ACROSS 

1 a joke that uses similar-sounding words

5 Gets set 5s by the setter in volleyball 

10 An attacker on the flank in soccer and hockey 

14 Special team in football

15 Aid for a fastball’s spin

17 Signed by athletes and employees to keep the organization’s secrets 

18 Previously called Blue Ribbon Sports

19 What a team hopes to maximize after buying a player

20 One of the senses with no double letters 

21 The sum of Mortal Kombat’s finishing move 

26 Opponent’s win, in shorthand 

27 Fantasy league’s drafting process 

28 The score after two goals, perhaps

30 Soccer goal cross-piece

31 When the ball goes out of bounds in soccer, it stops this (abbreviation) 

32 João Félix’s mispronunciation

34 Former East Germany 

35 Greatest of ___ 

39 Short for doctor 

40 Name of ball used in team sport from Quebec

41 Runner’s pre-competition menu, perhaps 

42 NBA’s ___ October (nickname for Reggie Jackson) 

43 Abbreviation of a volleyball team playing in Ligue A (French League) 

45 Runner who excelled in Berlin 

46 Abbreviation for a top 25 college football team with a mascot of duck.

48 De Gea, Ederson, Ter Stegen, Donnarumma

49 Texting slang for apologizing after a mistake 

50 Org. for wheelchair athletics, once 

52 Groupings of teams at a similar level

58 Roman numeral for 1000 

59 “Get back on ___!” 

60 Sport with the fastest projectile speed in a moving ball game 

61 Rams, Chargers, Lakers, Clippers 

62 The only Sage Head Coach of both the boys’ and girls’ teams in a sport 

67 Batter’s handedness on a lineup card 

68 Soccer technology used to review calls 

69 Short for a german soccer team (name starts with the name of a pharmaceutical) 

70 For the meme, the dream, the stream, and the ___ team! 

71 Legendary showdown on the court 

73 Opposite of L 

74 Sage Coach who substituted many teachers during Freshman Retreat 

80 Abbr. on a scoreboard for home team

DOWN 

1 Plural form of a flat bottom boat on English Canals or something in a football game 

2 A form of rugby 

3 First name (without the second i) of the F1 driver for the 2021 Haas team. 

4 One of the foods popularized by the Costco Guys’s, different protein

5 The two tennis all time leaders in weeks ranked number 1 without the vowels 

6 Athlete’s boast after a win 

7 a city in northwestern Tanzania 

8 Stat that rises when a pitcher gets shelled 

9 League entries, for short 

10 Short for a result that gives the team 3 points in soccer  

11 “As a devoted Cleveland baseball fan, I am ___” 

12 Football powerhouse in South Bend, briefly 

13 Racehorses 

16 Golf score symbol for eagle, briefly 

20 Utah Jazz legend John, briefly

22 Holding a slim margin, perhaps 

23 Abbreviation for Court shoes debuted in ’82, briefly

24 Offensive line position, briefly 

25 There is no ___ in team 

29 WNBA 

32 First name of Hillary who conquered Everest 

33 Cupid’s weapon 

35 First Grand Slam in the calendar year 

36 Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Rafael Leão, Luis Díaz 

37 Left Fielder On Base (abbreviation) + International Association of Sports (older org. references) 

38 Times a player train a week (three) 

41 Son Heung-Min, Nathan Ordaz, Hugo Lloris 

44 Half of a walk 

47 Sports org. protecting players’ rights, briefly 

49 Mid-South League Rugby 

51 Also called a 1 

53 French aerospace institute 

54 Jaime ___ baseball player from the Dominican Republic 

55 French aerospace institute 

56 radio o e indicator (pay attention to the letters)

57 End of oven 

58 ___ Madness 

61 “Take the ___” 

62 Abbr. on Huskies’ scoreboard 

63 Zarco Johann, Marini Luca, Mir Joan (2025) 

64 Self

65 Another way to say to be determined (abbreviation) 

66 Type of sports league with 501(c)(3) status, briefly 

68 Tech used in training simulations, briefly 

72 There’s no ___ in team 

75 Scoreboard goose egg 

76 Pitcher’s stat: ___/9 IP 

77 Most used letter 

78 Stat that crosses the plate, briefly 

79 _P = Games played