A sneak peek at one of the commercials that will debut on Super Bowl Sunday.

Luke, I am your Volkswagen Passat.


Here's a sneak peek at one of the commercials you'll see Sunday during Super Bowl XLV.

An inside look at seven of the most common submission holds in the sport

Mixed martial arts seems to some a brutal, almost primal "sport," one in which the object is to bludgeon an opponent into surrender. On the surface, it appears to be strength against strength, with none of the guile of boxing, the technique of wrestling or the choreography of fencing.

In reality, all those components come into play. It's not for the faint of heart -- broken bones, dislocated joints and blood are as common as Cavs losses. But there is an artistry to it.

At StrongStyle Mixed Martial Arts & Fitness Center in Independence, owner Marcus Marinelli rounded up a pair of young fighters to provide a pictorial primer on the art of mixed martial arts. Chris "The Assassin" Lozano is a 170-pound undefeated welterweight in the Bellator Fighting Championships organization. He wrestled in high school out of Berea and Midpark.

Joining him on the mat was 240-pound Stipe Miocic, a former Gold Gloves winner who wrestled for Eastlake North and Cleveland State. Both men sport the bruises endemic in their profession. Miocic's brace bears testimony to the damage a knee bar can do.

Here are seven of the most common submission holds in the sport. See how many you can spot during Saturday night's UFC 126 in Las Vegas, a card headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort.

"We'll see where he is tonight,'' coach Byron Scott said after the team's morning shootaround at Fed Ex Forum. "He's going to get more treatment, and hopefully by tonight, he'll go from questionable to being able to play.

AP PhotoDaniel Gibson is still questionable for tonight's game at Memphis.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Guard Daniel Gibson is still listed as questionable for the Cavaliers tonight against Memphis, but coach Byron Scott hopes he'll be able to play.

Gibson has missed the last two games with a bruised left quad. He originally suffered the injury at New Jersey on Jan. 24 and aggravated it at Boston the next night and again on Sunday at Orlando.

"We'll see where he is tonight,'' Scott said after the team's morning shootaround at Fed Ex Forum. "He's going to get more treatment, and hopefully by tonight, he'll go from questionable to being able to play.

"Right now he's a game-time decision.

The Cavs can use as much help as they can get. They have lost 22 straight games, and a loss tonight would tie the league record for consecutive losses in a single season. They have a chance to tie the league record for consecutive losses, which they already own, in Saturday's home game against Portland and set the new mark on Monday at Dallas. They also have lost 24 straight games on the road.

Cuyahoga Heights graduate Jack Squirek was one of the heroes in the 1984 Super Bowl.

Plain DealerJack Squirek helped the Raiders in the 1984 Super Bowl.

There have been many heroes and game-changing plays in the history of the Super Bowl. From Lynn Swann's dramatic catch in Super Bowl X, to Desmond Howard's 99-yard TD return to help seal the victory over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.

There were also some game-changing plays by players who didn't finish with the MVP of the game, like Cuyahoga Heights graduate Jack Squirek in Super Bowl XVIII.

SI.com reporter Jeff Pearlman writes how Squirek, with several seconds left in the first half, intercepted a pass for and ran it in for the touchdown.

Instead of simply running out the clock, Joe Gibbs inexplicably called "Rocket Screen" -- a screen pass from quarterback Joe Theismann to halfback Joe Washington coming out of the backfield. Anticipating the play, Charlie Sumner, the Raiders' linebackers coach, rushed the speedy, athletic Squirek onto the field as a replacement for Matt Millen. When Theismann dropped back to throw, he turned left, and tossed the ball into Squirek's hands. The linebacker made the catch and jogged five yards into the end zone, untouched.

The Raiders, of course, went on to win the Super Bowl over the Washington Redskins. The Raiders have not won a Super Bowl since.

Somehow, 26 years have passed. Squirek is almost 52, with a son in college and a daughter in high school. He lives outside of Cleveland and owns and operates an office cleaning company, Squirek Services.

When asked whether his life permanently changed because of the interception, Squirek fails to pause. "Oh, definitely," he says. "Definitely."

Five hurt when ice slides off roof of Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

View full sizeLouis DeLuca,
Dallas Morning NewsFalling ice from the Dallas Cowboys Stadium injured five people Friday, one of them critically.

Comparing this season's Ohio State men's basketball team to the 2007 national runners-up shows how hard it will be to match the older guys -- and how hard it was in 2007 to reach the championship game.

Evan Turner led Ohio State last season in -- deep breath -- points, offensive and defensive rebounds, free throws made and tried, blocked shots, assists and frightening falls. On one of the latter, he basically broke his back.

The junior nonetheless was the national college basketball Player of the Year and the second player selected in the NBA Draft.

The Buckeyes lost him, shrugged, and came back even better. Top-ranked and unbeaten, OSU has the same complementary players this season as last in shooter Jon Diebler, scorer Will Buford, shot-blocking big man Dallas Lauderdale of Solon and versatile David Lighty of Villa Angela-St. Joseph.

Where it changes is that the Buckeyes have a true offensive presence in the paint in tall, powerful freshman Jared Sullinger, as well as a real ball handler in freshman point guard Aaron Craft. Turner handled the ball only because no one else could.

The current Buckeyes deserve comparison with the Greg Oden-Mike Conley 2007 team, which finished second in the NCAA Tournament. That was the best Ohio State team since the Jerry Lucas-John Havlicek three-year monster of 1960-62.

This team is a little better offensively, although there is not yet an equivalent to Ron Lewis, the man who made the big shots against Xavier in the NCAA Tournament and Tennessee in a tense regular-season battle.

The 2007 team had Oden to rebound and clean up defensive mistakes. "You usually talk about teams without a lot of talent playing good defense," Purdue's Matt Painter said of the 2011 Buckeyes. "Well, Ohio State plays defense." But the only real shot-blocker is Lauderdale, whose free-throw foibles make him a risk in the final minutes of a close game.

Still, Painter is something of a go-to quote guy on the 2011 Buckeyes because OSU played its best game thus far against the Boilermakers.

Deshaun Thomas, a freshman, is analogous to Daequan Cook, a freshman shooter on the 2007 team. "When you can bring a player [Cook] off the bench who is a first-round NBA pick, that tells you something about that team," Painter said.

Had Cook been more of a factor against Florida in the championship game, scoring only two points in nine minutes, the Buckeyes might have made it closer than an 11-point loss. But that is the nature of shooters. It is a fickle skill.

There is no Florida dynasty out there this year, though.

Sullinger has proven much more consistent offensively than the wounded Oden, although Oden erupted for 25 points on only 15 shots in the championship game.

"When they get in trouble, the ball goes in to Sullinger," Painter said, "and that's experience. That's Lighty and Diebler, but it's also Aaron Craft, playing with maturity and poise."

It is Craft, the play-making complement to Sullinger, who gives the Buckeyes a chance for a big NCAA Tournament run. "I think Thad has finally caught up with Mike Conley leaving," Painter said.

Conley's electrifying play in the 2007 NCAA Tournament made him the fourth pick (Oden was first) in the NBA Draft after that season. Craft isn't scoring like Conley (6.8 points to Conley's 11.3) but Conley played 31.6 minutes per game, or over three minutes more per game than Craft.

Craft shoots a surprising 49.1 percent overall, 42.6 percent beyond the arc and 71.7 percent at the line. He rings up 4.7 assists per game (with a 2-to-1 ratio of assists to turnovers).

Conley's figures were 51.8 percent, a poor 30.4 percent on three-pointers and 69.4 percent at the line. He averaged 6.1 assists per game (with a 2.8-to-1 assists-turnover ratio). Conley's hesitation move let him get to the lane almost at will for layups or runners. The latter is a shot Craft needs.

The current team has won six Big Ten games by a total of 21 points. That shows the Buckeyes know how to win in a tough league. The 2007 team lost one Big Ten game (by three, at Wisconsin, where the current team has yet to play) and won four others by a total of nine points.

The 2007 team had a nine-man rotation and three first-round NBA draft picks Yet it barely survived tests against Xavier and Tennessee on its way to the championship game.

Only Sullinger is assured of an NBA career on the current team. The path will be steeper for this team, which regularly plays only two substitutes. In a year of parity, these Buckeyes are only first among equals.

The Green Bay Packers are proof that a West Coast offense can thrive in a northern city with the right players. But can it beat the Steelers?

Dallas -- As the Browns prepare to reinvent themselves again, their fans wonder: Can the West Coast offense work in the harsh winter months in Cleveland? Can a team that seeks to pass first succeed against the aggressive defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Super Bowl XLV won't answer those questions conclusively, of course. But the Green Bay Packers certainly would seem to be a model the Browns have chosen to follow.

Five years ago, the Packers hired a young offensive-minded coach in Mike McCarthy, who installed his version of the West Coast offense. Sunday they're playing the quarterback-destroyer Steelers for the NFL championship.

The Packers are in the Super Bowl for the first time since another West Coast offense-disciple took the cold-hardened team to two Super Bowls and one championship. That was Mike Holmgren.

And now as president of the Browns, Holmgren is trying to replicate what he did in Green Bay in the mid-1990s and what McCarthy currently is doing. He hired Pat Shurmur, an untested, West Coast-offensive coach to inject some life in the Browns and try to loosen Pittsburgh's powerful vise grip on the AFC North.

Yeah, but can that offense work in Cleveland?

"You have to ask the question, 'Why do people say that?' " Holmgren said. "If they say it because of weather, then I would say Cleveland's weather is no worse than Green Bay's weather, and we won [a] Super Bowl there.

"If you say it because you're the type of guy that allows the offense to drift too much to the throw and away from the run, then you might have a valid point. And you as the coach, you don't let that happen.

"When we were winning Super Bowls, or went to them, we were very balanced. But you do throw more than you run. It was probably 60-40. If you look now, even great running attacks like Pittsburgh, the great quarterbacks usually win the Super Bowl, the guys that can really throw it and teams that can really push the ball down the field. So I don't put much stock in that."

McCarthy said Friday the one winter element that concerns him most in Green Bay is wind.

"Temperatures really don't factor unless it gets below zero," he said. "That affects the way you handle the football, but we're fortunate enough to practice in it and prepare our [receivers] for it. But the wind, to me, is what affects your game plan, the way you approach the game and the way you call the game."

McCarthy, 47, has reached the Super Bowl at exactly the same point as Holmgren did in Green Bay. Holmgren was also 47 when his first Super Bowl season started. (Shurmur is 45.) Eerily, McCarthy and Holmgren had the same win-loss record in their first four seasons, 38-26, and the same .667 winning percentage in postseason games.

Like Holmgren, McCarthy climbed the ladder from quarterbacks coach to coordinator before getting the head coaching opportunity. Shurmur, too, has followed that path.

McCarthy is not part of Holmgren's famed coaching tree, but he did acquire the West Coast philosophy in assistant coaching stints with Kansas City, Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco. Along the way, McCarthy added his own elements to the offense.

"They do a lot of things with formations, and spreading things out, and shotgun," Holmgren said. "We never ran much shotgun. So I think he's put his own imprint on this. There was a time in Mike's history, he was in San Francisco, and that kind of carried over."

The key to the offense, of course, is the quarterback. McCarthy has developed Aaron Rodgers into an elite passer. As successor to Brett Favre, Rodgers became the first player in NFL history to post 4,000 yards passing in each of his first two seasons as a starter. He threw for 3,922 this season.

In McCarthy's five seasons, the Packers never have ranked lower than ninth in overall offense and eighth in pass offense. This year, the Packers had a 56-44 pass-to-run ratio. Their leading rusher was Brandon Jackson with 703 yards. They ranked 24th in rushing this year and never have been better than 14th under McCarthy.

You can argue that the breakthrough for the Packers came when McCarthy hired Dom Capers as defensive coordinator two years ago. Capers installed the same 3-4 defense in Green Bay he helped to create with Dick LeBeau in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.

"Look at the Packers," Browns quarterback Colt McCoy said. "They're running the West Coast in the cold, outside, like we'll do. But they have an outstanding defense, too, and that's crucial. I think we can get that, too."

Capers is one of three former Steelers coaches or players on the defensive staff. The others are Darren Perry, a former safety, and Kevin Greene, a classic, 3-4 rush linebacker.

The Pittsburgh connection is no accident. McCarthy is a native of Pittsburgh who grew up idolizing the Steelers' four Super Bowl teams of the 1970s. He counts former Steelers coach Chuck Noll among those who shaped his coaching philosophy.

"It started in my youth in Pittsburgh," McCarthy said. "Coach Chuck Noll had great success and his approach. He was such a fundamentalist in the '70s in Pittsburgh. Growing up in Pittsburgh is a big part of who I am, but I am a Green Bay Packer, and we've come here to claim the Lombardi Trophy."

Packers coaches who accomplish that become living legends in Green Bay. Their names are immortalized on street signs and stadiums. The Packers' iconic (Curly) Lambeau Stadium sits alongside (Vince) Lombardi Avenue, just a field goal away from (Mike) Holmgren Way.

"I think being the coach of the Packers is one of the best coaching jobs, if not the best coaching job, in the league," Holmgren said. "You have a college atmosphere there, the stadium's always full, they're always with you. A lot of energy.

"But I think you get to feel responsible for a lot of people there, with the entire state [following the team]. It's a very unique place. So, if we lost a game, boy, I felt bad for everybody."

If nothing else, Shurmur will know that feeling in Cleveland, too -- no matter the style of offense he runs.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Notes and observations from the Cavs game against the Grizzlies on Friday night in Fed Ex Forum: Final: Grizzlies, 112, Cavs 105. It's official. If there was any doubt, the Cavaliers can now be considered among the worst teams in the history of the NBA after their 23rd consecutive loss, which ties the NBA single-season record....

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Notes and observations from the Cavs game against the Grizzlies on Friday night in Fed Ex Forum:

Final: Grizzlies, 112, Cavs 105. It's official. If there was any doubt, the Cavaliers can now be considered among the worst teams in the history of the NBA after their 23rd consecutive loss, which ties the NBA single-season record.

They can tie the all-time record for consecutive losses _ 24 over two seasons, which the Cavs already own _ tonight against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

J.J. Hickson had 31 points and 14 rebounds, and Ramon Sessions added 20 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who have lost 25 straight road games to fall to 8-42.

Zach Randolph had 29 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, and 13 rebounds, while Rudy Gay had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who improved to 27-24.

Third quarter update: Cavs 84, Grizzlies 83. With Marc Gasol back for the third quarter, the Grizzlies charged, but not before the Cavs increased their lead to 64-52. Then Memphis answered with a 10-3 run to get back within 67-62. Randolph, the Western Conference player of the month for January, had 10 points in the third quarter and his two free throws with 2:36 left put the Grizzlies up, 78-77. They bumped that to 83-80 on a 3-pointer by former Ohio State star Mike Conley, but Ramon Sessions made two free throws, then recovered after a moving pick by Darrell Arthur sent him flying and gave the Cavs the ball back with five seconds left in the quarter. A layup by Antawn Jamison got Cleveland back in front after three, 84-83. The Cavs played the final 3:26 of the period without Hickson, who picked up his third foul. He had 27 points and 10 rebounds through three quarters.

Halftime update: Cavs 59, Grizzlies 52. As they have been doing all season when former UConn star Hasheem Thabeet enters the game, the Grizzlies switched to a 2-3 zone and it proved to be their undoing. The Cavs took advantage of the absence of starting center Marc Gasol with three fouls and used patience and great ball movement _ usually not two of their strengths _ to get great shots and pulled out to a 45-35 lead midway through the period. They hung tough when the Grizzlies closed to 53-50 _ again, not another strength. But a jumper from J.J. Hickson, who had 14 points in the second quarter and 21 in the half, and a driving layup by Christian Eyenga kept them in front, 57-50. Hickson also has eight rebounds _ all in the second quarter.

First quarter update: Cavs 32, Grizzlies 26. Things looked bad for the Cavs when the Grizzlies hit their first 10 shots and went up, 20-12. But the Cavs decided to talk on defense and as a result forced eight turnovers and held the Grizzlies to 2 of 7 the rest of the way. Antawn Jamison had 9 points and J.J. Hickson for the Cavs. Sam Young had 8 for Memphis.

Cavs starters: F Christian Eyenga, F Antawn Jamison, C J.J. Hickson, G Manny Harris, G Ramon Sessions.

Grizzlies starters: F Rudy Gay, F Zach Randolph, C Marc Gasol, G Sam Young, G Mike Conley.

Injuries: Daniel Gibson returned to Cleveland to attend to a personal issue. Leon Powe (right knee surgery), Anderson Varejao (torn tendon, right foot) and Mo Williams (left hip flexor strain) are out for Cavs. O.J. Mayo (league suspension for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program) is out for Grizzlies.

Inactives: Powe, Varejao and Williams for Cavs. DeMarre Carroll for Grizzlies.

Officials: David Jones, Mark Ayotte and Tommy Nunez Jr.

Three things to watch:

1. The Grizzlies are a physical, post-up team, a style that has given the Cavs problems all season.

2. The Cavs have got to rebound better than they did against Indiana on Wednesday, when they were outrebounded, 49-32, including 16-6 on the offensive end.

3. Will the Cavs break out of this nosedive, or will they tie the NBA single-season record for consecutive losses?

If the Cleveland State Vikings are looking for a formula to draw more fans to their home basketball games at the Wolstein Center, they don't have to look far. The Butler Bulldogs, the Horizon League's best-known and most-followed program, are in town Saturday for a noon game. And as the 2010 NCAA runners-up know from experience, it all starts with...

If the Cleveland State Vikings are looking for a formula to draw more fans to their home basketball games at the Wolstein Center, they don't have to look far.

The Butler Bulldogs, the Horizon League's best-known and most-followed program, are in town Saturday for a noon game. And as the 2010 NCAA runners-up know from experience, it all starts with winning.

CSU interim athletic director John Parry was the AD at Butler from 1990-2006. He said building attendance for CSU will likely follow the pattern Butler followed during Parry's days as AD there.

In 2005-06, the Bulldogs were 20-13 with a berth in the NIT. They averaged 3,761 fans at home.

In 2006-07, Butler finished 29-7, advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, and averaged 5,734.

Butler has gone to the NCAA Tournament and been over 5,000 ever since. Last season, the Bulldogs were one shot away from winning the national championship game over Duke. This year, the Bulldogs are 14-9 and averaging 6,947 per game.

Going into today's game, CSU is 21-3, 10-2 in the Horizon League -- their third 20-win season in four years. CSU is averaging 2,830 per home game. The Vikings have been a better draw on the road (4,142) than at home.

Against Butler, with an ESPN2 audience looking on, the Vikings are anticipating 6,500-7,000 fans, based on about 5,500 presale tickets.

Parry's work is cut out for him. The last time the Vikings averaged over 3,000 fans for a season was 3,222 in 2000-01. CSU's best yearly attendance average was 4,589 in 1996-97.

'Luck can be involved. Parry said that at Butler, the interest of Indianapolis fans started to rise just as the NBA's Indiana Pacers hit a downturn. Locally, the Cavaliers' recent downturn might make CSU an attractive option for fans wanting to watch quality basketball.

"My philosophy there, and I have talked about it here, is to get full [ticket] value, and market the lower bowl," said Parry. "Then, [do] whatever we have to do to put bodies in the upper bowl.

"Until we became consistently successful with our attendance, that was our strategy. We'd have two-for-ones, coupons, group sales, everything known to get people in the upper bowl. We're just getting now to where we are filling the lower bowl."

The Wolstein Center has suites and sells alcohol, so corporations can do comparable entertaining to what they would do at The Q, and for a much cheaper price.

The challenge is getting fans to appreciate the team, and the level of competition. It would if the Vikings land their second NCAA Tournament bid in three years.

"Indianapolis is a pro town, like here," Parry said. "There is a lot of interest in Indiana, Purdue, a huge Big Ten presence, like here. You had to fight that. The perception of the league . . . fans and media were not initially drawn to it. Indianapolis has a big respect for the Big Ten, but not the Horizon League."

The same can be said for Cleveland and Ohio State. Also, CSU basketball fans seem to have little connection to teams in Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago, and not much interest in teams a little closer to home, like Youngstown State, Detroit and Wright State.

"The challenge here is, I watch downtown empty between 5:15 p.m. and 6:30 every night," Parry said. "And I'm thinking, how do we get people to come back? So I began to think about a businessman's game at 6 p.m., so we tried it with some success. I understand there are a couple of downtown home associations, going forward we have to market to them a little better.

'"I think, next year, we can jump to average 5,000 if we come out of this year by winning the league and going to the postseason," Parry said.

"'"If we can do that -- and knowing we only have one senior, our recruiting class is good, and the coaching is stabilized -- I think we can get there."

How they fare with fans

Butler, Cleveland State's opponent today at the Wolstein Center, has seen its home attendance rise with its success in the Horizon League and in the NCAA Tournament. CSU hopes to follow suit:

Butler

Season       Record        Attendance       Postseason

2005-06     20-13           3,761                 NIT

2006-07     29-7             5,734                 NCAA Sweet 16

2007-08     30-4             5,945                 NCAA 2nd round

2008-09     26-6             5,897                NCAA 1st round

2009-10   33-5              6,852                 NCAA Final Four

*2010-11 14-9 6,947 TBD

Cleveland State

Season      Record      Attendance          Postseason

2005-06     10-18        2,078                   None

2006-07     10-21        2,619                   None

2007-08     21-13        2,635                  NIT 1st round

2008-09     26-11       2,395                   NCAA 2nd round

2009-10     16-17       2,351                   None

*2010-11   21-3        2,830                    TBD

* -- Through Friday; TBD: To be determined

Men Cleveland State vs. Butler Tipoff: Noon, Wolstein Center, Cleveland. TV/radio: ESPN2; WHKW AM/1220. Notable: CSU (21-3, 10-2 Horizon League) looks to keep a firm grasp on first place in the league, but needs to give Butler (14-9, 6-5) a second straight road defeat to make that happen. The Bulldogs were upset Thursday at Youngstown State, while the Vikings...

Men

Cleveland State vs. Butler

Tipoff: Noon, Wolstein Center, Cleveland.

TV/radio: ESPN2; WHKW AM/1220.

Notable: CSU (21-3, 10-2 Horizon League) looks to keep a firm grasp on first place in the league, but needs to give Butler (14-9, 6-5) a second straight road defeat to make that happen. The Bulldogs were upset Thursday at Youngstown State, while the Vikings were claiming first place with a win over Valparaiso. CSU used double-figure rebounding games from guards Tre Harmon (12) and Norris Cole (11) against Valpo. Butler has been upset many times this season (Evansville, Milwaukee twice, YSU) but has played well against the better teams, including a 79-56 win over CSU on Jan. 7.

Next for CSU: 7 p.m. Monday, at Detroit.

Akron at Toledo

Tipoff: 7 p.m., Savage Hall, Toledo.

Radio: WARF AM/1350.

Notable: Akron (12-10, 3-5 Mid-American Conference) was upset at Eastern Michigan, ending a three-game winning streak. Despite having a core of players key in the Zips' run to the 2009 NCAA Tournament, Akron has struggled to find a consistent winning combination this season. Center Zeke Marshall shows signs of emergence, as he posted a second straight double-figure scoring game with 15 points against EMU. He has not had three straight double-figure games this season. Toledo (4-18, 1-7) has been a get-well card for most teams in the MAC this season.

Next for Akron: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, vs. W. Michigan.

Kent St. vs. C. Michigan

Tipoff: 5 p.m., M.A.C. Center, Kent.

TV/radio: ESPNU; WNIR FM/100.1.

Notable: Preseason MAC West Division favorite CMU (6-15, 3-5) seems to have snapped out of its doldrums after a stunning 91-85 victory over Ohio on Wednesday. That ended a three-game CMU losing streak. Kent State (13-4, 5-2) remains in the MAC East title chase, a half-game behind Buffalo and Bowling Green. KSU has won three straight, holding all three opponents to fewer than 60 points. But Kent has not played since Sunday because of the winter storm.

Next for KSU: 7 p.m. Wednesday, vs. E. Michigan.

-- Elton Alexander

Division III

John Carroll vs. Otterbein

Tipoff: 4 p.m., DeCarlo Varsity Center, University Heights.

TV: SportsTime Ohio (tape delay) 11 p.m. today, 7 a.m. and noon Sunday.

Notable: JCU (14-6, 9-4 Ohio Athletic Conference) faces an Otterbein team that has won four of five. On Thursday, JCU knocked off Heidelberg by 12. The night before, Otterbein beat Baldwin-Wallace by 20. The Cardinals won the first meeting between the two teams, 86-83, on Dec. 18. JCU's lone senior, Maurice Haynes, leads the club with 14.4 points per game.

Next for JCU: 7 p.m. Wednesday, vs. Baldwin-Wallace.

-- Compiled using information from the colleges' sports information departments.

Women

CSU at Milwaukee

Tipoff: Noon, U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee.

Notable: CSU (12-9, 5-5 Horizon League) will look to forward Shalonda Winton, who is coming off a second straight strong performance (21 points, seven rebounds) in the Vikings' 87-63 loss Thursday at league power Wisconsin-Green Bay. Milwaukee is 8-13, 5-5.

Next for CSU: 7 p.m. Thursday, vs. Valparaiso.

Akron at N. Illinois

Tipoff: 4 p.m., Convo Center, DeKalb, Ill.

Radio: WARF AM/1350.

Notable: The Zips (9-12, 2-7 Mid-American Conference) will see senior G Kara Murphy tie a school record by playing in her 115th career game. NIU (9-13, 3-6) has won three of its last four.

Next for Akron: 5 p.m. Feb. 12, vs. Ball State.

Kent St. vs. W. Michigan

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., M.A.C. Center, Kent.

Radio: WHLO AM/640.

Notable: KSU (15-6, 6-3 MAC) has lost three of its past four. WMU is 6-15, 2-6. Post scoring is a concern for KSU, which has gotten solid perimeter play from Jamilah Humes (14.2 ppg) and Taisja Jones (16.2 ppg).

Next for KSU: 4 p.m. Feb. 12, at C. Michigan.

-- Elton Alexander

Division III

John Carroll vs. Otterbein

Tipoff: 2 p.m., DeCarlo Varsity Center, University Heights.

Radio/TV: WJCU FM/88.7; SportsTime Ohio (tape delay) 9 p.m. today, 5 a.m. Sunday, 12:01 a.m. and noon Monday.

Notable: JCU is 11-9, 6-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Otterbein is 9-11, 5-8. The Blue Streaks knocked off the Cardinals, 67-66, in Westerville on Dec. 18. . . . John Carroll is seventh and Otterbein eighth as both teams try to qualify for the eight-team conference tournament. JCU's Lee Jennings (23.8 ppg) and Emilee Ritchie (16.4 )are first and second in the OAC in scoring.

Next for JCU: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, at Baldwin-Wallace.

-- Compiled using information from the colleges' sports information departments

The top two teams in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 squared off Thursday night as Garfield Heights beat St. Edward 85-82. For Heights head coach Sonny Johnson, it was the 100th win of his coaching career. Watch a behind-the-scenes video as coach Johnson guides his team to a victory. You'll get a look at the pregame locker room, hear...

Garfield Heights' Terrell Byrd (1) goes for a layup. - (Tim Harrison | Special to The Plain Dealer)

The top two teams in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 squared off Thursday night as Garfield Heights beat St. Edward 85-82. For Heights head coach Sonny Johnson, it was the 100th win of his coaching career.

Watch a behind-the-scenes video as coach Johnson guides his team to a victory. You'll get a look at the pregame locker room, hear Johnson on the sidelines during the game and see the postgame locker room celebration.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The San Antonio Rampage showed Friday night why it features the top road power play in the American Hockey League. The Rampage scored twice with the man-advantage, including late in the third period, to sneak out of The Q with a 4-3 victory over the Monsters. The highly entertaining, hard-hitting game unfolded in front of 9,012 fans and thousands...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The San Antonio Rampage showed Friday night why it features the top road power play in the American Hockey League.

The Rampage scored twice with the man-advantage, including late in the third period, to sneak out of The Q with a 4-3 victory over the Monsters.

The highly entertaining, hard-hitting game unfolded in front of 9,012 fans and thousands of presidential bobbleheads. In celebration of the upcoming Presidents' Day, the Monsters were scheduled to give away 2,500 George Washingtons and 2,500 Abraham Lincolns clad in Monsters gear.

Let historians argue over who was the better president. Of this there is no debate: The Monsters let one slip away. They led, 3-2, entering the third period. 

Lake Erie (24-22-3-4) is 8-3 since Jan. 14 and sits in third place in the Western Conference North Division. It trails first-place Hamilton by six points and second-place Manitoba by five.    

The Rampage improved to 30-18-2-0.

Early in the first period, the Monsters had 1:52 to convert a 5-on-3 but failed to do so. They made up for it when Harrison Reed punched in a rebound at 6:59.

San Antonio tied the score, 1-1, later in the first when Brett MacLean beat goalie John Grahame with several seconds left on the power play.

At 17:06, Matthew Ford gave the Monsters a 2-1 lead with his first goal since Jan.1. With Lake Erie on the power play, Ford received a pass from Patrick Rissmiller and whipped the puck past goalie Al Montoya.

After the Rampage tied it early in the second. Monsters winger Luke Walker answered at 8:20. Walker used speed and good hands to make a slick drag move that got the better of Montoya. San Antonio coach Ray Edwards yanked Montoya for Matt Climie.

San Antonio tied the score, 3-3, at 12:14 on what looked like an innocent play. The Rampage's next shot came on the power play, and it proved to be the game-winner. Alexandre Picard beat Grahame nine seconds into the power play.

With the window closing to a new labor agreement, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urges intensive negotiations before the current deal expires on March 3. He falls short of saying a lockout will occur.

Dallas -- Actions -- instead of just words -- may be heating up in the NFL labor dispute.

With the March 3 expiration of the current labor agreement fast approaching, Commissioner Roger Goodell said two negotiating sessions with the players union have been scheduled for next week.

In his annual Super Bowl news conference, Goodell said the "window of opportunity" to get an agreement is in the coming weeks. Goodell sounded an alarm the entire league will suffer great revenue losses starting March 4, reducing the climate for productive negotiations.

Goodell would not say if owners intend to "lock out" players from facilities on March 4, but he pointed out that automatic changes include no player signings in free agency.

"We've not made a determination on what will happen on March 4," Goodell said. "The owners are focused on getting an agreement that's fair. They are prepared for every outcome, as they should be. At this point, if we're not successful in getting an agreement, I'm sure a lot of steps will be taken, which is why I believe the window of opportunity to get an agreement is in the next couple weeks."

On other issues:

•Goodell said expanding the regular season to 18 games is not a deal-breaker for a new bargaining agreement.

He has been pushing the agenda of switching the 20-game format to two preseason games and 18 in the regular season for the past two years. It's getting harder for him to reconcile the added games with his other agenda of improving player safety and reducing injuries.

"We're trying to figure out the best way to do that," he said. "If we can't do it right, we won't do it. What makes the game better? That's our entire focus. Status quo is not acceptable. We have to address these issues going forward."

•Goodell has insisted that the driving force of the schedule format was to reduce the poor product of exhibition football. But he reiterated that reducing ticket prices for exhibition games is not in the cards.

"You have to create value in this [economic] environment. You also want to continue to grow the revenue pie. That's good for everybody. So we keep looking for ways to grow revenue."

•He said the horrendous weather that has plagued North Texas this week does not discourage the league from staging another Super Bowl here. He cited the lavish Cowboys Stadium, which has a retractable roof, as a big incentive to return.

•Goodell said that holding future Super Bowls in Indianapolis (in 2012) and in New York's open-air new Meadowlands Stadium (2014) is not a concern because those communities are used to dealing with winter weather.

The week here in North Texas has been snarled by uncharacteristic sleet and snowstorms.

"This is a storm that's affecting most of our country," Goodell said. "It's an extraordinarily rare storm. I think when we play in climates where this is more likely to happen, they are very capable of dealing with these issues, and we're comfortable playing there."

Injury report: Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was ruled out after failing to practice. Pouncey suffered a high ankle sprain two weeks ago and a possible ankle fracture. He had contended he had a 75 percent chance to play. It means undrafted backup Doug Legursky will make his first NFL start at center in the Super Bowl. Legursky has four career starts at guard. "As far as what we do, we have a plan, and that won't change," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said . . . Also, defensive end Aaron Smith, who suffered a torn triceps in October, officially was ruled out . . . Packers receiver Donald Driver was held out of team drills for the second consecutive day because of a quadriceps strain, but he's expected to play. Coach Mike McCarthy said Driver could have practiced, but the coach decided to be cautious. Coach Wilhelm: Elyria native and former Ohio State linebacker Matt Wilhelm has made his mark on the Green Bay special teams since signing with the team Oct. 26. Wilhelm, in his eighth NFL season, was released by the 49ers at the Sept. 3 final roster cut.

"I've got great respect for Matt," said Packers special teams coach Shawn Slocum. "The way he came in and jumped into special teams -- I feel like he is somewhat of a coach on the field. He has taken a great leadership role, and I think he has really helped us. We have improved as a unit as the season has gone along, and I think Matt has really helped with that." Hall of Fame class: The announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011 will be announced live on NFL Network at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The board of 44 selectors begins its annual marathon meeting at 9 a.m. to whittle the 17 finalists to an induction class between five and seven members.

Brimfield Township -- On Super Bowl Sunday, Rico's Restaurant & Lounge, across from the Circle K in the center of town, will be a house divided. Rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fans on one side. Those dedicated to the Green Bay Packers and the memory of Luke Emch on the other. "Luke's Packer Backers," as they call themselves, meet up at...

Brimfield Township -- On Super Bowl Sunday, Rico's Restaurant & Lounge, across from the Circle K in the center of town, will be a house divided.

Rabid Pittsburgh Steelers fans on one side. Those dedicated to the Green Bay Packers and the memory of Luke Emch on the other.

"Luke's Packer Backers," as they call themselves, meet up at Rico's when the Packers are on national TV. They cheer "Go, Pack, go!" twice for field goals, three times for running touchdowns and four times when Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers either throws for a score or runs one in.

They've been cheering "Go, Pack, go!" together since 2007 -- since finding out that Luke, who lived just up the road, wasn't coming home alive.

Picking Packers at an early age

Luke Emch was so personable even as a little boy that when his mother needed to make a quick stop at the store, she'd half-jokingly tell him to pretend he was shy. Otherwise, he might strike up a conversation with anyone and they'd get stuck there.

He played baseball until age 14, liked to fish and played tennis at Tallmadge High School, where he graduated in 2004.

And, since the day he learned what a football was, he loved the Green Bay Packers.

The boy with the dark brown hair and sky-blue eyes had no choice, really. In this little corner of Browns Country, along the back roads of Portage County just south of Kent State, there is no bigger Packers fan than his father.

Wes Emch was maybe 7 when his family spent Thanksgiving Day 1962 at a friend's house in Youngstown. They were gathered around the tube for what was then the traditional Detroit-Green Bay Thanksgiving day game when he first heard the name of Packers quarterback Bart Starr.

"Bart Starr . . . Bart Starr," he thought. "Could there be a better name for an NFL quarterback?"

Green Bay lost that day, but he was a Packers fan forever. That the Packers went on to win NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls in the years following only solidified his devotion. The cracked and weathered Green Bay posters that now line the walls of his workshop followed him from his boyhood bedroom to his apartments and eventually to his home as he grew up.

When Julie Schroeder fell in love with the man she would eventually marry, the Packers came as a package deal. Football-wise, their daughter Samantha and son Luke, who would ask his dad to tell him Packers stories at bedtime, were spoon-fed a strict cheesehead diet.

The family's first pilgrimage to Green Bay's Lambeau Field was in 1998.

"That's where Bart Starr scored in the 'Ice Bowl,' " an awed Luke, then 12, blurted out at first glimpse of the field.

"How do you know?" his father asked.

"That's the south end, right?" said Luke, remembering the story of Starr's last-second quarterback sneak on the "frozen tundra" on Dec. 31, 1967, that sent the Packers to Super Bowl II.

Luke and his parents returned to Lambeau a second time in 2005. Long before then, former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre had become his Bart Starr.

By then, Luke had a Packers bedspread, his own bedroom full of Packers posters and a Favre action figure. His mom practically had to rip the Favre No. 4 jersey off his back to wash it. He wore it for school pictures for as long as it fit.

Luke Emch would be beside himself that Green Bay is in Super Bowl XLV. At Rico's, he would be cheering "Go, Pack, go!" louder than anyone.

Choosing to go help

Luke was more politically aware and in tune to current events than most kids his age. He drove to Ravenna to register to vote and majored in political science at the University of Akron. He had talked about law school or becoming a lobbyist.

But late in his second semester of college, he broke the news to his parents that while he was in high school, he had signed up for deferred enlistment in the Navy. Now it was time to go.

His parents tried to talk him out of it. They were afraid for him. It wasn't his war to fight. In fact, Luke opposed the war and considered himself, in his words, "a raging liberal." They sat in the living room and begged him, but he wouldn't have it.

He told them he couldn't stop thinking about the story of two 19-year-old Marines who were killed in Iraq. They had enlisted to help pay for college, and here he was, comfortable at home, with options, by the grace of God, those boys didn't have. He told them he wanted to be there to help save guys like that. He signed up to be a Navy Corpsman, in civilian terms a medic, a kind of military EMT.

"Don't worry," he assured his parents. "I'll be safe on a ship somewhere."

His sister Samantha, nearly three years older, knew better. He confided in her that he would be in the battlefield, stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, accompanying Marines as they disarmed deadly homemade bombs in case anyone got hurt. He worked for what is called an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, which has high casualty rates. He asked her not to tell their parents. He didn't want them to worry any more than they already would.

After the Naval Reserves, he left for Iraq in August 2006. He told his parents he never left the base. They thought he was working in a hospital.

The Marines he worked with called him "Doc" and "Cool Hand Luke" for his calm demeanor. He carried an M-4 automatic rifle but never used it. He treated 80 casualties, military and civilian.

By late the following February, Luke and his parents were counting the hours for his return. They got a call from Luke that Wednesday night, three days before his trip home.

That Friday, two Naval casualty officers interrupted the school day at Cuyahoga Falls High School where Wes Emch taught science. On March 2, 2007, Luke had been killed by a homemade bomb within the last two hours of his final mission -- less than a month after his 21st birthday. They headed to Tallmadge Middle School, where Julie teaches seventh grade, to break the news to his mother.

The whole town turned out for Luke's funeral, where his casket was draped with a flag and his Packers cap.

Memories of Luke

Luke's bedroom is much the way he left it, all either military or Green Bay. The faded Packers bedspread. The Brett Favre action figure in a plastic box by his Star Wars guys. A shadow box in the corner of the living room where his parents begged him not to go to Iraq is filled with his Purple Heart and other military medals, the name tag from his jumpsuit, his watch, wallet and dog tags and a Wiffle Ball that magically appeared one day in the front yard -- just like the one he and his dad lost the last time they played.

And up the road, at Rico's Restaurant on Sunday, a handful of family, friends and other Green Bay fans will cheer "Go, Pack, go!" for their football team -- and for Luke.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Villa Angela-St. Joseph started Friday night's North Coast League boys basketball game against Cleveland Central Catholic by taking the ball to the basket at every opportunity. Vikings coach Babe Kwasniak was able to joke about the reason why his players came out so aggressively after they put the finishing touches on a 72-58 victory:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Villa Angela-St. Joseph started Friday night's North Coast League boys basketball game against Cleveland Central Catholic by taking the ball to the basket at every opportunity.

Vikings coach Babe Kwasniak was able to joke about the reason why his players came out so aggressively after they put the finishing touches on a 72-58 victory:

"A lot of that is because we don't shoot it real good," Kwasniak said with a laugh. "I'm not a real smart guy, but I know if you don't shoot it real good you have to get to the basket."

VASJ's first seven field goals came from point-blank range. Sophomore Duane Gibson (21 points) pulled down one of his 11 rebounds and drove the length of the floor to give the Vikings a 16-8 lead midway through the first quarter.

Another drive by Gibson and a 3-point shot by Karlton Garner increased the lead to 23-11 with a minute left.

"Our signature since I've been coaching here is our defense," Cleveland Central Catholic coach Kevin Noch said. "We didn't bring our defensive energy. Our defense in the transition, we didn't pick guys up. We let them get going right away."

In the second quarter, Garner got hot from 3-point range. His third 3-pointer of the quarter gave VASJ a 37-18 lead with 3:40 left.

Garner led the Vikings with 24 points. VASJ improved to 9-6 overall -- after a 1-4 start -- and 7-2 in the NCL. The Vikings avenged a 59-54 loss at CCC in the first meeting.

"I think we're maturing as a team," Garner said. "We're growing each game. That and the fans brought our spirits up."

The Ironmen were not going away without a fight, though. Anton Grady, who had a monster game with 29 points and 15 rebounds, started an 11-0 run to finish the first half and cut the deficit to 37-29.

Central Catholic closed to within 49-43 on a Grady slam in the third quarter, and 57-48 on another Grady dunk in the fourth, but cold free-throw shooting (5-for-15) and the Vikings' continued strong play on offense kept them from getting closer.

"We missed 10 free throws," said Noch, whose team slipped to 6-8 and 4-4. "You can't do that on the road."

A three-point play by Demonte Flannigan (12 points), followed by two foul shots by Gibson, all but secured the victory for VASJ with less than a minute to go.

Kwasniak said Gibson is one of the area's most improved players since the season began.

"Coach [Jeremy] Holmes works with him every day," Kwasniak said. "He just gets better and better, every game and every practice. There's not a lot of people who know about him, but by the end of the year they will."

Bob Migra is a freelance writer in Westlake.

If there was any doubt, the Cavaliers can now be considered among the worst teams in NBA history after a 112-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies

View full sizeLance Murphey / Associated PressCavaliers forward J.J. Hickson (21) tries to hang onto a rebound while battling Grizzlies center Marc Gasol and guard Sam Young (4) during the first half Friday in Memphis, Tenn.

They can tie the all-time record for consecutive losses -- 24 over two seasons, which the Cavs already own -- tonight at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.

J.J. Hickson had 31 points and 14 rebounds, and Ramon Sessions added 20 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who have lost 25 straight road games to fall to 8-42.

Zach Randolph had 29 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, and 13 rebounds, while Rudy Gay had 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who improved to 27-24.

The Cavs were absolutely fierce through three quarters and held their own on the boards and in the paint against the bigger, stronger Grizzlies. But at the start of the fourth quarter, both teams reverted to form. Memphis scored the first 13 points of the period, and the Cavs had three turnovers and didn't score until Antawn Jamison made two free throws with 8:19 left in the game.

By then, of course, it was too late. Jamison got clobbered inside with no call and was called for one of those ridiculous respect-the-game technicals when he complained with 5:08 left. Sessions got a technical with 2:04 left, too.

If you'd strung together that many consecutive losses, you'd be frustrated, too.

Things looked bad for the Cavs when the Grizzlies hit their first 10 shots and went up, 20-12. But the Cavs decided to talk on defense and as a result forced seven turnovers and held the Grizzlies to 2-of-7 shooting the rest of the first quarter to take a 32-26 lead.

The best break for Cleveland was that Grizzlies starting center Marc Gasol picked up his third foul with 3:43 left in the first quarter, forcing Memphis coach Lionel Hollins to change strategies.

As the Grizzlies have been doing all season when former UConn star Hasheem Thabeet enters the game, Memphis switched to a 2-3 zone and it proved to be their undoing. The Cavs used patience and great ball movement -- usually not two of their strengths -- to get great shots and pulled out to a 45-35 lead midway through the period. They hung tough when the Grizzlies closed to 53-50 -- again, not another strength.

But a jumper from Hickson, who had 14 points in the second quarter, and a driving layup by Christian Eyenga kept them in front, 57-50. Hickson also has eight rebounds in the first half -- all in the second quarter -- and the Cavs held a 59-52 lead at the half.

With Gasol back for the third quarter, the Grizzlies charged, but not before the Cavs increased their lead to 64-52. Then Memphis answered with an 18-7 run to get back within 71-70. Randolph, the Western Conference player of the month for January, had 10 points in the third quarter and his two free throws with 2:36 left put the Grizzlies up, 78-77. They bumped that to 83-80 on a 3-pointer by former Ohio State star Mike Conley Jr., but Sessions made two free throws, then recovered after a moving pick by Darrell Arthur sent him flying and gave the Cavs the ball back with five seconds left in the quarter. A layup by Jamison got Cleveland back in front after three, 84-83. The Cavs played the final 3:26 of the period without Hickson, who picked up his third foul, but he had 27 points and 10 rebounds through three quarters.

MENTOR, Ohio — Euclid coach Andy Suttell thought he had the recipe to beat Mentor on Friday. The ingredients, however, were another story.

Mentor's Cole Krizancic.

MENTOR, Ohio — Euclid coach Andy Suttell thought he had the recipe to beat Mentor on Friday.

The ingredients, however, were another story.

Three Euclid players who are averaging 32 points per game combined never left the bench while host Mentor rolled to a 66-54 victory.

Mentor senior guard Cole Krizancic continued his resurgence from a midseason slump and scored 30 points despite a rare night in which he did not make a 3-pointer. Junior guard Justin Fritts had 22 points.

The Cardinals (13-3, 5-1), ranked third in The Plain Dealer Top 25, clinched at least a share of their final Lake Erie League Lake Division championship. Mentor moves to the Northeast Ohio Conference in the fall.

With Shaker Heights' 61-54 victory over second-place Warren Harding, Mentor has a two-game lead on the rest of the LEL Lake with two games remaining -- against Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights. No. 8 Euclid (8-5, 1-4) is in last place.

Euclid 6-6 center Ron Whaley, who scored 32 points against Mentor in December, missed the game with a knee injury. Suttell said he'll have an MRI scan next week. Point guard Je'Land Head was benched for disciplinary reasons. Ronnell Patrick, Euclid's first guard off the bench, is out for the season with a broken wrist. Whaley and Patrick suffered their injuries last week.

Mentor beat Euclid, 104-81, in December and the Panthers did their best to slow the tempo Friday while defending Mentor's perimeter scoring. The Cardinals made just 5 of 20 3-pointers.

"Our first game with them showed while we want to be a fast team, probably this game isn't the best to do it," Suttell said. "You throw in our personnel problems tonight and that steers you in that direction."

Krizancic, who is averaging 20 points per game, was more than happy to dart through the open lanes in Euclid's extended defense.

"When teams try to do that, you've got to get to the basket," he said. "That's the only way to score when we're not hitting. We've been working on that in practice a little bit, trying to get shots in that kind of defense."

Krizancic averaged just 11 points per game during a five-game stretch last month, in part because of a shin injury. He busted out last week with 33 points in a big win at Warren Harding.

"The injury kind of slowed my scoring down and after that little stretch, I think I'm pretty much back to normal. Everything feels good," he said.

Senior guards Martell Medley (22 points) and Chuck Bradford (15 points) led Euclid.

Euclid made runs in the third and fourth quarters, cutting the margin to six points each time. Fritts and Krizancic cut off each rally with key scoring. Matt Solden made two big free throws with 1:40 remaining for a 62-54 lead, and Bradford missed two free throws moments later.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — It pays to know your opponent. Rocky River went into Friday night's rematch against West Shore Conference rival Avon knowing it had to change tactics after losing to the Eagles by 17 points when they faced each other in December. The host Pirates, varying the pace of the game when required, executed their game plan...

Rocky River's Jimmy Corrigan, left, had 11 of his 15 points in the second half Friday. Avon's Ryan Poyle tries to stop Corrigan's shot. - (Chuck Crow l PD)

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — It pays to know your opponent.

Rocky River went into Friday night's rematch against West Shore Conference rival Avon knowing it had to change tactics after losing to the Eagles by 17 points when they faced each other in December. The host Pirates, varying the pace of the game when required, executed their game plan as practiced to come away with a 51-42 boys basketball victory.

"We had to stop them in transition," said Rocky River senior guard Jimmy Corrigan, who scored 11 of his game-high 15 points in the second half. "They are a running team, and we wanted to slow them down. The last game [against them], it was a problem."

With first place in the conference on the line, the Pirates (12-2, 8-1) used contesting defense and timely shooting to take over the league's top spot. They also got a big assist from the Eagles (11-4, 8-2), who never recovered from a first-half scoring drought.

After tying matters, 8-8, Avon went more than six minutes without scoring. With junior forward Joey Kinsley coming off the bench to score six points, Rocky River built a 20-8 advantage with five minutes remaining in the first half.

"We were into the intensity of the game," said Kinsley, who finished with 12 points. "I was trying to take it to the hole and clean up around the basket. We played as a team."

Forced to play catch-up after trailing at the half, 26-15, the Eagles kept things interesting as they would not let the Pirates pull away. Junior Claude Gray's basket brought the Eagles to within 43-36 with four minutes remaining.

However, a missed layup and an offensive foul ruined their chances. Rocky River got a clutch basket and two free throws from senior James Meyer to push the advantage back to 11 points. Meyer finished with 12 points.

"We just didn't play well enough to win," said Avon coach Jim Baker, whose club committed 18 turnovers. "We got in foul trouble by not doing a good job of staying in front of them. We had a lot of reaching fouls. We didn't get anything in the first half."

While the Pirates were connecting on half of their 22 shots in the first half, the Eagles were shooting 25 percent on 5-for-20 from the floor.

Still, the Pirates matched Avon's 18 turnovers to keep the visitors in the contest. But they got six free throws, four by Meyer, over the final 1:07 to hold on.

"We wanted to pick and choose our transition," said Rocky River coach Mike Murray. "We wanted to run, but run smart. We couldn't play five-on-five against them all the time because they are too talented.

"We extended our defense, but we had to beat them to spots. Our kids responded."

The Eagles closed within 47-42 after a basket by junior forward Ryan Poyle with 30 seconds to go. But the Pirates closed it out with free throws as Meyer and Corrigan each made a pair.

Senior Marvin Coleman paced the Eagles with 13 points, senior R.J. Kauffman adding 12. Avon faces another tough task tonight when it hosts Elyria in a nonleague game.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168

Devon Range understands the residual effect the Northeast Ohio Conference Tournament has on a wrestler. A year ago, the Brush senior parlayed a runner-up finish at the league tournament with a state-placing a month later.

Brush’s Devon Range, left, puts Parma’s Pat Juhn onto the mat at during their 145-pound match Friday at the Northeast Ohio Conference Tournament in Garfield Heights. Range won by pin. - (Lisa DeJong l PD)

Devon Range understands the residual effect the Northeast Ohio Conference Tournament has on a wrestler.

A year ago, the Brush senior parlayed a runner-up finish at the league tournament with a state-placing a month later.

He wasn't the only one as 29 other NOC wrestlers found their way to Columbus after placing at the league tournament. Of those 29, 15 made their way to the podium at Value City Arena in Division I, including a state champion and runner-up.

"This [tournament] is great," Range said. "You usually don't see this kind of competition until districts. It kind of lets you know what you're going to do down the road."

Range opened his tournament Friday with a pin of Parma's Pat Juhn in 1:59 and reached the 145-pound semifinals with a 17-3 major decision over Cuyahoga Falls' Austyn Wilson.

"You know if you win this tournament, you're going to do something special down in Columbus," Range said.

Last year, Medina junior Mike Griffith upset Solon's Anthony Collica in the NOC Tournament finals and went on to finish eighth at the state tournament.

While pointing to last year's NOC success, Griffith (135) has since exploded onto the scene.

Griffith's day Friday began with a 96-second, first-round pin of Stow's Braxton Hornick. He then beat Elyria's Connor Kamczyc, 9-5, to pass former state champion Mark Balog as Medina's all-time career win leader with 132.

"This is where I really found out what my potential was last year," Griffith said. "It was a real confidence booster.

"You might not have as many kids here as you do at places like the Top Gun, but they're good kids. You run into guys ranked by [Brian] Brakeman and Bucksman [Josh Lowe]. It's the guys you'll see at sectionals and districts."

Success at the NOC Tournament isn't just limited to individuals. Two years ago, Elyria won the event and then placed sixth at state.

That's the best the Pioneers have done in Columbus since 1987, according to the team's coaching staff.

Elyria, which stands atop the standings with 81 1/2 points, has Armondo Torres (103), Matt Canon (119), Myles Wright (145), Devan Price (152), Jake Hebble (160) and Jason Gott (215) wrestling in today's semifinals. Twelve of the Pioneers' 13 wrestlers will be competing today as Elyria looks to become the first team to win the NOC Tournament twice.

Solon is second with 66 points and is followed by Medina (58), Brush (56 1/2) and Mayfield (55).

"This conference is awesome," Elyria coach Erik Burnett said. "There are real exciting dual meets and it all culminates into a fantastic tournament with great individual wrestling.

"Some kids come here and feel like they've had a good season. Then they have success and it turns into a great postseason. Suddenly, those kids are wrestling with confidence. If you do something here in conference, you should feel like you're going to place at state."

Today's semifinals begin at 12:30 p.m. and the finals are scheduled to start at 6.

Brad Bournival is a freelance writer in North Royalton.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers try for their seventh NFL title in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, the key to their success is no secret -- stable, smart ownership.

View full sizeGene J. Puskar / Associated PressThe Rooney lineage at the top of the Pittsburgh Steelers was present at the conclusion of the AFC Championship victory over the New York Jets, as team president Art Rooney II and his father, Dan Rooney accepted the Lamar Hunt Trophy in a post-game interview with CBS' Jim Nantz.

DALLAS -- Ted Thompson knows your pain, Browns fans.

The executive vice president and general manager of the Green Bay Packers was a backup linebacker on coach Bum Phillips' Houston Oilers teams of the late-1970s. The Pittsburgh Steelers had three titles in hand when Phillips famously declared the door to the Super Bowl went through Pittsburgh and that his team would "kick the damn door in."

That door made of Pittsburgh steel never budged.

"We couldn't get past the Steelers," Thompson said. "We lost to them in the AFC Championship Game, I think, two years in a row. I don't think, I know we did. "Those doggone Steelers."

Three decades later, the door to the league championship is still guarded by the Steelers. They go for their league-high seventh Super Bowl title tonight. They won four in six years in their dynasty run in the '70s. Now they can claim their second in three years and third in six with a win over the slightly favored Packers built by Thompson.

Super Bowl XLV could be a classic. On Friday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said: "Packers. Steelers. It just sounds like football."

The Packers have won three Super Bowls and nine other NFL championships in what amounts to the prehistoric period of the NFL (pre-Super Bowl).

In a way, the Steelers have a prehistoric period, too. It was the first 36 years of their existence, in which they won nothing. And then there is their modern history, which begins in 1969 with the hiring of native Clevelander Chuck Noll as coach and the establishment of franchise excellence which they continue to enjoy.

Why are the Steelers so good for so long?

Not unlike any successful business enterprise, it all starts at the top.

"It goes back to ownership," said Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, one of numerous Pittsburgh natives in the organization. "It's the standard they set. They want us to compete for a championship every year."

The Steelers have had essentially one owner in 78 years -- the Rooney Family. Patriarch Art Rooney Sr., aka "the Chief," established the franchise in 1933. He eventually handed operations of the team to son Dan. Dan, 78, is now U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. He handed team operations to son, Art II, 58, the oldest of his nine children, in 2003.

View full sizeGene J. Puskar / Associated PressMike Tomlin is famously only the third Steelers head coach over the last 42 seasons in Pittsburgh, a sense of stability and continuity often cited as reasons for the franchise's success.

The Steelers believe that the same principles that worked in one generation will work in those that follow.

"You just always admire the consistency of the Rooney family," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who grew up in Pittsburgh during the Steelers' 1970s dynasty. "Their approach, it never changes. They've been running the same defensive system for almost 20 years. So they just have so much consistency how they acquire personnel, how they treat their players, how their organization is run. And I think that's a huge part of their success."

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said: "The record speaks for itself. They had in their formative years really some lean years, but I think once they got it, they've been at the top ever since. I think that speaks certainly to the management and the structure of the franchise."

The Steelers have had three coaches since 1969 -- Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. (In that same period, the Browns have had 12. That doesn't include three interim coaches.)

When commenting on the Steelers, former Browns owner Art Modell once related the story of the time he asked Rooney Sr. the secret to the franchise's success.

" 'I got lucky,' " Modell said Rooney replied. " 'I found a great coach [Noll] and a great quarterback [Terry Bradshaw] at the same time.' "

Pure dumb luck, right? Well, they've been rolling sevens for pretty much 41 years now.

"I think the key, really, is surrounding yourself with the right people," said Rooney II. "You have to have the right people to get the job done, and we've been fortunate over the years to have a lot of great players and great coaches and people like Kevin Colbert handling the draft.

"It's a lot of pieces that make it work, but certainly having the right people in the right spots is the key. That's something that goes back to my grandfather and my father. As they said, 'Keeping it simple and keeping the right people in play.' "

The continuity in coaching allows Colbert, as it did his predecessors, to more easily find the right players to fit the Steelers' system. The Steelers have been minor players in NFL free agency, which came into being in 1993. They have always believed in building their team through the draft.

"It goes back to the late '60s," said Rooney II. "My dad and my uncle, [former personnel director] Art Jr., started to become the guys running the franchise. When we hired Chuck Noll, I think they all believed that building through the draft was the right way to do it. That was kind of the point where the formula of having the draft be the foundation started. Everybody agreed that was the way to make it work."

And since ownership hasn't changed, that philosophy stayed the same.

"I don't think we're unique in trying to find good players that are good people," Colbert said. "I think every team searches for that. I think the biggest thing has been the continuity in the organization from an offensive and defensive philosophy.

"When you have that, you try to get good players in a scheme, and that scheme hasn't changed drastically over a number of years. We might draft a guy that might not be expected to contribute for two years."

The Steelers never panic.

"Obviously, the higher the pick, the sooner you're going to want them to contribute," Colbert said. "But if a first-round player doesn't play his first year, we're not panicked by that. [Safety] Troy Polamalu didn't start his first year. [Tight end] Heath Miller didn't. [Defensive tackle] Casey Hampton did. [Quarterback] Ben [Roethlisberger] did because of injury.

"We understand it's a transition, no matter how good they've been in college. And if you're running the same systems . . . for instance, look at our outside linebackers. When I got here [in 2000], we had Jason Gildon and Joey Porter. When Porter left, Clark Haggans stepped in. When Haggans left, James Harrison stepped in. Now it's Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

"That's just an example how the continuity lends itself to not having to put a guy in immediately. They learn under the guys playing. And the longer you can hold them out of playing, the better they'll be when they get in there."

Steelers receiver Hines Ward said: "They don't overreact if you have a down year. In the past, it seems like once you hit 30, you're kind of done with football. I remember when [cornerback] Rod Woodson blew his knee out [in 1995], and he went on to play [elsewhere] and had five or six more good years in him, and it kind of hurt [the Rooney family] for not really sticking with Rod.

"But coming into this past, maybe five or six years when coach Tomlin took over, we kind of kept our core veteran guys around. I think over the years, they just do a great job of keeping the veteran guys and building through the draft. We're really not going to go out in free agency and pay high money to bring somebody in. We like to stay within, and that's just always been the case."

It all comes back to the Rooneys.

"I've been in a lot of places," said Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "About 14 different cities and colleges, and there's nothing like the Rooneys.

"I look forward every day to go down and get coffee to see Mr. Rooney. I really miss him now that he's in Ireland. I truly do, because our players love him. He's out there all the time with them. He's walking through the locker room at all times.

"Our offices are all on one level. When players come upstairs, it's front office, sports information, coaches, teaching rooms. They're all on the same level, and it's family. I think that's what separates this organization.

"I don't know if anybody else can replicate it, because he got it from his father, and they're passing it down through the family. Everybody wants to do it the Steeler way, but I don't really know if you can."

Those doggone Steelers.