Kaden Gerzseny will get to rest when the season is over, something the Freeland baseball team hopes to put off until after the state finals.

Gerzseny helped lead Freeland to the Alpena Baseball Invitational championship, earning the MLive Saginaw Athlete of the Week honor with more than 6,000 votes.

“He’s been an absolute workhorse for us,” Freeland coach Justin Davis said. “He’s probably caught 90 percent of our innings the last two years. He’s an excellent catcher who can block balls. He throws well. You can pencil his name in the lineup and not worry about it.”

After Gerzseny collected two hits in an 8-3 loss to Okemos and four walks in a 10-4 loss to Okemos in the nightcap, Freeland competed in the Alpena Baseball Invitational.

He had two hits in each game of the tournament, helping Freeland win the title with wins over Sault Ste. Marie (13-3), Alpena (9-1) and Cheboygan (11-4). Gerzseny was named to the all-tournament team.

Gerzseny, who is hitting .361 with 24 RBIs, expects to play next season for Grand Rapids Community College.

“He’s hit anywhere from 1 through 5 in the lineup,” Davis said. “He’s very versatile and runs well, especially for a catcher. He doesn’t swing at many bad pitches.”

Freeland is 21-7 and will open the baseball district tournament with a game Tuesday at Alma.

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2025 Iowa high school state track results, schedule, highlights

The top track athletes in Iowa are competing at Drake Stadium this weekend

Updated: 10:31 PM CDT May 22, 2025

POWERED BY CARL’S AUTO GROUP. STATE TRACK IS OFF AND RUNNING WITH SOME DOMINATING PERFORMANCES. ON THURSDAY. KCCI SHANNON EARHART REPORTS FROM THE BLUE OVAL. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE HERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK MEET. YOU’LL SEE COME FROM BEHIND WINS. YOU’LL SEE UPSETS. YOU WILL SEE REPEAT CHAMPIONS. BUT HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A5P. YEAH. ME EITHER. THE TWO WAY GIRLS, FOUR BY 800 METER RELAY HASN’T BEEN COMPETITIVE THE LAST FOUR YEARS. WE CALL IT THE VAN METER DYNASTY, AS THE GIRLS HAVE WON FOUR STRAIGHT. THIS YEAR’S TEAM HAS OLIVIA, HALF, PAPP, LAURA STRECK, LIZZY MCCANN AND UNDEFEATED FOUR BY EIGHT SENIOR EMMA MCCOY. ANCHORING. LOSING JUST ISN’T IN THEIR NATURE AS VAN METER FIVE POINTS IN A SEASON BEST PERFORMANCE. I KNEW FROM THE START THAT WE HAD IT. I JUST HAD TO BELIEVE IN THEM AND JUST BELIEVE IN MYSELF. IN THE FOUR BY EIGHT THREE-A RELAY, THE GILBERT GIRLS IN PINK AND BLACK WERE GOING FOR THEIR THIRD STRAIGHT TITLE. KIRA ANDERSON, CAITLYN AND SOPHIA BLAKE GASSED UP SARAH FEDDERSEN, WHO PUT HER FOOT ON THE PEDAL AND SPED GILBERT DUST SECOND PLACE BY FOUR SECONDS, TAKES DOWN A 15 YEAR OLD STATE RECORD AND BECOMES BACK TO BACK TO BACK STATE CHAMPS. ALL THAT WAS RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD WAS JUST NO REGRETS. NO REGRETS, NO REGRETS. THIS IS THE FOUR A, THREE K INDIANOLA’S JORDAN BROWN. PIPER MESSERLY AND CHARLY GAUL FROM CEDAR FALLS RAN A TIGHT RACE HALF THE FIELD SET PERSONAL RECORDS, BUT IT’S PIPER MESSERLY FROM DCG WHO RAN THE FASTEST PACE IN 952, WHICH GETS HER THE TITLE. PELLA IS A FACTORY FOR LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS. MARISSA FEREBEE IS ONE OF THE BEASTS. SHE DEFENDS HER 3000 METER TITLE IN 951 .96. THE WHOLE TIME SHE WAS THINKING I WANTED TO GO HOME A STATE CHAMP AND TO STICK WITH IT. AND OUR NEW MOTTO THIS SEASON KIND OF HAS BEEN THIS IS FUN, SO JUST RUN MYSELF OUT. I’M RACING THAT. THIS IS FUN. THE BOYS WERE HEADLINED BY HOUSEHOLD NAME ETHAN ZUBER, THE ANKENY SPEEDSTER WON THE 3200 IN RECORD TIME LAST SEASON. THERE IS A NEW NAME TO KNOW IT’S ROOSEVELT’S OWN MERIT. THE SENIOR BLUE BY ZUBER ON THE LAST 200. GOING OUT ON TOP, DISMANTLING THE ANKENY STAR. MERRITT RAN NINE MINUTES FLAT TO ADD A TITLE TO HIS NAME. HONESTLY, IT’S KIND OF ALL SETTING IN NOW. THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE HERE, ALL MY TEAMMATES COMING DOWN TO THE RAIL TO CELEBRATE, IT’S GREAT. AND LIKE I SAID, I’M JUST HAPPY I GAVE MYSELF THE CHANCE. WE WATCHED DRAMA IN THE HIGH JUMP. THE FAVORITE WENT DOWN EARLY, SO THAT LEFT THE DOOR WIDE OPEN FOR NORTH POLK. SOPHOMORE REECE WAGNER. SHE CLEARS FIVE EIGHT ON HER SECOND ATTEMPT, WHICH, TO HER SURPRISE, NAMED HER CHAMPION. IT WAS LIKE JUST PURE SHOCK. IT WAS SO EXCITING. YOU KNOW, MY BRAIN JUST RACING AND EVERYTHING’S JUST IT’S GREAT. LONG JUMPER. TATUM GRAYDEN BECAME THE FIRST GIRL FROM OGDEN TO WIN A FIELD EVENT AT THE STATE MEET. SHE LAUNCHED 18FT, 3.5IN TO WIN HER FIRST STATE TITLE. THE TWO WAY BOYS 400 CAME DOWN TO 14 HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND. PRAIRIE CITY MONROE’S RILEY GRABER GETS THE HEAD NOD, TUMBLING DOWN IN CELEBRATORY FASHION. GRABER’S TEAMMATES SAY IT’S ALL BECAUSE HE WENT BLOND, GOING BLOND IN THE HAIR MAKES IT LIGHTER SCIENTIFICALLY, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL DO IT. I THINK IT SHOWS OUR CONFIDENCE, AND I THINK GRABER JUST RAN A REALLY CONFIDENT RACE.

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2025 Iowa high school state track results, schedule, highlights

The top track athletes in Iowa are competing at Drake Stadium this weekend

Updated: 10:31 PM CDT May 22, 2025

Sports Director

State track has arrived. Three days of coordinated chaos are unfolding at Drake Stadium in Des Moines from Thursday, May 22 to Saturday, May 24. KCCI will have live coverage each day from the Blue Oval.State Track ScheduleState Track ResultsState Track Central

DES MOINES, Iowa —

State track has arrived. Three days of coordinated chaos are unfolding at Drake Stadium in Des Moines from Thursday, May 22 to Saturday, May 24. KCCI will have live coverage each day from the Blue Oval.

State Track Schedule

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State Track Results

State Track Central

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Two higher and two lower seeds won the opening-round games at the 2025 Wyoming High School Softball State Championships in Cheyenne. Natrona County, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, and Campbell County advanced in the winners’ bracket. Eight games are on the schedule for Friday, which includes four elimination games. Only three teams will remain after Day 2 in the Capital City.

Campbell County shut out Rock Springs 10-0, as junior Sadie Cole tossed a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and only two walks. The Camels scored six runs in the third inning. That included a two-run triple by Bayley Gray and a two-run home run from Madison Cone. The Camels closed it out early with four runs in the fifth inning. They improved to 28-4 on the season with their 13 consecutive victory. WyoPreps visited with Ms. Cole after the game.

Cheyenne East rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and beat Cody, 13-3. The T-Birds took the lead with five runs in the third and capped it with six more in the fifth. McKenzie Millar smacked a two-run home run in the third as part of three hits and three RBIs. Madelyn Artery had three hits and drove in four runs.

Natrona County pulled the biggest surprise of Day 1, as they knocked off South top seed Laramie, 10-9. The Fillies built a 10-2 lead and held off the Plainsmen’s comeback. Quincie Sale had four hits, two were triples, and two RBIs. Cheyenne Central pulled off a big comeback. The Indians scored nine runs in the top of the seventh and beat Sheridan, 20-17. The two teams combined for 35 hits. Each team smashed three home runs.

WyoPreps has some photos from a couple of the games. Since I was on the radio while the first two games were played, these are from the last two games. Enjoy!

Abi Francisco‘s passion for athletics has never faded away — and only continues to strengthen.

Francisco has been the senior athletic trainer at El Camino College for almost ten years and the interim athletic director as of Monday, March 10.

Francisco grew up in Torrance, California and played soccer her whole life.

She competed in soccer heavily beginning at 8 years old and all throughout her time at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School.

“I lived, breathed and slept soccer until I went to undergrad,” Francisco said.

She attended San Diego State University knowing she wanted to get in its athletic training program.

“I like that my path took me back here. The South Bay is awesome,” Francisco said.

She holds a sense of honor in being a part of the athletics program at ECC.

Francisco said El Camino has always been one of the most competitive colleges in the state, not only in Southern California but in the state of California.

In terms of competition and success rate in the past 20 years, the Warriors athletics program has always been up there.

“To be a part of this program as an athletic trainer is awesome and now to be part of the administration part of it, I get to hold a deeper sense of pride with us, with the community, LA and the college itself and its athletic program,” Francisco said.

Francisco anticipated being in an administrative role later in life but took the opportunity once it was presented before her.

Warriors baseball coach Grant Palmer said his experience working with Abi has been exceptional.

“Her transitioning into this athletic director role, it’s been really a seamless transition,” Palmer said. “The biggest thing that she’s done for us, for our team and for our program is she really cares and it’s authentic.”

Palmer recognizes Francisco’s authenticity and shares that the baseball team members gravitate towards her, because of her passion and her wanting the best for them.

Francisco’s educational background consists of a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in athletic training from San Diego State University, and a master’s degree in kinesiology from California Baptist University.

“At heart I’m a student. I love learning new things. Most of what I was learning was based on sports medicine and science and doing research on biomechanics and injury prevention,” Francisco said.

Throughout graduate school, she saw herself becoming an administrator in the near future.

“When I was in school finishing up my master’s degree, I knew that eventually I would want to be the athletic director of an institution,” Francisco said.

In her career, she has worked with various administrators, athletic trainers, institutions and mentors in California.

She’s been part of California Community College Committees and worked for Compton College aside from ECC.

She began her professional athletic training career at The Walt Disney Company.

She worked as an athletic trainer for four years primarily working on the medical side of prevention and injury with employees, performers, dancers, stage managers and acrobats.

Francisco enjoys learning and being able to see the other side of how an athletics program is run, being in her current position.

Francisco learns something new everyday and meets someone new everyday. Her administrative role forces her to speak to more people.

“As an administrator and I have to speak to way more people it’s all really fun and interesting to see this side of athletics, instead of exclusively the medical side which is still a very fun side,” Francisco said.

Her position as interim athletic director is a much bigger scale.

“I’ve worked with all of our 22 programs on a smaller scale and this is a bigger scale that I am now working with,” Francisco said.

Francisco has a good relationship with ECC’s coaches and student athletes. She describes her ability to build relationships as one of her greatest strengths.

“I think for me personally that’s probably one of my greatest strengths and what helped me get into this position is being able to cultivate really good relationships with anyone that I’m working with,” Francisco said.

CJ Arnold, athletics specialist said she has always brought the same work ethic to the program all throughout the job titles she’s held.

“Things that have remained the same are her hard work, her attention to detail, her passion and just her energy, you can pick up on that,” Arnold said.

Francisco hopes to continue to build upon the legacy ECC’s athletics program has.

“We have had a good amount of professional athletes that come from El Camino College I want to keep the reputation going, our legend going and whatever I can do to be a part of that, I’ll do it,” Francisco said.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — The first day of the 2025 Class A state softball tournament has come to a conclusion in Columbia Falls, with Polson, Laurel, Fergus, and Frenchtown still standing as the unbeaten teams in the winners’ bracket.

Twelve different schools across Class A made the trek to Montana’s Northwest corner for the state tourney, with first-round action beginning on Thursday morning. These are the following results from first-round games:

• Dillon defeats East Helena 11-0
• Columbia Falls defeats Hamilton 16-2
• Billings Central defeats Stevensville 5-2
• Havre defeats Lockwood 12-8

Winners’ bracket quarterfinals began at 1 p.m. Thursday with all four teams that earned first-round byes emerging victorious:

• Polson defeats Dillon 5-4
• Laurel defeats Columbia Falls 6-5
• Fergus defeats Billings Central 12-1
• Frenchtown defeats Havre 4-1

Polson-Dillon was a back-and-forth affair, one that saw the Beavers go up 2-0 before Polson rocketed out front thanks to a four-run fifth inning. Dillon would tie things up in the top of the sixth, but the Pirates responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, holding on in the seventh for the 5-4 victory.

Columbia Falls vs. Laurel saw the two-time defending state champions jump out in front 5-0 through five innings, though the Locomotives would find some firepower with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. That set the stage for a walk-off three-run homer in the seventh, courtesy of Emerson Gunther, as the Locomotives scored all six runs unanswered to advance.

Though Billings Central scored the first of the game in their showdown against Fergus, the Golden Eagles would produce the rest of the game’s offensive output, including a first-inning three-run blast by Jaden Martin, resulting in a decisive run-rule victory. The loss means that both the defending state champion (Columbia Falls) and state runner-up (Billings Central) are both already in the losers’ bracket before the second day of the tournament.

Frenchtown-Havre started out as a pitcher’s duel, with neither team scoring until the sixth inning. Finally, the Broncs did damage on the scoreboard, the most noteworthy addition coming from the bat of Brooklyn Smith: a three-run home run. Sophomore pitcher Ryan Lucier pitched six and two-thirds perfect innings, before allowing a solo homer whilst trying to collect the final out, resulting in a 4-1 final in favor of Frenchtown.

Friday’s unbeaten semifinals are as follows:

• Polson vs. Laurel (1 p.m.)
• Fergus vs. Frenchtown (1 p.m.)