Sports
Sadie Engelhardt breaks another record en route to her third 1,600-meter state title
CLOVIS — Ventura’s Sadie Engelhardt punctuated her record-setting junior year doing what she does best Saturday night in Clovis: breaking another record and adding a couple more titles to her collection.
Even without the red cape, “Super Sadie” set a new standard for the 1,600 meters in the CIF state track and field championships at Buchanan High, finishing in a national-leading time of 4 minutes 32.06 seconds to shatter the state finals record of 4:33.45 she set last spring. She joined Irvine University’s Polly Plumer (1980-82), Vista’s Kira Jorgensen (1987-89) and Woodbridge’s Christine Babcock (2006-08) as the only girls to win three consecutive 1,600 titles. Engelhardt could become the first four-time state winner next year.
Setting the pace from the start, Engelhardt ran the first lap in 66 seconds, the second in 68 seconds, the third in 69 seconds and the last in 66 seconds to defeat runner-up Braelyn Combe from Corona Santiago by more than six seconds.
“I wanted to spread out and keep it an honest race,” Engelhardt said.
Ventura’s Sadie Engelhardt leads the field during the girls’ 1,600 meters on Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
It was Engelhart’s sixth first-place medal in an individual state event — she has won two in cross country and three in track (she won the 800 as a sophomore, making her the first female to accomplish that state meet “double” since Pleasant Hill’s Kathy Costello won the mile and 880-yard races 49 years ago).
“The first lap was almost like a time trial mentality,” Engelhardt said of her 1,600 effort Saturday. “I wanted to see how I felt on the first lap and go from there. I really wanted to get 4:26 but didn’t know if today was the day.”
Instead of defending her state title in the 800, she joined teammates Melanie True, Tiffany Sax and Aelo Curtis to win the 4×800 relay in 8:57.21 — a California girls’ record. The Cougars’ foursome entered as the top seed after winning the Southern Section Masters Meet in 9:02.57, but they needed a superhuman effort from Englehardt on the anchor leg to prevail Saturday. A dropped baton on the final exchange left her trailing by 100 meters in third place when she got the baton, but she steadily closed the gap on front-running Santiago and took the lead rounding the final turn to win by almost three seconds.
“Part of my thinking was you only have to do the 4×800 twice, but I also love running with my teammates,” said Engelhardt, who next season could try to go after the state 800 record of 2:02.04 set by Harvard-Westlake’s Amy Weissenbach in 2011.
Oaks Christian celebrates its state title in the girls’ 4X100-meter relay at the CIF state track and field championships on Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
In the boys’ 4×800 relay, San Clemente broke its own meet record from last year by 52-hundredths of a second in a winning in 7:38.07.
Defending his 1,600-meter crown was Santa Barbara’s Andreas Dybdahl, who clocked 4:08.23 to edge fellow seniors Anthony Fast Horse (4:09.32) of Ventura and Felix Ibzan (4:10.33) from Beckman.
Niya Clayton won the girls’ 100 meters at the state finals last year and showed her speed during the last leg of the 4×100 on Saturday to hold off Long Beach Poly’s Brooklyn Lee by 11-hundredths of a second and help Oaks Christian win in a state-leading time of 45.67 seconds. Later, Clayton placed sixth in the 100, which Canyon Country Canyon senior Mikaela Warr won by six-thousandths of a second over Gardena Serra’s Mia Flowers in 11.41.
“We watched the tape from yesterday and saw that our handoffs were a little off and I didn’t push all the way through the finish,” Clayton, a senior, said of the Lions’ 46.33 effort to take first place in their qualifying heat Friday. “After winning the 100 last year I was like ‘what’s next?’ But this is my last run out in high school, everyone was working together and I got to run with my sister [Imani] so what could be better?”
Birmingham’s Deshawn Banks competes in the high jump on his way to winning the state title in the event.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
After an exciting qualifying round Friday in which six boys posted personal records in the 100, San Diego Section winner Brandon Arrington Jr., a sophomore from Mt. Miguel, won the sprint in 10.33 to edge Granada Hills senior Jordan Coleman (10.43) and Bakersfield sophomore Jalen Ford (10.48). Coleman, the City Section 100 and 200 champion, also finished second in the 200 in 21.04 behind Arrington, who equaled his 20.55 time from Friday.
Upon clearing a personal record of 7 feet 0½ inches to win the boys’ high jump, Birmingham senior Deshawn Banks celebrated by doing a few celebratory flips for the crowd after a spirited duel with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame sophomore JJ Harel, who took second at 6-10.
“For me, getting a PR was a bigger deal because I’ve been trying to clear 7 feet all year,” said Banks, who was fifth at the state meet last year and took first in the event at Arcadia and Mt. SAC in April. “I was excited to jump against the sophomore. I stayed focused at the end, did my claps and went through my routine.”
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s Aja Johnson won the state title in girls’ discus Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Culver City senior Morgan Maddox, who had posted the leading qualifying times in the 200 and 400, finished second to Amirah Shaheed of San Diego Madison in the 200 and was third in the 400. Canyon’s Jordehn Gammage won the boys’ 300 hurdles in 37.35.
Ventura senior Valentina Fakrogha cleared 5-8 to win the girls’ high jump and Vista Murrieta senior Alyssa Alumbres won the triple jump in 40-11. Leaping 20-5¼ to win the long jump was Long Beach Wilson’s Loren Webster.
After winning the shotput with a throw of 44¾ to win state last year, Notre Dame junior Aja Johnson settled for second Saturday with an effort of 46-8¾, much better than the 44-2¼ she threw for second in Friday’s qualifying. Earlier Saturday, Johnson won the discus with a personal record of 158-10 on her fourth throw.
Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan ran the last lap in 57.12 seconds to win the boys’ 3,200 in 8:43.12 in a fast race in which 17 runners broke nine minutes. Defending champion Rylee Blade of Santiago was third in the girls’ race in 10:06.26. Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake won in 9:57.11.
Evan Noonan of Dana Hills wins the state title in the boys’ 3,200 meters at Buchanan High School in Clovis on May 25, 2024.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Long Beach Poly’s Xai Ricks celebrates after winning the state title in the boys’ 400 meters Saturday.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Wilson took first in the last event, the 4×400 relay, in 3:41.40 to wrap up the girls’ team title with 36 points. Ventura finished second with 30 points and Vista Murrieta was third with 23.
Poly senior Xai Ricks won the 400 in 46.79 and ran the anchor leg on the 4×400 in 46.6 to secure second and clinch a boys-record 11th team title for the Jackrabbits. Poly scored 33 points in claiming its first title since 2011, with Clovis North (28) finishing second and Wilson (27) third.
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The Atlanta Falcons did not have to do much thinking about their future when their season ended Sunday.
The team did not even wait for Black Monday, as it fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night.
The Falcons hired Morris ahead of the 2024 season, selecting him over candidates such as Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Macdonald and Ben Johnson.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the sideline against the New Orleans Saints in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
But Morris’ results were not what the Falcons wanted, going 8-9 in back-to-back seasons.
“I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward,” owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits.”
Wildly enough, the team’s record is the same as the division champion Carolina Panthers’, so the Falcons were just one win away from making the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season. One of those losses was to the New York Jets, who would have had the first pick in 2026 instead of the second if that game’s result had been reversed.
Atlanta wound up winning their final four games, but it was not enough for them, or Morris and Fontenot.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the sideline against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
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Morris previously served as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator, winning a Super Bowl with them. He held numerous roles with the Falcons before going to Los Angeles, including serving as their interim head coach in 2020.
Morris initially replaced Arthur Smith, who served as the team’s head coach for three seasons. Smith is now the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would make the playoffs with a win Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Perhaps the Falcons are kicking themselves for choosing Morris over several others. Vrabel won the AFC East in his first season with the New England Patriots, Johnson won the NFC North in his first year with the Chicago Bears, and Harbaugh is back in the playoffs with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, center, stands with his team while wearing an Apalachee High School T-shirt after a recent school shooting there before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
There should be several names available to the Falcons, who are desperate to make the most of Michael Penix Jr., who will enter his third NFL season in September.
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DENVER — The game was the understudies versus the underwhelmings.
The second-string Chargers against the … wait a second, the top-seeded Denver Broncos only generated 240 yards and failed to score an offensive touchdown?
Such is the AFC this season, filled with teams who flash one week and fizzle the next.
Sunday’s regular-season finale — which the Broncos won, 19-3 — was far more competitive than it should have been, especially considering the lopsided incentives.
Whereas the Chargers were playing for pride and only modestly consequential postseason seeding, Denver’s stakes were two miles high: a free pass to the second round, and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl.
How unsettling that the Chargers could even make the game interesting, having rested 14 starters, including Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert.
The Chargers now turn their attention to a first-round game at the 14-win New England Patriots, who have averaged 34.4 points in the five games since the beginning of December, on Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.
It’s another opportunity for Herbert to notch his first playoff victory. In his six seasons, the Chargers have had two one-and-done appearances — an epic collapse at Jacksonville in the 2022 season and a four-interception loss at Houston last season.
“With the way he’s played this season, this could be a breakthrough,” receiver Keenan Allen said. “Everything we want is still right in front of us.”
Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II catches a pass against Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke during the first half Sunday.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
That’s not exactly true. Allen reeled in two hefty items on his wish list. He needed nine more receiving yards for a $250,000 contract bonus, and six more receptions for a $750,000 payout. He finished with seven catches for 36 yards — jackpot!
“It’s nice to get that out of the way,” he said, smiling broadly.
Allen was one of the few seasoned Chargers veterans to set foot on the field. Watching from the sidelines were offensive starters Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and the entire starting offensive line.
So backup quarterback Trey Lance, making a rare start, had a collection of blockers that was even more hodgepodge than usual — and going up against the NFL’s sack leaders, no less. The Broncos came into the game with a club-record 64 sacks.
They got to Lance four times, and although that might be impressive, the Chargers collected four sacks of their own, two by backup defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia.
“That was dope,” star edge rusher Khalil Mack said of the performance by second-stringers.
Mack sat out, as did All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., linebacker Daiyan Henley and safety Elijah Molden. All will be back for the Patriots game.
The Chargers have beaten the Patriots in their last two meetings, including a 6-0 win two years ago in Foxborough. This is the first time the teams have played with these head coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel.
“That’s the kind of game that defines your season,” Harbaugh said. “Our focus and attention is on that.”
Sunday’s game was a foregone conclusion before kickoff. Yes, the Chargers were 5-0 against AFC West opponents, but their primary aim was to stay fresh for the playoffs.
The Broncos, meanwhile, were so laser-focused on securing that No. 1 seed that coach Sean Payton instructed the videoboard operators to scrap the goofy games during breaks in the action. He wanted the crowd thinking about decibels, not distractions.
Denver running back RJ Harvey is tackled by Chargers defenders during the second half Sunday.
(C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)
From the start, Denver looked on track. On their first possession, the Broncos drove from their 13 to the Chargers’ six, setting up the first of four field goals by Wil Lutz.
Who would have suspected that, after those 81 yards, Denver’s offense would generate only 31 more the rest of the half?
Put simply, Denver is a weird team. The Broncos have trailed in 12 of their 14 wins, and this was the second time this season they won without scoring an offensive touchdown. Naturally, there were incentives Sunday to staying as vanilla as possible on offense as not to reveal more to future opponents, although this is a team that already has put 17 games on video.
This game was either an offensive stinker or a defensive masterpiece, depending on your perspective.
Both quarterbacks led their team in rushing. Lance completed 20 of 44 passes for 136 yards with an interception. Denver’s Bo Nix was 14 of 23 for 141 yards.
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Top Milwaukee Brewers prospect Frank Cairone was hospitalized after being involved in a serious car accident near his New Jersey home on Friday, the team announced.
“Frank is currently being cared for at a hospital in New Jersey with the support of his family,” read a statement from the team, via MLB.com. “The Brewers’ thoughts and prayers are with Frank and his family during his difficult time.”
Pitcher Frank Cairone (left) with Green Valley High School (NV) infielder Caden Kirby during the MLB Draft Combine high school baseball game at Chase Field. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The left-handed pitcher turned 18 this past September. He was drafted out of Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville, N.J. at No. 68 overall in the 2025 Draft.
News of the Brewers’ young prospect’s accident came shortly after the team announced it was not in contact with several players in Venezuela after U.S. military strikes in the country and the capture of its President Nicolás Maduro.
MLB TEAM UNAWARE OF STATUS OF PLAYERS IN VENEZUELA AFTER US MILITARY STRIKES
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) is seen before the fifth inning of an MLB game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Toronto Blue Jays on August 31, 2025, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. (Mathew Tsang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold revealed the team is unaware of the status of the players in a statement Saturday.
“We don’t have much info at the moment but are trying to follow up,” Arnold said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We know the airports have been shut down but not much beyond that.”
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Pitcher Frank Cairone during the MLB Draft Combine high school baseball game at Chase Field. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The team’s players in Venezuela include star outfielder Jackson Chourio, infielder Andruw Monasterio and catcher Jeferson Quero, according to the outlet.
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