Title on the line in Salem

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 extra 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:

W1: Dayton Northridge/Stivers; Canal Fulton Northwest/Norton

W2: Revere/Garfield

W4: Fairport Harding /Cardinal; New Middletown Springfield/Waterloo

W5: Fayetteville/Lockland; Reidsville Eastern/Sciotoville

W7: Columbiana/Valley Christian; Medina Highland/Barberton; Glenville/East Tech; Rhodes/Lincoln West

W8: John Adams/Lincoln West

W8: Harvest Prep/Akron St. V-M

W10: Northland/Beechcroft

Scott eligible for World Series

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.

Brungard gets another national award

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State junior quarterback Beau Brungard was named the FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Brungard had a spectacular performance in Saturday’s 40-35 win at Illinois State, piling up a school-record 528 yards of total offense. He passed for career-high 328 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. His 200 yards on the ground were the most in the FCS last weekend.

While no FCS comparisons of his 300-200-yard performance are readily available, he joins Jayden Daniels (LSU), Malik Cunningham (Louisville) and Marques Tuiasosopo (Washington) as Division I players to accomplish the feat in a single game in college football history.

The Penguins return home to face Murray State at 2 p.m. Saturday for homecoming at Stambaugh Stadium.

Oklahoma installing padding on walls

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma is installing padding around Owen Field after receiver Keontez Lewis ran headfirst into a brick wall three weeks ago.

A school spokesman confirmed padding will be added to both end-zone walls and the sideline walls outside the team bench areas in time for Saturday’s game between No. 13 Oklahoma and No. 8 Ole Miss.

Lewis was injured in the first quarter of Oklahoma’s 44-0 win over Kent State on Oct. 4. A pass by Michael Hawkins Jr. was a bit overthrown, and Lewis’ momentum took him into an unpadded section of the wall behind the end zone. He was carted off, prompting concerns from fans.

Most of the wall was not padded, and it is close to the field boundaries. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables had said the plans for the change were in the works within days of the injury.

Lewis played the next week against Texas, but missed Saturday’s 26-7 victory over South Carolina. He is listed on the SEC injury report as doubtful for this Saturday’s game.