MANCHESTER — It doesn’t beat reaching the Little League World Series, but winning a state championship ranks just behind that experience, Mason DeVall said.

DeVall pitched the final three innings for the Trinity High School baseball team in its 11-4 victory over Londonderry in Saturday night’s NHIAA Division I final at Delta Dental Stadium.

The junior from Hooksett struck out Londonderry senior Brody Labbe to end the game, securing Trinity’s first state title since 1992.

DeVall, who was part of North Manchester Hooksett Little League’s 2021 World Series team, allowed two earned runs on five hits and hit one batter alongside four strikeouts.

“It was a very special group that we had together,” DeVall said of this year’s Trinity team. “We just capitalized when we could and did the best we could.”

A junior righty, DeVall went to Londonderry for his freshman year and played that spring for the Lancers before transferring to Trinity. This was his first time playing against his former team.

The sixth-seeded Lancers (17-7) trimmed top-seeded Trinity’s lead to 5-3 by scoring a run on DeVall in the fifth inning. DeVall then held them off the scoreboard until the final innings, after the Pioneers (21-1) had built an 11-3 lead.

DeVall, who also pitched in relief in Trinity’s 6-2 semifinal win over Timberlane, said it helped knowing his former Londonderry teammates’ tendencies at the plate.

“He wanted the ball,” fourth-year Pioneers coach Matt Bouchard said of DeVall. “We had everyone available. Our plan was to get (starter) Brady (Sirois) into the fifth and then see what happened. ...He just got it done.”

Sirois, a senior righty, allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over four innings.

The Lancers, who collected 11 hits, stranded four baserunners over the final three innings.

“We just didn’t get those hits keyed together and that’s unfortunate,” Londonderry coach Brent Demas said.

Trinity jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-run first inning, added two runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead and blew the game open with six runs over the fifth and sixth innings.

Tristian Lucier opened the game’s scoring with an RBI single to center field and scored on senior Aiden Harris’s single up the middle. Harris and Chris Centerino both scored on a wild pitch to build a 4-0 Trinity advantage.

Lucier’s twin brother, Cal, capped the inning’s scoring with a one-out sacrifice fly.

Centerino’s two-run double to deep left field highlighted the Pioneers’ four-run sixth. The junior also led off Trinity’s two-run fifth inning with a double into the right-center field gap before scoring on an error.

The Pioneers, who had 12 hits in their first state final since 2007, averaged 10 runs per game this spring.

“We’re really hard workers,” DeVall said of Trinity’s hitting success. “We’re in the (batting) cages whenever we can — after practice, before practice, on the weekends.”

Labbe belted a two-run, inside-the-park home run to left-center field in the fourth inning to cut the Pioneers’ advantage to 5-2. The Lancers then pulled within two on Jace Ruggiero’s two-out RBI single to right field in the fifth.

A senior, Ruggiero (three hits) also singled home classmate Caden Jordan in the seventh inning.

Centerino, Trinity’s No. 5 hitter, went 4-for-4 with three doubles.

A junior committed to Boston College, Tristan Lucier had two hits, an RBI, two runs scored, a walk and stole four bases.

The Lucier twins, who live in Manchester, were also members of the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett Little League World Series team.

The state championship is Trinity’s seventh overall.

Londonderry has won two D-I titles and played in four state finals over the past seven seasons. Saturday marked the program’s 10th state final appearance.

“They’ve been good for years and years. They’re the standard,” Bouchard said of the Lancers. “We hit, we did what we needed to do, we got the pitching we needed and I’m just proud of them (the players).”

ahall@unionleader.com

University of Hawaii associate head baseball coach Keith Zuniga, the architect of one of college baseball’s top pitching staffs, is leaving the Rainbow Warriors to become USC’s pitching coach.

“It’s a tug at my heart because of what this place has meant to me and my daughters,” Zuniga said. “As a competitor, you see an opportunity like this (with USC) and you really want to go after it and give it everything you’ve got. I’m very excited, for sure. I wouldn’t be in this situation without (UH) Coach (Rich) Hill. He’s been great throughout this process. He’s someone I’ll continue to lean on the rest of my career.”

Zuniga will replace Sean Allen, who resigned as the Trojans’ pitching coach last week to become Lamar’s head baseball coach. At 34, Zuniga will be the youngest Power Four pitching coach.

Hill expressed gratitude and well-wishes to Zuniga and his family. In Zuniga’s three UH seasons, the ’Bows were one of four teams to finish in the top 20 nationally in earned-run average. This season, the ’Bows are third with a 3.45 ERA.

“I know he’s grateful for the opportunity, and he’s going to do his thing,” pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno said of Zuniga. “Great coach, great guy. … He deserves it. He’s going to do a great job. Being able to create bonds with everybody, I feel that’s what he does best. I know he’s going to do big things over there. It’s good for him and his family to move up the ladder in coaching. After college ball, hopefully it’s the pros for him.”

Hill is pondering different models to replace Zuniga. Connor Harrison, who pitched for the ’Bows from 2021 to 2024 and served as director of pitching development this past season, has been promoted to associate pitching coach. For now, Harrison is coordinating the UH pitchers’ offseason program. Harrison will remain as part of the staff this coming season. Hill said there is no timetable on adding a pitching coach, noting “we want to get it right.”

But during conversations on Friday, all the pitchers expressed confidence in Harrison’s coaching and Hill’s ability to find a quality pitching coach. Hill’s pitching-coach tree includes five who became NCAA head coaches and seven who are pitching coaches. Zuniga said Harrison and Trevor Ichimura, a graduate manager who was recently named as Chaminade’s pitching coach, were instrumental in the ’Bows’ mound success this year.

“Connor Harrison has my full endorsement,” Zuniga said. “Connor, in my opinion, is going to be a great pitching coach, whether it be right now or a couple years down the road.”

Zuniga developed an effective front-to-back staff with UH this year. Magdaleno, who was UH’s closer in 2025, emerged as an award-winning, series-opening starter. This past week, Baseball America and Perfect Game both named Magdaleno to their All-America third teams. Hekili Robello, who redshirted in 2025 after transferring from Santa Rosa College, impressed as a weekend starter and diligent student. Relief pitcher Tsubasa Tomii was named to the 2026 All-Big West first team.

Two weeks ago, USC contacted Zuniga. Last week, Zuniga had an in-person interview with USC officials, toured the Los Angeles campus and met with academic staff.

This past Thursday, Zuniga departed for a UH-sponsored, 10-day recruiting trip to Tokyo and Taiwan. During the flight to Japan, Zuniga was offered the job. Details were worked out while he was airborne. With Hill’s blessing, Zuniga finalized the USC deal. Another UH staff member replaced Zuniga on the recruiting trip.

Zuniga said he is assured all the recruits and roster players remain committed to UH.

“Everyone is locked in to being ’Bows,” Zuniga said.

The ’Bows will have a reorganized coaching staff when they officially move from the Big West to the Mountain West on July 1. Last week, Hill confirmed that Dave Nakama, UH’s hitting coach the past five seasons, was leaving the program.

It’s a celebration of all abilities.

A place that defines enthusiasm.

A world where no one is left out.

And for those who want to experience a true honor — a blessing of the scope that this life rarely bestows — they should show up, if only to cheer on strangers. We promise, it will be worth it.

Every June, thousands of athletes, family members, volunteers and fans descend on Terre Haute for the Special Olympics Indiana Summer Games. This year, this weekend, our city is home to these guests.

For three days hosts Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology provide the space to make these athletes shine.

The Games began Friday. An opening ceremony with a parade of athletes, entertainment and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron by athletes and members of the Law Enforcement Torch Run took place Friday night. Competition continues today. Sports include athletics (track and field), bocce, bowling, cycling, powerlifting, swimming and volleyball. All events are free and open to the public. Events are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday.

More than competition, the Summer Games celebrate inclusion, determination and the abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities, according to a news release from Special Olympics Indiana. Throughout the weekend, athletes will have opportunities to showcase their talents, build friendships and experience the excitement of a championship event.

The summer games have long been a major source of pride for Terre Haute, which has embraced community ownership for the event for almost five decades.

After the Special Olympics movement was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, in 1968, Indiana took part in the first summer games in Chicago in 1968. The very next year, Indiana conducted its first summer games.

Terre Haute settled as the home for the summer games in the mid 1970s. Indiana State University welcomed the event and provided a haven for activities in those early years. As the organization and event grew, other areas of the community became involved, and Rose-Hulman has been a longtime supporter as well and now hosts many of the weekend’s activities.

During the open ceremonies each year now conducted in Hulman Center, the athletes assembled for the event recite the Special Olympics athletes’ oath, which states, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

In addition to being home for the summer games, Special Olympics Indiana’s headquarters were located at ISU until 1989, when the organization moved its offices to Indianapolis.

It’s an important distinction for Terre Haute to be so closely tied to such an important and inspiring organization.

“The Summer Games are one of the most inspiring weekends in Indiana,” said Jeff Mohler, president and CEO of Special Olympics Indiana. “These athletes have trained for months to reach this moment, and Terre Haute provides an incredible community atmosphere where every athlete is celebrated and supported. We invite the public to come experience the energy, joy and inspiration that make the Summer Games so special.”

In addition to sports competition, Olympic Town offers entertainment, interactive activities, healthy athlete screenings and opportunities for families and fans to connect throughout the weekend. And the Healthy Athletes area in the College of Health and Human Services is offering nearly 1,000 medical checks for eyes, ears, feet, teeth and general health.

An empowering and inclusive community. True respect. Genuine acceptance. There are many ways to describe experiencing the Special Olympics either as an athlete, spectator or volunteer. Perhaps the most prominent is joy.

The joy on the faces of the athletes, the joy expressed by the volunteers and the joy in the hearts of all those lucky enough to bear witness to such a special event.

Don’t miss out. There’s still time.

On the balcony of his house in Indonesia, Muhammad Yusuf swayed to blaring music and waved a replica of the World Cup trophy as hundreds paraded past, many decked out in Argentina's colours.

The 54-year-old fisherman from a small village in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, has been a superfan of the Argentine football team since the 1980s and adores superstar Lionel Messi. 

His two-storey wooden house is painted in the white and sky blue of the Albiceleste.

Muhammad also painted the pebbles in his yard, the fence -- even his slippers.

"I've liked the Argentine team since the Maradona era, and now we have Messi," Muhammad told AFP of his football hero.

Posters of Messi and the Argentine team jersey adorned every corner of his home a world away from South America.

Outside his house, surrounded by poles flying the Argentine flag, festivities were underway ahead of the FIFA World Cup kickoff on Thursday.

A large replica of the golden World Cup trophy boasted pride of place in the centre of Muhammad's front yard, attracting visitors from neighbouring villages.

Muhammad's love for the World Cup-winning captain runs deep and is shared by his family. 

His three-year-old grandson is named Muhammad Messi.

The boy was born on the day Argentina beat Mexico in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

That year, Muhammad went viral in Indonesia for walking six kilometres (3.7 miles) from his house to visit his newborn grandson in a neighbouring village -- which he had promised to do only if Argentina won football's top prize.

Football-mad Indonesia participated in the World Cup just once, in 1938, when it was known as the Dutch East Indies, losing 6-0 in the final 16 to Hungary.

The Southeast Asian country was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying race last year.

Muhammad said he plans to watch every Argentina game in what is likely to be Messi's last World Cup. 

"I hope Messi can be a world champion again in 2026," he told AFP.

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As workers put final touches to a massive arena for Sunday's "cage fight" on the White House South Lawn, a few miles away, a professional pianist is learning how to choke someone unconscious.

Across the same mat, an immunologist-by-day is teaching students how to pin a struggling opponent.

They represent the grassroots of a US martial arts phenomenon that has brought the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from what was once derided as "human cockfighting" to the cultural mainstream -- and now the White House.

"The rise of the UFC has been a stunning thing to watch," said UFC fighter Ryan Hall, owner and head trainer at Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy, where the men were training.

"A UFC event on the White House lawn -- tell me that 10 years ago and I'd laugh at you!" he told AFP.

The fighters performing in front of President Donald Trump will blend punching, kicking, grappling, choking and joint locks in contests that frequently leave the mats streaked in blood.

Despite -- or because of -- the extreme violence, UFC fights have graduated from obscure, pay-per-view TV spectacles in the 1990s to billion-dollar broadcast deals.

But for fans like immunologist Josh Terao, 30, that fighting culture is integral to life on and off the mat.

"I was never a great student growing up, but I found martial arts really gave me the drive to persevere and do hard things," Terao said.

Proof of concept: he's a black belt in judo and jiujitsu -- and also working on a PhD.

Likewise, soft-spoken pianist John Chen, 32, says martial arts have helped him calm nerves before big concerts, including at the prestigious Kennedy Center.

"I watched the UFCs and stuff, and I thought it was really cool, and so... I decided to try jujitsu," he said. "As tacky as it sounds, it gives me more confidence in life."

- 'Human cockfighting' -

The UFC began with a fight in Denver in November 1993.

The event "was so low-profile that neither the Denver Post nor Rocky Mountain News even bothered to send a reporter," noted Brian Trembath in a Denver Public Library blog.

One fighter broke an arm, another had to be given supplemental oxygen, and a sumo wrestler had two teeth knocked out -- all on television.

Brazilian jiujitsu master Royce Gracie won, but the real winners were the event's producers, who convinced some 86,000 people, according to data on industry site Tapology, to fork over $14.95 (about $34 today) to watch the event on pay-per-view.

By UFC 5 that customer base tripled -- and alarm was growing.

Then Republican senator John McCain labeled the fights "human cockfighting."

"You can understand why he said it," Hall said. But violence is "part of the magic," he said. "I think that's why it speaks to people on such a primal level."

A UFC match in March of this year had almost 2.5 million viewers, according to Sports Business Journal, on major free-to-air US network CBS -- a broadcast made possible by a seven-year $7.7 billion deal.

- Brand politics -

Sunday's fights -- officially to celebrate America's 250th anniversary but also falling on Trump's 80th birthday -- are a unique marketing opportunity both for the UFC and the self-styled political bruiser.

"The UFC spotlights victory and Trump likes winners," Charles Skuba, a Georgetown University professor of marketing told AFP.

"Trump is hoping that UFC fans, especially its young fans, will be appreciative of his support."

Not everyone in the wider UFC world is convinced about mixing martial arts and politics.

Podcaster Joe Rogan, an influential Trump backer, called it "odd" before later cheering it.

UFC's current middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, claimed to have been disinvited over remarks about Trump and Israel. Another fighter, Bryce Mitchell, said the government was "desecrating its role in society."

But Skuba reckons the South Lawn event is "a true coup for the UFC."

"People will politicize everything," Chen, the pianist, said."I just watch it for the fights."

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