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Dracut High School to team up with nearby school to save football season

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

There was relief in Dracut Friday night after families received news that this year’s Dracut High School football season has been saved. After fears of a canceled season due to a shortage of players, school officials said they reached an agreement to team up with nearby Innovation Academy Charter School in a one-year co-op program where players from both schools will make up a team roster. While the season this fall will look different, parents speaking with 7NEWS said they are happy their children will be able to take the field. “He’s just so happy,” said Neala Richardson of her son. “He just said ‘Thank you’ to my husband and I.” “This is his senior year and you don’t want to miss your senior year,” Richardson said. The season had been on the line with just 21 players signed up to play for Dracut High School this year. As officials considered their options, players and families expressed their concern, holding a rally Thursday night to save the season...

Jordan Lyles dominant as Royals crush Red Sox 13-2

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Lyles pitched eight strong innings as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 13-2 Friday nightLyles (4-15), who leads the major leagues in losses, had one of his best outings of the season for the Royals. He allowed two runs on four hits, struck out seven and did not give up a walk. The Royals gave him a big lead early, and he cruised. He didn’t allow a run until Alex Verdugo’s two-out home run in the eighth.Salvador Perez hit two home runs for his second multi-homer game of the season, the first since May 2 against Baltimore. Nick Loftin, who was making his major league debut, was 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run.James Paxton (7-5) allowed six runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings.Bobby Witt Jr. put the Royals on the board in the first inning with his 28th home run of the season. He’s two home runs away from becoming the first Royal ever with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. He already has 38 stolen bases.P...

Chicago Cubs let a doubleheader sweep slip out of their hands and settle for a split against the Cincinnati Reds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

Adbert Alzolay, so steady as the Chicago Cubs closer since being trusted with the role two months into the season, needed two more outs to secure a doubleheader sweep Friday at Great American Ball Park.His strikeout of Elly De La Cruz, the phenom’s fourth in Game 2, pitted Alzolay against his former teammate Nick Martini, who spent 25 games with the Cubs in 2021. Martini cranked a 1-1 slider over the right-field wall for a tying home run and blown save for Alzolay’s second straight appearance.Alzolay’s typically reliable slider betrayed him again with two outs and the winning run on third following Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s single and stolen base on Alzolay’s strikeout of Will Benson that advanced the runner an extra base on Yan Gomes’ throwing error.The next pitch ended it. Noelvi Marte sliced Alzolay’s slider on the outer half to center field to hand the Cubs a 3-2 walk-off loss.The disappointing end to a doubleheader that begins a cr...

Pope starts Mongolia visit by praising the country’s religious freedom dating back to Genghis Khan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday praised Mongolia’s tradition of religious freedom dating to the times of its founder, Genghis Khan, as he opened the first-ever papal visit to the Asian nation with a plea for peace and an end to the “insidious threat of corruption.”Francis met with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh inside a traditional Mongolian ger, or round yurt, set up inside the state palace, and wrote a message in the guest book that he was visiting Mongolia, “a country young and ancient, modern and rich of tradition,” as a pilgrim of peace.Francis is visiting Mongolia to minister to its tiny Catholic community of 1,450 people and make a diplomatic foray into a region where the Holy See has long had troubled relations, with Russia to the north and China to the south.While Christianity has been present in the region for hundreds of years, the Catholic Church has only had a sanctioned presence in Mongolia since 1992, after the country abandoned its Soviet-allie...

1 seriously injured, 2 others assaulted in Sherway Gardens stabbing; youth arrested

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

Police have a youth in custody after someone was stabbed during a fight at a west end mall. Investigators say they received reports of two groups fighting in the food court at Sherway Gardens around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Police say one person was stabbed and two others were assaulted. The stabbing victim was transported to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Police say a youth was arrested a short time later but provided no further details.

LIVE: Westlake flexes its muscle on defense, shuts out Converse Judson 47-0

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Sophomore quarterback Rees Wise entered the game in the second half to throw his first two touchdown passes of his career and he ran for another in a Westlake 47-0 blowout win Friday over Converse Judson.It started out as a bit of a defensive struggle, but after the Chaparrals built a 17-0 halftime lead, the home team poured it on the second half to outscore the Rockets 30-0.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteWestlake head coach Tony Salazar said being able to get his younger players in the game and have them take varsity snaps was a goal even against a solid Judson program."We've got to build our depth and we hope it's a long season," Salazar said, "so the young guys will come in handy later on."Wise provided a bit of a spark in the second half with his first career touchdown toss. He fired a pass to Brody Wilhelm who hau...

Rising Twins prospect David Festa strikes out seven in first start for Saints

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

David Festa was a 6-foot-6 string bean of a pitcher at Seton Hall when the Twins decided he had enough potential to take him in the 13th round of the 2021 draft.If he could continue to learn how to keep that long frame moving in the right direction and add some strength, the Twins figured they could have something.Two years later, what they have is a legitimate major league prospect.The 23-year-old Festa is the No. 9 prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, which puts him ahead of Friday’s starter, Simeon Woods Richardson (No. 16), and left-hander Brent Headrick (No. 21), who was called up by the Twins on Friday.Festa made his first start for the Saints on Wednesday after being called up from Double-A Wichita and allowed one run on four hits over five innings while striking out seven in the Saints’ 8-5, 11-inning loss to the Columbus Clippers at CHS Field. He said he did his best to treat the start just like any other game but certainly was able to enjoy the moment.“...

Concert review: Jonas Brothers speed through their back catalog at the Grandstand

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

Back in May when the Jonas Brothers announced they were headlining the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, it sounded like the deal of a lifetime for devoted JoBros fans.The tour stop, which took place Friday night in front of a crowd of 12,808, is part of an ambitious outing that promised the trio would play all the songs from their five albums (they’re pretending 2006’s pre-fame debut “It’s About Time” didn’t happen) in one nearly three-hour concert. The majority of dates on the tour are dynamically priced, which can send prices skyrocketing. But the Grandstand does things old school and kept prices locked from $77 to $207, meaning fans were able to snag great seats that are going for more than $1,000 a pop in some markets.But then came the sharp left turn. Thursday night, the group posted a bizarre message on social media that said Friday’s show would be a mere 75 minutes, but that they would perform “the best possible show in our allotted stage time.” ...

Luplow, Vazquez end slumps with homers for Twins in 5-1 win over slumping Rangers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jordan Luplow and Christian Vázquez snapped extended slumps with home runs in the go-ahead seventh inning after Texas starter Max Scherzer left the game as the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins beat the slumping Rangers 5-1 on Friday night.“No one could really get anything going. No one could really have a good inning. It was more like a good swing, but not a good inning,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “That was a good inning.”All of Minnesota’s runs came against Texas relievers after Scherzer struck out seven and allowed only one hit in six innings before he departed after 88 pitches with a 1-0 lead.Scherzer, in his sixth start for the Rangers since being acquired in a trade from the New York Mets, said he was dealing with some forearm tightness and communicated that to pitching coach Mike Maddux. The three-time Cy Young Award winner insisted that he is OK, and just didn’t want that to become an extended problem.“There in the sixth inning, I could tell my l...

High school football roundup: New faces and all, Lakeville South keeps rolling

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:55 GMT

Lakeville South 41, Wayzata 27: The names are different, but the success is the same for Class 6A power Lakeville South, which jumped out to a 21-0 lead over the Trojans on Friday en route to victory.The Cougars were aided by a couple big plays on defense and special teams, as Christopher Lafferty returned a fumble 66 yards to the house, and Connor Cade returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score.Wayzata did trim Lakeville South’s lead to 27-21 in the second half, but Cade ran in a 27-yard score midway through the fourth to extend the advantage back to two scores.Brainerd 34, Mahtomedi 6: Mahtomedi proved unable to stop Brainerd’s rushing attack Friday, as the Warriors gashed the Zephyrs throughout the evening. Sean Holbrook had a pair of rushing touchdowns early. Eli Hoelz tacked on a pair of passing touchdowns to go with a rushing score of his own.Brainerd led 34-0 before Mahtomedi quarterback Charlie Brandt put the Zephyrs on the board with a 25-yard run in the fourth.Cen...