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Stanton joins Raiders

ALLIANCE — Niles High School senior Zakary Stanton has committed to attend Mount Union College and compete on the football team.

Stanton is a running back who was the leading rusher, team captain and an all-conference selection at Niles.

Mount Union went 15-0 last season and claimed its 10th NCAA Division III National Championship.

Larry Kehres begins his 35th season at Mount Union in 2009 and 24th as head football coach with a 275-21-3 record.

Papa is recognized

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Slippery Rock Univ. head track and field coach John Papa has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track and Field “Coach of the Year”.

The award is the 14th PSAC coaching honor of Papa’s career.

The 2008-09 PSAC award is the second “Coach of the Year” honor bestowed upon Papa this season. He was also honored with the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s NCAA Division II Atlantic Region’s top coaching honor on the women’s side. Papa has matched his number of PSAC coaching honors with 14 regional honors as well.

Mooney baseball

YOUNGSTOWN — The Cardinal Mooney High School baseball team will put on a fish fry on April 10 from 4:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the school.

It is the team’s only fund raiser of the year.

For details, call (330) 519-2950.

Rohan paces Kent

KENT — Greg Rohan hit a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to give the Kent State baseball team a 10-9 win over Ball State.

Rohan (South Range High) went 2-for-5 for Kent (16-5, 4-0 Mid-American Conf.).

The Cardinals (11-11, 2-2) led 2-0, 3-1, 4-3, 5-4 and 8-6.

Pavlik autographs

YOUNGSTOWN — Kelly Pavlik will be signing autographs today from 10 a.m. until noon at the American General Insurance, 320 S. Canfield-Niles Rd.

The proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

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Gillispie fired

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Impatient for a winner and a coach who embraced all the things that come with running college basketball’s all-time winningest program, Kentucky fired coach Billy Gillispie on Friday.

Saying the Wildcats deserve a leader who understands “this is not just another coaching job,” athletic director Mitch Barnhart and president Lee Todd made the unusual decision to dismiss Gillispie less than two years after he was hired to replace Tubby Smith.

Palmer Invitational

ORLANDO, Fla. — Bay Hill was so penal Friday that most players figured it would be difficult for anyone to shoot a low number and separate themselves from the pack. Sean O’Hair apparently didn’t get the memo.

O’Hair opened with three straight birdies and didn’t drop a shot until his final hole, which gave him a 5-under 65 for a three-shot lead over Jason Gore heading into the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tiger Woods remained in the mix for a sixth title at Bay Hill, courtesy of a short game that turned a mediocre round into a 69.

Woods chipped in for birdie on his opening hole for the second straight day, holed another birdie chip on No. 8, and kept his round together with two head-turning chips to save par. He was in fifth place, five shots behind.

Phoenix International

PHOENIX — In-Kyung Kim shot her second straight 4-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead halfway through the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International.

The 20-year-old South Korean had six birdies and two bogeys to retain the top spot on the 6,711-yard Papago Golf Course.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (69) and Australia’s Karrie Webb (68) were second at 6 under, and South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji (70) and Song-Hee Kim (69) were 5 under.

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Cap Cana golf

CAP CANA, Dominican Republic — David Eger shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to top the crowded first-round leaderboard in the Champions Tour’s Cap Cana Championship.

Eger, a two-time winner on the 50-and-over tour, had a one-stroke lead over Nick Price, Eduardo Romero, Keith Fergus, Tim Simpson and Tom Jenkins.

Greg Norman, making his first start in a regular-season event on the Champions Tour, opened with a 73 on the Punta Espada course.

Mitchell fired as coach

TORONTO — Dale Mitchell was fired Friday as the national soccer coach of Canada, which has not played in the World Cup since 1986.

Mitchell was hired in May 2007 and his team failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Canada finished last in its regional semifinal group, with four losses and two ties.

Vindicator staff/wire report