Sports

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Are you ready for some football?

It's Homecoming tonight for the undefeated New Smyrna Beach High School Cudas against Deltona. The game starts at 7 p.m. at the NSB Stadium.

Editor's Note: Homecoming court names on the inside plus complete video highlights of the Cudas' last home-game thriller over Mainland High, 24-21.

Headline Surfer photo by Henry Frederick / Cudas QB Marcus Johnson, shown here from the victory over Mainland last week at home,  was 9 for 13 for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the 40-0 win Thursday at Titusville.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Cudas remain unbeaten following a 40-0 shellacking of Titusville tonight on the road to improve to 6-0, their best mark in a dozen years.

New Smyrna Beach scored 27 points in the first quarter alone enroute to the shutout of the Terriers at Al Werneke Field in Titusville in the non-district football contest, but an important win nonetheless. The Cudas face District 9A foe Seabreeze a week from Friday on the road.

The Orlando Magic signed free agent small forward Chris Johnson, 22, waivbed by the LA Clippers. Orlando's roster now stands at 20, but must be reduced by Nov. 1, the day before the Magic open the regular season at home gainst the Denver Nuggets.

ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic have signed free agent forward Chris Johnson, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today.

Per team policy, terms of the deal with Johnson, 22, were not disclosed. He was cut last week by the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

DELAND -- A defensive play in overtime resulted in a 92-yard touchdown that led the New Smyrna Beach 'Cudas over the DeLand Bulldogs, 41-35, Friday night at Spec Mark Stadium.

DeLand led 21-0, in what looked to be a blowout, but New Smyrna Beach came back strong in the second half to tie the game at the end of regulation.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Cudas football squad showed a lot of heart during the 2011-'12 season led by quarterback Josh Brisbois -- a young team with as many as 20 starters coming back next season.

DAYTONA BEACH -- It was only the second day of pre-season practice for Bethune-Cookman volleyball, but coach Isaac Raphael was nonetheless pleased with his team's progress.

"We're way ahead of where we were last year," Raphael said after Friday's second session. "We may be ahead of where we were at the middle of last season. The newcomers may not be physically accustomed to two-a-days, but volleyball-wise, they have the fundamentals."

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman University will open its 2012 football training camp Thursday at the New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex while enhancements to its on-campus facilities in Daytona Beach near completion.

Inclement weather delayed renovations, including a re-sodding of the practice field, in addition to a new practice track, pole vault and jump pits for the track and field program. When it became apparent that on-campus facilities would be not be available, the B-CU administration employed its contingency plan.

"We've exercised the option of relocating the first two weeks of practice," said Lynn W. Thompson B-CU's director of athletics. "We're honored that the City of New Smyrna Beach has welcomed our program and has extended its facilities to us."

Chipper Jones, shown here in a photo from his website, was all smiles at Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo., hitting a single in the 6th inning.

PIERSON -- Chipper Jones -- the pride of Pierson, Florida --  rallied his National League All-Stars in a pre-game speech Tuesday night before they took to the field in Kansas City and shut out their American League counterparts, 8-0.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Tony Stewart stayed clear of the carnage in tonight's Coke Zero 400 to take the checkered flag for his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season.

"I don't even remeber what happened in the last lap," Stewart said, when asked about the multitude of wrecks including one on the final lap. "Anytime you win at Daytona it's special."

Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr., who got caught up in the biggest pile-up, to finish 15th, said of the wreckfest, "I was getting shoved. It was pretty wild. We were all running into each other."