Golfers Philip Francis of Scottsdale and Richard Lee of Chandler advanced Thursday to the quarterfinals in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Daniel Sparre recorded his second career hat trick Tuesday and added an assist as the Texas Wildcatters beat the Phoenix RoadRunners 7-3 in the opening game of a two-game series before 2,884 fans at US Airways Center in ECHL action.

Arizona State senior All-American Niklas Lemke shot 3-under 67 Monday to tie for first place and help the ninth-ranked Sun Devils to a tie for seventh place after the first round of the PING Preview at Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

Sun Devils sweep Spartans Margie Giordano and Nicole Morton combined for 22 kills as the Arizona State volleyball team (6-1) swept Michigan State 30-20, 30-28, 30-17 Friday in the Sports Imports Classic at Columbus, Ohio.

The Phoenix Firebirds (37-18-4) PeeWee USA Hockey Tier II team is going to nationals Wednesday through Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Polar Bears' victory in the four-team Sonoran Youth Hockey League's Labor Day tournament was the first time a Chandler Mite B (6-8 year olds) brought home a tournament title.

Mesa church opens ramp park: Velda Rose United Methodist Church, 5540 E. Main St., Mesa, has established a free ramp park for bikers, skateboarders, skaters and scooters.

The Arizona Sting will host the Rochester Knighthawks in the National Lacrosse League Champion’s Cup final 1 p.m. Saturday at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale.

Great players, great teams and great traditions set high school football in the East Valley apart. Here’s a look at each of the schools’ notable achievements and prospects for the future:

In a small thrift shop on a quiet stretch of Arizona Avenue, a group of women sift through piles of clothes and household goods, looking for anything that might catch the eye of someone who has happened upon hard times or someone who is looking for a great deal.

Tickets to watch the Arizona State basketball team play at the Maui Invitational Nov. 19-21 go on sale to the public at noon today.

The Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL announced that forward Garrett Burnett has been assigned to the club by the Dallas Stars of the NHL.

Incoming Phoenix Xavier freshman golfer Kaira Martin won the Dodge/Bos Estes Abilene Junior Championship last week at Abilene, Texas.

After tying for 29th in the second round, Arizona State’s Azahara Munoz shot a 68 and 69 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, to finish tied for third Saturday in the Women’s World Amateur at Stellenbosch, South Africa. Munoz shot a 5-under 283 as Spain finished in eighth at 4-under 572.

Second-ranked Washington (20-0, 11-0) recorded a 30-14, 30-25, 30-7 victory over Arizona State (7-14, 2-9) in a Pac-10 volleyball match Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Junior Nicole Morton led the Sun Devils with 11 kills.

A novel idea is off and rolling in the Valley, but it has been around nationally for quite a while.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi was named the WNBA Western Conference player of the week Monday after averaging 29.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists and shooting 46.3 percent in two games.

Left wing Matt Murley, who has appeared in 59 NHL games but none since January 2006, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Coyotes on Friday.

The No. 3 Arizona State women's golf team shot a tourney-best 4-under 284 and climbed into seventh Friday at the NCAA East Regional in Browns Summit, N.C. Alissa Kuczka shot a career-low and tourney-best 4-under 68 to move into a six-way tie for seventh place at 1-under for ASU, which needs to finish in the top eight to advance to the NCAA tournament.

The Arizona State softball team rebounded from its first loss of the season, 2-1 to Virginia on Saturday morning, with a 4-2 victory over host UNLV in the nightcap at the UNLV Invitational at Las Vegas.

For the third time this season and the 11th time in a row, the 13th-ranked Arizona State wrestling team bested a Pac-10 opponent as the Sun Devils defeated visiting Oregon State, 28-13, at Wells Fargo Arena Friday.

Lee Cummard had plenty of other options. Austin Ainge, who earned Tribune Player of the Year honors in 2000 after guiding Gilbert Highland to a runner-up finish in the 5A tournament.