Lind boy juggles motocross with school

LIND - A local boy is finding time to get straight As in his sixth-grade classes while racing motocross around the state.

Merrick Shepard, 11, is a lifelong Lind resident and a sponsored Motocross Champion.

He is the son of Vernon Shepard, an Adams County Road Department grader operator, and lifelong Lind resident Megan Shepard, the chief nursing officer at Odessa Hospital.

Merrick said his sport helps him keep his grades up.

"It also helps me in math, like fractions when working on bikes," he said, noting he has "met a lot of pro riders that I watch on TV."

Merrick is one of the only children...