Sep 14, 2018 4 min read

Jones wins pole

for Vegas race

Erik Jones surprised the field by winning the pole Friday for the opening race of the NASCAR Cup series playoffs, turning a lap in 28.705 seconds and narrowly edging Joey Logano.

Jones opened the first weekend of NASCAR’s 10-race postseason by earning his second career pole in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The 22-year-old is the youngest driver ever to win the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Logano did his lap in 28.708 seconds in his Team Penske Ford to finish in the front row. Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

The Vegas race is the first of 10 playoff contests to crown a champion. Jones is in the 16-driver playoff field for the first time.

Steelers’ Burns fined

Two illegal hits cost David Onyemata more than he made for playing in New Orleans’ season opener.

The Saints defensive tackle was fined $40,108 by the NFL Friday for two roughing-the-passer calls – $20,054 for each of the penalties – in a 48-40 loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday.

The first came in the third quarter on an incomplete pass by Ryan Fitzpatrick, when Onyemata violated the new rule requiring defensive players to avoid putting their full weight on quarterbacks. The second occurred during a 36-yard touchdown catch by DeSean Jackson in the fourth quarter when Onyemata made contact with Fitzpatrick’s helmet.

Onyemata was one of several players fined $20,054 for roughing the passer in the league’s opening weekend, joining the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald, Minnesota’s Sheldon Richardson, Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett and Dallas’ DeMarcus Lawrence.

New England safety Duron Harmon was fined $26,739 for his hit on Houston wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, which drew a flag for unnecessary roughness.

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Marcus Peters has to pay $13,369 for his excessive celebration after returning an interception during which he jumped backward into the end zone and grabbed his crotch against Oakland.

Pittsburgh cornerback Artie Burns was fined $13,369 for removing his helmet and slamming it to the turf after a scuffle with Cleveland wide receiver Jarvis Landry.

Miami defensive end Andre Branch was docked $10,026 by the league for taunting after a blindside block of Tennessee left tackle Taylor Lewan, who suffered a concussion on the play. After an interception of Marcus Mariota, Reshad Jones was returning down the sideline in the third quarter when Lewan was pursuing him. But Branch hit Lewan from the left side and knocked him to the ground, causing a shoving match between the teams.

Branch was later caught by television cameras shouting, “Body bag!” at Lewan as the offensive lineman left the field and headed to the locker room. Branch was not flagged for the hit, but was penalized for taunting – as was teammate Jordan Phillips, who was also fined $10,026.

Girls soccer

Lexi Dzadovsky scored on a free kick in overtime Wednesday to give Chartiers-Houston a 3-2 win inn Section 2-A.

Desiree Hancq and Keely Acor had goals for the Bucs (3-0, 4-2). Acor and Ashley Horvath each had an assist.

Sydney Urbine scored twice for B-C.

In golf

Brandt Jobe capped a fast start with an eagle in tour golf’s return to Warwick Hills and shot a 7-under 65 on Friday to take the first-round lead in The Ally Challenge.

Coming off a break since the Senior British Open, Jobe played his first seven holes in 6 under, making the eagle on the par-5 16th.

A six-time winner on the Japanese tour, he won last year in Iowa for his lone PGA Tour Champions title.

Vijay Singh, a three-time winner at Warwick Hills in the PGA Tour’s defunct Buick Open, was a stroke back with Jeff Maggert and Esteban Toledo. Tiger Woods won the last Buick Open in 2009.