This year's Topps NFL card set includes two Tomlinsons: LaDainian, the running back with the Chargers; and Wyat, a staff sergeant based at the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion in Kansas City, Mo.

Sgt. Tomlinson, 29, is one of 11 Armed Forces Fans of the Game nominated by their home teams. Their cards are among the 440 that make up the Topps set. Randomly placed in packs of 10, the armed forces cards have become collector's items.

"We wanted to pay tribute to our soldiers in some fashion," said Clay Luraschi, the director of product development for Topps. "We went to the NFL, and they were totally on board with it, and immediately began asking teams to nominate soldiers from their respective cities."

The Topps trading card troops also included Sgt. Traci Williams of the Army Reserve. Williams the only woman in the group and the first Topps has featured on a professional football card.

"It's an honor for me just to put on my uniform every day and serve my country," Williams, 48, said from Camp Victory in Baghdad.

Topps also issued cards for nine former players who served in the military: Chuck Bednarik, Rocky Bleier, Art Donovan, Tom Fears, Lou Groza, Johnny McNally, Gino Marchetti, Roger Staubach and Norm Van Brocklin.

The PIAA has release sites and times for its semifinal football games. WPIAL Class AAA champion Thomas Jefferson will play West York at 7 p.m. Friday at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona. In Class AA, Aliquippa will take on Wilmington at 7 p.m. Friday at Center High School. In Class A, Clairton will meet Farrell at 7 p.m. Friday at North Allegheny High School.

• West Lawn Wilson defeated Cumberland Valley, 35-7, last night in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal. Wilson (14-0) will meet WPIAL champion Bethel Park in a semifinal at a site and time to be determined.

• Central Catholic quarterback Nolan Krivijanski completed 13 of 20 passes for 221 yards and two scores, the final one for 32 yards to Carrick's Bruce Thornton with six seconds left, as the City All-Stars defeated the North team, 18-17, in the Pittsburgh Area All-Star football game at Cupples Stadium. Highlands quarterback Jeff Sinclair paced the North team in rushing with 53 yards on 15 carries.

• The Wexford Flats Cross County team, which consisted of members of the North Allegheny High squad, placed third in the Nike Cross Northeast Regional at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. The Wexford Flats team finished with 83 points. Ryan Gil finished 14 for Wexford Flats.

• Norwin's Leslie Kovach finished 22 and Latrobe's Natalie Bower was 27 in the Footlocker Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. The top 10 finishers in each regional advance to the national competition in San Diego.

World champion Mao Asada won the NHK Trophy in Tokyo, qualifying for the International Skating Union's Grand Prix finals. Asada finished with 191.13 points, comfortably ahead of compatriot Akiko Suzuki, who was second.

France's Tessa Worley overcame driving snow and poor visibility to win a giant slalom at the Aspen Winternational in Colorado for her first World Cup victory. Worley, whose previous best was fifth place, was followed by Tanja Poutiainen of Finland and Elisabeth Goergl of Austria. Lindsey Vonn of the United States was fourth.

• Italy's Peter Fill won the opening downhill of the World Cup season in Lake Louise, Alberta, with Switzerland's Carlo Janka finishing second.

• Ola Vigen Hattestad led a Norwegian sweep in the men's cross-country World Cup ski sprint opener in Kuusamo, Finland, while Andy Newell of the U.S. finished in 11th place.

American goalkeeper Brad Friedel of Aston Villa made a record 167th consecutive Premier League appearance against Fulham in Birmingham, England. The 37-year-old, who started the streak in August 2004 with Blackburn, overtook the previous record set by Portsmouth's David James in April.