By Associated Press PHILADELPHIA » Cole Hamels didn't hit any Washington batters this time, and the Nationals hitters barely touched Hamels.
By Lynn DeBruin
Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY » Mention the Western Athletic Conference to Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards, and he thinks back to Brigham Young's 1984 national championship with a junior quarterback named Robbie Bosco and a team that wasn't even ranked when the season started.
By Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. » Jerome Williams kept throwing strikes and inducing ground balls until the Minnesota Twins were finally out of outs.
By Associated Press Hawaii's Ryan Dolan failed to wrap up the men's Olympic spot in the 200-meter race at the U.S. kayak trials Friday. He led most of the way, but Tim Hornsby of Atlanta passed him in the final 10 meters to win by eight-hundredths of a second.
By Doug Ferguson AUGUSTA, Ga. >> The rarest shot in golf can happen any time Bubba Watson has a golf club in his hands.
By Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS » Colts general manager Ryan Grigson got the center he wanted to anchor Indianapolis’ rebuilt offensive line — and it’s not Jeff Saturday.
By Mike DiGiovanna / LA Times Jerome Williams was on the fence about playing winter ball until he walked five batters in 4 1/3 innings Sept. 13 at Oakland, uncharacteristic for a control pitcher who had 10 walks in the other 39 2/3 innings he threw for the Angels last season.
By Doug Ferguson
Associated Press PALO ALTO, Calif. » Michelle Wie did not go to Stanford to play golf, at least not the game that brought her worldwide fame as a teenager.
By Associated Press NEW YORK » Navy is headed to the Big East, giving up more than 130 years of football independence.
By Associated Press AFC Championship » Opening line — Patriots by 7 1⁄2
NFC Championship » Opening line — 49ers by 1
By Associated Press The Rose Bowl is a living archive of football tradition. Every year, teams participate in the same oceanside pep rallies, Disneyland visits and Hollywood beef-eating extravaganzas before those flowered parade floats glide down Colorado Boulevard right before the game.
By Associated Press Sparked by Victor Cruz, New York's newest football star, the Giants won the NFC East title Sunday night by beating the Dallas Cowboys in their showdown in the final game of the regular season.
By Associated Press NEW YORK » Tom Brady is one of eight Patriots and Patrick Willis one of eight 49ers to make the Pro Bowl, the most on each roster.
By Nancy Armour
Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. » Memories matter more to Manti Te’o than material things.
By Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates » American teenager Lexi Thompson has a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Dubai Ladies Masters after making a birdie putt on the 18th for a 2-under 70 on Friday.
By Todd Dvorak
Associated Press BOISE, Idaho » Running back Robert Turbin knows exactly when and how the season turned for Utah State.
By Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates » American teenager Lexi Thompson has taken a two-shot lead after the second round of the Dubai Ladies Masters.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Lotta Wahlin shot a 6-under 66 Wednesday to take the clubhouse lead in the first round of the Dubai Ladies Masters, one stroke ahead of Becky Brewerton of Wales.
By Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates » Michelle Wie is looking for a strong finish to a season she calls "a work in progress" after being hindered by injuries and tinkering with her swing.
By Associated Press TORONTO » The Toronto Raptors have agreed to terms with free-agent guard Anthony Carter.
By Associated Press Eight suspensions, more apologies. Players from Cincinnati and No. 8 Xavier received the consequences of their on-court brawl that left both programs with a black eye.
By Associated Press Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o says he will return for his senior season. Te'o, a Punahou alum, made the announcement at Sunday night's Lott IMPACT Trophy dinner in Newport Beach, Calif., according to a release issued by the school.
By Star-Advertiser news services BIRMINGHAM, Ala. » June Jones says he’s very happy being SMU’s coach, even though he was set to leave for Arizona State and has been contacted by multiple schools about vacant head coaching jobs.
By Chicago Tribune SOUTH BEND, Ind. » Bowl preparation has began for Notre Dame juniors Manti Te’o and Tyler Eifert. Preparation for a not-too-distant future after that already was under way, too, as the Notre Dame standouts begin to sort out their stay-or-go options.
By Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. » Leigh Steinberg believed he had a deal for SMU's June Jones to become the next coach at Arizona State.
By Associated Press Jake Scott had a promise to keep.
The former Georgia star doesn’t make many trips to the mainland from his home in Hanalei.
By Star-Advertiser staff
By Star-Advertiser news services APIA, Samoa » Two days after winning for the first time in its soccer history, American Samoa stretched its unbeaten run to two games.
By Ferd Lewis

The University of Hawaii is hoping games against two traditionally attractive opponents will prevent football attendance from sliding below a six-year — or more — low and allow the Warriors to close the gap on lagging budget projections.

By Dave Reardon

1. Mo's exit » QB Bryant Moniz is sacked for a loss of 6 yards by LB Brandon Marshall. • 2. Scoop and score • 3. Lost chance • 4. Fourth-down clutch • 5. Tricked again

By Stephen Tsai Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz has been told the usual recovery period for his injury is between four and six weeks, opening the way for a possible return for the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, if the Warriors qualify.
By Brian McInnis In a series of grueling games and tournaments with the Angolan national team this summer, Vander Joaquim had an epiphany. Defense gets it done. All he needs to do now is convey that to his Hawaii basketball teammates, an expected part of his new role as co-captain.
By Stephen Tsai In a crushing 1-2 knockout, the Hawaii football team lost starting quarterback Bryant Moniz for the rest of the season and then absorbed a 42-28 defeat to Nevada on Saturday night at Mackay Stadium.
By Stephen Tsai The Hawaii football team returns to Honolulu this morning with more questions — and concerns — than when the Warriors left four days earlier. Topping the list is the search for a starting quarterback following Bryant Moniz's season-ending injury.
By Dave Reardon Hawaii's special teams acquitted themselves well Saturday at Nevada. That is, until they were the guilty party when the Wolf Pack scored the game's final touchdown, the one that secured their 42-28 win at Mackay Stadium.
Jeremiah Green stepped in front of Shane Austin's pass and picked it off with ease. The junior linebacker for Nevada then took the ball up the Hawaii sideline for an 11-yard return. The crowd at Mackay Stadium on a chilly night in Reno let out a roar, two-thirds celebration and one-third relief.
By Ann Miller Sixth-ranked Hawaii closed its final Western Athletic Conference regular season with yet one more volleyball blowout Saturday. About all the Rainbow Wahine could be faulted for was rushing to the senior night finish line.
By Associated Press Manny Pacquiao escaped again, in a decision that left Juan Manuel Marquez fuming once again. The Filipino sensation was taken to the limit Saturday night before winning a majority decision that infuriated Marquez and most of the sellout crowd at the MGM Grand arena.
By Billy Hull Most football teams call it a great week getting that one big win they work so hard for. Two program-changing wins in six days? Now that's something to brag about.
By Fred Guzman / Special to the Star-Advertiser So much for the adage that the best offense is a good defense. In the case of Lahainaluna on Saturday night, it was an opportunistic defense that set the stage for an opening-round victory in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Division II football tournament.
By Brian McInnis Preseason hype only gets you so far.
In an exhibition against Hawaii Pacific on Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center, "so far" was just far enough for the Hawaii men's basketball team. The Rainbow Warriors needed a late comeback to beat their Division II neighbor 62-56.
By Stephen Tsai RENO, NEV. » For the Hawaii football team's walk-through session late Friday afternoon, only the lights on one side of Mackay Stadium were activated.
By Paul Honda Thankfully, for the Leilehua Mules, the one player with the right shoes happened to be Tim Momiyama.
By Fred Guzman / Special to the Star-Advertiser WAILUKU, Maui » A statewide television audience found out on Friday night what folks on Maui have known for the past two seasons. Namely, that Keelan Ewaliko can beat you with his strong right arm and his legs.
By Paul Honda He’s been described by old-time watchers at Julian Yates Field as anything from a younger version of Ray Lewis to a recent version of the late Jesse Mahelona.
By Stephen Tsai Six years ago, Nevada head coach Chris Ault invented an offense. Every year, Hawaii coordinator Dave Aranda reinvents his defense.
By Jason Kaneshiro Growing up on Hawaii island, University of Hawaii guard Kanisha Bello had an idea of Hawaii-Hilo's outside shooting ability.
By Ann Miller Back in fifth grade at Word of Life Academy, Kanani Danielson and Chanteal Satele played volleyball for their elementary team. While opponents struggled to get the ball over the net, Word of Life would pass, set, hit and even pound overhand serves.
By Brian McInnis Winning 19 games and making a postseason tournament your first time around as a Division I college basketball head coach can cut both ways.
By Brian McInnis Guards bring scorers, quickness, defense • Defensive mentality will be hallmark of wings • Bigs have skill, but not depth
By Ferd Lewis and Brian McInnis After more than seven months of on-and-off negotiations, the University of Hawaii is scheduled to announce a new $344,000 annual contract that makes men's basketball coach Gib Arnold the second-highest-paid coach at the school.
By Ann Miller Hawaii's final Western Athletic Conference volleyball match against Louisiana Tech on Thursday inspired only one final question: Would the sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine win before they were able to clear their bench?
By Stephen Tsai RENO, NEV. » In preparation for Hawaii's football game Saturday, David Graves portrayed Nevada's quarterback in Thursday's drills against the Warriors' starting defense.
By Brian McInnis Progress was made. Hopes were raised.
Now the work really begins for the Hawaii women's soccer team.
By Cindy Luis As the crowd watched in semi-darkness on the Moanalua High tennis courts Wednesday night, a full moon broke through the clouds, allowing for two words on the blue mesh fence to be visible. Just barely.
By Star-Advertiser staff Moore to surf with men in Triple Crown • Night doubles tennis holds benefit • Volunteers sought for Waikele event
By Star-Advertiser staff Auto racing • BMX • Boxing • Hashing • Running • Futsal • Tennis • And more
By Paul Honda Pristine Hanalei.
No-frills Anahola.
For everyone who played football at Kapaa High School since 1990, there was always great natural beauty in their backyard, but no mantle on which to hoist their hopes and dreams. No Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship. No participation in the old Neighbor Island Football Championship. Not even a state-tournament berth.
By Ann Miller Kanani Danielson will leave numbers littered through Rainbow Wahine record books when she goes. Not one will accurately describe her contribution to Hawaii volleyball. Taking all of them into consideration might not come close.
By Paul Honda They’ve gone down this road before, but perhaps never with so much expectation.
The Farrington Governors saw a perfect season — and a rare No. 1 ranking — slip away with a loss to Kahuku.
By Stephen Tsai Searching every corner for talent, the Hawaii football team is looking at cornerback Mike Edwards as an emergency receiver.
By Associated Press Association of Surfing Professionals Chief Executive Officer Brodie Carr resigned over the error that led to Kelly Slater being prematurely crowned world champion last week.
By Jason Kaneshiro Joe Avery envisions a future in medicine.
For the moment, he's focusing on helping the Hawaii receiver corps overcome a painful run of injuries.
By Brian McInnis The slogan of "Play Up" isn't just about the last season in the Western Athletic Conference for the Hawaii women's basketball team.
By Brian McInnis The wait is almost over for hoops-starved Hawaii basketball fans. For the Rainbow Warriors themselves, the 2011-12 season started months ago.
By Barry Wilner
Associated Press Two reeling teams that somehow remain atop their divisions open the NFL’s Thursday night package in Oakland. Picking a winner could come down to who throws more picks: Philip Rivers of the Chargers or Carson Palmer of the Raiders.
By Associated Press Samson Satele • Kaluka Maiava • Tyson Alualu • And more
By Ann Miller Lance Taketa and Jonathan Ota winning the Aloha Section PGA's Bridgestone Golf Pro-Scratch Championship on Tuesday was no surprise. They also won it in 2010 and are a combined 35 under par in the event at Pearl Country Club the past two years, with barely a whiff of bogey.
By Star-Advertiser staff Kauai's Mary Bea Porter-King, a member of the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame and co-founder of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association, has been named recipient of the 2011 PGA First Lady of Golf Award. Barbara Nicklaus was the inaugural winner in 1998. Others honored over the years include Nancy Lopez, Judy Rankin and Kathy Whitworth.
By Star-Advertiser staff Send aces to sports@staradvertiser.com, call 529-4321 or fax 529-4787.
By Stephen Tsai After being on the outside looking in, Hawaii offensive lineman Brett Leonard is back in — and at an outside position.
By Paul Honda A dynasty like Kealakehe isn’t exactly familiar with the role of underdog.
This time, it’s more than that. With their top playmaker out for the season, the Waveriders might be the longest of long shots as the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA State Football Championships kick off this week.
By Billy Hull The thrill was the same and the excitement was just as great.
But, Whitworth senior Kaimi Rocha admits, winning a second straight Northwest Conference volleyball championship was also a sense of relief.
By Billy Hull FOOTBALL • WOMEN'S SOCCER • WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL • WOMEN'S GOLF
By Ann Miller The Rainbow Wahine volleyball team often travels 40,000 miles a year. It has gone 14,000 in the past month. What sixth-ranked Hawaii is focusing on the final three weeks of its Western Athletic Conference life is earning fewer frequent flyer miles.
By Stephen Tsai Hawaii receiver Justin Clapp is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing a procedure to repair a collapsed lung.
By Stephen Tsai

With the medical list growing, the Hawaii football team is considering using backup quarterback David Graves as an emergency wide receiver.

By Billy Hull DeForest Buckner is impossible to ignore.
At 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, Buckner's size alone makes him one of the more recognizable players on the field.
By Star-Advertiser staff Jonathan Paleka's 27-yard field goal with 9 seconds left lifted Kapaa over Waimea 17-14 for the Kauai Interscholastic Federation championship on Monday afternoon at Vidinha Stadium.
By Stephen Tsai Left tackle Jordan Loeffler is expected to make his first NCAA football start when Hawaii faces Nevada on Saturday in Reno.
By Associated Press ST. LOUIS » St. Louis Rams wide receiver Greg Salas, a rookie who leads the team with 27 receptions, will miss the rest of the season with a broken right leg that will require surgery.
By Star-Advertiser staff Fairbairn picks UCLA • Wildcats to Wazzu • Rubasch retires • OC 16 volleyball to start
Utah State football coach Gary Andersen publicly thanked the University of Hawaii training and medical staff for the prompt attention given his injured quarterback during Saturday night’s game at Aloha Stadium.
By Star-Advertiser staff In its week of much-needed volleyball rest and rehabilitation, well-traveled Hawaii rose one in the national poll and clinched its 16th consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular-season volleyball title.
By Star-Advertiser staff No NCAA berth for Hawaii Pacific • No bid for Brigham Young-Hawaii • Edman earns all-academic honors • BYUH earns automatic bid • And more
By Paul Honda They flew in from near and far, five days before the start of the state football championships. No, by Friday, it will be all business, and with Kahuku and ‘Iolani seeded first in Division I and II, respectively, all teams are taking aim.
By Dave Reardon 1. Starter out » QB Chuckie Keeton scrambles for 14 yards, but LB Art Laurel forces a fumble recovered by LB Aaron Brown. Keeton is hurt on the play • 2. Just short • 3. Big sack • 4. Interference • 5. Turbin powered
By Stephen Tsai Despite harsh reaction from critics following Hawaii's loss to Utah State on Saturday night, UH head coach Greg McMackin said he remains focused on preparing for this week's road game against Nevada.
By Star-Advertiser staff Kelly Slater clinched his record-extending 11th world surfing title four days after he was prematurely crowned champion because of a calculation error by the Association of Surfing Professionals.
By Stephen Tsai Struck by "lightning," Hawaii was jolted into collective shock — and despair — in a 35-31 football loss to Utah State on Saturday night.
By Jason Kaneshiro The disappointment cut deep for Royce Pollard. The frustration was thick in the Hawaii locker room after a 21-point lead evaporated in the second half of a stunning 35-31 loss to Utah State on Saturday.
By Brian McInnis Dave Aranda was speechless. Nearly. The Hawaii defensive coordinator was joined by much of the Aloha Stadium crowd as Utah State backup quarterback Adam Kennedy led his team on a stunning second-half comeback from 21 points down, giving the UH defense fits in a 35-31 Aggies win on Saturday night.
By Billy Hull Utah State linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu was simply tired.
By Brian McInnis Garrett Jefferson figures defense is what will get him into games with the Hawaii men's basketball team. With a few more samples of shutdown of the sort he showed off Saturday morning, the sophomore shooting guard may leave coach Gib Arnold little choice.
By Paul Honda It was a tough enough matchup for the Campbell Sabers, a run-and-shoot team going up against the innovative Leilehua Mules.
By Star-Advertiser staff Moniz joins elite club • Offensive line takes a hit • UH return tandem has good day; and more.

By Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO» The Association of Surfing Professionals says it made a mistake in its tiebreakers when it awarded Kelly Slater his 11th ASP world title Wednesday.
By Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, Ala. » Case Keenum is taking aim at another NCAA passing record against one of the nation’s most porous defenses.
By Nancy Armour
Associated Press After a week on a roller coaster, Manti Te’o is back on steady ground.