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Down goes No. 1! Emerald Ridge stuns top-seeded Mount Si, rolls to 4A semis

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Mount Si was the No. 1 seed in the 4A state tournament, but it felt like No. 7 Emerald Ridge wasn’t clued in to that fact. Considering how fast the Jaguars came out of the gate on Thursday, the energy felt as carefree and loose as a January game in South Hill.

Emerald Ridge wasn’t afraid or intimated by the number next to Mount Si’s name. The Jaguars started fast, leading 36-31 at half and controlling the action for most of the game. When Mount Si finally rallied in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late.

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Emerald Ridge hung to win, 67-62, stunning the top-seeded Wildcats.

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“It’s a huge win,” said guard Jordan Bennett, who scored 15 points. “Nobody believed in us coming into this and we just knocked off the No. 1 seed. That shows how much we’ve built as a program and built as a team.”

The fast start was key, according to Jaguars coach Pat Mullen.

“We wanted to make sure that we were the first ones — we didn’t want to react to them, we wanted to make sure we were the ones making them react to us,” Mullen said. “We didn’t want to play on our heels, we wanted to make sure we were playing downhill. Our guys did a good job of that.”

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Emerald Ridge 6-foot-7 forward Jamaize McGriff, the team’s heartbeat, went to the bench early in the second quarter after picking up his second foul, but Emerald Ridge never skipped a beat.

“Next man up, basically,” Bennett said. “We know we can’t play the whole season. Maybe an injury happens. So we know we can’t play that game, just next man up.”

Bouncy Mount Si forward Latt Ford had his moments and scored 23 points, but Emerald Ridge’s guards kept pace. Bennett scored 15, Ellis Mosley scored a team-high 19, Mychal Turner scored 13 and Darius Alexander scored seven. McGriff added nine.

Even before Thursday’s game tipped off, Emerald Ridge had already made history. Wednesday’s win over Redmond was the first state tournament win for the program. Now, new heights, again.

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An entirely different challenge awaits: Defensive-minded No. 5 Gonzaga Prep, the defending state champion, which defeated Puyallup in double overtime in the game before Emerald Ridge’s game.

“Probably one of the top three programs in the state in the last 10 years,” Mullen said. “They’re solid, they do things the right way, they make you work for every possession. So it’s another great challenge for us. We’ve just gotta get ourselves down to earth and come out the way we play.”

Emerald Ridge faces Gonzaga Prep at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday in the semifinals at the Tacoma Dome.

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Manchester United announce controversial Old Trafford change

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Man Utd have announced a change to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand for the beginning of the 2026/2027 season.

Manchester United will relocate a small number of season ticket holders in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand due to the installation of additional hospitality seats. The change follows last summer’s decision to relocate around 500 fans who were sitting behind the dugouts to install premium hospitality seats.

Last season, season ticket holders behind the dugouts in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand were informed their seats would be converted into hospitality seating, which meant they would be relocated.

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On Friday morning, United confirmed a further ‘small number’ of fans would be relocated to accommodate more premium hospitality seating. The club have made the change due to the ‘high value’ of the location, as well as being required to undertake dugout works ahead of their next European campaign.

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United have said the fans will be relocated to the best possible lower-tier location, but the club will be braced for further backlash, following protests from supporters in the same area last season.

Last year, the Manchester Evening News were told a supporter in his 60s struggled to sleep after being informed he would be required to move, while another in his 80s expected to give up his season ticket due to concerns over access.

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The decision triggered protests from the impacted fans, who aimed banners at the directors’ box. Despite the controversy, the changes to convert the area into premium seating went ahead last summer.

The seats are near the pitch and offer easy access in and out of the stadium. They also offer a close view of the managers on the touchline, while the players on the bench are almost within touching distance.

Defending their decision, United previously explained it was made to ‘reflect the high value of this unique location.’ They also claimed that they “Appreciate the disruption this will cause those fans who currently sit there and we will be contacting them individually to ensure a suitable alternative seat is found.”

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Manchester United make U-turn after ticket complaints from fans

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Man Utd announced a welcome update for European away games when season ticket prices for 2026/2027 were confirmed.

Manchester United will re-introduce ticket collections for European away games, subject to qualification. United made the unpopular decision to scrap European away ticket collections in 2024.

United fans had previously picked up their match tickets in the country where the fixture was being played, meaning club staff would be sent to designated collection points to hand out tickets to fans with valid identification.

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It was viewed as a successful system that prevented fans from buying tickets to inflate their credits without actually attending the match. It also stopped supporters from buying tickets with the intention of immediately selling them for credits. But United scrapped the system in 2024/2025 as a direct result of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to axe 250 jobs at the club.

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On Friday morning, United revealed season ticket prices for 2026/2027. Along with the announcement, club sources confirmed European away ticket collections will be reintroduced.

United fans were deeply unhappy with the scrapping of away collections and challenged representatives from the club on the issue at fans’ forums, where it had been a prominent discussion point.

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Club chiefs have announced that European away collections will be restored following supporter feedback. United have also confirmed they will share ticket allocation and ballot data on their website.

United are well-placed to secure Champions League football thanks to Michael Carrick’s impact. The Reds are third in the Premier League, and fifth place is expected to be enough to qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

United failed to qualify for Europe for this season and were knocked out of both domestic cups at the first hurdle, which means they will play just 40 games, their fewest in a campaign since 1914/15.

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Trish Stratus Drops WWE “Finale” Bombshell

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Trish Stratus has dropped a bombshell about a WWE finale. Despite not being an active member of the roster and having retired years ago, Stratus hasn’t had a proper farewell in WWE.

She has continued to make part-time appearances in the company and even competed in the women’s Royal Rumble match in 2025.

Last year, she teamed up with Tiffany Stratton during her feud with Nia Jax and Candice LeRae. The Hall of Famer also faced the Buff Barbie for the WWE Women’s Championship at Evolution 2.

Since the loss in that match, Stratus hasn’t made any in-ring appearances in WWE. In a recent interview with Wrestlezone, the veteran revealed that there were more plans for her following the Title match.

However, after her mother got sick and then tragically passed away, those plans had to be dropped. Stratus mentioned that she is still looking for closure to her WWE career and teased one more run.

“So, I do think there should be a bit of a finale moment. I’m very much about closure. So I feel like that I would need a little bit of closure. And I think maybe you guys need some closure on your Stratusfaction as well. Maybe,” she said.

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Trish Stratus set for big appearance on the Road to WrestleMania

While it remains to be seen when Trish Stratus gets her WWE finale, she is set to make a major appearance during WrestleMania weekend in April.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that she will be at the Flanker restaurant from April 13 to 20 to meet fans.

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The restaurant made the announcement on Instagram, and the former WWE Women’s Champion responded to the news in the comments section of the post.

She noted that she was looking forward to the occasion and reminded fans to keep their calendars open.