SPORTS DIGEST || Track officials pick Athletes of the Year

Track officials pick Athletes of the Year

CANFIELD

The Greater Youngstown Track Officials Association honored its Athletes of the Year from Trumbull and Mahoning counties at a banquet on Tuesday at Mill Creek Park.

In cross country, the honorees were Austintown Fitch’s Matthew Rozic and South Range’s Mollie Pearson for Mahoning County and Leetonia’s Michael Inboden and Casey Grace represented Columbiana County.

In track, Canfield’s Andrew Hallof and Springfield’s Courtney Cyrus won for Mahoning County and Wellsville’s Michael Reiner and United’s Emily Ellyson won for Columbiana county.

Southern Local coach Kathy Randolph won the Fred Dafler Sportsmanship Award. George Mayrikis, Ted Marroulis, Liz Tomory and Kevin Boyd each collected service awards and Ed Votaw and Don Evans Sr. each took Retirement Awards.

Panthers’ Rivera gets one-year extension

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

The Panthers have signed Ron Rivera to a one-year contract extension that will keep the two-time NFL coach of the year with the team through the 2018 season.

Financial terms were not released Thursday.

The Panthers went 17-2 last season, losing to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. Rivera is 47-32-1 in five seasons as head coach and has led the Panthers to three straight NFC South championships.

Former Seahawk pleads not guilty

SEATTLE

Former Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman has pleaded not guilty to felony hit and run and vehicular assault in connection with a car crash in October.

KOMO-TV reported that Coleman was arraigned Thursday in King County Superior Court.

He could face up to 16 months behind bars if convicted of both charges.

Coleman’s attorneys did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Police say Coleman’s truck was traveling at 60 mph in a 35 mph zone and hit a Honda Civic. The driver of the Civic suffered a broken collarbone when his car flipped over.

Coleman is a free agent after his contract with Seattle expired.

U.S. tops Ecuador in COPA knockout

SEATTLE

Clint Dempsey scored for the third straight game on a first-half header and set up Gyasi Zardes for a tap-in goal midway through the second half, boosting the United States into the Copa America semifinals with a 2-1 win over Ecuador on Thursday night.

Playing before a boisterous and almost completely partisan home crowd in the soccer-mad Pacific Northwest, the U.S. won a knockout game against a nation outside its region for only the second time and will play Argentina or Venezuela on Tuesday in Houston.

American midfielder Jermaine Jones and Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia were both ejected early in the second half. Jones will be suspended for the semifinal along with U.S. midfielder Alejandro Bedoya and Bobby Wood, who both got their second yellow cards of the tournament.

Michael Arroyo scored for Ecuador in the 74th minute and Enner Valencia missed a pair of great chances moment later on a pair of headers.

England safe at EUROs despite fan violence

LENS, France

UEFA says England’s participation in the European Championship is under no immediate threat despite a fresh outbreak of fan violence.

UEFA’s leadership said after disorder in Marseille last week that England — along with Russia — faced potential disqualification if there was more violence away from stadiums.

In Lille on Wednesday, French police used tear gas to disperse rampaging England fans. It was the fourth time England fans have been involved in violent incidents since the start of the tournament.

UEFA says it “regrets” the skirmishes which occurred in Lille.

Staff/wire report