LOCAL

INDIANS WIN BIG IN WEST ORANGE

WEST ORANGE — Port Neches-Groves nearly registered two players with double-doubles, and the Indians outscored West Orange-Stark 14-2 in the first quarter on their way to a 59-33 win Monday night.

Ryan Abel scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and Keynel McZeal added eight rebounds to go with 12 points for the Indians (4-7). Adam Morse and Derrick Papa each scored nine points.

Brettin Wiley scored 13 points to lead the Mustangs.

PN-G PLACES EIGHT ON ACADEMIC ALL-STATE

Eight Port Neches-Groves Indians football players were named to the Academic All-State team selected by the Texas High School Coaches Association.

Receiver Jack Giblin and defensive back Cole Girouard were named to the first team and Kaid Guilbeaux was selected to the second team. Linebacker Anthony Anniboli, running back Kody Cropper, kicker Gunnar Nicholson and receivers Evan Achee and Caisen Sullivan were all named honorable mention.

REGIONAL

ULM HIRES McNEESE’S VIATOR AS COACH

MONROE, La. — The head coach of Lamar’s archrival and one of the winningest Southland Conference coaches in history is making the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

Matt Viator, who coached McNeese State for the past 10 years, has been named Louisiana-Monroe head coach, ULM announced Monday. The move comes more than a week after McNeese (10-1) bowed out of the NCAA Division I playoffs against Southland rival Sam Houston State.

Viator won three Southland Coach of the Year honors and nearly led McNeese to an upset of then No. 19 Nebraska in 2014. In 2015, his Cowboys finished the regular season 10-0 (a season-opening game against LSU was canceled) and earned a first-round bye in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

Viator, who went 78-33 at McNeese, replaces Todd Berry, who was fired after a 59-21 home loss to Arkansas State on Nov. 14. The Warhawks finished 2-11, but won their last game against New Mexico State 42-35 to end a 10-game losing streak.

Viator’s contract is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

NATIONAL

MLB DENIES ROSE REINSTATEMENT

CINCINNATI (AP) — Pete Rose’s application for reinstatement to baseball was rejected Monday by Commissioner Rob Manfred, who concluded the career hits leader continued to gamble even while trying to end his lifetime ban and would be a risk to the sport’s integrity if allowed back in the game.

Rose agreed to the ban in August 1989 after an investigation for Major League Baseball by lawyer John Dowd found Rose placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 while playing for and managing the team.

In one of his first major actions, Manfred said in a four-page decision the career hits leader admitted he has kept on betting legally on horse racing and professional sports, including baseball. Manfred upheld the conclusions of the Dowd report and said MLB obtained additional evidence not available to Dowd: a notebook of betting records from 1986 kept by Rose associate Michael Bertolini.

Rose’s lawyers said he will comment on the decision at a news conference Tuesday.