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High School Football

Van Gorder on tap at All-Area banquet

The Augusta Chronicle and WJBF News Channel 6 will play host to the annual All-Area banquet at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Augusta Towers Hotel.

New Georgia Southern University coach Brian Van Gorder will be the featured speaker. The former Georgia defensive coordinator moved up to the NFL this season as linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He accepted the head coaching position at Georgia Southern in December.

The festivities of the night include the honoring of the area's Independent, South Carolina and Georgia All-Area football team selections from the past season. The All-Area Player of the Year will be named for the entire coverage area. The Jeep Commander Award, a new honor this year, will also be presented to the top overall quarterback in the area.

NFL

'Smarter' Alexander to play vs. Panthers

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren removed all doubt Wednesday: NFL MVP Shaun Alexander will play in Sunday's conference championship game against Carolina.

The league rushing champion sustained a concussion last Saturday in the first quarter of Seattle's win over Washington. Alexander later said he was unconscious initially and then "out" of it for about 20 minutes.

But Holmgren said Wednesday the All-Pro back will be ready for the Panthers.

"Shaun's full go," the coach said. "He passed some tests we gave him yesterday. He participated in our walkthrough this morning. He's going to be fine."

Alexander, who rushed for a team-record 1,880 yards in the regular season, joked he learned something about himself over a four-day battery of doctors' tests.

"Oh yeah. I took all the tests and realized the guy knocked some sense into me," Alexander said of Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, who appeared to hit the back of Alexander's helmet during a 1-yard loss Saturday. "I am actually smarter than I was before."

- Rod Marinelli was nearing an agreement with the Detroit Lions to become their new head coach, a team source told The Associated Press.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team had not made an announcement, said Marinelli was to leave the team's practice facility on Wednesday night, but stayed to negotiate his contract.

Marinelli spent the past 10 seasons in Tampa Bay as defensive line coach.

College Basketball

Fort Valley State visits Paine tonight

The Paine College women will try to extend their winning streak to six games when they play host to No. 23 Fort Valley State (12-1, 7-0) in a battle of first-place Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams at 5:30 tonight at Carter Gym.

Paine is 10-3, 7-0 in the SIAC.

This is a rematch of last year's SIAC Tournament championship game - a 74-72 double-overtime win by the Lady Lions.

The inside-out combo of Kisha Lucette and Savoyia Barrett has helped Paine blow out its past five opponents by an 18.8 point margin.

Lucette is the team's leading scorer at 14.5 points a game, while Barrett, the team's top 3-point shooter, chips in with 10.5.

Fort Valley State's Shekiya Tarpkins is first in the SIAC in steals per game (3.54), free-throw percentage (.860) and 10th in scoring (13.5).

The men's contest begins at 7:30.

Figure Skating

Slutskaya closes in on her seventh title

In Lyon, France, Irina Slutskaya captured the short program, putting the Russian in position to win and overtake Katarina Witt and Sonia Henie with her seventh title at the European Championships.

Slutskaya skated early but her score of 66.04 points held up for nearly five hours.

Russia's Elena Sokolova was second at 60.88, followed by Switzerland's Sarah Meier at 60.87.

The long program is today.