AREA

AREA

Fryman returning to Scrappers

NILES — Travis Fryman will return as manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers this summer.

Fryman, who led the Scrappers to New York Penn League’s Pinckney Division title last season, will be the first person to manage the Scrappers three straight seasons.

The Scrappers fell to Staten Island is the NYPL championship last fall.

Ken Rowe also returns as pitching coach, while Dennis Malave joins the team as an assistant.

Indoor football tryouts Dec. 19

GIRARD — Tryouts for an indoor football league will start Dec. 19 at the Golf Dome.

Ray Marrow, former quarterback for the Mahoning Valley Thunder and several other college and professional teams, is organizing the Indoor Northeastern Football League that he expects to launch starting in April.

The Golf Dome tryouts will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30.

There will also be dance team tryouts that day. Both are for 18 and older. The tryouts are open to spectators at $3 per person and free for kids.

For details on the dance team, call (330) 261-5947. For details on the football team, call Marrow at (330) 774-6635. The next tryout date will be in mid-January.

NATION

Shark Shootout in deadlock

NAPLES, Fla. — Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker were tied with Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank for the lead of the Shark Shootout at 6-under 66 after the first round on Friday.

Kelly and Stricker birdied No. 5, eagled No. 6, birdied Nos. 7-9, then added another birdie on No. 12 at Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. They struggled after that, playing the final six holes in 1-over.

Leonard and Verplank did the opposite, with birdies on four of their last six holes in the tournament hosted by Greg Norman.

Tim Clark and Chad Campbell were in third place, one back at 5 under, along with Steve Flesch and Dustin Johnson.

Davis lowers world record

KEARNS, Utah — American Shani Davis has lowered his own world record in the 1,500 meters at a speedskating World Cup meet in Utah.

Davis covered the distance in 1 minute, 41.04 seconds while skating in the final pairing Friday at the Utah Olympic Oval. The time bettered his old mark of 1:41.80 set on March 6 at the oval.

American rival Chad Hedrick was second in 1:42.50. Mo Tae-Bum of South Korea was third in 1:42.85.

It was the second world record set Friday at the final World Cup before the Vancouver Olympics. Jenny Wolf of Germany lowered her own mark in the women’s 500.

NFL fines two players

NEW YORK — Tampa Bay right tackle Jeremy Trueblood has been fined $25,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness, while Tennessee defensive tackle Tony Brown was fined $20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The NFL announced the fines on Friday.

Trueblood leveled Carolina’s Chris Gamble well after a play was over in the second quarter of the Buccaneers’ 16-6 loss on Sunday. It’s Trueblood’s fourth infraction this season after previously being fined twice for unnecessary roughness and once for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Brown was fined for poking his fingers through the facemask of Indianapolis guard Kyle DeVan after a play Sunday late in the first half of the Colts’ 27-17 victory. It was also Brown’s fourth infraction this season.

Basketball shutout

WRENSHALL, Minn.— A Minnesota high school girls basketball team was shut out 65-0 this week.

Wrenshall coach Michelle Blanchard said the “shots just weren’t going in” Thursday for her young, inexperienced team that is 0-5 this season.

Moose Lake-Willow River beat Wrenshall easily and coach Andrew Miller said he played his junior varsity players for nearly all the second half after leading 40-0 at halftime.

He says the Wrenshall players worked hard, but missed 11 layups among their chances to score.

Illinois fires four assistants

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois has fired four assistant football coaches, but head coach Ron Zook will keep his job after a 3-9 season.

The university says it fired three offensive coaches Friday — offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, quarterbacks coach Kurt Beathard and receivers coach Jim Pry. Special teams coach Mike Woodford also lost his job.

Schultz joined Illinois in January. He had been TCU’s offensive coordinator.

Big things had been expected of the Illini offense this season, but it struggled early. Recently, though, the offense clicked. Illinois averaged 35 points a game over its last five.

Vindicator staff/wire