Check out a preview capsule for the Week 1 football matchup between Coventry and Canton South.

CANTON, Ohio - Check out a preview capsule for the Week 1 football matchup between Coventry and Canton South. 

What: Nonconference game.

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Canton South High, 600 Faircrest St., SE Canton. Call 330-484-8000.

About Coventry: The Comets return 14 starters from last season’s team. Now the task will be to use that experience to improve on 2013's 2-8 finish. Seniors and first-team All-Portage Trail Conference players Devon Jones (DE/TE) and Lawrence Anderson (RB/LB) lead the group.

About Canton South: The Wildcats (6-4 last season) have new faces at RB and QB this season but experience on defense in the form of two all-Northeastern Buckeye Conference DBs David Bates and Matthew Shaffer.

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Check out a preview capsule for the Week 1 football matchup between Mogadore and Norton.

NORTON, Ohio - Check out a preview capsule for the Week 1 football matchup between Mogadore and Norton. 

What: Nonconference game.

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Norton High, 4128 S. Cleveland Massillon Road, Norton. Call 330-825-7300.

About Mogadore: The Wildcats have made 15 straight playoff appearances. That includes two state semifinal games in the last four years. Senior RB Brandon Berry re-aggravated a hamstring injury during camp and has been limited at practice. Last season he rushed for 1,884 yards and 19 TDs. Junior Zeddie Pollock takes over at QB behind a line that lacks depth as the season begins.

About Norton: Norton is coming off its best record in 10 years (8-2), but didn’t earn enough computer points to reach the playoffs in 2013. Just three starters return from that team, including senior WR Chad Tokie. Expect the Panthers to lean on the run game again, despite losing 1,700-yard RB Jake Fling to graduation.

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Josh Gordon's legal team is currently exploring all of its options and might decide to seek a temporary restraining order, which could put him back on the field while the case is being resolved. One source said, "He has no shot.''

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Gordon's legal team is currently pursuing all of its legal options in regard to his season-long suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, a source told cleveland.com Thursday.

However, one league source familiar with such NFL cases said "he has no shot of having the suspension overturned in court. It's over.''

The source said Gordon has no case, because the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA will trump any involvement by the courts.

If Gordon's team does decide to pursue legal action, it would most likely seek a temporary restraining order in Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas that could enable him to continue playing while the case is resolved.

As of Wednesday night, nothing had been filed on Gordon's behalf.

But Gordon provided a clue in his statement released by the NFLPA that his team might not be ready to give up the fight when he said he regretted that the NFL  "didn't exercise better discretion and judgment in my case.''

The full statement is as follows: "I'd like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Browns organization and our fans. I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn''t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case. I would like to sincerely thank the people who have been incredibly supportive of me during this challenging time, including my family, my agent, my union, my legal team, and the Cleveland Browns staff."

In order for Gordon to be granted the temporary restraining order, he would have to show, among other things that there's a good chance of winning the case.

And that would be tough, based in large part on the fact that the whole process was agreed to by the NFLPA, including the arbitrator being appointed by the NFL.

There is a precedent for a temporary restraining order being granted, but the players were ultimately suspended anyway.

Two Vikings players were granted a restraining order in 2008, but failed to have their drug suspensions overturned by the courts. However, defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams were permitted to play for two full seasons -- in 2009 and 2010 -- until their four-game suspensions for a performance-enhancing drug were upheld in the Minnesota Supreme Court.

As of now, Gordon is banned from the team and not permitted to practice in Berea or attend meetings or team functions.

When the season is over, the NFL will determine when he's eligible to apply for reinstatement. According to the substance-abuse policy, the league can make him wait a full calendar year to ask Commissioner Roger Goodell to let him back in the NFL -- but it can also shorten that timeframe.

If Gordon is the model citizen during his ban, Goodell could decide to let him apply soon after the season -- roughly four months from now --  which would get him back on the field for the offseason program, organized team activities and minicamps in the spring.

Gordon, who checked himself into a rehab facility in California for two weeks following his DWI in July, will need to test negative during his suspension -- up to 10 times a month -- and stay out of trouble.

The Browns have been actively involved in making sure he has a good support system and any treatment he might during the suspension.

If Gomes is recovered from his concussion, the Indians will activate him Friday rather than wait until the roster expand on Monday.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Here are some quick hits from manager Terry Francona's press conference before Wednesday night's game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Time is of the essence: If catcher Yan Gomes is ready to play Friday when he's scheduled to come off the disabled list, the Indians will activate him. There was some thought that the Indians might wait to activate Gomes until Monday when the rosters can expand to 40 players.

When asked if they would wait, Francona said, "No, Gomes is pretty good."

The Indians are in a stretch of 30 games in 30 days that will define their season. They need every asset that they can put on the field.

A roster spot will have to be created for Gomes.

"There are some things going on that will start to explain themselves as we get closer (to activating Gomes)," said Francona. "We can make it work. It will probably be done organically (within the organization). "

Gomes was placed on the disabled list on Saturday after suffering a concussion Aug. 21 at Target Field against the Twins. Asked how close Gomes is to playing again, Francona said, "He wants to play today. He's not allowed, but that's a good sign."

Rehab central: Jason Giambi struck out three times Tuesday night to start his rehab assignment at Class AA Akron.

Ryan Raburn joined Giambi on Wednesday at Akron as he continues his recovering from a strained right wrist.

Easy does it: When the rosters due to expand, Francona said not to expect an onslaught of players like the Tribe had last year. The Indians carried 37 players, including 21 pitchers, through much of September as they drove for the wild card.

"We won't go crazy," said Francona. "Last year because I was so worried about our bullpen, we probably had too many pitchers. For the day or two it helped, it probably wasn't fair to couple of pitchers."

Francona feels more settled about this year's staff because of pitchers like Josh Tomlin, who can give him multiple innings out of the pen.

Give me the ball: Francona laughed when talking about closer Cody Allen, who experienced a force vacation Tuesday. The Indians wanted to give him two days off in a row and that's just what they did even though they needed 10 innings to beat Chicago, 8-6.

"I knew Cody was losing his mind," said Francona. "I was actually laughing in here because I knew he was losing his mind. There's no way he should have pitched last night and we weren't going to let him, but it's nice to have guys who feel like that."

How did he know Allen wanted pitch?

"He wasn't talking to anybody," said Francona. "And naturally guys aren't going to give him a break about it, myself included."

In Allen's place, set-up man Bryan Shaw tied a career high with 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the victory. Shaw was not available Wednesday night.

"He's been unbelievable," said Francona. "The only way you can make him mad is by not letting him pitch. "

Shaw threw 29 pitches, 21 for strikes.

"He didn't throw that many pitches and that's why we were able to keep sending him out there," said Francona.

A look at the sporting events going on in Northeast Ohio on Thursday, Aug. 28.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here is the high school soccer and volleyball schedule for Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014.

BOYS SOCCER

Brunswick at Ravenna, 7

Coventry at Northwest, 7

Crestwood at Woodridge, 7

Ellet vs. Massillon Washington, 7

Firestone at Wooster, 7

Garfield Heights at Bedford, 7

Harvey at Nordonia, 7

Hawken at Kirtland, 4:30

Madison at Cleveland Heights, 7

Martin Luther King at Tallmadge, 5

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at Beachwood, 5

Parma at Cuyahoga Heights, 7

Revere vs. Louisville, 7

Southeast at Streetsboro, 7

Springfield at Waterloo, 7

GIRLS SOCCER

Beachwood at Berkshire, 7

Chagrin Falls at Aurora, 7

Chardon at Independence, 7

Cleveland Heights at Shaw, 4:30

Cuyahoga Heights at Wickliffe, 7

Elyria at Open Door, 4:30

Field at Garrettsville Garfield, 5

Firestone at Manchester, 7

Hudson at Massillon Jackson, 7

Lake Catholic at Madison, 6

Orange at Gilmour, 5

Our Lady of the Elms at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 7

Perry at Kenston, 7

Southeast at Streetsboro, 5

Trinity at Laurel, 5

West Geauga at Hawken, 4:30

Western Reserve Academy at Hathaway Brown, 5

Woodridge at Crestwood, 7

VOLLEYBALL

Amherst at North Olmsted, 7

Bay at Lakewood, 6:30

Beaumont at Holy Name, 6

Bedford at Maple Heights, 6:30

Brunswick at Mentor, 6:30

Brush at Valley Forge, 6

Chagrin Falls at Cardinal, 6:15

Chardon at South, 7:30

Clearview at Brookside, 7:30

Cleveland Heights at Shaw, 6

Community Christian of Grafton at Lutheran East, 5:30

Copley at Highland, 7

Cornerstone Christian at Fairport Harding, 6:30

Crestwood at Garfield, 7

Cuyahoga Falls at Garfield Heights, 7

Eastlake North at Madison, 6:30

Elyria at Normandy, 6:30

Elyria Catholic at Midview, 7

Fairview at Firelands, 7

Firestone at Akron North, 6

Holy Name at Beaumont, 6

Indian Valley at Cuyahoga Valley Christian, 7

John Hay at Central Catholic, 6:15

Kenston at Lake Catholic, 7

Kirtland at Beachwood, 6:30

Lawrence School at Andrews Osborne, 6:30

Lutheran West at Keystone, 6:30

Newbury at Grand Valley, 7

Nordonia at Green, 7

North at Madison, 6:30

North Ridgeville at Avon, 6:30

Norton at Aurora, 7

Notre Dame Cathedral Latin at Aurora, 6:30

Olmsted Falls at Westlake, 7:15

Ravenna at Kent Roosevelt, 6:30

Rocky River at Vermilion, 7

Southeast at Streetsboro, 7

Springfield at Field, 7

Tallmadge at Cloverleaf, 5:30

Tuslaw at Manchester, 7

Wadsworth at Revere, 5:30

Western Reserve Academy at Open Door, 6

Follow @NEOVarsity and tag your high school sports tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.

There were 33 receivers picked in the 2014 draft -- but none by the Browns.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In their statements after the Josh Gordon season-long suspension was announced, the Browns discussed what they can "control" from this point.

I'm going to leave a discussion of how the NFL should have handled Gordon's suspension for failing a drug test for my Sunday notes. It's a long, complicated subject. Instead, let's focus on not only what the Browns can control when it comes to the absence of Gordon, but how they failed to take control of the situation during the draft.

The first reports of Gordon flunking another drug test became public following the first round of the May draft. The Browns indicated they were aware of Gordon's test results. So they knew there was a good chance they would be without their Pro Bowl receiver for at least some of this season -- if not all of it.

At that point, they knew they needed more help at receiver, even with Gordon. Their other receivers of note were recently signed free agent Andrew Hawkins, Greg Little (later cut) and Travis Benjamin (coming off knee surgery).

Some fans and media members focus on the first-round trade made by General Manager Ray Farmer. He sent his No. 4 pick to Buffalo for the No. 8 pick and the Bills 2015 first-rounder.

The Bills took Sammy Watkins at No. 4. The Clemson product was rated the No. 1 receiver in the draft.

The Browns grabbed elite cornerback prospect Justin Gilbert, and picked up another first-rounder. I liked the deal when it was made, and I still like it.

Cleveland Browns General Manager Ray Farmer (right) and owner Jimmy Haslam.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer 

THE OTHER PICKS

But there were 33 receivers selected in the seven rounds, and the Browns didn't pick any of them.

That's where I have problems, because the draft was something they could control.

The Browns entered the draft with 10 picks. They had seven in the first 120 -- or the first four rounds.

In the end, the Browns picked six players -- none after the fourth round. Some picks were used for trades to move up, others for picks in future drafts.

The draft may turn out well. Guard Joel Bitonio (second round) is an immediate starter. Gilbert also is expected to start at cornerback. Quarterback Johnny Manziel and running back Terrance West are intriguing prospects.

Perhaps the most impressive rookie has been inside linebacker Chris Kirksey, a third-round pick. Fourth-round defense back Pierre Desir has been hurt for much of camp, and looked overmatched the little that he did play.

This remains an intriguing draft. My only major criticism is why the Browns failed to use one of those picks on a receiver -- or in a trade for one.

There were 13 receivers drafted in the final three rounds -- when the Browns elected not to use any their picks on players, trading them instead.

FINDING RECEIVERS

After the draft, Farmer told NEOMG's Mary Kay Cabot: "What I would tell the fans that are in panic mode because we didn't draft a wide receiver is that patience really tells the tale. There are plenty of opportunities for us to address what everyone would believe is a need, but in our opinion, there is plenty of opportunity to add players, to change the roster and to really make a difference.''

He also talked about how the games aren't played until September, meaning the team had plenty of time to add receivers.

He also added: "How many receivers that were with the Seattle Seahawks during the regular season last year and through the beginning of the playoffs, were drafted players?' The vast majority of those guys were not drafted, so there's definitely an opportunity to play with and identify talented players that can help your football team.''

For what it's worth, Seattle's leading receiver was Golden Tate -- a second-round pick. He had 64 catches. The next leading receiver was Doug Baldwin (50 catches), and he was not drafted. No. 3 in receptions was running back Marshawn Lynch, a first-rounder.

Seattle beat Denver in the Super Bowl. The Broncos' top receivers were Demaryius Thomas (first round), Eric Decker (third round) and Wes Welker (undrafted).

The point is both teams used the draft to add at least some receivers.

Andrew Hawkins caught five passes in the last preseason game.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer 

LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING

It's possible Farmer believed he could supplement his receivers with bargain shopping. He brought in veterans Miles Austin, Earl Bennett and Nate Burleson.

Bennett was cut before veterans camp. Burleson has not been able to stay healthy. He is expected to play in Thursday's final preseason game. In the last two years, Burleson has missed more games (17) than he has played (15). He's 33 and you have to wonder how much he has left.

If Austin's hamstrings don't snap at him (as they did last season), he may be an asset.

Right now, Hawkins is the best bet at receiver. Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Cameron needs to get healthy. Undrafted slot receiver Taylor Gabriel has had some nice moments.

But the lack of depth and talent at wide receiver is disturbing. Besides some poor personal choices made by Gordon, part of the reason for the worry about receivers is the approach that the Browns took to the draft.

Perhaps Farmer will find some help when the final cuts are made, or perhaps there will be a last-minute trade before the season opens.

But right now, the Browns have put themselves in a precarious position when it comes to having men capable of consistently catching the ball.

In reaction to the national uproar over his two game suspension of Ray Rice... the NFL commissioner threw a penalty flag on himself Thursday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After his request for a special prosecutor was denied, Judge Lance Mason was indicted this week on multiple domestic violence  related charges stemming from his arrest for punching his wife repeatedly.  

If Mason could request  Roger Goodell hear his case in the real world, he might reconsider now that Goodell has finally toughened the NFL's domestic violence penalties.

In reaction to the national uproar over his two game suspension of Ray Rice for punching his then fiancee unconscious, the NFL Commissioner threw a penalty flag on himself Thursday.     Saying he "didn't get it right", with the light punishment of Rice, Goodell announced that any NFL player or employee found to have engaged in domestic violence, will be suspend for 6 games without pay for a first offense.    2nd time offenders will be banned from the NFL and eligible for reinstatement after one year.  

How long before there's a reinstatement hearing where the offender tells Goodell he calmed his temper using medical marijuana?

Join us immediately following the game to talk Browns football.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talk about the Browns' preseason game against the Bears right after the game with cleveland.com's Dan Labbe and The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff. Dan and DMan will break down the game, talk about all things quarterbacks and more.

Ask you questions and leave your thoughts in the comments and we'll get to them during the show. You can also call in to the show at 216.772.1373.

Click play on the player below to start the audio.

Josh Outman started the year with the Indians, but was designated for assignment on June 18. He was outrighted to Class AAA Columbus on June 25.

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Left-hander Josh Outman wasn't part of the solution in the Indians' bullpen and now he's not part of the Indians.

The Tribe traded Outman to the New York Yankees on Thursday for a player to be named or cash. The Indians designated Outman for assignment on June 18. He cleared waivers and accepted an outright to Class AAA Columbus on June 25.

Outman will join the Yankees' big-league club. The Yankees, competing with the Tribe for a wild card spot, are in need of left-handed relievers.

The Indians acquired Outman from Colorado during the offseason for outfielder Drew Stubbs.

Outman was 4-0 with a 3.28 ERA in 31 appearances for the Tribe. He allowed 10 runs, 16 walks and 24 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings.

Right-handers hit .295 and lefties hit .180 against Outman.

Outman was 3-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 23 appearances for Columbus.

Akron Zips are hot early, building a quick 21-0 lead over the Howard Bison to start the season with a victory.

 

AKRON, Ohio -- The season opener for the Akron Zips went just as scripted with quick scores by the offense and domination for the defense leading to a 41-0 victory against the overmatched Howard University Bison.

The score stood at 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and at the half, with the Zips scoring all of those points inside their first five offensive snaps of the game. Quarterback Kyle Pohl was 4-for-5 for 115 yards with touchdown passes covering 57, 9 and 43 yards.

The Zips passing was so sharp early on that tailback Jawon Chisholm did not get a carry from scrimmage until the Zips fourth possession. Pohl (22-of-35, 304 yards 4 TD in three quarters) spread the wealth early with TD tosses going to LT Smith, Imani Davis and Mykel Traylor-Bennett, who had two TD catches on the night.

Then the Zips, who have not had a winning season since 2005, and were working on a fourth straight 1-11 season before winning three of their final four in 2013, saw themselves in strange territory, and stalled.

"You got to know how to be a frontrunner,'' head coach Terry Bowden said.

The first negative for the Zips was a missed 25-yard field goal in the second quarter from freshman Tom O'Leary. The second negative lasted the rest of the game as Howard's defensive front began to solve Akron's passing game enough to keep constant pressure on Pohl, who finished as Akron's leading rusher in the game with 48 yards on his scrambles.

If not for a red zone stand at the end of the first half, this game could have been much tighter.

After getting 115 yards on his first five pass attempts, Pohl only amassed only 71 yards passing the rest of the half, going 9-of-17 in the process. But a 26-yard Pohl to Keith Sconiers pass in the third quarter set up a six-yard TD run by Chisholm for a 28-0 lead with 8:40 left in the period. While it wasn't a score, the Sconiers catch was a sideline classic.

"I didn't see the catch, I was laying down,'' Pohl said in reference to Howard's pass rush. "I heard he made a great catch."

Akron added another third-quarter score with a 28-yard TD pass to Traylor-Bennett, the 6-3, 205-pound sophomore who shows signs of being the big-play threat Akron covets. With that 34-0 cushion, backups played the fourth quarter for the Zips, gaining some experience.

"The second half, we did what we had to do,'' Bowden said.

The Zips should expect a much stiffer challenge on the road next week when they play Penn State on the road at noon. The Nittany Lions open the season Saturday morning in Ireland against Central Florida.

The Akron defense, which held the Bison to 216 yards of total offense, seems ready. But the offensive line, even though the Zips had 513 yards of total offense, is clearly still a work in progress, although Pohl said much of the blame goes to him.

"Not all of them were needed scrambles,'' he said. "I need to learn how to stand in the pocket.''

Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball matches played on Aug. 28, 2014.

Cleveland, Ohio - Here are box scores and highlights for high school golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball matches played on Aug. 28, 2014.

BOYS GOLF

Barberton 179, Manchester 188

At Brookside

Top individuals: 1. Gainey (B) 40; 2. Stevenson (B) 43; 3. Knaus (M) 46, Grizer (M) 46.

John Hay 158, John Marshall 218

At Mastick Woods

Top individuals: 1. Grimes (JH) 33; 2. Wynn (JH) 36; 3. Stanfield (JH) 42.

Parma 179 Valley Forge 209

At Ridgewood Golf Course

Top individuals: 1. Adams (VF) 34; T2. Hosstettler (P) 43; T2. Barnes 43.

Streetsboro 176, Waterloo 218

At Raccoon Hill

Top individuals: 1. Lago (S) 40; 2. Johnson (S) 43; 3. Meisinger (S) 45.

Twinsburg 163, Mayfield 198

Top individuals: 1. Brodnan (T) 38; 2. Heath (T) 41; 3. Wilson (M) 45.

GIRLS GOLF

Green 168, Nordonia 211

At Turkeyfoot

Top individuals: 1. Pearce (G) 38; 2. Babbin (G) 39; 3. Jackson(G) 43.

Hudson 166, Medina 170, Solin 175

At Medina

Top individuals: 1. Spitz (H) 39; T2: Mador (H) 40; T2. Wang (S) 40.

Kent Roosevelt 154, Magnificat  205, Beaumont 216

At Highland Park Golf Course

Top individuals: 1. Nielsen (KR) 36; 2. Ke. Nielsen (KR) 38; T3. Nielsen (KR) 40; T3. Wise (KR) 40.

Lutheran West 160, Brooklyn 178

At Sweetbriar

Top individuals: 1. (LH) Goll 39; T2. Brady (LH) 40; T2. Grossman (LH) 40.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 171, Geneva 178, Kenston 185

At Fowlers Mill

Top individuals: 1. Morris (NDCL) 36; 2. Nicholson (G) 39; 3. Cumley (K) 42.

Padua 158, Cuyahoga Heights 190

At Washington

Top individuals:  1. Thomas (P) 34; 2. Johnson (P) 35; 3. Wilson (CH) 38.

Vermilion 221 North Ridgeville 231

At Willow Creek

Top individuals: 1. Gerome (NR) 34; 2. Holt (V) 48; 3. Dillon (V) 53.

BOYS SOCCER

Beachwood 1, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 1

B (1-0-1): Askaryan; NDCL (2-1-2): Ziegenfuss.

Goalies: B, Davis (3 saves); N, Kourbeck (3).

Brunswick 3, Ravenna 0

B (3-0-1): Hotz, Gilbert, Foust. R (3-1): None.

Goalies: B, Leindecker (2 saves); R, Knight (8).

Gilmour 2, Open Door 0

G: Burger, Palombo; OD: n/a.

Goalies:G, Velotta (8 saves); OD, Thomas (8).

Cleveland Heights 6, Madison 1

CH: Perelman 5, Schoop. M: Albert III

Goalies: CH, Lewis (3 saves); M: Reger (12 saves).

Notable: Zander Perelman now has 10 goals in the season's first three games.

Euclid 2, Painesville Riverside 2

E (0-0-1): Hoffman, Toe. PR (0-2-2): Prister, own goal.

Goalies: E, Ferlito (7 saves); PR, Hafer (7 saves).

Medina 3, Highland 0

M: Kendal 2, Fogel. H: None.

Goalies: M, Vogrin (3 saves); H, Spries (4).

Revere 5, Louisville 0

R (3-0-1): Branch (3), Gresser, Giltner. L: None.

Goalies: R, Stupar (1 save), Mehal (1), Fink (1); L, Terra (16).

Warren John F. Kennedy 2, Bristol 0

W (2-1): Hoso, Ledenko. B (1-2): None.

Goalies: W, Bofenkamp (6 saves); B, N/A.

GIRLS SOCCER

Brush 5, Parma 1

B: Martin (3), Slaughter, Smedley; P: DiAngelo.

Goalies: B, Woyma (4 saves); P, Carney (10);

Buckeye 7, Columbia 0

B (3-0): S. Barnes, N. Barnes, Turner, Serio, Phillips, Joyce, Clutter; C (0-2): n/a.

Goalies: B, Stacy (1 save); C, Zielinski (9).

Chagrin Falls 6, Aurora 1

CF (2-0-1): Roush (2), Zaluksi (2), Owen, Clemens. A (0-3-0): Burns.

Goalies: CF, Friedman (2 saves); A, Conces (13).

Cleveland Heights 7, Shaw 0

CH (1-1): Iott 2, Bernard 2, Morris, Wright, Birks. S (0-2): None.

Goalies: CH, Moore (0 saves). S, Manning (15 saves).

Crestwood 2, Woodridge 0

C (3-1, 1-0): Thut, Soltisz. W (0-3): None.

Goalies: C, Nero (2 saves); W, Bates (3).

Cuyahoga Heights 2, Wickliffe 1

CH: Goetz, T. McNeilly. W: Tennant

Goalies: CH, Falorio (5 saves). W, Bucheit (1).

Elyria 9, Open Door 0

E: Ramirez (2), Walton (2), Jones, Gansel, Ward, Yance, Harjar; OD: n/a.

Goalies: E, Morgan (5 saves), Johnson (1); OD, Frazier (1).

Gilmour 4, Orange 0

G(4-0): Behrend, Majer, Salvino, Misencik; O(0-3): n/a.

Goalies: G, Porter (1 saves); O, Owens (3), Helfrich (4).

Harvey 1, Nordonia 0

H (1-1-1): Mata. N (1-1):  None.

Goalies: Soto (6 saves); N, Yuhas (9 saves).

Hawken 4, West Geauga

H: Richardson, Canitia, Brkic, Gialamas; WG: n/a.

Goalies: H, Jackson (5 saves); WG, Praprost (5).

Independence 2, Chardon 2

I (1-1-1): Wisrniewski, Jones; C (2-0-1): Tatonetti (2).

Goalies: I, Defini (11 saves); C, Baleer (6).

Kirtland 5, Harvey 0

K: Ward (2), Ritossa, Vouk, Cubela; H: n/a.

Goalies:  K, Zuberer (3 saves); H, Hamilton (3).

Laurel 5, Trinity 0

L (3-0-1): Felice (4), Riddle; T (3-1): n/a.

Goalies: L, Steel (1 save), Cade (2); T, Heese (9).

TENNIS

Cloverleaf 4  Barberton1


Singles: Dunbar (CL) d J. Bundalo 6-0 6-0; Wood (CL) d A. Carneal 7-5 6-2; Huff (CL) d M. Burns 6-2 6-0.


Doubles: Bittenger/Burns(B) d Andrews/ Vasil 6-3 4-6 (10-3); Limas/Meckley d. Gardner/Burkhead 6-1 6-0.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 3, Solon 2

Singles: Norman (CVCA) d Bendi  6-1, 6-1 ; Pile(CVCA) d. Golias  6-1, 6-2; Petrinec (CVCA) d. Zhuu  1-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles: Smith/Coplin(S) d Mellott/Kalra 6-3, 6-4; Graber/Blashka(S) d.Bolinger/Andrew 6-3, 6-2.

Gilmour 4, Magnificat 1

Singles: Althans (G) d. Price (M) 6-0,6-0; Longo (G) d. Reaser (M) 6-0,6-0; Schultz (G) d. Kunkle (M) 1-6,6-4,6-3

Doubles: Doe/Lawrence (G) d. Fatica/Minotti (M) 6-4,6-4; Nock/Monroe (M) d. Levy/Evans 7-5,4-6, 10-7.

Hawken 5, Revere 0

Singles: Green d. Hendrickson 6-0, 6-1; Ravishankar d. Lifce 6-1, 6-3; Levind. Crisalli 6-2, 6-2.

Doubles:Ross / Washington  d. Shimek / Corson 6-4, 6-2; Scarazzo / Doody  d. Hansen / Godard 6-2, 6-3.

Hathaway Brown 4, Hudon 1

Singles: Gillinov(HB) d. Ferris 6-0 6-0; Peresky (HB) d.Wang 6-0 6-0; Areklett (HB) d..Gan 6-0 6-0.

Doubles: Graham/Achim (H) d. Schroedel/Murray (7-5 6-3; Schome/Zhou(HB) d. Tanner/Sachtlebe 6-3 6-2.

Highland 3, Archbishop Hoban  2

Singles: Welch (HI) d. Waddell 6-2, 6-1; Cressman (HI) d. Gorey 6-1, 6-0; Semans (AH) d. Yamat 6-1, 7-5


Doubles: Bell/Day (AH) d. Bowers/Thonnings 6-3, 6-1; Fergusan/Jaroska (HI) d. Horney/Wills 6-4, 6-1.

Laurel 3, Western Reserve 2

Singles: Buchinksy (L) d. King 6-4,6-2; Deeter (W) d. Hata  6-1,7-5; Ma (W) d. Feng 6-2,6-1;

Double: Moore/Lauster (L) d. Jones/Clayman  6-1,6-1; Shao/Cronin (L) d. Wood/Shen 6-4,6-1.

Massillon Jackson 5, St. Joseph Academy 


Singles:  Hill (J) d. Schuette (SJA) 6-1, 6-1; Thomas (J) d. FitzGerald (SJA) 6-2, 6-2; L. Reese (J) d. Saracina (SJA) 6-0, 6-1.


Doubles:  Schoeppner/M. Reese (J) d. McAfee/Cicero (SJA) 6-2, 6-1; Brown/Tawil (J) d. Hendryx/Riley 6-1, 6-0.   


Norton 3, Ravenna 2


Singles:  S. Knapp (R) d. Kitchens 6-2, 7-5; Braman (N) d. M. Knapp 6-3, 6-2;  Fankhauser (R) d. Hornyak 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).


Doubles: .Kitchens/Whitaker (N) d. Miley/Rozzotto 6-0, 6-0; Kohler/Kraus (N) d. Summy/Willis 6-2,6-2.


Notre Dame- Cathedral Latin 4 Walsh Jesuit 1


Singles: Didovic(N) d. Ferrato 6-0, 6-1; Kus(N) d. Bunker 6-0, 6-2; Costantini(W) d. Zahuranec 6-2, 6-4.


Doubles: D'Angelo/Shimooka(N) d. Shinaberry/Stuczyski 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(1). Zolikoff/Frandanisa(N) d. Smith/Koslosky 6-4, 6-2.


VOLLEYBALL

Amherst d. North Olmsted 25-9, 25-7, 25-6

Avon d. North Ridgeville25-16, 25-14, 25-14

Avon Lake d. Brecksville-Broadview Heights 16-25, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16, 20-18.

Notable: Senior Devan Rybarczyk had 20 kills, three aces and 16 digs for Avon Lake.

Beaumont d. Holy Name 11-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-21, 16-14

Brooklyn d. Black River 25-12, 25-17, 25-22.

Notable: Senior Shae Bauchens had nine kills and 20 digs. Freshman Julia Walz had 26 serves received and 10 digs.

Brookside d. Clearview 25-12, 25-10, 25-18

Brunswick d. Mentor 24-26, 16-25, 25-12, 25-16, 15-13

Chardon d. Willoughby South 11-25, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25, 15-6

Cleveland Heights d. Shaw 25-6, 25-9, 25-9.

Columbia d. Buckeye 25-19, 25-22, 25-15

Community Christian d. Lutheran East 25-13, 25-13, 25-16

Crestview d. Buckeye 25-19, 25-22, 25-15.

Eastlake North d. Madison 25-20, 27-25, 19-25, 17-25, 16-14

Fairport Harding d. Cornerstone Christian 25-22, 25-22, 25-17

Notable: Lauren Bodi led the way for Fairport Harding with 15 kills.

Highland d. Copley 25-15, 25-20, 25-18.

Indpendence d. Magnificat 27-29, 25-11, 18-25, 25-20, 15-10

Notable: Hallie Zumack led the way for the Blue Devils with 48 assists. The win was the first win in school history against Magnificat.

Lake Catholic d. Kenston 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-9, 15-4.

Lutheran West d.Keystone 25-23, 25-21, 25-21

Notable: Margaux Thompson led the way for Lutheran West with 12 kills.

Maple Heights d. Bedford 25-20, 25-17, 25-16.

Midview d. Elyria Catholic 26-24, 25-18, 25-21.

Normandy d. Elyria 25-23, 25-18, 25-13

Revere d. Wadsworh 25-18, 21-25, 25-9, 25-23

Notable: With the win, Revere ends the Suburban league winning streak of Wadsworth, which was at 58 games.

Stow d. Twinsburg 25-23, 25-16, 10-25, 31-29.

Westlake d. Olmsted Falls 25-16, 25-8, 25-17

Windham d. Chalker 25-18, 25-22, 25-11.

LATE BOX SCORES

BOYS SOCCER

Brecksvile-Broadview Heights 1, Amherst Steele 0

B (2-1, 1-0): Sliter. AS (0-3, 0-1): None.

Goalies: B, Dayalal (3 saves). AS, Daugherty (4 saves).

Hudson 4, Cuyahoga Falls 0

H (2-0): Ito, Saxer, Sullivan, Wallace. CF (0-3): None.

Goalies: H, O'Neil (1 save). CF: N/A.

North Ridgeville 1, Midview 1

NR: George. M: Hughes.

Goalies: NR, Milner (4 saves). M, Chambers (7 saves).

GIRLS SOCCER

Elyria Catholic 6, Vermilion 1

EC (3-0, 1-0): Widmer 3, Fehlan 2, Kunkle. V (1-3, 0-1): Bartlome.

Goalies: EC, Holbrook (1 save). V, McCale (11).

BOYS GOLF

Rocky River 158, Avon 168, Lakewood 194

At Big Met

Top individuals: 1. Tucci (RR) 36; 2. Sikora (A) 38; 3. Shin (RR) 39.

GIRLS GOLF

Copley 176, Nordonia 198

At Loyal Oak

Top individuals: T1. Kline © 42; T1. Bolton © 42; 3. Kondo © 43.

Kenston 196, Orange 235

At Punderson

Top individuals: 1. Cumley (K) 43; 2. Henry (K) 49; 3. Nelson (K) 50.

Saint Vincent Saint Mary 207, Springfield 218

At Chenoweth

Top individuals: 1. Noethen (SVSM) 48; 2. Knox (SVSM) 50; 3. Cockerham (SVSM) 51.

Stow 210, Shaker Heights 239

At Highland

Top individuals: 1. Huber (S) 44; 2. Terch (S) 54; 3. Lowerkamp (SH) 55.

TENNIS

Gilmour 4, Bay 1

Singles: Althans (G) d. H. Priemer (B) 6-0, 6-0; Longo (G) d. C. Priemer (B) 6-2, 6-0; Jacobs (G) d. Vizdoc (B) 6-0, 6-2.

Doubles: Lawrence/Doe (G) d. Aleksandjovic/Messina (B) 7-6(7-5), 6-2; Koomas/Switger (B) d. Levy/Kruschke (G) 6-3, 6-4.

Midview 3, Fairview 2

Singles: Scholz (F) d. Gipson (M) 6-3, 6-4; Palmer-Tesema (F) d. Sedlak (M) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; Bartone d. Mayhew 6-1, 6-1

Doubles: Hoge/Kenyon d. Holowenko/Smith 6-2, 6-4; McClanahn/Hornedel d. Gabra/Dudra 6-2, 6-4

VOLLEYBALL

Kent Roosevelt d. Archbishop Hoban 30-28, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23.

Hoyer was 6-of-8 passing and completed throws to five different receivers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Boy, did the Browns need this.

Or at least, Brian Hoyer and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan needed one more shot in the preseason to show that they have been indeed working on a few things in practice.

It may sound elementary for a pro team, but the first step to success on offense is an offense that looks organized. The Browns starters were exactly that in their 13-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to open the game. Yes, it was against a Chicago defense mostly composed of backups.

But in some of the preseason, that wouldn't matter much because Hoyer looked uncertain, and many of his teammates seemed confused. There were whispers that Shanahan's offense was "too complicated."

It appeared that way on the field. But Shanahan has been calling plays for six years -- and two different teams. He has been successful with a pocket quarterback named Matt Schaub and the scrambling Robert Griffin III.

So it would seem that Shanahan should have some clue how to shape an offense to fit his players.

Thursday night, it finally looked like it.

Hoyer was 6-of-8 passing on the first drive, completing throws to five different receivers. He looked like the Hoyer who led the Browns to a pair of victories in the only two games where he played all four quarters last season.

That Hoyer had a quick release, and was very decisive when it came to where he wanted to throw the ball. And that Hoyer has been mostly absent in the preseason, at least until Thursday.

Was it because of the quarterback competition with Johnny Manziel, where neither quarterback received regular work with the starters? Was it due to Hoyer coming off ACL surgery and still testing and strengthening the surgically repaired knee?

Add in a new coaching staff and new offense, and that may explain some of those very shaky moments.

This was only one possession against the Bears backups, so everything must be placed in that context. But it was reassuring to see Hoyer connect on a 13-yard pass for a first down to Andrew Hawkins.

In the last two games, Hoyer is 6-of-6 passing to Hawkins. He needs to develop chemistry with a receiver. Maybe it will be Hawkins.

His first pass of the night was to Jordan Cameron for a first down. That was only Cameron's third catch of the preseason, as he's had a variety of injuries in camp. The Browns desperately need their tight end and Hoyer connecting.

Last season, Cameron caught 16 passes -- that's right, 16 passes! -- in Hoyer's two full starts. Four were for touchdowns.

Hoyer was 6-of-8 passing for 69 yards. Ben Tate scored on a 1-yard touchdown.

While Hoyer looked sharp, Manziel was trying to find a comfort zone with the backup offense. He was 6-of-17 passing. A few of his long throws fluttered. He struggles when rolling to his left. When throwing off the run to his right, Manziel is far more accurate.

He did connect with backup Jim Dray on a superbly thrown 1-yard touchdown passes.

Manziel was at his best on the run, galloping and weaving for 55 yards on four carries. He rushed for six more yards than he did throwing the ball (49 yards total).

Manziel has 88 yards on 12 carries in the preseason.

The Browns must wish they were receiving more production from Terrance West. The rookie from Towson had only 13 yards on six carries, and he fumbled. For the preseason, it's 31 carries for 81 yards. His longest run is 10 yards.

West has worked with both the starters and the second team. Ben Tate has 89 yards in 22 carries. He looks like a solid NFL running back, something the Browns need desperately.

Now, it's on to the regular season opener in Pittsburgh. At the least, this game lifts some of the gloom that has been hanging over the team in the preseason.
    

Rocky River had three interceptions and scored 38 first half points in its win at Fairview.

FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — Rocky River football was strong on both sides of the ball, forcing three turnovers and scoring 38 first half points to beat Fairview, 45-12, on Thursday.

Check out more from the game below, including key plays that shaped the game and top individual performers.

The Pirates intercepted Fairview quarterback Colin McNamara three times, including on the first play of the game. Rocky River's Jimi Smith turned one of those interceptions into a touchdown in the second quarter on a 46-yard return.

Offensively, Rocky River QB Matt Lowry threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. Lowry's first pass was a 52-yard touchdown to Evan Nugent on the third play of the game.

Video coming shortly.

"Offense is doing what we do," Rocky River coach Rick Adams said. "Now it's so comforting when you have a defense playing the way we're playing. It makes you a little more aggressive because you know the defense is going to step up and make a play."

What it means

In 2013, Rocky River averaged 38.5 points per game, but allowed an average of 39.6 points per game.

Rocky River's defense was strong from the first snap of the game when Eric Jones intercepted McNamara. The Pirates intercepted McNamara three times, all in the first half.

Fairview gained just 217 yards against Rocky River's defense.

5 plays that shaped the game

• Rocky River's Eric Jones intercepted McNamara on the first play of the game.

• Lowry threw a 52-yard touchdown to Nugent on the game's third play to put Rocky River in front, 7-0.

• Following a missed Fairview field goal, Lowry dove into the endzone to score on a 21-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter to give his team a 14-0 lead.

• A Jack Corrigan interception led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Travis Smith and the Pirates took a 21-0 lead late in the first quarter. Smith had two touchdowns.

• In the second quarter, Jimi Smith caught a deflected pass and ran the ball back 46 yards for a touchdown as Rocky River extended its lead to 28-0.

Who stood out for Rocky River

Lowry: The first team All-Ohio quarterback from 2013 had 298 yards of total offense, threw two touchdowns and rushed for one.

Jones: He intercepted the game's first pass, and had a 67-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter to give his team a 35-0 lead. Jones had three catches for 100 yards, and three rushes for 13 yards.

Travis Smith: The senior running back had 13 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Smith had an ankle injury early in camp and did not practice until earlier in the week.

Who stood out for Fairview

McNamara: Despite the interceptions, he completed 16 of 30 passes and threw two touchdowns. McNamara missed the final five games of last season due to injury.

Kevin Shugrue: The senior receiver had a game-high five catches for 63 yards. Four of his catches went for first downs.

Dan Kilrain: He had two catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Rocky River sound bites

Adams: "Eric Tuokkola and the defensive staff, Mark Hogya, they just did a fantastic job having the kids step up. From what we did last year to this year, I can't say enough about the coaching staff. And the kids came ready to play today."

Lowry: "After we lost to them last year, we've been waiting 365 days for them. Turning it over the first play of the game, it really gave us momentum for the whole game."

Fairview sound bites

Coach Tom Narducci: "Turnovers are going to kill you in any game. But against a good team, they become even more and more paramount, more devastating. It's something that we've obviously got to take a look at, work at and try to minimize."

Other key stats

50 — Yards receiving by Rocky River's Patrick Connors, who was a first team All-Ohio receiver.

15 — Plays of 10 or more yards by Rocky River's offense.

6 — Receivers Lowry completed a pass to in the first half.

What's next

Rocky River (1-0) will play at Wellington on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.

Fairview (0-1) will be on the road against Vermilion on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m.

Follow our new high school sports Twitter account @NEOvarsity and tag your high school sports Tweets and score updates with the #NEOVarsity hashtag.

A look at the high school football scores in Ohio on August 28.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here are Ohio high school football scores for Thursday Aug. 28, 2013.

Archbishop Hoban 24, Firestone 0

St. Vincent-St. Mary 45, Garfield 10

Albany Alexander 30, Stewart Federal Hocking 0

Berlin Center Western Reserve 47, Columbiana 12

Cadiz Harrison Cent. 20, Lore City Buckeye Trail 19

Cin. Madeira 14, Norwood 7

Cin. Riverview East 16, St. Bernard 14

Clarksville Clinton-Massie 42, Blanchester 0

Benedictine 62, Normandy 13

Day. Belmont 36, Ansonia 22

Dover 49, Lorne Park, Ontario 0

Fairfield 35, Cin. Withrow 8

Girard 14, Niles McKinley 7

Lisbon David Anderson 35, Leetonia 6

Lucasville Valley 41, Portsmouth 40

Marion Elgin 34, Morral Ridgedale 0

Poland Seminary 38, Alliance Marlington 17

Rocky River 45, Fairview 12

Salem 28, Mineral Ridge 12

Steubenville 49, John F. Kennedy 12

Struthers 34, Campbell Memorial 8

Zanesville Maysville 49, Crooksville 15

Benedictine football collected the school's 500th win with a Week 1 victory against Normandy at Byers Field.

PARMA, Ohio – Benedictine's football team scored eight touchdowns in the first half, including six that came on one-play TD drives in a 62-13 rout Thursday of host Normandy at Byers Field.

With the win, the Bengals become the 37th football program in Ohio High School Athletic Association history to earn 500 football victories, according to statistics provided by the school. Benedictine began playing football in 1929.

Senior RB/LB Jerome Baker had touchdown runs of 41 and 13 yards while junior wideout Justin Layne added two TD catches (39, 69) and sophomore RB Aubrey Ward scored on runs of 4, 61 and 57 yards.

The Bengals’ forced three early turnovers, including interceptions by Barry Middleton and Warren Saba and a fumble recovery Deandre Penny.

Next up for Benedictine is a home game against Youngstown Ursuline at 7 p.m. on Sep. 6 at Bedford Bearcat Stadium. Normandy will host Holy Name on Sep. 5 at 7:30 at Byers Field.

What it means 

Benedictine, ranked No. 6 in the cleveland.com Top 25 football poll, collected the football program's 500th win. A fact that was momentarily lost on Schaefer during his post game remarks to the team.  "It's awesome," Schaefer said afterward. "It says a lot about the history and the tradition of the program. It's a good day."

For Normandy, the loss is the 19th in the program's last 20 games, but first-year coach Rick Dornbush said his players kept things in perspective on the sidelines throughout the contest. "We're in the process of building a program, so the attitudes of our kids were positive throughout the game even though we were facing a lot of adversity," he said. "They tried to rally behind the guys on the field, so the sideline was good. We saw some bright spots on offense and some bright spots on defense as well."

3 key moments that shaped the game

* Bengals DB Barry Middleton recovered a pooch kickoff at the Bengals' 43 yard line to open the game. The recovery gave Benedictine a short field and six plays later sophomore RB DeCavilon Reese was in the end zone with an 8-yard touchdown run.

* Following a 39-yard touchdown pass from junior QB Brian Schoeffler to junior WR Justin Layne early in the first quarter, Baker lined up in the backfield for a 2-point conversion try. What appeared to be a "wildcat" look for the Bengals was actually the first of several plays for Baker in a more traditional QB role. "Jerome and Brian have gone 1-2 (at QB) since June," Schaefer said. "He can go in there at any point and do the same things we can do offensively with Brian. He did a good job."

* Benedictine Sophomore RB Aubrey Ward's 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made the score 48-0 and provided assurance that the second half would be played under the OHSAA's new "mercy rule" setup wherein the clock becomes continuous when a team is ahead by 30 points or more. "If you're in that kind of situation it's a good thing," Schaefer said. "All those kids who were on the field on both sides of the ball (in the second half) have to come back on Saturday and play, too. It's safer that way."

Who stood out for Benedictine

Jerome Baker: Baker gained more than 1,500 yards and scored 27 touchdowns last year, so his two early rushing TDs should have surprised nobody. But it was the back-to-back series in the first quarter that featured Baker lined up as a quarterback that added a wrinkle to Thursday's matchup. Baker used his legs and his arm to outmaneuver the Invaders, and likely gave opposing scouts something to think about for the rest of the season.

Barry Middleton: The junior defensive back recovered a pooch kickoff and collected an interception to set up a touchdown in the first quarter. He also had several key tackles, including a big hit on Normandy QB Bailey Archacki late in the first.

Aubrey Ward: The sophomore RB scored three times and looked uncatchable once he reached the second level of the Normandy defense. "He's another kid who can do the same things as (sophomore RB) DeCavilon Reese," Schaefer said. "It's about getting him touches. He played the whole second half defensively, too. He's a good football player."

Who stood out for Normandy

Zach Dotson: The junior LB made several big stops for the Invaders in the first half, including a third-down tackle of Bengals RB Aubrey Ward inside the 5 yard line midway through the second quarter. 

Ben Jones: The junior WR fielded a pooch kickoff midway through the second quarter and accelerated down the left sideline for 38 yards before getting tripped up by kicker Alex DiFrancesco at the Bengals 40.

Mitch Kurak: Gained 62 yards on 20 tough carries, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter.

Collin Galeti: Tough linebacker had several tackles in the second and third quarters. Said Normandy coach Rick Dornbush of Galeti: "He's a leader on defense. That's what we expect out of him."

Marcus Kiss-Benke: The senior LB made a number of tackles in the second half. Dornbush said of Kiss-Benke: "He's our returning star on defense. He led the team in tackles and from the looks of tonight he probably will again."

Benedictine sound bites

Schaefer: "They've got to be able to execute. We had some mishaps here and there throughout our three scrimmages. All in all I'm happy with where we're at."

Normandy sound bites

Dornbush: "We were able to leave our first teasers in pretty much the whole game so they could get the work. Mitch Kurak turned it on in the second half and found some running room. The offensive line as a whole started playing better as well. "    

Other key stats

500 – Wins in Benedictine football history. The 37th school in OHSAA history to accomplish the feat.

483 – Total yards gained by Benedictine. More than 230 of those yards were amassed in just 7:16 of the first quarter.

62  – Yards on 20 carries by Normandy senior RB Mitch Kurak.

43 – Years since the Bengals last scored 60 points or more in a game (62 against Cleveland East High).

7 – Penalties by Benedictine, accounting for 64 yards lost and one touchdown called back.

4 – Turnovers caused by the Benedictine defense; two fumbles recovered and two interceptions.

What’s next

Benedictine hosts Youngstown Ursuline at Bedford Bearcat Stadium on Sep. 6 at 7 p.m.

Normandy takes on Holy Name at Byers Field on Sep. 5 at 7 p.m.

Crowell, Burleson, Hoyer, Manziel and Westerman enjoy strong nights in Browns' win.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Quarterback Brian Hoyer started with a flourish and Isaiah Crowell ended with the longest Browns' play from scrimmage of the preseason.

Overall, it was a decent night for the home team against the Chicago Bears, who sat all their starters and played like a team just looking to make it into the regular season healthy. The Browns earned their one and only victory of preseason, beating the Bears 33-13 at FirstEnergy Stadium. 

Starting quarterback was efficient in his only series leading the Browns on a touchdown drive. Johnny Manziel provided some excitement with a few flashy runs. The player who might have most helped himself, however, was Crowell, who rushed for 102 yards on 13 carries and a 48-yard touchdown.

Running back Isaiah Crowell: The undrafted free agent made the most of his final preseason game. He ran hard and showed the kind of explosion that made him the SEC Freshman of the Year a lifetime ago at Georgia. In his most extensive action, Crowell shined in an effort capped with a long, fourth-quarter TD run. He was more effective than third-rounder Terrance West at any point in preseason. It will be interesting to see what coaches decide about Crowell, who ended his career at Alabama State.    

Quarterback Brian Hoyer: The Bears opened with second- and third-string defenders, but Hoyer looked sharp. He completed 6-of-8 passes for 69 yards on a 13-play, 85-yard touchdown drive. It was his only drive and it gave him some confidence and momentum heading into the opener.

Receiver Nate Burleson: The old veteran returned from a hamstring injury and was an immediate upgrade. He caught a 27-yard pass from Manziel on the school-yard play that will be shown repeatedly on SportsCenter. He snared another 11-yard pass that was nullified by an illegal-formation penalty. If there were any questions about him making the club they should have been answered with a solid performance.

Quarterback Johnny Manziel: He was at his adventurous best and worst. Manziel threw a TD pass, a couple nice balls that were dropped and a few wobblers, including one that rotated like a flying saucer. Still, he helped himself earn a potential package of plays with his feet. He rushed for 55 yards on four carries. He also had an outrageous play-extending scramble that resulted in the 27-yard pass to Burleson. His passing remains a work in progress. He finished 6-of-17 for 83 yards and nearly got receiver Charles Johnson killed with a high ball over the middle. He did have a beautiful long pass to Gary Barnidge dropped.

Linebacker Jamaal Westerman: The sixth-year veteran might have sewed up a roster with a solid second-half performance that included a sack. He's played for coach Mike Pettine in Buffalo and New York.

The Browns beat the Bears at FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland football fans got a small taste of victory Thursday night before the real action begins. The Browns wrapped up the practice season with a 33-13 win over the Bears on Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium. They finish the preseason 1-3.

Following a Robbie Gould field goal with 11:19 left in the first quarter, the Browns responded with a 6:18, 85-yard scoring drive capped off by a Ben Tate 1-yard run. The drive was aided by a roughing the passer call against quarterback Brian Hoyer on the Bears on 4th down inside the Bears five-yard-line and a Taylor Gabriel 17-yard reception moving the team out to their own 47-yard line.

That was it for Hoyer, who finished 6-for-8 for 69 yards.

Following a missed 52-yard field goal by Gould, running back Terrance West fumbled at the Browns' 48-yard-line and M.D. Jennings recovered at the Bears' 48-yard line. The Bears turned the turnover into points, scoring on a 32-yard pass from David Fales to Santonio Holmes with 13:01 left in the second quarter. The extra point gave the Bears a 10-7 lead.

Following a Browns 3-and-out, the Bears got a 23-yard field goal from Gould to extend to a 13-7 lead. With Johnny Manziel at quarterback, the Browns were able to retake the lead, 14-13, on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jim Dray. The drive was highlighted by a scrambling throw from Manziel to wide receiver Nate Burleson, returning from injury, for 27 yards. 

Billy Cundiff gave the Browns a 17-13 halftime lead with a 22-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining. Cundiff struck again on the Browns' opening drive of the half, extending the lead to 20-13 with a 37-yard field goal. Manziel finished his night following the points, ending 6-for-17 for 83 yards and a touchdown and ran for 55 yards.

Cundiff added even more in the third quarter, hitting from 47 and 29 yards to give the Browns a 26-13 lead after three. 

Running back Isaiah Crowell capped the scoring for the Browns with a 48-yard touchdown run. Crowell rushed 13 times for 102 yards, all in the second half.

Brian Hoyer started the preseason finale against the Bears and put a TD on the board, and Johnny Manziel provided another spark.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brian Hoyer put a touchdown on the board on his lone drive against the Bears and then got out of the way while Johnny Jamboogie took over and did his thing.

To quote Manziel's new Snickers commercial in which he plays an aerobics instructor nicknamed Johnny Jamboogie, he worked those thighs, he added a little jazz to it, he let them see him boogie, and he even did those arm circle things.

It was exactly the kind of spirited performance the Browns were expecting from their sluggish offense in the preseason finale -- and Manziel made a strong case mostly with his legs to get a package of plays for the opener in Pittsburgh Sept. 7.

"It falls into the category of Johnny being Johnny,'' said Browns coach Mike Pettine. "A couple of those plays were 'no, no, no, yes' – but that's what he does. That, to me, is what he brings to the table. He just needs to get more comfortable in his reads, take the easy throws that are there. He's certainly shown why he has the reputation that he does."

Normally, the weiner dog races at halftime would be the most exciting thing about the fourth preseason game, but the real Dawgs actually gave their faithful fans something to cheer about during the game, a 33-13 drubbing of the Bears.

Granted, it came mostly against the Bears' third-team defense and Manziel unleashed a few wounded ducks, but the offense  --- which lost its best player in Josh Gordon to a season-long drug ban on Wednesday -- at least showed a pulse 10 days before the opener.

Hoyer started the game and played only one series, but made it count. Against mostly third-string Bears fighting for a job, Hoyer engineered a 13-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard TD run by Ben Tate.

On the drive, Hoyer completed 6-of-8 attempts for 69 yards. The march included strikes of 17 and 21 yards to diminutive rookie wideout Taylor Gabriel and a 13-yarder to Andrew Hawkins. Hoyer -- who had put only one TD on the board in his previous 14 possessions -- earned a 100.5 rating on the night.

"It was great to get out there and just move right down the field,'' Hoyer said at halftime. "We said tonight wasn't about them. It was about us. Regardless of who's playing for them – they were nameless and faceless opponents – we just wanted to go out and make everything about us. It's good to go down and have an 85-yard drive and just execute and get in the end zone."

Hoyer had several chances at TD passes, but overthrew tight end Jordan Cameron at the left side of the end zone on awkward throw on the run; and had a pass to Andrew Hawkins broken up at the goal-line. He also drew a roughing-the-passer call after a fourth-down toss to Ray Agnew at the 1 that set up Tate's TD scramble.

"It just shows us what we're capable of, and that's what's been the frustrating part this preseason,'' he said. "To go out there and just do it against a different team is important. It's a good feeling heading out of the preseason."

Pettine was complimentary of his starting quarterback.

"He was sharp, made some good throws, made the right reads,'' said Pettine. "It was good to see our guys make some plays down the field."

Manziel entered the game with 46 seconds left in the first quarter and played through the opening drive of the second half. In his five series of work, he provided the same kind of spark at FirstEnergy Stadium that he did Saturday night during a 33-14 loss to the Rams.

Manziel produced two field goals and one touchdown in his five possessions, including a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Jim Dray at the left side of the end on a bootleg left.  The score followed a crowd-pleasing 27-yard pass to receiver Nate Burleson, on which Manziel boogied, bobbed and weaved through Chicago defenders until he found the 12th-year pro open.

Overall, Manziel completed only 6-of-17 attempts (35 percent) for 83 yards and the one TD for a 71.4 rating. Several of his deep passes wobbled and others were off the mark, including one to Agnew and one to MarQuies Gray.

He was much more effective with his legs, churning out 55 yards on his four carries -- including a long gain of 22 -- for a 13.8-yard average.

Asked Tuesday how he felt his speed an athleticism was holding up in the NFL, Manziel said he felt good.

"Obviously the windows and the gaps and the holes close a lot faster at this level, but I feel like I've done a good job of getting out of bounds or not really taking too many solid hits to keep myself healthy first and foremost,'' he said. "At the same time, I feel like whenever I did step up, if we go all the way back to Detroit and had a 12 or 14 yard run, whatever it was, I feel like everything has been fine. It's not like it was in college. Obviously you can't do the same things, but I feel like everybody knew that and I knew that going into all this."

After one 14-yard dash on the opening play of the second half, Manziel slid like a Major Leaguer.

"There's never a time where I'm out there and I'm taking off and I know I need to slide that I ever have to think or second guess about getting down or how to slide or whatever it is,'' Manziel said Tuesday. "You see some guys have some kind of awkward slides throughout the NFL, but for me, I've played baseball for all those years. I just feel like it's pretty natural. It's just like stealing second base. Just get down and slide and get up and get onto the next play."

Manziel's stats may have been better had he not gotten off to such a rocky start. On his opening pass, tight end Gary Barnidge flat-out dropped a 28-yard strike over the middle, but the defense was flagged for holding. Next play, rookie running back Terrance West fumbled the ball away after a 1-yard run to set up a Chicago touchdown.

Manziel was strip-sacked on his second possession, but the Browns recovered. Still, he went three-and-out on the drive.

His touchdown drive began with a 38-yard pass interference call -- when Travis Benjamin got drilled just before the long duck floated in his direction -- and he launched another deep wobbler to Charles Johnson just before the receiver got his helmet knocked off by a defender.

Manziel ran for 11 yards on his final drive to set up a 37-yard field goal.

"It was good to see the guys get out, play and make some plays – some real good teaching moments still on tape for us,'' said Pettine at halftime. "It was good experience. It was a risk-reward situation on the fact that we came out of it healthy, as I was told --  it's a real positive for us."

One positive for both quarterbacks was that Burleson, who had missed the previous three preseason games, came back and made some plays.  If he makes the team, it might ease the sting of the loss of Gordon at least a little.

Listen to our postgame podcast breaking down the Browns' final preseason game against the Bears.

• What did Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel show us?
• Which non-quarterbacks stood out?
• What's considered an acceptable performance in the team's first three regular season games?
• What would a package featuring Johnny Manziel look like?

The win puts the RubberDucks magic number at one to clinch a playoff spot over the Bowie Bay Sox in the Western Division of the Class AA Eastern League.

Outfielder Ryan Raburn had three RBI and the RubberDucks broke out of their hitting slump, piling up 15 hits and breaking a six-game losing streak Thursday with an 11-3 rout of the Trenton Thunder at Akron.

The win puts the RubberDucks magic number at one to clinch a playoff spot over the Bowie Bay Sox in the Western Division of the Class AA Eastern League.

Akron didn't run away with it early. The Thunder led, 3-1, heading into the bottom of the second inning when outfielder Jordan Smith hit a two-run single to right field off Trenton starter Joel De La Cruz (4-4, 4.34 ERA). Two batters later, Raburn, on a rehab assignment with the Indians, singled to right give Akron a 4-3 lead.

The RubberDucks began to pull away in the fourth thanks to an RBI triple from third baseman Jaime Pedroza, and RBI singles by shortstop Erik Gonzalez and Raburn.

Akron iced the game with three runs in the sixth with another RBI single from Raburn and a two-run single from second baseman Joe Wendle, giving the RubberDucks a 10-3 lead.

Pedroza went 3-for-3 with a walk, triple and RBI, while Raburn was 3-for-4 with three RBI. The Indians' Jason Giambi, on a rehab assignment, was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI as the designated hitter.

Akron starter Duke von Schamann (8-8, 4.20) gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked six and struck out two. Giovanni Soto and Adam Miller combined to pitch 3 1/3 innings of scoreless and hitless relief.

The RubberDucks and Erie SeaWolves begin the final four-game series of the season at 7:05 p.m. Friday.