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Jordan Coleman shines for Granada Hills in winning effort at Mt. SAC Relays

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Jordan Coleman shines for Granada Hills in winning effort at Mt. SAC Relays

Good things come to those who wait.

That motto has held true this track season for Granada Hills sprinter Jordan Coleman. In terms of limelight, the senior took a back seat last season to teammate Dijon Stanley, who led the Highlanders to a City Section title in football and a state title in the boys’ 400 meters before heading to the University of Utah.

This spring the spotlight has shifted to Coleman, and his blazing second leg helped Granada Hills take first in the 4×100 relay in 40.85 seconds Saturday in the 64th edition of the Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut. Long Beach Poly was second in 41.18.

Sore legs after the indoor season led to Coleman opting out of the Arcadia Invitational this month. He finally made his outdoor debut in a dual meet last week against league rival El Camino Real and teamed with Justin Hart, Kanye Martin and Timothy Wyatt to post a 40.29 — the fastest 4×100 relay time in the state this year and the fifth-fastest high school time in state history. The foursome’s latest effort validated them as state contenders.

“All things considered it was pretty smooth; it was great to show we’re still here and we can win against fast competition,” added Coleman, who has committed to Harvard.

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Granada Hills set a City Section record last season with Coleman running the first leg.

“I don’t really have a preference but we discussed it with our coach and decided my running the second leg is best this year,” he said. “I like the turns, I’ve run them my whole career and I’m used to it, but second is new and exciting getting to run straight the whole way.”

After going all-out in the relay, Coleman settled for third in the 100 meters with a 10.59 — an improvement on the 10.88 he posted April 11, but 16 hundredths off his wind-aided 10.43 a year ago at Mt. SAC.

The race was a redemption of sorts for Bishop Alemany freshman Demare Dezeurn, who had not run in the 100 since taking third in a wind-aided 10.43 at Arcadia.

Poly’s Benjamin Harris, who won the 100 at Arcadia, did not enter Saturday’s race, and Dezeurn won in a wind-legal 10.47. Brandon Arrington of Mount Miguel, who was fourth at Arcadia, was second in 10.49.

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“I worked hard in practice on getting out of the blocks, then driving through the finish,” said Dezeurn, who ran the 60 meters in 6.72 — the top national mark for a ninth-grader — at the California Winter Championships in February. “I had a way better start today, I was more in control of my body and I came here ready to win and show I’m here to stay. This wasn’t about time, it was about getting respect and the win.”

Bishop Alemany freshman Demare Dezeurn displays his medal after winning the boys’ 100 meters in 10.47 seconds at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 20, 2024.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

The Calabasas foursome of Lahela Ray, Paige Porter, Zoe Ray and Marley Scoggins won the girls’ 4×100 in 46.02, beating Poly (46.12) and defending City champion Carson (46.36).

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“Getting to the finish line first is all that matters,” said Scoggins, who was slightly behind at the start of her anchor leg. “I believe [Poly] had a better handoff and were ahead of us, but I believe in myself.”

The pressure was on Aja Johnson in the final stages of the girls’ discus, but the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame junior rose to the occasion with a final throw of 152 feet 10 inches, which earned her the top spot over Elisabeth Driscoll of Canyon Crest Academy (144-02).

“I was nervous after the foul on the throw before so I was telling myself to chill out before the last one,” said Johnson, who won at Arcadia with a throw of 151 feet after achieving her best mark (154) at state last year. “Today I was focusing on my technique and fixing my release. This is the second-best I’ve ever thrown and it’s my seasonal best.”

Earlier, Johnson won the shotput with a heave of 44-10¾.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame junior Aja Johnson competes in the discus at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame junior Aja Johnson competes in the discus at the Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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“I was confident I could win both,” said Johnson, who has competed in shotput since she was 9 and discus since 11. “I’m better at shot and prefer it, but I can’t say one is harder than the other; it depends on the day. It takes a good amount of energy to do both, especially mentally, because there’s a lot of waiting. I’m glad I won the shot today because I wasn’t happy with fourth at Arcadia.”

Johnson hopes to sweep the events at the state finals. Her goal for the shot put is 47 or 48 feet — her personal record of 46-10 was achieved at the CIF Masters Meet last year — and she is aiming for 160 feet in discus.

Birmingham senior Deshawn Banks continued to raise the bar in high jump. After clearing 6 feet 9 inches to secure first place at Arcadia, he cleared 6-10 to win with ease Saturday.

“This is a bigger stage than Arcadia,” said Banks, who trains every Sunday and twice during the week after taking up the sport last year. “It’s nerve-wracking getting up to that [last] height. My second attempt was my best. … I barely tapped the bar. There’s lots of freedom. Everyone jumps a different way. I have confidence I can win state and my goal is 7-1½.”

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Although the sprint events highlighted Saturday’s schedule, the distance runners captured the headlines Friday, particularly in the mile.

Ventura junior Sadie Engelhardt shattered her second meet record in three weeks, clocking a personal-best 4 minutes 31.72 seconds to better last year’s 4:38.53 and set a National Federation of State High Schools Assn. record.

Immediately following Engelhardt’s historic performance, Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan won the boys’ 1,600 in a state-leading 4:06.89.

Sadie Engelhardt reaches the finish line after running a 1,600-meter split of 4:33.95.

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.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

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Engelhardt returned to Hilmer Lodge to make more history Saturday night when she anchored Ventura’s distance medley relay, which was bidding to topple the national outdoor record of 11:22.23 set by Harvard-Westlake in 2011.

Melanie True ran the opening 1,200, Valentina Fakrogha covered the 400 leg and Aelo Curtis ran the 800 before passing the baton to Engelhardt for a duel with reigning state 3,200 champion Rylee Blade of Corona Santiago. The drama grew with each stride as Engelhardt passed her rival on a blazing 67-second first lap en route to completing her four laps in 4:33.95 — good enough to make Ventura the new national record holder at 11:21.85.

“At first I had no idea how close we were, I was just trying to catch Rylee,” said Engelhardt, who has committed to North Carolina State. “Then on the last lap when I heard what we needed, I was thinking ‘We got this!”

Fakrogha added, “I love running with them and it was a great time to PR.”

Inspired by the girls’ performance, Ventura’s boys won the distance medley relay in 9:59.51 thanks to a strong closing 1,600 by senior Anthony Fasthorse, who clocked 4:07.95.

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La Jolla won the girls’ 1,600 sprint medley relay in a California-leading 3:59.78, and Riverside Poly took first in the the boys’ race in 3:33.97.

Clovis (3:17.86) beat Long Beach Poly by one second to win the boys’ 4×400 relay after the Jackrabbits won the girls’ race in 3:49.66.

Carson junior Jerald Martin Evangelista impressed in the long jump with a winning mark of 23-7¾, the sixth-best leap in the state this season.

Hagop Marmarian of Pasadena Marshall won the boys’ shotput with a throw of 60-10.

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42

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Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.

As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.

The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.

Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.

JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42

Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.

The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.

Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.

As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.

Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.

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Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

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Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies

What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.

With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.

Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.

Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.

Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.

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(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.

“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.

Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.

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“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”

And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?

It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.

Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.

“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”

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He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.

The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.

Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.

The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.

The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.

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The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.

Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.

“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”

If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.

“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’

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“I used it as fire to keep working.”

That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.

In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd

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Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.

While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.

The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”

Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.

WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME

Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

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Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”

Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.

“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”

Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.

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