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  • Sixers takeaways: A will to win, Joel Embiid’s bounce-back game, poor defense, and more

    Sixers takeaways: A will to win, Joel Embiid’s bounce-back game, poor defense, and more

    The 76ers might have a better will to win than we thought.

    Joel Embiid showed he can still dominate when he plays aggressively. The Sixers still need to do a better job of keeping teams out of the paint.

    And former Villanova coach Kyle Neptune has found a great landing spot with the Charlotte Hornets, where he’s a welcome addition.

    Those four things stood out Saturday night in the Sixers’ 125-121 home-opening victory over the Hornets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    Will to win

    Embiid didn’t play the final 19 minutes, 2 seconds of the game because he is on a minutes restriction. Dominick Barlow missed the second half with a right elbow laceration. And the Sixers had their share of defensive woes.

    But like in Wednesday’s season opener, they battled back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game.

    This time they trailed by 112-102 with 5:42 remaining.

    The Sixers (2-0) took the lead for good when Quentin Grimes’ three-pointer gave them a 122-119 lead with 15 seconds remaining.

    As Joel Embiid adapts to his new reality, can he help the Sixers be competitive?

    “I was kind of reminding them, it was 10 or 11 [down], I was kind of reminding them, this is right where we were the other night. We got it,” coach Nick Nurse said of battling back from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit Wednesday to beat the Boston Celtics, 117-116. “We are going to have to make a few stops, and some of you guys are going to have to get up the floor and start pulling the trigger on some plays on offense.”

    Sixers guard Quentin Grimes reacts with VJ Edgecombe on Saturday after making a three-point basket with 15 seconds left in the game.

    And that’s what happened.

    These two victories are great confidence builders for a team with a young corps. The Sixers know they’re capable of pulling out victories regardless of the circumstances.

    “I think everybody is playing hard,” Embiid said of the Sixers’ resilience. “This year, we wanted to make sure that when everybody shows up, we’ve got a job to do. We play hard, win or lose.

    “Even tonight, if we would have lost, I still would have been proud of the guys.”

    Embiid’s aggressiveness

    It didn’t take long for the 2023 NBA MVP and seven-time All-Star to erase memories of Wednesday’s season-opening performance against the Celtics. On that night, Embiid scored four points on 1-for-9 shooting. Against the Hornets, Embiid finished with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, along with two rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He played just 20:07.

    The elevated play had a lot to do with Embiid being more aggressive than in the season opener.

    The Sixers made a conscious effort to get him involved early on. After VJ Edgecombe missed a jumper, Dominick Barlow grabbed the offensive rebound and passed the ball to Tyrese Maxey. Maxey, in turn, dished the ball to Embiid, who buried a three-pointer 45 seconds into the game.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid gets fouled by Charlotte guard Collin Sexton (right) with forward Moussa Diabate looking on during the third quarter.

    “I came in the first game, obviously, the first game in a couple of months,” Embiid said of Wednesday. “I know I played in the preseason, but it’s not the same. It’s not even close. [In the first game], I tried to work my way back and try to figure it out. First game in months, obviously. It’s easier when you make shots like I did tonight. It looks better, but I think it was just the same.

    “And the first game, it was slowly trying to figure it out. Tonight, it was more like, ‘Well, I only got 20 minutes.’”

    With that, he decided to make the most of those minutes.

    VJ Edgecombe enjoyed every bit of his historic NBA debut. But he hopes it becomes a footnote to a long career.

    The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder had nine points as the Sixers took an 18-9 lead with 7:52 left in the first quarter. Ryan Kalkbrenner, a rookie center out of Creighton, picked up two quick fouls and had to head to the bench while guarding Embiid.

    Embiid did a better job of balancing looking for his shot and finding teammates.

    If he can continue to play this way, and the Sixers can create more scoring opportunities for Maxey and Edgecombe, then this team has a potent offense early on.

    Sixers must stop the ball

    The Sixers struggled to stop the Hornets’ dribble penetration. Charlotte routinely drove the lane with ease.

    Realizing the Sixers couldn’t stop it, the Hornets prioritized the dribble drive on almost every possession for long stretches.

    Charlotte led, 48-40, in points in the paint and had a 16-15 advantage in second-chance points. However, the Hornets’ margin appeared wider because it was so easy for them to get into the paint, as Sixers guards struggled with on-ball defense.

    They’re going to have to correct this if they expect to be competitive. This is a copycat league, and teams watching this game film will attack the rim until the Sixers stop them.

    “It really has become a lot of point-of-attack offense,” Nurse said. “It’s almost the same as the other night. It’s almost like they bring it across, and the guy who’s bringing it across is putting their head down and trying to just get by or force a foul or force a rotation.

    “So a couple of things, we’ve got to close. We got to square up and play physical. We also have to be in our gaps a little better, so the driving lanes don’t look so inviting.”

    They played a little better in the fourth quarter.

    Kyle Neptune, the former Villanova men’s head basketball coach and now Charlotte Hornets assistant, looks on during a break on Saturday.

    Great landing spot

    Some might say that Kyle Neptune had the misfortune of replacing Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright at Villanova. He coached the Wildcats to a 54-47 record over three seasons, with zero NCAA Tournament appearances, before being fired on March 15.

    But Neptune has been a welcome addition to the Hornets after being hired on Aug. 29.

    “I’ve actually admired Kyle’s coaching career ever since he was at ’Nova,” said Hornets coach Charles Lee, who played at Bucknell. “I knew him back in the day when he played at Lehigh. So there was a ton of Bucknell-Lehigh rivalry matchups and stuff like that. And so it started there, but then I’ve always kind of followed his career.”

    Quentin Grimes’ clutch three lifts 76ers to victory over Charlotte in home opener

    Even though Neptune didn’t get the results Villanova wanted, Lee loved everything Neptune did during his time with the Wildcats. He said his new assistant recruited “really good players,” some of whom Lee got the opportunity to coach in the NBA.

    “The first person that they would usually bring up is Kyle Neptune,” he said.

    Lee also likes how Neptune went 16-16 in his lone season as Fordham’s coach. That came one season after the Rams went 2-12.

    “He’s been a great value add to our group,” Lee said. “He fits the type of person we want in our organization. He’s a culture enhancer. Then, on top of it, he knows how to teach the game. He’s a great motivator, and works really well and builds really good relationships with players.”

  • VJ Edgecombe receives a warm welcome in Philly, fans remain optimistic after comeback win over Charlotte

    VJ Edgecombe receives a warm welcome in Philly, fans remain optimistic after comeback win over Charlotte

    With the 76ers down by eight with less than five minutes remaining, fans started their long walk back to the parking lot.

    But those who remained in place witnessed the Sixers battle back to make it a one-point game with less than two minutes to play.

    Sixers rookie V.J. Edgecombe sparked the comeback with a crucial bucket with two and a half minutes remaining to cut the lead to one, causing fans to erupt.

    With under 20 seconds remaining, Tyrese Maxey found Quentin Grimes, who hit a three that helped the Sixers take a 122-119 lead with just 14 seconds left. After a timeout, Edgecombe walked onto the court and waved for the crowd to get loud.

    They did just that as they watched the Sixers improve to 2-0 on the season, the first time Philly opened with consecutive wins since the 2020-21 season.

    “I’m optimistic about this season,” said 68-year-old South Philly native John Ruggiano. “I think this season is going to be a turnaround for us.”

    Quentin Grimes’ clutch three lifts 76ers to victory over Charlotte in home opener

    The team is already off to a better start than last year, when they opened with two straight losses and dropped 12 of their first 14 games before finishing with one of the league’s worst records. Fans are hopeful entering this season despite that slow start. Some are even already thinking about playoffs.

    “For this upcoming season, I want the whole thing,” said 40-year-old Philly native Bob Balmores. “I want a championship. That’s all I’m looking for. But if not, at least a playoff appearance from them. And then maybe next year, expect a championship. We got a new squad, new players. Let’s see if they can gel and Nick Nurse can bring them all together.”

    Edgecombe’s warm welcome

    With less than nine minutes on the clock in the first quarter, Edgecombe drained a corner three for his first points of the night in front of the hometown crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena. The rookie’s bucket was followed by a massive cheer as fans rose to their feet.

    After his stellar 34-point debut performance against the Boston Celtics, the 6-foot-5,195 pound guard has already become a favorite among Sixers fans — sparking excitement for a team that came into the year with low expectations.

    Ahead of the game, fans were looking forward to seeing the Baylor product on home court, including 22-year-old Sixers fan Aidan Escuta.

    Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe celebrates with teammate Quentin Grimes in the Sixers’ win against Charlotte on Saturday.

    “I watched Wednesday’s game against the Celtics and was really happy with what I saw,” Escuta said. “I really like V.J. [Edgecombe] and I’m excited to see him play tonight. I think it’s going to be a great season. I love his tenacity. I think he’s a very committed player and he’s very athletic. I like the way he plays basketball.”

    That anticipation leading up to Edgecombe’s home debut was felt throughout the arena during the team’s opening introductions. After a hype video to welcome fans to the regular season, the announcer introduced Edgecombe to his new home.

    At 6-foot-5 from Baylor, Number 77, V.J. Edgecombe.

    Although Edgecombe didn’t find quick start as his debut, when the No. 3 pick finished with 14 points in the first quarter, he did produce 15 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.

    Embiid’s promising performance

    After a questionable season debut performance from Joel Embiid, the former league MVP quickly got things started for the Sixers. Embiid opened the night with a three ball, his first of three.

    From that moment, the crowd was locked in.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid gets fouled by Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (right). Still nursing his offseason knee surgery, Embiid finished with 20 points and two rebounds.

    Embiid followed up with 20 points, four assists, and two steals during his 20 minutes on the court. Still on a minutes restrictions, Embiid is working his way back from a knee injury that made him miss most of the 2024-25 season.

    Hornets head coach Charles Lee said the team prepared to compete against the peak version of the seven-time All Star.

    “He’s a force,” Lee said. “Obviously, that’s how he won MVP of the league and he does it in a lot of different ways, but I think we have some really good individual defenders who are willing to embrace that challenge.”

    The Sixers’ next challenge will be against the Orlando Magic at home on Monday.

    How many Sixers can you name who scored 18+ points in their rookie debut?
  • Quentin Grimes’ clutch three lifts 76ers to victory over Charlotte in home opener

    Quentin Grimes’ clutch three lifts 76ers to victory over Charlotte in home opener

    Quentin Grimes’ clutch three-pointer with 14 seconds left led the Sixers to a 125-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

    It was the most clutch point in a 24-point night for Grimes. Tyrese Maxey scored 28 to lead the Sixers, who improved to 2-0. Joel Embiid, who scored 20 points and added two rebounds before departing due to minute restrictions. . VJ Edgecombe had 15 points coming off of a record-setting 34-point performance in the opener against Boston.

    LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 27 points and Collin Sexton had 21.

    The Hornets lost Brandon Miller in the first half to left shoulder soreness. Miller grabbed his shoulder in pain and ran to the locker room after he was hurt on a play in the second quarter. He scored four points in nine minutes.

    The Hornets led by 10 points at the end of the third quarter and blew the lead even with Embiid out of the game in the final frame. Embiid is still on his minutes restriction as he returns from knee surgery. He used up his 20 allotted minutes by the end of the third quarter.

    Embiid scored four points on 1-of-9 shooting against Boston and did not play the final 9-plus minutes as Maxey and Edgecombe led them to victory. The 2023 NBA MVP and a two-time league scoring champion, Embiid was limited to 19 games last season because of a sprained left foot, a sinus fracture and arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

    Against the Hornets, Embiid hit a trio of three-pointers and scored 16 points in the first half and showed — while his return to true All-Star form may take time — he’s still going to be the difference-maker for a Sixers team that has never been close to as good without him as they are with the 7-footer.

  • Spring-Ford alum Matt Zollers nearly lifts No. 15 Missouri to win against No. 10 Vanderbilt

    Spring-Ford alum Matt Zollers nearly lifts No. 15 Missouri to win against No. 10 Vanderbilt

    Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula dislocated his left ankle and will have an MRI exam Sunday, coach Eli Drinkwitz said Saturday after the No. 15-ranked Tigers’ 17-10 loss to No. 10 Vanderbilt.

    Following the injury, the Tigers turned to freshman Matt Zollers. Zollers entered the game having completed all six of his pass attempts for a total of just 40 yards and a touchdown. He also has a rushing touchdown this season.

    The former Spring-Ford standout gave Missouri a chance until time expired, throwing a 6-yard TD pass to Jude James, tying the game at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter. Zoller moved the Tigers down the field and connected with Kevin Coleman Jr. for a 36-yard pass as time expired, only to have the receiver ruled on review short of the goal line.

    Zollers would finish 14 of 23 for 138 yards passing.

    As for Pribula, the former Penn State quarterback, Drinkwitz said he didn’t have any broken bones but needed his ankle popped back into joint.

    “Don’t have a timetable for his return, but it could be a while,” Drinkwitz said.

    Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula is driven off the field after being injured during the second half of the Tigers’ game against Vanderbilt on Saturday.

    Pribula was hurt early in the third quarter, running out of the shotgun on fourth-and-goal at the Vanderbilt 2. Miles Capers and Bryan Longwell stopped Pribula after a 1-yard gain with 11 minutes, 15 seconds left in the third quarter. One defender landed on Pribula’s ankle as he was folded backward from defenders coming the other direction.

    The quarterback didn’t get up, and trainers quickly brought a bag out and placed an air cast over his left ankle. Then he was put on a cart and taken for further treatment.

    “He’s a guy that’s been such a playmaker for them, and outside of defending him was so much fun to watch on film,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. ”And so we just hope for the best prognosis, and speedy recovery.”

  • A two-TD day from Luke Colella highlights Villanova’s win against Albany on homecoming weekend

    A two-TD day from Luke Colella highlights Villanova’s win against Albany on homecoming weekend

    A second-half surge propelled Villanova to a 29-16 homecoming weekend defeat against Albany.

    The Wildcats’ win against Albany marked their 20th consecutive victory at Villanova Stadium and the fifth straight win this season. Villanova (6-2, 5-1 Coastal Athletic Association) had a slow first half offensively, settling for two field goals in the red zone. Villanova’s defense held Albany (1-7, 0-4) at bay despite allowing a touchdown on the first Great Dane drive.

    “If I had the answer to that one, I would bottle it up and take it on the road with us,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said when asked about the home win streak. “It’s great. These guys love playing at home. The environment today was great. The Wildcat Walk was probably the best one we’ve had so far this year, with everyone in the back there. Whatever the record is or the streak is, it is what it is.”

    Villanova wide receiver Luke Colella (1) scores one of his two touchdowns against Albany on Saturday.

    David Avit had five consecutive rushes on a second-quarter drive, with the final run for Villanova’s running back resulting in a touchdown. Avit finished the game with 89 rushing yards on 20 attempts.

    The passing game found its rhythm in the second half. Pat McQuaide finished the game with 203 passing yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats’ quarterback completed 15 of his 22 passing attempts (68%).

    Penn drops its first Ivy League loss against Yale as penalties and turnovers take over

    Villanova totaled 256 yards of total offense. Graduate Luke Colella led all receivers with 107 receiving yards, hauling in six passes and two touchdowns.

    Defense wins games

    Villanova’s defense has been rolling through the last four games, and on Saturday held Albany to a season-low 154 yards of total offense.

    Despite allowing Albany to score on its opening drive, the Great Danes did not find the end zone again. It was one of Albany’s two trips to the red zone.

    “I think that after that first drive, you know, a lot of times it takes a little bit of settling in,” graduate linebacker Shane Hartzell said. “Some of these offenses have scripted drives and stuff and whatnot. So I think it just takes a little bit to get a feel of what we’re going up against. And after that, we were able to settle in there.”

    Hartzell totaled a team-high eight tackles, two sacks, and two pass breakups. He currently leads Villanova this season with 49 total tackles (30 solo) and 4.5 sacks.

    In the first half, the Wildcats limited the Great Danes to three first downs and 55 yards of total offense.

    Over Villanova’s last four games, the defense has allowed just 976 yards of total offense and 58 total points.

    Villanova defensive lineman Ayden Howard (91) falls on an Albany fumble in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game.

    The duo keeps rolling

    The connection between Villanova quarterback and receiver Luke Colella continued against Albany.

    Colella hauled in two touchdown passes from McQuaide. One was off a 37-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to stretch Villanova’s lead to double digits. Like clockwork, Colella was wide open as he neared the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown pass from McQuaide in the fourth quarter.

    McQuaide has connected with Colella on 35% of his total completions.

    “We all live right in the same hallway,” Colella said. “So spending time with them every day is awesome. And making this connection has been super fun so far.”

    Colella now has five games with 100-plus receiving yards. He has totalled 737 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season, averaging 91 yards per game.

    Villanova’s Pat McQuaide and Luke Colella have formed instant chemistry on a tight-knit team

    Slow start, strong finish

    In the first half, Villanova was 1-for-7 on third downs and 1-of-3 on fourth down conversions.

    The Wildcats managed to get on the board with a touchdown, but settled for field goals on two red zone trips. Villanova entered the half with 111 total offensive yards.

    “It looked like [Albany’s] D-line was pinning their ears back and kind of beating us off the ball a little bit,” Ferrante said. “And they were bringing a lot of pressure. They were bringing linebackers and safeties. They were loading the box to stop the run, which they did a pretty good job at. We’ve just got to play more consistently.”

    Villanova scored touchdowns on two second-half drives that lasted a total of four plays.

    Up next…

    Villanova heads into a bye week before a return to action on the road against Towson (3-5, 1-3) on Nov. 8 (1 p.m., FloSports). Last season, the Wildcats defeated the Tigers, 14-13, at home and currently hold a 12-7 all-time series lead.

  • Against Yale, Penn suffers its first Ivy League loss, as penalties and turnovers take over

    Against Yale, Penn suffers its first Ivy League loss, as penalties and turnovers take over

    Penn’s offense sputtered and stalled in New Haven, Conn., and with it went the Quakers’ unbeaten Ivy League run.

    A pair of turnovers and missed chances doomed Penn in a 35-13 loss to Yale on Saturday, the team’s first conference defeat of the season.

    Penn (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) repeatedly hurt itself with penalties and failed conversions and struggled to finish drives despite controlling the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Quakers scored fewer than 24 points for the first time this season.

    Yale (4-2, 2-1 Ivy) capitalized on nearly every opportunity. Quarterback Dante Reno threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Josh Pitsenberger powered the Bulldogs’ ground game with 149 yards and a score as they cruised to their third straight win.

    Penn quarterback Liam O’Brien threw for 220 yards and a touchdown.

    “We had too many undisciplined problems with the penalties,” Penn coach Ray Priore said. “It’s just some missed things that our kids wouldn’t have normally done.”

    Self-inflicted wounds

    The Quakers entered the game second in the Ivy League in penalties committed, and their mistakes finally caught up to them, starting from their first offensive drive.

    Following a recovered fumble by linebacker John Lista to give Penn possession in the red zone, an illegal formation penalty killed the momentum and forced a field goal.

    “We got to convert that,” Priore said. “That’s got to be seven points. That’s one of our mottos.”

    Yale responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by Nico Brown to close the first quarter, then took control after two second-quarter fumbles by O’Brien. The first was recovered and returned for a score by Yale defensive end Abu Kamara, an Interboro High School graduate.

    The Quakers trailed, 28-10, at halftime and continued to struggle.

    They finished with two turnovers, 110 penalty yards, and just one scoring drive, despite the defense forcing two turnovers and multiple three-and-outs.

    “We put our defense in tough situations early,” Priore said. “ … When you win, you win as a team, when you lose, you lose as a team.”

    Missing the ‘Juice’

    Julien “Juice” Stokes, Penn’s leading rusher and the national leader in punt return yards, could be out for the season after suffering a broken fibula against Columbia, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

    Looking to make up for Stokes’ absence, offensive coordinator Greg Chimera relied on O’Brien, who finished with 22 rushing attempts for 45 yards.

    Despite mixing in star receiver Jared Richardson in the backfield alongside backup running back Donte West, Penn’s rushing attack never found traction, averaging just 2.8 yards on 33 carries, though it outrushed Yale, 202-92.

    Penn shakes off a tough start against Columbia to remain undefeated in Ivy play

    “I think we know we can play a lot better football than that,” Priore said regarding the run game. “We have to learn from this, take every game as a learning experience.”

    On special teams, Stokes was equally missed.

    Cornerback Jayden Drayton took over kickoff and punt returns but couldn’t match Stokes’ production and fumbled to start the third quarter.

    Around the league

    Harvard (6-0, 3-0) dominated Princeton (3-3, 2-1), 35-14, to take sole possession of first place in the Ivy League through three games.

    The Crimson were ranked 17th in the FCS entering Saturday’s matchup and led the Ivy League in total offense, total defense, scoring offense, and scoring defense.

    Penn finds is a four-way tie for second place.

    Up next

    Penn will host Brown (3-3, 0-3), which lost to Cornell (2-4, 1-2) in overtime, 30-24, on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+) at Franklin Field.

  • Trevor Zegras propels the Flyers’ comeback to win it in a shootout over the Islanders

    Trevor Zegras propels the Flyers’ comeback to win it in a shootout over the Islanders

    It was a New York State of Mind for the hometown team on Saturday.

    Backed by a pair of goals from New York native Trevor Zegras, who also scored a shootout goal, the Flyers clawed back and skated away with a 4-3 win against the visiting New York Islanders.

    Matvei Michkov beat countryman Ilya Sorokin in the shootout, and Sam Ersson stopped Anthony Duclair to give the Orange and Black their fourth win in the past six games.

    Big Shot

    Trailing 2-0, the third line of Christian Dvorak, Zegras, and Michkov single-handedly tied things for Philly.

    Dvorak made it 2-1 with his second of the season with 9 minutes, 31 seconds left in the second period. Michkov and the center twice had a give-and-go, first in the neutral zone and then once again when the blue line was gained.

    Michkov got the puck right up against the left boards and, as Dvorak sneaked behind the Islanders’ defense, the Russian winger fed Zegras across the ice at the right point. Zegras waited to hit Dvorak as he cut across the crease, and the center scored on the backhand.

    New Flyers goaltender Dan Vladař is looking like a shrewd signing amid an impressive start

    And then came the big moment: Zegras’ first goal with the Flyers.

    Dvorak carried the puck into the offensive zone, and although Islanders defenseman Marshall Warren poke checked him, it went up and off the arm of Dvorak, who corralled the puck at the goal line.

    While doing so, he also drew two Islanders with him, Warren and former Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo, giving Zegras the time to accept the pass, pause, and beat Sorokin top corner.

    Dvorak said he had seen Zegras out of the corner of his eye but also heard him yell for the puck.

    “I always call for the puck,” Zegras said, jokingly. “I might not even be open, but I probably scream for it. Just happy he found me on that one though.”

    Turn the Lights Back On

    The Flyers have two power-play units. But is the one with Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, and Zegras the second unit? Or is it the one with Michkov, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Jamie Drysdale, and Owen Tippett?

    “I’m not sure who is first or second right now,” coach Rick Tocchet said postgame. “You can say two, but I don’t know yet. It’s one and one right now.”

    That’s a fair assessment, considering how much better the Cates unit has looked. While the other unit started the first two-man advantages, the Cates unit started the third power play of the day — and it worked.

    Zegras got his second goal of the game — his first multigoal game since Jan. 7, 2024, when he was with Anaheim — as he put a rebound shot on Sorokin. Bobby Brink had turned and fired off a good shot from the right face-off circle that the Islanders’ goalie stopped before Zegras’ shot led to a mad scramble in front.

    Owen Tippett is setting the tempo for the Flyers, both on the ice and with the aux cord

    It took a few seconds, but the puck crossed the goal line with Cates giving it an extra push after it was in to confirm it tied the game at 3.

    As Tocchet said, they took the information assistant coaches Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský and Jay Varady provided before they went out and applied it.

    “They do apply a lot of stuff that we say,” he said of the Cates line.

    “Just kind of good for us to crash the net,” Cates added. “I think we want these pretty plays, but we see it day in and day out in the NHL, that you just get it to the net, get guys there, outnumber them, especially on the power play, it’s going to go in.”

    On the flip side, the Couturier unit struggled again as the Islanders got better looks and a goal. Simon Holmström gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead with a short-handed tally 39 seconds into the Flyers’ first power play of the day.

    Set up in the offensive zone, they had Drysdale at the point, Michkov in the right face-off circle, and Tippett in the slot as the bumper.

    Tippett had some time in the bumper, and there was an open lane for a few seconds, but by the time Michkov tried, it was closed as two guys jumped on Tippett.

    Matvei Michkov (stick raised in the right face-off circle) did have an open lane, but a small delay in his delivery to Owen Tippett — and thus giving away his plan — saw the lane close quickly.
    The lane closed as New York Islanders forwards Simon Holmström and Jean-Gabriel Pageau were able to check Tippett and create a turnover.

    Holmström, who is a lefty, was easily able to knock the puck away from Tippett, a right-handed shot. It appeared the red-hot Tippett was looking to shoot instead of drawing two players in and bumping the puck back to Michkov to open even more space.

    The Swedish winger got the puck and passed it to Jean-Gabriel Pageau, breaking out two-on-one. Drysdale overcommitted slightly to the puck carrier, Pageau, as Couturier tried to catch up with Holmström. Both Flyers went to Holmström after he got the puck back, but he was a stride ahead and beat his countryman, Ersson stick side.

    On the Flyers’ second power play of the day — and with the Couturier unit on the ice — Adam Pelech rang one off the post after a Konecny giveaway in the Flyers’ zone.

    The Flyers’ power play is now at 16% effectiveness, with four goals in 25 opportunities.

    Flyers’ Travis Konecny happy to get on the board and put an end to the ‘snakebit’ questions

    Keeping the Faith

    Making his third start of the season, and first appearance since Oct. 16, a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Ersson made 23 saves on 26 shots for his first win of the season.

    “His attitude was unreal all week. Practicing hard. He’s with [goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh] and never complained,” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to give him credit. It was a [heck] of a save on Duclair at the end [in the shootout]. So, give him a lot of credit. Great attitude.”

    In the first period, he faced just four, 13 in the middle frame, and five in the third. Not an easy task for a goalie who likes shots but hasn’t seen game action in a while.

    “I’ve got to try to stay ready as best as I can; obviously, it’s hard sometimes,” Ersson said. “But I’m looking to stay involved in the game, play pucks, do something to stay attached to the game mentally. So, yeah, it’s just another challenge [and] you’ve got to find a way to deal with it.”

    Ersson allowed one goal in each period, but the one in the second period, the Swede had no chance.

    Defenseman Noah Juulsen tried to go D-to-D with Drysdale behind the net, but the puck hit the skate of the referee. Duclair tracked it down and tried to feed Anders Lee in front; however, he was tied up by two Flyers — one being Juulsen.

    The puck sprung loose to Warren, a Long Island kid making his NHL debut, who put the puck through the crease to Duclair sitting wide open at the right post for the easy goal.

    Warren then helped the Islanders take a 3-2 lead less than 3 minutes after Zegras’ tying goal, when his low point shot was deflected up and over Ersson by Maxim Tsyplakov for his first NHL goal.

    Then Ersson locked things down.

    With the game tied, Tippett was tugged off the puck by Bo Horvat, allowing him to skate in on a two-on-one with Drysdale the only Flyer back. Horvat fed Jonathan Drouin for the quick shot, and Ersson made a diving blocker save.

    But, Ersson saved his best save of the night for overtime, robbing Horvat on a sure goal. After the puck was carried back in by the bodies of Horvat and Cam York, Drouin picked it, and the Islanders’ forwards had a short two-on-one as Horvat got past York. Drouin fed the former Vancouver Canuck — he crossed paths with Tocchet for a week — and was absolutely robbed by the glove of Ersson.

    “He bailed us out a handful of times,” Dvorak said. “Played great, couple of big saves there in the third, and the overtime was unbelievable. We couldn’t believe he saved that on the bench there. So it was a big goal and got us a win.”

    “Just, Erss is back,” a grinning Cates said when asked what he thought about watching that save. “When he’s confident, he’s so good, and that’s a huge game for him.”

    Breakaways

    Flyers prospect Spencer Gill suffered an upper-body injury and could miss 12-15 weeks. The Flyers are still trying to determine whether the defenseman needs surgery or if he can rehab the injury. … The only change among the skaters was swapping defenseman Adam Ginning in for Egor Zamula on the third pair. … Forward Garnet Hathaway had five hits and dropped the gloves with Scott Mayfield, leaving the Islander bloodied on his forehead. In the third period, Rodrigo Ābols also fought Kyle MacLean, the son of former New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers forward John MacLean, for his first NHL fight. The line of Ābols, Hathaway, and Nikita Grebenkin ended up in the box together, with the latter two getting coincidental minor penalties.

    Up next

    The Flyers are off on Sunday and will practice at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. They take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. It kicks off ESPN’s Frozen Frenzy triple header with puck drop at 6 p.m.

  • Why Saquon Barkley has struggled, and why the Eagles are optimistic for a break out vs. the Giants

    Why Saquon Barkley has struggled, and why the Eagles are optimistic for a break out vs. the Giants

    When the Eagles and Giants squared off in Week 6, Saquon Barkley rushed for his third-highest total of the season.

    He finished with a meager 58 yards, which tells you a lot about how Barkley’s second year in Philadelphia has gone.

    Barkley has been held below 100 yards on the ground in each of the Eagles’ seven games. Through his first seven games in 2024, he rushed for an average of 109.4 yards, more than double his average of 52.7 in 2025.

    Despite the dip in production, there is a sense of optimism in the NovaCare Complex that Barkley could be close to breaking out, as a rematch with his former squad looms Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

    Jeff McLane’s keys to Eagles vs. Giants in Week 8: What you need to know and a prediction

    Much of the hope comes from the Eagles’ offensive performance last weekend in Minnesota, where the passing attack erupted behind an under-center, play-action flavored game plan.

    The wrinkle wasn’t revolutionary, but it did give the Eagles a new look.

    “It’s going to be fun or interesting to see how teams play us now,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata. “We can go under center and pass the ball, we can go under center and run the ball, so it’s going to be fun. I hope [opponents] respect one or the other. They have to now.”

    Why have Barkley and the run game struggled so much?

    First, defenses are playing them differently this year.

    It’s been obvious live and on film that the Eagles are getting fewer lighter boxes to run into. Last year, the Eagles faced a light box 44.9% of the time, which ranked 15th in the NFL.

    This year, there’s been a 20% decrease to 36.8%, which ranks 29th.

    It’s a numbers game the Eagles are losing, particularly when it comes to their preferred zone blocking scheme — especially when defenses have five- and six-man fronts.

    “When you go against a six-man front, now it’s one-on-one everywhere, and then there’s a guy sitting back there for the running back that’s unblocked,” said left guard Landon Dickerson.

    Expecting all five offensive lineman to win their one-on-ones is a tough ask, and, in some cases, tight ends or a sixth offensive lineman are acting as a tight end.

    One way to counter a heavy front is with gap scheme runs.

    On a very rudimentary level, gap scheme runs, unlike zone runs, have pullers: an offensive lineman pulling as the lead blocker. These types of plays were responsible for some of Barkley’s most explosive rushes last year.

    Eagles vs. Giants: Everything you need to know about Sunday’s rematch at the Linc

    In gap schemes, the blocks are designed for a specific gap. In zone runs, the linemen block zones and work to the second level to create multiple lanes that the running back can choose to run through.

    “I think zone, it’s pretty simple,” said Mailata. “If the play is an inside zone left, you’re stepping to an inside zone to your left.”

    The inside zone run can come in many forms and has been a staple of offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s run scheme since he first arrived in Philadelphia in 2013. Every team runs it, but he may teach it better than anyone.

    The Eagles, however, are having a hard time executing it this year because of the heavier boxes they’re facing and more five- and six-man fronts, and also because defensive coordinators are coming up with exotic strategies to slow the inside zone run down.

    By running into bad looks on early downs, the Eagles haven’t done themselves any favors. It has burdened the line, forced Barkley to cut away from the flow of the blocking, and instead made him try to beat defenders on his own.

    Brett Toth with teammates Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata at the line against the Vikings on Oct. 19.

    This chain reaction is essentially what happened last Sunday when the Vikings defense, after the Eagles enjoyed modest success in the run early, adjusted on the Eagles’ third drive and started stacking the line.

    The Eagles, however, had a counter of their own. Even though their initial production on the ground diminished, it still served a means to an end.

    They came into their matchup with the Vikings wanting to establish under-center runs so that they could eventually use play-action passes downfield. It’s an obvious way to beat stacked boxes — to keep linebackers and safeties from cheating to stop the run.

    The Eagles didn’t do much of it through the first six weeks of the season, but right tackle Lane Johnson, along with fellow linemen Dickerson and Mailata, advocated for more under-center plays during the mini-bye that followed the Eagles’ loss to the Giants on Oct. 9.

    “It’s really beneficial for us,” Mailata said. “It’s just protecting our C.Y.A. — cover your [butt]. That’s the way I see it. There’s so much potential. You don’t know if it’s a pass, if it’s a run, if it’s a play-action.”

    Eagles WR DeVonta Smith’s toughness outweighs his undersized frame: ‘He’s small in stature, but he plays big’

    Jalen Hurts said after the Vikings game that he also recommended more under-center plays.

    Through the Eagles’ first six games, he was under center only 14% of the time, throwing out of it only once.

    In Minnesota, the Eagles were under center 41% and threw out of it four times. Hurts completed those passes for 121 yards, including the 79-yard touchdown pass to receiver DeVonta Smith that opened the second half.

    “I think, conceptually, there’s a way to do quarterback run game from under center,” said Hurts, who usually ranks in the top five in the NFL in shotgun or pistol plays. “It’s just a matter where we are creatively, in what positions we put ourselves in.

    “Not to get too much into schemes, it’s just more so how we choose to attack a team that week, and the level of execution that week.”

    With receiver A.J. Brown (hamstring) already ruled out this Sunday, the Eagles will be down a key playmaker.

    Barkley, who’s averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and ranks 36th out of 40 qualifying running backs with the expected points added number of -22.3, doesn’t want to hear about defenses focusing their efforts on him.

    Barkley leaps past Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy in the fourth quarter on Oct. 19.

    “No, I don’t, I don’t agree with that,” said Barkley, cutting off a reporter who asked about the premise.

    He said he was brought here to make plays, and right now, he’s not giving the Eagles enough of them.

    “I’m taking too many negative runs, and I own that. It’s not because I rushed for 2,000 yards last year. I hate that narrative. We just had a different attitude, had a different mindset.”

    Barkley already has 21 negative-yard runs this year, accounting for 18.6% of his 113 carries — nearly double his percentage from last season.

    Barkley said after the Eagles’ 28-22 victory in Minnesota, the bottom line matters more to him than rushing numbers.

    “Am I satisfied? No. We’ve got a lot of room to improve, but it’s good to get a win in a tough environment.”

    There were a lot of questions about Barkley’s workload this season following the near-500 total touches he had in 2024.

    There’s also the matter of his age. Barkley turned 28 in February. While that number is young for most, it’s around the time that running backs often start to decline.

    Eagles vs. Giants predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 8

    According to the NFL’s NextGen Stats, Barkley’s rushing yards-over-expected, an advanced metric that measures how many more yards a player gains than expected, is -0.1. Last year, the mark was a superlative +1.6.

    He’s also seen his average yards after contact drop from 3.4 to 2.8, and he’s averaging about three fewer touches per game in the regular season (a decline that could be related more to the run game’s ineffectiveness than the Eagles’ taking a decided approach to reducing Barkley’s carries).

    Despite the decrease in his raw numbers and advanced analytics, Barkley still looks explosive and elusive enough on film.

    “You guys see somebody different?,” Dickerson said. “He looks the same to me. I don’t think somebody killed him and started dressing up as him.”

    Eagles coach Nick Sirianni refused to buy into Barkley’s own claim that the run game starts and ends with him.

    “It’s on all of us,” Sirianni said. “We’re working like crazy to figure it out, and I think we’ve had some good thoughts. Now, we got to go put it to work.”

  • Jay Sugarman wants the Union to get more respect, and knows winning MLS Cup will make that happen

    Jay Sugarman wants the Union to get more respect, and knows winning MLS Cup will make that happen

    NEW YORK — Here’s something that Union principal owner Jay Sugarman has in common with his team’s fans.

    He, too, has spent much of this year seeing Lionel Messi, Son Heung-Min, and Thomas Müller dominate the headlines, even though his team topped them all in the standings.

    And he, like those fans — well, let’s keep things polite in the C-suite — would like to see the spotlight spread out a little more.

    “Any press for MLS, I’m good with,” he said. “Messi’s been fantastic for this league. Son’s been fantastic, Müller’s fantastic. We don’t want to take away their press. We just want more coverage for a different kind of story.”

    So Sugarman decided to put himself out there this week. The Union invited a group of media outlets, including The Inquirer, to MLS headquarters, and Sugarman held court, as he spent an hour talking about the success of his team.

    Jakob Glesnes (left) and the Union could see Lionel Messi and Inter Miami again in the playoffs.

    “We’ve got to show it on the field,” he said. “But so far the results, you know, I think are worthy of people paying attention. And saying, whether it’s a player or a fan: ‘Hey, I kind of like that team. They work really hard, they don’t ever give up, they’re a tough team in a tough city, and they bring it every game.’”

    Sugarman praised manager Bradley Carnell’s work this year, and Ernst Tanner’s work over many years. He praised the players for their feats and the culture they’ve all built together.

    Bradley Carnell gets to celebrate the Union’s success for himself, too

    He laid out a series of impressive statistics: the fewest goals conceded this year, and the most total shots taken, corner kicks won, tackles, interceptions, and counter-press regains — those moments when high-pressing forces turnovers.

    “It was a bit eye-opening to see how many categories we could track to say, when does a defense become offense?” Sugarman said of conversations he had with Tanner about this very subject.

    Bradley Carnell (right) helped the Union win the Supporters’ Shield in his first year as the team’s manager.

    This all came as the Union recorded the league’s worst pass completion percentage, the lowest number of touches in their own half, and the second-lowest number of one-on-one take-ons. But they also had the most goals scored from crosses.

    A surprising admission

    Sugarman then ran all this through the eye test.

    “It means we’re putting the ball in places where the defense has to put it out of play — that’s their best choice,” he said. “But where we do pass to, where we do touch the ball, is usually pretty dangerous, and it leads to dangerous things, crosses, shots, corner kicks, throw-ins deep. Anything in that deep attacking zone, I think Ernst would tell you, is a good place to be.”

    The Union clinched their second Supporters’ Shield thanks to three key veterans

    Then he offered something that many outsiders have felt instinctively, but might have never expected the team to admit.

    “We don’t rely so much on guys creating their own shot,” Sugarman said. “We don’t expect people to dribble through defenders. … We’re not about individual moments of brilliance breaking down a defense. But we will get into dangerous places, and our team working together will create opportunities.”

    Kai Wagner (left) and Tai Baribo are some of the players who most symbolize the Union’s direct style.

    The payoff for all of this has come in the statistics that matter most.

    The Union have totaled the most standings points of any team in the league since 2020, and the second-highest total since Tanner’s first full year in 2019. They’ve won two Supporters’ Shields for the league’s best regular-season record, made the playoffs every year but one along the way, reached two conference finals, and came a breath from winning it all in 2022.

    Why it mattered so much that the Union clinched the Supporters’ Shield before their regular-season finale

    Sugarman believes in an organizational philosophy of continuous improvement, and there has been a lot in recent times. He also knows as well as anyone that the hardest part of improvement in sports is the last part.

    So here came, and not for the first time, a moment when something spontaneous he said made the biggest impact.

    Jay Sugarman was in a celebratory mood when the Union won their second Supporters’ Shield earlier this month.

    A reporter from a sports business publication asked Sugarman how the team’s success on the field has translated to the team’s bank accounts.

    “It’s a lot more fun to be part of a successful club,” he said to start his answer. “So we know that’s a helpful part of the conversation with sponsors and fans.”

    The Union’s Frankie Westfield was one of the U.S.’ breakout players at the FIFA under-20 World Cup

    The rest had nothing to do with spreadsheets.

    “The one thing” missing

    “Our goal right now is to win a [MLS] Cup,” he said. “You can feel it in the players, you can feel it in the coaching staff, you can feel it at the ownership level. It feels like the one thing we haven’t quite gotten our hands on.”

    Jakob Glesnes (center) is one of the players still left from the 2022 Union team that came so close to winning the MLS Cup final.

    Now the heart of the matter was truly on the table. For as much as this year has been better than expected, there’s been real pressure on the Union to turn these many years of success into trophies.

    It’s why there have been stern demands to win a U.S. Open Cup. It’s why, once that quest failed this year, the pressure skyrocketed to win the Supporters’ Shield.

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    It’s why the air was so thick as kickoff approached on the night they clinched it, earlier this month against New York City FC. And it’s why there was such an explosion of joy around Subaru Park when that final whistle blew.

    “Everybody knows this is the best sports town, maybe the toughest sports town,” Sugarman said. “We said, maybe our MLS tagline should be ‘the toughest team in the toughest city with the toughest fans.’ They want, they demand, success — we knew that going in. So we can’t deliver anything less than that for them.”

    The Union will play all but one of their playoff games this year at Subaru Park.

    He was still willing to defend his long-term vision for reaching success, even as he knew those same fans want it faster. But that’s for another moment.

    This moment — this month, this week, this Sunday evening playoff opener against the Chicago Fire at Subaru Park (5:55 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes, and Apple TV) — is about right now.

    “It’s great that we’re going to be at home. Our fans are going to give us that extra 10%,” Sugarman said. “I think this is the year that everybody feels like we need to do everything we can.”

    He caught himself for a breath, but not much more.

    “It’s hard to put the kind of pressure on to say we must do it,” he said, “but this feels like the moment where — I’ve watched the joy on this team when they win. It is infectious. When they get rolling, I think it’s going to be hard to stop this.”

    Now to see if that really happens.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Union soccer right here!
  • South Philly’s scrappy gymnastics team wants to win gold — but can’t afford new leotards

    South Philly’s scrappy gymnastics team wants to win gold — but can’t afford new leotards

    Cherokee Guido swung her legs and hips vertically above the lower uneven bar at Vare Recreation Center one recent evening as her coach steadied her. Guido had once mastered this handstand but lost it during a few months off. She wanted it back.

    “I can’t be afraid to fall,” Guido, 19, coached herself out loud. Behind her hung a sign with rainbow borders: The way you speak to yourself matters.

    Over the years, young gymnasts like Guido and their Vare coaches have learned to talk themselves to victory, first when they were practicing in a crumbling rec building before COVID, then when they were trekking from South Philadelphia to Brewerytown’s Athletic Recreation Center while Vare underwent renovations. They had gotten used to tumbling on mats that slipped around, without a regulation spring floor. They learned to train their minds as much as their bodies.

    Throughout practice, the girls cheer each other on across the gym, quick to compliment teammates they say are more like sisters.

    “Nice, Laila!” Ariah Buzzetto, 10, called out to her friend Laila Godfrey, 12, across the floor.

    “How you practice is how you compete. If you practice lazy, then you’re going to compete lazy,” said 12-year-old Meela Muhammad, sounding very much like an inspirational poster.

    Notes written by 9-year-old Alessia Samson during practice.

    Now, training in a new, state-of-the-art, 4,900-square-foot gym at the renovated Vare, which reopened in November 2024, the gymnasts have come a long way — but they’re still competing against private-club teams with sleek, matching uniforms who are better funded, and often better prepared for high-pressure USA Gymnastics (USAG) competitions.

    “They have a lot more, bigger skills,” Guido said of their rivals. “At first, for me, I felt like how you go to a ball, you feel underdressed.”

    Guido, for example, still wears an older purple leotard because she couldn’t afford a new one, while the rest of her team wears blue.

    Head coach Kristin Smerker and Cherokee Guido, 19, laugh while working on the uneven bars during team practice.

    Now, Vare Gymnastics is trying to raise at least $6,000 as soon as possible through a GoFundMe for new jackets and gym bags for this year’s competition season, which begins with the Liberty Cup, a December USAG meet at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

    If they don’t raise the money, they won’t be able to purchase full uniform sets. The team is also hoping to put some of the money toward financial aid for spring meets; most meets fill up by the end of the fall, and without the funds to enter, some girls won’t be able to attend.

    USAG is the national governing body for gymnasts; the Vare Rec team competes in Xcel, a program that offers more accessible competitions than the parallel track that funnels athletes to world competitions and the Olympics. There are only two other city rec centers in Philly that compete in USAG competitions: Kendrick Recreation Center in Roxborough and the Water Tower Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill.

    From left, Cherokee Guido, 19, and Alessia Samson, 9, train on the balance beam during team practice.

    Though Xcel is supposed to be more affordable, gymnastics is expensive: Entrance fees and uniforms cost hundreds of dollars per child, plus tuition for practice. At $100 per semester, Vare’s rate is far less than at those private gyms, but many parents still struggle to pay.

    Marie McBreen, 42, has two daughters in the program. Her oldest enrolled 10 years ago after McBreen begged the coaches for three weeks to find her a spot. She’s seen how positive the team is for them: It has boosted their confidence and they’ve made close friends. But this year, with two kids in the program, she can’t afford to send both to all the competitions.

    “Most of us don’t have a whole lot of money. You do the fundraiser to help so they don’t have to miss out,” McBreen said.

    Head coach Kristin Smerker is not sure whether the team will raise enough in time.

    “Every club has a whole getup. And we don’t. We’re getting whatever we can,” Smerker said. “You can still compete, but they just don’t feel good about it … They’re so talented and they deserve better.”

    Smerker is a Northeast native, an encouraging, pump-you-up kind of coach prone to wearing black leggings and mismatched grip socks at daily practice. She built the program from the ground up, starting in 1998 with two floor mats she had begged from nearby gyms.

    Nearly 30 years later, Vare Gymnastics has 130 participants, plus a nine-page waiting list. In 2013, the team joined USAG. Alongside Smerker, the team has a beam coach and also a floor coach, Smerker’s sister. In 2017, Smerker brought the team to a USAG meet and lamented to the other coaches that the girls didn’t have a permanent building and were shuttling all over the city for practice.

    “Our team won first place,” she said, laughing. “Our kids have heart.”

    Head coach Kristin Smerker guides Ariah Buzzetto, 10, during practice.
    Alessia Samson, 9, (left) and Cherokee Guido, 19, (right) are guided by beam coach Natasha Rogers (middle) as Ariah Buzzetto, 10, looks on.

    Guido has been practicing gymnastics at Vare since she was 2 years old, and is among the best at the gym. Last year she graduated from high school and technically from Vare, but she is now back working on her skills.

    “I love it already!” she called to her teammate Suadaa “Susu” Muhammad, as Susu debuted her new floor routine.

    Along with team captain Elianna Olsen, Muhammad and Guido call themselves the “OG gymnasts” because they’ve been at Vare the longest.

    Perhaps like many young gymnasts, Muhammad, 19, started with enormous dreams.

    In the beginning, she said, “I thought I was gonna be bigger than Simone Biles.”

    These days, she fits practice in three times a week, alongside radiology classes in her freshman year at the Community College of Philadelphia, and a night job pushing wheelchairs at the airport. She was also just hired as a coach for the Vare team. In her own training, she’s focused on her round off back handspring back tuck for her floor routine, trying to get it ready for December’s meet.

    “Some coaches say to our coaches, ‘Oh, wow, you’re from a rec center? I’m surprised your girls are doing this good,’” Muhammad said.

    South Philly’s Vare Gymnastics Team is the subject of the short documentary “Underdogs,” which is executive produced by former Philadelphia Eagles Connor Barwin and Jason Kelce.

    In the early years, Muhammad used to get points deducted at meets for wearing her headscarf, she said; the judges considered it in the same category as jewelry and nail polish, which are prohibited. Her family and coaches wrote letters to USAG, and the rule was changed, Smerker said.

    This year, Smerker wants the girls to be wearing their matching uniforms when they walk out to meet their rivals.

    “I want them to walk in there and feel proud of themselves and feel confident,” she said. “It’s important to them and important to me to do everything to make it happen.”