St. Thomas graduate transfer quarterback Andy Peters’ college football career can be defined by a series of opportunities.

Some have worked out better than others. The latest could result in him finally fulfilling his dream of being a Division I starting quarterback.

Peters entered the Tommies’ scrimmage on Saturday in a tight battle with Amari Powell for the starting job. After delivering a standout performance, Peters has gained the edge with the season opener less than two weeks away.

“Absolutely loved the way Andy Peters played today,” Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso said. “He’s learning a new system at the toughest mental position on the field, because you’re responsible for everybody. Since we stopped installing plays (a week ago) and we’ve just been able to play football, you see Andy starting to come into his own.”

Aware of his standing in the quarterback derby, Peters was determined to make the most of Saturday’s opportunity, and he did just that.

“The last week or so I’ve gotten more comfortable with the system,” Peters said. “So, I wanted to turn my brain off today — play loose and play free. It felt so nice. It’s starting to flow a little bit more.”

The 6-foot-3, 222-pound Peters, a native of Boise, Idaho, comes to the Tommies from the College of Idaho. Before he set a dozen passing records at the NAIA school, he was a preferred walk-on at Boise State.

Peters passed on a scholarship to Idaho State to play for Boise State, his dream school. After not seeing any action as a freshman, Peters broke a leg in a skiing accident his sophomore year, costing him the entire season.

At that point, after “reading the writing on the wall’ that he was destined to remain on the sidelines, Peters decided to transfer.

“I just wanted to play football,” he said, “and I didn’t care where it was at.”

While he enjoyed his time at College of Idaho, Peters acknowledged that it was always in the back of his mind that he would like to get another shot at playing in Division I.

“You always want to grow, you always want to get better,” he said. “My last few years at College of Idaho, I felt I like I did that. So, yeah, in my last year, why wouldn’t I go prove to myself that I can do it?”

He was drawn to the Tommies in part because of the chance to earn the starting job.

“That was part of the recruiting, too.” Peters said. “They said, ‘We need a guy,’ so that definitely helped with the decision.”

Peters, who has shown an ability to throw and run the ball, said the next step in the process is to show the leadership skills that most teams look for in a quarterback.

“Now, it (also) comes with being an encouragement to others around me,” he said. “That means speaking up a little more — just trying build rapport with the guys around me. It’s hard when you first show up because you’re trying to focus on what you’re doing.

“Now, as I feel more comfortable, I can progress out and start to help others around me.”

Peters knows the competition isn’t over yet, a point that Caruso made after Saturday’s scrimmage.

“Even though Amari had a rougher day today,” Caruso said, “his last two weeks of practice have been really good. This was not his best day, but he’s played really well for long stretches, which makes us feel good.”

The other side

Caruso was pleased to see how the defense responded on Saturday after getting outplayed in the first scrimmage a week earlier.

“You’re a head coach for a team that’s in fall camp, so you can never be happy, because it’s a zero-sum game,” Caruso said. “But balance is what we work for, and I didn’t think there was enough balance last week.

“Not to say that I’m happy we turned the ball over on offense, but I was happy we were able to create turnovers on defense.”

By KELVIN CHAN

LONDON (AP) — The summer holidays are here and many of us will heading off on trips to hot and sunny destinations, and bringing our electronic devices along.

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But don’t forget that phones, tablets and other electronics are vulnerable to extreme heat. Southern European nations like Spain, Italy and Greece have been baking under the sun, while forecasters have consistently issued heat advisories across the United States, particularly in the Southeast.

Here’s what device makers and experts say on keeping your electronics cool:

What heat does to a phone:

Most electronic devices work best in a specific temperature range. Apple says iPhones and iPads are designed to be used in temperatures between 32-95 degrees Fahrenheit.

A device might change its behavior to deal with extreme temperatures, Apple warns. “Using an iOS or iPadOS device in very hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life.”

Your phone might temporarily warm up if you’re charging wirelessly, downloading big files, streaming high-quality video or doing anything else that requires lots of power or data. Samsung says that’s normal and it won’t affect the performance or battery lifespan.

What happens if the device gets too hot

If your phone gets so hot that it becomes uncomfortable to hold, Samsung recommends that you stop using it.

An overheating iPhone will alert users with a warning message that it needs to cool down before it can be used. Android devices will display a similar message, telling user that the screen will dim, apps will be closed and charging will be paused.

What not to do

There are things you can do to protect your device from high heat.

Don’t leave it in a car on hot day and don’t leave it in direct sunlight for long.

Apple also warns against using some features when it’s very hot or in direct sunlight for long periods, like GPS navigation when driving, playing a graphics-heavy video game or using the camera.

Google, which makes Pixel Android phones, advises users not to use resource-intensive features or apps while charging.

Keep your gear cool

The best thing you can do in extreme heat is turn off your device completely.

“Even background processes can generate heat,” say experts at British electronics chain Curry’s. “A full shutdown helps it cool faster.”

Remove the case, if your phone or tablet has one, because they can trap heat.

Also keep it out of direct sunlight and put it somewhere cool, like an air-conditioned room or in front of a fan. But be careful about putting it in cool places.

“Never put your device in the fridge or freezer, as condensation can cause water damage,” Curry’s says.

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

Eleven classrooms at four Stillwater Area Public elementary schools will have multi-grade sections this year as part of a cost-cutting measure at the district.

The classrooms, which combine students from two grade levels with one teacher, will be introduced at Brookview, Lake Elmo, Lily Lake and Rutherford elementary schools.

The last time the district had to use multi-grade classrooms for budgetary reasons was in 2015-16, said Carissa Keister, the district’s chief of staff and director of communications.

District officials say it is not cost-effective to add another teacher when one class size gets too large while other classrooms are below the district’s normal range. Instead, the extra students from one grade can be joined with another grade.

“It’s really just trying to balance those class sizes, and the most efficient way to do that is to then blend that smaller class with another smaller class,” Keister said.

Most of the multi-grade classrooms are at the third- and fourth-grade level or fourth- and fifth-grade level, Keister said. The district made a point not to combine second-graders with other grade levels because that’s when students are learning how to read “versus third grade, where you have a little bit higher level,” she said.

Some benefits

There are some benefits to multi-grade classrooms, including providing opportunities for peer mentoring and leadership, and a strong sense of community and collaboration, according to district officials.

“Most importantly, this approach helps us balance class sizes across our schools, ensuring that all students continue to receive the attention and support they need,” officials said.

Teachers selected to lead the multi-grade classrooms received additional time over the summer to prepare, Keister said. Families were notified of class placements last week, she said.

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“Our teachers are already very experienced at differentiation and being able to meet kids where they are, so it’s something that’s already happening in classrooms,” Keister said. “We have kids in classrooms who are vastly different in their abilities, so teachers are constantly doing that.”

Principals worked with staff to identify which students “were going to really benefit from this kind of a classroom,” Keister said. “It wasn’t random. It was very strategic in how they built those, and also in selecting teachers to teach them. A lot of these teachers have taught these grade levels before. They’ve maybe even taught multi-grade (classes) before. There was a lot of intentionality in how we pulled this together.”

The district is facing a $5 million budget shortfall this school year, which is about 3 percent of its operating budget.

It’s not at all surprising that virtually all of the starters for the Vikings watched from the sidelines in street clothes on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

After hosting the New England Patriots for a pair of joint practices this week, the Vikings trotted out mostly backups and reserves for the exhibition game.

That’s how much stock head coach Kevin O’Connell puts into joint practices and the evaluation he’s able to get done in them.

That doesn’t mean the exhibition game was insignificant.

Though the Vikings suffered a 20-12 loss to the Patriots, they answered a lot of questions about their roster in the process while also leaving themselves with some areas of concern moving forward.

Here are some takeaways from the exhibition game.

Sam Howell left the door wide open

To say backup quarterback Sam Howell failed to build on his momentum would be putting it lightly.

After looking the part in the exhibition game last weekend, Howell looked lost in the exhibition game this weekend. His final stat line left something to be desired as he completed 1 of 5 passes for 13 yards while failing to get into a rhythm on offense.

The most concerning part wasn’t the fact that Howell struggled to move the ball on offense. It was that he made a ghastly decision that resulted in an interception. It was a very bad play for Howell as he panicked in the pocket, tried to reverse pivot out of it, then chucked the ball skyward.

That can’t happen if Howell is trying to build trust as the next man up behind franchise quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Max Brosmer continued to turn heads

The progression of rookie quarterback Max Brosmer is worth talking about at this point. He’s steadily gone from being a fun story of training camp to a legitimate part of the discussion at backup quarterback.

In the exhibition game, Brosmer got every snap after halftime, completing 15 of 26 passes for 156 yards. He led an impressive march down the stretch before throwing a desperation interception on the final play of the game.

It will still take a lot for Brosmer to pass Howell and reserve quarterback Brett Rypien. He doesn’t have nearly as much experience and is still learning the intricacies of playing the position at the highest level.

That said, Brosmer has already shown a command of the offense, and he probably has more upside than Howell and Rypien in the long run.

Zavier Scott impressed once again

The juice that running back Zavier Scott has with the ball in his hands is undeniable. That’s part of the reason why he’s currently in a competition with fellow running back Ty Chandler for a spot on the roster.

It wasn’t the most prolific performance from Scott on the ground as he had very little room to run. He made up for it on a few screen passes, however, showing both explosiveness and a decisiveness after the catch en route to racking up 44 yards.

Tai Felton got a chance at returner

It appears that rookie receiver Tai Felton is being given every opportunity to establish himself as a special teams ace. He took reps as the punt returner and the kick returner in the exhibition game while also serving as a gunner once or twice.

There wasn’t much to write home about in that phase as Felton waved for a fair catch on the only punt he got to return before fumbling the only kickoff he got to return.

On a more positive note for Felton, he excelled as a receiver in the game, hauling in a pair of receptions for 32 yards. He has a chance to be a contributor on offense right away if he continues to make strides.

Meanwhile, receiver Myles Price had a 20-yard punt return, and 81-yard kick return, putting himself in position to potentially make the team.

Oscar Chapman is challenging Ryan Wright

It seems as if rookie punter Oscar Chapman has a real shot of passing incumbent punter Ryan Wright. They split punting duties in the exhibition game with Chapman and Wright each getting a chance to show off their leg.

Maybe the biggest tell that Chapman is challenging Wright is the fact that he got a couple of reps holding for kicker Will Reichard on a 54-yard field goal and a 47-yard field goal. That’s a very important responsibility that also comes with being the punter.

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