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WARRIORS, POTTERS IN POLL
West Branch is ranked 12th in Div. IV in the latest Associated Press state football poll. The Warriors (8-1) clinched a share of the Eastern Buckeye Conference title with last week’s win over Alliance and are set to host rival Salem (8-1) on Friday.
East Liverpool got one vote in Div. IV and is ranked 21st. The Potters (7-2) have a chance to clinch a share of the Buckeye 8 Big School title if they beat Brooke on Friday at Patterson Field.
In Div. V, Northeast 8 leader Girard (9-0) is fifth, while Cardinal Mooney (6-3) is ninth.
In Div. VI, South Range (8-1) sits in fourth place, while Mineral Ridge (9-0) is 13th. The Rams play at 8-1 McDonald on Friday. The Blue Devils are ranked 14th in Div. IV.
YSU THIRD
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State is ranked No. 3 in the first FCS Committee Rankings released this season, the highest ranking in program history.
The Penguins are 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. They head into a bye week before hosting No. 6 North Dakota on Oct. 31 at Stambaugh Stadium.
The MVFC has four teams in the top 10: Youngstown State, No. 5 South Dakota State, North Dakota and No. 8 South Dakota. Illinois State was among others receiving votes.
Montana State is No. 1, followed by Tarleton State, Youngstown State, SFA and South Dakota State. North Dakota is sixth, followed by Northern Arizona, South Dakota, Austin Peay and Harvard.
The rankings are the first snapshot of where teams stand through Week 7. The second release will be Nov. 5 during the College Football Live broadcast at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. Final playoff selections will be made Nov. 22.
YORK RETURNS
NEW YORK (AP) -- With his suspension over Tuesday, 49ers owner Jed York was in attendance for the NFL fall owners meeting.
York was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after being arrested in a prostitution sting in East Palestine, Ohio, in August. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors but was still punished by the league and stayed away from the 49ers during their 6-0 start.
York didn’t attend the owners’ meetings in Atlanta the week of his arrest.
GECINA HONORED
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Westminster College junior Brooke Gecina has been named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.
Gecina averaged 6.38 digs per set and totaled 10 service aces last week for 1-1 Westminster. She had 35 digs and five service aces in Wednesday’s five-set loss at Allegheny, marking her sixth match of the year with 30-plus digs. Gecina had 16 digs and five aces in Saturday’s three-set win at Waynesburg. Her 5.99 digs per set average leads the PAC.
She is the daughter of former Crestview High School standout Brian Gecina and was the team MVP twice at Aurora High School.
Westminster (13-9, 4-2 PAC) will will host Saint Vincent at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
OAK GLEN ADVANCES
NEW MANCHESTER, W.Va. -- Oak Glen’s girls soccer team posted a 9-0 win over Magnolia on Monday night in a Class AA-A Region 1 quarterfinal.
Bailey Watts led the Bears with four goals and two assists. Kendall Krzys had two goals and an assist. Brianna Polly had a goal and two assists. Angelina Polly added a goal and an assist. Anna Tomsic had a goal. Camryn Richards had two saves in goal.
Oak Glen (14-7) will host Weir High (6-10-2) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in a regional semifinal.
BEARS GEAR UP FOR REGIONALS
ST. MARYS, W.Va. -- Oak Glen’s cross country team will compete in the West Virginia Class AA, Region 1 championship on Saturday at St. Marys High School.
The girls race will be held at 11 a.m. and the boys at 11:45 a.m.
The state meet is set for Oct. 31 at Cabell Midland High School.
STEELERS ADD RECEIVER
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Marquez Valdes-Scantling is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers signed the veteran wide receiver to their practice squad on Tuesday ahead of a trip to Paris to take on New Orleans.
The 32-year-old Valdes-Scantling spent a portion of the 2025 season in Pittsburgh, catching 10 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in five games before adding three receptions in a first-round playoff loss to Houston.
Pittsburgh is in need of help at wide receiver after Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson were both placed on injured reserve in the past week, leaving little experienced depth behind DK Metcalf and rookie Germie Bernard, who combined for 22 catches in a comeback win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
The Steelers are Valdes-Scantling’s third team in less than two months. He was released by Dallas in late August then signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in September, catching two passes for 22 yards in three games before being released last week.
Valdes-Scantling has a history with Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers going back to their time together in Green Bay. Valdes-Scantling had 123 receptions in four seasons with the Packers from 2018-21.
HARRIS RELEASED
NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Giants released running back Najee Harris on Tuesday, 48 hours after he had just two carries for 4 yards in a 34-27 loss to New Orleans.
In the locker room afterward, Harris was critical of his role with the team, saying it was impossible for anyone to get into a rhythm without a steady workload.
Coach John Harbaugh, around the same time, voiced his displeasure that no one had stepped up to be the lead running back. Told Monday of Harris’ comments, Harbaugh said he understood the sentiment.
“Also understand that that’s earned,” Harbaugh said. “I respect that he said that. I mean, I get it. Shoot, that’s how we all want it. That’s for sure, and I respect that he would want that.”
Harris, who is coming off a torn left Achilles tendon and signed with the Giants late in training camp, rushed for 99 yards in five games this season, an average of 3.2 yards an attempt.
The 28-year-old started against the Saints on Sunday when Harbaugh and his staff reduced Cam Skattebo’s role after the second-year running back fumbled in overtime at Washington the previous week. It is unclear how the Giants plan to split the responsibilities among Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary this weekend at Houston.
Before the injury last year, when he was with the Los Angeles Chargers, Harris had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with Pittsburgh.
FORMER BROWN RELEASED
(AP) -- The Tennessee Titans have released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, the team announced Tuesday.
Elliott’s departure came five days after his involvement in an incident at the team’s facility, the team said in a statement.
“On Thursday, October 15, there was an incident at our team facility involving Jordan Elliott,” the statement read. “Following our review of the incident, we have made the decision to release Elliott from our roster. We will have no further comment on the matter.”
Elliott appeared in five games this season with one start and had 11 tackles.
The 6-foot-4 defensive tackle was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2020 draft. He spent his first four seasons in Cleveland before signing a two-year, $7 million deal with San Francisco.
PENGUIN HOSPITALIZED
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel was being evaluated at a Salt Lake City hospital on Tuesday after having a medical emergency on the team’s flight home from a four-game trip.
The club said the 19-year-old Kindel had an unspecified issue shortly after the team’s plane took off from the Salt Lake City airport on Tuesday.
The plane returned to the airport while Kindel was tended to on the flight by the team’s medical staff. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Utah hospital.
The team said Kindel was conscious, alert and stable.
Kindel, in his second season with the Penguins after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 draft, has two goals and two assists in nine games. He played 18 minutes, 53 seconds in a 5-4 loss to Utah on Monday night.