defeat

A look at the top performers from high school football games across the Southland this week.

RUSHING

• Vaughn Reinert, Torrance: Rushed for 223 yards and five touchdowns in defeat of West Torrance.

• Maleek Nolley, Cajon: Rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns in win over Beaumont.

• Coy Collins, Villa Park: Rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns in win over Tustin.

• Jacob Gallegos, San Dimas: Rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns in defeat of Chino.

• Jason Brown, Muir: Rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in win over Monrovia.

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield: Rushed for 324 yards and seven touchdowns in win over South Gate.

• Cyrus Aviles, Fullerton: Rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns in win over Portola.

• Edward Rivera, Compton: Rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns in defeat of Long Beach Cabrillo.

• Matix Frithsmith, Hart: Rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns in win over Castaic.

• Luke Zapko, Oak Park: Had four rushing touchdowns in win over Buena.

• Nico Funez, Valencia: Rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns in win over Canyon Country Canyon.

• William Biddle, L.A. University: Rushed for 264 yards and scored five touchdowns in defeat of Fairfax.

PASSING

• Lincoln Jahn, Inglewood: Passed for four touchdowns in win over Redondo Union.

• Reagan Toki, Orange Lutheran: Completed 14 of 16 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown in win over JSerra

• Demarco Hernandez, Sierra Canyon: Passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns in defeat of Chaminade.

• Evan McCalister, Valencia: Passed for four touchdowns in win over Canyon Country Canyon.

RECEIVING

• Jalen Flowers, Palos Verdes: Caught three touchdown passes for 184 yards and had interception in win over Mira Costa.

• Ben Hanna, Villa Park: Caught six passes for 130 yards and passed for a touchdown in defeat of Tustin.

• Luke Frith, San Juan Hills: Caught eight passes for 128 yards and one touchdown in win over Yorba Linda.

DEFENSE

• Rayshawn Brandon, Santa Margarita: Returned and interception 51 yards for touchdown in win over St. John Bosco.

• Jayden Harris, Charter Oak: Returned and interception 80 yards for touchdown in win over Glendora.

• Eric Wright, South East: Had eight solo tackles in loss to Roosevelt.

• King Berry, Lawndale: Had interception and ran for a game-winning touchdown in win vs. South Torrance.

• Derrick Coleman Jr., Gardena Serra: Made two interceptions, including a pick six, in shutout of Loyola.

• King Rich Johnson, Orange Lutheran: Returned interception 20 yards for touchdown in win over JSerra.

• Noah Carter, Dana Hills: Had two sacks in defeat of Laguna Beach.

• Simote Tupou, St. John Bosco: Had consecutive sacks in loss to Santa Margarita.

• Bailey Hill, Hart: Had two sacks in defeat of Castaic.

• Zayne Reed, Agoura: Had three sacks in his first game of the season in win over Camarillo.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Made a 43-yard field goal and took a high snap on a field goal for a 16-yard touchdown in win over Norco.

• Noah Guillen, Bishop Amat: Made a school-record 52-yard field goal in defeat of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Galileo Chen, Portola: Had a 97-yard kickoff return for touchdown in loss to Fullerton.

• Alejandro Carranza, King/Drew: Made two field goals in the first half during King/Drew’s win vs. Crenshaw.

It was already going to be a short week, but Sean McVay navigated unexpected business that affected the start of preparation for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

After Monday night’s defeat by the Buffalo Bills, the Rams on Tuesday released struggling kicker Harrison Mevis, and signed Blake Grupe. Then left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended by the NFL for punching a Bills player on the field after the game.

“You’re always ready for inevitable things to come up,” the Rams coach said Thursday.

McVay referenced a congratulatory phone call he received from then-Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the Rams hired McVay in 2017.

“He says, ‘How’s that tube?’” McVay recalled. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’

“He said, ‘That tube of [s—] that never stops coming down over your head when you’re a head coach.’

“But honestly, it’s part of it.”

The Rams hope that Grupe can clean up the kicking game and relieve criticism of the Rams’ struggling special teams. McVay said this week that he has “a lot of confidence” in special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, and that “no changes” are going to be made to that staff position.

“You’re continuing to figure out some of our identity,” McVay said Thursday, adding, “I have seen the intentionality from the group that I’m looking for.”

Grupe was signed off the New York Jets practice squad. Last season, he was released by the New Orleans Saints in late November after he made only 18 of 26 field-goal attempts. The Indianapolis Colts signed Grupe and he made all 11 of his attempts.

“For these last five weeks, I’ve been staying ready, been doing what I need to do to take advantage of an opportunity,” Grupe said.

Veteran David Quessenberry is on track to start in place of Jackson, who was initially suspended for two games without pay for striking Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb in the face after the Rams’ 37-34 overtime defeat. Jackson appealed the suspension and the league reduced it to one game on Wednesday.

Quessenberry, 36, is a ninth-year pro. But he has not started a game since 2023, when he played for the Minnesota Vikings.

Quessenberry played only 18 snaps on offense last season, none this season.

But McVay said Quessenberry was a “consummate pro” who has played “a lot of meaningful snaps” in his career and worked with the Rams’ first-team offense when Jackson has been held out while managing blood-clot issues.

“This is kind of why I’m here, when things like this happen,” Quessenberry said. “So I’m ready to go. This is what I’ve worked for. I’ve played this position my whole life. Go out there on Sunday and play ball. I’m fired up.”

This will be the first game without Jackson since last season’s late December game against the Atlanta Falcons. With D.J. Humphries starting at left tackle, the Falcons swarmed Matthew Stafford. Humphries was called for two crucial penalties, the Falcons sacked Stafford three times and intercepted three passes.

“He’s proven himself in this league,” Stafford said, adding, “ton of trust in what he’s capable of.”

Rookie lineman Keagen Trost practiced Thursday for the first time since he was placed on injured reserve before the season because of a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Trost, a third-round draft pick out of Missouri, could be activated to the roster.

“It’s been a little bit of time since he’s played football,” McVay said. “But if he’s feeling good, expect him to be up for the game.

“But not at the expense of putting him in a situation that, if he did have to play, wasn’t good for him.”

Offensive lineman Justin Dedich, who has been on injured reserve because of a hand injury, also is eligible to return. But interior linemen such as guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila have remained physically sound.

“We’ll pray that we stay healthy,” McVay said, “but at some point we’ll start his clock and get him in there.”

Although Celtic conceded four, the scoreline did not flatter Benfica. The Portuguese side created chances aplenty in both halves and hit the woodwork twice in addition to their four goals.

Celtic’s lack of depth in defence was exposed once again in the absence of the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers as Gianluca Prestianni and Duran tormented the visitors’ back four.

However, it is in forward areas where O’Neill perhaps has his biggest headache.

Club record signing Kasper Hogh was hooked at half-time and has now failed to score in 10 of his first 11 outings since joining from Bodo/Glimt in the summer.

Duran shifted inside for the second half and posed far more of a threat than his Danish team-mate.

“If I’m a creative midfield player and I’ve got Duran and Hogh to pick from, I’m taking Duran every day of the week,” former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan said.

“He looks to get off the side of defenders, if you put a ball in the area, he’s more likely to be alive to it.

“Hogh just isn’t firing on all cylinders. I can take that if he’s doing the other side of the game a lot better than he is.

“You can see why Martin O’Neill made the substitution at half-time and there’s no doubt Celtic looked much better going forward.”

O’Neill admitted he sees Duran as being better through the middle, when asked about his Colombian talisman post-match, but given Hogh’s price tag he might not be inclined to pull him out of the firing line just yet.

“[Duran] has played wide at his previous clubs,” O’Neill said. “But I personally feel his best position is through the middle.

“It’s now a matter of us trying to fit him in and I think we can do that. It’s a real battle for places now.”

Much was made of South Africa’s run to the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord’s.

They played only 12 Tests – no team played fewer – and qualified after drawing at home against India and losing in New Zealand, before beating West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Mitigation for this latest Test also comes from the fact this is their first in almost a year and the majority of their batters played one domestic red-ball match to prepare.

Australia recently came off an eight-month break of their own and lost to Bangladesh in home conditions, as Conrad was keen to point out.

And last summer’s famous win over Australia and a 2-0 success in India proves they can beat the world’s top teams.

However, this Test only reinforced a worrying trend among South Africa’s batters.

Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton are fine white-ball players, but Stubbs’ two Test centuries have come against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and Rickelton’s against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

This was an obvious step up.

In the first innings, Stubbs, two overs after Wiaan Mulder had been bounced out, top-edged a pull to fine leg, and in the second he played a loose drive on one.

Opener Rickelton drove and edged at a wide ball late on day two and nicked through a pull in the fourth over on day four.

Similarly, Mulder scored 367 not out against Zimbabwe last year, but Bangladesh are the only other side he averages more than 30 against. His 110-ball stay for 29 on the final day before being strangled down the leg side was at least encouraging.

Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, in contrast, lasted only three balls before nudging Matt Renshaw’s part-time spin to slip. His Test average of 30.14 drops to 28 against Australia and 15 against both England and India.

Conrad said that “a few of the guys need to step up”.

“The real disappointment was the batting in the first dig on a really good wicket,” Conrad said.

“Yes, a world-class attack, but quite a few guys getting starts and not kicking on.”

When Marco Silva was appointed Fulham boss in 2021 he brought a stability to the club that ensured they were competitive in the Premier League, without ever really being in danger of being relegated.

Silva departed in the summer to become head coach of Benfica and in appointing Arbeloa as his replacement, Fulham were undoubtedly taking a bit of a gamble.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player arrived with limited managerial experience at senior level, having had a brief spell in charge of Real Madrid from January until May this year.

The biggest problem Fulham have had under him is conceding late goals, with his side having let in goals in the final 15 minutes in four of their six Premier League matches.

Despite that, Arbeola was defiant after the Ipswich defeat, insisting he is right man for the job at Fulham, and he can handle the pressure of needing to turn things around.

“Maybe you don’t know me but I played for the best team in world. I have coached the best team in the world,” he said.

“Maybe you don’t know, but just to let you know, that pressure is part of my life since I was a kid.

“So, it is normal in football. It is normal for players, it is normal for coaches and everybody that is around a team.

“I think pressure is something that is important for me and I like it.”

LAS VEGAS — Kayla Thornton scored 18 points and the second-year Golden State Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, sweeping the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime Friday night in Game 3.

The second-seeded Valkyries will have home-court advantage and will host No. 4 Atlanta beginning Oct. 17. The Dream swept New York earlier on Friday, and now teams are 22-0 in playoff history when leading a series 2-0.

Las Vegas, which was seeded third, had won three of the past four championships.

Gabby Williams added 16 points for the Valkyries, including eight in overtime. Former Aces Kiah Stokes and Tiffany Hayes each had 11 points, and Stokes also grabbed 10 rebounds.

A’ja Wilson, honored before night’s game for winning an unprecedented fifth MVP, scored 21 points, but on six-for-19 shooting for the Aces. She also had 10 rebounds, joining DeWanna Bonner as the only players with 1,300 points and 600 rebounds in the postseason.

Jackie Young added 18 points and Chelsea Gray 17.

A 17-point run bolted Golden State past the Aces for a 53-47. Las Vegas closed within a point by the end of the quarter, giving the Aces only seven points in the period.

The Aces led by six points late in the game before the Valkyries evened the score when Gabby Williams stole the ball from Wilson and Thornton finished with a transition layup to make it 69-69 with 1:50 left.

Golden State then took the lead Veronica Burton’s 9-foot floater with 1:12 remaining. The Aces tied the score on Gray’s inbound pass to Young with 27 seconds left and ultimately force overtime.

The extra period belonged completely to the Valkyries, who outscored the Aces 16-6.

All-time leading scorer LeBron James makes 76ers debut following LA Lakers switch in NBA preseason, but Nets claim win.

NBA superstar LeBron James delivered a solid first half in his first preseason game for Philadelphia, but the new-look 76ers fell 114-108 to the Nets in Brooklyn.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, announced in July that he had signed a two-year, $8m deal with the 76ers, ending weeks of speculation over where the four-time NBA champion would land as a free agent after eight seasons and one title with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 41-year-old superstar, entering a record-extending 24th NBA season, won two titles with Miami, another with Cleveland and a fourth with the Lakers, and is aiming to help the Sixers win their first title since Julius Erving led the club to the crown 43 years ago.

Thursday’s game marked his first chance to line up alongside new teammates Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown – a new arrival from the Boston Celtics.

“It felt a little different,” James said. “Obviously, just wearing a new uniform, but the game is the game.

“We’re still trying to put each other in a position to be successful and complement each other the best way we can out on the floor,” he added. “But it’s going to take some time. Tonight was a good sample size for us to build on.”

James scored 10 points, connecting on his lone shot from the floor and making all eight of his free-throw attempts. He added four rebounds, five assists and a steal in 18:04 minutes in the first half.

Brown led all scorers with 18 points. Julius Randle had 14 for the Nets, who outscored the Sixers 37-23 in the third quarter to take control.

LeBron James captures NBA spotlight again

But all eyes were on James, starting with his first signature pre-game chalk-toss in a 76ers uniform.

James smoothly directed the Sixers’ offence in his time on the floor, making all five of his assists in the first quarter and combining effectively with Maxey.

“I think there was some really good things happening, you know, right off the bat,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after seeing his starters together for the first time.

“A bunch of back cuts and good passing, etc, there were segments where obviously we turned the ball over a lot … just the little clunky segments, too. But, again, it’s preseason, first time they’re together.

“I think you look at it as what’s good and what are the learning experiences, things that we can improve.”

The 76ers have two more preseason games, both against Boston, before opening the NBA regular season against the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 20.

James’s arrival has already found the 76ers battling outside “noise”.

James took to Instagram to refute a report from a play-by-play announcer during the team’s first preseason game on Monday that James had admonished Embiid for being late to a practice.

“He ain’t been late, so stop the lie,” James posted.

James had acknowledged at the team’s media day last month that such outside hubbub around the 76ers would be “doubled, tripled and quadrupled now that I’m here”.

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. TV: CBS.

Line: Broncos by 3½. O/U: 42½.

This is a bad time for the Chargers to see Denver. Their offense is still struggling, Justin Herbert took a beating at Seattle, and here comes that Broncos pass rush. With the exception of last week, Denver’s offense has scored on good defenses.

Pick: Broncos 24, Chargers 17

Sanaa, Yemen – The Yemeni government’s new military offensive against the Houthis is testing more than the balance of forces in the country – it is also testing whether the government can persuade powerful tribes in Houthi-controlled areas that the balance of power is beginning to shift.

For years, many of the tribes hostile or wary of the Iran-backed Houthis have stopped short of openly confronting the movement, deterred by their military strength and by previous failed uprisings. Those same tribes are now looking to the internationally recognised government’s newly-activated frontlines – on the Red Sea coast, Marib and al-Jawf primarily – to see if the limited advances made since the Dawn of Yemen military operation launch this week can turn into sustained gains.

The offensive by the Saudi Arabia-backed government forces follows major Houthi gains in September, when the armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God) swept across the country’s Red Sea coast. The Houthis captured vital trade corridors, including the port city of Mocha and territory around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

While airstrikes have inflicted losses on Houthi forces over the past few days, pushing towards Houthi strongholds where the group has been entrenched since the war started in 2014, including Sanaa, Saada, and Amran, remains a formidable challenge.

With the government declaring an all-out war on the Houthis, pledging to recapture Sanaa, tribal distrust of the government may diminish, prompting tribes to shift positions at the right time, experts say. The role of the tribes could therefore prove critical to the government’s ability to advance deeper into Houthi-controlled territories.

On Monday, Marib governorate – the government’s stronghold in the north – saw a large tribal rally attended by tribal sheikhs and local anti-Houthi fighters from tribes such as the Jadan from Marib, Nihm from Sanaa and other allied tribes.

The rally announced a general mobilisation to support the armed forces in the battle to “restore the state and topple the Houthi coup”.

“If this tribal support translates into actual mobilisation and sustained participation in the battle, tribes will help government troops advance toward Houthi-controlled areas and the Houthi heartland, including Sanaa,” said Adel Dashela, a researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies.

Over the past decade of war in Yemen, tribes have repeatedly mobilised against the Houthis at a local level, but deep divisions and a lack of sustained outside backing have prevented the emergence of a unified tribal front. Nevertheless, tribes can potentially be a key source of manpower and influence for the government.

“Tribal fighters remain indispensable to any future campaign against the Houthis. But to be effective, their military engagement must occur through formalised state and coalition command structures, rather than as an independent vanguard,” Dashela said.

‘Wait for the right time’

Tribes in Yemen do not want to risk confronting Houthi forces without support, and they “wait for the right time” to act, Abdulsalam Mohammed, chairman of the Yemeni Abaad Studies and Research Center, said.

“The tribes seek a powerful state, and once they find the state reliable, they can side with it,” Mohammed said.

He added that tribes do not want to repeat mistakes made by tribes that had rebelled against the Houthis, and then not received enough support from the government.

“Those tribes revolted against the Houthis, and they were crushed amid the absence of the government’s effective role,” Mohammed said.

In January 2019, fighting broke out between the Houthis and the Hajoor tribe in northwest Yemen’s Hajjah, lasting several weeks. The Houthis eventually captured the Hajoor areas in March of the same year.

At the time, Saudi Arabia dropped food, medical supplies and weapons to besieged Hajoor fighters, but this did not prevent the tribe’s defeat by the Houthis.

Mohammed said that even in areas where the Houthis have local support, some tribes could gradually shift their allegiance towards the government, if they saw it as serving their interest.

“Not all tribes fighting for the Houthis are staunch supporters. Their motivations range from pragmatism to ideological loyalty and material necessity,” Mohammed said.

‘A friend of the tribe’

Over the past decade, the Houthis have weakened traditional tribal power structures in areas under their control, co-opting some leaders and replacing others with loyalists. They have defeated tribal challenges, and have withstood not only conflict with the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia, but also bombing by the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. All of that has reinforced a perception among tribes that the Houthi military capability had become “invincible”.

A tribal sheikh in northern Yemen, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told Al Jazeera that the Houthi military “supremacy” in the country over a decade-long war has “dwarfed the political and military role of the tribe”.

“Before the Houthi takeover of power, the government was like a friend of the tribe,” he said. “Today, the tribe is subordinate to the Houthis.”

The Houthis, according to him, used three tactics to tighten their grip on territories under their control: military force, financial incentives and their public identification with the Palestinian cause.

“The Houthis used military force if negotiations or financial incentives failed to win the tribes’ backing. Moreover, the Houthi military support for Palestine has earned the group additional popular and tribal support,” said the tribal figure.

As the Houthis built up enormous military and financial power over the past few years, the tribal sheikh said tribes acting alone could not match the group’s power. He also said that the government’s reported gains on some frontlines could not by themselves be taken as a sign that the Houthis were collapsing.

“A concrete government advance on the battlefields would reassure some Yemeni tribes that the Houthis have lost ground,” the tribal sheikh said. “Once this materialises, anti-Houthi and neutral tribes can feel confident and begin confronting the group.”

“I thought coming into this camp, Pocognoli would probably need a period of grace,” Halliday said on Sportsound. “I think that period of grace is now over.

“That was as poor a Scotland performance as I can remember for a while against an opposition you are expecting us to go and beat.”

Slovenia got in behind Scotland’s high defensive line repeatedly and former national team captain Willie Miller is unsure if Pocognoli will stick with his back three.

“This is Pocognoli’s preferred system and he’s had time to work with the system, it was just all over the place,” Miller said on Sportsound.

“Time and time again there were huge gaps appearing and Slovenia were taking advantage.

“Our situation is we’ve got a new manager in, he’s got a preferred system, what does he do? Does he just bin it? Are we back to a back four?

“His preferred system is a back three, but it was unbelievably poor.”

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is set to spend $233 million to defeat candidates in this fall’s congressional midterm elections who speak out against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned US Senator Bernie Sanders, Anadolu reports.

The top pro-Israel lobbying firm in the US “plans to spend $233 million to defeat candidates who dare to speak out against Netanyahu’s extremist government,” Sanders said on US social media platform X on Friday.

“They spent $33 million to defeat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan primary. They lost. They are going to keep losing,” he said.

El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate in this year’s senatorial race in the state of Michigan, strongly opposes unconditional US military aid for Israel and has criticized the Netanyahu government’s policies in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

READ: Former Israeli premier accuses Netanyahu of preparing ground for war that could delay elections

Sanders added: “NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL.”

In the Nov. 3 US congressional midterms, polls show Democrats broadly favored to win the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.

As the US electorate’s view of Israel has soured, especially in light of the genocide in Gaza, many Democrats running for office this year have taken a harder line against the policies of the Netanyahu government and what many see as its efforts to displace Palestinians and frustrate any hope for peace in the Middle East.

READ: US senator urges Congress to cut off funding for Iran war

After sitting out the last two games because of injury, Rams star receiver Puka Nacua appears on track to play Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

But the status of star defensive lineman Aaron Donald remains unclear.

Nacua was sidelined for a victory over the New York Giants and Sunday’s defeat by the Denver Broncos because of a hip injury that caused groin and abdominal soreness. But Nacua returned to practice in a limited role on Wednesday and was listed as limited again on Thursday.

“It’s exciting,” Nacua said after practice. “That’s my safe space out there, and to be out there with the guys, I think that’s been the most important thing, feeling that camaraderie and then also the ability to put my foot in the ground.”

Nacua, the NFL receptions leader in 2025, caught five passes for 74 yards in a season-opening defeat by the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

What would it mean to return to action against the Eagles?

“I can’t think of anything else but smiling,” he said.

Donald, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, has not practiced this week because of a back issue that surfaced after the loss to the Broncos, a defeat that dropped the Rams’ record to 1-2.

Donald, who ended a two-year retirement in late August, did not make the trip to Australia. In his season debut against the Giants at SoFi Stadium, he made three tackles in the Rams’ 28-6 victory.

Donald had one tackle and one quarterback hit in the 30-26 loss to the Broncos.

“Aaron’s been awesome,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “I think he’s really elevated that whole group.”

With edge rusher Myles Garrett out at least two more games while recovering from knee surgery, the Rams for the first time this season could line up without either of the two future Hall of Famers.

“Those are two of the best players in the world — two of maybe the best players of all time,” Shula said. You’re always going to want them on the field, but we’re lucky where if those guys are out we have a lot of depth and a lot of capable guys. … You’re never going to expect them to perform at the level of Aaron Donald or Myles Garrett, but we expect a lot of guys to go out and contribute and play really well and have a really good rotation going.”

The line feature interior players such as Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford, and edge rushers Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson and Wesley Bailey.

SACRAMENTO — Donovan Walton hit a three-run homer and rookie Henry Bolte had his first four-hit game to help the Athletics beat the Angels 7-3 on Wednesday night.

The Angels (60-98) are trying to avoid the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

Lawrence Butler had an RBI single and Walton hit his ninth home run, a two-out shot off rookie Walbert Ureña (9-11) for a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

Bolte went four for five, scored two runs and had an RBI double in the second that put the Athletics (63-95) up 5-0.

Mike Trout and Vaughn Grissom hit back-to-back homers off Jeffrey Springs in the fourth to make it 5-2. It was the 22nd homer this season for Trout the 426th of his career, all with the Angels.

Grissom followed his 13th homer with an RBI single in the fifth to cut it to 5-3 and chase Springs.

Alika Williams and Bolte had singles off José Fermin in the sixth and both scored on a double by Shea Langeliers for the final margin.

Springs gave up three runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. The left-hander was 3-0 after his first four starts, but went 1-14 over his final 25. Geoff Hartlieb (2-1) got five outs for the win and Elvis Alvarado struck out two in the ninth to close it out.

Ureña yielded five runs and seven hits in four innings. The right-hander had given five runs in his previous three starts covering 21 innings.

Athletics catcher Brian Serven fouled a bunt off his left eye in the sixth and had to leave the game.

LAS VEGAS — Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Aces to an 89-79 victory over the Sparks on Tuesday night and clinch at least a No. 3 playoff seed for Las Vegas.

The Aces (30-13), on a six-game winning streak, will get home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which begin Sunday. If the standings hold, they would face No. 6 seed Washington (27-16) in the best-of-three series.

Chelsea Gray scored 17 points for the Aces, Stephanie Talbot had 14 points and Jackie Young totaled 14 points and 11 assists.

Nneka Ogwumike, who was honored before the game, scored 17 points to lead the Sparks (16-27). Erica Wheeler added 16 points.

The Aces used a 15-point run in the first quarter to take early control, going up 17-5. They led by 17 points when the Sparks went on their own long run, an 11-point spurt in the second period to cut the lead to 35-29.

The Sparks then remained within striking distance, but never closed the gap. Las Vegas’ 10-point run in the third period put the Aces back in control with a 63-45 lead.

The Aces presented Ogwumike, an eight-time All-Star and 2016 MVP, with a flower bouquet before the game. Ogwumike, who announced Aug. 19 she would retire after this season, also received a standing ovation from the crowd. She also is president of the players’ union.

The Sparks played without Dearica Hamby (left knee) and Cameron Brink (right ankle). Hamby, who played in the Aces’ organization from 2015-22, averages 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. Brink, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, averages 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Britain’s Callum Connor was given a UFC contract despite losing in Dana White’s Contender Series, but Norbert Novenyi Jr missed out despite winning.

Six fighters from Tuesday’s five fights earned contracts in MMA’s leading promotion – four of the winners plus two losers, including 26-year-old Connor.

Peru’s Piero Guaylupo earned a unanimous decision over lightweight rival Connor, who suffered the first professional loss of his career.

UFC president White said it could be a fight of the year contender because it contained more significant strikes than any UFC lightweight three-round bout.

“Both of these guys are in the hospital right now, as they should be,” said White.

“One of the greatest fights you’ll ever see on Tuesdays or Saturdays or any other day.

“For Piero to be 21 years old and fight the way he did, the fight was incredible. But it takes two guys to make a great fight. I’m taking them both.”

Connor, from Manchester, now has a pro record of 8-1 and has a four-fight win streak on UK promotion Full Contact Contender.

Middleweight Novenyi, who was born in Hungary but fights out of London, earned a unanimous decision over American Theo Haig to improve his pro record to 11-1.

But the 26-year-old was the only fighter who won on Tuesday not to be given a contract. He was told by White that “tonight’s not your night, my friend”.

“Norbert, both of you guys have great records,” White said. “You came in, fought a good fight.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything tonight that makes me say, ‘I got to have this guy in the UFC’.

“Whatever you decide to do here, we would like to take another look at you.”

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 69 runs, 10 less than Mandhana’s belligerent match-winning innings as India retained gold.

Smriti Mandhana’s whirlwind innings of 79 runs helped India crush Sri Lanka by 147 runs and win a second consecutive women’s cricket gold at the Asian Games.

India smashed 216-3 off their 20 overs, the highest women’s total in Asian Games history, with 18 fours and 13 sixes in the final on Tuesday.

Richa Ghosh and Bharti Fulmali plundered 25 off the final over from the hapless Mithali Ayodhya, who did not help her cause by conceding eight wides.

Sri Lanka were never in the hunt, and captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 29 was their only innings of note as they were skittled for 69 in 15.4 overs and had to settle for silver.

Opening batter Mandhana hit seven sixes and five fours in a 45-ball knock that sent the ball to all parts of the Korogi Athletic Park ground in Nagoya.

After India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and opted to bat, Shafali Verma, who made an unbeaten century in the semifinal, and Mandhana put on a blistering opening partnership.

The pair had raced to 99 in the 10th over when Verma had a rush of blood, playing a needless reverse sweep which she top-edged to Kawya Kavindi at point to fall for 48 off 29 balls.

Mandhana, the greatest run-scorer in women’s T20 cricket history, had reached her fifty earlier in the over and sailed on in style, clubbing anything loose to the boundary.

Harmanpreet joined her, and the pair took the score to 141 before the captain holed out to long-off for 19.

Mandhana, looking to accelerate further in the latter overs, skied an attempted six and was out in the 17th over with the score on 163.

Ghosh clattered 49 off 22 balls with three sixes and six fours to take India past 200 in the final over.

Earlier, some late-order hitting by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana set up a 31-run win over Bangladesh in the bronze medal match.

Sana came in with her side rocking at 67-5 in the 12th over but plundered 45 off 30 balls, including three fours and three sixes, and was out off the last ball of the 20 overs after seeing Pakistan to 145-8.

Her 67-run partnership with Aliya Riaz (25) for the sixth wicket proved the turning point, and Bangladesh could only muster 114-7 in reply.

Fuming Real Madrid manager waves printouts of what he believes were clear red-card tackles by Atletico Madrid players following his team’s loss.

Jose Mourinho needed only a sheet of paper to deliver his verdict on ⁠⁠La Liga’s Madrid derby, waving ⁠⁠images of two first-half tackles as he accused the officials of losing control in Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

Real were furious that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp ⁠⁠on Jude Bellingham and also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde, before the visitors were themselves reduced to 10 men five minutes after half-time in the heated capital derby on Sunday.

Valverde finished the match but was later diagnosed with “severe trauma to his left ankle”, the ⁠⁠club said in a statement. The midfielder will undergo further tests, it added.

“We could skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here,” Mourinho said, holding up the images in what was the start of a near five-minute rant.

“Those were two clear red cards. The difficulties we’ve faced since the sending-off: 11 against 10. Well, we can imagine what 50 minutes of ‌‌11 against nine would have been like if justice had been done.”

Real defender Dean Huijsen was dismissed for bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside the area as the last defender, allowing Alejandro Grimaldo to score with a low spot kick. Jonathan David doubled Atletico’s lead six minutes later, with Antonio Ruediger heading in a free kick late to reduce the deficit.

Mourinho said he could only “hug” his players after what he described as a first half “full of class and great character”, but he aimed sharp criticism at referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those who appointed him.

“They’ve put a referee, aged 41, ⁠⁠with no international experience – it’s certainly not because he’s a great referee,” Mourinho said.

“Then the ⁠⁠poor chap has come here and hasn’t been able to cope with the pressure – and it really is intense pressure. I call it ’80s-style pressure’ here in this stadium, which you hardly ever see these days.”

Asked about being six points behind Barcelona, Mourinho offered a pointed reply.

“If they just leave us in ⁠⁠peace and let us compete on a level playing field with everyone else, we’ve still got a long way to go,” he said.

“I don’t want to go so far as to say ⁠⁠this was set up … I want to believe that they simply made a ⁠⁠mistake.”

Asked about Mourinho’s comments, Atletico manager Diego Simeone urged restraint.

“Whoever is speaking – be it me, Mourinho, Hansi Flick or Manuel Pellegrini, anyone – we have to be careful what we say,” Simeone said. “When you step outside the bounds of respect, whoever you are, it’s not on. You can’t cross that line.”

Simeone preferred to focus ‌‌on Atletico’s performance.

“Today we saw a great match; we defended very well against a team that plays very well,” he said.

“We controlled the match when it was 11 against 11. We continued to control it when it became 10 against 11. But ‌‌this ‌‌isn’t just another step towards continuing to grow and improve.”

Atletico climbed above Real to second in the standings on 16 points, five behind leaders Barcelona and one ahead of Real and Real Betis.

JSerra converted on three fourth downs in the second half Friday, allowing the Lions to battle back from a seven-point, first-half deficit to beat host Bishop Amat 37-28.

With the nonleague victory, JSerra improves to 4-1, while Bishop Amat falls to 4-1.

JSerra quarterback Hayes Cloutier, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for three, engineered all three second-half conversions, two with his legs and one with his arm.

The first, and most impressive, came on the Lions’ first possession of the half. Trailing 28-21 and facing fourth and three on the Bishop Amat 27-yard line, Cloutier zigged and zagged across the field, eluding most of the defense.

After the Lions tied the score, sophomore defensive back Sean Veritch snagged a deflected pass by Bishop Amat quarterback Domenico Doran, and the Lions drove to the Lancers’ 16-yard line. On fourth and 10, Evan Leddy kicked a 33-yard field goal to give JSerra an apparent 31-28 lead, but the Lions accepted a penalty on Bishop Amat that moved the ball to the 11-yard line.

JSerra coach Hardy Nickerson opted to go for it on fourth down, and Cloutier rewarded his gamble, scoring on an 11-yard run. Leddy’s extra point was blocked, and JSerra settled for a 34-28 lead.

JSerra High quarterback Hayes Cloutier leaps as he tries to evade a tackle by a Bishop Amat defenders.

(Nick Koza)

The Lions’ defense, which had given up scores on four of Bishop Amat’s five first-half possessions, then stiffened, forcing the Lancers to punt. With about two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Lions reeled off a 23-play drive, which included four JSerra penalties and ate up more than 10 minutes.

A 22-yard run by Cloutier was key, as was his four-yard completion to Clark Cokely on a fourth-and-two play. The drive ended with a 44-yard field goal by Leddy that gave JSerra a 37-28 lead.

After surrendering 28 first-half points, JSerra held Bishop Amat scoreless, and running back Justin Clinton, who rushed for more than 130 yards, including a 67-yard burst and a 43-yard touchdown, in check in the second half.

“It was a heavyweight fight,” Nickerson said of the first half. “But my defensive staff just put it together in the second. We turned things up and made adjustments.

“We knew that if we could get in the throwing lanes and forced them to have to pass the football … we felt we would have a chance. And those guys went out and executed the second half and it was beautiful.”

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Headingley (day four)

Yorkshire 212 & 275: Hill 89, Bess 77; Overton 3-44

Somerset 201: Cliff 8-76 & 101: Lammonby 32; Coad 4-33

Yorkshire (19 pts) beat Somerset (3 pts) by 185 runs

Match scorecard

A relentless Yorkshire bowling performance put a significant dent in Somerset’s County Championship title challenge, the hosts consigning the pre-game Division One leaders to a hammer blow defeat at Headingley.

Somerset – chasing 287 – started day four on 73-3, quickly slipped to 79-6 and were later bowled out for 101 just before 12:00 BST to lose by 185 runs.

A third defeat of the season, and a second against Yorkshire, means that Warwickshire now lead Division One by 11 points from second-placed Somerset, who have never won this title. Nottinghamshire will also be in the mix come next week’s final round even if they lose against Sussex later on Friday.

For the mid-table White Rose, they claimed their fifth win in 13 games and backed up May’s success at Taunton. New ball seamers Ben Coad and Ben Cliff starred today, Coad finishing with four wickets and Cliff three.

Outstanding Cliff ended with career best match figures of 11-105, the 13th best match analysis in his county’s first-class history.

Cliff and Coad struck in the space of five balls inside the day’s opening half an hour, putting Yorkshire on course for a 19-point haul to Somerset’s three.

They removed not out batters Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell as Somerset lost two wickets for the addition of only three runs – 76-5.

Lammonby was squared up and caught behind off Cliff for 32 before Abell looped a catch up to backward point off the shoulder of the bat against Coad.

And when Coad struck again almost three overs later, at the end of the 39th, Somerset were in significant trouble, with James Rew caught at second slip on the drive.

Yorkshire came into day four knowing they had the edge, but one wicket they were desperate for was that of Craig Overton, who had broken their hearts back in July here with a stunning 79 not out off 30 balls in the Vitality Blast quarter-final.

Cliff got him caught behind pushing forwards in the 42nd over for five, also trapping Lewis Gregory lbw three balls later.

At 88-8, it was all but game over under an overcast Headingley sky but not quite matching the gloomy Somerset outlook.

The Overton and Gregory wickets were Cliff’s 10th and 11th in the match following his eight in the first innings.

Like Overton, Migael Pretorius had scored a first-innings fifty. But George Hill had him caught behind, leaving Somerset at 92-9.

Matthew Revis then wrapped things up by yorking Jake Ball, with day four lasting only 82 minutes in all.

Somerset face Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton in the final round of fixtures, which starts on Thursday, while Yorkshire can continue to play the role of spoilers when they travel to face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay.