The Denver Broncos wrap up Week Six in the NFL with their Monday night showdown in San Diego against the Chargers. Despite their 2-3 start, the Broncos can still gain an early advantage in the AFC West race tonight. A win would make them 2-0 against their divisional foes. The Chargers are already out to a 2-0 start in divisional play, but are just one game ahead of Denver in the AFC West standings with a 3-2 overall record. Both teams are coming off of defeats in Week Five. Denver lost at New England 31-21, while the Chargers fell at New Orleans 31-24. Neither the Broncos nor quarterback Peyton Manning have had recent success against San Diego. The Broncos have lost four of the last five meetings, and Manning has lost five of his last six starts against the Bolts. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action from Qualcomm Stadium tonight. Pregame coverage starts at 5:35 with the kickoff set for 7:30.

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights begin the final week of their regular season tonight at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium against Eastern Wyoming College. The Lady Knights have already faced the Lady Lancers three times this season, winning twice. North Platte went 3-1 at the Jimmy Johns Invite in Columbus over the weekend to move back over the .500 mark at 16-15. First serve tonight is scheduled for 7 PM.

The start time and broadcast network for Nebraska’s clash with Northwestern this Saturday has been set. The Huskers and Wildcats will kick off at 2:30 PM at Ryan Field in Evanston. It will be televised regionally on ABC. Nebraska is looking to avenge last season’s loss to Northwestern. The Wildcats became the first bowl-eligible Big Ten team this season with a 21-13 win on Saturday over Minnesota that moved their record to 6-1. The Huskers come out of their bye with a 4-2 mark.

The third-ranked Husker volleyball team polished off a winning weekend with a four-set victory over tenth-ranked Minnesota in the NU Coliseum on Sunday. After dropping the first set 18-25, the Huskers rebounded to win the next three sets 27-25, 25-23, and 23-16. Gina Mancuso led three Huskers in double figures with 14 kills. Hannah Werth added 11 kills and Hayley Thramer racked up 10 kills. The Huskers move to 15-2 on the year and extend their seven match winning streak. They are at Iowa Wednesday night.

Class A

Grand Island 28, North Platte 10

Class C-1

Cozad 28, Minden 21

Gothenburg 30, Ord 14

Kearney Catholic 35, Chase County 0

Class C-2

Hershey 13, Cambridge 6

North Platte SP 59, Dundy County-Stratton 6

Perkins County 39, Bayard 6

Class D-1

Paxton 64, Sutherland 0

SMC 18, Maxwell 12

Class D-2

Hayes Center 63, Hitchcock County 54

Medicine Valley 58, Wallace 8

Sandhills/Thedford 30, South Platte 14

Six-man

Silver Lake 67, Maywood 12

St. Edward 83, Arthur County 20

Wauneta-Palisade 56, Elba-NLS 19

Saturday
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
League Championship Series

AL: Oakland-Detroit winner at New York OR Baltimore at Oakland-Detroit winner, TBA

TOP 25 FOOTBALL

No. 1 Alabama at Missouri, 2:30 p.m.

No. 3 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU, 7 p.m.

No. 4 Florida at Vanderbilt, 5 p.m.

No. 5 West Virginia at Texas Tech, 2:30 p.m.

No. 6 Kansas State at Iowa State, 11 a.m.

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 Stanford, 2:30 p.m.

No. 8 Ohio State at Indiana, 7 p.m.

No. 10 Oregon State at BYU, 2:30 p.m.

No. 11 Southern Cal at Washington, 6 p.m.

No. 12 Florida State vs. Boston College, 4:30 p.m.

No. 13 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Texas, 11 a.m.

No. 18 Louisville at Pittsburgh, 11 a.m.

No. 19 Mississippi State vs. Tennessee, 8 p.m.

No. 20 Rutgers vs. Syracuse, 11 a.m.

No. 21 Cincinnati vs. Fordham, 6 p.m.

No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 23 Louisiana Tech, 8:15 p.m.

No. 24 Boise St. vs. Fresno State, 2:30 p.m.

No. 25 Michigan vs. Illinois, 2:30 p.m.

NBA PRESEASON

Brooklyn vs. Philadelphia at Atlantic City, N.J., 6 p.m.

New York vs. Boston at Hartford, Conn., 6:30 p.m.

Washington at Cleveland, 6:30 p.m.

Chicago at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.

Utah at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS

Formula One, Korean Grand Prix Qualifying, Yeongam, South Korea, 12 a.m.

NASCAR Sprint Cup, Bank of America 500, Concord, N.C., 6:30 p.m.

 

Sunday
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
League Championship Series

AL: Oakland-Detroit winner at New York OR Baltimore at Oakland-Detroit winner, TBA

NL: Cincinnati-San Francisco winner at Washington OR St. Louis at Cincinnati-San Francisco winner, TBA

NFL

Oakland at Atlanta, 12 p.m.

Kansas City at Tampa Bay, 12 p.m.

Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets, 12 p.m.

Cincinnati at Cleveland, 12 p.m.

Detroit at Philadelphia, 12 p.m.

St. Louis at Miami, 12 p.m.

Dallas at Baltimore, 12 p.m.

Buffalo at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

New England at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.

Minnesota at Washington, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Houston, 7:20 p.m.

NBA PRESEASON

L.A. Clippers vs. Miami at Shanghai, 11:30 p.m. Saturday

San Antonio at Houston, 1 p.m.

Atlanta at Memphis, 5 p.m.

MOTORSPORTS

Formula One, Korean Grand Prix, Yeongam, South Korea, 1 a.m.

Decisive game 5 today for Orioles-Yanks and Nats-Cards

NEW YORK (AP) — New York and Washington will be the centers of the Major League Baseball world later today as the final two spots in the League Championship Series will be sorted out.

This afternoon the Yankees will host Baltimore in a decisive Game 5 of the ALDS with the winner moving on and the loser heading home. Baltimore forced the issue last night with a 2-1, 13-inning win on J.J. Hardy’s RBI double.

The pitching showdown will pit Yankees ace CC Sabathia against Jason Hammel. Sabathia has been lights out for New York in the post-season, with a 6-1 mark including an 8 2-3 innings, winning effort in Game 1. Hammel had a solid outing in that, pitching into the sixth in his first start in nearly a month.

The two teams have faced each other 22 times this season and post-season, with each winning 11.

The winner goes on to face Detroit in the ALCS starting tomorrow.

Washington will continue to revel in its first post-season baseball in 79 years when the Nationals and Cardinals meet in a winner-take-all Game 5 tonight. The Nationals forced the showdown with a dramatic 2-1 win yesterday thanks to Jason Werth’s walk-off homer to lead off the ninth.

Washington sends ace Gio Gonzalez to the mound in an effort to rebound from his Game 1 effort. The 21-game winner posted a career high seven walks, but the Nats still managed to win. St. Louis sends Adam Wainwright to the hill. He posted 14 wins during the regular season.

The winner goes on to meet San Francisco in the NLCS.

Bounty suspensions appealed.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — All four players punished in the NFL’s bounty investigation have filed appeals with the league. People familiar with the situation say the players have asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to remove himself as arbitrator because they do not believe he can be impartial.

One of the people also says New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma expects to play at Tampa Bay on Oct. 21 while his appeal is pending. The people spoke to The Associated Press Friday on condition of anonymity because the appeals were filed as private documents with the league

Vilma is suspended for the season, while Saints defensive end Will Smith is suspended four games, free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove seven games and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita one game.

Lions DE in accident

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Police in suburban Detroit are investigating after a motorist says he was sideswiped by Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.

Dearborn police Sgt. Ed Fries tells the Detroit Free Press the Thursday morning collision was a “minor fender bender” with no injuries. A person who answered the telephone Friday at the department declined comment.

New deal for Huggins

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia is working on a new contract for men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins. Athletic director Oliver Luck says a reworked deal should be completed in the next few months.

In 2008, Huggins signed a contract that pays him at least $20 million in guaranteed income through 2019.

The Mountaineers have gone to the NCAA tournament in each of Huggins’ five seasons at his alma mater. He has a 120-56 record there. West Virginia went 19-14 last season and lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the tournament.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore at N-Y Yankees 4:07 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Washington 7:37 p.m.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Detroit at Toronto 6:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Indiana 6:00 p.m.
Cleveland at Chicago 7:00 p.m.
New Orleans at Houston 7:00 p.m.
Denver at San Antonio 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Utah 8:00 p.m.
Portland at Phoenix 9:00 p.m.

Decisive game 5 today for Orioles-Yanks and Nats-Cards

NEW YORK (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are going the distance to see who plays Detroit in the AL Championship Series.

J.J. Hardy’s RBI double in the 13th inning drove in the go-ahead run in the Orioles’ 2-1 win over the Yankees. That scored rookie Manny Machado, who opened the inning with a double. Nate McLouth’s leadoff homer in the fifth was the other Baltimore run.

Jim Johnson, the major league leader in saves with 51 in the regular season who coughed up a game-tying ninth-inning home run the night before to Game 3 Yankee hero Raul Ibanez, erased some demons with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 13th.

The Orioles and Yankees have split 22 games this year.

The sets up the decisive Game 5 Friday afternoon in the Bronx. Yankee ace CC Sabathia is Joe Girardi’s choice. The Orioles are going with Jason Hammel.

NEW YORK (AP) —The Yankees held a moment of silence before the game in honor of Yankee manager Joe Girardi’s father, Jerry, who died Saturday in Illinois at 81.

For five days, Girardi did not disclose his dad’s death to his players, preferring not to talk about it and not wanting to distract his team. Jerry Girardi will be buried in Tampico, Ill., next Monday — an off day in the AL championship series.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are going to the AL Championship Series against the Orioles-Yankees Game 5 winner. It’s the third time in seven seasons the Tigers have reached the ALCS.

Justin Verlander hurled a four-hit shutout and the Tigers beat Oakland 6-0 to win the decisive fifth game in that AL Division Series. Verlander struck out 11 in posting his seventh complete game this season. He struck out the first two batters he faced, got the Oakland crowd out of the game early and put it in cruise control. Verlander also won the opener of this series. He set a record with 22 strikeouts in the division series.

It’s the Tigers’ first complete game in the postseason since Jack Morris in the 1984 World Series.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jayson Werth fought off pitch after pitch. Then finally on the 13th pitch thrown by reliever Lance Lynn, Werth delivered the most important hit in the seven-year history of the Washington Nationals.

Werth lined a fastball over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth to give the Nats a dramatic 2-1 victory over St. Louis to extend their season for at least one more day. Earlier, Adam LaRoche hit his second homer of the postseason.

Washington starter Ross Detwiler and St. Louis right-hander Kyle Lohse hooked up in an old fashioned pitchers’ duel in the nation’s capital. After Detwiler’s six strong innings, the Nats bullpen was superb. In three innings, relievers Jordan Zimmermann, Tyler Clippard and winner Drew Storen struck out eight out of nine outs.

The Nationals and Cardinals will decide this NL Division Series Friday night in Washington. The Nationals go with their 21-game winner Gio (JEE’-oh) Gonzalez against Adam Wainwright for the defending World Series champion Cardinals.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Buster Posey had a grand slam as San Francisco completed its startling comeback by holding off the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 in the decisive Game 5 of the NL division series. After dropping the first two games at home, the Giants bounced back with three straight wins at Cincinnati to move into the NL championship series.

The Giants are the first NL team to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the division series, which began in 1995

Ahead 6-0, San Francisco saw the Reds rally throughout the late innings. Cincinnati scored once in the ninth before Sergio Romo struck out Scott Rolen with two runners on base to end it.

The Giants await the Washington-St. Louis victor.

Upset in Music City

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rob Bironas kicked his fourth field goal, a 40-yarder as time expired, and the Tennessee Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-23 on Thursday night to snap a two-game skid.

Matt Hasselbeck threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt with 4:19 left to tie it at 23 as the 2-4 Titans snapped a three-game losing streak against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh is 2-3 after losing its third straight road game this season and for the fifth time in six games dating to last season despite Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 363 yards and becoming the Steelers’ career passing leader.

Chiefs QB out with concussion

UNDATED (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay with a concussion. The club has announced that Brady Quinn will start an NFL game for the first time since the 2009 season. Cassell was hurt in the fourth quarter of a 9-6 loss to Baltimore last Sunday.

In other NFL news:

— Nose tackle Kenrick Ellis of the Jets will be sidelined four to six weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He was injured in the Jets 23-17 loss to Houston on Monday night.

Biffle on the pole in Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Greg Biffle won the pole for Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the first NASCAR Cup race without an Earnhardt in 33 years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will sit out the next two races after sustaining his second concussion this year during a 25-car car pileup Sunday at Talladega. Regan Smith, who’ll drive Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet, qualified 26th.

By sitting out the next two races, Little E most certainly will finish last in the 12-driver Chase race.

NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger will race this weekend for the first time since his July drug suspension.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore 2 N-Y Yankees 1, 13 Innings
Detroit 6 Oakland 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 6 Cincinnati 4
Washington 2 St. Louis 1

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Tennessee 26 Pittsburgh 23

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON
Miami 94 L-A Clippers 80
New York 108 Washington 101
Philadelphia 102 Orlando 95
New Orleans 90 Charlotte 87