COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Old Dominion’s season opener at Virginia Tech is officially a sellout, the Hokies announced Wednesday.

The teams will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at Lane Stadium, which has a capacity of 66,233.

The Monarchs knocked off Virginia Tech 20-17 in last season’s opener in Norfolk. ODU also surprised the Hokies during the 2018 season with a 49-35 victory at home.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Forward from Orlando commits to Hokies

Tyler Johnson, a 6-5, 190-pound small forward from Orlando, Florida, has committed to Virginia Tech, he announced Wednesday on social media.

He is the Hokies’ first commitment in the 2024 class. He also had offers from Texas Tech, Illinois, Clemson, Central Florida and Florida Atlantic among others.

Johnson is a three-star recruit who is ranked No. 47 among small forwards in the country, according to 247sports.com. He averaged 17.3 points and nine rebounds a game at Oak Ridge High last season.

Tourneys, NSU part of HU’s schedule

The Hampton University men’s basketball non-conference schedule for the upcoming season includes trips to the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam and Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic along with a game at rival Norfolk State.

The Pirates, who went 8-24 in their first year in the CAA last season, will open the season Nov. 6 at Howard. Other road opponents include NSU (Nov. 13), Maryland Eastern Shore (Dec. 1), Bowling Green (Dec. 19) and Eastern Michigan (Dec. 21).

HU will play home games against Mid-Atlantic Christian (Nov. 9), Maryland-Baltimore County (Nov. 27), Mary Baldwin (Dec. 11) and James Madison (Dec. 16).

The Paradise Jam will be Nov. 17-20, while the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic will be Feb. 3 in Newark, New Jersey.

NSU plans event for school kids

The Norfolk State men’s basketball program will host its annual Robert Jones Back to School Bash from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Echols Hall.

Bounce houses and face paint will be part of the activities for the attendees along with the opportunity to meet their favorite NSU players and coaches.

Free bookbags and other school supplies will be handed out for the 2023-24 academic year.

MORE COLLEGES

NSU AD makes coin flip at U.S. Open

Norfolk State athletic director Melody Webb conducted a ceremonial coin flip at the U.S. Open on Wednesday as a part of HBCU Live Day.

Now in its third year, HBCU Live at the U.S. Open celebrates the history, culture, pride and impact that HBCUs have on the communities around them.

The U.S. Open is celebrating the 50th anniversary of equal pay for prize money. So female HBCU athletic directors were invited to conduct the ceremonial coin tosses during HBCU Live.

Other MEAC athletic directors who participated in the event included South Carolina State’s Keshia Campbell, Morgan State’s Dena Freeman-Patton, Delaware State’s Alecia Shields-Gadson and Maryland Eastern Shore’s Tara A. Owens.

PRO FOOTBALL

Kuntz moves to Jets’ practice squad

Former Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz was among the New York Jets’ final-day cuts on Tuesday, but the team has picked him up for its practice squad.

The seventh-round draft pick had six receptions for 41 yards in the preseason, including a 4-yard touchdown reception in a 27-0 win at Carolina.

Briefly

• Walsingham Academy’s Will Patterson has been named a United Soccer Coaches/MaxPreps High School State Player of the Week.
• UVA field hockey player Laura Janssen has been named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week. A native of the Netherlands, she scored a goal and assisted on the game-winning goal in the Cavaliers’ 2-1 victory over No. 5 Penn State on Friday.

Connor Norby had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Norfolk’s relievers tossed 4.1 scoreless innings as the Tides topped the Worcester Red Sox 6-3 before 7,985 fans Wednesday night at Polar Park in Massachusetts.

The Tides (78-49, 30-23 in second half) took a 2-0 series lead and have won nine of their past 11 games. Worcester (70-57, 31-21) has fallen into a first-place tie with Durham (71-56, 31-21) in the International League’s second-half standings. The Bulls’ game against Nashville was postponed due to rain.

Norfolk left fielder Daz Cameron continued a torrid stretch with two more hits, including an RBI double that gave the Tides a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Cameron has multiple hits in four straight games and is hitting .433 in his past eight contests.

Lewin Diaz added a two-run single in the inning to give Norfolk a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox chipped away, scoring single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings off Tides starter Justin Armbruester to pull within 4-3. Armbruester left after 4.2 innings, giving up six hits, striking out six and walking three.

Norby gave Norfolk the cushion it needed, going the opposite way for a two-run shot in the top of the seventh. It was his 17th homer of the season. He has a five-game hitting streak and is 11 for his last 24 (.458).

GONE!! @norby_connor goes the other way for his 17th home run of the season! Norfolk leads 6-3 into the 7th-inning stretch.#RisingTide pic.twitter.com/VSPgXIirZr

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) August 31, 2023

T.J. McFarland (4-2) relieved Armbruester in the fifth and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Joey Krehbiel pitched a perfect eighth and Wandisson Charles worked around a hit and a walk in the ninth to secure his fifth save.

The Tides finished with 12 hits and reached on 11 walks.

Worcester starter Shane Drohan (4-7) gave up three runs on five hits in three innings with four strikeouts and four walks.

Left-hander John Means is scheduled to make his second rehab start for the Tides in a 6:45 p.m. game Thursday against the Red Sox. The former MLB All-Star allowed a run in 4.1 innings against Durham on Friday night.

Field hockey

757Teamz Top 15

#1 Norfolk Academy 6, Trinity Episcopal 0

Brooke Bettencourt, Lizzie Adams, and Sydney Huddleston each scored one goal, while Joji Purdy scored 3 goals.

#4 Nansemond River 11, Lakeland 0

Each of the four players on Nansemond River, Rylee Binley, Kayleigh Bibbo, Aubrey White, and Caydence Parker, scored 2 goals each.

#12 Grafton 5, Warhill 1

Sam Beatley scored 2 goals for Grafton, while Taylor Secrist, Ashtyn Blackburn, and Savannah Hass each scored 1.

Southeastern District

Oscar Smith 5, King’s Fork 0

Kenzie Davis scored 2 goals and had one assist, Madison Moore scored a goal, and Jaelynn scored 2 goals unassisted. Trinity Towe earned her first shutout of the season.

Boys Volleyball

757Teamz Top 15

#2 Ocean Lakes def. #10 Great Bridge, 3-1

(25-20, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18)

#3 Indian River def. Princess Anne, 3-1 

Jaden Norman, Jashtan Brown, and Tj Taylor combined for 31 kills, and Aiden Barlow contributed 32 assists.

Girls Volleyball

757Teamz Top 15

Indian River def. #5 Princess Anne, 3-0

(25-22, 25-23, 25-23)

Lila Bryant and Alyssa Carr offensively combined for 24 kills. At the net, Eboni Jones and Maleah Scott combined for 13 blocks. Libero Mikalah Avery had 20 digs, and setters Paige Berg and Sydney Mize shared 31 assists.

Ocean Lakes defeats #10 Hickory, 3-1

Santina Martcheva contributed 18 kills.

#11 Grassfield def. #6 Norfolk Academy, 3-2

(19-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-21, 15-10)

Golf

Eastern District

Maury 355, Granby 367 

Landon Carraway from Maury was the medalist at Ocean View, playing on a par 70 course and scoring a 78.

By TOM KRISHER (AP Auto Writer)

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is allowing some drivers to use its Autopilot driver-assist system for extended periods without making them put their hands on the steering wheel, a development that has drawn concern from U.S. safety regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to tell the agency how many vehicles have received a software update making that possible and it’s seeking more information on what the electric vehicle maker’s plans are for wider distribution.

“NHTSA is concerned that this feature was introduced to consumer vehicles, and now that the existence of this feature is known to the public, more drivers may attempt to activate it,” John Donaldson, the agency’s acting chief counsel, wrote in a July 26 letter to Tesla that was posted on the agency’s website. “The resulting relaxation of controls designed to ensure that the driver remain engaged in the dynamic driving task could lead to greater driver inattention and failure of the driver to properly supervise Autopilot.”

A message was left early Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla. “If you haven’t tried Tesla Autopilot, you don’t know how awesome it is,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.

The government has been investigating Autopilot for crashing into emergency vehicles parked on freeways, as well as hitting motorcycles and crossing tractor-trailers. It opened a formal probe in 2021 and since 2016 has sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes that may involve partially automated driving systems. At least 17 people have died.

Tesla says Autopilot and a more sophisticated “Full Self-Driving” system cannot drive themselves and that drivers must be ready to intervene at all times. Autopilot generally can keep a car in its lane and a distance away from objects in front of it.

The special order tells Tesla to describe differences in the software update that reduces or eliminates instances where Autopilot tells drivers to apply pressure on the steering wheel, “including the amount of time that Autopilot is allowed to operate without prompting torque, and any warnings or chimes that are presented to the driver.”

The letter to Tesla Senior Legal Director Dinna Eskin orders the Austin, Texas, company to say why it installed the software update and how it justifies which consumers got it.

It also seeks reports of crashes and near misses involving vehicles with the software update. “Your response should include any plans to enable the subject software in consumer vehicles within the next calendar year,” Donaldson wrote in the letter.

A Tesla officer has to respond to the letter under oath by Aug. 25 or the agency will refer the matter to the Justice Department, which can seek a maximum penalty of more than $131 million.

Tesla’s system of monitoring drivers has been criticized by safety advocates and the National Transportation Safety Board for letting drivers check out when Autopilot is operating.

After investigating three crashes involving Autopilot, the NTSB recommended in 2017 that Tesla and five other automakers limit where the partially automated systems can be used to limited-access divided highways, and to bolster their systems that monitor drivers.

All of the automakers but Tesla responded. In 2021 NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy wrote a letter to Musk calling on him to act on the recommendations. The NTSB said Musk never responded.

The NTSB investigates crashes but has no regulatory authority. It can only make recommendations to automakers or other federal agencies such as NHTSA.

Most other automakers use an infrared camera to make sure a driver is paying attention. Some Teslas lately have been equipped with cameras that watch drivers.

Jake Fisher, who heads auto testing for Consumer Reports, said Tesla may have activated the cameras to monitor drivers, and that may be the reason for relaxing the steering wheel notifications.

But during its last test of Autopilot in 2022, the cameras didn’t do anything, and older Teslas aren’t equipped with the cameras, Fisher said. However, the cameras did monitor drivers when using “Full Self-Driving,” Fisher said.

Cameras, he said, are better at ensuring that drivers pay attention than steering wheel monitors.

Tesla owners refer to alerts about hands on the steering wheel as “nags.”

When Autopilot was first introduced in 2015, it warned drivers to pay attention if it didn’t feel torque on the steering wheel for about three minutes, Fisher said. Later that was reduced to 30 seconds, but it changes between software updates, he said. “It always seems to be jumping around,” he said.

Consumer Reports also has found that it’s easy to bypass Tesla’s steering wheel monitoring system.

Earlier this month NHTSA sent investigators to a crash in Virginia in which a Tesla apparently on Autopilot ran underneath a tractor-trailer, killing the driver.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Thursday for Hampton Roads and the surrounding areas, forecasting gusts of 40 to 50 mph from Tropical Storm Idalia.

The advisories cover Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Poquoson and Northampton County.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Currituck County in North Carolina. Officials on the Outer Banks are warning residents and visitors to prepare for flooding, heavy rainfall and high winds beginning early Thursday and continuing through Friday morning as Idalia moves across the region.

Heavy rain associated with Idalia will occur mainly in northeast North Carolina, where a flood watch remains in effect, the weather service posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Rain is expected to continue through Thursday afternoon.

A coastal flood watch is in effect for eastern Currituck and southeast Virginia, including most of Hampton Roads. The weather service warned flooding could occur over multiple tide cycles, but expects the Thursday evening tide to be the highest.

The weather service also warned of a high risk of rip currents for all beaches off Virginia’s Atlantic coast through Friday.

Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, [email protected]

Officials in New Hampshire are looking into whether or not former President Donald Trump is constitutionally qualified to appear on the statewide presidential ballot in 2024.

Included in the Fourteenth Amendment is an oft-forgotten but of late extraordinarily relevant clause which states no one who swore an oath to the U.S. Constitution who then participates in or aids an insurrection against the government no longer qualifies for elected office.

The Granite State’s Attorney General and Secretary of State announced Tuesday they are looking into whether Trump fits the bill.

“The Secretary of State’s Office has requested the Attorney General’s Office to advise the Secretary of State regarding the meaning of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the provision’s potential applicability to the upcoming presidential election cycle. The Attorney General’s Office is now carefully reviewing the legal issues involved,” New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Secretary of State David Scanlan said in a joint statement.

After the events of January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to halt the certification of the election, some legal scholars were quick to point out that, according to the law, anyone who “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against” the Constitution, or even “gives aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” is disqualified from serving in government.

Former federal judge Michael Luttig and constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe recently wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic stating that, in their legal opinion, it will eventually be up to the various Secretaries of State and courts to decide whether Trump’s actions — or inactions — on January 6th disqualify him from running.

“The former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and the resulting attack on the U.S. Capitol, place him squarely within the ambit of the disqualification clause, and he is therefore ineligible to serve as president ever again,” they wrote.

The attorney general and Secretary of State in New Hampshire make clear that though they are looking into the matter, they do not have an opinion regarding Trump’s qualification under the Fourteenth.

“Neither the Secretary of State’s Office nor the Attorney General’s Office has taken any position regarding the potential applicability of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to the upcoming presidential election cycle,” they wrote.

It is too soon for Massachusetts to consider whether Donald Trump is eligible to be on the statewide ballot, according to spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office.

“At this point, with the constantly evolving situation, it would be premature for the Secretary to take a position on any candidate’s eligibility. I’m sure New Hampshire will be printing their ballots soon, but our ballots will not be finalized until mid-January,” the spokesperson said.

By ALEXANDRA OLSON (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration proposed a new rule Wednesday that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, the most generous such increase in decades.

The rule revives an Obama-era effort that faced pushback from business leaders and Republicans and was ultimately scuttled in court. Business groups Labor advocates and liberal lawmakers have pushed the Biden administration to take the fight back up, arguing that overtime protections have been sharply eroded over the decades by wage stagnation and inflation.

The proposed regulation, unveiled by the Department of Labor, would require employers to pay overtime to salaried workers who are in executive, administrative and professional roles but make less than $1,059 a week, or $55,068 a year for full-time employees. That salary threshold is up from $35,568 level that has been in place since 2019 when the Trump administration raised it from $23,660, in a more modest increase than President Barack Obama’s earlier proposal.

The rule, which is subject to a public commentary period and wouldn’t take effect for months, would have the biggest impact on retail, food, hospitality, manufacturing and other industries where many managerial employees meet the new threshold.

“I’ve heard from workers again and again about working long hours, for no extra pay, all while earning low salaries that don’t come anywhere close to compensating them for their sacrifices,” acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in a statement.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, almost all U.S. hourly workers are entitled to overtime pay after 40 hours a week, at no less than time-and-half their regular rates. But salaried workers who perform executive, administrative or professional roles are exempt from that requirement unless they earn below a certain level.

The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute has estimated that about 15% of full-time salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay under the Trump-era policy. The new rule would almost double that to nearly 30%, according to Labor Department figures.

That’s still fewer than the more than 60% of salaried workers who were entitled to overtime pay in the 1970s, according to the institute. The overtime rule has been sporadically updated over the past decades, with the Trump increase being the first since 2004. The Labor Department’s new rule attempts to change that pattern by adopting automatic increases to the salary threshold every three years.

Business leaders quickly criticized the new rule, saying it would add to labor challenges and saddle companies with new costs as they grapple with higher interest rates, inflation and economic uncertainty.

“The DOL’s proposed rule would inject new regulatory burdens and compliance costs to an industry already reeling from workforce shortages and an onslaught of other unbalanced regulations,” said Chris Netram, managing vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers.

David French, senior vice president of government relations of the National Retail Federation, said the automatic increases proposed in the rule ties the hands of future administration and exceeds the authority of the Labor Department.

The rule is less generous than the Obama-era regulation, which would have lifted the threshold to more than $47,000. It also falls short of the demands of some liberal lawmakers and unions for an even higher salary threshold than the proposed $55,068.

But labor advocates praised the rule as positive step.

“It’s decades overdue, and it’s a really important step,” said Economic Policy Institute President Heidi Shierholz, who was the chief economist at the Labor Department when the Obama administration tried to enact its overtime rule.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called the measure a “victory for the working people.” She said employers that don’t want to pay overtime “instead could take the high road and hire additional staff or promote workers from part-time to full-time status.”

The new rule would extend overtime eligibility to some 300,000 more manufacturing workers and a similar number of retail workers. Some 180,000 hospitality and leisure workers and 600,000 health and social service workers would also be newly covered.

Under the rule, 27% of salaried workers would be entitled to overtime pay because they make less than the threshold, according to the Labor Department. A smaller number of workers would become newly eligible because of a change to a rule that excludes the highest paid salaried workers from overtime benefits even if they don’t perform administrative, professional or executive duties. The Labor Department proposed raising that salary threshold from $107,432 to $143,988.

In its proposal, the Labor Department said it tried to find a balance that would address one of the concerns raised in legal challenges to the Obama-era policy: that the threshold was so high that it sidelined the so-called “duties” test, which determines whether salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay based on the work they perform.

After testing water samples for bacteria, the Peninsula Health District issued a swim advisory Wednesday for several beaches in Newport News along the James River.

The beaches include Hilton Park Beach, Huntington Park Beach, King-Lincoln Park Beach and Anderson Beach.

Signs alerting the public of the advisory are posted at the beaches. They read in part, “Swimming not advised until further notice.”

Waters that people swim in are monitored for bacteria through the summer, according to a news release from the health district. Health officials test for organisms such as enterococci, which correlate with the presence of disease-causing organisms like fecal bacteria.

People swimming or playing in water with high bacteria levels have an increased risk of developing a gastrointestinal illness.

Samples collected Tuesday showed bacteria levels in the water exceeded the state water quality standard. Additional samples were collected Wednesday; results should be available Thursday.

Health officials will remove the signs and notify the public when bacteria levels are back to an acceptable level.

Cianna Morales, 757-957-1304, [email protected]

When it was announced two years ago that perennial powers Oscar Smith and Phoebus would play in a regular-season game, football fans in Hampton Roads couldn’t wait.

The past two games were the most anticipated regular-season showdowns in recent memory between two of the most prolific football programs in the state.

Unfortunately, neither game has lived up to the billing as the home team has dominated. Oscar Smith won the first meeting 42-0, and Phoebus returned the beatdown last season with a 56-0 win.

The two teams will try it again on Friday at Oscar Smith’s Beard-DeLong-Easley Field as the third-ranked Tigers host No. 2 Phoebus at 7 p.m.

“It’s only right that Oscar Smith is back on the schedule,” Phoebus coach Jeremy Blunt said. “They beat us two years ago and we beat them last year, so this is the tie-breaker and, as a competitor, you look forward to it.”

Oscar Smith players feel the same way. And they haven’t forgotten last season’s loss.

“We’re definitely looking forward to this week because we know we have to face them again,” said Tigers defensive back Jahmari DeLoatch. “We’re prepping more and getting ready. We’re not getting too ahead of ourselves. We’re being careful making sure we’re not missing any assignments.”

This will be Oscar Smith’s second game after the Tigers (1-0) traveled to Richmond last week and beat Hermitage 39-25.

Phoebus has won back-to-back state championships.

“It’s exciting, especially because we do play them at home,” said DeLoatch, a junior who has eight offers, including Michigan and Duke. “So we feel like it’s an advantage for us. It’s going to be real packed.”

Blunt said his team also is looking forward to this game.

“It’s about iron sharpening iron when you play that level of competition. The ultimate benefit is that the kids grow and mature as they work to reach the ultimate goal — the state championship.”

Larry’s pick: Oscar Smith 35-34. Marty’s pick: Phoebus 21-13

Staff writers Larry Rubama and Marty O’Brien provide their fearless predictions, as they will through state championship week in December.

Thursday’s games

757Teamz Top 15

No. 12 Cox (1-0) at No. 4 Green Run (1-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Green Run 28-20. Marty’s pick: Green Run 27-7.

Benedictine (0-0) at No. 6 Western Branch (1-0), 6 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Western Branch 28-14. Marty’s pick: Western Branch 14-6.

No. 10 Warhill (1-0) at Matoaca (0-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Warhill 28-24. Marty’s pick: Matoaca 21-20.

Tallwood (0-0) at No. 13 Bayside (1-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Bayside 26-20. Marty’s pick: Bayside 35-28.

No. 14 Salem (0-1) at Ocean Lakes (1-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Salem 27-21. Marty’s pick: Salem 24-20.

Beach District

Kempsville (0-1) at Kellam (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Kempsville 35-14. Marty’s pick: Kempsville 21-6.

Landstown (0-1) at Princess Anne (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Landstown 33-13. Marty’s pick: Landstown 38-16.

Peninsula District

Menchville (0-1) vs. Heritage (0-1) at Todd Stadium, 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Menchville 34-14. Marty’s pick: Menchville 27-20.

Non-district

Bruton (1-0) at Nandua (1-0), 6 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Bruton 24-21. Marty’s pick: Bruton 21-19.

Essex (1-0) vs. Jamestown (1-0) at Wanner Stadium, 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Essex 24-23. Marty’s pick: Essex 28-21.

Hampton (1-0) at King George (1-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: King George 34-27. Marty’s pick: King George 35-24.

Kecoughtan (1-0) vs. Granby (1-0) at Powhatan Field, 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Granby 27-26. Marty’s pick: Granby 13-12.

Manor (0-1) at Hickory (0-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Manor 21-20. Marty’s pick: Hickory 7-6.

Woodside (0-1) at Grassfield (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Woodside 14-13. Marty’s pick: Grassfield 17-13.

York (0-0) at Gloucester (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: York 27-13. Marty’s pick: York 28-27.

Friday’s games

757Teamz Top 15

No. 1 Maury (0-0) at Wise, Md. (0-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Maury 28-26 . Marty’s pick: Maury 28-17.

Bethel (0-1) vs. No. 5 Warwick (1-0) at Todd Stadium, 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Warwick 41-13. Marty’s pick: Warwick 42-13.

St. Christopher’s vs. No. 9 Lafayette at Bailey Field, 7 p.m. 

Larry’s pick: Lafayette 35-24. Marty’s pick: Lafayette 21-6.

C.H. Flowers (0-0) at No. 15 Norcom (1-0), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: C.H. Flowers 41-20. Marty’s pick: C.H. Flowers 24-10.

Southeastern District

Lakeland (0-0) at Indian River (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Indian River 33-13. Marty’s pick: Indian River 48-20.

Non-district

Norview (1-0) vs. Great Bridge (0-0) at Great Bridge MS, 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Norview 20-14. Marty’s pick: Norview 15-13

Smithfield (0-1) at Churchland (0-1), 7 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Churchland 33-23. Marty’s pick: Churchland 21-14.

Private schools

Atlantic Shores Christian at Roanoke Catholic, 7 p.m.

Blue Ridge at Nansemond-Suffolk, 7 p.m.

Isle of Wight at Portsmouth Christian, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Deep Creek (0-0) at Currituck County, N.C. (0-1), 2 p.m.

Larry’s pick: Deep Creek 41-13. Marty’s pick: Deep Creek 42-7.

Private schools

Norfolk Academy at Potomac School, 1 p.m.

Norfolk Christian at Frederickburg Christian, 6 p.m.

How they fared

Marty O’Brien: 15-7 last week, 15-7 overall (68.1%)

Larry Rubama: 18-4 last week, 18-4 overall (81.1%)

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and MARI YAMAGUCHI (Associated Press)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Wednesday night, its neighbors said, hours after the U.S. flew long-range bombers for drills with its allies in a show of force against the North.

The launches, the latest in the North’s barrage of weapons tests since last year, came amid ongoing annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises that North Korea regards as a rehearsal for invasion.

There were no reports of damages caused by Wednesday’s launches. But observers say North Korea likely aimed to demonstrate again it has missiles capable of striking key targets in South Korea in protest at its rivals’ military exercises.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the North Korean missiles both travelled about 360 kilometers (225 miles) before landing in the waters of the Korean Peninsula’s east coast. It said the missiles were launched from the North’s capital region.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launches “a grave provocation” that threatens international peace and violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any ballistic launches by North Korea. It said the South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing more details.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said it also detected the launches. It said the missiles traveled a distance of 400 kilometers (250 miles) at the maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles) before falling outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Earlier Wednesday, the United States flew at least one B-1B bomber for a joint aerial training exercise with other South Korean and U.S. warplanes, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. It said the drills off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast demonstrated the two countries’ combined defense posture and the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said that Japan and the U.S. also conducted a joint aerial exercise involving two U.S. B-1Bs on Wednesday over the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. It said the exercise was meant to show the two countries’ resolves to respond to any emergencies promptly and confirm their response capabilities.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to the deployment of U.S. B-1B bombers, which are capable of carrying a large payload of conventional weapons. Wednesday’s B-1B deployment is the 10th flyover by U.S. bombers on the Korean Peninsula this year, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

On Aug. 21, the U.S. and South Korean militaries kicked off their summer Ulchi Freedom Shield computer-simulated command post exercise. During this year’s training, set to last until this Thursday, the allies have included field exercises. South Korean defense officials said Wednesday’s joint aerial exercise involving the B-1B aircraft was part of that field training.

North Korea’s state media said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un called for the military to be constantly ready for combat to thwart plans by its rivals to invade. A state media dispatch cited Kim as saying in a speech marking the country’s Navy Day on Monday that the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been made unstable “with the danger of a nuclear war” because of U.S.-led hostilities.

Also Tuesday, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan mobilized naval destroyers for a trilateral missile defense exercise near the peninsula in response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats.

“The Kim regime may intend to show that it has the ability to attack at any time and from many directions. It might wish to complicate the allies’ missile tracking and analysis,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Kim has been pushing to enlarge and modernize his weapons arsenals. Since the opening of 2022, Kim’s military has conducted more than 100 weapons tests, some of them involving nuclear-capable missiles designed to strike the U.S., South Korea and Japan and other developmental high-tech weapons systems.

Last week, North Korea’s second attempt to launch a spy satellite into space ended in failure again. It said it would make a third attempt in October.

Foreign experts say Kim eventually wants to use his expanded weapons arsenals to force the U.S. to make concessions when diplomacy resumes.

North Korea’s testing spree has caused the U.S. and South Korea to expand their drills, resume trilateral training involving Japan, and enhance “regular visibility” of U.S. strategic assets at the Korean Peninsula. In July, the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in four decades.

—-

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.