High School Sports
Parents Speak Out As Trans Pitcher Throws Shutout In MN State Quarterfinals
Marissa Rothenberger has now thrown 21 consecutive scoreless innings for Champlin Park in the playoffs. PublishedJune 4, 2025 12:43 PM EDT•UpdatedJune 4, 2025 12:59 PM EDT Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) girls’ softball state tournament is officially under way — and so is the controversy surrounding Champlin Park’s […]

Marissa Rothenberger has now thrown 21 consecutive scoreless innings for Champlin Park in the playoffs.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) girls’ softball state tournament is officially under way — and so is the controversy surrounding Champlin Park’s starting pitcher.
Marissa Rothenberger, a trans-identifying male athlete, threw a complete-game shutout Wednesday morning as No. 2-seeded Champlin Park defeated No. 7 Eagan, 5-0, in the Class AAAA quarterfinals. Rothenberger allowed seven hits and struck out four in the win.
Rothenberger, whose participation in girls’ sports highlights a growing trend across the state and country, threw 14 shutout innings in back-to-back games in the sectional finals to help Champlin Park reach the state tournament. The pitcher has now thrown 21 consecutive shutout innings in the playoffs.

Champlin Park and Eagan players shake hands following the quarterfinals of the Minnesota Girls’ Softball State Tournament.
(Photo by Amber Harding)
On Wednesday, not everyone in the stands was clapping.
Two Eagan parents, both of whom requested anonymity for the sake of their daughters, expressed frustration and disappointment after the game. One mother, wearing a “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirt, said the outcome felt inevitable.
“I was pretty disappointed and frustrated,” she told OutKick. “I think we’ve seen this happen over and over again to our girls. You look online, and you see women transitioning to men, and they’re not dominating any of the men’s sports. You don’t see that. But on the women’s side, you see it over and over again across the country. It’s super frustrating. I knew it was eventually going to happen to my daughter. I was sad to see it happen to her.”
RELATED: Father Blasts Leadership After Daughter Competes Against Trans Softball Pitcher: ‘It’s Cowardice’
Her frustration wasn’t just about the scoreboard.
“I think it’s really unfair,” she said. “I’m just really disappointed that all the schools didn’t band together and say, ‘Enough is enough. We’re going to protect our girls and we’re going to have an equitable playing field for everyone.’”

Marissa Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout in the quarterfinals of the Minnesota Girls’ Softball State Tournament.
(Photo by Amber Harding)
A father of another Eagan player agreed, calling the situation a clear violation of federal law.
“Yeah, I think it’s completely unfair — violation of federal Title IX,” he said. “And the fact that the state of Minnesota wants to ignore that is ridiculous. If they want to continue to play sports — which I think is great — you can play baseball. But to do that to girls and just make everybody stay quiet about stuff is pretty ridiculous.”
RELATED: Minnesota Rep. Leigh Finke Stands By Trans Athletes As Girls’ Softball State Tournament Begins
He added that, while athletes are trained to compete under any circumstances, knowing Rothenberger would be on the mound added a layer of frustration.
“As athletes, you go out there and you play the hand you’re given, so you want to continue to compete,” he said. “But again, it’s frustrating.”
Champlin Park will face No. 6 White Bear Lake in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.
High School Sports
Machado's homer highlights Padres' 7
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 […]


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
High School Sports
Mayor Marco McClendon highlights possible developments coming to West Memphis
The mayor said that possible developments include a Bucc-ees, a new STEM center and an indoor water park. Author: localmemphis.com Published: 11:05 PM CDT July 29, 2025 Updated: 11:05 PM CDT July 29, 2025 0


The mayor said that possible developments include a Bucc-ees, a new STEM center and an indoor water park.
High School Sports
Coach responsibility for bench decorum reinforced in high school soccer rules changes
News Release Beginning this school year, soccer head coaches may be warned, cautioned or ejected for misconduct committed by bench personnel in the team area. The increased responsibility of head coaches for team conduct highlights the 2025-26 high school soccer rules changes. In all, six rules changes were recommended by the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee […]


News Release
Beginning this school year, soccer head coaches may be warned, cautioned or ejected for misconduct committed by bench personnel in the team area. The increased responsibility of head coaches for team conduct highlights the 2025-26 high school soccer rules changes.
In all, six rules changes were recommended by the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee at its February 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were reviewed and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Rule 12-4-4 was amended to support positive bench decorum and reinforce the head coach’s responsibility for the conduct of their team and bench personnel within the team area. The new language allows officials to take action against the coach in addition to any cautions or ejections issued to the sanctioned offender.
“The 2025-26 rules changes emphasize accountability and sportsmanship, reinforcing the head coach’s responsibility for team conduct,” said Gibby Reynolds, chair of the Soccer Rules Committee and an administrator with the Oregon School Activities Association. “Head coaches have a high degree of responsibility for their team areas and bench behavior and are to be held accountable now that officials are allowed to warn, caution or eject head coaches for misconduct committed by bench personnel. This change promotes a culture of respect and positive behavior on the sidelines. These updates, along with the other approved changes, continue our commitment to improving the high school soccer experience for players, coaches and officials.”
The committee also addressed behavior toward officials aiming to reduce unnecessary confrontations. Rule 7-2-4 was added and stipulates that no coach, player, substitute or other team personnel other than the team captain can approach or speak to officials during the interval between periods, unless beckoned by the official. This action will now result in a yellow card to the offending individual.
A change to Rule 3-3-2 clarifies that if an official beckons a coach or appropriate health-care provider for an injured player – including the goalkeeper – that player must leave the field regardless of the reason the clock is stopped.
Teams will now be allowed to substitute when a game is temporarily suspended thanks to a change to Rule 3-3-2. Often games are paused for water breaks in hot weather. Teams will now be permitted to make substitutions during these stoppages.
Rule 4-1-2 was edited to clarify that the number required on the front of the uniform may be on the jersey and/or the shorts.
Finally, Rule 18, which listed definitions, has been eliminated from the NFHS Soccer Rules Book. All relevant definitions were relocated to their corresponding rules, and redundant or outdated terms were removed. In addition, the index was expanded to better serve as a reference tool.
“Over the past few years, the rules committee has been committed to streamlining the rules book for greater clarity and ease of use” said Julie Cochran, NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Soccer Rules Committee. “By integrating Rule 18’s terms and definitions directly into their corresponding rule sections, we continue this effort – eliminating redundancy, resolving potential conflicts and ensuring consistency. The result is a more intuitive and efficient resource for all users.”
A complete listing of the soccer rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Soccer.” The print version of the 2025-26 Soccer Rules Book will be available for purchase in late May at www.NFHS.com, and the digital version will be available in May via NFHS Digital at www.NFHS.org.
According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, soccer is the fifth-most popular sport for boys with 467,483 participants in 12,754 schools nationwide. For girls, it ranks third with 383,895 participants at 12,307 schools.
High School Sports
Inaugural GMAs honor area's top prep athletes, coaches, teams
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 […]


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.
High School Sports
[Graphic News] Over 2,200 school sports teams disbanded in 14 years
More than 2,200 elementary, middle and high school sports teams have been disbanded across South Korea over the past 14 years, reducing the number of teams from 6,061 in 2010 to just 3,800 by 2024. The sharp decline is mainly due to shrinking student populations and growing challenges in managing school teams, including administrative burdens […]
![[Graphic News] Over 2,200 school sports teams disbanded in 14 years](https://yoursportsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/graphic-news-over-2200-school-sports-teams-disbanded-in-14-years.jpg)

More than 2,200 elementary, middle and high school sports teams have been disbanded across South Korea over the past 14 years, reducing the number of teams from 6,061 in 2010 to just 3,800 by 2024. The sharp decline is mainly due to shrinking student populations and growing challenges in managing school teams, including administrative burdens and issues related to misconduct.
Some sports have been hit especially hard. For instance, there are only four high school ice hockey teams remaining nationwide.
Schools often struggle to recruit new members – particularly for less popular sports. To keep teams afloat, some accept students from other regions for group housing, occasionally leading to residency violations. Sudden team disbandments also disrupt student athletes’ career paths and contribute to a broader decline in youth team sports.
Experts warn that continued disbandments could threaten the country’s future in elite athletics.
don@heraldcorp.com
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