LOCAL

LOCAL
McCleary takes overHowland program
HOWLAND -- It's time to welcome Ron McCleary back to the Howland High School basketball sidelines.
The Vindicator has learned that Mike O'Neil has recently resigned his position as Howland boys basketball coach due to the death of his parents within the past year and the responsibility of caring for his grandparents.
McCleary, who coached the Howland boys teams for many years, returned to the open coaching position with the Tigers.
Chaney's Floydready for bowl
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Anthony Floyd, a junior free safety for the University of Louisville football team from Chaney High, will be looking to pad his interception record when the Cardinals (10-2) play Brigham Young (11-0) in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., on New Year's Eve.
Floyd has 17 interceptions, including four this season, to break Sam Madison's career school record of 16. Floyd had 10 pickoffs last year as a sophomore and was named to the Walter Camp All-American team and the AP and UPI All-American second teams. And he had three interceptions as a freshman.
He also returned a punt 56 yards for a TD this season.
Floyd teams with strong side safety Curry Burns, who last year led Louisville in tackles with 105. The nickname for Burns and Floyd is "Stick and Pick."
The Louisville-BYU game will be televised by ESPN at 4 p.m.
Wolcott winsbowling event
HUBBARD -- Jim Wolcott fired 1,171 to win $700 at the conclusion of the 2nd annual Thanksgiving Day Sweeper at Bell-Wick Bowl.
Marty Letscher was second with 1,130, followed by Bruce Boyd (1,129), Mark Ferrara (1,121) and Joe Beeson (1,116).
REGION
Blue Jackets recall Pronger
COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled center Sean Pronger from AHL club Syracuse on Friday and assigned center Blake Bellefeuille to the minor league team.
Pronger has a goal in nine games with Columbus this year. He was assigned to Syracuse for the third time on Nov. 15, and had three goals and seven assists in 10 games with the Crunch.
Bellefeuille was recalled by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and appeared in two games. He had an assist in Thursday night's 3-1 loss to St. Louis.
Hart leaves OSU
COLUMBUS -- Freshman guard JaQuan Hart has left the Ohio State basketball program and decided not to continue his education, coach Jim O'Brien said Friday.
Hart, a 6-foot-6 swingman from Flint, Mich., already was academically ineligible this season. He was a partial qualifier, which meant he practiced with the team but could not play.
Several recruiting services rated Hart among the top 40 prospects in the nation last year. He originally signed a letter of intent to play at Michigan, but failed to post a requisite score on the ACT entrance examination. Michigan does not accept partial qualifiers.
Akron falls on road
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Mike Helms scored 32 points as Oakland, Mich., beat Akron 71-64 Friday in the first game of the Boilermaker Invitational.
Helms scored 17 points in the first half on 8 of 13 shooting to help the Grizzlies to a 35-24 advantage.
NATION
Herd, E. Carolinain GMAC Bowl
MOBILE, Ala. -- Marshall, with a 10-1 record and averaging 37 points a game, will play East Carolina win the GMAC Bowl on Dec. 19.
East Carolina ended its season with a 6-5 record, including 5-2 in Conference USA. Quarterback David Garrard has led ECU to three straight bowl appearances.
This is East Carolina's second trip to the GMAC. In the bowl's inaugural game in 1999, TCU defeated ECU 28-14.
Red Sox claim Wallace off waivers
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox claimed left-hander Jeff Wallace off waivers from Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Wallace, 25, was 0-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 29 appearances last season for the Devil Rays.
WORLD
U.S. women beatCanada in hockey
HAMILTON, Ontario -- Angela Ruggiero scored a goal and Sara DeCosta made 22 saves as the United States beat Canada 1-0 on Friday night to sweep the three-game TSN Challenge.
Ruggiero scored at 5:50 of the first period, beating goalie Sami Jo Small with a wrist shot off a cross-ice pass from Katie King.
The United States, preparing to defend its 1998 Olympic title, has won five straight games against Canada this season.
The Americans rallied to win the first two games of the series, winning 5-2 in Ottawa on Tuesday night and 4-3 in Montreal on Wednesday night.
Vindicator staff/wire reports