Boron football player critically hurt

A Boron High School football player was in critical condition Sunday at Loma Linda Medical Center after suffering head injuries Friday during the Bobcats’ 56-18 victory over Riverside California School for the Deaf, said Jim Boghosian, Boron athletic director.

Vinnie Rodriguez, a sophomore running back and safety, suffered the injuries with about nine minutes to play while making a tackle, Boghosian said.

Rodriguez walked off the field with help from a teammate and sat on a bench before collapsing and suffering seizures, Boghosian said.

“He tackled the guy by the legs,” Boghosian said. “He must have hit his head somehow when he went to the ground.”

The game was stopped after it became apparent Rodriguez’s injuries were serious. He was airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent surgery to relieve swelling in the brain.

Players attended a candlelight vigil at Boron on Saturday and voted to play Friday’s game at Kern Valley, Boghosian said.

-- Ben Bolch

TENNIS

Kuznetsova leads Russia past Spain to win Fed Cup

Russia won its fourth Fed Cup in five years, defeating Spain when Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Anabel Medina Garrigues, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, Sunday in Madrid to clinch the title.

The victory gave Russia an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the top team event in women’s tennis.

The Russians made it 4-0 when Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova beat Nuria Llagostera Vives and Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2, 6-1, in doubles.

Second-seeded Gilles Simon won his second consecutive BCR Open Romania in Bucharest by beating Carlos Moya, 6-3, 6-4. . . . Second-seeded Patty Schnyder defeated Tamira Paszek, 6-3, 6-0, to win the Bali Open in Indonesia, her first title in three years.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

May-Treanor, Walsh win in San Francisco

Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the AVP Crocs Cup Shootout San Francisco.

The top-seeded duo beat second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs, 21-16, 21-12 for their first victory in three tournaments since Beijing.

Since the Olympics, May-Treanor and Walsh had their 112-match and 19-tournament winning streaks broken by Branagh and Youngs in Mason, Ohio. The pair lost again last week in Santa Barbara to Jen Boss and April Ross in the semifinals.

For the men, third-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal upset gold medalists and top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, 11-21, 21-19, 15-13.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame’s Weis to delay knee surgery

Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis will delay undergoing surgery on the knee he injured during Saturday’s game against Michigan for at least a month and might forgo it altogether.

“I don’t see me having surgery in the foreseeable future,” he said.

A Notre Dame defensive end crashed into Weis during a punt return during the game, which the Irish won, 35-17. Weis remained on the sideline throughout the game on crutches.

Weis said he plans to be on the sideline for Saturday’s game at Michigan State.