By BERNIE WILSON, Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit a three-run homer during a five-run seventh inning and the San Diego Padres won 7-1 on Tuesday night against the NL East-leading New York Mets, who watched slugger Juan Soto leave the game after fouling a ball off his left foot in the fourth.

The Mets announced that Soto has a bruised foot. He was in considerable pain as he was checked by a trainer. He took a few swings and finished his at-bat, grounding out as second baseman Jake Cronenworth made a diving stop.

New York got just four hits in losing its second straight to the Padres following a seven-game winning streak.

Machado greeted reliever Chris Devenski by hitting his 20th homer of the season off the facade of the second deck in left field with two outs in the seventh.

Elías Díaz hit a two-run double with one out in the seventh, off José Buttó (3-2).

Jackson Merrill broke a 1-all tie in the sixth when he hit a chopper off Buttó that bounced over the head of first baseman Pete Alonso and rolled into the right-field corner for an RBI triple. Luis Arraez, aboard on a single, scored easily.

Merrill also had a run-scoring single off starter Sean Manaea in the first.

New York tied it in the fifth on pinch-hitter Starling Marte’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

Manaea, who pitched for the Padres in 2022, allowed one run and three hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and no walks.

Padres rookie Ryan Bergert loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth and made way for Jeremiah Estrada. He struck out Francisco Lindor and then allowed Marte’s sac fly before retiring slugger Pete Alonso.

Wandy Peralta (5-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Machado’s homer put a charge into the sellout crowd of 45,088.

Machado joined five other active big leaguers who have at least 10 seasons of 20 homers.

Mets RHP Clay Holmes (9-5, 3.40 ERA) and Padres RHP Yu Darvish (0-3, 9.18) are scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

The Free Press

MANKATO — Mankato East High School, particularly Cougars named Madson, dominated the top individual honors in the inaugural Greater Mankato Area Athletic Awards presented Tuesday.

The Cougars won the awards for coaching and for top male athlete and top female athlete for the 2024-25 school year.

The 2024-25 Team of the Year award went to the Mankato co-ed adapted floor hockey team.

The First Annual Greater Mankato Area Athletic Awards, or GMAs, were determined by Free Press sports staff, working with area schools and coaches, and were presented by physicians and other staff from the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic, which was a primary sponsor of the event. The architecture and engineering firm ISG was also a sponsor.

Joe Madson, the longtime coach of the two-time state champion East softball team and the East boys basketball teams, received the Coach of the Year honor and his son Brogan Madson, a star in both football and basketball for the Cougars, was named Boys Athlete of the Year.

The Girls Athlete of the Year award was shared by Rylie Hansen, a gymnast and track and field state champion, and Kylinn Stangl, a basketball player and two-time state champion in softball. Both are East High seniors.

For Team of the Year, it was the Mankato adaptive floor hockey squad, which is made up of athletes from both East and West High. After defeating top-ranked Maple Grove in the state tournament quarterfinals, the Knights finished fourth in the state in just their fourth season in existence.

GMA awards were also presented for the top athlete in each individual prep sport: football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming and diving, basketball, hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, softball, baseball, track and field and golf. Sports offered for both boys and girls had winners for each gender.

The winners were announced Tuesday night in an award show attended by about 200 people and hosted by Free Press Publisher Steve Jameson at the Centennial Student Union Ballroom at Minnesota State University. A magazine detailing both the winners and the finalists in the various categories was scheduled to be inserted in Wednesday’s Free Press.

By Billy G. Baker

Publisher

Gaffney—Former HSSR Mr. Football,
Malcolm
Long, established new school passing records at
Gaffney
High when he led the Indians to great success on the football field nearly 20 years ago, so he is quite at home starting his third season as the athletic director at his alma mater.

“What I stress to all our coaches at Gaffney is to be fair and consistent in their dealings with the student athletes on their teams,” said Coach Long. “I also want our coaches to be good role models and to teach our athletes good life skills, along with how to be successful citizens after they graduate.”

Coach Long said he has grown into the athletic director’s role at Gaffney High as he starts his third season, over-seeing one of the state’s top athletic programs year-end and year-out. “I have learned to be more eccentrical in my relationships with coaches, the school administration, and all the student athletes in our program,” he said. “Communication is very important in all relationships.”

During his prep career at Gaffney, Long helped lead the football team to three state titles, plus two in basketball. He went on to
SC State where he set 14 passing records and led the Bulldogs to three straight MEAC titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

In prior interviews, Long has told the HSSR he did not pursue a professional football opportunity, after college, because he was focused on becoming a minister. Today, Long serves as the Pastor of the Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Gaffney. He is married to the love of his life
Porchee’ and they are the proud parents of two football and basketball playing sons,
Jamarion (15) and
Malachi (12).

Prior to becoming the athletic director at Gaffney, Coach Long spent six seasons on the Gaffney staff as the team’s quarterback coach.



“I want to thank Gaffney principal
Eric
Blanton for his trust in me in offering me the athletic director’s job,” said Long. “I am grateful for his support and leadership. He is also very supportive of the athletic program at Gaffney High as well.

“I also want to thank our Superintendent,
Dr. Thomas White, and the Cherokee County School board, for budgeting for the total renovation of the baseball and softball stadiums at Gaffney High School that are presently under construction,” said Coach Long. “Both teams are getting new locker rooms, new bleachers, and it is a complete face-lift for both facilities.”

This past season two very successful head coaches (Dan
Jones and
Mark
Huff) retired after long coaching careers at Gaffney.

“Coach Jones was the longest serving football coach in Gaffney history with 32 years of service to the team,” said Coach Long. “Coach Jones taught his players mental toughness. Maybe I should not say this but he was the first coach I ever saw hit a kid with his head without a helmet on and that got the entire team’s attention. He was a former Gaffney player who loved teaching the game of football.”  

Coach Huff announced his retirement as the girls’ basketball coach at the end of this season. Huff won five boy’s state titles (2003, 04, 05, 2010, and 2012) and he was selected in to the SCACA Hall of Fame in 2014.
Julian
Wright, Huff’s top assistant last season, has been named the girls’ basketball head coach for this season.

Long time Gaffney offensive coordinator
Donnie
Littlejohn was named the new head football coach in January of this year. “Coach Littlejohn understands the Gaffney tradition, being a former player who has been coaching in the program for 22 seasons,” said Coach Long. “Since becoming the head coach he has been doing a very good job holding the kids accountable for things like their weight room work-outs and being on time for meetings.

“We are anticipating a very good football season and this team has a lot of potential to compete for a state title,” said Coach Long. “I consider Coach Littlejohn a player’s coach.”

Coach Littlejohn will be assisted by
Kevin
Phillips who will serve as the team’s Associate Head Coach/Linebackers/ and also as recruiting coordinator.
Ian
Cooper is the defensive coordinator while
Brad
Van
Horn will serve as offensive coordinator.

Tony
Smith is the strength coach.  Brennen
Canupp will coach special teams/corner backs while
Brandon
Mullins will coach safeties/DB’s.
BJ Little will coach OLB’s and
Jordan
McFadden will work with the defensive linemen.
Brad
Phillips is the quarterback’s coach and
Dave
Reams will work with running backs.  

Jeff
Allen will mentor the offensive linemen while
Wayne
Starks will work with receivers.
Julian
Wright
will coach TE/H-backs/OL
and Scott Simpson
will work with kickers. Scott Farmer
will serve as director of football operations.
Andrew
Hinchliffe is the head junior varsity football coach. 

Other varsity head coaches returning include
Jeff
Mages in baseball and
Maddie
Pruitt in softball.  Charles
Blue will begin his third season as the head boys’ basketball coach.
Jasmine
Smith is back as the competitive cheer coach.
Lawanda
Moorer will once again head up the boy’s and girl’s cross- country program.

Zach
Bridges returns as the boy’s golf coach while
Tina
Frye is back to lead the girl’s golf team.
Scott
Simmons is back at the boys’ soccer coach and
Lily
Cazel returns to mentor the girls’ soccer team.
Neely
Swofford will be the new swim head coach for both the boys and girls swim teams.   

David
Reams returns as the boy’s tennis coach and
Kenny
Harris will head up the girl’s tennis program.
Jacob
Bostic is back as the head volleyball coach and
Daniel
Grellman returns as the wrestling head coach. The two athletic trainers include
Gianni
Paglia and
Aaron
McCarley.

“I also wanted to thank
Barbara
Toney who worked as an athletic secretary for 20-plus years before she retired after this schoolyear,” said Coach Long. “Barbara is succeeded by
Barbara
Allison.

“I also want to thank
Frank
Giles for his many years of being a football and basketball game announcer at Gaffney games,” said Coach Long. .