BRIEFS

Granard Middle blasts Carver

Jaylen Miller, Joey Gaines and Roderick Oglesby each scored rushing touchdowns to lead Granard Middle to a 50-24 victory over Carver on Wednesday.

Granard, which improves to 6-0, will meet 5-1 Gaffney Middle, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Brumbach Stadium for the region championship.

Gaffney Middle tops McCracken

Bryce Spulin threw for a couple of scores and Shaq Davidson scored two touchdowns as the Gaffney Middle Chiefs scored all of their points in the second half to defeat McCracken 22-6 on Tuesday.

The coaching staff also praised the play of the offensive line in the second half.

Lander nips Lady Saints, 1-0

Lander University edged Limestone College 1-0 in women's soccer action on Wednesday afternoon at Saints Field.

The Bearcats improve to 7-6 overall with their non-conference win while Limestone slips to 6-9 on the season.

Jannica Finnberg scored Lander's goal in the 57th minute.

Lander outshot Limestone 6-2 in the first half, but Limestone dominated in the second period, outshooting the visitor's 8-4. The Lady Saints had an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks during the game.

The Bearcats' Rachael Hine had three saves, while Lady Saint Brittany Clark posted two.

Limestone travels to Misenheimer, N.C., to play Conference Carolinas-foe Pfeiffer on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Olson steps down at Arizona

Wanted: one coaching icon.

That's what Arizona is looking for to replace Hall of Famer Lute Olson, who retired Thursday after 24 seasons with the Wildcats.

Athletic director Jim Livengood did not name a successor but said a national search would begin soon.

"We will never replace Lute Olson," Livengood said. "But we do have to find a successor, and we have to move quickly. I intend to recruit a coach who is worthy to inherit Lute's astounding legacy."

Arizona had won one conference title in the 29 seasons before Olson arrived from Iowa in 1983, and it didn't take long for him to build a powerhouse in the desert.

The 74-year-old Olson went 589- 187 at Arizona, leading the Wildcats to the 1997 national championship and four Final Fours, most recently in 2001.

Pats deny report they're upset with QB

The New England Patriots denied a report Thursday that they were upset with quarterback Tom Brady for opting against the team's preferred doctors and undergoing surgery on the West Coast.

After published reports said Brady needed two more operations to clean out an infection in his knee, ESPN.com, citing a source it did not identify, reported that "the Patriots, as an organization, are upset with the situation because they were clear that they wanted Brady's surgery done under the direction of doctors of their choosing in Boston."

Later Thursday, the Patriots issued a statement affirming their support for the quarterback who led them to three Super Bowl titles.

"This unsubstantiated report does not represent the team's views whatsoever," the statement said. "We have supported Tom Brady one hundred percent from day one of this process and will continue to do so. ... Today, we reiterate our total support for Tom as he recovers from his injury."