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Curbstoners

BOARDMAN — The Curbstone Coaches will not meet on Monday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The noontime luncheons will resume on Dec. 8 when Bill Castrovince, sports director for WYTV-Channel 33 will be the featured speaker at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center.

Correction

Ursuline High’s Lucia Petrus scored 14 points Friday night in the Irish’s 50-41 loss to Regina. It was incorrectly printed that Aurielle Irizarry had scored 14 points, but she finished with two points.

Lyell takes title

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Billy Lyell (18-6, 3 KOs) defeated Chris Archer (10-5, 6 KOs) to capture the vacant NABC middleweight boxing title Friday at the Caravan II Albergo entertainment facility.

Lyell floored Archer in rounds one and four on his way to an eight-round unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 80-72.

In the co-feature, light heavyweight Tommy Karpency (15-1-1, 10 KOs) won a unanimous six-round decision over Willis “The Prophet” Lockett (10-7-5, 4 KOs). Judges scorecards read 57-55, 57-55, 58-54.

Female featherweight Lucia Larcinese (1-2, 0 KOs) won a four-round unanimous decision over Valerie DeFreitas (1-2, 0 KOs).

Also, Jimmy Lubash (12-1, 6 KOs) scored a third-round TKO over Greg Beerman (4-5, 1 KO).

Pair named all region

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Slippery Rock Univ. seniors Anastasia Urbanik and Jen Blasko were named All-Atlantic Region performers by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Urbanik earned first-team honors, while Blasko was named to the second team.

Urbanik earned AVCA all-region honors for the fourth consecutive season. This year marks the third time she was named to the first team.

An honorable mention AVCA All-America selection in 2006, Urbanik also earned first-team Daktronics Inc. all-region honor in 2006.

nation

BGSU fires Brandon

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green has fired Gregg Brandon as football coach after six years.

Athletic director Greg Christopher announced the firing on Saturday.

Brandon was 44-30 in his six years in charge of the Falcons, including 31-17 in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons were 6-6 overall and 4-4 in the MAC this season. They closed their season with a 38-10 win at Toledo on Friday night.

Brandon, the 16th football coach in school history, came to Bowling Green as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2001. He took over as head coach of the Falcons on Dec. 19, 2002.

He led the school to three bowl games. Bowling Green also won the 2003 MAC West Division championship and tied for first in the East in 2005 and 2007.

Croom resigns

Sylvester Croom wanted to make a point with his Mississippi State players before the Egg Bowl.

“I tell my guys, that guy you line up against, you will see him years from now and you will look him in the eye and neither of you will say a word,” Croom said. “But each of you will know that one of you got whipped in this game.”

The Ole Miss Rebels did more than whip Croom’s team. They brought his exile from the school.

Croom, 54, resigned as the Bulldogs’ coach on Saturday, one day after Ole Miss humiliated Mississippi State, 45-0, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. Croom became the SEC’s first black head football coach five years ago, and he leaves State with a 21-38 record, including a dismal 10-30 showing in the SEC.

Choi has lead

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — K.J. Choi overcame the nerves of playing in his first LG Skins Game by using a precise short game and key putts to take the first-day lead in the 26th annual event on Saturday.

Choi rolled in a three-foot birdie putt worth $75,000 on the third hole, and earned $75,000.

That gave him the lead over Phil Mickelson, who earned $25,000 with a spectacular eagle-3 on the fourth hole. Two-time defending champion Stephen Ames and Rocco Mediate, playing in his first Skins Game, were shut out on the first nine holes.

With the foursome halving the final five holes of the front nine, $900,000 of the event’s $1 million purse is still alive for today’s final nine holes at the Celebrity Course at Indian Wells Golf Resort.

Cigar Mile

NEW YORK — Tale of Ekati won the $300,000 Cigar Mile on a disqualification Saturday at Aqueduct.

Harlem Rocker was first under the wire, a nose in front of Tale of Ekati.

The result was reversed, with Harlem Rocker dropped into the place spot following a stewards’ inquiry.

In midstretch, Harlem Rocker surged to the lead and appeared on his way to the victory before ducking sharply to his left, into the path of Tale of Ekati on the rail. Edgar Prado had to snatch up Tale of Ekati, losing momentum before angling outside for a determined late run.

It was the fourth stakes victory for Tale of Ekati, all in New York.

world

Friedel breaks record

BIRMINGHAM, England — American goalkeeper Brad Friedel of Aston Villa made a record 167th consecutive Premier League appearance Saturday against Fulham.

The 37-year-old, who started the streak in August 2004 with Blackburn, overtook the previous record set by Portsmouth’s David James in April. He earned a third straight shutout in the 0-0 draw.

“Is it nice that I have been able to get a run of games? Yes, absolutely, but I hope to have many more games ahead of me,” Friedel said. “I have never appeared in a game hoping to attain an appearance record. I appear because I am under contract to play football and I love football.

Work permit issues forced Friedel to bounce around Europe and the United States — playing for Galatasary, Brondby and the Columbus Crew — before finally joining Liverpool in December 1997.

World Cup golf

SHENZHEN, China — Brendan Jones made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, giving Australia a 9-under 63 and a share of the lead with Spain after the third round of the World Cup of Golf on Saturday.

Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal, who held a four-stroke lead after two rounds, had a 67 in the fourball format. Jimenez missed a 6-foot putt for birdie on the final hole, which would have kept Spain in the outright lead.

Both teams were 22-under 194.

Vindicator staff/wire reports