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By TIMES WIRES
Published October 28, 2006

plant wins qb matchup, district title 

In a game between the bay area's top high school teams and quarterbacks, Robert Marve, above, threw a 3-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in Plant's 17-13 win over Jefferson and Stephen Garcia. The Panthers also clinched the Class 4A, District 10 title. Marve was 21-of-35 for 230 yards and two scores, Garcia 10-of-21 for 86 yards and no scores.

Coaches put Gators on top of first poll

Defending champ Florida was a near-unanimous pick for No. 1 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today men's basketball coaches poll released Friday. Of 31 first-place votes, the Gators received 30. Ohio State received the other. After Florida, whose previous best preseason ranking was fifth in 2001-02, comes North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio State and Pitt. FSU is among those receiving votes.

Brotherly love on the gridiron

Twins Ronde (Bucs) and Tiki (Giants) Barber have faced each other four times as pros prior to Sunday's game in New York. Ronde has earned bragging rights in three: 20-8 in 1997, 20-3 in 1998 and 19-13 in 2003. Tiki's lone victory came in 1999 (17-13). Sunday in Gameday: Tiki plans postretirement, Ronde plans preretirement

Lightning game on TV ... for some

Good news if you have the NHL's Center Ice package. Center Ice has lifted the blackout for tonight's Lightning game, which is not being aired by Sun Sports. Center Ice will provide the Hurricanes feed.

Rats (allegedly)! My salad is ruined!

As if Cowboys passing game coordinator Todd Haley doesn't have enough to worry about with Terrell Owens and a new starting quarterback. The Dallas Morning News reported Haley has filed a $1.7-million lawsuit against a suburban-Dallas McDonald's, alleging his wife and family's au pair found a dead rat in their salad. A family spokesman said it was a juvenile roof rat, about 6 inches long and found on its back with its mouth open. The family said it got the salad to go and didn't discover the rat until they got home.

"If my superiors don't want me to say it, that's fine. But as a broadcaster, I'm a little offended by the assertion that our use of the phrase has any kind of influence over how people behave at this game."

CBS college football studio host Tim Brando, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on CBS' directive to not refer to today's Florida-Georgia game as "The World's Largest Cocktail Party"

[Last modified October 28, 2006, 02:05:13]