Author: theparknews

It’s finally happened: The 2024 college football season has officially begun.Week 0 was just the appetizer, a tasty one with Georgia Tech’s upset win and Montana State’s big upset over New Mexico, but things really get exciting this weekend with three matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25.There are 21 games scheduled for Thursday, including tough home games against Colorado and perennial FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, plus six games scheduled for Friday before the action really gets going on Saturday. Here are the must-see games this Labor Day weekend. All times are Eastern Time and all games…

LAWRENCE — Playing the Powerball lottery. Pulling a slot machine handle. Putting money on horse races: all these forms of gambling offer dangerous opportunities for quick cash.But new research shows there are significant differences between online sports betting and other legal forms of gambling.”We’re finding that people’s household balance sheets are being significantly shaped by the rise of online sports betting,” said Kevin Pisciotta, an assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas.Kevin PisciottaHis new working paper, “Gambling Losses Stability: The Impact of Sports Betting on Vulnerable Households,” shows that online sports betting not only leads to increased gambling…

Check for the latest informationWomen’s VolleyballBattle of the ValleyHARRISON TOWNSHIP – Fox Valley Lutheran College won the Battle of the Valley, 4-0, at The Barn at Lake Park.Xavier and Oconto Falls finished second and third, respectively.In pool play, the Foxes defeated New Holstein 25-7, 25-7 and Howards Grove 25-21, 25-23. In the gold bracket, FVL defeated Xavier 25-18, 25-22 and Oconto Falls 31-29, 17-25, 15-10.For Fox Valley Lutheran, Riley Schmitz led the team with 48 digs and 12 assists. Hannah Uhlenbrack had 16 kills, Amara Yahner had 18 digs and Brianna Stewart had 12 kills and 10 blocks. Alaina Patchett…

Robert Garrett enters his 37th season as head coach at Crenshaw. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)Take a look at this week’s top high school football games:ThursdayCrenshaw (0-0) vs. Gardena (1-0), 4 p.m.This is Crenshaw coach Robert Garrett’s 37th season. The school has 549 students, but Garrett continues to make progress. The Cougars still need time to get their roster to 20 or more players. They’ll face a tough matchup against defending Marine League champion Gardena, who beat Crespi 14-7 last week. Predict Gardena.FridayOaks Christian (1-0) vs. Sierra Canyon (1-1), 7 p.m.This is an important game if either team wants to make…

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The fees you pay to play or participate vary by district, from a few hundred dollars per sport to nothing at all.”At the high school level, it’s $200 for the first sport and $50 for each sport after that,” said Jeff Casella, Mentor High School athletic director.Mentor instituted a Pay for Play policy nearly 20 years ago, and in Twinsburg, which has implemented Pay to Participate since budget cuts in 2012, the district calculates it differently.”That represents 30 percent of the cost of operating our activities, 30 percent of the cost of athletics, 30 percent of…

The offseason saw significant changes for several NFL teams, which could make NFL office pool picks tricky heading into Week 1. Chicago drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick and he has one of the best groups of receivers in the league. The Bears also made some improvements defensively late last season, which is why they are favored by 4.5 points over Tennessee in the Week 1 NFL odds. This is the fourth-largest spread on the NFL schedule for Week 1, so oddsmakers are expecting a lot of close games.Picking a tight spread can be difficult, but so…

Now, that leaves just 53. On Tuesday, all NFL teams had to whittle down their 90-man offseason rosters down to an opening group of 53 players. Even if some players perform well over the summer, the congestion on various rosters can negate their efforts. That said, just because a player isn’t selected to one of the 32-man opening rosters doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for him somewhere in the NFL. Tuesday’s deadline will be marked by players being waived or released, but it will provide a way to continue roster construction as we approach Week 1. With that in…

Michigan Tech defensive back Hunter Buechel plays against a Ferris State player during a game at Kierley Stadium in Houghton on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (David Archambeau/Courtesy of The Gazette)HOUGHTON — Ask Michigan Tech Huskies special teams coordinator Phil Milbrath why special teams are important to the football team and he’ll give you a quick and simple answer.”The big thing we preach here, and I think a lot of the big programs as well, is that special teams is a direct reflection of the culture of the team,” he said, “because there are a lot of things you can control,…

Above: Makayla Rowley hits a serve over the net during a non-conference volleyball match against Martin County West in Trimont. TRIMONT – The Fairmont Cardinals fell to 0-2 on the season thanks to a late comeback from the Martin County West Mavericks in a non-conference volleyball match on Tuesday night. The Mavericks won 25-20, 26-28, 23-25, 25-14, 15-5 at Trimont Elementary School. The Cardinals started slow in the first set, falling behind as the Mavericks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Fairmont was never able to build on the lead, never getting closer than 17-14…

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) — A sports facility in Duluth is set to undergo major renovations, but before the work gets underway, residents are being given a chance to have their say.Over the past few years, the Duluth Parks and Recreation Department has been working to reshape the local sports scene.”Some of our partner communities are further along than we are,” said Jessica Peterson, manager of the City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department.To achieve its goal of revamping sport in Northland, the City has launched the Venues Reinvestment Initiative, which will guide investment of more than $30 million…