The Seattle Kraken were one of a couple teams who didn’t have any players named to the four rosters of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The Kraken and Washington Capitals were the only two teams without a representative at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but that shouldn’t alarm Kraken fans. In fact, it’s really a comment only on where the Kraken are in their development. And if another best-on-best-type tournament is going to be played down the line – 2026 Olympics, anyone? – we’re much more likely to see a Kraken player wearing their home country’s jersey. For Seattle, the list of potential best-on-best players begins with star center Matty Beniers. At 22 years old, Beniers , but a year-and-a-half from now, Beniers is going to be a more well-rounded player, and someone who will be making a strong case to be included at the next Olympic Games. Now, we’re not saying Beniers will be a lock to represent America. There’s plenty of first-rate depth down the mille for the U.S., including Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Brock Nelson and Jack Eichel. But Nelson is currently 33 years old, and by the time the Olympics rolls around, Beniers could easily replace Nelson in America’s lineup. Similarly, on the Canadian side of things, Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour didn’t get named to the 4 Nations Face-Off. But , and the same could be true for changes between the 4 Nations Face-Off and the next Olympics. Remember, Montour is a Stanley Cup champion, and if Canada’s more senior blueliners including 34-year-old Alex Pietrangelo are omitted from the Olympic roster, the 30-year-old Montour would be a solid choice to replace him for the next Olympics. The 4 Nations Face-Off is going to provide plenty of great hockey for fans of all stripes. And while Kraken fans are no doubt disappointed to not have a Seattle player to root for at the tournament, it likely won’t be long before that changes and the Kraken have one or two representatives of their respective country at a best-on-best-type showdown. Things can change with either injuries or sub-par play, and an opportunity for a player like Montour or Beniers could be right around the corner. Time will tell whether a Kraken player or two gets the nod at the next Olympic Games – or as an injury replacement at the 4 Nations – and if they do, it will heighten the viewing experience for Kraken fans. For now, though, Seattle fans should sit back and enjoy the 4 Nations Face-Off for what it is – a fan-friendly tournament that will thrill any hockey-watcher.
Longview (10-2) vs. Klein Collins (7-5) Time : 2 p.m. Saturday Stadium : Abe Martin Stadium, 309 South Medford Drive, Lufkin, 75901 Coaches : Longview: John King; Klein Collins: Adrian Mitchell WHEN LONGVIEW HAS THE BALL Players to Watch Longview : Kelvin Washington (1,907 rushing yards, 353 receiving yards, 24 rushing touchdowns, and six receiving touchdowns this season) ... Maverick Rowe (1,020 passing yards, 223 rushing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns) ... Buster Mumphrey (395 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, two rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown) ... Johnny Hamilton (289 passing yards, 41 rushing yards, and four passing touchdowns) ...Da’Morrion Williams (240 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns) ... Mason Washington (207 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards) ... Jaden Hurndon (186 receiving yards, 24 rushing yards, and one receiving touchdown) ... Kieffer Doxey (137 receiving yards and one rushing yard) ... Javarion Pereira (115 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown) ... Jace Peterson (95 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown) Klein Collins : Larry Hankton (interception in last Friday’s 70-21 win against The Woodlands College Park) ... Gavin Dartez ... Jarrod Penright ... Jose Eljach ... Luis Vasquez ... Trent Spence ... JD Brady ... Christian Wilkerson ... Randall Jackson ... Gabriel Gomez Keys : Longview continues to have two viable options at the quarterback position in normal starter Maverick Rowe and a regular backup in Johnny Hamilton that guided the team to a come-from-behind overtime win against Lancaster in a rare start last Friday. Regardless of who sees the most action under center this week, the Lobos’ offensive unit needs to focus on scoring and taking advantage of a Klein Collins’ defense that has allowed 27.3 points per game to opponents this year. Luckily for Longview, it has enough threats in versatile offensive statistical leader Kelvin Washington, rushing talents Buster Mumphrey, Mason Washington and Javarion Pereira, and receivers Da’Morrion Williams, Jaden Hurndon, Kieffer Doxey and Jace Peterson to build on its 31.2 points per game average this year. Klein Collins will attempt to slow those players down with defensive standouts like Larry Hankton, Gavin Dartez, Jarrod Penright, Jose Eljach, Luis Vasquez, Trent Spence, JD Brady, Christian Wilkerson, Randall Jackson and Gabriel Gomez. WHEN KLEIN COLLINS HAS THE BALL Players to Watch Klein Collins : Braydon Schoggin (multiple rushing touchdowns in last Friday’s 70-21 win against The Woodlands College Park) ... Carlton Hayden (rushing touchdown last week) ... Brice Romero (rushing touchdown last week)... Jeremiah Hutching ... Kajuan Gathers ... Jai’Shaun Jackson ... Brandon Dujay ... Gabriel Gomez ... Eddie Lartigue ... Randall Jackson Longview : Kason Brooks (132 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three touchdowns, two pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery this season) ... Jamayis Morrow (122 tackles, five tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two pass breakups, and one sack) ... Brenden Reese (106 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, five sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble) ... Bryan Peoples (80 tackles, four pass breakups, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one forced fumble) ... Da’Kayden Carter (52 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble) ... Jessier Hampton-Williams (43 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one touchdown) ... Bradley Williams (43 tackles, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one interception) ... Robert White (41 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one tackle for loss) ... Jailynn Taylor (36 tackles, six pass breakups, and three interceptions) ...Jaden Woolridge (34 tackles and five tackles for loss) Keys : Klein Collins’ high-powered offense has even caught the attention of Longview’s show-stopping defense, so an eye-popping matchup is in store this week. The Tigers eliminated The Woodlands College Park with a 70-point scoring outburst last Friday, and has leaned on an offensive unit that’s averaged 32 points per game this season. The group will lean on a rushing attack that features Braydon Schoggin, Carlton Hayden and Brice Romero, and other offensive assets like Jeremiah Hutching, Kajuan Gathers, Jai’Shaun Jackson, Brandon Dujay, Gabriel Gomez, Eddie Lartigue and Randall Jackson. Longview’s defensive unit, meanwhile, has limited its first 12 opponents to only 16.5 points per game this season and shut out early November opponents North Forney and Royse City. The Lobos have the necessary leaders in Kason Brooks, Jamayis Morrow, Brenden Reese, Bryan Peoples, Da’Kayden Carter, Jessier Hampton-Williams, Bradley Williams, Robert White, Jailynn Taylor and Jaden Woolridge to counter this week’s foe, and fill in for an injured standout teammate in Isaiah Horton (74 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown in 11 games in 2024) that will miss the remainder of the season according to Longview head coach John King. Did You Know : Longview has produced an 82-46-1 playoff record during its 50 postseason appearances since 1924 ... The Lobos will bring an 11-7 regional semifinal record to their 19th trip since 1975 ... Klein Collins has earned an 18-15 postseason record during its 16 playoff appearances since 2004 ... The Tigers own a 1-4 regional semifinal record before their sixth trip since 2009 ... Longview and Klein Collins will meet in the UIL 6A Division II Region II semifinal round for the second time ... The Lobos lead the all-time football series 1-0 after a 30-24 win against the Tigers at Waco’s McLane Stadium on Dec. 2, 2017. Last Week : Longview 35, Lancaster 28 (OT); Klein Collins 70, The Woodlands College Park 21 Up Next : Winner plays DeSoto or Willis THOMAS BINGHAM
Capital Power Announces $350 Million Bought Offering of Common SharesThe Latest: Police believe gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO has left New York CityA local driver seems to not be worried about driving without insurance. Vancouver police pulled over a Tesla on Nov. 21, 2024, for driving without insurance. It wasn't the first time for this driver this year, according to a social media post by the VPD's traffic section. Or the second. Or the third. In the last year, the driver had been pulled over four times across Metro Vancouver, with incidents in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam. Police note he was operating as a rideshare driver at the time he was pulled over. In fact, according to a photo shared by the police, it was the fourth time since May, meaning he's been pulled over more than once every two months for the same issue. "Traffic enforcement used ALPR (Automated Licence Plate Recognition) to catch this driver for no vehicle insurance," state police. Officers issued a $598 for the infraction, and the vehicle was towed. If the driver pays in under 30 days, the fine is reduced to $573; altogether, the fines for driving with no insurance four times add up to at least $2,292. However, while it was the fourth such infraction for the driver this year, his Tesla wasn't impounded, according to the VPD traffic section. "A vehicle with no insurance could be towed to a person’s residence if it can’t be parked on public property," Sgt. Steve Addison tells V.I.A. A note has been sent to the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and Passengers about the driver, according to the traffic section. The Superintendent of Motor Vehicles and Passengers is a provincial office that acts as the authority for drivers in B.C. and has different powers from the police and can prohibit a person from driving if they have an "unsatisfactory driving record," according to the government .Dame Prue Leith has defended Gregg Wallace amidst allegations about his behaviour, stating that he shouldn't be sacked as she believes in due process. The presenter, who has temporarily stepped back from hosting the BBC cooking show MasterChef, is facing historical allegations of misconduct which are currently under external review. His legal team has categorically denied all allegations against him, stating that it is "entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature". Gregg has also strongly refuted all claims against him. Great British Bake Off star Dame Prue weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that while Wallace shouldn't lose his job, at least yet. Speaking on Times Radio, the 84 year old said: "I'm a great believer in due process... He should just stay off social media because he's just digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole because he's too insensitive to understand how offensive it is. Read more Rod Stewart takes fire at Gregg Wallace again in brutal two-word jibe "But that's his problem, that he's insensitive. He hasn't, that I can see, disobeyed the law" She added: "I don't believe people should be cancelled or sacked. I can see why you would ask somebody to step aside while they investigate things, which I suppose is what they're doing. But I think the tragedy in this is that I bet you Gregg has no idea what he's done wrong." She argued that TV bosses needed to be 'tough' with their presenters. Prue added: "For goodness sake, they can replace Gregg Wallace. They can replace anybody. So they should be tough with their presenters. They should be very clear about whatever the rules are. "I do think they've been weak. But I don't want to say that he should be sacked because I don't know what the crime is." The BBC is currently investigating misconduct claims against Gregg, who has denied allegations of making inappropriate sexual comments. After the allegations against Gregg surfaced, MasterChef's production company, Banijay UK, issued a statement saying: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Read more Gregg Wallace's third wife made brutal dig about 'needy' MasterChef star "Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate. "During this investigation, Gregg Wallace will be stepping back from his role on MasterChef and has pledged full cooperation throughout the process. Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set." It continued: "Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."
Kirins ready for Angels' visit