We are two weeks away from high school football practices officially getting underway, so teams are finding different ways to ramp up to it, like JH Rose hosting their 3rd annual Marvin Jarman 7 V 7 in Greenville. Eight teams with one goal, to get better.

The Rampants wasted no time on their home field with Jimmy Martin slinging a TD. Ryan Gieselman absolutely yoked. His star quarterback #1 Tyler Jones was money on the rollout to #5 Brennan Chambers back of the endzone, for the Marshall commit.

Terrance Saxby wanted more tenacity from his bears, his quarterback Israel Wooten tossed a dot to for 6 and wipe away the stinky defense. Ronald Pou in year two leading Bertie, he has a young offense without Zymiere Dempsey, but he’s excited to be out of year one, which is where Ryan Buie is leading South Central for the first time who had the tall order of guarding big foot for Southwest Edgecombe. Ron Cook, 5th at Farmville, he said stop making me feel old I didn’t have grey hairs in my go-t when I started, father time as the Three Amigos watched Kinston win the tournament, beating Northeastern. Aside from the great competition it was a day focused on honoring Marvin Jarman and how missed he is supporting JH Rose.

Staying in Pitt County, Holton Ahlers has announced his retirement from football according to pirate radio, the former DH Conley and ECU star went undrafted in 2022, played in the preseason for the Seahawks then followed up with the Arlington Renegades, but now has chose to hang up the cleats after nearly 14 thousand passing yards as a pirate with 97 air touchdowns. Quite a memorable career for the once Viking and Pirate.

Moving to baseball, every MLB draft, there’s always getting the call. The phone buzzes, its a random area code and the person on the other end is letting you know where your next home is, well, in this years draft, South Central Grad and UNCW pitcher trace Baker has a different story.

In the Frontier League All Star Home Run Derby, the Bird Dawgs own Stephen DiTomaso won the crown, with 22 bombs. 2nd place only reached 15 total so he crushed the competition up in try New York, a state over from his hometown in New Jersey.

We are wishing congratulations to the Kinston Lenoir 10 and under softball team that won the Dixie softball state tournament, they beat Pembroke 6–1 to win the title, now they start their fund raising campaign, so they can go to the national tournament in Louisiana next week.

Hailing from Christopher Columbus High School in Florida, Boozer is recognized for his exceptional performance, leadership and impact on and off the basketball court. He is set to continue his academic and athletic career at Duke University this fall. Hedengren, a standout from Timpview High School in Utah, became just the third female athlete in history to earn Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in both cross country and track & field ahead of her Best Female Player of the Year win, celebrating her outstanding achievements across multiple distance events, in the classroom and her community. She will further her education and compete in cross country and track & field at BYU in the fall.

“Gatorade Player of the Year recognizes exceptional athletes who are paving the way for the future of sport,” said Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin. “We’re proud to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of this year’s group, and their bright paths ahead through a one-of-a-kind experience. For decades, these standout individuals have achieved greatness both in their sport and in their communities. We’re excited to see how Cameron and Jane carry the legacy forward.”

The Gatorade Best Player of the Year announcement caps off an exclusive, week-long experience in Los Angeles, honoring the Gatorade National Players of the Year across 12 sports. The brand rolled out the red carpet for these top high school athletes – celebrating their achievements in a way only Gatorade can. Highlights included meeting their sports heroes and Gatorade athletes, giving back to the LA community, engaging in educational and celebratory events, experiencing styling sessions, walking The ESPY Awards red carpet, and more.

This year, Gatorade’s 60-year legacy of sports science was on display at the Player of the Year Awards. Throughout the week, the 11 Gatorade National Players of the Year experienced Gatorade’s superior science in action during an immersive field day, alongside some of their favorite professional athletes including Karl-Anthony Towns, Lisa Leslie, Puka Nacua, Abby Wambach, April Ross and more. Throughout the experience, athletes participated in a variety of drills, personalized testing and analysis from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to better understand the impact of dehydration and to receive personalized insights on their specific fueling needs.  

2024-25 GATORADE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Cameron Boozer: The 6-foot-10 senior power forward led the Explorers to a 30-3 record. Also the 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Boozer averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks this season and led Columbus to a fourth straight Class 7A state championship in March. Boozer was also a Naismith Trophy Award semifinalist and a member of Team USA’s Nike Hoop Summit squad.

Below are additional facts about Boozer:

• Boozer is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, Rivals.com and On3.com.
• He has volunteered locally on behalf of Fellowship Church by assisting with youth services, including leading weekly bible study. He has also donated his time as a mathematics peer tutor, both in algebra and geometry.
• Boozer has maintained a 4.82 weighted GPA in the classroom.

Jane Hedengren:
(Cross Country): The 5-foot-11 senior broke the tape at the Nike Cross Nationals Final this past season, clocking a course-record time of 16:32.7 to win by a meet-record 41-second margin. Hedengren also won the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals with a meet-record time of 15:50.1 and won the UHSAA Class 5A state meet in 16:21.5, leading the Thunderbirds to the team title. The state’s returning Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, she concluded her prep distance career as a three-time state champion.

(Track & Field): The senior distance talent won the 3000-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in a national record clocking of 8:40.03 this past season. Hedengren also set national high school records in the mile, 2-mile and 5,000-meter run this past season. On successive weekends, Hedengren clocked a 4:23.50 at the HOKA Festival of Miles and 9:17.75 in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational.

Below are additional facts about Hedengren:   

• Both the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year and returning Gatorade State Player of the Year for track & field, she won a pair of titles at the UHSAA state meet in the 1600- and 3200-meter events, leading the Thunderbirds to the Class 5A championship.
• Hedengren has volunteered on behalf of the Road Runner Junior Club as a coach and race day official and has also donated her time as part of multiple community service initiatives with her church youth group.
• Hedengren has maintained a 3.79 weighted GPA in the classroom.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

About The Gatorade Portfolio
The Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the athlete journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade’s 60-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo     
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE The Gatorade Company

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox used a five-run first inning to end the Cotuit Kettleers’ three-game win streak on Wednesday.

The Red Sox (15-9-2) consolidated their position atop the East Division standings in the process with the 8-5 win at Lowell Park.

Connor Capece capped off a dream start with a bases clearing double on his only hit of the game. He finished with three RBIs, two walks and a run scored.

Michael Catalano (Oklahoma) grabbed his first win of the season after he pitched five innings, where he gave up just two runs (both earned) on three hits and two walks. He recorded five strikeouts.

The Kettleers (11-13-2) staged a late comeback after they put up a trio of runs in the seventh inning to get within 7-5, but they did not get any closer.

Ryne Farber (Texas State) continued his strong play in the Cape League with a 2-for-4 night at the plate with two RBIs, while Luke Matthews (Kent State) also had a pair of hits to go with a run scored.

In other Cape Cod Baseball League action:

Brewster Whitecaps 12, Falmouth Commodores 3 (7 inn.)

The Whitecaps (15-10-1) exploded for five runs in the third inning and then seven more in the fifth inning to pull away from the Commodores (11-14-1) in a shortened game due to darkness.

Notre Dame’s Carson Tinney, Florida State’s Cal Fisher (Florida State) and Wake Forest’s Dalton Wentz each homered in the fifth inning. Tinney hit a three-run home run, while Fisher and Wentz both hit two-run shots.

Fisher finished 3-for-4 with a walk drawn, three RBIs and two runs scored. Wentz tallied three RBIs on a 1-for-3 day at the plate with two runs scored. Alex Sosa (North Carolina State) reached base on a trio of hits (3-for-3) and scored twice.

Mavrick Rizy (Louisiana State) picked up his first win after he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings to go with two strikeouts.

Jaden Wywoda (Holy Cross) was dinged for seven hits and five runs (four earned) in 2 1/3 innings to fall to an 0-1 record for the Commodores.

Allen Gunn covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at agunn@gannett.com and follow him on X at @allentgunn.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

LYNN — The Lynn Parks and Recreation Summer Evening Basketball League is in the midst of week No. 2. It’s a free basketball program for boys and girls featuring elementary, middle school, and high school levels. For more information, visit https://lynnma.myrec.com.

In middle school action, the Local 739 Firefighters took down the Pizza Lovers, 45-24, behind Brayden Nicosia’s 13 points. Samuel Bregue netted 10 for the Pizza Lovers.

Behind Trey Robinson’s 19 points, the Department of Public Works defeated Capano and McGloin, which was led by Jayson Falcon’s 11.

Come round-robin time, Gannon Golf Course squeaked away from Solimine Funeral Home, 21-19, behind Junior Osorio’s 10 points. Nicosia scored eight for Solimine Funeral Home.

As for high school action, leading the way were DeIulis Brothers’ Gabe Gillette (14 points), Robert W. Irvine and Sons’ Juan Osorio (16), Columbia Insurance Agency’s Jacob Mercado (24), Lazy Dog’s Jacob Sutson (18), Councilor John “Jay” Walsh’s C’Amari Jones (15) and Logan Cushna (15), as well as K Security Systems’ Jayden Kelsey (16).

We’ve seen team practice highlights from the Kentucky men’s basketball team throughout the summer, but not so much from the women’s team — until now.

Players have been on campus for the better part of a month now, and up until now, Kenny Brooks and the staff have been focused on doing individual and small group workouts, putting adequate time and focus into each and every player.

In Brooks’ first press conference of the summer, he explained that they were going to do those types of workouts for the first couple of weeks of summer practice before ramping up into team practices in mid-July. Of course, now that it’s mid-July, team practice is here.

We got 30 seconds of highlights from team practice on Tuesday, and they’re exciting.

Kentucky reeled in three transfers this offseason — one of the top point guards in the country in Tonie Morgan, plus former Conference USA sharpshooters Josie Gilvin and Asia Boone. You throw in a couple of freshmen and an elite returning core led by the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year in Clara Strack, and maybe it isn’t too crazy for this group to have championship aspirations.

If one thing is clear from the highlights, is that this team can put the ball in the hoop. Hopefully, that translates in-game and Kentucky reach similar (or hopefully, higher) heights they did a year ago.

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