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Junior highlights of USC linebacker commit Talanoa Ili

USC football landed a massive Father’s Day commitment on Sunday from four-star 2026 Kahuku (Hawaii) linebacker Talanoa Ili, who picked the Trojans over rival UCLA.  Ili, who played at Orange Lutheran High School in California before transferring to Hawaii for his senior season, recorded 78 tackles with eight tackles for a loss with two forced fumbles […]

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Junior highlights of USC linebacker commit Talanoa Ili

USC football landed a massive Father’s Day commitment on Sunday from four-star 2026 Kahuku (Hawaii) linebacker Talanoa Ili, who picked the Trojans over rival UCLA. 

Ili, who played at Orange Lutheran High School in California before transferring to Hawaii for his senior season, recorded 78 tackles with eight tackles for a loss with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup as a junior. You can watch highlights from that season above. 

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Ili is rated the No. 54 overall prospect, the No. 3 linebacker and the No. 1 recruit in Hawaii via the 247Sports rankings. He is the No. 79 overall prospect and the No. 4 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite.

BECOME A USCFOOTBALL.COM VIP MEMBER TODAY! Right now you can subscribe for 60% off the regular annual membership price! Don’t miss an opportunity to get the best USC Trojan athletics coverage on the planet at a huge discount! Click this link to go to our signup page and once you are in, that is 365 days of access to all of our VIP content, the Peristyle premium message board (the oldest and busiest Trojan football message board there is), our weekly insider War Room features and lots more!

USC’s 2026 recruiting class is No. 1 in the country with 29 commitments, including two other linebackers: three-star San Bernadino (Calif.) Cajon prospect Taylor Johnson and four-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospect Shaun Scott. Linebacker is a massive position of need for the Trojans this cycle. 

247Sports Evaluation: 

Ili recently made the move from Southern California to Hawaii and will play his senior year at Island powerhouse Kahuku. Was a three-year starter at Orange Lutheran, one of the state’s top programs and was arguably the best all-around linebacker in the state, regardless of class, as a junior. Offers a ton of positional versatility and is capable of playing all three ‘backer positions and in any type of defensive scheme. Physical enough and has the frame to play inside, athletic enough to cover and play in space and offers pass rush ability as well. A big hitter who loves contact, decisive making reads and can get downhill in a hurry. Fluid in coverage and looks comfortable checking tight ends and even running backs out of the backfield. Plays with suddenness and can explode through gaps and is always in attack mode. Still pretty lean but has the frame to easily add good weight and should play close to 240 pounds or so at the next level. With his all around skill set to go along with his toughness and compete level, Ili has a great chance to be a multi-year starter in college as well and an early impact player.

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High School Sports

Wynne Rotary begins new year; CrossRidge administrator highlights specialty clinics, storm …

New Rotary Club president Jeremy Bailey (Photos courtesy of Wynne Rotary Club) CrossRidge administrator Garrett Morgan WYNNE — The Wynne Rotary Club held its first meeting under new president Jeremy Bailey yesterday. Bailey is the director of the Odell McCallum Community Center in Wynne and serves as a behavior intervention specialist at Wynne Intermediate School. […]

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Wynne Rotary begins new year; CrossRidge administrator highlights specialty clinics, storm ...

WYNNE — The Wynne Rotary Club held its first meeting under new president Jeremy Bailey yesterday.

Bailey is the director of the Odell McCallum Community Center in Wynne and serves as a behavior intervention specialist at Wynne Intermediate School. He’s been a member of the Wynne Rotary Club since 2018.

Yesterday’s speaker was Garrett Morgan, administrator at CrossRidge Community Hospital. Morgan is the sergeant-at-arms for the club. He spoke about the variety of specialty clinics offered at CrossRidge through its affiliation with St. Bernards Healthcare in Jonesboro.

Those clinics include cardiovascular, pulmonary, nephrology, wound care, gastrointestinal, and sports medicine. The sports medicine clinic is offered by Dr. Morgan Benefield, who is a Cross County native and graduate of Wynne High School.

Morgan noted that the local hospital also provides physical therapy and home health services. CrossRidge is supported by a 1-percent sales tax.

Morgan said the facility has placed a renewed emphasis on emergency care and preparedness in the aftermath of the March 2023 Wynne tornado. He said CrossRidge treated 45 patients in its emergency room following the storm due to injuries and other medical issues.

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High School Sports

Poll

In six weeks, the fall sports season — and the 2025-26 athletic season — will begin in the Gainesville-area.Much of our content at the Gainesville Sun in the weeks leading up to kickoff will be looking ahead to the season. However, we want to honor the best of the best from the 2024-25 season before […]

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Poll


In six weeks, the fall sports season — and the 2025-26 athletic season — will begin in the Gainesville-area.Much of our content at the Gainesville Sun in the weeks leading up to kickoff will be looking ahead to the season. However, we want to honor the best of the best from the 2024-25 season before we officially turn the page.

This week, the Sun will be running polls to honor the best teams and athletes for the boys and girls sports in North-Central Florida. In case you missed it, we already released polls for the girls and boys team of the year. Voting is still open for both polls!

Next up is the girls athlete of the year. We have 16 nominees. These nominees came from our All-Area teams from the fall, winter and spring. But who was the best of these top athletes in their sport? We want to give you the chance to decide that.

Below is our nominees and the poll. It closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m., and you can vote as many times as you’d like. Share with friends and family and get to it!

Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

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High School Sports

Jacob Smithburg highlights his work in creative arts

A year ago in July Jacob Smithburg and his partner, Beth, moved to Rochester after looking for a state with “good vibes.” Today, he says, “We have been having such a fab time here in Minnesota.” For Smithburg, that includes his work as a program assistant at the Rochester Art Center. After growing up in […]

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Jacob Smithburg highlights his work in creative arts

A year ago in July Jacob Smithburg and his partner, Beth, moved to Rochester after looking for a state with “good vibes.” Today, he says, “We have been having such a fab time here in Minnesota.” For Smithburg, that includes his work as a program assistant at the Rochester Art Center.

After growing up in Iowa and being interested in theater and music, Smithburg earned an associate degree in animation, film and video effects. Then, he worked at a summer camp in California and was an intern at Disney World. “After Disney,” he says, “I earned a bachelors in cinema from the University of Iowa and plugged into the experimental theater and art installation scene at Iowa City.”

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Among the many things he appreciates about work at RAC, Smithburg says, “Working here has allowed me to not be afraid to dress in my style. I have worked at jobs where you didn’t feel you could experiment with your style and be your true self, where you had to be a normy because people might comment. Here, people say, ‘Oh, what you’re wearing, that’s so fun, that’s you, that’s Jacob. It’s opened the door, made it wide open.”

Please describe your style?

Candied seahorse at an aquarium gift shop. Or a mix of that and a character from “Twin Peaks,” Dr. Jacoby, who would dress in a very flashy way with a lot of colors and weird outfits. That captures a lot of what my style has evolved into. I didn’t know about the show for a while, but when I saw it, I thought that character’s style is kind of me. And also a little bit of this comedian Chris Flemming who has very fun vibes.

Your Style - Jacob Smithburg

Jacob Smithburg moves to his own beat.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Early evolution?

I was into theater at a young age and eventually would always try to go to school outfits with lots of color — wild for the Midwest. Then I think in high school I started wearing really weird colorful outfits like with tights under green pants and the pants rolled up.

And more recently?

Once COVID hit, I started experimenting a lot more with my style and thrifting. When I worked at the fabulous summer camp near Tahoe, I thrifted every weekend. That got me to where I am now.

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What do you wear to work on a daily basis?

I’ve always dug the museum look, professional but silly and playful. Wide leg dress pants or fun jeans and something colorful on top, a shirt or a jacket but professional.

What do you hope your style says about you?

That I work in the creative field. That this guy is fun, that he’s silly, he’s playful but he’s still professional, and that his is a curated outfit not a hodgepodge of colors and textures.

Your Style - Jacob Smithburg

Jackets and accessories keep Jacob Smithburg’s look fresh.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Your most important wardrobe components?

Definitely pants. I think they really make an outfit. If you don’t have the right pants, the whole outfit can be ruined. If you don’t have the right pants, it’s a super bummer. … Then, also, turtlenecks and mock turtlenecks are a wardrobe staple of mine.

You’ve mentioned you love jackets …

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I do. I have one that is very colorful and looks like a huge knitted jacket. It looks like something a character from the movie “Inside Out” would wear. Then I have others with fun, weird patterns and cool textures.

As for accessories?

I wear bracelets sometimes that are just Smart Wool sock band things. And sometimes I wear a watch, but just an Apple watch, and I only wear it with short sleeves which is not very often.

Anything surprising in your wardrobe?

I’d say either my “Star Trek: TNG” (“The Next Generation”) replica Lt. Commander Data uniform and my full-length hospital gown.

Footwear preferences?

I wear a lot of chunky sneakers, Hoka and New Balance, and then I have Merrell Hydro Mocs. They look like they are made out of bird bones. The structure is strange and they make a great camp shoe if you’re hanging out at the campsite.

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Parting thoughts?

If you have even the smallest inkling or desire to try, you should. Being able to explore and experiment with your style not only opens your style sense but your true character, personality, your charisma.

Do you know someone who has unique style? Send nominations to

life@postbulletin.com

with “Your Style” in the subject line.

Your Style - Jacob Smithburg

Jacob Smithburg on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Your Style - Jacob Smithburg

Jacob Smithburg on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

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High School Sports

Local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores (7

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – Here’s a look at our local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores from July 9th, 2025: Westwood 8, Lawton-Bronson 4 Akron-Westfield 8, South O’Brien 5 Central Springs 10, Emmetsburg 0 Hinton 5, West Sioux 0 Kingsley-Pierson 2, Woodbury Central 0 MVAOCOU 6, Logan-Magnolia 3 Newell-Fonda 10, IKM-Manning 0 […]

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Local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores (7

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – Here’s a look at our local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores from July 9th, 2025:

Westwood 8, Lawton-Bronson 4

Akron-Westfield 8, South O’Brien 5

Central Springs 10, Emmetsburg 0

Hinton 5, West Sioux 0

Kingsley-Pierson 2, Woodbury Central 0

MVAOCOU 6, Logan-Magnolia 3

Newell-Fonda 10, IKM-Manning 0

Ridge View 13, MMCRU 6

Pocahontas Area 11, Manson-NW Webster 1

Remsen St. Mary’s 5, Gehlen Catholic 4

West Lyon 8, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 0

West Monona 6, Shenandoah 4

West Fork 8, Alta-Aurelia 0

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.

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High School Sports

Local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores (7

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – Here’s a look at our local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores from July 9th, 2025: Westwood 8, Lawton-Bronson 4 Akron-Westfield 8, South O’Brien 5 Central Springs 10, Emmetsburg 0 Hinton 5, West Sioux 0 Kingsley-Pierson 2, Woodbury Central 0 MVAOCOU 6, Logan-Magnolia 3 Newell-Fonda 10, IKM-Manning 0 […]

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Local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores (7

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – Here’s a look at our local Iowa high school playoff softball highlights and scores from July 9th, 2025:

Westwood 8, Lawton-Bronson 4

Akron-Westfield 8, South O’Brien 5

Central Springs 10, Emmetsburg 0

Hinton 5, West Sioux 0

Kingsley-Pierson 2, Woodbury Central 0

MVAOCOU 6, Logan-Magnolia 3

Newell-Fonda 10, IKM-Manning 0

Ridge View 13, MMCRU 6

Pocahontas Area 11, Manson-NW Webster 1

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Remsen St. Mary’s 5, Gehlen Catholic 4

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West Lyon 8, Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 0

West Monona 6, Shenandoah 4

West Fork 8, Alta-Aurelia 0

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.

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High School Sports

Shippensburg Legion Baseball vs. St. Thomas Highlights

It was Shippensburg vs. St Thomas American Legion baseball at Veterans Stadium on Monday evening.   The game was a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings, with both pitchers not allowing batters to reach the bases.  However, both teams managed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, with St. Thomas plating runners in […]

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Shippensburg Legion Baseball vs. St. Thomas Highlights

It was Shippensburg vs. St Thomas American Legion baseball at Veterans Stadium on Monday evening.  
The game was a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings, with both pitchers not allowing batters to reach the bases. 
However, both teams managed to get on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, with St. Thomas plating runners in the sixth and seventh innings as well. Shippensburg came up short, losing to the visitors, 5-2.
Coach Matt Carr was unavailable for comments after the game. Shippensburg will be back in action at Memorial Park tonight, taking on Waynesboro. 
A nice crowd gathered for the warm evening game, which included a group of residents from Shippensburg Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.  “A lot of our residents love baseball. Having games here at the park provides an opportunity for them to enjoy an evening at the ballpark,” commented Activities Coordinator Connie Faust. “Earlier in the year we attended a boys’ high school game, but we didn’t stay for the entire game because it was too cold. This weather is perfect for everyone to enjoy a game.”      
                               
                                  
                                 

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