New Jersey Prep Player Dies

A New Jersey high school football player died Monday, two days after he collapsed on the sideline during a game and underwent brain surgery.

Kim Accardo, a spokeswoman for Morristown Memorial Hospital, didn’t release a cause of death for John O’Neill, an end for New Providence High.

The senior collapsed less than eight minutes into Saturday’s game against Immaculata High of Somerville.

O’Neill went to the sidelines saying he had lost feeling in his limbs, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported.

He began vomiting, collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

Motor Racing

NASCAR will review rules designed to make racing safer at Talladega, Ala., and Daytona, Fla., after angry drivers complained that conditions at the tracks have become more dangerous.

Drivers and crew chiefs stormed the NASCAR hauler Sunday after the EA Sports 500, which was marred by a 16-car wreck on the last lap in which Bobby Labonte’s car ended up on its roof.

Spokesman Jim Hunter said NASCAR has been trying to solve the problem of keeping speeds down without hurting competition at Talladega and Daytona since the tracks opened in 1969 and 1959, respectively.

The 2002 season will open in February with the Daytona 500, a race in which Dale Earnhardt was killed last February in a final-lap crash.

Earlier in that race, a multicar wreck raised questions about the aerodynamic rules at the two longest and fastest tracks. The rules reduce speeds but keep cars closer together.

The rules at Talladega and Daytona require the use of carburetor restrictor plates that limit horsepower to keep cars under 200 mph, presumably creating safer racing.

Tennis

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, the U.S. Open champion, overtook Andre Agassi for the second spot in the ATP Champions Race after reaching the semifinals of the Tennis Masters Series last week at Stuttgart, Germany.

Hewitt moved within 34 points of Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten with two major rankings events left.

Agassi and Steffi Graf were married in Las Vegas, said Todd Wilson, a spokesman for Agassi Enterprises.

Sweden’s Robin Soderling, 17, made an impressive ATP tournament debut, ousting Ramon Delgado of Paraguay, 6-3, 6-3, in the first round of the Stockholm Open.

Fourth-seeded Guillermo Canas of Argentina defeated German wild-card entry Nicolas Kiefer, 6-3, 6-2; seventh-seeded Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco eliminated Franco Squillari of Argentina, 7-6 (5), 6-4, and eighth-seeded Wayne Ferreira of South Africa beat Christophe Rochus of Belgium, 7-5, 6-2.

Fifth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic defeated Nicolas Massu, 6-2, 6-3, in the first round of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia.

Iva Majoli won the last 11 games and defeated local wild-card entry Evely Faith, 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, in the first round of the Generali Ladies tournament at Linz, Austria.

Seventh-seeded Magdalena Maleeva eliminated Paola Suarez, 7-5, 6-1.

Third-seeded Amanda Coetzer eliminated Barbara Rittner, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round of the SEAT Open at Luxembourg.

Golf

Paul Lawrie made a 60-foot birdie putt to win the first $5-million Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, Scotland, by one stroke over Ernie Els.

Miscellany

UCLA All-American volleyball player Kristee Porter could miss at least three matches because she accepted unspecified items from a roommate in a possible violation of NCAA rules.

UCLA self-reported the violation to the NCAA and held Porter out of a loss to USC on Friday, pending a ruling from the NCAA.

Coach Andy Banachowski said he does not expect the violation to be a “season-ending thing” for Porter and said the NCAA may notify the school of its decision as early as today.

Ray Mercer dropped out of his Dec. 1 bout against World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko because of a cut suffered during his knockout victory over Brian Scott on Oct. 13.

Australian Lauren Jackson, the WNBA’s top draft pick, might not return for her second season with the Seattle Storm because she’s hesitant to live in the United States since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.