Leetonia to host Northern 8 title

The Northern 8 Football Conference reached an agreement to have the 2025 state championship game played at Leetonia High School on Nov. 8.

The league sent a press release on Tuesday morning.

In the release, it was stated that the league hopes to “provide more exposure to the game by playing it in eastern Ohio.”

Sebring and Chalker are members of the Northern 8.

YSU men’s golf finishes 6th in W. Va.

Huntington, W. Va. — The Youngstown State men’s golf team opened its 2025-26 season with a sixth-place finish in the two-day Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational, which concluded on Tuesday from Guyan Golf & Country Club.

The Penguins concluded the event at six under par with a three-round team total of 846, which ranks as the second-lowest 54-hole performance in program history. It is the lowest 54-hole team score for the Penguins since recording a school-record 835 at the IPFW Fall Classic in 2007-08.

YSU opened its fall campaign with a 280 (-4) before carding a 278 (-6) in Monday’s second session. The Guins closed the tournament with a final-round 288 (+4) to finish tied for sixth in the 15-team field. YSU’s second-round 278 ranks as the fifth-lowest 18-hole performance in program history. It was the lowest single-round team score for the Penguins since posting a 276 at the Bucknell Invitational during the 2021-22 season.

Playing as an individual, Michael Porter (McDonald) tied for 21st to come in as YSU’s top finisher. The redshirt junior finished with a career-best three-round score of 211 (70-71-70). Porter’s one-under-par 70 in the opening round featured nine pars and five birdies while his final-round 70 included 11 pars and four birdies.

Ryan Sam finished tied for 26th with a three-round total of 212 (70-72-70). The senior’s first-round 70 featured 13 pars and three birdies while his final-round 70 included 11 pars and four birdies.

Rocco Turner finished tied for 31st with a career-best three-round score of 213 (71-71-71). The sophomore fired a career-low, even-par 71 in the first round that featured nine pars, four birdies and an eagle on the par-five No. 8. Turner went on to card six birdies in the second session and three birdies on the back nine during the final round of action.

Jordan Kish finished tied for 39th with a career-best three-round total of 214 (71-69-74). The sophomore turned in a career-low, two-under-par 69 in Monday’s second round that featured 10 pars and five birdies. Kish eagled the par-four No. 3 during the final round of play on Tuesday.

Ayden Richmond finished tied for 48th with a career-best three-round score of 216 (68-71-77). The redshirt junior opened the season with a career-low, three-under-par 68 that included nine pars and six birdies. Richmond posted five birdies during an even-par round of 71 in the second session on Monday.

Nolan Shilling finished tied for 54th with a three-round total of 217 (77-67-73). The redshirt sophomore’s career-low, four-under-par 67 in the second round featured 12 pars and five birdies as he fired a three-under-par 33 on the front nine.

Eastern Kentucky claimed the tournament title at 25 under par with a three-round team total of 827. Murray State finished as the runner-up with an 837 while Ohio, Dayton and Marshall each tied for third place with an 842. YSU finished tied for sixth with Purdue Fort Wayne while Cleveland State placed eighth.

Cleveland State’s Brody Simms earned medalist honors by two strokes at 10 under par with a three-round score of 203 (69-69-65).

NFL has highest return rate since 2010

A small tweak to the kickoff rule led to a big increase in kickoff returns in the first week of the 2025 season.

Teams returned 75.6% of kickoffs in Week 1 for the highest rate in any week since the 2010 season, the last time the kickoff spot was at the 30-yard line.

The league moved kickoffs to the 35 the following season and the return rate dropped from 80% in 2010 to 53.4% in 2011 as kickers could reach the end zone for touchbacks.

The return rate kept dropping and reached a record-low 21.8% in 2023, leading to the decision to adopt the so-called dynamic kickoff last season.

The first year of the experiment led to a modest uptick in returns, with the rate rising to 32.8% last season, while reducing the rate of injuries on the play.

The rule made kickoffs more like scrimmage plays by placing the coverage players and blockers close together to eliminate the high-speed collisions that had contributed to so many injuries on the play. The league said the rate of concussions dropped 43% on returns, with a significant reduction as well in lower-body injuries.

By moving the touchback to the 35 this season, the league projected that the return rate will rise to somewhere between 60% and 70%, with a similar increase in long returns, adding more excitement to the game.

The average drive start after a kickoff return was the 29.5 yard line in Week 1 compared to the 29 for all of last season, according to Sportradar. The bigger gap in starting position following the average of return compared to a touchback is leading to teams kicking the ball short of the end zone more often.

Judge to hear MW-PAC 12 lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in California has heard arguments in the Mountain West Conference’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Pac-12 over $55 million in “poaching fees.”

Judge Susan van Keulen was not expected to make a ruling on the case on Tuesday.

“The Pac-12 Conference will continue to move forward with our legal action against the Mountain West Conference,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We appreciate the Court’s consideration of the issues at today’s hearing, and we will await its decision. We remain confident in the strength of our position and remain focused on advancing the academic excellence, athletic achievement, and tradition that have defined the Pac-12 for more than a century.”

The Pac-12 and some of the schools it has added have filed legal actions, claiming the poaching clause the league agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid. The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million-plus exit fees schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.

Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are set to join the Pac-12 starting in 2026.

The Pac-12 filed its federal antitrust lawsuit against the Mountain West last year and requested Tuesday’s hearing on the motion to dismiss after the two sides failed to reach an agreement through mediation.