
Walter Johnson walks off with its first Maryland baseball championship
Matalia slid home headfirst, beat the tag, and the call was safe. Game over. Walter Johnson was the Maryland Class 4A baseball champion, and it was Rudick, a senior, who had provided the most consequential swing in the North Bethesda program's 68-year history: a walk-off single that secured a 7-6 win over Urbana on Friday, earning the Wildcats their first state title.
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Leeds fans: 'Premier League return is enormous'
After a goal in the 91st minute clinched the Championship title for Leeds United last season, thousands of fans lined the city streets to celebrate. As the Whites host Everton at Elland Road this evening, supporters have told the BBC what a return to the Premier League means to them. "It has been a long time coming", John Lewis, a season ticket holder at Elland Road for 44 years, said with relief. The 55-year-old has five tattoos dedicated to the club and said the sense of camaraderie between fans was "unbelievable". "It is friends what meet up but it is more of a family. "Wherever we go, like to Portsmouth on a Tuesday night, you have 3,000 Leeds fans. "You do not get support like that anywhere else." Mr Lewis said Leeds' return to the Premier League for the first time since 2023 would have a huge knock-on impact for the city's economy. "It will definitely help Leeds in a big way," he said, highlighting money spent in pubs on a match day. Plans to expand the club's ground were submitted to Leeds City Council earlier this year, which would take the capacity of Elland Road to 53,000. Fans believe promotion is key to expansion, with the authority set to make a decision this autumn. "You just have to look at the infrastructure they are planning to put in place; it would be brilliant," supporter Sean Brennan said. "There are around 25,000 people on a waiting list for a season ticket so they do need the expansion." Mr Brennan, 57, has been a fan of Leeds United since the 1970s and was gifted a plaque at Elland Road by his daughter for Christmas. "As a Leeds fan your emotions are up and down all the time; but you have got to support them through thick and thin. "I am looking forward to European nights. I know that is still a long way away, but I think we have a good chance." About 150,000 football fans descended on the city centre to celebrate Leeds United's return to the Premier League after a two-year absence earlier this year. An open-top bus carried the players and staff through City Square. Mother-of-three Stephanie said the club's return to the top tier was inspiring for her sons. "They love football; we went to the friendly two weekends ago and we saw Harry Gray come out. "To see somebody really young (Gray is 16) like that, it is amazing to see and think that might be them one day." Stephanie's sons Seb and Max watched the moment the Whites won the league from home last season. "We came back to school and we were all jumping and shouting," the brothers, who are 10 and seven, recalled. "The atmosphere is always really good; it is always a sell-out." Terry Greenall agreed promotion would have an "enormous" impact on the city's economy. The 69-year-old has supported the club since his childhood, and has fond memories of meeting Leeds legends. "As a student I met Don Revie, Big Jack [Charlton] and John Charles. "I upset John Charles because we bumped into him while playing football, and I did not recognise him," he laughed. He said the return to the Premier League had been worth the wait. "There have been a lot of ups and downs - but it is about time!" Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. More on this story Thousands of fans celebrate Leeds United promotion Leeds United submit plans to expand Elland Road Related internet links Leeds United FC
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Dobson keen to learn from 'top quality' O'Brien
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Paulo Pezzolano caught everybody off guard with QPR selection - and it worked a treat
Paulo Pezzolano raised a few eyebrows with his team selection for Watford's 2-1 victory over QPR on Saturday – but surprises may soon become the norm under this adaptable coach. Having talked up 4-3-3 as his favoured formation ahead of the Championship opener against Charlton last week, Pezzolano switched to a back three from the start against the Hoops. More: AS IT HAPPENED: Watford 2-1 Queens Park Rangers Imran Louza was deployed as the fixed midfielder, with Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe finding space wide and Nestory Irankunda given a free role off centre-forward Luca Kjerrumgaard. And, perhaps the biggest headline of all, there was no room in the starting XI for talismanic forward Kwadwo Baah. Luca Kjerrumgaard scores the opener (Image: PA) The shift in approach after just one league game came as a surprise, particularly after there was enough encouragement at The Valley to suggest tweaks rather than wholesale changes were required. But Pezzolano most likely did not consider this change in shape as a drastic change at all. The coach has been clear that finding space on the pitch and reacting to each phase of the game is far more important than the formation on paper. More: Paulo Pezzolano on QPR win, his change of system and Kwadwo Baah exclusion He said last week: "The most important thing is the ability to adapt to the opponent and to the quality of the players you have. "In certain moments of the game the spaces are in different places and you have to create a structure to take advantage of those spaces. "I love 4-3-3 but the main thing is being able to adapt." On Saturday, Watford took advantage of those spaces very nicely during a dominant first half. With no out-and-out wingers in the side, the Hornets were able to disorientate QPR's full-backs by using runs into space from the wider central midfielders and wing-backs. Jeremy Ngakia and Moussa Sissoko caused problems down the right-hand side from the off, the Frenchman teeing up chances for Kjerrumgaard and Edo Kayembe within the first three minutes from that side. While one of Pezzolano's reasons for switching things up was to give his midfield more freedom to attack, another was to "protect the spaces" between his defenders. QPR's array of attacking talent includes Ilias Chair and Karamoko Dembele, neither of whom were able to get too involved in the game. Dembele, in particular, was shackled bar one moment of success against Marc Bola in the second half, a victory for Pezzolano's approach. Watford won the shot count 17-13 and the xG battle 2.06-0.50, showing how little they reduced their visitors to despite the nervy finale. The front two was another win for the system, with the use of Sissoko and Kayembe stretching QPR and creating space for Irankunda to do his thing. The Australian scampered away down the left before teeing up Kjerrumgaard for the first and was a general pest, twisting and turning and showing impressive physique to hold off defenders significantly taller and broader. His positioning also solved one of the key issues from Charlton, where Kjerrumgaard was left far too isolated in the centre-forward position. The Dane spoke after this win about how much he enjoyed playing with a partner on a day when he proved match-winner with a quickfire double. Kwadwo Baah, meanwhile, is some sub to be bringing on when you have the lead on 55 minutes. Had Watford lost this game, the reaction to the omission of Baah from the start may have been very different – but instead the decision paid off nicely. Marc Bola in action (Image: PA) Whether 3-5-2 is the way forward is unclear, particularly with the eventual aim surely to have Baah and Irankunda on the field at the same time, potentially from the off at Swansea next week. But the fact that Pezzolano has us second-guessing his intentions after three matches is just the point. The Uruguayan presents as a thoughtful, pragmatic coach, happy to mix things up and spring a surprise to confuse opposition – and comfortable with the work he has done on the training ground to prepare his team. The next test is forming a gameplan to beat the Swans without Imran Louza, who will be suspended for the trip to South Wales barring a successful appeal of his late red card. But for now, Pezzolano deserves credit for an unlikely selection that worked a treat.