Utah quarterback Tommy Grady throws for 300 yards and seven touchdowns as the Cleveland Gladiators fall to 1-4 on the season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --So much for momentum.

The Gladiators failed to build off a stirring road victory last weekend, losing to the Utah Blaze, 57-40, on Saturday night at The Q.

An energetic crowd of 9,234 watched the Gladiators slip to 1-4 overall, 0-3 at home. The average margin of defeat at The Q is 20.

"We have to get our act together," Gladiators coach Steve Thonn said. "We're still a young team, but I thought last week would jump-start us to get some more wins. It's just disappointing, especially because we had a great crowd."

The previous Saturday in Philadelphia, the Gladiators shocked the Soul, 64-57, in overtime. Quarterback Brian Zbydniewski went 24-of-33 for 316 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for a score. He was the AFL's Offensive Player of the Week.

Against the Blaze, Zbydniewski went 20-of-38 for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.

" 'Z' wasn't as sharp as he normally is," Thonn said. "He tried to force a couple. I didn't think our receivers were as sharp, either. They didn't run really good routes. We were off offensively."

Utah's zone defense caused problems for the hosts.

"They had good defensive schemes, but we didn't execute at all offensively," Zbydniewski said.

The Blaze's offense proved to be decidedly more fluid behind the two-man game of quarterback Tommy Grady and receiver Aaron Lesue.

Grady, the reigning AFL MVP, went 30-of-42 for 300 yards and seven touchdowns. He was intercepted once -- on a heave into the end zone on the final play of the first half. Lesue caught 14 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns. Listed at 5-10, Lesue seemingly popped out of the turf to be open constantly.

"Tommy took advantage of what they were giving us," Lesue said. "My number happened to be called a lot."

The Gladiators did not want to get beat by 6-5 Mario Urrutia, who entered with a team-leading 30 receptions, 420 yards and 11 touchdowns. Urrutia finished with eight catches for 62 yards and two TDs.

"Lesue is good," Thonn said. "He made some great catches. A couple times, we were caught in zone. A couple times, he just beat our guy."

Lesue entered with 15 receptions for 239 yards and five TDs. He had missed two games because of injury.

"I can't tell you how nice it is to play with Tommy Grady, because his ball placement is so good," Lesue said. "He's going to put it where you can catch it."

The game got away from the Gladiators in the third quarter. The Blaze outscored them, 22-0, to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 49-21 rout.

Utah (2-3) scored on its three third-quarter possessions, each ending with a Grady TD pass. The Gladiators were intercepted on their first two possessions of the quarter.

"We should have been leading at the half," Thonn said. "Then we come out in the second half, knowing we have to do something . . . and we turn the ball over twice in the third. The offensive showing was disappointing."

DAYTON -- Nick Holley hopes his future football career at Kent State University includes more meaningful games than the one he played Saturday. It's unlikely, however, that he'll ever play in a game more memorable. Less than 24 hours after learning his mother had passed away, Holley helped the North to a 33-27 win over the South in the...

DAYTON -- Nick Holley hopes his future football career at Kent State University includes more meaningful games than the one he played Saturday. It's unlikely, however, that he'll ever play in a game more memorable.

Less than 24 hours after learning his mother had passed away, Holley helped the North to a 33-27 win over the South in the Division I-III game at the 68th annual OHSFCA North-South Classic at Dayton's Welcome Stadium.

Holley, a quarterback who led Toledo Whitmer to the Division I state championship game and a state semifinal win over Mentor, was informed Friday night during the Classic banquet that his mom had taken her own life.

"She had some (personal) stuff going on," Holley said. "It was a long process. She decided."

Holley played through the pain.

"I've faced a lot of questions today . . . 'Is your head in it?' . . . 'Do you want to play?' . . . 'What are you going to do?' " Holley said. "There was no doubt. I know she'd want me to play, so I did. I dedicated it to her. It was emotional."

Holley carried the ball a game-high 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Cleveland strong: Trailing, 21-14, at halftime, the North rallied behind a defense fueled mostly by Cleveland octane.

Glenville defensive back Chris Worley (Ohio State) was named the North Defensive Player of the Game after registering a team-high five tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Euclid's Linden Stephens and Solon's Darian Hicks (Michigan State) each had interceptions, while St. Ignatius' Kevin Kavalec (Boston College), Brecksville-Broadview Heights' Mike Taylor (Stanford) and Hudson's Ben Gedeon (Michigan) each had a sack and tackle for loss.

"We were limited in what we could do scheme-wise so that kind of hurt us," Worley said. "But I'm very proud of the defensive staff and players. We came back in the second half and played strong."

Said Tyler: "Our defensive front was from Cleveland and we all got real tight. We got it done. We're proud of what we did today."

Trifecta: When asked who on his own team impressed during practices, Hicks offered up Massillon Washington receiver Gareon Conley (Ohio State).

"I didn't think he was all that fast but when we went against each other in practice he got me a couple times," Hicks said. "I got him too, though. I'd say we were even."

Not exactly.

Hooking up with Massillon teammate Kyle Kempt on three touchdown passes, Conley was named the North's Offensive MVP. Kempt was the game MVP.

Hicks was stopped three yards short of taking his interception to the house.

"Thought I was going to score," Hicks joked. "It didn't happen."

Helping Hand: Kavalec's sack was of Dublin Coffman quarterback James Walsh. Why is that big? Both are headed to Boston College.

"When I met him at the dinner last night he told me that if I got a shot on him in the game to take it easy and help him up," Kavalec said. "It's funny that it actually happened."

Future Zip: Akron receiver recruit Austin Wolf (Lebanon) caught a 68-yard touchdown pass for the South. Wolf originally committed to Cincinnati before then-coach Butch Jones left for Tennessee. Speaking of the Vols, Wolf's cousin is Minster junior tight end Ethan Wolf who recently committed to Tennessee.

Thunder foot: During pre-game warm-ups (and with a stiff wind at his back) Copley's Joshua Brebant (Northern Illinois) made a 70-plus yard field goal.

Welcome back? Although the Dayton Public School administration double-booked Welcome Stadium and kickoff was delayed by an hour so a Special Olympics track meet could conclude, OHSFCA leaders said they plan to bring the games back to Dayton.

Eric Frantz is a writer for jjhuddle.com

  LaGrange, Ohio -- In eight short years, the Prebis Memorial Classic has established itself as one of the top high school softball events in Ohio.

LaGrange, Ohio -- In eight short years, the Prebis Memorial Classic has established itself as one of the top high school softball events in Ohio.

"You get in these tournaments to make your team better," said Elyria coach Ken Fenik after a 7-2 loss Saturday to North Canton Hoover in eight innings. "It's not about winning or losing. Rather, it's about having your team prepared when it really matters."

This year's 30-team Prebis field included seven entries from last year's Ohio High School Athletic Association state semifinals. The competition is rugged and few teams go unscathed, but that doesn't seem to matter much as coaches are tuning their squads for the OHSAA tournament.

"After we did expand it to 20 [teams], now we're at 30 and we're using two parks [eight diamonds]," said Keystone coach and Prebis director Jim Piazza, who captured his 300th career win Saturday in 11 seasons at the Lorain County school.

"Now we have teams from out of state asking to come," he said. "We're real proud of it."

Keystone has won three OHSAA titles and finished 32-0 last year, winning the Division II state crown.

"Our thing is strength of schedule, and then I can see where we need to make adjustments," said Walsh Jesuit coach Bill Davis after a 4-1 win against Strasburg. "We're all about trying to get ready for the tournament."

North Canton Hoover 7, Elyria 2 (eight innings): At LaGrange Community Park, the two-time defending state champion Vikings (20-0) snapped a 2-2 tie with five unearned runs in the eighth to defeat the Pioneers (13-3).

With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the eighth, the game hinged on a two-out, bases-loaded ground ball to Elyria shortstop Marie Masters.

There was some contact between the base runner leaving second and the fielder, and the ball rolled into the outfield, enabling two Vikings to score. Hoover junior shortstop Jenna Lilley followed with a three-run blast inside the right field foul pole to make it 7-2.

"Last year at state, I had the exact same thing happen, and I waited for the ball," Masters said. "This time, I had a flashback, and I knew I had to touch her. And I touched her, and it just wasn't in my favor."

Despite being hit by a pitch on her right index finger (throwing hand) in the second inning, Elyria pitcher Caitlyn Minney finished the game.

Columbus St. Francis DeSales 8, Brecksville 7: The Stallions rallied from an early 5-0 deficit and stunned the Bees in one of the most topsy-turvy games of the classic.

"I have to give [DeSales] a lot of credit," said Brecksville-Broadview Heights coach Rex Mack. "What really hurt us was our defensive play."

Using a combination of small ball and aggressive base running, DeSales struck for five runs in the top of the fifth and a 6-5 lead.

The Bees (12-3) took a 7-6 advantage in the sixth, when junior Perris Stevens clobbered an RBI double to the base of the fence in center field and senior Sydney Kimball drove Stevens home with a single to right.

In the seventh, DeSales reclaimed the lead, 8-7, when Elisa Curl and Leah Roten scratched out infield singles and both scored on an error.

Walsh Jesuit 4, Strasburg 1: Walsh sophomore shortstop Lilli Piper had three singles, scored two runs and turned in a gem of a defensive play as the Warriors (13-3) closed the 2013 Prebis with a win.

Sophomore hurler Taylor Rahach (9-3), feeling better after a sore back, went the distance for Walsh, yielding just two hits, fanning nine and walking three.

Jeff Brewer is a freelance writer from Green.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- For three straight years, Medina and Upper Arlington have proven themselves to be the best teams in Ohio. For three straight years, they have met in the Division I state championship game, with Medina coming out on top each time. Despite their tournament dominance, the Bees had lost their regular season game against the Golden...

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- For three straight years, Medina and Upper Arlington have proven themselves to be the best teams in Ohio. For three straight years, they have met in the Division I state championship game, with Medina coming out on top each time.

Despite their tournament dominance, the Bees had lost their regular season game against the Golden Bears in the past two years.

Medina got over that hump Saturday afternoon. Junior Amanda Rom scored two goals and goalkeeper Amanda Getto thwarted countless threats and Medina defeated Upper Arlington, 7-4, in the final game of the Cleveland Heights Invitational.

"We came out here and played our best," senior Megan Wolfgang said. "Now we can't do anything worse because we know how well we can play together."

The game was tied, 2-2, at halftime, but the Bees (7-0-1) quickly took control. Less than a minute into the second half, senior Sierra Thomas cut past an Upper Arlington defender and slashed a low shot past goalkeeper Hannah Panos.

Medina extended its lead to three goals, thanks to a strike by junior Kathryn Grenfell and Rom's second goal of the game, which was sparked when Thomas forced a turnover.

"We wanted to be strong and put them away early and then just possess the ball," coach Amanda Wilson said.

Though Medina had prepared well for Upper Arlington's stifling defense, Rom said the Bees still had to adjust once the game started.

"I don't think we knew it was going to be that physical at the beginning," Rom said. "But we caught on to it pretty fast."

New Albany 9, Hathaway Brown 8: Several hours before the Division I state championship rematch, Hathaway Brown and New Albany met in a rematch of last year's Division II state title game.

Hathaway Brown won last June's meeting, but came up short Saturday.

"It tells us stuff we need to work on," coach Meghan Brennan said. "Even though we knew the game they were going to play, we still didn't play well enough against that."

Junior Josie Strang led the Blazers with three goals.

Upper Arlington 7, Hathaway Brown 4: After taking a 3-1 lead midway through the first half, Hathaway Brown (7-3) was held scoreless for nearly 17 minutes as Upper Arlington scored five straight goals.

Medina 9, Toledo St. Ursula 4: In the Bees' first game of the day, they took a commanding five-goal lead into halftime and used the opportunity to get their whole bench some playing time.

Five different players scored for Medina, but Rom led the way with five goals.

Cleveland Heights 10, St. Ursula 1: Senior Kyra Schoonover scored five goals to lead Cleveland Heights to an easy victory against St. Ursula. Schoonoverscored the first goal of the game and the Tigers (2-6-1) never looked back.

Shaker Heights 9, Nichols School (N.Y.) 5: Shaker Heights (7-3-1) scored three goals in the game's final two minutes to pull away from Nichols.

Shaker Heights 10, Sewickley Academy (Pa.) 7: The Raiders began the day with a victory against the Panthers. Coach Allison Bradford said she is excited by her young team this season.

New Albany 12, Chagrin Falls 4: New Albany quickly took a five-goal lead in the first six minutes of the game and easily defeated Chagrin Falls (9-2).

Coach KC White said she hopes the Tigers (9-2) can learn from the defeat.

"My hope is our team takes the lessons we learned today and uses them to become the team we know we can be," White said.

Junior Lily Manchester scored two goals in the loss.

Chagrin Falls 15, Nichols School 5: Senior Kate Mackin scored five goals and added one assist to help Chagrin Falls to victory in its first game of the day.

Teddy Cahill is a freelance writer in Cleveland Heights.

Dominic Oduro, Josh Williams and Federico Higuain scored in the first half to help the Columbus Crew beat D.C. United 3-0 on Saturday night after a videoboard fire delayed the start 50 minutes.

 

The teams were warming up when the blaze broke out in the top of the videoboard in a speaker cabinet above the south stands about 25 minutes before the scheduled kickoff. Fans were cleared from the area and no one was injured, team president Mark McCullers said after the game.

McCullers said fire department marshals will be on site Monday to determine the cause of the fire and that no estimate of damage is known yet. The Crew plays at home May 4 and McCullers said contingency plans will be made if the 15-year-old videoboard, is inoperable.

"We should have some form of audio and video for the game, either our current scoreboard or some other situation," he said.

As for the game, Oduro put the Crew (3-2-3) ahead in the 15th, Williams scored off Higuain's corner kick in the 26th, and Higuain a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time.

The Crew had only one goal in the first half in the seven previous games.

"We came out pretty strong," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "We talked about scoring the first goal and start the game well and that's what we did."

The game might have turned in the 23rd minute when D.C.'s Perry Kitchen had his goal disallowed after he was called for a foul to nullify the equalizer.

"The call on Perry was wrong. It's 1-1," D.C. coach Ben Olsen said.

Williams then scored 3 minutes later with a half-volley off Higuain's corner kick.

"Even on a day when the referees are not on our side we still have to be good enough to win games," Olsen said. "This isn't about putting blame on the referees."

D.C. (1-6-1) has lost five straight.

The Cleveland Heights boys needed a good finish and the Tigers got it just in time to win their Ned Weingart Relays on Saturday by the slimmest of margins. While they did not win the finishing 4x400 relay, taking second place was good enough to give the Tigers a 104-103 win over Cuyahoga Falls, the Black Tigers settling for...

The Cleveland Heights boys needed a good finish and the Tigers got it just in time to win their Ned Weingart Relays on Saturday by the slimmest of margins.

While they did not win the finishing 4x400 relay, taking second place was good enough to give the Tigers a 104-103 win over Cuyahoga Falls, the Black Tigers settling for fourth in the last event.

Winning three relays and with individual winners in Jacquez Riggs in the 400 and William Robinson in the 300 hurdles, Glenville placed third with 95 points.

Cleveland Heights won the 4x100 relay and high jump relay, with Marcus McShepard second in the 100.

Yellow Jacket Relays: Midpark broke its three-man pole vault relay state record during the meet in Mount Vernon. Seniors Aaron Owens (15-0), Jerry Hopkins (15-0) and Branson Repasy (14-6) combined to total 44 feet, 6 inches. It bettered the 44-1 mark the Meteors had set last week.

Penn Relays: St. Edward finished second in the 4x100 relay and senior Aaron Zedella took third in the discus at the prestigious national meet at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

The team of Solomon Warfield, Shaun Crawford, Steele Wasik and Anthony Young clocked a 41.80, edged by Knightdale, N.C., in 41.78. Zedella's throw of 192-11 was bettered by Fedrick Dacres of Jamaica at 225-5.

With Mike Navratil replacing Warfield in the 4x400, the Eagles finished fourth in 3:21.55. Union Catholic from Scotch Plains, N.J., won in 3:14.00. St. Edward junior Wasik was 13th in the high jump at 6-3.5, with Jamaica's Christoff Bryan winning in 7-0.5.

Ranger Relays: Solon used all its depth to handle the field in Eastlake, putting up 158 points to second-place Mayfield's 81. Solon senior Kegan King won both the 110 and 300 hurdles, with the Comets also taking four field event hurdles.

Mayfield senior Caleb Mellon won the 800 for the Tigers. Willoughby South senior Kareem Hunt won the 100 and had top efforts in the high jump and long jump.

Poland Invitational: Austintown-Fitch won the team title with 73 points, but Euclid earned points in nine events to claim second with 65.

Euclid junior Jeremiah Peters was second in both the discus and shot put, with senior teammate Michael Coleman second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles.

The Panthers, who did not win an event, got points from senior Joe Farley, who was fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 200. Senior Tremell Jones was sixth in the 100 and led off the fourth-place 4x100 relay.

St. Vincent-St. Mary edged Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy for third place, the Irish scoring 56 points to the Royals' 54. SVSM junior Parris Campbell won the 100 in 11.24, besting Collinwood senior Demonte Brown at 11.55. Campbell was also on two second-place relays.

Triway Invitational: North Royalton won two relays, Sam Robinson took the long jump and the Bears used their overall depth to win the meet with 122 points, holding off Orrville at 98.

North Royalton got second-place finishes from Carl Lint in the 100, Nick Woods in the 200, Ben Esser in the 300 hurdles, Jay Stazie in the discus and Jason Bohland in the high jump to pile up points.

Girls track

Ned Weingart Relays: Cuyahoga Falls won five relays and two individual events on its way to 132 points, holding off host Cleveland Heights at 121.

The Black Tigers got a win from Nicol Waibel in the 300 hurdles and one-two finish from Liz Hoenigman and Madelyn Bauer in the 3,200. They were also victorious in the discus, shot put, high jump, pole vault and shuttle hurdle relays.

Cleveland Heights won all three sprint relays, the 800 medley and the long jump relay.

Buchtel's Emani Griffin won the 1,600, anchored the winning 4x800 and was fourth in the 3,200.

Ranger Relays: Solon senior Therese Haiss was involved in four winning efforts as the Comets dominated the Eastlake meet with 162 points. Shaker Heights was second with 97.

Haiss won the 800, 1,600 and anchored the winning 4x400 and distance medley relays. Junior Jelvon Butler won the 200 and freshman Louiza Wise took the 3,200. The Comets won four of the five field relays.

Shaker Heights sophomore Asya Reynolds won both hurdles.

Poland Invitational: Sophomore Imani Davis helped defending Division II state champion St. Vincent-St. Mary run off with the team title as the Irish totaled 99 points, with Canfield (48) and Austintown-Fitch (44) trailing by wide margins.

Davis won the 200 in 25.75 and was second in the 100. She led off both of the winning 4x200 and 4x400 relays, with senior Chelsea Laury anchoring in each of those wins.

SVSM senior Marissa Rossetti won the 3,200 in 11:15.

Triway Invitational: North Royalton fell just short of matching its boys team as host Triway won its meet with 123 points, the Bears settling for second place with 116.5.

The Bears got their lone individual win from Holly Dombrowski in the high jump. Their other top finishes were in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays.

Ally Palmer was second in the 800, with Dombrowski third, and Natalie Vidacs was second in the 1,600. The Bears also got a runner-up effort from Klaire Roggeman in the pole vault.

Baseball

Kenston 6, Chardon 5: Senior Dalton Yost knocked in three runs as the Bombers improved to 12-1 in the Cleveland Indians Charities Hardball Classic at Progressive Field. The Hilltoppers rallied from a 6-2 deficit in the sixth inning, but dropped to 5-8.

Eastlake North 1, Austintown Fitch 0: Jay Milo drove in the lone run in the fifth inning and pitched two scoreless innings in the second game at Progressive Field.

Stow 8, Boardman 7: Alex Damschroder hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh to win it for the Bulldogs (11-3).

Medina 7-3, Westlake 4-4: Cory Teachout had three hits, including a double, and scored two runs in the opener for the host Bees (9-7). Matt Leonard had three hits, including a double, for the Demons (9-7) in the nightcap.

Midview 9, St. Edward 4: Eric Lauer and Brett Gerbec each had three hits, with Lauer driving in three runs for the Middies, who scored five runs in the top of the first.

Walsh Jesuit 9, Nordonia 0: The Warriors (14-2) took care of business early as they scored eight runs in the first two innings of the nonleague game played at Canal Park.

Softball

North Ridgeville 4, Strongsville 3: Marissa Caraballo singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Rangers (9-5). She also had a solo home run to back the seven-hit pitching of Kailey DeMarco. The Mustangs drop to 7-3.

Medina 8, Cloverleaf 2: Madison Tata drove in two runs and scored three times for the host Bees (10-4).

AKRON and KENT, Ohio -- There were no real surprises for the Akron Zips or the Kent State Golden Flashes as both programs wrapped up their spring football camps with spring games. For Akron, the first-team Blue defeated the White, 16-7, behind one touchdown and three field goals, two from beyond 50 yards. For Kent, the first-team Blue defeated...

View full sizeKent State QB Colin Reardon drops back to pass as head coach Paul Haynes looks on Saturday during the Golden Flashes' jersey scrimmage in Kent.Mike Cardew, Akron Beacon Journal

AKRON and KENT, Ohio -- There were no real surprises for the Akron Zips or the Kent State Golden Flashes as both programs wrapped up their spring football camps with spring games. For Akron, the first-team Blue defeated the White, 16-7, behind one touchdown and three field goals, two from beyond 50 yards.

For Kent, the first-team Blue defeated the Gold, 31-0, as tailback Trayion Durham (12 carries, 80 yards) scored on a pair of 5-yard touchdown runs and freshman quarterback Colin Reardon made a strong statement with a 17-of-25 performance for 243 yards and a 45-yard TD throw to freshman William Woods out of Shaw.

Defensively, the Blue got four sacks from lineman Nate Terhune, plus a 12-yard TD interception return by defensive lineman Andrew Christopher out of Chardon. But the real focus was on pounding the football with Durham, particularly in the red zone.

"I wanted to make a point, no doubt," coach Paul Haynes said. "I don't care if [the defense] knows what is coming."

At Akron, most of the action was early.

Akron's first offense went 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown on its first possession, but it showed both the Zips' strength and its weakness. The strength was a solid passing game as starter Kyle Pohl (16-of-24, 144 yards 1 TD) completed a pair of third-down passes for the first-team offense, in blue. One pass went for a big first down and the other for a 9-yard touchdown to junior tight end Anthony Ritozza from Kirtland.

But the weakness was glaringly obvious as both pass plays came on third-and-1 and the Zips opted not to run for either, but to throw, indicating little faith, even in the spring, for the offensive line to get the job done, or the tailbacks to make a way out of no way.

Two possessions later, the White team did get a 1-yard touchdown run by junior Marvin Staten (nine carries, 93 yards, one TD) to tie the score, 7-7. After that, the White team threw a pair of interceptions, both picked off by junior defensive back Donte Williams. The Blue team failed to get anything out of the first as a 38-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Robert Stein was wide right. After the second pick, the Blue again failed to get a touchdown, but this time Stein, from Cincinnati, knocked through a 19-yard field goal for a 10-7 Blue lead.

The scoring remained that way until the end of the half, when Stein booted a 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining for a 13-7 lead for the Blue. Just to prove that was no fluke, the first score in the second half came on a 54-yard field goal from Stein to make it 16-7, Blue. And that proved to be the final score.

The missing link: While Akron coach Terry Bowden said his team is better now than last spring, and better at doing the basic fundamental things, one thing is missing.

"We still lack that big-play capability," he said.

On the hunt: Bowden made it clear after the spring game the Zips are not done adding faces. He said there will be "eight to 10" new faces coming by fall camps, either transfers, fifth-year players and/or JC transfers.

"We need more depth, quickly," Bowden said. And while he could not name names, he said there would be players coming to anchor both the offensive and defensive lines. "A couple of BCS transfers that have played are coming in," he said.

On the hunt II: Bowden has also made it clear since arriving last season he would welcome fifth-year transfers, and proved it with one-year quarterback Dalton Williams, who started his one season with the Zips. Bowden made it clear after Saturday's scrimmage he will gladly take a fifth-year quarterback again, even though he has praised sophomore Kyle Pohl as his No. 1 QB all spring.

"If we had somebody come in, Kyle Pohl needs to prove he can win that position," Bowden said. "He needs competition. He needs to win his position. If we bring someone in, and they can compete and start at that position, Kyle has two more years after that. The thing is, he [a transfer] better be pretty good, because I think Kyle is a pretty good quarterback."

Broadway Brian: The latest New York Jet, offensive tackle Brian Winters out of Kent State, hunkered down in a Cleveland hotel with his girlfriend, waiting to hear his name called for the NFL Draft. No family, just a bottle of water.

"I didn't want any noise or distractions," he said. "It was very stressful. I was edgy."

Winters, who was the cornerstone of a Kent offensive line that produced two 1,000-yard rushers last season, said Jets head coach Rex Ryan had some welcome words for Winters. "We want you to be our guy playing left guard."

Winters said he was welcomed by both the coaches and front office people with the Jets, and was asked "what quarterback do you think should start? I asked them, which one, there are six of them. They are all great quarterbacks, it depends on the scheme. It was an out-there question.

"At first it shocked me they would ask that kind of question. I'm a fan [of Tim Tebow]. Obviously [Mark] Sanchez is a great quarterback. And Geno [Smith] is a great quarterback, too. My dad said, I should have told them Joe Namath."

The Browns emerged from draft weekend with more firepower for the new defensive, no rookie quarterback to press Brandon Weeden, and a new veteran receiver in Davone Bess. Watch video

Browns CEO Joe Banner and Rob Chudzinski added weapons for this year and collected two picks for next year.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer 

BEREA, Ohio --  The inaugural draft of Browns CEO Joe Banner and general manager Mike Lombardi brought some more firepower for the new 3-4 defense, no rookie quarterback to threaten Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell, a starting receiver and the first trade with the Steelers in 45 years.

 All told, the Browns drafted five players, picked up two middle-round picks in 2014 and traded for Dolphins receiver Davone Bess, who will start or see significant action. The three players they drafted Saturday after trading their fourth- and fifth-round picks were Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter (175 overall), defensive end Armonty Bryant (217) and offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey (227).

 “We think of our draft as the five players we drafted today, plus Josh Gordon (from the second-round pick), plus Bess, plus two quality future draft picks,'' said Banner. "When you look at what did we take, before the (Colt) McCoy trade we had six draft picks. What value did we turn that into? It’s the Gordon, Bess, plus the players we picked, plus the two future assets that we’ve acquired. And hopefully we’ve made some good decisions with the undrafted guys.''

 But just because the Browns pushed some of their picks out to the future, Banner said, "Listen, we’re not asking for a free pass for this year. We expect to improve, we expect it to be conspicuous. We expect, as you look at the individual players we’ve added and the way that coaches bring them together, get them in sync and be better, we’re not saying that we don’t expect to be better. We’re not gonna reach all of our goals or fill all of our needs this year. But we think we’ll play exciting, aggressive football.''

 Day three of the draft began with a slow crawl as the Browns traded those first two picks: their fourth -rounder -- No. 111 overall -- to the Steelers their arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers for a third-rounder in 2014. They came back in the fifth round and traded the No. 139 selection to the Colts for a fourth-rounder in 2014.

 In making the trades, the Browns passed on a number of safeties and several big-name quarterbacks, including Oklahoma's Landry Jones and Arkansas' Tyler Wilson.

 The message seemed clear that the Browns were content to head into the season with Weeden as the intended starter and Campbell pressing him all the way. A report surfaced early in the say on NFL Network that the Browns were interested in Cardinals backup Brian Hoyer, but Banner declined to address it specifically.

 "Quarterback’s an important position,'' said Banner. "We're always gonna be open to looking at the position, we’re always gonna be evaluating everybody and every option there is to get stronger there, just as a matter of organizational philosophy.''

  Coach Rob Chudzinski said the quarterbacks didn't match up value-wise when the Browns were on the board, and that he's excited about what he has. Overall, they passed up all the big-name passers in Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib.
 
 "As far as the guys that are here, I want to see, and we want to give them every opportunity to improve,'' said Chudzinski. "They have the ability. We're excited about them as players to see them grow and see how they progress in the system. And we feel good about the group that we have.''

 He indicated Weeden is still the frontrunner for the job.
 
 "I’m excited about Brandon and I'm excited about the progress he's made thus far and learning the system, to the point we are right now, which is still very early,'' he said. "And I've also been pleased with Jason and the role he's taken in being there. We want to give these guys every opportunity to succeed, and give Brandon, specifically, since you’re asking about him, every opportunity to succeed.''

 Regarding the Steelers trade, it was the first time since May 14, 1968 when the Browns sent quarterback Bill Nelson to Pittsburgh that the bitter rivals executed a deal. The move happened a pick after the Giants jumped up one slot ahead of the Browns to nab Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib.

 Did the Browns trade out of the round because Nassib was gone?
 
 "That trade had nothing to do with it,'' said Banner. "It was made on our own board and our value.''

  Banner said he believes the Steelers initiated the trade, and that he had "multiple trade offers for that pick, including other teams offering the same thing. We felt like that was the best trade to make.''

 The Browns left a few decent safeties on the board in that trade, including one that the Steelers picked with the Browns' selection, Syracuse's safety Shamarko Thomas (5-9, 213), a projected third- or fourth-rounder. They also passed on Fresno State's Phillip Thomas, a highly-touted safety who went No. 119 overall to the Redskins.

  "I prefer trading within the division,'' said Banner. "You don’t make a trade you don’t think you’re winning, so if you’re winning a trade within your own division, you’re even better than winning a trade in another division. Obviously that can burn you from time to time, but if you look at Philadelphia, we traded Donovan McNabb. Everybody thought, what are they doing, they’re giving a quarterback to a team in the division. We felt we strengthened the Eagles and didn’t do anything to help the competitor. It didn’t matter who it was, but we’re not afraid at all of making the trade in the division if we think it benefits us.”

 The day three haul included a safety in Slaughter that's coming a torn Achilles tendon but should be ready in time for camp, a pass-rushing defensive linemen in Bryant that's overcoming a marijuana arrest in October and a offensive lineman in Gilkey who provides depth at tackle.

 “Bryant's an explosive, speed-off-the-edge, good-sized defensive end who can apply pressure to the quarterback,'' said Banner. "He’d be that type of player in our scheme. He can put weight on. He’s 265, somewhere in that range right now, and has a big frame and real raw. Through the course of looking into his background, we felt like he’s past his mistakes that he’s made and ready to move on and he’s matured.”

  Including free agency, the Browns added pass-rushers Paul Kruger and first-rounder Barkevious Mingo, explosive defensive end Desmond Bryant, and potential starters in third-round cornerback Leo McFadden, and sixth-round safety Jamoris Slaughter.

 "To a degree (the focus was on defense),'' he said. "We were trying to focus on players we thought made us better. The difference is on offense we think we have a lot of young guys we’re not quite sure what they’re going to be over time. We were inclined to give them time to see how they develop then we’ll be able to identify where we’re at. On defense, we felt it was clearer to identify the talent out there, the talent we had, match it up with the philosophy we want and make moves to make it even better. So it was a little bit of both.”

New draftee, Garrett Gilkey, is ready to contribute to the Cleveland Browns.

BEREA, Ohio -- Garrett Gilkey's conference call transcript provided by the Cleveland Browns.

(On if he feels more comfortable at guard or tackle) - "I think something that allows me to be versatile is that I played tackle in college and then at the Senior Bowl I played guard. So really I have the mindset that I was going to play guard. I'm ready to play either or, or both. I'm ready to be versatile."

(On what he expects in regards to the step up from Division II to the NFL) - "I'm very excited about it. It allows me to really reach the potential that I want to reach. Having the limitation of being in Division II, obviously, has its differences in competition, but I'm very excited about the step up. I think that there has been a knock on me for a long time because of my competition level. I have a chip on my shoulder and I'm as excited to be as successful as I can be and help get the Browns to a Super Bowl. It isn't anything that I'm intimidated about. I'm very excited about it. There is a lot of great opportunity and I'm ready to walk into camp and compete for a job."

(On having a heart operation and his appendix bursting while in high school) - "Going into my freshman year of high school I had a heart operation. I had a syndrome called WPW (Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome), which was easily fixed. I had a cardiac ablation that fixed my condition. It prevented me from participating in any athletic sports during my freshman year. It helped me excel academically. Actually, it was a rough year because I was bullied severely and I had a rough time. My parents decided to move me to Aurora Christian and that's how I got there, which is how I got to Chadron. With the appendicitis, my junior year, three hours before our first game in North Dakota, I had that. That was a big upset, and I walked into my junior year knowing that I had to go lights out and play very well. It was hard to bounce back from that, especially because I was out the first two games. I bounced back well and it's just very exciting because I had a good senior year."

(On playing with Joe Thomas) - "I'm excited, I'm very excited to learn from him.  He's unanimously considered the best tackle in the league.  I know he's one of the highest paid, he's one of the best tackles. I've actually looked up to him for a while. When he was drafted, he was drafted in the first round, but he was knocked down because of his arm length.  That's what a lot of people have knocked on me about, was my arm length as well.  But I couldn't ask for a better group of guys in the room.  I know Coach (George) Warhop is great, I was able to spend some time with him.  But I'm very excited to learn from the rest of the guys, to be a student of the game, to just grow in knowledge and wisdom of the game from the other guys in the room. Joe Thomas is a guy I'm especially looking forward to spending time with."

(On if he expected to be drafted) - "I was very confident after this years' performance. I wouldn't say it with any arrogance, but after this year at Chadron and then my different opportunities, post-career, at the Senior Bowl and the Combine, I felt very confident with my performances. I had a level of confidence that kind of assured me that I was going to get drafted."

(On if he knew the Browns were interested in him) - "Absolutely. I was very fortunate.  I met with Coach (George) Warhop at the Combine, sat down with him.  Then he also came to my high school and worked me out a few weeks ago. I had the opportunity to be a student of the game from him, to learn some of the schemes of the offense and just going over terminology and the run-pass style.  Then we went out on the field at my high school and did some foot work and did some different agility drills.  Just spending time with him, I knew there was a good chance for a late round pick with the Browns.  I'm very excited."

(On playing basketball for Chadron) - "In 2010, a few guys got kicked off of the team for drug related issues. They wanted to bring a big guy on that had character and someone who has a work ethic, someone who is going to work hard and contribute to the team, not be an individual and not be selfish. They decided to bring me on half way through the season to be the team player and to contribute to the team and work hard and practice hard and back up our starting center.  I was very fortunate to play in the last nine games. I played in every game that I was on the team.  I actually scored four points, which is really cool.  My football bio says something about being an All-American, but most notably known for his 16 minutes of playing time with the CSU basketball team where he received eight fouls.  So I definitely took the pride in the physicality of playing basketball. It's quite the venue to bring fans though."

Armonty Bryant was surprised that he was drafted.

BEREA, Ohio -- Armonty Bryant's conference call transcript provided by the Cleveland Browns.
 
(On what he brings to the table as a player) - "What I bring to the table is just a relentless attitude. I want to get to the quarterback and I want to make a big play. I feel like I'm that guy who you can count on. I want to be that person, that when we're in a hard situation, you can come to me and say we need this. I feel like I can be that guy that goes out there and deliver."

(On his collegiate journey) - "Out of high school I started at Abilene Christian, where I redshirted my first year. I had some academic issues. I ended up transferring down the street to a Cisco Junior College where I played my first year of football. After that year, I transferred to East Central where I finished up my collegiate career."

(On his arrest and what can he tell the Browns to help them feel that he won't be a problem) - "Good people make mistakes, is something that I've always been told by my head coach. I feel like it was just a stupid move on my part. I should have been more mature about the situation and be more focused on football, which is something I really want to do with my life. Now that I've gotten that second chance, I feel like I won't let anyone down. I won't let myself, the people around me or the Cleveland Browns down. I appreciate them for taking this chance on me."

(On his health) - "I feel like I'm 100% right now. I just had a minor tweaking after the Texas vs. Nation All-Star game. I feel 100% right now, no issues whatsoever now."

(On if he had a torn labrum) - "I tore my labrum at the end of junior year and had surgery in January going into my senior year. Since the surgery, everything has been fine. I just had a minor issue, but I haven't had a problem since."

(On if he is an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense) - "I'm wherever they want to put me. Honestly, I've only played defensive line. I've played linebacker a couple of times. I love putting my hand in the dirt and getting off the ball and getting to the quarterback. If they want to put me at linebacker by all means, I'm game for it. I'm willing to learn anything and do anything to help my team win."

(On if he expected to be drafted) - "No sir. I expected to be a free agent and hopefully someone took a chance on me."

(On how much time the Browns spent with him before the draft doing background checks) - "A lot of questions, little questions like why, when did it happen and what made you do it. Stuff like that. As soon as we got past that, I think they got a little sense of what type of person I actually am. They just felt like I made a mistake."

Leon McFadden converted from wide receiver to cornerback at San Diego State.

BEREA, Ohio -- Leon McFadden's press conference transcript provided by the Cleveland Browns.

(On what he knows about the Browns) - "I know that the team has a great fan base. Since 1999, it has been kind of tough, but the fans have stuck by their side.  I keep hearing about this 'Dawg Pound' and that's something I want to be part of.  I'm looking forward to that and I'm just excited to be here."

(On why he chose football over baseball) - "I just loved playing football, I'm very passionate about it.  Baseball was the first sport I started playing obviously, because my dad played professional baseball.  But, he didn't push me to it.  He let me live my own dream and he's happy for me."

(On his father playing in the MLB) - "He played four years in the majors and four years in the minors."

(On competing for a starting job at right cornerback) - "I'm just going to come in and compete and give my all. Show my butt off and from there, we're going to see what happens."

(On how closely he paid attention to mock drafts) - "I really didn't pay attention to the mock drafts or any drafts like that, because of the fact that anything can happen.  I never talked to the Cleveland Browns.  I had no idea that they were interested in me. I just let it play out.  I saw it, but I didn't buy into it."

(On watching the draft Thursday and Friday) - "I didn't just sit there in front of the TV. I was watching it with my family here and there, watching some of the guys I was training with go. I was proud of them."

(On taking advantage of playing in the Senior Bowl) - "I definitely took full advantage of that.  Going down to the Senior Bowl, I wanted to just prove that the Mountain West Conference is in the shadows of the bigger conferences and there are players in the Mountain West.  That was my task and I accomplished it."

(On if he has heard from any of the current Browns defensive backs) - "No, I haven't talked to any of those guys yet."

(On if he is looking forward to meeting them) - "I'm looking forward to it. Getting advice from the older, veteran guys and just trying to learn the whole system."

(On the Mountain West Conference being good prep work for NFL as a defensive back) - "(It's) Definitely good prep work.  In that conference, they want to throw the ball a lot.  You don't run into teams that just run the ball, pound for pound.  Only the academies that we play, they would do that.  Other than that, I think it has prepared me a lot for going against teams that like to throw the ball."

(On what he goes by Lee or Leon) - "I go by Lee, as well.  You can go with Lee."

(On what game depicts what type of player he is) - "The San Jose State game this previous year.  That was just the game that I got my hands on a lot of balls.  They tested me a lot throwing the ball, so that could really show my coverage skills."

(On his speed) - "Yeah, I have some speed (laughs)."

(On when he stopped playing baseball) - "High school, I stopped in high school."

(On when in high school he stopped playing baseball) - "I stopped my junior year and I focused on football. That's what I wanted to do."

(On any word of advice from Brian Sipe) - "Yeah, Brian Sipe left me a voicemail last night.  I got to it kind of late, so I'm going to call him later this evening at an appropriate time.  He was pumped up, you could tell by the tone of his voice on the phone. He's happy for me."

(On how well does he know Brian Sipe when he was at San Diego State) - "I would stop by his office every time I would go upstairs to the coach's office and we would just talk a little bit about football. (We) talked a little bit about the Browns through this process, but like I said, I had no idea that I would be coming here. When my name got called yesterday, I know he was jumping for joy like yeah, another Aztec with the Browns."

(On if he knew about Brian Sipe being NFL MVP in 1980) - "Yes, I did know that. We did talk about that. We talked about a lot of tradition back at San Diego State and he would always give those speeches about tradition."

(On playing both ways in high school, why did he go to San Diego State and saying if he would play receiver) - "Funny you'd ask that. One of the reasons why I went to San Diego State was because they offered me to play receiver. Three days into my freshman camp, Coach Hoke told me he wanted to try me out (at corner). I could have an opportunity to start as a true freshman, so I said why not, I'll play corner. I had experience in high school. It's a lot faster game in college but, I did it, I never looked back and I'm not regretful of the choice I made."

(On if he is a wide receiver playing cornerback or a true cornerback) - "I'm truly a cornerback."

(On his evolution from a 160 lbs. freshman to now) - "I was 162 when I got there. The first year I played at 165 and I gradually gained weight. (I was) 170 the next year, 185 and then last year I just played at 190-192. It was just the weight room and eating consistently. Our weight room coaches always had a weigh-in every week, so we had to meet those standards."

(On if he played inside as well as outside as a corner) - "No, I only played left corner, inside. We run a 3-3-5 defense so we always had nickel guys in. So, I never played nickel."

(On if he noticed the Browns taking a long time to make a pick today and his thoughts on it) - "No, I didn't notice. I was traveling on the plane so I didn't pay attention to any of that. I was worried about getting here, so I didn't pay too much attention to it."

(On if it was true that he liked disrupting quarterback drills at San Diego State) - "Oh yes, that's definitely true. Defensive backs, we like getting into quarterback's heads, so that's what we did."

(On if the coaching staff told him the type of style they like their corners to play) - "Press and off. It just depends on our opponent and the personnel we were playing against. If you were a boundary corner you would press, it would just depend on the whole scheme of that week."

(On new Browns coaching staff telling him the styles they'll play) - "Both press and off. So, I'll see how much of each they will do."

(On his conversations with Ray Horton today) - "Basic information right now. I'm going to go much more in depth when I go back and talk to him."

(On his impression of Ray Horton) - "Yes, I think he is a good guy. I mean, like I said, when I go talk to him right now I'll have a better feeling of him."

From a business sense, I understand why the Browns traded the picks. But I still wish they had drafted more players.

1. From a pure business standpoint, a case can be made that if you can turn a fourth-rounder in 2013 into a third-rounder in 2014, you do it. Even if it means trading with Pittsburgh. And the same is true if you can turn a fifth-rounder in 2013 into a fourth-rounder in 2014, as the Browns did in their deal with the Colts. That does give the Browns six picks in the first four rounds of 2014, nine total selections.

2. I also know most fourth-and-fifth round picks don't become starters, much less stars. But there are gems in the lower rounds, not just sixth-rounder and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. Even with the Browns and their spotty (to put it kindly) recent draft history, Jerome Harrison (2006), Kaluka Maiava (2009), Lawrence Vickers (2006), Billy Winn (2012), Buster Skrine (2011) and Jason Pinkston (2011) were picked in the fifth round or later. All have started some games. If healthy, Pinkston is projected to start at guard this season. Skrine will be in the nickel coverage defending slot receivers. Winn is a significant part of the rotation on the defensive line.

3. In 2011-12, the Browns had four picks in the fourth round: Travis Benjamin, Owen Marecic, James-Michael Johnson and Jordan Cameron. Marecic is a miss, but the other three are viable players heading into 2013.

4. My point is the Browns need an influx of talent -- I know, that sounds brilliant. But after the trades with the Steelers and Colts, the draft delivered only two players in the first 174 picks: Barkevious Mingo and Leon McFadden. The front office talked of assets and building, but the fan in me says, "Man, the Browns need some players...right now."

5. ESPN's Mel Kiper on the Browns draft: "At No. 68 overall, they took Leon McFadden, a much-needed CB who knows how to operate on an island. As I look at the depth chart, I don't see a reason why McFadden can't break camp as the starter across from Joe Haden. That's not a small deal because it also maximizes Buster Skrine, who will be able to spend more time in the slot, where he's much better."

6. While LSU's Tyrann Mathieu received lots of attention because of his speed and troubles off the field, I looked at three different scouting reports along with talking to former Browns general manager Phil Savage (now an Alabama radio voice) -- and all four sources said the Honeybadger was best as a "nickel back" and return man. In other words, he's not like Haden, who defends wide receivers by himself.

7. Hope Kiper is right on McFadden, because the Browns cornerbacks are Haden, Skrine, McFadden and Trevin Wade. Only Haden has more than two years of experience. Kiper gave the Browns a "C-plus" for the draft. He grades on a curve, as no team received lower than a C-minus. I think it's dumb to put a letter grade on drafts, so I refuse to do it. But a draft can be critiqued for its general approach, and the Browns approached this draft with one eye on next season.

8. The Browns made some good moves in free agency such as signing Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant, both immediate starters. Free agent outside linebacker Quentin Groves will compete with Jabaal Sheard and Mingo for the other outside linebacker spot. But it's easy to imagine defensive coordinator Ray Horton having three of his outside linebackers on the field at the same time to produce a powerful pass rush.

9. Be it their draft or free agency, the Browns approach is measured. They had no desire to overpay for free agents, or draft picks. It's just hard on the fan base where the team has either been 4-12 or 5-11 in each of the last five seasons.

10. A nice move for this season was trading for Davone Bess. Adding a veteran receiver has been a need for years. Give CEO Joe Banner and General Manager Mike Lombardi credit for targeting Bess. They knew Miami spent big money on receivers Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline, making Bess available. The price was almost nothing, swinging middle-round picks for a guy who has averaged 64 catches over the last five years.

11. This from Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald: "Bess’ story is one of perseverance. Big schools overlooked him because of his size (5-10, generously) and his checkered past (he spent more than a year at a juvenile facility as a kid after running afoul of the law). But he got a shot at Hawaii and flourished. Bess went undrafted out of college, but earned a training camp shot with the Dolphins. Five years later, he has nearly 3,500 career receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Bess also emerged as one of the most likeable people in the Dolphins’ locker room."

12. An impressive part of Bess with the Dolphins is he consistently caught more than 60 passes a season, and did it with four different starting quarterbacks: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore, Chad Henne and Chad Pennington. Obviously, the Dolphins believe Bess wouldn't play much this season. But the door is wide open for even an average NFL receiver with some leadership skills to mentor Josh Gordon, Greg Little and Benjamin.

The Indians will have two chances to get in the win column as they take on the first-place Royals in a day-night doubleheader in Kansas City. Justin Masterson and Corey Kluber get the starts.

Games 21 and 22: Indians (8-12) at Royals (12-8) doubleheader

First pitches: 2:10 p.m. and 8:10 p.m.

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, 2:10 p.m.; WMMS FM/100.7, WTAM AM/1100, 2:10 p.m. and 8:10 p.m.

Pitchers: Game 1—RHP Justin Masterson (4-1, 1.85 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 3.86).

Game 2—RHP Corey Kluber (1-0, 1.80) vs. LHP Will Smith (0-0, —).

Box score | MLB scoreboard

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Baseball Note: Games start at 4:30 unless noted and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

Baseball

Note: Games start at 4:30 unless noted and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

AKRON CITY SERIES

Akron North at Kenmore, 4:15

Buchtel at Ellet

CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Chagrin Division

Chagrin Falls at Kenston

Metro Division

Beachwood at Richmond Heights

Valley Division

Berkshire at Kirtland

Fairport at Cardinal

LAKE ERIE LEAGUE

Lorain at Bedford

NORTH COAST LEAGUE

Blue Division

Archbishop Hoban at Benedictine, 5

PATRIOT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Crossover

Lutheran West at Black River

Oberlin at Brookside

PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

County Division

Woodridge at Garrettsville Garfield

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

Avon Lake at Amherst Steele

Berea at Westlake

Brecksville-Broadview Heights at Olmsted Falls

WEST SHORE CONFERENCE

Bay at Lakewood

NONLEAGUE

Akron Garfield at GlenOak

St. Vincent-St. Mary at Barberton

Softball

Note: Games start at 4:30 unless noted and are subject to weather and field conditions. Contact the host school for updates.

AKRON CITY SERIES

Akron North at Akron Garfield

Kenmore at Buchtel

CHAGRIN VALLEY CONFERENCE

Chagrin Division

Aurora at West Geauga

Chagrin Falls at Perry

Independence at Kenston

Metro Division

Cuyahoga Heights at Beachwood

Hawken at Richmond Heights

Wickliffe at Orange

Valley Division

Cardinal at Berkshire

Kirtland at Harvey

LAKE ERIE LEAGUE

Bedford at Lorain

Maple Heights at Warren G. Harding

NORTH COAST LEAGUE

Blue Division

Beaumont at Archbishop Hoban

Lake Catholic at Padua, 5

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at Walsh Jesuit, 5

White Division

St. Peter Chanel at Holy Name

Villa Angela-St. Joseph at Cleveland Central Catholic

Warren John F. Kennedy at Trinity, 5

NORTHEAST OHIO CONFERENCE

Lake Division

Brush at Garfield Heights

Normandy at Parma

River Division

Cuyahoga Falls at Solon

Valley Division

Brunswick at Strongsville

North Royalton at Shaker Heights

Elyria at Medina

PATRIOT ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Crossover

Columbia at Keystone

Fairview at Wellington

Lutheran West at Black River

PORTAGE TRAIL CONFERENCE

County Division

Mogadore at East Canton

Waterloo at Woodridge, 4:15

Windham at Garrettsville Garfield

Metro Division

Field at Coventry

Kent Roosevelt at Norton

Ravenna at Springfield, 4:15

Crossover

Rootstown at Southeast, 4:15

Streetsboro at Crestwood

PREMIER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Chardon at Riverside

Eastlake North at Geneva

PRINCIPALS ATHLETIC CONF.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy at Manchester

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

Berea at Midpark

Brecksville-Broadview Heights at Avon Lake

North Olmsted at Amherst Steele

Westlake at Olmsted Falls

SUBURBAN LEAGUE

Copley at Green

Revere at Cloverleaf

Tallmadge at Highland

Wadsworth at Nordonia

WEST SHORE CONFERENCE

Elyria Catholic at Midview

Lakewood at Bay

North Ridgeville at Avon

Rocky River at Vermilion

NONLEAGUE

Cornerstone Christian at Andrews Osborne Academy

Hathaway Brown at St. Vincent-St. Mary

Open Door at Max Hayes, 4

Track

Gilmour Academy Triangular (Benedictine, Gilmour Academy, New Day Academy), 4

Holy Name at Clearview, 4:30

The Indians' offense once again failed to report for duty as Jeremy Guthrie pitched the Royals to victory in the first game of a day-nigh doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It stopped raining. The sun came out, but the Indians' offense still refuses to bloom.

Jeremy Guthrie threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday as the AL Central-leading Royals
shut out the Indians in the first game of a day-night doubleheader, 9-0, at Kauffman Stadium. The Indians have scored three or fewer runs in 14 of their 21 games this season.

Guthrie, the Indians No.1 pick in 2002, is 8-0 since Aug. 8 with the Royals. In that span, he's made 16 straight starts without a loss to set a club record.

Justin Masterson (4-2) struck out a season-high nine batters, but he was picked apart by the Royals' hitters. He allowed seven runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The seven runs were as many as Masterson allowed in his first five starts of the season. His ERA jumped from 1.85 to 3.12.

"I threw some good pitches and I threw some bad ones," said Masterson.

In Saturday's 3-2 loss, the Indians didn't score until Michael Brantley tripled with two out in the ninth. Sunday even Brantley couldn't save them as they were shut out for the third time.

On this three-city trip, the Indians are hitting .265 (18-for-68) with runners in scoring position. Take away their 19-6 victory over the Astros on April 20, and they're hitting .152 (7-for-46) with runners in scoring position.

When asked about the Indians' offensive problems, manager Terry Francona said, "I understand that, but it doesn't change how we'd approach this game. Whatever happened in the first two weeks of the season happened. Whatever happened in the first game (Sunday), we've got to come out and find a way to win the second game.

"We certainly try to think of ways where we can get better. But those type of stats won't matter going into the second game."

The Royals hurt Masterson with two out in the second and fourth innings.

Masterson started the second with consecutive strikeouts, but walked Mike Moustakas, who came into the game hitting .152. Jeff Francouer and Jarrod Dyson followed with consecutive doubles for a 2-0 lead.

In the fourth, Masterson retired Eric Hosmer and struck out Salvador Perez before again walking Moustakas. Francoeur followed by bouncing an infield single off the plate and Dyson singled for a 3-0 lead.

"I think there was a force field around the strike zone for Moustakas' first two at bats," said Masterson. "I couldn't put it there. I have no clue why. It's unbelievable."

In the fifth, Alcides Escobar hit a first-pitch homer to left for a 4-0 lead. It was just the second homer Masterson has allowed this season in 40 1/3 innings this year.

"When Masterson worked ahead, and got to two strikes, I thought his stuff was electric," said Francona. "The second and fourth innings he walked Moustakas on four pitches both times and that led to four runs.

"Then Escobar ambushed him on a first-pitch fastball. That happens. . .I think the walks to Moustakas were big."

The Royals, who have won seven of their last eight games against the Indians at Kauffman Stadium, put the game away with three runs in a messy seventh. Chris Getz opened with a single to short. Alex Gordon moved him to third with a single to center and Escobar delivered him on a force play at second.

Masterson walked Billy Butler before surrendering an RBI single to Hosmer to make it 6-0. Matt Albers, working for the second day in a row after not pitching since April 8, relieved and loaded the bases by hitting Perez. He forced home the third run of the inning with Moustakas' third walk.

The Royals completed the scoring against lefty Scott Barnes, on a day pass from Class AAA Columbus to give the Tribe an extra arm for the doubleheader. Gordon hit a two-run homer off Barnes in the eighth.

Guthrie struck out five, walked three and allowed six hits. He is 3-2 against the Indians.

He combined on the eight-hitter with Tim Collins and Luke Hochevar.

The loss dropped the Indians to a season-high five gave off the pace in the Central.

Francona said Ervin Santana and Guthrie, the Royals starters in the first two games of this series, have the Indians hitters stuck in an "in-between' hitting mode.

"The last couple of days they've established their secondary (breaking) pitches for strikes and have enough on their fastball where you have to respect it," said Francona, "and we're caught in between."

If you're one of the Indians players who gets paid to swing the bat, it is not a good place to be. Asdrubal Santana, in case you're interested, led offense with three hits.

In a draft that at best can be graded as incomplete, one clear fact is that Joe Banner placed a huge bet -- on himself. And he's confident he made the right play.

View full sizeWhy is this man smiling? It just might be because Joe Banner knows he's smarter than everyone else in the room.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NFL draft grades are piling up in one of the most ridiculous excerises in sports.

Especially this time around in Berea where the Browns downgraded their "War Room" status to "Detente Central."

A draft as incomplete as the one purposely crafted in Berea over the weekend invites being measured in a completely different way.

The Browns deserve something between a solid "Huh?" and your basic "Must be over my head."

Here's what's clear: with this draft, Joe Banner has upped the ante. As he has all along -- in hiring a first-time head coach and limiting the powers of a traditional GM -- Banner is betting big on himself.

He's even betting against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an area (defense) where they own a rather impressive track record.

You can talk about how the Browns, in separate deals with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, played simple odds in trading two middle-round picks for higher picks in 2014. The math favors them.

But they still have to cash those picks. Delayed gratification is only as gratifying as the end result.

Banner seems bent on proving he's not only the smartest man to make picks in Berea recently but also in Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati.

There's something to admire in his self-assuredness. You'd just feel better if the fingerprints on talent procurement during his Philadelphia days were more easily traceable to him, not Andy Reid.

In a pre-draft news conference Banner professed an affinity for trading down based on his Philly experience. Then he stayed put at No. 6 (with deals on the table) to take LSU's Barkevious Mingo.

Mingo has the speed to become a dynamic game-changer. He made sense over corner Dee Milliner.

Good corners can greatly impede passing games. But matched against the biggest and most dynamic wide receivers in the game, even good corners (who are so often significantly shorter) are fighting a mismatch. Disrupting the quarterback is a surer thing.

Mingo arrived in Berea Friday, turned sideways and disappeared. He looks more like an NBA small forward. He'll have to put on weight and he'll have to make the transition to linebacker but he's hardly the only projection to go in the Top 10 of this draft.

Banner could've made a trade, reclaimed the second-round pick used on Josh Gordon and perhaps still come away with Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones. Jones going to Pittsburgh instead only makes Banner's decision more intriguing.

Banner more directly engaged Pittsburgh by trading with the Steelers in the fourth round, clearing the way for the Steelers to draft a position (safety) of need for both teams.

Not only did the Browns' team president shrug off doing business within the division, he welcomed it as an opportunity to help yourself and hurt your rival. That's bold, given the Browns' two biggest rivals.

Especially given how the last major draft day deal with a rival went -- Haloti Ngata to Baltimore -- you'd feel better about Banner's approach if his GM was, say, Ozzie Newsome.

This deal with Pittsburgh made more sense than that one with Baltimore if only because the downside for the Browns isn't as dangerous in the middle rounds.

I didn't have a problem with Banner and Lombardi passing on troubled Tyrann Mathieu (Honey Badger) and later taking a flyer on a player (Armonty Bryant) convicted of selling marijuana. The seventh round is where you take risks.

Overall, we're left with the impression the Browns didn't think 2013 was a particularly good year in quality or quantity.

Or they wanted surplus picks to help offset what first- and second-round picks they might have to give up in a deal for a franchise quarterback in 2014.

Joe Banner left us guessing. Just not about how much confidence he has in Joe Banner.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had to leave a start in Columbus in the fourth inning with an undisclosed injury, but the Clippers went on to defeat Pawtucket, 6-5.

View full sizeDaisuke Matsuzaka, shown here in Cleveland Indians spring training in Arizona, had to leave a start Sunday in the fourth inning for Class AAA Columbus due to an undisclosed injury. Mark Duncan, Associated Press 

Class AAA: Columbus 6, Pawtucket 5 Starter Daisuke Matsuzaka cruised through three innings before being pulled in the fourth because of an undisclosed injury, but the Clippers hung on late to beat the host Red Sox. David Huff (2-1) got the win in relief for Columbus. Preston Guilmet retired the Red Sox in order in the bottom of the ninth for his eighth save.

Class AA: Akron 7, Binghamton 5 The visiting Aeros banged out four home runs in a win over the Mets. 2B Jose Ramirez (.253), 1B Jesus Aguilar (.280), RF Carlos Moncrief (.225) and LF Quincy Latimore (.253) went deep for Akron. Kyle Landis (1-1) blew the save but picked up the win.

Class A Advanced: Frederick 10, Carolina 5 Top prospects CF Tyler Naquin (.319) and SS Francisco Lindor (.326) had two hits each but it wasn't enough as the Mudcats fell to the host Keys. Frederick knocked around Carolina starter Jacob Lee (0-2) for six earned runs in one and two-thirds innings.

Class A: Kane County at Lake County, ppd The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Monday starting at 6 p.m. Both games will be seven innings.

Manager Terry Francona says he would rather wait until after a roster move is made to discuss who the Cleveland Indians will start against Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Clubhouse confidential: The Indians still need a starter for Wednesday against the Phillies at Progressive Field. They could recall Trevor Bauer from Class AAA Columbus, but manager Terry Francona would not discuss the situation before Sunday's day-night doubleheader against the Royals.

"I don't mind you asking, but that's not a healthy way to do things," said Francona. "Anytime it entails a roster move, I just think it's a more respectful way to handle it when you're supposed to handle it."

Dish-pan hands: Recently Nick Swisher has had his left (throwing) shoulder wrapped after games. He's been playing a lot of right field since Michael Bourn went on the disabled list after playing first base almost exclusively during spring training, so that may explain it.

Manager Terry Francona said Swisher isn't crazy about the idea of bouncing between first base and right field and the toll it takes on his body.

"It's hard on him and I understand it," said Francona. "He does it and admire it and appreciate it. . . . He made the comment to me the other day, 'Sometimes you have to do the dishes.' Good comment. He tries very hard to do what's best for this team."

Stat of the day: The Indians started Sunday's doubleheader as the worst defensive team in the AL with a .981 fielding percentage.

Catcher/utility man Yan Gomes is back with the Cleveland Indians after Lou Marson was placed on the disabled list Sunday with a sore shoulder.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Yan Gomes really did leave and he really is back.

The Indians recalled Gomes and left-hander Scott Barnes from Class AAA Columbus before Sunday's day-night doubleheader against Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium. It's only a day trip for Barnes, but Gomes will be around for awhile because reserve catcher Lou Marson returned to the disabled list with a sore right shoulder.

Gomes was optioned to Columbus on Wednesday when Marson was activated. Marson is back on the DL with a sore right shoulder that manager Terry Francona said has been bothering him since spring training. Getting run over at the plate by Tampa Bay's Desmond Jennings on April 6 didn't help Marson's condition.

"Lou is battling a couple of things," said Francona. "One, his neck hurts [from the collision] and his throwing routine was thrown off. We told him, 'This isn't fair. His strength is catching and throwing.' We need to try and get him back to that."

Gomes, who hit .211 (4-for-19) with a triple and two homers in six games with the Tribe, was hitting .300 (6-for-20) with four doubles and three RBI at Columbus.

The Indians sent Gomes down because they wanted him to play every day. They feel he can be a starting catcher in the big leagues, but he still needs development. Now he'll have to learn mostly by observing as he plays behind the hot-hitting Carlos Santana. Gomes is not complaining.

"It might seem like a difficult thing, but I feel like you're going to get your best experience by being up here," said Gomes, who caught the second game Sunday. "You just can't take it like being a backup guy. You've got to work hard every day, talk to the pitchers every day, hit every day as if you're playing every day."

Gomes played 43 games with Toronto last season as a jack-of-all-trades. He says he hasn't perfected the ways of a bench player, but he feels more comfortable doing the job.

"It's about being able to come off the bench and not try to do too much," said Gomes. "Just do what you're supposed to do at that time."

Barnes filled the role of the 26th player that every team is allowed to use in a doubleheader. He entered the first game Sunday and helped contribute to Kansas City's 9-0 victory by allowing a two-run homer to Alex Gordon.

He was scheduled to be optioned to Columbus after the doubleheader.

I'm sorry: Jason Kipnis apologized to Francona and his teammates for not running out a dropped third strike Saturday with the tying run at third base and two outs in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium.

He not only apologized, but he Tweeted it as well.

"I Tweeted it because I got three text messages from unknown numbers calling for my head," said Kipnis. "And I will not change my phone number. I like my phone number."

In the Indians' 3-2 loss, Michael Brantley had just hit a two-run triple against closer Greg Holland. With Brantley on third, Kipnis swung and missed to strike out, but catcher Salvador Perez dropped the ball.

Kipnis never moved out of the box as Perez recovered the ball and tagged him to end the game.

"I apologized because I can't look up in the air," said Kipnis, who said he didn't see the ball get away from Perez. "The play wasn't over. When it's a curveball down, I have to see if it got by [the catcher].

"I would have been out. It wouldn't have changed anything."

Kipnis still has some explaining to do to Brantley. He apparently shattered the wooden batting tee in the visitor's batting cage at Kauffman Stadium. Brantley was needling Kipnis before Game 1 Sunday, asking him to replace the tee because he really liked hitting off it.

Unpleasant sight: Gomes was behind the plate for Columbus last week when Carlos Carrasco was hit by a line drive in the right elbow in a game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"It was ugly," said Gomes. "I thought he got hit in the face because of the way he landed on the ground. He was in a lot of pain, man."

X-rays on Carrasco's elbow showed a deep bruise, but not structural damage.

Finally: The Indians are lobbying MLB's scoring committee to see if they can get Santana an extra hit. In the second inning Saturday, his sharp grounder to third baseman Miguel Tejada was called an error. . . . Michael Bourn (right index finger) played catch between games on Sunday.

No more Leaders and Legends divisions in Big Ten football. Beginning in 2014, it will be East and West. Ohio State will be in the East along with Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Rutgers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- By realigning its divisions and announcing a coming switch to a nine-game conference schedule, the Big Ten on Sunday officially fixed a recent misstep and then took a page from its past.

Everyone knew it was coming, only needing the final approval of the conference presidents.

Still, it was a big day for the Big Ten.

The division fix, which will go into effect in 2014 when Rutgers and Maryland join the league, gets Michigan and Ohio State in the same division, eliminating the possibility of a potential immediate rematch of the regular season finale in the Big Ten title game, and scrapped the clunky names and supposed competitive balance of the Leaders and Legends divisions for simple, logical geography.

In short, it did what a lot of fans thought should have happened when Nebraska came aboard and the Big Ten first went to divisions in 2011. The league even said it listened to a fan survey the Big Ten Network did in December.

See. It wasn't that hard.

The nine-game conference schedule is a bold but necessary return to 1984, the last time Big Ten teams played nine conference games instead of eight. League athletic directors discussed jumping from eight games to 10 but decided that was too much to ask. But as the league grows to 14 teams, nine games had to happen. Otherwise, the league risked being a conference in name only, with some teams missing each other for too many consecutive years.

In this nine-game setup, which will commence in 2016, each team will play the six other teams in its division and three of the seven teams from the other division. And the schedule will be composed in a way that every team plays every other team at least once in a four-year span.

With the moves, the mistakenly monogrammed 14-team Big Ten will make as much sense as it can given its size. When coupled with the four-team NCAA playoff that will begin in 2014 as well, the wandering, wavering ways of college football in recent years will have led to a setup that should satisfy those looking for competitive, traditional, meaningful Saturdays of college football.

It's a lot of change in one chunk. So here are some points to remember:

The East is Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana. The West is Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota and Purdue.

Ohio State is currently in the weaker Leaders Division, with only Wisconsin and Penn State as legitimate threats. In the new setup, the East should be stronger than the West. But OSU fans should welcome that – that's more good games each year.

The only cross-division protected rivalry in the entire conference will be Purdue-Indiana. Otherwise, the new divisions save the games that had to be saved.

The Ohio State-Illinois Illibuck series will be played far less often. And the burgeoning Ohio State-Wisconsin rivalry, which was heightened by the current division setup, will evaporate. But Bret Bielema's already gone anyway.

This season will be the last of the current 12-team Leaders and Legends divisions and the last chance, maybe forever, for Ohio State and Michigan to meet in the Big Ten title game. And that's good.

In 2014 and 2015 the 14-team league will still play an eight-game schedule, meaning teams will only play two cross-division games those years.

Starting in 2016, one division will play five conference home games and four conference road games. The other division will play four home games and five road games. The East, including Ohio State, will play the five home games in even years, starting in 2016.

Five conference road games half the time was a bitter pill for a lot of schools to swallow. But it had to be done. What it means is that Ohio State's major nonconference foe will rotate the opposite way of the conference schedule. For instance, Ohio State is scheduled to play at Oklahoma in 2016 and host Oklahoma in 2017. That fits with this schedule setup.

Expect Ohio State to keep that one major nonconference game. In fact, the conference wants every Big Ten team to schedule a major nonconference foe like that.

So, in 2016, Ohio State will have to drop one of the three other scheduled nonconference opponents – Bowling Green, Tulsa and Central Michigan.

Expect that model to be what Ohio State maintains. After the major nonconference foe, the other two nonconference games each year will be at home because the athletic department needs seven home games a year for budget purposes.

What's lost then? Some of the unique games Ohio State has played in the nonconference, like at Browns Stadium against Toledo in 2009, and the game in Baltimore against Navy that will kick off 2014. When 10 of your games are in the Big Ten and a major nonconference foe – five home and five away – those type of games probably have to be sacrificed in the name of home games. But that's OK.

There hasn't been talk for now of divisions in any other sports.

The Michigan-Ohio State game will be enhanced by this setup, rather then potentially lessened by a looming rematch in the conference title game. It's hard to imagine a year when at least one of the two teams won't be in contention for the Big Ten championship game going into the last game of the regular season. Some years, The Game could serve as a de facto semifinal, with the winner headed to the title game. Other years, one team will have a chance to spoil the other's bid for the postseason. Either way, everything great about this game should only get better.