Washington
Perkiomen Valley’s Washington sets meet shot put record, Methacton boys win team title at PAC championships
WEST NORRITON >> There are other ways as an instance the passage of time for the reason that final Pioneer Athletic Convention Monitor and Discipline Championships again in 2019.
When the occasion final left off, Perkiomen Valley freshman Ronde Washington didn’t have a spot within the discipline.
“Once I began out as a freshman, I used to be throwing 25 ft,” Washington recalled.
Quick ahead to 2022 and Washington, now a senior, isn’t simply much better. He’s a brand new meet-record holder.
Washington’s profitable throw within the shot put of 60-6 was a meet document to spotlight Saturday’s boys motion on the PAC Championships at Norristown.
His mark erased the 59-5 beforehand held by Methacton graduate Wesley Lavong.
The Viking senior prevailed over Boyertown’s Jayden Miller in a two-horse race the place they have been the one opponents to throw in extra of fifty ft. Washington’s document throw got here after 4 makes an attempt ranging between 56 and 58 ft, a 58-2 recorded on his second attempt.
“Once I moved by means of the circle, I felt extra highly effective and quicker,” Washington mentioned. “I began to scream after I let it go.”
Miller was second at 56-1. Third went to Owen J. Roberts’ Christian Gregory, again at 42-11 1/4.
Qualifying for Nationals later this yr, he sees longer throws in his future.
“I’m up 4 ft from the winter season,” Washington mentioned. “I may enhance. I may hit 63 or 64 ft.”
Methacton’s crew title — one matched by its feminine counterparts — owed a lot to the double-win performances of Vaughn Lackman and Zachary Willen. They every gained two races, Lackman heading the 800 and 1,600 whereas Willen took the 400 and 200.
Lackman began off with a 4:18.45 run within the 1,600, heading Owen J’s Thomas Damiani and Methacton teammate Bryan Landsberg. He had a two-second benefit on Damiani on the end line.
“It was good to be first the entire time,” he mentioned. “I knew Damiani was going to be behind me. I anticipated it to be us two, and it gave the impression to be.”
He later clocked a personal-record 1:57.57 within the 800 to edge out OJR’s duo of Nathan Hayes and Thomas Damiani, a respective 2 and three inside a two-second span. He had been operating third till the 300-meter mark, when he placed on a “huge transfer.”
“Hayes was on my shoulder till there was 125 left,” he recalled. “I dug deep and beat him throughout the road.”
Willen posted a 50.01 within the 400, beating out Higher Perk’s Vincent Durrant (50.65) and Norristown’s Daunte Bell (50.84).
“My greatest splits have been 48.04,” he mentioned. “Within the again stretch, I may see Daunte operating third. I used to be on the skin, and I used to be operating nicely on a regular basis.”
Within the 200, the junior’s run of twenty-two.13 bested OJR’s Ned Burgess (22.74) and Bell (22.78).
“The primary 100 felt good,” he recalled. “With a high quality begin, I knew I had a shot.”
Mixed with a win by its 4×800 relay (8:21.04) and different High Three finishes, it obtained Methacton the boys’ PAC championship plaque with sufficient of a degree margin to make the 4×400 relay a minimal issue within the meet’s closing end result.
“I’m grateful there was no stress hinging on the race,” first-year head coach Christopher Torpey mentioned. “Spring-Ford is a good crew, well-coached and aggressive.
“These guys are rock stars,” he added in reference to Lackman and Willen. “However we had factors all-around.”
The Warriors’ success prevailed towards quite a few damage points that required repositioning opponents.
“We’ve instructed them if one falls down, others need to rally spherical,” Torpey mentioned. “We needed to win the PAC as a crew and be aggressive for districts.”
POLE POSITION >> The enjoyment in Alex Teufel’s voice, and his physique gestures, could possibly be detected a mile away.
Having secured the gold medal within the boys’ pole vault after a complete seven runs Saturday, Teufel was capturing to — no pun meant — increase the bar on his closing end. He did that in advantageous fashion, first reaching the district qualifying mark of 13 ft, then clearing the bar at 14 ft.
The shout of pleasure, the arm flexes … it’s all a part of the persona of an athlete praised by his coaches as having “a motor that by no means stops.” It’s additionally serving to Teufel come again from a pair medical points this yr, inclduing a damaged collarbone enjoying volleyball within the winter, and attain his earlier degree of efficiency.
Higher Perkiomen’s Daniel Carpenter was second at 11-6, and Perkiomen Valley’s Kevin Bonner an in depth third at 11-3.
There was additionally the chance for Teufel to work on the “six-lift” (12-step) run to the crossbar. It was a consider him reaching 13-6 on his eighth run, then 14-0 the subsequent time earlier than lacking at a personal-record 14-8.
“If I’m going to fifteen, it’s going to be on that (six-lift),” he mentioned. “I used to be thrilled. I wasn’t capable of have that.”
Teufel’s day was not over at that time, nonetheless. He joined the Ram boys’ 4×400 relay for the primary leg of a race that noticed them place fourth, little greater than a second behind eventual crew champion Methacton to their runner-up effort. He additionally had the college’s promenade to attend that night time.
Add to that an injury-prevention routine marked by him operating cool-down laps whereas the crew champions have been introduced and the meet was winding to its finish.
“I get tight and sore if I don’t try this,” he mentioned.
KEEPING IT 100 >> Different notable showings have been turned in by Pottstown’s Tyrese Washington within the 110 hurdles and Norristown’s Jaden Brown within the 100.
Washington, a sophomore, took the hurdles in 14.83 — a state High 10 time — forward of Pottsgrove’s Trevon Foster (15.02) and Trojan teammate Adam Inexperienced (15.56). Brown, the state’s defending 100 champ, went 10.59 to beat out Willen (11.04) and Owen J. Roberts’ Burgess (11.15).
“I really feel good,” Washington, a sophomore, mentioned. “I’ve been making an attempt to work on my begin for the entire season. I felt actually good at the beginning. I really feel like I’m good in between the hurdles so I simply need to give attention to my begin.
“I’ve needed to go towards Trevon (Foster) for a very long time. It was good. He actually pushed me, it was actually good competitors.”
Washington is now setting his sights on marks held by former teammate Darius Smallwood and present head coach Justin Gibbs — he gained a bronze medal within the 110s on the 2003 state meet.
“I actually wasn’t targeted on the 110s coming into the season,” he mentioned. “I used to be extra targeted on 300 hurdles. I needed to get a 38 (second time) as a result of Darius (Smallwood) obtained a 38 (38.33) and I wish to beat that point.
“However I’ve began to additionally give attention to 110s, I like them. I wish to beat my coach’s time, a 14.12.”
Pottsgrove’s 4×100 relay edged out Spring-Ford, operating a 43.33 to the Rams’ 43.37. They’d district qualifiers alongside Higher Merion (43.89) and Owen J. Roberts (44.01).
NOTES >> Owen J. Roberts gained the marquee 4×400 relay, operating a district-qualifying time of three:25.67 to beat out runner-up Perk Valley (3:30.84). … An attention-grabbing matchup within the 4×4’s first leg noticed individual-event champions Lackman and Teufel operating for Methacton and Spring-Ford, respectively. In prelude to the end, Lackman outran Teufel on the leg. … The highest three finishers obtained medals whereas the highest eight have been introduced.
Washington
Pepco releases details after dogs electrocuted in Northwest DC
“The dogs were just walking by, and the concierge is like, ‘Hey, they’re yelping and they’re screaming as they come through the door.’”
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Edward Daniels described the incidents constituents brought to his attention back in 2021.
He said Pepco was asked to investigate after people reported their dogs received electric shocks as they walked into or near an apartment building in the 300 block of Tingey Street Southeast.
Daniels said a Pepco investigation discovered no wiring or other problems.
What to his best guess may have been strong static shocks appeared to go away after the building put down rubber mats in the entryway.
When he saw News4’s story about two dogs fatally electrocuted in front of 1140 19th St. Northwest in separate incidents Monday, Daniels remembered what the weather was like when dogs were getting shocked in Navy Yard.
“It was always winter time, always winter time right around the snowfall and around the same conditions that we have on the ground now.”
Pepco had a large and active presence in the 1100 block of 19th Street Northwest Tuesday as crews tried to figure out what caused the apparent electrocution deaths of two dogs hours apart.
One was King, a boxer.
He was a beloved pet and support dog for 20-year-old Neko Williams, who told News4 what he felt when he kneeled down to try and help the dog he called his “baby brother.”
“I felt electricity on the ground and throughout his body,” he said.
In an updated statement, Pepco said, “Crews conducted an inspection of the 1100 block of 19th St. NW and have confirmed that there is no stray voltage in the area and the area is safe.
Pepco is conducting a thorough investigation of this incident to understand what took place and what may have caused this issue.
This investigation will include industry peers and third-party experts.
We expect the full investigation to take approximately 60 days (about 2 months.)”
Daniels said he’d like to see some sort of task force to look into incidents like this and get to the bottom of what’s happening.
Washington
Washington Commanders receive good news across the board on Wednesday injury report | Sporting News
The Washington Commanders’ week is off to a promising start as they prepare for their Sunday night playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Wednesday’s injury report, nearly every key player was a full go.
Most notable is the status of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was pulled from the second half of Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys due to leg soreness. It seems as if this injury is minor enough that Daniels would have played through it had the Commanders not already locked up their playoff berth, so this shouldn’t come a surprise. Nonetheless, it is reassuring.
Marshon Lattimore was also a full participant, which is more surprising given that he missed the regular season’s final two games — as well as four previous ones — with a hamstring injury. Lattimore will be one of Washington’s most important players against Tampa Bay, an opponent he’s well familiar with, and he’ll need to shake off the rust after only appearing in two regular-season contests for the Commanders following his trade from the New Orleans Saints.
Additionally, it has to be a sigh of relief for Commanders fans to see Frankie Luvu as a full go. He went down in Week 18 with a shoulder injury but later returned to the game, and it seems he is none the worse for wear. Luvu has been one of Washington’s most consistent playmakers on the defensive side of the ball this season, accounting for 99 tackles, eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
A few Commanders were held out of the session, including WR Terry McLaurin and TE Zach Ertz, though both are listed with non-injury-related “rest” distinctions. A bit more concerningly, among those limited in practice were offensive linemen Tyler Biadasz and Brandon Coleman, as well as safety Jeremy Chinn.
Washington will need to hope for as many available bodies as possible for Sunday, when the Commanders seek their first playoff victory in 19 years. The team they beat back on Jan. 7, 2006? The Buccaneers.
Washington
NBC Washington reporter, WTOP alum Derrick Ward dies at 62 – WTOP News
NBC Washington reporter Derrick Ward, who has delivered local news in the D.C. area for decades, has died. He was 62.
NBC Washington reporter Derrick Ward, who has delivered local news in the D.C. area for decades, died Tuesday. He was 62.
The local news outlet reported Wednesday Ward died following complications from a cardiac arrest.
As a general assignment reporter, Ward was known for his coverage of tragedies and triumphs in the D.C. area. The D.C. native reported on a swath of historic local events including the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the D.C. sniper shootings, according to his biography on NBC Washington’s website.
Before Ward began reporting for the local NBC affiliate in 2006, he worked in radio at WTOP, WAMU and WPFW.
Joel Oxley, the president of WTOP News and Federal News Network, shared memories of Ward.
“Derrick Ward was truly an outstanding journalist. His passion and dedication shown through every day. But what set him apart was what a great person he was. His warmth and caring were evident at every turn. Everybody liked Derrick. I saw why right away. He’ll be missed tremendously.”
In a statement to WTOP, Ward’s family said:
It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Derrick Ward, Sr., on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, following complications from a recent cardiac arrest. Derrick has been an inspiration and cherished member of our family and his hometown community, as a longtime reporter at News4 Washington, and previously WTOP Radio. As a distinguished journalist, Derrick’s storytelling, prolific writing, warmth, and humor touched countless lives. Our children and our entire family will miss him dearly.
We ask for your thoughts and prayers during this time, and we extend our gratitude to everyone for the outpouring of love and support. Details regarding his memorial service will be shared in the coming days.
-The Ward, Rampersad, and Sermons Families
Ward grew up in D.C. and graduated from H.D. Woodson High School in Northeast and the University of Maryland.
Ward is survived by his three children.
See NBC Washington’s announcement of Ward’s death below.
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