple led, 7-0, with 1:18 remaining in the first period.
Villanova knotted the score, 7-7, in the second quarter when quarterback Chris Whitney hit Szczur with a 3-yard scoring pass. A 9-yard run by running back Aaron Ball put the Wildcats ahead, 14-7, with 3:37 to in the half, and McManus ended the pre-intermission scoring with 15 seconds left with his personal-best kick. Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum at 215-854-2583 or ktatum@phillynews.com.
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Temple gains revenge with victory over Villanova in Mayor's Cup
Sep 04, 04:22 AM
By Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News
Sept. 04--TEMPLE FOOTBALL had waited a year for this.
It almost got even longer.
Before 32,000-plus last night, the largest non-Penn State crowd to watch the Owls at Lincoln Financial Field, they did indeed exact their revenge. Barely.
A year ago, a Villanova team that went on to win the Football Championship Series national title beat Temple in the opener, by three, on a last-play field goal by freshman Nick Yako that capped a 13-point fourth-quarter rally.
This time, the Owls got their hands on the Mayor's Cup when sophomore Brandon McManus, who'd made two long field goals before missing another from medium-range, drilled a 43-yarder with 3 seconds to go for a victory that officially became 31-24 on the ensuing kickoff after Villanova desperately tried to throw the ball around and Justin Gildea returned an illegal forward pass 26 yards for a touchdown.
Less than 2 minutes earlier, Yako, who'd missed twice himself, put his side ahead by converting from 41 yards out, a career best.
But Villanova, which didn't punt until the fourth quarter but failed to make a first down the last three times it touched the ball, left a little too much time on the clock. One minute, 51 seconds, to be precise, thanks to incompletions on second and third down. That drive had been set up by a John Dempsey fumble recovery of a Chester Stewart bobbled snap, Temple's only turnover, four fewer than it committed last season. Twelve months ago, it had been Dempsey's interception that led to Yako's game-winner.
Stewart took the Owls 46 yards in nine plays, completing four passes, including his last two, to get them to the 'Nova 26. He also scrambled for a first down along the way. McManus came on and became the hero, after former starting quarterback Vaughn Charleton did a great job of getting a high snap down.
"We had the poise and confidence to stay with it, and we finished," said Temple coach Al Golden, whose team will host defending league champ Central Michigan in Thursday night's Mid-American Conference opener. "I thought Brandon would hit it. I was really surprised he missed the other one [from 36].
"You've got to believe in the guys, to let them win the game. We put ourselves in position to do that."
The Owls, who trailed, 14-10, at halftime, were down by eight very early in the fourth period, following a 21-yard scoring pass from Chris Whitney to Norman White. But Temple got to within five with 6:28 left, when McManus hit from 40. And they went in front at 4:07 on a 62-yard toss from Stewart to Michael Campbell.
Villanova, which visits Lehigh on Saturday, played much of the second half without two starting defensive linemen. It already had lost one in preseason camp. But the Wildcats got one more chance, when Eric Loper stripped the ball from Stewart (16-for-27, 200 yards) on the botched third-and-1, starting at the Temple 22. But Whitney lost 2 yards on first down, then missed on two throws, his sixth consecutive miss after hitting 17 of his first 19 (with a pick). Yako made sure it didn't matter, but the seconds the Wildcats didn't use up made all the difference.
Still . . .
"I think Philly can be proud," said Villanova coach Andy Talley, who also beat the Owls here in 2003 in overtime. "It just slipped away from us. We had our chances to win. We played about as well as we could at this point. There's no excuses.
"For two teams to put on a game like this is tremendous for both programs. I can't say enough. That's just the way it went today. We didn't lose the game. Temple did what it had to do. You could tell the difference between them and us. They played a lot of guys, we got a little tired. I think that's what you always have when you have a I-A playing a I-AA."
Bernard Pierce, who didn't start, carried 20 times for 75 yards for the Owls. Matt Brown gained 54, in 10 tries. Campbell had career highs of eight receptions and 127 yards.
"It was an awesome environment to play in," said Villanova's Matt Szczur, who caught five passes, completed three passes, had five carries and ran seven kickoffs back for 165 yards, but never was able to produce a game-changer. "But losing is just a terrible feeling. I haven't lost a lot with this team, at all."
He might not lose much with this one, either. Villanova is ranked No. 1 in FCS.
It's a long season. This is one step. Last year's loss didn't stop Temple from going to a bowl for the first time in three decades. Just as this win doesn't ensure that the Owls will will the MAC. Yet for a lot of obvious reasons, some maybe even tangible, the Owls needed it. Just because.
"I'm excited this is becoming a tradition, in only its second year," Golden said. "It shows the courage of both institutions and administrations to play this game. So many people will say you shouldn't. There's a lot of irrelevant games in college football this weekend. This was not one of them. I think both teams are sore right now.
"A lot of skeptics will say, 'You beat a I-AA team.' Wrong. We beat a champion. It's hard to beat a champion . . . I could hear all the old-time Temple people shaking their head, saying 'Here we go again.' But we're starting to learn."
And it still came that close to being another painful lesson.
Temple drew first blood, on its opening possession, after Villanova had held the ball for 8 minutes before Yako missed a 38-yard field goal. The Owls went 79 yards in 11 plays, with the help of a third-down pass-interference penalty on James Pitts, and scored on a 17-yard run by Brown, who took a late option pitch from Stewart on the left flank and improvised. Catching the ball just before it hit the ground, he immediately reversed field and found a bunch of room, eventually beating the last (only?) defender to the pylon with 1:18 to go in the period.
Following an exchange of punts, Villanova put together a 72-yard drive of its own, culminating in a 3-yard pass from Whitney to Szczur on third-and-goal at 8:11 of the second quarter.
The Wildcats, who never led Temple a year ago until the final play, went ahead by seven some 5 minutes later. After Temple went three-and-out, they went 74 yards in eight plays (five of which produced first downs). Aaron Ball got the last 9, on a run up the middle.
But the Owls cut it to 14-10 just before intermission, when McManus converted a 53-yard field goal, his career long and the second longest in Temple history (behind Don Bitterlich's 56-yarder in 1975). It was also the program's longest in 16 years.
The last one, though, will be the one everyone remembers most. *
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Seacoast Roundup: York's Bullock nets four goals in win
Sep 04, 03:48 AM
By Portsmouth Herald, N.H.
Sept. 04--YORK, Maine -- Theo Bullock made Mike Masi's debut as the head coach of the York High School boys soccer team one to remember.
Bullock scored four goals, while Kevin Bond added two as the Western Maine Class B Wildcats opened their season with an 8-1 win over Western Maine Class C rival Traip Academy.
Pierce Twohig and Ryan Lusty each scored a goal for the Wildcats. Lucas Costas scored for Traip.
BOYS SOCCER
St. Thomas 2
Windham 1
DOVER -- Ed Conroy scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the other for the Saints in this Division II contest.
Connor Bailey gave the Saints a 1-0 lead, and Andrew Civiello assisted on Conroy's goal.
Sheldon Cook had six saves for STA (2-1), while Mike Kubiczki played well defensively.
Oyster River 5
Milford 1
DURHAM -- Alex Hennessy scored two goals and had an assist, leading the Bobcats to this Division II win.
Mike Bilynsky (goal, assist), Austin Alphonse (goal), Alex Johnson (goal) and Ethan Druskat (assist) all figured in on the scoring.
Adam Goodwin and Asher Booz shared the goal-tending duties for the Bobcats.
GIRLS SOCCER
St. Thomas 5
Windham 0
WINDHAM -- Michaela Cowgill scored two goals and had an assist for St. Thomas (2-1) in this Division II contest.
Lauren Williams, Jill MacDonald and Ashley Milliken all scored goals for the Saints. MacDonald also had two assists. Kayelynn Bernier had five saves for St. Thomas.
North Yarmouth Academy 2
Traip Academy 1, OT
KITTERY, Maine -- The Panthers scored the game-winning goal three minutes into sudden-death overtime in this Western Maine Class C contest.
Chole Gaudissart gave Traip (0-1) a 1-0 lead with a goal 10 minutes into the second half. NYA tied the game at 1-1 with five minutes left in regulation.
Kennebunk 2
Marshwood 1
KENNEBUNK, Maine -- Jilliam Gori scored Marshwood's lone goal with five minutes left in this Western Maine Class A contest.
Salem 3
Winnacunnet 2
HAMPTON -- Kirsten O'Neil and Haley Arsenault each scored a goal for Winnacunnet (1-1) in its Division I loss on Thursday.
O'Neil and Kaitlyn Osborne each had an assist for the Warriors, while Anna Sullivan (defense), Ally Morrissey (defense) and Carly Gould (goalie) all played well.
FIELD HOCKEY
York 2
Wells 1
YORK, Maine -- Cari Posternak scored both goals for York (2-0) in its Western Maine Class B win.
Hannah Keating, Becka Sarson and Catie Keenan all had assists for the Wildcats.
Marshwood 3
Windham 1
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine -- The Hawks scored two goals in the first five minutes and held on for this Western Maine Class A victory.
Sam Crosman, Ashley Tice and Natalia Bachelder each scored a goal for Marshwood, while Tice and Hattie Stiles had assists.
Marshwood goalie Jacque Tworkowski had 12 saves.
Volleyball
Oyster River 3
Coe-Brown 1
DURHAM -- Brianna Datti had 28 digs, 10 aces and was 24-for-24 serving as Oyster River won this Division II contest, 25-16, 24-26, 25-10, 25-10.
Leah Janelle (15 kills), Katie Sylvia (13 kills, five aces), Hanna Finch (19 assists) and Kyla McCabe-Corrow (17 assists) led the Bobcats.
St. Thomas 3
Somersworth 1
DOVER -- Regina Mastrobattista had seven kills and four aces as St. Thomas pulled out its season-opening Division II contest, 25-17, 13-25, 25-21, 25-19.
Cecilia Chrisom (15 digs, six kills), Gabbi Ouellette (16 digs) and Liz Groover (11 assists) led the Saints.
CROSS COUNTRY
York teams sweep four-team meet
YORK, Maine -- Mitchell Finitz, Silas Freeman and Ben Young placed second, third and fourth, as the York High School boys scored 26 points, beating Freeport (52), Merriconeag (54) and Wells (no score) in a Western Maine Class B meet.
Finitz covered the 2.9-mile course in 16 minutes, 01 seconds, Freeman finished in 16:11, while Young crossed in 16:47.
York's Alec Jordan (seventh, 17:14) and Nick Eaton (10th, 17:29) both placed in the top 10.
In the girls race, York's Heather Evans won in 19:12, pacing the Wildcats to victory. York had 25 points, while Merriconeag (35), Freeport (85) and Wells (no score) placed second through fourth, respectively.
Nina Boutin (third, 20:19), Brianna Eaton (fifth, 20:56), Liz Ferland (seventh, 21:41) and Mallory Evans (ninth, 21:49) all finished in the top 10.
Golf
WHS goes 2-1 on day
AMHERST -- The Warriors won their first two matches of the season in a four-team Division I match at Souhegan Woods Golf Club.
Aaron Connolly shot a 1-over-par 37, leading the Warriors (210), who beat Merrimack (212) and Manchester West (240), and lost to Bishop Guertin (199).
Brandon Ciaramitaro (42) and Tyler Whitten (43) also shot well for Winnacunnet (2-5).
freshmen
Field hockey
Portsmouth 2
Exeter 1
PORTSMOUTH -- Lauren Melanson and Emma Levin each scored for Portsmouth. Portsmouth goalie Hannah Blockis had eight saves.
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Copyright (c) 2010, Portsmouth Herald, N.H.
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Slugfest: Bulldawgs hold off Cougars, move to 2-0
Sep 04, 03:24 AM
By Jason Groves, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.
Sept. 04--LAS CRUCES -- And then there was one.
Las Cruces High is the lone 2-0 team in the city after a 21-14 victory over Cibola on Friday at the Field of Dreams.
"It feels good to be 2-0," Bulldawgs coach Jim Miller said. "(The Bulldawgs' Week 1 opponent) El Dorado is a good physical club and Cibola is a good team. It's good competition and I'm happy about coming out with wins."
But it wasn't easy against a physical, yet one-dimensional Cougars' club.
After the teams put up 28 points in the second quarter, the Bulldawgs outgained Cibola 140-32 in the second half, salting away the last 6:24 of the game as neither team scored in the final 24 minutes.
"We were not in a good flow offensively, but I knew the defense was playing well," Miller said. "Fortunately we put it together for the last 6 and 1/2 minutes."
The Bulldawgs ran 35 plays in the second half and racked up 10 first downs while Cibola had two first downs on 16 plays.
"In a game like that where there was no offensive continuity, we missed some deep balls and they were manning us up pretty good," Miller said. "We could have done a better job passing the ball."
The Bulldawgs missed their fair share of chances to put more points on the board. Quarterback Jeremy Buurma looked off, throwing a first-half interception and missing receivers.
But Cibola didn't give Miller any reason to go away from the running game with Buurma and sophomore running back Xavier Hall.
"We have a power running game," said Hall,
who carried 25 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Hall carried eight times on the Bulldawgs' final drive, which started at their own 20 with 6:24 to play and Cibola with all three timeouts.
The Cougars didn't see the ball again.
"I look forward to that as a running back," Hall said. "I want to hear the coaches call my number. It feels good that they have confidence in me to run the ball and waste the clock."
The first half made it seem like Friday's contest was going to be a shootout.
LCHS drove 80 yards on its first drive of the game, but it was merely an opening act for the second quarter that saw the teams move up and down the field and put 28 points on the scoreboard in the first 5:13 of the quarter.
The Bulldawgs went up 14-0 on a 3-yard plunge from Hall.
Hall's first score was set up after Cougars punter Skyler Smith fumbled inside the Cibola 20. Three players later it was 14-0 with 11:21 left in the first half.
Cibola's Fred Castaneda put Cibola on the board with a 90-yard kickoff return that made it 14-7 with 11:06 left in the first half. Castaneda caught the ball at the CHS 10, switched fields and beat the Bulldawgs to the opposite sideline near midfield.
"That kickoff return gave them a lot of momentum and if we don't throw that pick in the first half, those things can put the final nail in the coffin," Miller said. "I give Cibola a lot of credit."
The Cougars tied the score at 14-14 on an 18-yard run from Ramon Garcia. Garcia's run was set up with a 41-yard Mark Tapia run, but long runs were few and far between for the Cougars.
"Defensively, they weren't going to run on us," Miller said. "They hurt us once on a zone play, but that gave me the luxury of going for it on fourth down a few times."
After starting the second with a TD, Hall's second score of the night proved to be the game-winner. Hall scored from 72 yards out, picking up a key block from LCHS receiver Josh Watson at the Cibola 40 and then shed a tackle at the 15 and stumbled in with 7:47 left that gave LCHS a 21-14 halftime lead.
"It was important (re-gaining the halftime lead)," Hall said. "We had to regroup. Those two scores, they felt like they had the momentum."
The Bulldawgs first drive of the game erased any momentum the Cougars could have built from a 61-yard pass off play action on the first play from scrimmage.
Cibola quarterback Mike Kozemchak dropped back and hit Joe Martinez wide open down the sideline. Martinez was stopped at the Bulldawgs' 11, but the LCHS defense pushed Cibola back to the 25 where Brody Botz missed a field goal attempt.
It was the only offense the Cougars showed on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to deny the Bulldawgs a 2-0 start.
Jason Groves can be reached at (575) 541-5459
Cibola 0 14 0 0 -- 14
Las Cruces 7 14 0 0 -- 21
LC -- Tanner Shoemaker 12 run (Mark Ortega kick) 4:38
Second quarter
LC -- Xavier Hall 3 run (Ortega kick) 11:21
C -- Fred Castaneda 90 kickoff return (Brody Botz kick) 11:06
C -- Ramon Garcia 18 run (Botz kick) 8:04
LC -- Hall 72 run (Ortega kick) 7:47
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To see more of the Las Cruces Sun-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lcsun-news.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.
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GWU notches men's soccer win
Sep 04, 02:58 AM
By The Star, Shelby, N.C.
Sept. 04--BOILING SPRINGS -- Gardner-Webb scored three goals, including two in the second half, for a 3-0 win over the Mercer Bears in non-conference action Friday night at Greene-Harbison Stadium.
GWU improves to 1-1 on the year, while Mercer falls to 0-1.
Gardner-Webb got on the board in the first half with some help from the Bears, as freshman Nicolas Wrobel was fouled in the penalty box and then went on to convert the penalty kick in the 10th minute.
Junior goalkeeper Adam Garcia was solid in goal for the Runnin' Bulldogs recording four saves in the opening half to keep GWU in front 1-0.
In the second half of play, GWU's Wrobel struck again. The freshman midfielder found a loose ball about 15 feet out in front of the net and scored in the 51st minute.
The Runnin' Bulldogs added an insurance goal in the 85th minute, as sophomore Jordan Day played a cross from right to left which found the head of teammate Marius Hammersmark to give the home team a 3-0 lead.
Gardner-Webb (1-1) travels to Nashville, Tenn., to battle both Lipscomb and Belmont next weekend.
Runnin' Bulldogs fall in double OT
WILMINGTON -- Elon's Brittany Hallberg scored the game-winning goal in the 106th minute to put the Phoenix over Gardner-Webb by a 2-1 score Friday in the opening game of the UNC Wilmington Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.
Elon (2-1-0) got on the board early in the first half when senior midfielder Winsper put a chip shot in off of the inside right post. It was the first goal of the season allowed by GWU junior goalkeeper Chelsea Hearne.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (2-1-1) best chance to score in the first half came in the 39th minute of play when freshman Meagan Reynolds put a shot on goal, but was unable to get the ball past Phoenix keeper Kristen Haney
With time running out in the second half, Gardner-Webb got a break in the 89th minute when an Elon defender sent a header over Haney to the back of the net, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs the 1-1 tie at the end of regulation.
Friday's match marks the third consecutive double overtime match for the GWU women. GWU now plays Sunday at 1:30 p.m.a gainst host UNC Wilmington.
No. 11 Cal drops Runnin' Bulldogs
SAN DIEGO -- Gardner-Webb volleyball had a tough night Friday as the No. 11 California Bears were too much for the Runnin' Bulldogs, defeating Gardner-Webb in three straight sets.
Gardner-Webb falls to 1-4 on the season, while the Bears' remain undefeated at 3-0.
.In the first set, a 20-4 run gave the Bears control en route to a 25-9 win. The next two games went 5-8 and 25-5.
GWU middle blocker Laura Wilcox Wilcox led the way with five kills, while sophomore Molly Rhyne had three kills, a service ace and four digs.
Gardner-Webb (1-4) faces No. 25 San Diego today at 3 p.m. as the western trip continues.
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Copyright (c) 2010, The Star, Shelby, N.C.
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