Latest news with #BlueRaiders
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former North Boone pitcher Chandler Alderman dazzles in the Rockford Rivets season opener
LOVES PARK, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Former North Boone pitching standout Chandler Alderman will be pitching for the Rockford Rivets in the Northwoods League for a bit this summer. He had a sensational debut for them Monday evening in the Rivets season went six innings against the Traverse City Pit Spitters. He allowed only one run on only two hits. He also struck out eight batters. The Rivets won the game Rivets also got great pitching from three relievers. Luke Guest, Reece Tarini and Collin Mowry each pitched one scoreless inning. Mowry struck out the side in the top of the ninth to end for Alderman, he just finished up his sophomore season at Middle Tennessee State University where he was the ace of the Blue Raiders pitching staff. He led the team in starts with 14, and he led the team in innings pitched (68.2) and in strikeouts (48). In mid-March he was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the highlights of Alderman's great debut with the Rivets, watch the media player above. You'll also see my interview with him prior to the game. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Louisville Draft Pick Quincy Riley Fills A Saints Need
With their second of two fourth-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Louisville Cardinals cornerback Quincy Riley. Many expected the Saints to address corner earlier in the draft. It was considered a deep draft class at the position, with a few possible projected starters even slipping into the third round. Advertisement New Orleans used five picks at other positions through the first four rounds before choosing a cornerback. When they finally selected one, they got a player whose traits match several at the position drafted before him. CB - Quincy Riley, Louisville Louisville Cardinals cornerback Quincy Riley (3) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images A football, basketball, and track star at A.C. Flora High School in South Carolina, Riley committed to Middle Tennessee State. He played little as a true freshman in 2019 but intercepted 2 passes the following year for the Blue Raiders. In 2021, Riley led Middle Tennessee State with 5 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, and broke up 9 passes. He also added 4.5 sacks and 1.5 sacks on his way to 1st Team All-Conference USA honors. After the 2021-22 season, he'd transfer to Louisville. Advertisement Riley intercepted a team-high 3 passes for the Cardinals in 2022, leading the ACC with 101 return yards. In 2023, he'd again have 3 interceptions and led his team with 12 passes broken up. Last season, Riley tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions and led the ACC with 13 pass breakups on his way to 2nd Team All-ACC honors. Louisville Cardinals defensive back Quincy Riley (3) breaks up a pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images A lean corner, Riley may have troubles against bigger NFL receivers. He's not especially physical in man coverage, often leading to a receiver getting clean breaks in their routes. He has also never been much of a factor in run support. A bit inexperienced in man coverage, Riley may take early lumps against receivers with good route precision. His aggressiveness can also lead to blown coverages against double moves and play fakes. Advertisement A former sprinter in high school and at Middle Tennessee State, Riley has the burst, stride, and speed to keep with almost any receiver. This is especially evident in his recovery speed or explosion to the throw in off-ball coverage. Riley's 15 interceptions over the last five seasons and 25 passes broken up the last two years shows a player with elite ball skills. He has remarkable anticipation, the quickness to get to the ball in a flash, and the savvy to bait quarterbacks. Louisville Cardinals defensive back Quincy Riley (3) breaks up a pass against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Riley shows good route recognition. His reach, leaping ability, and competitiveness allows him to make a lot of plays on contested throws. While he won't win a lot of physical battles, his terrific body control and ball skills enables him to win his share of one-on-one battles. Advertisement The New Orleans Saints traded CB Marshon Lattimore before the end of last season, then lost CB Paulson Adebo in free agency. Talented Kool-Aid McKinstry is solidified as one starter. However, Alontae Taylor is much more disruptive being moved around the formation than as a starting outside cornerback. Quincy Riley should complete with Taylor and Isaac Yiadom for outside corner reps. His speed and ball skills also gives him some versatility for slot coverage. He also brings athleticism and return skills to the special teams units, always a focal point in New Orleans. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is expected to use more off-ball coverage and zone concepts in his secondary. This may play to Quincy Riley's best attributes, possibly leading to him being a mid-round draft steal. Related: Final 2025 NFL Draft First Round Predictions For the Saints Related: Final New Orleans Saints 7-Round NFL Mock Draft Related: Best Remaining Prospects For Day 3 Of the 2025 NFL Draft
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bee's Best: 2024-25 girls basketball All-Stars and Players of the Year
Alexis Swillis was a big target for the Clovis West girls basketball team this season. Standing at 6-foot-3, she was an imposing figure and a force. She was continually relied on when the Golden Eagles needed short buckets. Swillis finished her career with 1,266 points, according to section historian Bob Barnett. Swillis averaged 15.2 points per game, 8.9 rebounds and was the Tri-River Athletic Conference Player of the Year. 'Coaches and teammates pushing me,' said Swillis, who acknowledged after last season she needed to be more physical. 'I'm almost probably the biggest person in the Valley (among high school girls basketball players). Just using that to my advantage.' Her leadership helped the Golden Eagles to another Tri-River Athletic Conference and Central Section Division I championship. Swillis is The Fresno Bee's Player of the Year. 'She's a 6-3 post player, but she's so much more than that,' Clovis West coach Craig Campbell said. 'She's an athlete, so coachable — I mean, there's everything. Her growth this last year has been tremendous to see when she got healthy and cleared and started playing for us now. We've really pushed her.' Despite the loss to Archbishop Mitty, where the Golden Eagles almost pulled it out, Swillis was happy that her teammates fought hard until the final buzzer sounded. The loss didn't define the season. Clovis West still finished 33-1, but she hopes the season continues to set the standard. 'We had a big senior class,' Swillis said. 'I feel like all of us stepped up and just felt like showing the freshman class how we basically do it. It was fun.' Swillis will play college basketball at UNLV. There is no denying what Campbell and Almeida have done for their respective teams. This season was historic for both. Clovis West was on an undefeated run. Caruthers had another state title on the mind. Campbell knew there was noise prior to the season that this could be a down year for Clovis West. Not even close. The Golden Eagles put up a memorable season, but still fell one game short. Campbell was still proud of his team. 'Each team has their own journey, their own path,' Campbell said. 'We lost a couple talented seniors in Athena (Tomlinson) and Ariyah (Smith) last year. We knew we were going to have a lot of senior leadership. We have four college-bound seniors in this class. The maturity, we're a little different than the past. 'I never thought we'd be 33-0 or whatever we were heading into our last game. We figure we'd have four or five losses in the process. We beat two of the top teams out of Oregon. We beat the Nevada state runner-up and one of the top teams out of Florida.' Almeida, meanwhile, wanted another state title. Her Blue Raiders won their first in 2019. Then Caruthers returned to Sacramento in 2024 and won. This year? No problem for Caruthers. The Blue Raiders defeated Rancho Bernardo 56-37 in the CIF Division II state title at the Golden 1 Center. 'They all wanted it,' Almeida said. 'It took a lot of learning curve by the girls. All of them wanted to say that they were going to be state champions.' Almeida saw a look into her players where they had 'more focus' this season than they had before. Her players answered the call. For that, she earned another Coach of the Year. 'It's a testament, to the community that supports us and all the coaches that support me,' she said. 'Not just my staff, but my coaching village who I get the opportunity to work alongside.' Sin powered the Cougars to a 25-9 overall record and 7-3 in the TRAC. She was the go-to player for the Cougars, averaging 17.5 points per game while shooting 56% from the field. Sin has always been a key player for Clovis, where she often finds a way to get to the basket with her quick awareness. Jackson led the way for the Golden Bears, averaging 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in helping Sierra Pacific to a 50-43 victory over Monache in the Central Section Division II championship. In that game, she finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Whether it's from her mom or something else, Almeida is another coach on the court for the Blue Raiders. She did that by leading by example. She helped Caruthers to back-to-back state championships, scoring 21 points in the final this year. For the season, she averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 assists per game. Apajok Ayuen, Jr., Sierra Pacific Aleeawa Badoni, Sr., Sierra Kyah Bartlett, Jr., Monache McKenzee Batemon, Sr., Hanford West Jaelyn Bourdeau, Sr., Coalinga Laniece Brinston, Jr., Hanford West Brooklyn Davis, Jr., Coalinga Rian Jones-Dillihunt, Sr., El Diamante Jalissa Espirito, Dinuba Sienna Evans, Sr., San Joaquin Memorial Janessa Garza, Sr., Farmersville Jennifer Gonzalez, Sr., Strathmore Nyleigh Gregory, Soph., Roosevelt Sanai Herod, Jr., Bullard Jadyn Johnson, Sr., Yosemite Bethany Mendoza, Sr., Firebaugh Lali Maciel, Jr., Coalinga Keegan Medeiros, Sr., Clovis West Natalie Membreno, Jr., Mendota Izabel Mendez, Sr., Caruthers Jaylee Moore, Soph., Caruthers Vivian Moore, Sr., Central Melanie Navarro, Sr., Lindsay Alexa Perryman, Sr., San Joaquin Memorial Milly Rojas, Jr., Monache Jilari Sandoval, Jr., Mendota Ava Schletewitz, Jr., Immanuel Saiya Sidhu, Sr., Clovis Kayla Silva, Sr., Hanford West Gi'Anna Smith, Fr., Buchanan Gia Souza, Soph., San Joaquin Memorial Keira Thomas, Fr., Immanuel Mia Va'asili, Sr., Caruthers Riley Walls, Sr., Clovis West Caris Williams, Sr., Bullard
The Citizen
21-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Match report: U18 Blue Raiders claim narrow 7–5 win
In a fiercely contested under-18 rugby match, the Blue Raiders edged past the Eldoranians Rugby Club with a hard-fought 7–5 victory on the final day of the Saints SportsFest. Both teams brought intensity and passion to the field, with strong tackles and tight defense, keeping the score line low. It took nearly 28 minutes for the game to come alive, with the Blue Raiders pushing forward and finally breaking through to score a crucial try. The effort, scored by Blue Raiders' right lock Sthembiso Mngomezulu, came at a vital moment and helped shift momentum. The second half of the match proved to be a double-edged sword. While both teams chased the win, errors and pressure made it difficult to take full control. The Eldoranians left lock Blessing Masuku responded with a try, but the Blue Raiders missed the conversion, leaving them just short. The Blue Raiders' coach, Tsepo Maieane, believed that his team should have performed better. 'I feel very confident. I am very happy with the team's performance, but they could have done better,' he said. 'I feel like it's minor things that we need to fix, but otherwise they did pretty well.' In the end, the Blue Raiders held their lead and walked away with a tight but well-deserved 7–5 victory, showing heart, discipline and belief under pressure. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Associated Press
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Middle Tennessee and Chattanooga meet in NIT
Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Middle Tennessee and Chattanooga play in the National Invitation Tournament. The Blue Raiders have gone 13-7 against CUSA opponents, with a 9-4 record in non-conference play. Middle Tennessee ranks sixth in the CUSA in team defense, giving up 71.4 points while holding opponents to 42.2% shooting. The Mocs are 16-4 against SoCon teams. Chattanooga is sixth in the SoCon with 23.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Trey Bonham averaging 3.7. Middle Tennessee's average of 7.6 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.6 fewer made shots on average than the 8.2 per game Chattanooga allows. Chattanooga has shot at a 48.0% rate from the field this season, 5.8 percentage points higher than the 42.2% shooting opponents of Middle Tennessee have averaged. TOP PERFORMERS: Jestin Porter is scoring 14.9 points per game and averaging 2.8 rebounds for the Blue Raiders. Jlynn Counter is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. Honor Huff is scoring 15.3 points per game and averaging 2.0 rebounds for the Mocs. Bash Wieland is averaging 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Raiders: 7-3, averaging 76.2 points, 35.1 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 5.3 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.5 points per game. Mocs: 9-1, averaging 81.0 points, 28.6 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.6 points. ___
