LOCAL

LOCAL
Track pavingat Girard High
GIRARD -- The all-weather track at the Girard High Stadium will be closed for paving from Monday through July 15. Walkers are asked to stay off the track until July 16.
Valley teamwins soccer title
STRUTHERS -- The Mahoning Valley Premier under-14 boys soccer team won the Lake Erie Youth Premier Soccer League Championship by going unbeaten in six games.
Players on the team were: Anthony Colaluca and Daniel Conley from Austintown; Ricky Crawford from Bessemer, Pa.; Chris Bahrey and Kevin Copenhaver from Cortland; Malik Mohammad from Howland; Jared Daly from Hubbard; Kyle Schimely from Niles; Lenny Liguore and Evan Vazquez from Poland; David Brodell and Omar Omar from Warren; and Keith Little and Kevin Miller from Youngstown.
The team was coached by Paul Colaluca and trained by Neil Fowler, Chris Labatte and Fabio Sartini.
Tammaro lifts wayto world event
AUSTINTOWN -- Joe Tammaro, 18, of Girard, won first place in last week's World Natural Powerlifting Federation's national championship bench press contest.
Tammaro won the 148-pound class for ages 17-19 and will compete in November in the World Championships in South Carolina.
Track athletesin junior olympics
INDEPENDENCE -- Five Emanon Jaguars athletes have qualified for the Region V Junior Olympic championships July 14 at Baldwin-Wallace College.
Johnise Hartsfield of Chaney qualified as she placed third in the 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meters in a meet at Independence High School.
Austintown Fitch High's Sarah Tate earned spots in the 100 and 200 meters, Stephanie Davis in the 300-meter hurdles, Davanzo Tate in the 100 and 200 meters and Seth Steiner in the 100 meters.
Leetonia's Kyserselects Mount Union
ALLIANCE -- Scott Kyser, a Leetonia High graduate, will continue his academic and athletic career at Mount Union College this coming fall.
A 6-1, 230-pound fullback/linebacker, Kyser was a four-year letterman. He was a Tri-County and Columbiana County selection and a first-team Northeast defensive and second team all-state defensive choice.
Trumbull Fairholding races
CORTLAND -- Some of Ohio's top 2- and 3-year-old pacers will compete at the Trumbull County Fair July 8-9.
The fair will conduct harness racing with a post time of 12:30 p.m. during the two-day program.
It is the fair's 11th year to sponsor the Buckeye Super Stakes, but also the first Buckeye Super Stakes of the season.
Union's DudasWestminster-bound
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Pat Dudas, a graduate of Union High School, will continue his baseball and academic career at Westminster College.
Dudas was a pitcher and first baseman for Union during his senior season, batting .302 with two home runs, three steals and 15 RBIs. He received the Athletic Director's Sportsmanship Award and plans to major in physics.
Area athleteshonored at Kent
KENT -- Eleven area athletes received letters this spring at Kent State University. Bobby Cruse of Newton Falls and Lisa Claypool of East Liverpool received four-year track awards.
Lakeview graduate Anne Ughrin of Cortland received her third-year track letter. Howland graduate Scott Diehl of Warren received his second-year baseball award, while Fitch graduate Bob Antonucci of Youngstown and Badger graduate Kurt Ward of Burghill received second-year track awards.
Gus Hlebovy of Campbell and Matt Sega of Canfield received first-year baseball letters, while Tracie Logar of McDonald earned a softball letter. Jeanette Santiago of Canfield and Mark Bestic of Boardman earned first-year track awards.
Scarbroughheaded to B-W
BEREA -- Howland High graduate Chuck Scarbrough of Warren will continue his golfing and academic career at Baldwin-Wallace College.
Scarbrough, a three-time first team member of the Metro Athletic Conference, led Howland to a 23-4-4 mark the past two years. He twice had the MAC's lowest stroke average and was named the conference's MVP.
A member of the National Honor Society, Scarbrough won the 1998 Holocaust Poetry Contest.
REGION
Familiar nameback with Reds
CINCINNATI -- Pete Rose Jr. is back in the Cincinnati Reds' farm system.
Rose, 31, signed a contract Friday with Double-A Chattanooga, reuniting him with the organization that his famous father led to prominence in the 1970s.
The farm system has been depleted by injuries and promotions to the major league team, prompting the Reds to look for players.
"I had some talks with him through spring training as well as with [agent] Joe Bick," said Tim Naehring, director of player development. "Basically, we've had some injury problems at the Double-A level. We think Petey is someone who can fill the void we have there."
Fire extinguishedearly at Heinz Field
PITTSBURGH -- A burning scoreboard at Heinz Field sent dark smoke billowing around the Pittsburgh Steelers' new football stadium Friday.
The fire, which began shortly before noon, was extinguished within 15 minutes and resulted in minimal damage and no injuries, said Sgt. Charles Mares of the Pittsburgh Fire Department.
Steelers spokesman Ron Wahl said a welder accidentally set waterproofing material near the scoreboard on fire but construction workers quickly put out the flames.
"It looked a lot worse than what it was," he said about smoke that built up around the scoreboard.
The fire will not affect the $281 million stadium's August opening, Wahl said.
Duquesne forwardleaves school
PITTSBURGH -- Forward Jack May will not return to Duquesne University for his junior season because he did not meet academic requirements set by the school and the NCAA, coach Danny Nee said Friday.
May, of Chino Hills, Calif., withdrew from the university.
He averaged seven points and 5.6 rebounds a game as one of three players to play in all 30 games last season. He started 24 times and led the team in rebounding 13 times.
NATION
Pistons, Sunsmake trade
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Detroit Pistons acquired forward Clifford Robinson from the Phoenix Suns on Friday for Jud Buechler and John Wallace.
The teams agreed to the trade in principle, but the deal cannot be consummated until July 18 due to salary-cap restrictions.
"We are excited to bring Cliff Robinson to the Pistons," team president Joe Dumars said in a statement. "He's a talented veteran player that brings playoff experience and toughness to our roster."
Robinson averaged 16.4 points last season.
Piazza injured
ATLANTA -- New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza broke a bone in his left big toe Friday night and will be out at least a week.
Piazza was injured when he fouled a ball off his foot in the third inning. He finished the at-bat, hitting a flyball for an out, but left the game in the bottom half.
Piazza will be out 7-to-10 days and will likely need a few more days before he is able to catch, Mets assistant general manager Jim Duquette said.
"It's a hairline fracture ... of the bone at the end of the big toe, underneath the nail," Duquette said.
Piazza is batting .269 with 20 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Staff/wire reports