SPORTS digest

Local racer named Rookie of the Year

Dirk Stratton, a 2011 graduate of West Branch High School, was named Rookie of the Year for the Pro 2 Class as a Formula Drift driver.

Stratton competed in events this season at Road Atlanta, Orlando Speedworld, Texas Motor Speedway and Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix.

Stratton won the honor by driving the only C6 Chevrolet Corvette in the field.

Correction

Today’s Crestview-South Range football game will kick off at 7 p.m. in North Lima. The location was incorrect in a story in Wednesday’s edition.

Kennsington to go purple on Saturday

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Kennsington Golf Club and the American Cancer Society will canvass the course purple on Saturday for a cancer fund-raiser.

Employees and patrons are encouraged to wear purple for the day.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a raffle and a Stay and Play package giveaway, which includes a one-night stay in the Courtyard Marriott Youngstown-Canfield on top of 18 holes of golf at Kennsington.

Funds raised from the golf rounds will go directly to the ACS.

Florida, LSU agree to play in Baton Rouge

gainesville, fla.

LSU and Florida will play Nov. 19 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, a game rescheduled because of Hurricane Matthew.

The Southeastern Conference made the announcement Thursday, ending a week of speculation about what would happen to the game originally scheduled for last Saturday in Gainesville.

The teams had to buy out nonconference opponents scheduled for that Saturday: South Alabama for LSU and Presbyterian for Florida.

The arrangement means the Tigers (3-2, 2-1 SEC) will avoid playing three consecutive road games over a 13-day span to end the regular season. The 18th-ranked Gators (4-1, 2-1) will lose two homes games — about $7.8 million in projected revenue from ticket sales alone — but likely will recoup some of that through insurance.

LSU also agreed to play in Gainesville in 2017 and 2018, which gets the Gators one game back.

Trump critical of NFL concussion protocol

lakeland, fla.

Donald Trump criticized “softer NFL rules” regarding concussions during a campaign stop.

The Republican presidential nominee was struck by the toughness of a woman who fainted Wednesday and then returned to the audience, according to multiple media reports.

“The woman was out cold and now she’s coming back,” Trump told the crowd. “See? We don’t go by these new and very much softer NFL rules. Concussion, oh! Oh! Got a little ding on the head, no, no, you can’t play for the rest of the season. Our people are tough!”

The NFL has cracked down on hits to the head amid a lawsuit over head injuries that resulted in a $1 billion settlement with former players in April 2015. Some former players have asked the Supreme Court to block the settlement because of how it treats current brain injuries versus future ones.

FIFA set to decide on World Cup expansion

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FIFA wants to decide in January if the 2026 World Cup will expand from its 32-team format, with 40 or 48 the favored options.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expects a decision when the ruling council meets in January, likely in Zurich, he said on Thursday.

“The general feeling is rather positive” toward expansion, Infantino said at a briefing after FIFA’s ruling council met. “The level of quality of football is increasing all over the world.”

Infantino justified the plan as a way to create more “football euphoria” for months in countries which qualify, and guard against “disaster” being declared where national teams fall short of world sport’s most-watched event.

Staff/wire report