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Longhorns' depth shifts to running backs after Brooks' season-ending knee injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Depth has been a key to the Texas Longhorns' success this season, and now they'll have to show it at the running back position Saturday night in hostile territory against Iowa State.Sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks tore his ACL in last week's 29-26 win over TCU and is out for the season, and that means the rushing load will shift more to freshman standout CJ Baxter along with sophomores Jaydon Blue and Savion Red and senior Keilan Robinson. It's tough to replace the kind of yardage Brooks has produced this season, 1,139 rushing yards and 286 receiving yards, but head coach Steve Sarkisian said the runners are ready for the opportunity.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters"No one likes seeing their brother go down, so there was a sense of hurt for him knowing what he had put in and the way he played this season, but these guys work really hard and have ...

How does Texas football get a killer instinct?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Nine wins and just one (close) loss sets the Texas Longhorns up in pretty good position with two games to go. The Longhorns are alone atop the Big 12 before their bout with Iowa State this weekend.In three of their last four games, the Longhorns have made things more interesting than they would have liked by letting second-half leads slip. Instant Analysis: A blowout would be nice, but Texas is finding ways to win Texas was up 26-6 heading into the fourth quarter Saturday at TCU and had to hang on for a thrilling 29-26 victory. The previous week saw the Longhorns up 27-7 late in the third quarter against Kansas State before having the game go into overtime.After the game in Fort Worth on Saturday, Longhorns wide receiver Adonai Mitchell noted how learning to close doesn't just happen on gamedays. It takes work during the week. Here's what other members of the Longhorns said about how they go about getting a killer instinct.Head Coach Steve Sarkisian"I do think us ...

High school football state semifinals roundup: Rocori edges Byron in 4A slugfest, 9-player final set

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

Class 4ARocori 7, Byron 0: A game that was scoreless through three quarters was finally determined on a 2-yard touchdown run by Rocori quarterback Will Steil on third-and-goal with six-and-a-half minutes to play Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium.Byron got the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game and actually moved into Rocori territory, but the drive was derailed by a sack by Rocori’s Dwight Kiffmeyer and Grady Minnerath that resulted in a 9-yard loss.Kale Robinson’s pass on fourth-and-11 from the Rocori 11-yard line fell incomplete with 100 seconds to play. Rocori picked up one first down on the ground and the game was over.Rocori’s defense held Byron (10-2) to 162 total yards of offense Thursday.Rocori didn’t produce much more, but Steil accounted for 135 total yards — 62 on the ground and 73 through the air.Rocori (10-2) will play the winner of Friday’s semifinal between North Branch and Hutchinson in the Class 4A championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 back in down...

Cottage Grove’s Monique Garza chosen to fill city council vacancy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

The Cottage Grove City Council this week selected Monique Garza to fill the seat recently vacated by council member Steve Dennis.Monique Garza (Courtesy of City of Cottage Grove)Dennis, who served on the council since 2015, resigned on Oct. 4. He closed his longtime business, Dennis Brothers Liquor, in July and has moved out of the city. His term was scheduled to end in 2026.Garza is a Realtor in Cottage Grove and a longtime local volunteer. She is board member for the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, a member of Women in Business (Cottage Grove), and host of Movies with Mo in the Park, which she launched in 2022.“My active involvement in various community initiatives has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of our city’s unique needs and opportunities,” Garza said in a statement. “Joining the council will not only allow me to further my personal growth, it also will provide me with a platform to make an even more significant impact and help our community th...

New program hopes to improve Missouri's high maternal mortality rate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The state is making a historic investment into a maternal mortality prevention plan after Missouri has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths in the country. In a new report from the state, an average of 70 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year after giving birth between 2018 and 2020. The most sobering piece of the report is that nearly 85% of those deaths were preventable. It's being called the "Missouri Perinatal Psychiatric Access Project," known as MO-PPAP. Those behind the effort at the University of Missouri believe it will be helpful to providers like OBGYNs and midwives to give the best mental health resources to their patients.  St. Louis police warn of surge in carjackings and break-ins "Addressing mental health and substance use disorders, we're going to have healthier kids and families," program coordinator for MO-PPAP Wendy Ell said. "At the federal level, Missouri has been on heat maps for years of a strong nee...

Denver school board votes to raise incoming members’ pay to as much as $33,000 a year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

The Denver school board voted Thursday to significantly increase incoming board members’ pay, approving a new annual salary cap of $33,000 a year per elected official, up from $9,000.Six of Denver Public Schools’ elected board members voted to raise yearly pay by nearly 30% for new members, with one — board President Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán — dissenting.Gaytán explained that she voted “no” because she felt DPS schools, students and teachers were more in need of the funding than board members.“I am compelled to advocate prioritizing funding that directly impacts student and their needs,” Gaytán said during the Thursday meeting. “That money will be pulled from the DPS general fund. These funds could be redirected, providing much-needed support to students, families and parents.”Other board members who supported the resolution discussed how the funding increase would allow candidates who could not previously afford to serve to ...

Former Colorado Eagles coach Greg Cronin has Anaheim’s young Ducks flying higher than expected

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

It did not take long for Greg Cronin’s first NHL team to carve out an identity … even if not’s exactly the one he’s going for.Cronin, who spent the previous five seasons as the coach of the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, is in his first year as an NHL head coach with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were one of the worst teams in the NHL last season but have been one of the feel-good surprises in 2023-24.A big part of their success has been their six comeback victories — the most third-period comeback wins by an NHL team the first 15 games of a season. It led to someone on the club’s social media team dubbing them the “Comeback Quacks.”No quit in this team #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/vEVipfvUwJ— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 15, 2023“It would be nice to be ahead in those games, but it’s just the way it’s gone,” Cronin said. “It’s cliche, but we constantly talk about process, process and doing the right things repea...

Interstate 70 westbound closed at Vail Pass for crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

Westbound Interstate 70 is closed at the summit of Vail Pass due to a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.The closure was reported at 5:42 p.m. near exit 190. Slower speeds are advised, and drivers should expect delays due to the closure, according to CDOT.This is a developing story and will be updated. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.

Green Mountain football eyes first state title in 24 years: “We don’t want this to end”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

Three years ago, Green Mountain put some pennies down, with the belief that investment could one day make them millionaires — at least in the prep football sense.Now, the Rams are three wins from coming into the money as the No. 1 seed in the Class 3A state playoffs. They don’t plan on squandering the opportunity.Green Mountain’s been blasting teams this fall, with a point differential of plus-508 en route to 11-0 and the quarterfinals. The Rams are doing it with a robust 23-man senior class, majority of whom started as sophomores.“You can decide you want one million dollars up front, or you can let a penny double for 30 days and you end up with over $5 million,” sixth-year Green Mountain head coach Jesse German said. “That compound interest is how our culture is built. The kids just keep leaving legacies behind and really impacting the next class. And now this class is close to leaving the ultimate legacy.”The Rams were a Class 4A juggernaut in t...

10 Freeway will open next week, Newsom says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

The 10 Freeway will reopen by next week, California Governor Gavin Newsom said during a press conference Thursday.Newsom credited the tireless and continuous work of repair crews who have been working around the clock to get the busy roadway back open to traffic."We will be open, five lanes in both directions, Tuesday of next week," Newsom said. The announcement was made Thursday evening during a Los Angeles press conference hosted by local and state officials.Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were among the speakers. Both elected officials have promised regular and timely updates regarding the closure, which has crippled traffic in and out of downtown for several days and was initially expected to remain in place for several weeks."All of the stars have been aligned," Bass said, paraphrasing a Caltrans official.Earlier this week, Newsom said engineers had evaluated the integrity of the pillars that safely elevate the heavily trafficked roadway and determined it would not need...