Fast Break
NFL
Belichick wins coach of year
New England’s undefeated season now includes another achievement: Bill Belichick is the Associated Press 2007 NFL Coach of the Year.
The first coach since Don Shula in 1972 to lead his team through a spotless regular season, Belichick won the award Thursday for the second time in four years. In 2003, the Patriots went 14-2 and won their final 12 games. This time, the Pats won a handful of close games on their way to 16-0.
That was enough to offset the major blemish on Belichick’s resume: a $500,000 personal fine, $250,000 fine for the team and the loss of a first-round pick in the draft after being caught videotaping New York Jets coaches in the season opener. Spygate didn’t stop 29 of the 50 voters on a nationwide panel of media members who cover the NFL from voting for Belichick.
College football
West Virginia promotes Stewart
Bill Stewart was promoted to head coach of West Virginia on Thursday, hours after leading the Mountaineers to a stunning 48-28 victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Stewart was introduced in the morning as he and his team were preparing to return home. He was appointed interim coach in mid-December after Rich Rodriguez bolted for Michigan.
Stewart’s five-year contract will pay $800,000 a year with incentives.
Prep wrestling
Japanese team coming to Spokane
Mead wrestlers will chauffer and host a visiting Japanese national high school team here Monday for an exhibition contest against local standouts.
“We will travel to Snohomish for a tournament (Friday and Saturday),” said Panthers coach Phil McLean. “The Japan team will return on the bus with our guys. We will be housing them for a few days.”
The match is 7 p.m. at Mead at a cost of $2.
Matches between the Spokane All-Stars and Team Japan will pit Tanner Teeples, CV, against Naoto Takayasu; Anthony Rivera, U-Hi, vs. Yu Kagabu; Philip Smith, Mead, vs. Masato Suzuki; Brian Owen, U-Hi, vs. Ryouta Watari; Kyle Johnson, Lakeside, vs. Takashi Sasaki; Brandon Leliefeld, Deer Park, vs. Arashi Nagao; Cody Miller, Deer Park, vs. Keigo Goto; Ryan DesRosches, Riverside, vs. Kazunao Kuwabara; Wes McAdam, Lakeside, vs. Toshinori Tokuyama; Clete Hanson, EV, vs. Keiya Morioka; Tyler Cochran, CV, vs. Shintaro Mukai and Cody Foote, Mead, vs. Takuya Masuda.