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Column: Elite athletes to watch for the 2024-25 high school sports season

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Column: Elite athletes to watch for the 2024-25 high school sports season

The 2024-25 sports season will have a group of elite girls competing in a variety of sports who are so talented they could push the elite boys to raise their own level of excellence. Southern California is filled with teenagers you’ll be reading about and seeing on television for years to come.

Let’s examine some of the athletes to watch for the new school year:

GIRLS

Scottlyn Antonucci, Etiwanda, soccer. She’s captain for the USA under-16 national team as a junior midfielder. Known as Scottie, she has a hybrid class schedule so she can have more time to train and travel. She made the decision to keep playing high school soccer. “I absolutely love high school soccer. My best friends are on the team,” she said. She has official recruiting visits to UCLA, North Carolina and Penn State.

Sierra Canyon’s Jerzy Robinson goes up for a shot against Etiwanda in the CIF Southern Section Open Division championship game at Cal Baptist on Feb. 23, 2024.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Jerzy Robinson, Sierra Canyon, basketball. Considered the No. 1 recruit for the class of 2026, she’s won gold medals the last two summers playing for the USA under-16 and under-17 national teams. She was named tournament MVP at the under-17 World Cup after averaging 20.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

“I saw her play with USA basketball, I know without a doubt she’s gotten better,” coach Alicia Komaki said.

Asked what she has improved in, Robinson said, “Everything.”

Ontario Christian basketball star Kaleena Smith poses for a photo holding a basketball in her right hand.

Ontario Christian basketball star Kaleena Smith set the school scoring record and has her sights set on the career mark.

(Steve Galluzzo / Los Angeles Times)

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Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian, basketball. She averaged 34.9 points as a freshman. Whether shooting threes or driving to the basket, her offensive skills are advanced and exciting to watch. Ontario Christian could be the team to challenge Etiwanda for girls’ basketball supremacy.

Standout Etiwanda center Grace Knox (23).

Standout Etiwanda center Grace Knox (23).

(Steve Galluzzo)

Grace Knox, Etiwanda, basketball. The top player on the No. 1 team in California, Knox is a 6-foot-2 center who changes games with her defense. In July, she said she was down to four schools for her college choice: USC, Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana State.

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Freshman Emily Song led Santa Margarita to the Division 1 girls' golf title.

Freshman Emily Song led Santa Margarita to the Division 1 girls’ golf title.

(Greg Townsend)

Emily Song, Santa Margarita, golf. Song helped the Eagles win the state championship in girls’ golf as a freshman. She shot 68 in the Division 1 championship match and was the Trinity League champion. Last year, as a 13-year-old, she was the youngest competing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur field.

Sadie Engelhardt reaches the finish line.

Sadie Engelhardt reaches the finish line after running a 1,600-meter split of 4:33.95 that helped Ventura set the national outdoor record at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 20, 2024.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Sadie Engelhardt, Ventura, track. The reigning Gatorade national player of the year is gearing up for her senior year in cross-country and track. She owns the national record in the mile and one of the five best marks in the 1,500. She’s expected to make her season debut in the Woodbridge Cross-Country Classic on Sept. 20 at the Great Park in Irvine. She also has a 4.56 grade-point average and is committed to North Carolina State.

Swimmer Teagan O'Dell of Santa Margarita.

Swimmer Teagan O’Dell of Santa Margarita.

(Marni O’Dell)

Teagan O’Dell, Santa Margarita, swimming. The future Olympian is finally a senior and keeps setting records and taking home swimming trophies. She’s committed to California. She competed in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events at the Olympic trials.

Orange Lutheran center fielder Kai Minor is an Oklahoma commit.

Orange Lutheran center fielder Kai Minor is an Oklahoma commit.

(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

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Kai Minor, Orange Lutheran, softball. The Oklahoma commit is so fast that steals and infield hits have been piling up through three years of high school softball. “Her speed is phenomenal,” coach Steve Milkos said. “She’s a five-tool player.”

Ki’ele Ho-Ching, Long Beach Poly, softball. She was the Moore League MVP as a sophomore infielder. Her uncle, Herman, was a standout football player for Poly in the 1990s.

Jailynn Robinson helped Orange Lutheran go unbeaten last season. She's committed to UCLA.

Jailynn Robinson helped Orange Lutheran go unbeaten last season. She’s committed to UCLA.

(Orange Lutheran)

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Jailynn Robinson, Orange Lutheran, water polo. The UCLA commit led the Lancers last season to a 31-0 record and was the Trinity League MVP.

BOYS

Brayden Burries of Eastvale Roosevelt goes up for shot against St. John Bosco's Elzie Harrington (3).

Brayden Burries of Eastvale Roosevelt goes up for shot against St. John Bosco’s Elzie Harrington (3).

(Nick Koza)

Brayden Burries, Eastvale Roosevelt, basketball. The 6-4 guard helped his team reach the Southern Section Open Division championship game last season and is one of the most sought-after prospects for the class of 2025.

Brandon McCoy gets fired up after a basket for St. John Bosco. He had 28 points in overtime win over Richmond Salesian.

Brandon McCoy gets fired up after a basket for St. John Bosco. He had 28 points in overtime win over Richmond Salesian.

(Nick Koza)

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Brandon McCoy, St. John Bosco, basketball. The class of 2026 guard won a gold medal during the summer competing for the USA under-17 national team. His versatility, unselfishness and continued improvement make him a talent to admire.

Harvard-Westlake's Nikolas Khamenia is 6-8 and a rising junior prospect.

Harvard-Westlake’s Nikolas Khamenia is 6-8 and a rising junior prospect.

(Nick Koza)

Nikolas Khamenia, Harvard-Westlake, basketball. The 6-8 senior won a gold medal playing with the under-18 national team and was MVP of the under-18 3×3 World Cup in Hungary, where he won another gold medal. He also won state and section titles with the Wolverines. He’s physical, versatile and has a work ethic second to none. He’s deciding his college choice among Gonzaga, Arizona, UCLA, North Carolina and Duke.

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Tyran Stokes is 6 feet 7 and a junior basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Tyran Stokes is 6 feet 7 and a junior basketball player at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Tyran Stokes, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, basketball. The 6-7 class of 2026 forward won a gold medal with McCoy this past summer. He’s moved from Napa to the San Fernando Valley with skills so impressive that people are already projecting him as a future NBA player.

Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth flies through the air against Washington Prep.

Alijah Arenas of Chatsworth flies through the air against Washington Prep.

(Craig Weston)

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Alijah Arenas, Chatsworth, basketball. The son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has returned for a third season with the Chancellors. He’s the City Section’s best player with offensive skills good enough to score 50 points in games if that’s what he needs to do.

Corona High's Seth Hernandez circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run against visiting Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

Corona High’s Seth Hernandez circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run against visiting Huntington Beach in a Southern Section Division 1 semifinal.

(Jerry Soifer)

Seth Hernandez, Corona, baseball. The pitcher-outfielder whose fastball touched 100 mph during the summer could be the No. 1, 2 or 3 selection in next year’s amateur draft.

Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship.

Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis on July 11, 2024.

(SCGA)

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Jaden Soong, St. Francis, golf. He was the youngest ever to win the Southern California Amateur championship and played in the U.S. Amateur championship. Only a freshman, he’ll become an immediate contender for the Southern Section individual title.

Sophomore Tripp King of Loyola has elite written all over him when it comes to lacrosse.

Sophomore Tripp King of Loyola has elite written all over him when it comes to lacrosse.

(Mike Horowitz)

Tripp King, Loyola, lacrosse. Only a sophomore, he was the Mission League offensive player of the year in lacrosse as a freshman. “He’s special,” coach Jimmy Borell said.

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Evan Noonan of Dana Hills wins the state title in the boys' 3,200 meters at Buchanan High School.

Evan Noonan of Dana Hills wins the state title in the boys’ 3,200 meters at Buchanan High in Clovis on May 25, 2024.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Evan Noonan, Dana Hills, track. The state 3,200-meter champion is one of the best distance runners in the nation. He was the Gatorade state cross-country runner of the year as a junior.

Blake Fahlbusch of Loyola is a 6-foot-8 junior volleyball player.

Blake Fahlbusch of Loyola is a 6-foot-8 junior volleyball player.

(Loyola)

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Blake Fahlbusch, Loyola, volleyball. Injured during his sophomore season, the 6-8 Fahlbusch is back and ready to dominate above the net. “If he stays healthy, he will be the top recruit in his class,” coach Mike Boehle said.

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Law firm fighting for women’s sports in SCOTUS battle comments on ruling possibly impacting SJSU trans lawsuit

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Law firm fighting for women’s sports in SCOTUS battle comments on ruling possibly impacting SJSU trans lawsuit

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A law firm leading the charge in the ongoing Supreme Court case over trans athletes in women’s sports has responded after a federal judge suggested the case’s ruling could impact a separate case involving a similar issue. 

Colorado District Judge Kato Crews deferred ruling in motions to dismiss former San Jose State volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser’s lawsuit against the California State University (CSU) system until after a ruling in the B.P.J. v. West Virginia Supreme Court case, which is expected to come in June. 

Slusser filed the lawsuit against representatives of her school and the Mountain West Conference in fall 2024 after she allegedly was made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with trans teammate Blaire Fleming for a whole season without being informed that Fleming is a biological male. 

 

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Meanwhile, the B.P.J. case went to the Supreme Court after a trans teen sued West Virginia to block the state’s law that prevents males from competing in girls’ high school sports. 

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is the primary law firm defending West Virginia in that case at the Supreme Court, and has now responded to news that Slusser’s lawsuit could be affected by the SCOTUS ruling. 

“We hope the ruling from the Supreme Court will affirm that Title IX was designed to guarantee equal opportunity for women, not to let male athletes displace women and girl in competition. It is crucial that sports be separated by sex for not only the equal opportunity of women but for safety and privacy. Title IX should protect women’s right to compete in their own sports. Allowing men to compete in the female category reverses 50 years of advancement for women,” ADF Vice President of Litigation Strategies Jonathan Scruggs said.

Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, expects a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the legal defense representing West Virginia, thus helping his case. 

(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Oct. 19, 2024. (Right) Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ( Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

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“We’re looking forward to the case going forward,” Bock told Fox News Digital. 

“I believe that the court is going to find that Title IX operates on the basis of biological sex, without regard to an assumed or professed gender, and so just like the congress and the members of congress that passed Title IX in 1972, allowed this specifically provided for in the regulations that there had to be separate men’s and women’s teams based on biological sex, I think the court is going to see that is the original meaning of the statute and apply it in that way, and I think it’s going to be a big win in women’s sports.”

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared prepared to rule in favor of West Virginia after oral arguments on Jan. 13. 

Slusser spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court on Jan. 13 while oral arguments took place inside, sharing her experience with a divided crowd of opposing protesters. 

With Fleming on its roster, SJSU reached the 2024 conference final by virtue of a forfeit by Boise State in the semifinal round. SJSU lost in the final to Colorado State.

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Slusser went on to develop an eating disorder due to the anxiety and trauma from the scandal and dropped out of her classes the following semester. The eating disorder became so severe, that Slusser said she lost her menstrual cycle for nine months. Her decision to drop her classes resulted in the loss of her scholarship, and her parents said they had to foot the bill out of pocket for an unfinished final semester of college. 

President Donald Trump’s Department of Education determined in January that SJSU violated Title IX in its handling of the situation involving Fleming, and has given the university an ultimatum to agree to a series of resolutions or face a referral to the Department of Justice. 

Among the department’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team spike her in the face during a match. ED claims that “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”

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SJSU trans player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)

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SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya told Fox News Digital in a July interview that he was satisfied with how the university handled the situation involving Fleming.

“I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances,” Konya said. 

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Myles Garrett cited for speeding a ninth time, an elite pass rusher seemingly always in a rush

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Myles Garrett cited for speeding a ninth time, an elite pass rusher seemingly always in a rush

Myles Garrett is in a hurry to become the greatest pass rusher in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end set the single-season sack record in 2025 and has cracked the top 20 career leaders after only nine seasons.

“I’m going to take that down, and I prefer I take it down in the next five years,” Garrett told Casino Guru News last month.

Off the field, however, his urgency to get from point A to B is a problem. He’s accumulating speeding tickets at an alarming rate.

On Feb. 21, Garrett was handed his ninth speeding ticket since his NFL career began in 2017. He was cited for driving 94 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 71 between Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

The citation from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says Garrett was driving his green 2024 Porsche at 1:35 a.m., returning home after attending a Miami of Ohio basketball game in Oxford.

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Body cam footage shows the officer telling Garrett that she kept the charge under 100 mph so that a court appearance wouldn’t be mandatory. Garrett reportedly still holds a Texas driver’s license — he attended Texas A&M — and told the officer that he did not have an Ohio license.

Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett wears a jacket displaying his girlfriend Chloe Kim before the women’s snowboarding halfpipe finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy.

(Lindsey Wasson / AP)

The officer wrote that the famously affable Garrett was “kind and cooperative,” and that drugs and alcohol were not a factor.

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Garrett’s need for speed flies in the face of his persona. He has written poetry since high school, peppers social media with inspirational sayings and donates time and money to several charities.

His girlfriend is two-time gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, for whom he wrote a poem he shared on social media: “You enrapture fools to kings, and exist without a peer, put on this Earth for many things, but our love is why you’re here.”

Verse hasn’t slowed his roll. On Aug. 9 he was cited for ticket No. 8, clocked at 100 mph in a 60-mph zone in a Cleveland suburb a day after the Browns returned home from a preseason game at Carolina.

Garrett’s seventh ticket followed a frightening crash in 2022. He flipped his gray 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S off State Road in Sharon Township and he and a female passenger were injured. He was cited for failing to control his vehicle due to unsafe speeds on what had been a slick roadway.

A witness told a responding police officer that Garrett’s vehicle went airborne, took out a fire hydrant and rolled three times. Garrett sustained shoulder and biceps sprains and was sidelined for the Browns’ game that week against the Atlanta Falcons. His companion was not seriously injured.

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Cleveland television station WKYC reported that in September 2021 Garrett was stopped twice in a 24-hour period — for driving 120 and 105 mph. The infractions occurred on Interstate 71 in Medina County, where the speed limit is 70 mph, and he paid fines of $267 and $287.

A year earlier, Garrett was cited for driving 100 mph in a 65-mph zone of Interstate 77 — again while driving a Porsche — and paid a $308 fine. He accumulated his first batch of speeding tickets in 2017 and 2018, and the police reports recite similar circumstances: Garrett driving well over the speed limit, cited without incident, paid a nominal fine.

The piddly fines certainly aren’t a deterrent. Garrett, 30, and the Browns agreed to a four-year contract extension in March 2025 that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. The deal pays the seven-time All-Pro more than $40 million a season and includes more than $123 million in guaranteed money.

He set the NFL single-season sack record with 23.0 last season, surpassing the 22.5 accumulated by T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan. Garrett has 125.5 career sacks, averaging 14 a season, a pace that would enable him to break Bruce Smith’s career record of 200 in five years.

“That is definitely on my mind to go out there and get,” Garrett said. “That’s a goal I’ve had for years now since college.”

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Garrett has declined to discuss his driving habits.

“I’d honestly prefer to talk about football and this team than anything I’m doing off the field other than the back-to-school event that I did the other day,” he told reporters after ticket No. 8 in August, referring to a charity appearance.

“I try to keep my personal life personal. And I’d rather focus on this team when I can.”

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Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

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Keith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death

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Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead. 

“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights. 

Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.

 

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“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann. 

One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”

Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”

Keith Olbermann speaks onstage during the Olbermann panel at the ESPN portion of the 2013 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel July 24, 2013, in Beverly Hills, Calif.  (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.

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After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.

In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz listens before being presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec, 3, 2020.  (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post. 

In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. 

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Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”

Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States. 

After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media. 

Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.

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Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame football coach, addresses the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda Summit at the Marriott Marquis July 26, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death. 

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