A look at some of the best semifinals this weekend. Class 8A: No. 2 Loyola at No. 1 Lincoln-Way East, 6 p.m. Saturday This game — a rematch of the last two Class 8A finals, both won by Loyola — is the one everyone has been waiting for since the brackets were announced. Loyola (10-2) wobbled a bit early with losses to East St. Louis and St. Francis in the first three weeks, but has won nine in a row mostly in dominant fashion. Two Iowa commits — quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald and running back Drew MacPherson — keep the Ramblers offense rolling, and Washington-bound Donovan Robinson leads a defense that has limited seven of its last opponents under 20 points. Lincoln-Way East (12-0) has a four-star quarterback in Jonas Williams, an Oregon commit and the state’s top-ranked junior. Running backs Zion Gist and Brody Gish are other proven offensive options for Lincoln-Way East (12-0) and Northwestern-bound edge rusher Caden O’Rourke leads an elite defense. Class 8A: No. 14 York at No. 4 Naperville Central, 6 p.m. Saturday Overshadowed by West Suburban Silver rivals Lyons and Downers Grove North in the regular season, York (10-2) is back in the semifinals for the third straight year thanks to one of the state’s best ground games. The Dukes have rushed 86 times for 747 yards (an 8.7 average) over the past two weeks with quarterback Bruno Massel (348 yards, seven touchdowns) leading the way. Backs Jimmy Conners and Henry Duda also are capable of 100-yard games. Naperville Central (11-1), the only team to hold a lead on Lincoln-Way East this season, has a well-balanced offense led by quarterback Sebastian Hayes, Indiana State-bound receiver DeShaun Williams and running back Aiden Clark. Class 7A: No. 3 Mount Carmel at No. 7 St. Rita, 3 p.m. Saturday It’s the 105th meeting in this South Side rivalry, which Mount Carmel (9-3) has dominated lately. The Caravan won 28-0 in Week 2, their sixth straight win in a series they lead 68-33 with three ties. Few players can impact a game like quarterback Jack Elliott, a Vanderbilt commit whose dual-threat capability makes the Caravan offense go. His targets include Cooper Lehman, who had a program-record 255 receiving yards against Nazareth, and freshman Marshaun Thornton. St. Rita (10-2) has playmakers of its own in running back Nick Herman, quarterback Steven Armbruster and two-way standout Justin Buckner. Class 6A: No. 5 Cary-Grove at No. 9 Geneva, 1 p.m. Saturday Cary-Grove (12-0) is looking for its fourth trip to the state finals — and fourth Class 6A title — since 2018. The Trojans lost star fullback Logan Abrams to a season-ending injury. But quarterback Peyton Seaburg and running back Holden Boone have kept a potent ground game chugging along for an offense that averages 43.5 points a game. Geneva (11-1) is in the semifinals for the first time since 2008 behind an explosive offense led by quarterback Tony Chahino (2,896 yards, 44 touchdowns), Georgia-bound receiver Talyn Taylor (65 catches, 1,302 yards, 22 TDs), receiver Finn Weppner (36 catches, 824 yards, 13 TDs) and running back Michael Rumoro (936 yards, 11 TDs). Class 5A: No. 8 St. Francis at No. 6 Nazareth, 1 p.m. Saturday This is the fourth meeting in 13 months for the west suburban rivals. St. Francis (10-2) won both regular-season games, but Nazareth (10-2) prevailed 38-31 in last year’s semifinals en route to its second straight Class 5A title and fourth state championship since 2018. Quarterback Brady Palmer and receiver Ian Willis are an effective pass-and-catch duo for St. Francis. Four-year starting quarterback Logan Malachuk, receiver Jake Cestone and running back Lesroy Tittle are some playmakers for Nazareth’s offense, while edge rusher Gabe Kaminski (Stanford) and defensive back Garrett Reese (Indiana) lead the defense.MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media.
Kimball Electronics Wins Highest Customer Ratings in Seven Categories of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY’S 2024 Service Excellence AwardsRunning back Jace Clarizio flipped his commitment from his local team, Michigan State, to Alabama. The decision, announced by Clarizio on social media Tuesday, comes after the East Lansing (Mich.) High standout visited head coach Kalen DeBoer's Crimson Tide on Nov. 16. "Great program," Clarizio told On3. "Playing on the biggest level. ... All the people and coaches I met and interacted with were all great people. The atmosphere was crazy." The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder is ranked as the No. 33 running back by On3 and tabbed No. 35 in their industry ranking. In May, he had verbally committed to the Spartans, where his father, Craig Johnson, was a running back and defensive back who was a member of the 1987 Rose Bowl-winning squad under coach George Perles. --Field Level Media
ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year. “If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said. The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State. And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster. “There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.” Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points. "Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.” Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on for its first bowl victory since 2015. Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win at Yankee Stadium. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Grayson James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6). Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries, and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs to help Miami (Ohio) wrapped the season at 9-5 by beating Colorado State (8-5) in Tucson, Ariz. Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter, Matt Salopek forced a fumble that was recovered by Silas Walters and quarterback Brett Gabbert's first rushing touchdown of the season — a 10-yard scramble that capped a 47-yard drive — made it 22-3 about 2 minutes later. Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies (9-4) beat the Tar Heels (6-7) at Fenway Park, embarrassing incoming coach Bill Belichick's new team in his old backyard. Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina's only production in the first half. Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs (9-4) routed the Ragin' Cajuns (10-4) in Albuquerque. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs. TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 209 yards, including 61 on the game's final possession.
Alabama flips RB Jace Clarizio from Michigan State
Onion price is falling again due to the recent influx of goods, according to onion market. Since the price of onions has dropped a lot compared to last week, there are sales in reduced prices in retail and wholesale markets. “The price of onions has been falling for about a week, and the prices are being reduced in both wholesale and retail markets. There are many trucks coming in now. The price has dropped much compared to a week ago. It has dropped to about K 1000 – 1500 a viss,” said an official at the Phyo Thakhin onion and garlic warehouse in Danyingon wholesale market, Shwepyitha Township. The fluctuation of onion prices in the coming months will depend on the arrival of trucks at the Bayintnaung wholesale market, and if the number is less than 15, the price may be good. “How much the price falls depends on the number of cars arriving at Bayintnaung market. If it is over 20, the price will fall more. Today, 14 trucks arrived. If it is less than 15, the price will bounce back in coming Monday or Tuesday,” he said. Some farmers and traders were able to sell summer onions at the high price, but some traders still have a lot of onion stocks in their possession. – Thit Taw/ZN
