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Yates Center and Humboldt compete in the Neodesha Invitational — iolaregister.com
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Major League Baseball:
Royals to exercise patience with Soler By RUSTIN DODD The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Royals’ Jorge Soler connects on a home run in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners during spring training in Peoria, Ariz., on March 24. John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS
Column: NFL Draft
Kansas City gets its guy in Mahomes
The Royals are poised to exercise patience as outfielder Jorge Soler continues a rehab assignment at Class AAA Omaha. Soler, a 25-year-old outfielder, is not expected to be activated Friday when the club opens a 10-game homestand against the Minnesota Twins, general manager Dayton Moore said. “His rehab assignment runs through May 10,” Moore told The Star on Thursday. “And at this point in time, we fully
expect to utilize that period of time for him to get some atbats and get caught up.” Soler began a minor-league rehab assignment last Friday, 26 days after sustaining a Grade 1 oblique strain during the final week of spring training. Yet after playing in five games for Class AAA Omaha before a scheduled day off on Wednesday, his debut in Kansas City is not imminent. The Royals will remain cautious with Soler as he regains his timing at the plate and tests his oblique in a less stressful environment. There is no pub-
lic timetable for his return, Moore said, but the club would like to see Soler accumulate additional at-bats and reps in the outfield. “He needs to play a lot more in the field, and obviously he was out toward the end of spring training,” Moore said. “But it was still close to a month before he was back into a game.” Acquired in a December trade that sent closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs, Soler was expected to begin the
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Special Olympics: Track Meet at Pittsburg State University
By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs’ most important draft pick in a generation won’t play for at least a year, and that’s if things go right — and only part of why it’s a smart pick. These are strange times we live in. In the last two years, we have seen the Royals win the World Series, and now the Sam Mellinger Chiefs draft a quarterback in the first round. Aliens could land, turn us all into vegetarians, and maybe we’d shrug. Bury the line about Todd Blackledge (who was the last quarterback the Chiefs used a first-round pick on, in 1983) and the glass ceiling that has trapped the Chiefs for the last generation as general manager after coach after general manager has trusted football’s most important position to a long line of guys who weren’t good enough for their last team. Patrick Mahomes II is unlike any quarterback Kansas City has seen, perhaps ever. Arm talent is the term of the moment for quarterbacks, and Mahomes has more of it than anyone who’s worn a Chiefs jersey in quite some time. The Chiefs traded three picks including next year’s first-rounder to select him at No. 10 overall, a decision that will define the franchise’s next decade — good or bad. For decades, and by its own actions across different leadSee COLUMN | Page B3
Iola teacher Ann Pomatto assists Mustang junior Dakota Knowles with his catapult during the tennis ball throw competition during the Special Olympic track meet at Pittsburg State University Thursday. REGISTER/JON DYKSTRA
SPIRIT OF SPORT Iola athletes truly shine in Special Olympics
Iola sophomore Madisyn Holloway looks to drive a ball in Neodesha Thursday. REGISTER/JON DYKSTRA
By JON DYKSTRA The Iola Register
PITTSBURG — Every once in a while, it does a person — especially a sports fan — good to remember why they fell in love with sports in the first place. There isn’t a better place to reconnect with that true meaning of the game than at a Special Olympics event. Fittingly enough, on Thursday’s first day of the NFL Draft — the
mecca of fan overreaction — Pittsburg State University hosted a track and field meet for area Special Olympians. Among those in attendance were four athletes from Ann Pomatto’s classroom at Iola High School. “We do it to give the kids an outlet to do activities and sports that are adapted to their specific needs,” Pomatto said. Dakota Fry, Dakota Knowles, Ty Johnson and Ian Webber all comSee SPECIAL | Page B5
High School Softball: Iola 10, Neodesha 2; Iola 14, Neodesha 0
Fillies roll past Blue Streaks By JON DYKSTRA The Iola Register
NEODESHA — The Iola Fillies came out a little slow after making the long road trip south to Neodesha on Thursday. “It was a little bit of a rough start for me, but as time went on in the game, I started to warm up a little bit and felt more comfortable,” Iola pitcher Sierra Snavely said. “Personally, I didn’t feel really prepared for the game, because I thought it was going to get rained out, which was bad on my part. I can’t do that.”
Iola surrendered two runs in the first inning of game one and the score was tied at 2-2, but the Fillies were quickly able to get things turned around and from then on they out-scored the Blue Streaks 22-0 over the course of the next two games to beat Neodesha, 10-2 and 14-0. “It is always good to play these type of teams, because it is a confidence boaster and helps out our record a little bit,” Iola senior Jadyn Sigg said. After giving up back-toback singles with two outs in the first inning in game one,
Snavely didn’t allow another hit. The sophomore finished the game with one earned run allowed on two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. The Fillies took the lead in the second inning when a Chloe Gardner single scored sophomore Mia Aronson and senior Sydney Wade. Gardner later came around to score on a wild pitch and Iola took a 5-2 lead. “I love seeing those runs, because when my team can pick me up,” Snavely said. “If the
See FILLIES | Page B8