Salem hosts West Branch for title

SALEM — The Eastern Buckeye Conference football title as well as bragging rights will be on the line when West Branch visits rival Salem tonight.

West Branch is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the EBC. The Warriors have clinched a share of a sixth straight EBC title.

Salem needs a victory to gain a share of its first league title since 1994. The Quakers are 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the EBC.

Both teams have already qualified for the Division IV playoffs that open Nov. 1.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. today at Sebo Stadium. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate with cash or online. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for students.

Clippers get another win

COLUMBIANA — The Columbiana football got another win without playing Thursday.

The OHSAA ruled in the afternoon 14 games canceled during the seasons would be forfeits rather no contests.

The Columbiana at Valley Christian game scheduled for Oct. 4 that was canceled due to a safety threat is one of those games. The night before, Valley school officials said three former students arrived at the practice field and confrontion ensued involving a gun. Seven Valley starters were suspended for the next game at United.

Columbiana is now 6-3 and has a five-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game at Lisbon.

A list of the games that were ruled forfeits with the benefiting team named first:

Week 1: Dayton Northridge/Stivers; Canal Fulton Northwest/Norton.

Week 2: Revere/Garfield.

Week 4: Fairport Harding /Cardinal; New Middletown Springfield/Waterloo.

Week 5: Fayetteville/Lockland; Reidsville Eastern/Sciotoville.

Week 7: Columbiana/Valley Christian; Medina Highland/Barberton; Glenville/East Tech; Rhodes/Lincoln West.

Week 8: John Adams/Lincoln West; Harvest Prep/Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.

W10: Northland/Beechcroft.

Scott returns for Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott is eligible for the World Series roster after being removed from the NL Division Series roster.

Scott — a 2012 graduate of Howland (Ohio) High School — had an emergency surgical procedure to remove an abcess from his lower body and said he is feeling good now.

“It’s just kind of trying to get a grasp on the doctors giving him the full kind of green light, the go-ahead,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I know that he’s anxious, which is a good thing, but fortunately, we get to see for a couple more days how he responds to throwing and bullpens and things like that.”

The 31-year-old left-handed reliever leads the Dodgers with 23 saves, but he had a 4.74 ERA in 61 appearances and led the majors in blown saves with 10. Fans groaned and booed at times when Scott came trotting out of the bullpen.

“I feel a lot better now,” Scott said. “Threw a couple bullpens, see where it takes me.”

He hasn’t pitched in nearly a month, but he’s unconcerned about any rustiness. “Playoff energy is different,” he said.

Scott signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in January.