three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Wake Forest is ready for two years worth of growing pains to start paying off.The Demon Deacons begin Dave Clawsons third season Thursday night when they play host to a Tulane team debuting under new coach Willie Fritz.Wake Forest has finished 3-9 twice as part of Clawsons patient rebuild of the program, and last years Demon Deacons were one of the nations youngest teams.Now theyre a year older, with nine offensive starters returning, and theyre ready for the progress they made to show up in their record.This is the most talented group up front that weve had. This is the most cohesive group up front that weve had since I have been here, offensive lineman Tyler Hayworth said. We are a unit that has to work together and trust each other to be able to succeed. From last year to this year, we have built up that trust and built up these relationships with each other to where we are ready to play and we are prepared mentally and physically.John Wolford will start at quarterback for the Demon Deacons, but Kendall Hinton also will play. Wolford has started 22 of the 23 games hes played at the school, throwing for 1,791 yards last season while completing 61 percent of his passes with 11 interceptions and nine touchdowns. Hinton made two starts as a freshman in 2015 and rushed for seven touchdowns with four TD throws and five interceptions.Fritz is taking over a Tulane team that -- like Wake Forest -- is coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons, the latter of which cost fourth-year coach Curtis Johnson his job. His Georgia Southern teams led the Bowl Subdivision in rushing in both of his seasons there, and he led the Eagles to a Sun Belt title in his first season and a bowl game to end Year 2.The main thing I really want to see is incredible effort, Fritz said. We talk around here about, `The Wave dont beat the Wave. Lets stay away from those pre-snap penalties ... and just play a clean game.---Some things to know about the Tulane-Wake Forest opener:- RUNNING WAVE: The Green Wave figure to cycle in four running backs as part of a run-heavy system, with Dontrell Hilliard, Sherman Badie, Josh Rounds and Lazedrick Thompson getting most of the work. Theyll look to replicate what Fritzs Georgia Southern team did last year, averaging 363 yards per game and nearly 6.5 yards per carry. Tulane ranked 119th last year in the FBS in rushing, averaging just 115.8 yards.- DEMON DEACONS D: Wake Forest returns seven starters from their defense, but must replace three members of their front seven, including mainstay LBs Brandon Chubb and Hunter Williams. DL Duke Ejiofor will be important up front, after he recorded a sack in four of the seven games he played last year and had a team-best 4.5 sacks.- RUNNING WAKE: The Demon Deacons have struggled to get their ground game going under Clawson, mainly because of a young offensive line and injuries that mounted at key positions. Wake Forest was 123rd nationally in rushing last year and 127th in 2014. Theyve got more options this year, with freshman Cade Carney earning the start over redshirt freshman Rocky Reid and sophomore Matt Colburn. Freshman Tyler Bell, who rushed for a team-best 451 yards last year, was the first freshman to lead the team in rushing since 1982 but dealt with injuries during camp.- THE SERIES: Tulane has won both previous meetings between the schools with similar profiles -- small, private, academically elite -- but they havent met since 1995. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Marvin Smith had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Diante Baldwin scored 11 and UNC-Greensboro beat Presbyterian 61-42 on Monday night.RJ White had nine points and six rebounds and James Dickey grabbed 10 boards in his collegiate debut.White hit a 3-pointer to spark, and back-to-back dunks to cap, a 14-2 run to open the game. After a 3 by Presbyterians Will Adams, UNCG (1-1) scored seven of the next nine points to make it 21-7 and led by double figures the rest of the way. Jordy Kuiperrs layup with 11:52 remaining gave the Spartans their biggest lead, 44-19.ddddddddddddBoth teams shot less than 34 percent from the field, but Greensboro hit 10 3-pointers -- including 7 of 14 after halftime -- and forced 23 turnovers. UNCG outrebounded the Blue Hose 47-28 and had a 23-6 advantage in second-chance points.Davon Bell led Presbyterian (1-1) with nine points. ' ' '