Aug 15, 2022 3 min read

Vulcans ranked No. 21

The California University football team is ranked No. 21 in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Top 25 preseason poll released Monday afternoon.

Cal received its first preseason AFCA Top 25 ranking since 2017. Last fall, the Vulcans ranked No. 21 in the final AFCA poll after posting a 9-1 record. Cal also tied for first place in the PSAC West with a 5-1 mark.

Defending national champion Ferris State was the preseason favorite after receiving all 30 first-place votes. Northwest Missouri State was slotted second , while Valdosta State, Colorado School of Mines and Grand Valley rounded out the top five.

Wild Things make moves

The Wild Things made several roster moves Monday, which was the Frontier League’s transaction deadline for the season.

Washington activated pitcher Rob Whalen from the injured list, placed center fielder Cole Brannen on the 7-day IL, placed pitcher Jake Pilarski on the inactive list and signed lefthanded pitcher Zack Erwin.

Erwin, a former fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox, had a 4-5 record this year for Class AAA Durham in the Tampa Bay farm system.

The Wild Things also traded for Florence outfielder Anthony Brocato, who was an all-star this season. Brocato has hit 22 home runs for the Y’alls, which ranks fourth in the league. He has a .308 batting average and 68 RBI.

Florence will acquire a player to be named in exchange for Brocato.

Washington hosts Florence today (7:05 p.m.).

In the NFL

The brother of retired NFL cornerback Aqib Talib turned himself in to authorities Monday after police identified him as a suspect in the shooting death of a coach at a youth football game in Texas.

Yaqub Salik Talib is suspected in the Saturday night shooting that killed a man, police in the Dallas-area city of Lancaster said. Authorities have not yet identified the man, but family and friends say he was a coach.

Yaqub Talib is the brother of Aqib Talib, a five-time Pro Bowler who announced his retirement in 2020. Aqib Talib was named last month as a contributor for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football.”

In college basketball

Pete Carril, the rumpled, cigar-smoking basketball coach who led Princeton to 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, where his teams unnerved formidable opponents and rattled March Madness with old-school fundamentals, died Monday. He was 92.

Princeton released a statement from Carril’s family, which said he died “peacefully this morning.” It did not give a cause of death.

Carril, a Hall of Famer, schooled his teams in a distinct and throwback brand of ball – the Princeton offense, a game marked by patience, intelligence, constant motion, quick passing and backdoor cuts that often ended in layups.