As we inch closer to the start of the 2025 high school football season, three members of the Millikan football program have made their college commitments before they open their senior seasons.

Pass catcher Jude Nelson, defensive end Peyton McCutcheon, and linebacker Aisa Taeleifi have all recently made commitments to play at the next level, continuing Millikan’s recent run of churning out college football talent.

Nelson made his commitment to Colorado State, where he will be utilized as a dynamic receiver, playing either tight end or out at wide receiver. It’s easy to imagine how Nelson will be utilized by CSU, since those Rams run a similar Air Raid offense to what his current Rams run.

“I think it’s huge, you know, it’s good for him and his family, (Colorado State) runs a similar offense to us, and I think they’re going to use him the right way,” said Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum of Nelson’s commitment. “I think Jude’s best football is ahead of him. I think he’s going to be a guy this year and wow a lot of people. We’re just fortunate to have him on our team, he’s a guy on both sides of the ball, so look out for him this year.”

While Nelson has shown the ability to fill in and cause havoc on the defensive line, the plan is for him to play tight end at the next level. He was down to Boise State and Colorado State for his decision, but went with the Rams due to how compatible he felt with the coaching staff and the offensive system.

“It’s a dream come true, I’ve been working for it for my whole life, basically,” Nelson said of his commitment. “I think the difference was really how I fit in the offense. That was a really big thing for me. I love both places, both staffs were like family to me; it just felt right when I went up to Fort Collins. I loved the town more than I thought I was going to … I feel like I can get on the field early and make some plays there.”

On the defensive line, McCutcheon plans to continue his playing career at San Diego State, and is looking like a disruptive playmaker going into his senior season. After transferring in from Dominguez High last season, McCutcheon joined a solid defensive unit up front for the Rams, helping them win the Moore League title.

Coach Pellum said that McCutcheon’s physical development this offseason has been a big key in his development, and the attention from college recruiters was quick to follow. He missed a handful of games due to injury as a junior, but is hoping to be ready for a full slate of games in his 12th grade year.

“He looks like a grown man,” Pellum said of McCutcheon. “Colleges come by and they tell me he looks like what’s in their locker room right now, and looks better than a lot of their guys. I just feel for guys that have to block him, and I feel bad for quarterbacks, because he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and he hits really, really hard. He’s a mean son of a gun on the football field.”

McCutcheon will be reunited with former Millikan teammate JP Mialovski at San Diego State. The quarterback signed with the Aztecs after last season.

Finally, Taeleifi made his commitment to play college ball at Portland State. The hard-nosed linebacker was a key figure for the Rams’ stop unit in 2024, finishing second on the team with 58 tackles.

“He played almost every snap last season, I believe. So it’s huge for our defense to have a guy like him coming back–he knows our defense inside and out,” said Pellum of Taeleifi. “He’s a ball player. He was arguably up for Defensive Player of the Year last year, so look out for him. Portland State is getting an absolute steal. So I’m excited to see him this year.”

Taeleifi said he’s been working on his closing speed and reaction time in dissecting plays this offseason. His decision to head to the Pacific Northwest was all about the comfortability he felt with the coaching staff on his visit.

“They just made it feel like home for me,” Taeleifi explained. “Immediately, right when I met them, I just felt like they really wanted me to come there. And that’s what it’s all about for me. They really want me, then that’s where I want to go. I want to go where I’ll be treated well and be taken care of.”

Millikan had more than a dozen football players sign college scholarships by the end of last year’s recruiting cycle, and the Rams are already off to a strong start with the Class of 2026.

Two-time Olympic 100m medalist Fred Kerley will miss this week’s Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, according to his social media.

“The 100m should be a straight sprint,” was posted on Kerley’s accounts. “2025 has presented many hurdles. Taking some time out to get back on track. No USATF Champs this year. Thanks to all my supporters.”

Kerley, 30, won Olympic 100m silver in Tokyo and bronze in Paris. In between, he won the world 100m title in 2022, running 9.77 and 9.76 seconds in the semifinals and final.

It took three years until another sprinter ran faster — Jamaican Kishane Thompson’s 9.75 last month, the world’s best time in a decade.

Kerley’s best wind-legal 100m time of 2025 was 9.98, ranking him tied for ninth-fastest among Americans this year, according to Tilastopaja.info.

The top three in Friday’s 100m final at nationals in Eugene, Oregon, are in line to make the team for September’s World Championships.

They would join Noah Lyles, who has a bye onto the team as the defending world champion and is expected to race the 200m only at nationals.

The men’s 100m entries for nationals include two-time Olympic 200m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek, 2019 World champion Christian Coleman and two-time world bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell.

National champions and world championships team members will be determined in Eugene, Oregon.

AMBOY – The Amboy High School Volleyball program hosted a volleyball camp for young girls interested in the sport the week of July 21.

The camp featured two sessions during three days. The first session was second-fifth graders and the second was for sixth-eighth graders. There were 97 campers from Amboy, Ohio, Mendota, LaMoille and Oglesby.

Volleyball fundamentals such as serving, passing, setting, hitting and rotations were exhibited and perfected during games such as Survivor Island, Serve Sprint, Around the Bend and the camp favorite, Duck, Duck, Goose.

The second-grade campers were Abigail Burke, Amelia Davis, Miayah Dempsey, Evie Dickison, Magnolia Dunphy, Edi Hanson, Collins Henkel, Leah May, Ireland Morrissey, Abigail Walker and Harper Wittenauer.

Third-grade attendees were Addyson Benson, Keagan Fenwick, Adah Kant, Dany Lahman, Paisley McLain, Ava Montavon, Emily Valdez, Lorelei White and Ryleigh Wolf.

Fourth-graders on the volleyball court were Kinsley Anderson, Savannah Benson, Isabel Burke, Clare Considine, Destiny Davis, Vivian Fransen, Audrey Hanson, Annie Henkel, Harper Meusel, Adaline Montavon, Paisley Payne, Seraphina Payne, Emmieline Robens, Camille Scully and Marley Williams.

Campers in the fifth grade were Everly Bryant, Natalie Hellquist, Olivia Henkel, Grayson Montavon, Madison O’Connell, Elly O’Malley and Ava Riley.

Representing the sixth grade were Emmerson Benson, Mila Burke, Annelise Considine, Ellie Henkel, Hadley Leffelman, Jolee Leffelman, Rebecca May, Emersyn Moore, Lainey Riley, Emery Williams, Katie Wittenauer, Aliyah Holtzclaw and Mandi Ritter.

The seventh-grade campers were Leah Bodmer, Kaiya Kaleel and Emily Meyers.

Leah Bonnell, Amelia Kant, Annabelle Leffelman, Teagan Moore, Alivia Schultz, Alexis White, Molly Wilson, Avery Wittenauer, Vanessa Gross and Kylie Zellhoffer were the eighth-grade campers.

The volleyball program received help from high school players who were “buddies” to all of the younger players. The high school helpers were Jillian Anderson, Grace Althaus, Kiera Karlson, Ellie McLaughlin, Peyton Payne, Brittlyn Whitman, Alyvia Whelchel, Jadyn Whelchel, Madison Althaus, Callen Christoffersen, Morgan Kreiser, Lili Leffelman, Aubrey Wells, Addison Blaine, Madelyn Clarida, Faith Fenwick, Kilah Helm, Teagan Payne, Sydney Whelchel, Tinley Whitney, Mackenzie Alletto, Mallory Bodmer, Erika Decker, Sophya Fonderoli, Delilah Horner, Adelynn Kreiser, Sydney Noble, Quinnley Piper, Jasmine Rhodenbaugh, Norah Shearer, Natalie Skrzypa and Hannah Whitman.

The camp was coached by Sean Shepard, Monica Joeger, Lindsey Kaleel, Lisa Moore, Courtney Thompson, Haylie Barrera and Amboy varsity coach Nicole Jones.

Youth from more than a dozen schools hope to earn a spot on the roster and sign Aug. 6 with Bluff Impact Volleyball Club teams. For only the second year, the group held a summer tryout before the high school season. It is now in the process of selecting the players who will fill either the 15U, 16U, or 17U teams. More than 30 girls showed up Friday to Poplar Bluff Junior High, where tryouts consisted of multiple drills to showcase athletes’ serving abilities.

“I was very pleasantly surprised with the turnout,” said Bluff Impact coach Christine Walker. “This was the second year we did a summer tryout before high school season as opposed to after high school season. In total, we had about 32 or 33 tryout to fill those three teams.”

The tryout was held Friday night at Poplar Bluff Junior High and consisted of multiple drills to showcase athletes’ serving abilities.

“The first thing we did was warmup with some serving and serve receive,” she said. “We ranked girls based off of serves in-and-out and different types of serves. We were also looking at accuracy as well. If they hit two in, are they hitting the next two out? Same with passing. Are they getting to the ball, moving their feet, are they following the ball?”

Following the drills, Walker put prospective teammates in open play with multiple combinations of girls.

“We had, I think, over 12 schools represented just within those 30-something players,” she added. “Some of those girls are returning players so coaches kind of know how they play, and we were using what we already know about them to see how they mesh in with newer players. Sometimes girls get more comfortable when they’ve been playing with each other, and they’re more familiar with each other as teammates and they know each other strengths.”

Event Info

Here’s how to watch the 2025 Long Beach State vs Chapman – Men’s Water Polo broadcast on FloSwimming. The 2025 Long Beach State vs Chapman – Men’s Water Polo broadcast starts on Sep 6, 2025. Stream or cast from your desktop, mobile or TV. Now available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV. Don’t forget to download the FloSports app on iOS or Android! If you can’t watch live, catch up with the replays! Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloSwimming subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

The last high school sports preseason milestone is within reach!