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STATE-RANKED MATCHUP
BELOIT -- The Salem at West Branch football game on Friday will be a state-ranked matchup.
Both teams are 8-1 with the Quakers ranked 10th in Division III and the Warriors ranked 12th in Division IV.
West Branch is 5-0 in the Eastern Buckeye Conference and has clinched at least a share of its seventh straight league title. Salem is 4-1 and needs to win to grab a share.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Friday with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for reserved seats, $8 for adult general admission and $5 for student general admission.
Online tickets are encouraged and can be purchased at wbatheltics.org and clicking the “Tickets” tab at the top of the page.
CAVALIERS AT 76ERS
7 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
LINE: 76ers -2.5; over/under is 235.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Cavaliers tip off their 57th season tonight. LeBron James had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his 76ers debut on Tuesday night, a 106-100 win at the New York Knicks.
INJURIES: 76ers: Ariel Hukporti: out for season (achilles), Tacko Fall: out (hip), Dean Wade: out (ankle), Dominick Barlow: out (back).
Cavaliers: Nae’Qwan Tomlin: out (back).
HUGGINS UPDATE
(AP) -- Retired Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Huggins has a “progressive cognitive condition” that has started to impact his memory “and aspects of his daily life,” his family said.
Huggins’ family released a statement on his health in coordination with the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department ahead of the 73-year-old’s induction into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
The family kept the matter private over the past several months but believes now is “an appropriate time to share the news with the many people who have supported Bob throughout his remarkable career,” the statement said.
Cincinnati’s Hall of Fame induction is Friday night. Others inductees include Jason Kelce and former Philadelphia Eagles’ teammate Connor Barwin. The statement said Huggins was “looking forward to returning to Cincinnati this weekend, celebrating with former players and friends, and sharing in a moment that recognizes not only his accomplishments, but also the enduring bonds formed along the way.”
Huggins compiled a 935-414 head coaching record at five colleges that included 16-year stints each at Cincinnati and West Virginia, where he took both schools to the Final Four. He got his first head coaching job in 1980 at Walsh College in North Canton, where he went 71-26 in three seasons.
SAINTS SEEING
VERSAILLES, France (AP) -- Flag football by the Eiffel Tower. A Paris Saint-Germain game. An upcoming visit to the Palace of Versailles.
New Orleans Saints players are having a pretty good time in and around Paris despite recent street protests that resulted in curfews in some trouble spots.
The Saints face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Stade de France. Since arriving early Monday, they’ve been able to be part-time tourists.
“It’s been an exciting week,” wide receiver Devaughn Vele said. “I’m a big food guy, so I’ve been taking it all in. I couldn’t even tell you what I’ve tried. I didn’t even look at the names. I just try anything I can, trying to immerse myself in the culture.”
The day out with teammates included seeing the Eiffel Tower.
“It was awesome to see, it’s a beautiful culture, beautiful people,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think a lot of the guys have the same excitement. So it’s been a good experience so far.”
Municipal workers cleaned debris and shopkeepers repaired windows and security grates Wednesday as the cleanup continued from weekend violence in several Paris locations.
Defensive end Cam Jordan, however, said he “didn’t see anything” related to property damage when he visited a flag football clinic near the Eiffel Tower.
The Steelers are scheduled to arrive early Friday.
TRADE BAIT
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- Police in California are investigating the theft of trading cards worth at least $963,000 that were taken from a FedEx truck parked outside of a company that verifies memorabilia.
The truck was broken into on Oct. 13 near Professional Sports Authenticator, also known as PSA, which authenticates trading cards, autographs, comic books, and other memorabilia and grades their condition, Santa Ana Police Department spokesperson Natalie Garcia said in a news release. Pokémon and sports cards were among the items that were stolen, the release said.
The driver had left the truck unattended, Garcia said in a follow-up email Tuesday. How long the driver was gone is part of the investigation, she said.
The truck’s lock was gone and two pallets were taken, she said. A third pallet was disturbed.
“The estimated value of the stolen cards at the time of the incident was $963,000. However, the exact value of the stolen items has not yet been determined,” Garcia said in the news release.
NASCAR FINES SMITH
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- NASCAR issued a $50,000 fine to Cup Series driver Zane Smith after he rammed Carson Hocevar’s car during a post-race cool-down lap Sunday at Phoenix Raceway after ignoring orders to refrain from such antics.
NASCAR vice president of racing communications Mike Forde said on the “Hauler Talk” podcast that Smith and Hocevar had been warned back in July not to engage in any post-race contact following a run-in at Chicagoland Speedway.
“After they had their dust-up on the race track, we called both of them in at Atlanta,” Forde said. “And we don’t typically like talking about what we tell those drivers in the hauler. But in this case, pretty much the message was this: If you guys can’t figure it out, we will help you figure it out. And they couldn’t figure it out. So this is us pretty much helping. Zane Smith figured it out a little bit in the form of a $50,000 fine.
“When we have drivers called into the hauler like that, we don’t have it often, but when we feel like it’s necessary, we’re serious about those conversations.”