12+ hour, 43+ min ago (979+ words) PALOS VERDES ESTATES'Edison battled gamely, if not always efficiently, into the fourth quarter of its CIF Southern Section football semifinal at Palos Verdes. They trailed by 13 points, and looked helpless as the Sea Kings again marched into the red zone. It was just like last time, a nonleague encounter, same field, back in September. Edison trailed by 13 in that one, too, headed to the fourth quarter backed against its goal line, then, miracle after miracle, pulled out a one-point triumph by blocking a sure-thing field-goal try at the finish. The Chargers summoned the first miracle Friday night, but no more were coming, and their bid for successive Division 3 titles vanished in a convincing 23-10 defeat. They struggled against a stout defense, surviving largely on quarterback Sam Thomson's connections with Teo Hampton and Matthew Auau, but couldn't slow Palos Verdes' ball-control attack…...

12+ hour, 46+ min ago (356+ words) Former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker was scheduled for a tryout with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, according to multiple media outlets. It is said to be the first tryout for the six-time Pro Bowl player since serving a 10-game suspension at the start of this season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Tucker spent the first 13 years of his career with the Ravens but was released in May after reports of multiple massage therapists accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior first surfaced in January. The 36-year-old player has denied any inappropriate behavior. After conducting its own investigation, the NFL announced its suspension of Tucker in June, citing a violation of the league's personal conduct policy. He was eligible for reinstatement Nov. 11 but had been permitted to try out and sign with a team before that. Chip Kelly…...

14+ hour ago (203+ words) #2 Hawkins (10-2) vs. #1 Santee (9-4), 2 p.m. #2 San Fernando (10-3) vs. #1 Cleveland (5-8), 6 p.m. #5 Marquez (11-2) vs. #2 South Gate (10-3), 2 p.m. #6 Crenshaw (10-1) vs. #1 Carson (8-3), 6 p.m. (Games at 7 p.m. unless noted) Santa Margarita (9-3) vs. Corona Centennial (11-1) at Rose Bowl Oxnard Pacifica (13-0) at Palos Verdes (10-3) Barstow (9-3) at Apple Valley (9-4) Beckman (10-3) at Brea Olinda (10-3) Santa Paula (8-5) at Grace (10-3) Woodbridge (5-8) at Montebello (7-6) South El Monte (9-4) at Pioneer (7-6) Flintridge Prep (9-0) at Cornerstone Christian (11-0) Los Alamitos (11-2) at San Clemente (9-4) La Habra (10-3) at San Jacinto (10-3) Rio Hondo Prep (13-0) at Redondo Union (9-4) Ventura (11-2) at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (7-6) Ramona (11-2) at Cerritos Valley Christian (10-3) Tahquitz (10-3) at Hillcrest (8-5) Baldwin Park (8-5) at Valley View (8-5) Lancaster Baptist (9-3) at Cate (5-7), 1 p.m....

18+ hour, 36+ min ago (567+ words) Turns out that retreating from head coach to offensive coordinator wasn't a great fit for Chip Kelly. At least not in the NFL. The Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday fired the former UCLA coach moments after they were defeated by the Cleveland Browns, 24-10, falling to a 2-9 record. Kelly's stint as offensive coordinator was an abject failure: Among 32 NFL teams, Las Vegas is tied for last at 15.0 points per game and is 30th with 268.9 in total yards per game. Kelly bolted from UCLA in 2023 after six overwhelmingly mediocre seasons as head coach to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State, which won the NCAA national championship in 2024. Another opportunity arose immediately thereafter when Pete Carroll became the Raiders' head coach and invited Kelly to run the offense. Although Kelly's NFL experience was limited to failed head coaching stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and…...

21+ hour, 6+ min ago (988+ words) Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where USC's loss to Oregon on Saturday has left me grappling with what it means to have a successful season in this day and age of college football. There's no getting around these facts. USC expects to compete for national titles every year, but in four seasons with Riley as coach, it hasn't even made it to the dance floor. That's not what USC was promised when it handed Riley a massive $110-million contract. If USC beats UCLA next week, as expected, it will finish this season 9-3. That's better than most rational observers would have expected " myself included. Oddsmakers had USC's win total set at 7 1/2. I wrote in this space that I thought USC would win eight regular season games, but the best case was 10 and a Playoff bid. USC was within…...

22+ hour, 1+ min ago (861+ words) A crescendo is building, and the Rams might be best to ignore it. So much can happen from week to week in the NFL " check out Philadelphia's loss to Dallas " that the Rams can't get too comfortable, even with the way they're playing. In the last five games, culminating with their 27-point stomping of Tampa Bay on Sunday night, the Rams have outscored opponents in the opening quarter, 63-3. Matthew Stafford has thrown 27 touchdown passes without an interception. In four of the games in this six-game winning streak, the Rams defense has allowed 10 points or fewer. Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their 34-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night. But it's uncomfortably early for anyone in the organization to be thinking about Santa Clara in February. The Rams need to…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago (736+ words) Less than an hour before the Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off on Sunday, fans in SoFi Stadium erupted in cheers. Watching the giant video board, the crowd celebrated as the Philadelphia Eagles blew a huge lead and lost to the Dallas Cowboys. That meltdown by the defending Super Bowl champions positioned the surging Rams to move to the top of the NFC. Quarterback Matthew Stafford continued his MVP-caliber play by passing for three touchdowns, and the defense also produced big moments as the Rams seized opportunity with a 34-7 victory that extended their winning streak to six games and improved their record to a conference-best 9-2. Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner discusses why he is supporting an immigrant rights foundation in the NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" campaign. That makes the Rams the current No. 1 seed for the NFC…...

1+ day, 5+ hour ago (724+ words) Less than an hour before the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off on Sunday, fans in SoFi Stadium erupted in cheers. Watching the giant video board, the crowd celebrated as the Philadelphia Eagles blew a huge lead and lost to the Dallas Cowboys. That meltdown by the defending Super Bowl champions positioned the surging Rams to move to the top of the NFC. Quarterback Matthew Stafford continued his MVP-caliber play by passing for three touchdowns, and the defense also produced big moments as the Rams seized the opportunity with a 34-7 victory that extended their winning streak to six games and improved their record to a conference-best 9-2. Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner discusses why he is supporting an immigrant rights foundation in the NFL's "My Cause My Cleats" campaign. That makes the Rams the current No. 1 seed for the NFC…...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (1847+ words) Rams extend their lead of Harrison Mevis" first NFL field goal " Rams 31, Buccaneers 7 " 1:02 left in the second quarter Harrison Mevis kicked a 40-yard field goal, his first for the Rams. Mevis was signed to replace struggling Joshua Karty and he had been perfect on extra-point attempts in the last two games. But coach Sean McVay had opted numerous times to go for it on fourth-down plays rather than attempting field goals. But when the Rams stalled at the Buccaneers" 21-yard line, Mevis got his first field-goal opportunity and came through. Davante Adams catches his second TD pass of the game " Rams 28, Buccaneers 7 " 3:10 left in the second quarter Davante Adams caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford as the Rams immediately responded to the Buccaneers" scoring play. Stafford has completed 18 of 21 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, two to Adams....

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (519+ words) During practice Friday, UCLA women's basketball coach Cori Close made it clear she wanted to see more from forward Angela Dugalic. "You're not using what you've earned," Close recalled telling her while speaking with reporters Friday. Dugalic is going to face some of the best players in the country this week. Close thinks she can match up with them, but she needs Dugalic to play like it. With all the work Dugalic has done on her low-post game over the offseason, she can't settle for floating around the perimeter. Close won't let her. "I just want her to be all she can be," Close said. "She's been an animal down there in the low post, and I want her to hunt for that. I don't want her to settle for playing on the perimeter when she's got a whole lot…...