YSU

YSU

Football

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State at Southern Illinois football game on Oct. 6 in Carbondale, Ill., has been tabbed the Football Championship Subdivision Game of the Week by the College Sporting News.

The game is already scheduled to be televised nationally on CSTV.

 LOCAL

Mooney’s Beachum
ranked by Rivals

YOUNGSTOWN — Cardinal Mooney running back-linebacker Brandon Beachum, who will be a senior next fall, was named the 50th-best senior by Rivals.com.

Beachum (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) was a starting linebacker on the Cardinals’ Division IV state championship team last fall.

Harding’s Franklin
chooses Shawnee St.

WARREN — Warren Harding senior Keelyn Franklin will continue his basketball career on a full ride at Shawnee State University.

Franklin, a guard, averaged 12.5 points and three assists per game for the Raiders.

Sharon Speedway

HARTFORD, Ohio — For the ninth time in Sharon Speedway history the stars of the World of Outlaws Sprint Series will invade the 3/8-mile oval on Friday.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Hot laps start at 6:30 p.m. and qualifying follows at 7.  For details, visit www.sharonspeedway.com.

STATE/REGION

Edwards demoted
to third team

BEREA — Braylon Edwards didn’t want to talk about his one-day absence from the Browns’ voluntary practices last week.

But his place in the wide receiver pecking order Tuesday appeared to speak volumes about how the team felt about it. Edwards took reps with the third-team offense and was the last receiver in line during position drills.

“There’s no significance to it at all. He’s trying to learn the system,” Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. “It is not the same system that was in place last year and he is trying to learn it. He did miss a day, and so he is probably just a little bit behind.”

Edwards declined to comment on his absence, which Crennel said was because of a personal issue.

“He called and said that he wouldn’t be here. It is a voluntary camp, so what can I do about it?” Crennel said. “Nothing else is going to happen. He has been here every day since.”

Oden, Russell
in first marketing deal

COLUMBUS — Greg Oden has been drafted by a trading card company, and will be on the same team as Bill Russell.

Oden, a possible No. 1 draft pick after leaving Ohio State following his freshman year, signed a multiyear deal Tuesday to become a spokesman for Topps Co. His first deal? A card featuring him and Russell, the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer, on the 50th anniversary of the company’s first basketball set.

“Certainly there’s been a lot of comparisons to Bill Russell, which we don’t run away from,” said Bill Sanders, a vice president for BDA Sports Management, which represents Oden.

“I think that Greg has got a lot of that in him, but he’s also got other skills in him that people don’t necessarily associate with Bill Russell. Certainly he’s honored to be mentioned in that kind of company. I think one of his goals is to accomplish a little bit of what Bill Russell did.”

Penguins sign Wallace

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Tim Wallace to a two-year contract Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Wallace, of Anchorage, Alaska, split time last season between the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the East Coast Hockey League’s Wheeling Nailers.

He had 14 points in 32 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and 17 points in 19 games with Wheeling.

NATION

Most MLS players
to miss China game

CARSON, Calif. — Most of the Major League Soccer players in the U.S. national team pool will miss Saturday’s exhibition game against China in San Jose.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley announced his roster Tuesday, and the only MLS players chosen were four from Chivas USA, which is off this weekend. After weekend league games, other MLS players report to the national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. The U.S. team plays its opener in that tournament on June 7 against Guatemala in Carson.

Vindicator staff/wire reports