Seahawks

With two weeks remaining, three NFL divisions remain up for grabs. The AFC North is undecided. Same goes for the NFC East and West. The fuzzy picture will come into better focus after this weekend's games, which include a handful of pivotal divisional matchups: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, Washington at Philadelphia and San Francisco at Seattle. First, the Steelers. If they win their final two — home games against the Bengals and Cleveland Browns — they will secure a spot in the postseason.

Kurt Szuba rushed for 100 yards and also stood out on defense to lead Ocean View to a 28-6 victory over Santa Ana Valley Friday night. Szuba, a 5-foot 10-inch senior, intercepted two passes and broke up several others with hard tackles as the Seahawks posted their second win before an estimated crowd of 2,000 at Huntington Beach's Sheue Field. "We were a lot more disciplined this week than last," said Szuba, whose team was shut out by Newport Harbor, 20-0. "We kept our heads up this game."

Marina 33, Ocean View 7--Coming off an upset victory of Edison, Marina seemed ripe for a letdown. Though the Vikings struggled for most of the game against the Seahawks, they came up with enough big plays in the fourth quarter to win and remain in first place. "We didn't put it all together like last week but we we played a decent game and came out on top," Marina quarterback Rick Vanderriet said after rushing for two touchdowns and passing for 105 yards.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under increasing fire after replacement officials made even more controversial calls during Week 3. Writers from around the Tribune Co. offer their opinions on what Goodell should do. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the conversation with a comment of your own. Ron Fritz, Baltimore Sun NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell won't be able to save face over the replacement refs, nor should...

Napoleon had his Waterloo and Custer had the Little Bighorn, but at least they didn't have to visit annually. The Raiders have their own nightmare on Earth, and this is the weekend the schedule says they're obligated to make an appearance. In three syllables that speak volumes in silver and blackdom, Se-at-tle. The Raiders haven't won in the Kingdome since 1981, when they were still the Oakland Raiders.

There are places the Raiders would rather go for their biggest game of the season: Mongolia. Death Valley. Hell. No such luck. They get the Seahawks in the Kingdome. What's a poor coach like Art Shell to do? Consult his predecessors? Try Tom Flores. He has a different perspective now, as the Seahawks' general manager. He says he doesn't think crowd noise is that big a factor and swears that the Seahawks never put the decibel counts on their scoreboard.

Bill Kenney threw two interceptions with his first four passes but came back to throw three touchdown passes and lead Kansas City to a 27-7 victory over Seattle Sunday. The Chiefs also fumbled Seattle's first punt. But the Seahawks failed to cash in on the turnovers, and by the middle of the second quarter, the momentum had shifted. "I knew it was my fault that we were in a hole like that and I went to the sidelines and said, 'I'm sorry, fellas, I blew it,' " Kenney said.

John Mackovic's Kansas City Chiefs have to visit Seattle this season, and after last week's 31-0 beating at Miami, Mackovic knows life on the road in the NFL is no vacation. That's why Mackovic downplayed Sunday's 28-7 victory over the Seahawks in a cold, steady rain at Arrowhead Stadium. "We had some opportunities and some good breaks," Mackovic said. "I didn't think it was as one-sided as the score. The weather really played a factor. Seattle is a good football team."

For the record, Ocean View High School's season came to an end Friday when Simi Valley's Scott Sharts homered in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Pioneers a 3-2 win in a Southern Section 4-A quarterfinal game at Simi Valley. But what Ocean View Coach Bill Gibbons will remember most about the game won't be the 410-foot blast Sharts hit off reliever Brett Johnson to lead off the ninth.

The nature of coaching community college athletics is usually one of constant rebuilding. Athletes remain for no more than two years, creating a turnover of players that tests a coach's adaptability and, quite often, patience. Harbor College baseball Coach Jim O'Brien faces such a problem with the 1985 Seahawks--but the outlook is far from grim.