SPORTS digest

Brookfield 4th grader advances to state

BROOKFIELD

Brookfield Elementary’s Dylan O’Brien will compete for a grade-school wrestling state title on March 25 at the Covelli center after winning his weight class on Sunday. The fourth grader took first place in the OAC Grade School Wrestling State Qualifier in Steubenville.

Poland to host spring parent meeting

POLAND

Poland’s athletic department will be hosting a parent meeting for any athlete involved in a spring sport. The meeting is on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium. For more information, call 330-757-7021.

Cavs sign Williams to 10-day contract

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed forward Derrick Williams to a second 10-day contract.

The NBA champions have been impressed with Williams, a former No. 2 overall pick, and it’s likely they will sign him for the remainder of the season when his current contract expires. The Cavs announced Wednesday they signed Williams again. He has averaged 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22 minutes for the Cavs, who have been bringing him off their bench with their second unit.

Before signing as a free agent with Cleveland on Feb. 9, Williams played for Miami this season before being released.

The Cavs returned from the All-Star break Wednesday and will practice before hosting the New York Knicks on Thursday, just a few hours after the trade deadline.

Ole Miss self-imposes 1-year postseason ban

JACKSON, Miss.

Mississippi’s football team will not play in the postseason next year. The Rebels might be facing more penalties, too, now that the NCAA says the program has committed more than 20 rules violations over the past several years.

Ole Miss officials said Wednesday that the university has received an amended Notice of Allegations from the NCAA that includes eight new football violations, including six that are Level I, which the governing body deems the most serious.

The school says the NCAA’s new charges include cash payments and other improper benefits to recruits from boosters — in one case up to $15,600 — and involve previous staff members who are no longer with the program.

Ole Miss did not release the new NOA, but discussed its contents in a 21-minute video posted on YouTube on Wednesday. The eight new violations are on top of 13 previous violations from the NCAA’s prior NOA in 2016.

One of the previous 13 charges was upgraded from failure to monitor, a Level II violation, to the much more serious Level I charge of lack of institutional control.

The final tally: 21 NCAA violations, including 15 classified as Level I.

As a result, the school self-imposed a one-year postseason football ban for the 2017 season. More penalties could be coming.

MLB, union agree on pitchless walks

NEW YORK

The players’ association has agreed to Major League Baseball’s proposal to have intentional walks without pitches this year.

While the union has resisted many of MLB’s proposed innovations, players are willing to accept the intentional walk change.

“As part of a broader discussion with other moving pieces, the answer is yes,” union head Tony Clark wrote Wednesday in an email to The Associated Press. “There are details, as part of that discussion, that are still being worked through, however.”

The union’s decision was first reported by ESPN .

Agreement with the union is required for playing rules changes unless MLB gives one year advance notice, in which case it can unilaterally make alterations. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed hope Tuesday that ongoing talks would lead to an agreement on other changes but also said clubs would reserve the right to act unilaterally.

Staff/wire report