Rain-soaked night doesn't dampen area track teams across three invites

Track athletes flocked to one of three meets across the greater area Friday night — the Galion Kiwanis, Hillsdale's Bob Valentine Invitational, and the Bob Knoll Invitational at New London.

Out of the 19 area programs in action, two grabbed invitational team titles and there were more event champions than you could count.

Let's take a look at how everyone fared in the final weekend before conference meets.

Galion Kiwanis Invitational

Ashland (119) held off a short-handed Lexington (108⅓) for the boys team title at Unckrich Stadium led by first place finishes from Dakota Kruty in the 200 dash (22.82) and the quartet of Brady Anderson, Ty Bates, Jack Parsons, Brady Thompson in the 4x400 (3:29.77) to cap off the win on the track, and 18 points from Greyson Blough in the throws earlier in the evening as he won the shot put (52-9½) and was second in the discus (141-10).

The Arrows leaned on a total team effort in the win getting points however they could. Harley O'Brien and Braden Donatini finished second and third in the high hurdles, and the foursome of Bates, Anderson, O'Brien, Kruty were second in the 4x200. Killian O'Brien linked up with Avion Woodard, Eric Cao, and Jayden Colvin for third in the 4x100, Donatini and O'Brien swapped places with another second and third in the low hurdles, and Parsons was third in the two-mile. Colvin was runner-up in high jump, as was Bates in pole vault, while Kruty took third in the long jump.

Ashland girls were second to Ottawa-Glandorf led by Sadie Walter sweeping the hurdles (15.14 in 100m, 46.45 in 300m), nabbing second in the 100 dash, and third in the 200 dash. Frankie Rupsis won high jump at 5-4 and Oaklynn Burns rounded out the winners with a long jump title (17-02½). Burns also placed second in the 200 dash, Ava Cline third in the 3200, Aliviah Sauder fourth in the 800.

Lexington swept the 4x800 relays with Katya Prykhodko, Jersie Palmer, Morgan Harrod, and Evalynn Adkins clocking a 10:01.52 for a 16-second win, while Gage Devaney, Will Hooper, Latrell Hughes, and Trevor Reed (8:12.45) won their race by 21 seconds. The Minutemen also swept the mile with Prykhodko (5:15.97) and Lincoln Rice (4:30.05) taking top spots followed by Brailey Slone and Luke Haring as runner-up. The 4x100 of Tatum Stover, Allison Laury, Olivia Thomas, and Sylvia Secrist (50.50), Gabi Twedt in the 800 (2:26.59), and John Bartone in the two-mile (9:54.31) rounded out the winners; Slone was also second in the quarter-mile. The girls placed third overall as a team.

Other event winners:Ontario's Xavier Trent in the 800 (1:56.74), Audrey Mahon in the 400 (58.05), Elton Toska, Brady Rowe, Tre Fowler, Jermel Powell in the 4x100 (1:30.89) ... Shelby's Gavin Baker in the 110 hurdles (14.61), Princess Timko in the 100 (12.18), Arabella Ream in pole vault (10-0), Clayton Mitchell in discus (151-09) ... Colonel Crawford's Avery Powers in the 300 hurdles (40.50) and long jump (20-08) ... Galion's Jacob Chambers in the 100 (10.97), Camden Kuehlman in the 400 (51.65), Kuehlman, Chambers, Sam Evans, Zach Sallee in the 4x100 (43.21), Shaun Arthur in the seated 100 dash (48.29) and seated shot put (11-11).

Bob Valentine Invitational

Hillsdale's Hayden McFadden put on a show in his final meet in front of the home crowd winning the long jump (21-05¾), 200 dash (22.60) and 400 dash (51.45) helping the Falcons to a third place finish as a team; Cooper Baker won the 800 (2:00.92) as the team's lone other gold.

Advertisement

Crestview's Max Durbin soared over everything in his way winning the high hurdles (15.20) by more than a second before getting a battle up until the finish line from Northwestern's Keagan Kostohryz in the low hurdles but eventually held him off for the .12-second win (41.22); Liam Kuhn took top spot in the pole vault clearing 14-0 in less than ideal conditions. On the girls side, Devon Hickey won the 200 dash (28.09) by a fraction of a second, Alina Durbin cruised in the two-mile (12:19.98) winning by almost 20 seconds, and the 4x100 (51.69) won by over a second.

Other event winners:Mapleton's Braylon Goon won the mile (4:50.67) by nearly five full seconds ... Black River's Austin Pamer, Lucas Olive, Kyle Vonderau, Noah Orgel in the 4x400 (3:33.84) ... Buckeye Central's Collin Perry in the high jump (6-0), girls 4x800 (10:51.76), girls 4x400 (4:24.82) ... Loudonville's Sophie Schultz in the 800 (2:25.46), Kaylinn Freelon in the 300 hurdles (51.35), Cama Skok in high jump (5-0), Logan Moore in long jump (15-11¼) ... Ashland's Kelsey Kaesar in shot put (34-00½).

Bob Knoll Invitational

Bucyrus boys (115½) made it four-straight Bob Knoll Invitational titles holding off runner-up Western Reserve. The Redmen were led by Karter Boggs winning the 1600 (4:27.90) and 3200 (9:47.10) both by sizeable margins — mile by 27 seconds over teammate AJ Griffin, two mile by 31 seconds — Christian Neal taking the 100 dash (11.88), and Ivan Pirnstill clearing 13-00 in pole vault for gold.

They also had strong showings from Dashawn Cosey who was runner-up in the 200 and 400, Maseo Hall and Dustin Feck were second and third in the low hurdles. Hall, Cosey, Feck, Neal teamed up for second in the 4x200 then saw Grady Weber swap in for Feck on the third place 4x100 relay.

Plymouth's Izaya Reynolds won the 200 (23.46) and 400 dash (51.88) before linking up with Isaiah Miller, Jeric Tackett, and Trevor Putt to narrowly win the 4x200 (1:35.58) by less than three-tenths of a second, and then with Miller, Tackett, and Cainan Kilgore to win the 4x400 (3:40.52). Miller also won the high hurdles (16.17) in a photo finish edging out Wellington's Ari Wreyford by four-hundredths of a second.

South Central girls (126½) were second to St. Paul despite arguably the most impressive performance of the night from Autumn Fry who was a four-event champion. After sweeping the throws with a 34-11¾ in shot put and 119-10 in discus — 20 feet further than anyone else — she won the 100 dash (13.12) and joined Emily Lamoreaux, Kaili Ingram, and Falynn Schumacher in the 4x100 (54.06). Lamoreaux won all three events she competed in sweeping the hurdles with a 17.38 in the high and 51.56 in the low; Lauren Ingram won the high jump at 5-0.

Other event winners:New London's Ryan Twinning in the 800 (2:04.38), Twinning, Garret Carruthers, Trace Landis, Carter Hicks in the 4x800 (8:49.93).

zholden@gannett.com|419-617-6018|Twitter/X:@Zachary_Holden

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal:Ashland boys win Galion Kiwanis, Bucyrus boys four-peat at Bob Knoll

byAdministrator

in

May 11, 2026

Rain-soaked night doesn't dampen area track teams across three invites

Track athletes flocked to one of three meets across the greater area Friday night — the Galion Kiwanis, Hillsdale's Bob Valentine I...

Read More

From spitting fans to frontman feuds: How Iron Maiden survived decades of drama

In the summer of 1984, following a concert at Poland’s Hala Arena,Iron Maidenwent out for a drink. Rejecting the quietude of the hotel bar, the English party decamped for Klub Andria, a local discotheque, which that evening had been booked for a wedding party attended by 300 Poles. After partaking of grape and grain, in game spirits, the English musicians duly accepted an invitation to clamber onstage.

Documented in shaky camcorder footage in the documentary feature filmIron Maiden: Burning Ambitionis the sight of Maiden playingSmoke on the Wateron a cramped dais at a matrimonial gathering behind the Iron Curtain. It is one of only two clips I can find of the band playing a live version of a song written by anyone other than themselves.

As bassist and group leader Steve Harris puts it, towards the top of the film: “We were picking up fans from the first gigs we did because we played our own material… There’s no way I would go onstage and play something I didn’t like. I’d rather sweep the streets. In fact, I did.”

The steely philosophy of their east-London council worker has served the group well. Along with a catalogue of evidently attractive songs, Iron Maiden’s innate integrity has been a magnet for a vast army of fervid admirers. I’ve wracked my brains, and I can’t think of a group with a more dedicated audience. As Chuck D, bandleader of Public Enemy, puts it inBurning Ambition, “This group created their own universe.”

As well as interviewing band members past and present, the film (directed by Malcolm Venville) trains its lens on the fans themselves. In what is a far cry from the days when metal was the preserve of the under-represented, in 2026, all human life is here. Keeping company with a few recognisable faces – the actor Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich fromMetallica, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello – the devotees featured include soldiers, academics, cops, psychiatrists, military historians, financiers and more.

Feuds and flights

Only occasionally does the action err on the overfamiliar. The story of singerBruce Dickinsonflying the band around the world in their own plane – Ed Force One – has been shown before, in the 2009 featureIron Maiden: Flight 666. Even as a mere admirer, meanwhile, I was aware that Dickinson and Harris almost came to blows after a gig at Newcastle City Hall, in 1982, during which the singer took issue with the bassist’s determination to stand in the spot normally reserved for a frontman. If I know this stuff, the film’s target audience certainly will.

WhereBurning Ambitionexcels is in its portrayal of a band whose sheer bloody-mindedness inspires devotion in listeners who recognise that, here at least, the compromises of life need not apply. Whatever the weather, Maiden follow their own star. While other metal greats have tweaked their act to suit changing times – Metallica going “greasy” in the wake of grunge, Slayer down-tuning their guitars in response to nu-metal – this most resolute of statesmen looks only inward for inspiration.

“I put a barbed-wire fence around the band, creatively,” Rod Smallwood, the group’s redoubtable West Yorkshire-born manager, says towards the top of the film. To this day, the frontier remains impregnable.

UnlikeAC/DCor theRamones, though, Maiden are willing to challenge their audience. Out on the road in 2006-07, for example, the band played their then-current album,A Matter Of Life And Death, in its entirety. At the end of the set, space was made for just five older songs.

I recall seeing Maiden at Wembley Arena in 1993, at a time when it was known that Bruce Dickinson would be leaving the band at the end of the tour. Recounting what sounds like a perfectly miserable experience, inBurning Ambition, drummer Nicko McBrain says that he “used to watch [the singer], every night, knowing that he didn’t want to be there. I hated him for that.” Equally forthright, Harris described several of Dickinson’s performances on the tour as being “f---ing awful”.

Advertisement

Perhaps inevitably, the band struggled without their notable frontman. (To be fair, Dickinson struggled as a solo artist, too.) Determined to endure, Maiden scooped up Blaze Bayley, the frontman with the Tamworth group Wolfsbane, whose own shot at the big time had reaped a scant harvest. Not even an EP with the unbeatable titleAll Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson’s Place– released on Rick Rubin’s Def American label, no less – could save Wolfsbane. Acting on the advice of his band’s manager, who told him the group was going nowhere, the singer changed horses.

“I saw an interview with him, and there was a line at the end where he said, ‘I feel like Dorothy inThe Wizard Of Oz,’” Bruce Dickinson once recalled. “I thought, ‘That’s really sweet – I know exactly how you feel.’ So, I painted up two bricks [yellow] and sent them to him.” Flush for the first time in his life, the new frontman bought himself a second-hand Jaguar.

Unsold tickets and unhappy fans

From the off, though, Bayley was on a hiding to nothing. In its most startling moment,Burning Ambitionfeatures footage of audience members spitting on both the singer and Harris (a trespass doubly insulting given the bassist’s trenchant disdain for punk). As the group’s fortunes continued to dip, just five years after performing to almost 19,000 people at the Spectrum, in Philadelphia, Maiden drew a crowd of just 500 in 1996 at a less-than-half-full Electric Factory in the centre of town.

“There were some great moments [during those years]”, drummer McBrain says inBurning Ambition, “but there were many that weren’t”. Twenty-seven years after being fired, with remarkable dignity, Bayley says that “it doesn’t matter if I’m there or not. The world is a better place with Iron Maiden in it.” (In a typically classy move, Bayley was invited to the premiere ofBurning Ambitionin Leicester Square this week. Later this year, along with Maiden themselves, the singer will be inducted into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame.)

Slogging through these fallow years, with typical fortitude, Iron Maiden simply refused to concede defeat. In 1999, following a rapprochement between two estranged camps, Dickinson met with his former bandmates at a yacht club in Brighton. “I want to play big gigs again,” the singer said – at this time, guitarist Adrian Smith, who left in 1990, also rejoined the group – after which the reunited band repaired to the pub.

The plan worked; Dickinson got his wish. In 2001, Maiden headlined Rock In Rio in front of an audience of a quarter of a million people. (The bill for the group’s famous performance at the same festival, in 1985, was topped by Queen.) Remarkably, their fortunes have continued to rise. This summer, for the first time, the group will play stadiums in the United States. A forthcoming appearance at Knebworth, in July, places them in the company ofLed Zeppelin, Genesis, Deep Purple andPink Floydin the most exclusive VIP room in all of rock ’n’ roll.

A stronger-than-ever relationship with fans

Rather than being irked that their audience once deserted them, instead, the group seems justly proud that the relationship with their fans is stronger than it was during their first flush of success. Today, Bruce Dickinson addresses vast crowds that might otherwise be divided by generation, class and race, with words that should – but somehowdon’t –sound glib. It doesn’t matter who you are, he tells them, “We’re one f---ing family”.

As it goes, I reckon it’s about as close as it gets. In an age of frankly scandalous ticket prices, entry to Knebworth costs a relatively modest £127. Unlike Metallica, whose top-tier packages atthe Sphere, in Las Vegas, will set you back $5,500 (about £4,300), Maiden don’t dirty their hands with grubby VIP bundles. Instead of being fleeced for money, respected constituents pay their dues in devotion.

As the group’s members step towards their eighth decade, of course, time might also be a factor. With each passing year, the odds thatthiswill be the last time to see the group in concert only increase. But if the endisin sight, one needs binoculars to see it. Iron Maiden aren’t ready to run to the hills just yet.

“It looks like we’re taking next year off,” Harris recently said. “Personally, I didn’t want to, but that’s just me. I’m just one of six people, despite what people might think. They don’t just do as they’re told. Otherwise, we’d be doing stuff next year, too.”

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is in cinemas now

byAdministrator

in

May 10, 2026

From spitting fans to frontman feuds: How Iron Maiden survived decades of drama

In the summer of 1984, following a concert at Poland’s Hala Arena,Iron Maidenwent out for a drink. Rejecting the quietude of the hotel ...

Read More

South African president says he respects top court's judgment on impeachment process

JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (Reuters) - ‌South African ‌President Cyril ​Ramaphosa said he respected the ‌constitutional ⁠court's judgment on Friday ⁠that revived ​an ​impeachment ​process against ‌him, adding in a statement that "no ‌person ​is ​above ​the law".

Advertisement

(Reporting ‌by Nilutpal ​Timsina ​and Sfundo Parakozov;Writing ​by ‌Anathi Madubela;Editing ​by Alexander ​Winning)

byAdministrator

in

May 10, 2026

South African president says he respects top court's judgment on impeachment process

JOHANNESBURG, May 8 (Reuters) - ‌South African ‌President Cyril ​Ramaphosa said he respected the ‌constitutional ⁠court's judgment ...

Read More

Japan's Sony reports declining profit but expects a record for this year

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Group Corp. reported a 3.4% drop in its annual profit but projected Friday a comeback to record profits for the current fiscal year.

Tokyo-based Sony’s net profit for the year through March totaled 1.03 trillion yen ($6.6 billion), down from 1.07 trillion yen in the previous fiscal year.

Endinga plan to release an electric vehicle with Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co.hurt its earnings. Rising costs of computer chips also bit into profit and remain a concern, according to Sony, which has film, music and video-game operations.

Sony is forecasting a 1.16 trillion yen ($7.4 billion) profit for this fiscal year, which would be a record for the company and a 13% jump from the year that just ended.

Annual sales at Sony for the fiscal year that just ended rose 3.7% from the previous year to nearly 12.5 trillion yen ($8 billion), boosted by hit films such as the latest in the “Demon Slayer”series and“Kokuho,”and by healthy demand for games and network services.

On a quarterly basis, profit at Sony, which is behind the Bravia andPlayStationbrands and the “Spider-Man” movies, fell 63% to 83 billion yen ($529 million) from 224 billion yen in the same period a year earlier.

Advertisement

Quarterly sales edged up 8% to 3 trillion yen ($19 billion), said the company, whose musical artists includeBad BunnyandSza.

Sony is counting on healthy sales from its upcoming films, such as“Spider-Man: Brand New Day”and “Jumanji: Open World,” to boost its bottom line for the current fiscal year.

Also Friday, Sony said it would spend up to 500 billion yen ($3.2 billion) to buy back ⁠up to 230 million shares.

Sony stock, which has been trading at about 3,000 yen ($19) lately, gained 1% on Friday.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads:https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

byAdministrator

in

May 09, 2026

Japan's Sony reports declining profit but expects a record for this year

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Group Corp. reported a 3.4% drop in its annual profit but projected Frid...

Read More

“Price Is Right” contestant wins largest single-game prize in show's 54-year history

A contestant on Friday's episode of The Price Is Right set a new all-time high in winnings from a single pricing game.

Key Points

• Vanessa from Virginia walked away with $240,150 in cash and prizes after playing Lion's Share.

• This new record surpasses the last, set in 2010, by more than $30,000.

After more than five decades on the air,The Price Is Rightis still breaking records.

A contestant on Friday's episode of the long-running game show set a new all-time high in winnings from a single pricing game. After several wild rounds of the game Lion's Share, Vanessa from Virginia walked away with $240,150 in cash and prizes— the largest one-game haul a contestant has ever won in the CBS daytime show's 54-year history.

The retired veteran made her mark in a special Mother's Day-themed episode, with her daughter cheering her on from the sidelines.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Lion's Share, an MGM-branded game that premiered last year as a replacement for Pay the Rent, revolves around grocery price guessing.

In the game, each contestant is able to win up to five balls depending on their number of correct guesses. Balls are then dropped into a wind tunnel, which reveal hidden prize amounts. But that's not all: HostDrew Careythen commands contestants to choose between walking away with the dollar value displayed on the screen or risking it all to grow their earnings further.

Advertisement

That's exactly what Vanessa did, and after very little deliberation. Continued correct guesses yielded more prize balls, which revealed more earnings, eventually loading her up with $227,500 in cash. A luxury trip to Morocco valued at $12,650 ultimately brought her total up to $240,150.

Vanessa's win clears the previous record by a wide margin. In 2016, contestant Christen Freeman won $210,000 in the game Cliffhangers, and also walked away with a steam iron, portable heater, and drink mixer.

Vanessa may be the biggest winner when it comes to earnings from a single game, but her $240,150 total is no match for the overall killing that one contestant made in a 2019 episode.

Michael Stouber left the roller coaster ride of an episode with a grand total of $262,743 in cash and prizes. That included $202,000 from a game of Plinko, a nearly $30,000 Showcase win, an equivalent value Nissan Sentra S, a $1,475 diamond bracelet, and more.

The Price Is Rightairs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount+. Check your local cable provider for exact airtimes.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAdministrator

in

May 09, 2026

“Price Is Right” contestant wins largest single-game prize in show's 54-year history

A contestant on Friday's episode of The Price Is Right set a new all-time high in winnings from a single pricing game. Key P...

Read More

Exclusive-White House considering naming FDA food chief as acting commissioner-sources

By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Michael Erman

May 8 (Reuters) - The White ‌House is considering naming ‌FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, who heads ​up the agency's food group, as acting commissioner of the agency to replace current head ‌Marty Makary, according ⁠to three sources familiar with the matter.

Advertisement

Potential names ⁠being considered to be the actual nominee to run the ​agency include ​former FDA ​commissioner Stephen Hahn ‌and former acting commissioner and assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir, according to one of the sources and two other sources.

The ‌White House has already ​signed off on ​a ​plan to fire U.S. ‌Food and Drug Administration ​Commissioner Marty ​Makary, Reuters reported earlier on Friday. The Wall Street ​Journal first ‌reported the news.

(Reporting by Michael ​Erman and Yasmeen AbutalebEditing ​by Nick Zieminski)

byAdministrator

in

May 08, 2026

Exclusive-White House considering naming FDA food chief as acting commissioner-sources

By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Michael Erman May 8 (Reuters) - The White ‌House is considering naming ‌FDA Deputy Commissioner Kyle Diam...

Read More

About 40 passengers left ship hit by Hantavirus outbreak at island of St. Helena

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — About 40 passengers from a cruise ship by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have disembarked on St. Helena, according to Dutch officials

Around 40 passengers, including the wife of a Dutch man who died, left the cruise ship during a stop at St. Helena, a small, craggy island in the South Atlantic Ocean, the Dutch foreign ministry has said.

Advertisement

In a letter to parliament sent late Wednesday evening local time, foreign minister Tom Berendsen said that those who disembarked on the remote island included a Dutch woman who is hospitalized South Africa and a Swiss man who is also currently being treated.

Authorities did not confirm where the disembarked passengers are now.

byAdministrator

in

May 08, 2026

About 40 passengers left ship hit by Hantavirus outbreak at island of St. Helena

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — About 40 passengers from a cruise ship by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have disembarked on St. Helena, ac...

Read More