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Area college football: Bethel sends longtime coach Steve Johnson out with an MIAC Skyline division title, and a chance for more

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

Bethel University football coach Steve Johnson announced on Monday that he would retire as the Royals’ football coach at the end of the 2023 season.But retirement is the last thing on his mind right now. And the Royals are living proof of that, clinching a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game for the third year in a row on Saturday with a convincing 31-14 victory over Concordia (Moorhead) at Royal Stadium in Arden Hills, Minn., in a battle of the last two unbeaten teams in MIAC Skyline division competition.A 1979 Bethel graduate, Johnson became the Royals’ head coach in 1989 and has produced 251 career victories in his 35 years leading the program. He currently ranks as the all-time wins leader among active Division III football coaches.With 29 winning seasons in a row, he has led the Royals to 11 NCAA Division III playoff appearances, two Final Four appearances, four Elite Eight appearances and five MIAC championships.And, obviousl...

Gophers collapse late in 27-26 loss to Illinois

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

The Gophers have been preaching the need to play complementary football all season long.Midway Saturday’s fourth quarter against Illinois, Minnesota’s defense and offense synced into harmony.But they soon fell back to contrasting ways and lost 27-26 to the Illini at Huntington Bank Stadium.Cody Lindenberg’s forced fumble and Justin Walley’s recovery gave the U great field position at the Illini 34-yard line. Almost immediately, Athan Kaliakmanis hit Daniel Jackson on a 31-yard touchdown and a 26-21 lead with six minutes left.On the next drive, Tyler Nubin intercepted Luke Altmyer, but Minnesota’s offense couldn’t ice the game and punted to Illinois. The Illini converted on fourth and 11 and then backup quarterback John Paddock found Isaiah Williams on a 47-yard touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.The Gophers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) failed to clinch bowl eligibitly against Illinois (4-5, 2-4). The U loss resembled the 21-point lead it coughed up in an overtime loss to Northwestern in Sept...

Illinois AG blocks push for Metro East county to join Missouri

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

JERSEY COUNTY, Ill. - The Illinois Attorney General recently struck down a push for one Metro East county to leave the state and join Missouri. Illinois AG Kwame Raoul returned an opinion document on Oct. 17 that essentially means Jersey County will remain part of Illinois for the foreseeable future. "It is my opinion that non-home-rule counties, such as Jersey County, do not have the authority to secede from the State of Illinois and join another state," the document states. According to the Jacksonville Journal-Courier, the effort has been sought by some groups within the county since at least 2021, with one board member floating the idea of a ballot referendum to switch statehood. Remembering Donn Johnson – FOX 2 mourns loss of longtime journalist With a non-home-rule county designation, as Raoul pointed out, Jersey County must abide by the legal opinion of the state of Illinois. Raoul adds that even if Jersey County were authorized to leave the state, there isn't a statutory ...

No. 1 Georgia holds off No. 14 Missouri, 30-21, behind late key plays

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse's fourth-quarter interception helped protect No. 1 Georgia's slim lead and the Bulldogs beat No. 14 Missouri 30-21 on Saturday for their 26th consecutive win.Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 2 College Football Playoff) had to rally to win the key SEC East matchup against Missouri (7-2, 3-2, No. 12 CFP).The Tigers led 13-10 early in the second half. Georgia answered with two straight touchdowns, a 15-yard run by Kendall Milton and Carson Beck's 5-yard scoring pass to Oscar Delp. Beck completed 21 of 32 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.Georgia led 27-21 when Stackhouse, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound senior, picked off Brady Cook's short pass. Stackhouse rambled all the way to the Missouri 5, but a blindside block penalty against Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. pushed Georgia back to its 30.Daijun Edwards' 22-yard run helped set up a 48-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring, the freshman...

Missouri starts to test wastewater for flu, RSV

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Researchers in Missouri have been testing wastewater for spikes of COVID-19 for nearly four years, but could the same be done to test for the flu and RSV?Missouri is currently reporting less than 200 flu cases. That's down significantly from last year at this time, when the state was reporting 2,000 cases. Those low numbers aren't slowing down the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) from testing sewer water. For the last several weeks, it's been fairly low," said Jeff Wenzel, chief for the Bureau of Epidemiology for DHSS. "We only have about seven locations that have seen an increase in viral load. Our testing is pretty unique in the way we do it. We're able to find those new lineages without really knowing it's there." Remembering Donn Johnson – FOX 2 mourns loss of longtime journalist It's a dirty but important job: testing your wastewater for COVID-19. For nearly four years, the state's health department has partnered with the University of Mis...

Air Force has six turnovers in loss to Army, likely squandering chance at New Year’s Six bowl and Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

Air Force fell flat on its face on the big stage Saturday.And with that, the Falcons said goodbye to an undefeated season and winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy outright, while their hopes of playing in a New Year’s Six bowl were dealt a serious blow.Army dominated the Falcons, 23-3, by owning the first half and capitalizing on an array of uncharacteristic Air Force mistakes. The Falcons entered the game 8-0 and ranked No. 17 in the AP poll, the team’s highest ranking when playing Army since 1985, but turned the ball over six times in the first contest between the service academies held at Empower Field at Mile High.“We’ve had a pretty good go of it for a while this season, and yet (today) makes you realize how hard it is to win,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “Credit to Army — they played really hard, they played really well.“I don’t think it was (the emotions of a rivalry game in an NFL stadium) that got to us. It was...

Prep volleyball: Archbishop Mitty rallies past St. Francis to win CCS Open Division title

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

PALO ALTO — Staring at a Central Coast Section Open Division championship scoreboard that read “25-22” in favor of rival St. Francis after one set, there was no worry in Katelyn Cook’s or any of her Archbishop Mitty teammate’s eyes. Mitty remained calm, made the passes, kills, digs and rallies it needed to make, and ended the afternoon as section champions after winning the final three sets 25-20, 25-22, 25-19 at Palo Alto High to add another CCS title to an already crowded trophy case.“They had a proper response to a punch in the face,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said. Archbishop Mitty coach Jon Wallace prepares his team to play St. Francis in the CCS Open Division Volleyball Championship at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) After St. Francis had won all six meetings between the programs in 2022, including last year’s section title, the teams had split its four previous matches this season. Each...

How college admissions are changing after the end of affirmative action

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

(BCN) -- For students of color, the Supreme Court's recent ban on affirmative action has left them frustrated but undaunted as they plow through college application season. Some California private colleges, meanwhile, are increasing their outreach efforts to attract more students and send a signal that the end of race-based admissions doesn't change their belief in the importance of diversity."I want to go to a college where I feel comfortable and supported and confident. So yes, the ruling has definitely affected what schools I'm looking at," said Maya Murchison, a senior at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. "I want to know what colleges are doing to guarantee diversity." 2 robberies in downtown Walnut Creek, police ask for community assistance The court's 6-3 ruling in June prohibits all colleges in the country from using race as a consideration in admissions. California's public universities have not used affirmative action for almost 30 years, but some of the state's select...

2 robberies in downtown Walnut Creek, police ask for community assistance 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

(KRON) – The Walnut Creek Police Department is seeking the community's help with the investigation into separate robberies on Friday in the downtown area. Walnut Creek police were alerted of a robbery that occurred in the parking lot of the Newell Promenade Shopping Center at 1:11 p.m. on Nov. 3. According to police, the victim was in the process of getting into an Uber rideshare when two male suspects wearing masks approached and confronted them. One of the suspects was armed with a dark-colored handgun, police said.  4 suspects arrested for furnishing alcohol to minors in Santa Clara The suspects stole the victim’s watch and then fled. The victim sustained a facial injury during the robbery. At approximately 3:16 p.m. on Nov. 3, Walnut Creek Police Dispatch received another alert of a robbery that occurred in the Burger King parking lot on N. Broadway.The victim was seated in his car when two male suspects wearing masks and gloves approached him, according to police. One of...

Seth Henigan’s 5 total TDs lead Memphis past South Florida 59-50

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:53 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Seth Henigan passed for four touchdowns and rushed for another to help Memphis beat South Florida 59-50 on Saturday.Henigan’s 4-yard touchdown run came on the first possession of the game — for the first of three Memphis touchdown drives in the first quarter. Henigan’s 85-yard connection with Roc Taylor made it 52-42 with 12:54 left in the fourth quarter. Memphis went ahead 59-42 with 3:20 left on Brandon Thomas’ 8-yard scoring run.Henigan was 23 of 40 for 349 yards for Memphis (7-2, 4-1 American). He had scoring plays of 3, 2, 10 and 18 yards. Taylor made five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Demeer Blankumsee added six grabs for 142 yards.Byrum Brown also passed for over 300 yards — and five touchdowns — for South Florida (4-5, 2-3). Brown completed 31-of-39 passes for 357 yards with an interception.___Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-colle...