Three-star 2026 Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon wide receiver and USC commit Ja’Myron Baker is one of the more unique recruits in the Trojans class after missing his entire sophomore season with a knee injury. 

But Baker made his return to the football field in 2024 and picked up where he left off as a standout freshman as the No. 1 weapon in the passing attack for Los Alamitos High School. There are no full stats from Baker’s return to the field last fall, but you can watch his highlights above. 

“My body feels good. The process really is just trusting God, trusting myself, trusting my trainers, and trusting my team,” he told USCFootball.com last fall of his return. “Really, not just my team as far as players, but the coaches, the things that they tell me, people from the outside and just trusting what they say, believing in myself and believing in God.” 

Baker transferred to Sierra Canyon High School in the offseason and will play his final season with the Trailblazers. 

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Baker is the longest standing commitment in the 2026 class, rated the No. 79 wide receiver and the No. 48 prospect in California via the 247Sports rankings. He is the No. 569 overall prospect and the No. 91 receiver in the 247Sports Composite. 

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USC’s 2026 class is currently No. 1 in the nation with 30 total commitments. 

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Atlanta for the second time this season with the Quaker State 400 on June 28 at EchoPark Speedway.

A rare Saturday night race in 2025 will feature the unique pack racing that Atlanta has featured over the last few years.

In February, Christopher Bell won just ahead of Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson in a chaotic final lap.

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Two things will be of central focus on Saturday night: The playoff picture and the in-season tournament. Nine races remain in the regular season, and 11 drivers have won this year. The playoff cutline has narrowed to put drivers like Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace at risk of missing out.

Saturday’s race will also be the first round of the in-season tournament, with 32 drivers in 16 head-to-head matchups. The in-season tournament will be a battle within the normal race, with matchups decided by the final race results. We’ll be keeping tabs all night long.

Follow along with our live race updates, with green flag set for after 6 p.m. CT on Saturday.

ATLANTA RACE PICKS: NASCAR Atlanta predictions 2025: Expert picks for Cup Series race

NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Quaker State 400

LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400

Chase Elliott wins at Atlanta!

Chase Elliott gets a run coming to the white flag, then slides past Brad Keselowski for the lead in turn 1. Alex Bowman got alongside Keselowski for second instead of pushing the 6, and Elliott wins unabated at the line. What a final 20 laps.

Lap 252: Intense racing

Alex Bowman and Zane Smith are trading the lead up front, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski behind. All four will be desperate to win.

Lap 232: Brad Keselowski preserves the lead for now

Brad Keselowski preserves the lead with a big-time push from Chris Buescher, while Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman can’t imagine the same.

Lap 228: Justin Haley, Ty Dillon push too hard

Ty Dillon tags Justin Haley while attempting to side draft, and Haley spins. Caution is out. Take a breather. Brad Keselowski leads Chase Elliott.

Haley is being hauled back to the garage area. He was running inside the top 10, and as mentioned below, was a willing pusher for other Chevys up front. He was in an in-season matchup with Ty Gibbs, who remains in the top 10.

Lap 226: Justin Haley, Ty Dillon looking like the best pushers

Chris Buescher is a willing pusher to teammate/owner Brad Keselowski, but Justin Haley and Ty Dillon are pushing well too.

Lap 211: RFK Racing cars determined late

Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher are quite the tandem to deal with on restarts, as Buescher again shoves Keselowski ahead of Chase Elliott for the lead.

Lap 203: David Starr brings out the caution

David Starr is stalled on pit road, and the caution is back out. Chase Elliott had just been passed by Brad Keselowski as the caution waved, but Elliott will hold onto the lead.

Lap 201: Chase Elliott holds the lead

Chase Elliott holds the lead on the restart, but Brad Keselowski certainly looks fast enough to make a mark late in this race.

Lap 196: Erik Jones spins

Erik Jones spins through turns 3 and 4, and the caution is out. Chase Elliott had just passed Ryan Preece and cleared him at the front.

Bubba Wallace is still running, just two laps down after that contact and caution a few laps ago.

Lap 194: Ryan Preece takes the lead on the restart

Ryan Preece leads Ty Gibbs and others off of the restart, but Chase Elliott is working the low lane.

Lap 185: Caution for Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace, back on the lead lap, spins down the backstretch. He hits the inside wall, and he may be done for the day.

Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski will pit along with some others. They won’t have to save fuel the rest of the way, while the others may still have to especially if there’s overtime.

Tyler Reddick is penalized for driving through too many pit boxes.

Lap 177: Caution for SVG

Shane van Gisbergen spins after contact through the frontstretch. Caution is out.

Some cars stay out, like Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott. Most pit.

Tyler Reddick wins Stage 2

Tyler Reddick wins Stage 2 by 0.001 seconds over Chase Elliott as they traded the lead. Reddick gets his first playoff point of the season.

The top 10:

1. Tyler Reddick
2. Chase Elliott
3. Chris Buescher
4. Alex Bowman
5. Erik Jones
6. Ty Dillon
7. Shane van Gisbergen
8. John Hunter Nemechek
9. Zane Smith
10. Brad Keselowski

That was close between Reddick and Elliott at the start-finish line.

Lap 153: Chase Elliott to the lead

Chase Elliott clears Tyler Reddick through turns 3 and 4 to re-take the lead. 7 laps to go in the second stage. Things are calmer up front for now.

Lap 163: Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher jockeying up front

Alex Bowman leads Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher with less than 20 to go in the second stage, with Erik Jones trying to be aggressive behind them.

Lap 120: Alex Bowman to the lead

Alex Bowman and Tyler Reddick trade the lead over the first couple laps after the restart. Stage 2 ends on Lap 160.

Lap 111: Caution for Riley Herbst, Todd Gilliland

Riley Herbst loses control suddenly as Chase Elliott rides alongside him in the top five, and Herbst slaps the outside wall before collecting Todd Gilliland.

Herbst will need major repairs.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will get a toe-link repair during this caution. Carson Hocevar is back on the lead lap.

Lap 104: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has issue

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gets into the wall with Erik Jones, and Stenhouse reports an issue.

Lap 88: Aggression still high

The door is wide open for a non-winner to get their first victory of the season, so the aggression is high even with 172 laps to go. Chris Buescher leads Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott. 21 cars in the lead pack right now.

Lap 77: Back to green

Ty Gibbs gets a good push to take the lead ahead of Chris Buescher. Everyone came in during the caution for fuel and/or tires.

Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch are among the drivers involved in the last crash still on the lead lap.

Running list of drivers done for the day after major crash

NASCAR reported 23 cars involved, but didn’t list Alex Bowman. That number could change. Among those who are done for the day:

Many teams are trying to repair very damaged race cars.

Lap 69: The Big One!

We haven’t seen the big one at Atlanta until now. Denny Hamlin gets off-kilter off the bumper of John Hunter Nemechek, and Hamlin and Ross Chastain spin across the whole field. Everyone from about eighth place on is involved. This will be a lengthy caution.

Chase Elliott stayed out during the stage break and is the leader.

The list of cars involved:

Red flag is out. There are more cars involved than what is listed.

Austin Cindric wins Stage 1

Austin Cindric was ahead of Brad Keselowski at the time of caution, so he bags another playoff point.

The top 10:

1. Austin Cindric
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Joey Logano
4. William Byron
5. Carson Hocevar
6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7. Josh Berry
8. Shane van Gisbergen
9. Chase Elliott
10. Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace was involved in the crash, and it appeared that SVG and Chase Elliott passed him as he drove away. We’ll see if that is adjusted. (NOTE: That was adjusted.)

Lap 58: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell involved in crash

Christopher Bell spins through turns 3 and 4, collecting Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace and others. Kyle Busch may have been up against the wall too. AJ Allmendinger also involved.

Blaney is out of his car, and likely done for the day. Note that Blaney is in a first round matchup against Carson Hocevar in the in-season tournament. (Blaney was my pick to win it all.) Blaney will finish 40th, so Hocevar will advance.

Lap 49: Back to green

Six cars stay out, including leader Joey Logano. But Logano and Austin Cindric are side by side for the lead. Cindric actually has the advantage but is not clear.

Engines re-firing

After a short delay, NASCAR tells drivers to re-fire engines. Yellow flag is back out.

Lap 44: Red flag for rain

NASCAR has displayed the red flag as the rain persists around the track. NASCAR also tells the drivers to stay in their cars as the jet dryers work on the track.

Lap 37: Caution for rain

Caution is out for rain. The pace car reports to NASCAR a “light, steady rain”. We’ll see if this causes a red flag.

Joey Logano remains the leader. “The track is good,” the pace car driver tells NASCAR officials on the radio.

Chase Elliott was earlier complaining of a loose race car and tells his team to give him something. Other drivers are also asking for adjustments. Reminder: these teams did not get a practice session this weekend.

Lap 30: Carson Hocevar showing off early again

Carson Hocevar is up inside the top 10 and being ultra-aggressive in passing other cars three-wide. Joey Logano remains the leader, but the aggression is rising.

Lap 11: Calm so far up front

Last night in the Xfinity Series race, there was a multi-car crash in the first five laps. That’s not going to happen tonight in a 400-mile race with this group of veteran drivers.

The first seven cars are single file up front, led by Joey Logano. They are also all Fords, with Alex Bowman in eighth the only non-Ford in the top 10. 60 laps in the first stage.

Carson Hocevar is the top mover so far, up 11 spots from starting 30th.

Lap 1: Green flag at Atlanta!

Green flag at Atlanta, and Joey Logano gets the edge and clears Josh Berry down the backstretch.

Two things to watch….

Two things to watch tonight: The playoff picture and the in-season tournament. Given the pack-racing element, it’s going to be a fluid situation with the 16 first-round matchups in the in-season challenge. But a driver that has trouble will be something we’ll note throughout the night. Who’s your inaugural in-season tournament winner?

POINTS COMING INTO TONIGHT: NASCAR points standings: Cup Series points update after Pocono race

IN-SEASON BRACKET: NASCAR in-season tournament bracket: First round matchups, driver seeds set

About ready to fire the cars at Atlanta

Y’all won’t mind if I continue to call EchoPark Speedway Atlanta, will you? The drivers are getting into their cars, and the command to fire engines is upcoming soon. Should be a very interesting night, as long as the weather dodges the 1.5-mile track in central Georgia.

Joey Logano on the pole; full NASCAR Cup Series Atlanta starting lineup

Joey Logano is on the pole for the Quaker State 400, with the top eight spots taken by Fords.

The top 10:

1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
2. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
3. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
4. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
5. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
6. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
7. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
8. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 
9. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Find the full starting lineup here.

NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta

The Great American Getaway 400 will be aired on the radio by the Performance Racing Network. PRN has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

NASCAR Atlanta race TV schedule, start time

The Quaker State 400 will be broadcast nationally on TNT. Other streaming options for the race include MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.

Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Atlanta

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard for the Quaker State 400

The history of sports in Northern Kentucky goes back a long way. A very long way. Decades. Centuries. 

We know you’ve seen these lists before, but this is a different and unique way of presenting our “50 sports icons in Northern Kentucky” as we’ll provide you one per day over the next 50 days. 

Hall of Fames are everywhere in NKY, the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, High School Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, NKU, Thomas More and local high schools all have something to recognize their past.

We’ll preface this series by saying this, some of you may disagree with who should or shouldn’t be in the top 50 and that’s fine. Plenty are in the Hall of Very Good, but we feel these 50 are the one’s who stuck out to us.

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Sports Editor Evan Dennison spoke and conferred with several local NKY sports history buffs to get their opinions and lists of their own and who should be “locks” for the 50 sports icons. We compiled each list and came up with the 50 of our own (maybe cheated a little by putting families in as one) to present over the next 50 days.

Hope you enjoy as summer time rolls on!

The 19th of the 50 sports icons is Donna Murphy, the first-ever Miss Kentucky Basketball winner in the state.

DONNA MURPHY

Donna Murphy was a Miss Kentucky Basketball winner at Newport. Photo provided

Donna Murphy’s basketball journey is both trailblazing and transformative. A Newport native, Murphy became the state’s first-ever Miss Basketball in 1976 after averaging 35 points and 20 rebounds per game for Newport High School. That same year, she was one of just two high school players invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials. A year earlier, she had earned MVP honors at the 1975 Girls’ Sweet Sixteen after posting 67 points and 50 rebounds, despite her team’s narrow quarterfinal loss.

Murphy went on to dominate at Morehead State University from 1976–1980, finishing her career as the program’s all-time leader in points (2,059) and rebounds (1,442), setting 13 school records. A two-time OVC Player of the Year and the conference’s first-ever Female Athlete of the Year, she was also a two-time Kodak regional All-American and led the Eagles to a tournament title in 1978–79. She remains the only player in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds, and assists in the same season.

After graduating magna cum laude, Murphy played professionally for the WPBL’s St. Louis Streak before transitioning to coaching. Her college coaching résumé includes Kentucky, Florida, Memphis, Cincinnati, Morehead State, and Asbury University—where she started the women’s program. She also coached at the high school and AAU levels and now works in higher education and youth basketball development.

Murphy’s No. 44 jersey was retired by Morehead State in 1999, and she’s enshrined in 11 Hall of Fames. Today, her legacy lives on through the Donna Murphy Award, given to Kentucky’s top senior student-athlete.

See the 50 sports icons on a day-to-day basis over the next 50 days

— Day 1: Dave Cowens

— Day 2: Shaun Alexander

— Day 3: Homer Rice

— Day 4: Dicky Beal

— Day 5: Jared Lorenzen

— Day 6: Jim Bunning

— Day 7: Tom Ellis

— Day 8: Nate Dusing

— Day 9: Jim Connor

— Day 10: Steve Cauthen

— Day 11: Irv Goode

— Day 12: Stan Steidel

— Day 13: Kenney Shields

— Day 14: David Justice

— Day 15: Morgan Hentz

— Day 16: Eddie Arcaro

Already one of the pound-for-pound best in the game, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja continued to prove on Saturday that he’s somehow getting better with age. 

Pantoja (30-5), the 35-year-old from Brazil, dominated Kai Kara-France on the ground before submitting him in Round 3 via rear-naked choke in the co-main event of a UFC 317 pay-per-view card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The victory, which marked Pantoja’s fourth defense of his 125-pound title, also further established his name in the UFC flyweight record books as he moved into first place for the most victories (14), finishes (8) and submissions (6) in the division’s history. 

Just like in the opening round, Pantoja opened Round 3 by rushing Kara-France (25-12, 1 NC) with a flurry of strikes in order to back him up into the cage, From there, Pantoja took his opponent down and instantly took his back with a body triangle before slowing working his way into the choke. 

Pantoja, who has never been stopped in his 35-bout pro career, recorded his 12th career submission overall and his ninth via rear-naked choke.

“I am always training for this position but I still am evolving,” Pantoja said. “I come from American Top Team, which is the best team in the world. That’s my fourth title defense, I think I deserve a better ranking in the pound-for-pound.”

Pantoja hasn’t just evolved his fitness into world-class shape since winning the title, he has become far more efficient and confident in his attack. The champion visibly took his foot off the gas in a close Round 2 but still rallied to back Kara-France up in the final minute with kicks to the body, including one that left a bright red blotch on his opponent’s midsection. 

Kara-France, a 32-year-old from New Zealand, was fighting for just the third time since 2022 but secured the title shot based on his first-round knockout of former title challenger Steve Erceg last August. Kara-France, who lost for the third time in his last four fights, benefitted from the fact that Panotja entered 2025 with a 9-0 record against flyweights ranked in the top 10. 

After the win, Pantoja squared off with 23-year-old upstart Joshua Van, who scored the most impressive win of his young career earlier in the night when he outpointed No. 1 contender Brandon Royval in a fight of the year contender. Van (15-2), who stopped Bruno Silva just three weeks ago at UFC 316, filled in on late notice for an injured Manel Kape to secure a shot at Pantoja’s title.   

“[Van] is a humble guy, he deserves a shot at the title next,” Pantoja said. 

“[Pantoja] is a great champion but he ain’t never fought Joshua Van,” Van said.

SPOKANE, Wash. – The 3XBA single elimination tournament held seven highly contested games as 32 of the nations top women’s basketball players competed for the championship, a $20,000 cash prize, and a chance to compete in the FIBA Women’s series in Edmonton later this summer. The 3XBA is a FIBA sanctioned basketball league that also provides teams a path to compete for a spot in the Summer Olympics in 2028.

The Crown, The Chosen Ones, Coast 2 Coast, and B&B made it through their quarterfinal rounds to make the semi-finals. The Chosen Ones and Coast 2 Coast were the first semi-final of the day, where The Chosen Ones defense held The Crown to just seven points in the 14-7 win. They were led by Destanni Henderson and Azana Baines who provided the offensive push to get them to the championship game.

The second semi-final game featured Coast 2 Coast taking on B&B with the second spot in the finals on the line. B&B’s offense was too much for Coast 2 Coast to match as Amy Okonkwo scored five of her teams first six points and finished with 15 en route to the 22-12 win. 

The finals once again was the Amy Okonkwo show as she continued her dominating performance. The game was tight throughout, and tied with less than a minute remaining when Okonkwo converted a tough layup down low to give her team the 11-10 lead. A miss from The Chosen Ones and an insurance layup and pair of free throws from Okonkwo sealed the 14-10 win to capture the 3XBA Spokane Championship. 

Amy Okonkwo was named the 3XBA Spokane MVP after dominating throughout Saturday’s three tournament games and leading her team to a championship win where she scored the last four points for her team. B&B’s roster of Amy Okonkwo, Serena Sundell, Cailtin Bickle, and Kennedy Brown boasted tons of collegiate success that transferred to the 3XBA. Kennedy Brown also won the 2024 3XBA Invitational in Dallas, making Spokane her second win.

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