By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Jacob McPherson is headed to Tennessee once again.

JACOB MCPHERSON

The Ravenna High School student has qualified for the 44th annual Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, which will take place at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., on July 28 through Aug. 2.

McPherson’s continues to shine in the motocross world and has made a trip to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch for the second consecutive year.

To qualify, McPherson, 17, traveled to Minnesota, Texas, Michigan and Indiana on the qualifying circuit.

Last year, competing in the C Class, McPherson placed third and fourth, respectively, at the national event that pulls in racers from all over the world.

This year, McPherson has qualified for the tougher B Class, which features experienced racers who are oftentimes factory supported.

McPherson raced stock bikes in all of his qualifying attempts and has advanced to race in the 250 B and 450 B Prestige Classes.

Q&A WITH MY SISTER

There are so many things that I have always enjoyed about my job, and I added a new one to my list this morning when I had the opportunity to interview my own sister for a story last Wednesday!

Nicole Lewis is the girls basketball head coach at Waterloo and the Vikings’ rebuilt program will be featured as part of the Portage Sports Women in Sports series that publishes throughout next week.

We ended the interview and photoshoot with a game of knockout with eight of the Vikings’ players who were there for the photoshoot. It was a lot of fun, but I will be looking for a rematch from champion Alexis Henry, who knocked me out in the final round!

Thanks for a fun morning, Waterloo!

PORTAGE COUNTY BASEBALL STARS

A group of Portage County boys recently competed at the Big Kahuna Tournament, which was hosted at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, N.C.

The Diamond Boys Showcase and Diamond Boys Club teams both competed in the 13U bracket against teams from across the country and some from Canada.

Both teams qualified for the gold bracket, with local players including:

   • Aurora’s Brennan Davis, Danny Sferry, Kaleb Sprague and JR Schupp

   • Field’s Connor McNamee, Aiden Pinkerton, Logan Moore, KJ Allen, Ashton Eader and Dennis Munnings

   • Kent’s Cade Knopick

   • Rootstown’s Tyler West

   • Streetsboro’s Brandon Klimak

WINDHAM HIRES SWEET AS CHEER COACH

Windham High School has named graduate Nicole Sweet as the district’s new cheerleading advisor.

Sweet was a cheer captain during the Bombers’ boys basketball team’s famed run to the Division IV state semifinal during the 2005-06 season.

GOLF AMATEURS ARE COMING

The series of four Portage County Amateurs are just around the corner with three of the events set for this month:

   • The 11th Kids Am on July 20

   • 19th Junior Amateurs on July 22-23

   • 95th Portage County Amateur on July 26-27

Registration is still available for all three events, beginning with Sunny Hill welcoming junior golfers to the Kids Am. Age divisions include: golfers in grades 8-9 and 6-7 playing nine holes, grades 4-5 playing six holes and grades 3 and under playing over four holes.

Designed as a first tournament event, high-school golfers from several Portage County schools walk and help the junior golfers with golf course etiquette, rules and scorecards.

For additional information, email golffam2@gmail.com or text 330-206-9083.

Registration forms are available at host golf courses and at PCAGolf.net for on-site pay or online registration.

FOOTBALL FOR ALL AT MOGADORE

Mark Novell and Joe Adolph have created a nonprofit titled Mogadore Football Tradition Fund, which became an official organization last week.

Its state mission is to ensure that every student who wants to play football at Mogadore has the opportunity to do so, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

“I want to get more kids in the program,” Novell told The Portager’s Tom Hardesty. “I don’t ever want a kid to not be able to play because of pay-to-play.”

Hardest has the full story for The Portager here.