It’s time to pay tribute to Birmingham High senior Henry Aslikyan, who makes his bid for a fourth consecutive City Section wrestling championship on Saturday night at Roybal. No Birmingham athlete has won four individual titles.
He’ll be competing in perhaps the toughest weight class in the state — 120 pounds. He’s a Michigan commit. There’s likely to be three state champions in that weight class in two weeks in Bakersfield.
Birmingham has already won City titles in boys’ and girls’ duals competition. This time he is qualifying for the state championships in Bakersfield and individual titles.
Adelaida Fernandez of Birmingham is trying for her third straight City title in girls’ wrestling. Greg Torosian and Arno Vardanyan are also seeking third titles for the Patriots in boys.
In the heavyweight division, Monroe’s Abraham Datte is a two-time City champion.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
New England Patriots receiver Mack Hollins has arrived to NFL games in some pretty interesting outfits.
His Fred Flintstone and Animal (from the Muppets) costumes worn during past pregame tunnel walks leap to mind.
None of that, however, quite compares to the look he sported before Super Bowl LX. Hollins entered Levi’s Stadium on Sunday wearing a maroon prisoner’s jumpsuit, shackles on his wrists and ankles, and a plastic mask covering his face from the nose down, similar to the one worn by Hannibal Lecter in “Silence of the Lambs.”
The back of Hollins’ shirt read “Range 13.” According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, that’s a reference to a special set of cells at a Florence, Colo., Supermax federal prison reserved for prisoners who need the tightest security.
Also, Hollins wears jersey No. 13, so it could be a reference to that as well. The front of his shirt featured the prisoner number “P-131311” and that could possibly mean … something?
Speaking of football jerseys, Hollins also was carrying one from Walsh Jesuit High School bearing the number 84. That one is actually easily explained — it’s the high school jersey (or, presumably, a replica of it) once worn by Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. Hollins went on to wear the jersey during warmups before Sunday’s game.
New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins wears coach Mike Vrabel’s high school jersey while warming up before Super Bowl LX.
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
One other thing to note about Hollins’ attire for his stadium entrance and during warmups — he wasn’t wearing shoes. That might have been the least surprising aspect of Hollins’ pregame looks since he has been known to wear shoes only when absolutely necessary.
“Everyone should be barefoot,” Hollins told NBC Sports in 2023. “You don’t see people walking around in mittens.”
He added: “Shoes are definitely dirtier than feet. Because I wash my feet all the time. When’s the last time you washed the bottom of your shoe?”
So, yeah, Hollins is a pretty quirky guy. According to Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports, Hollins does not eat vegetables, avoids drinking water (his preference is watermelon juice) and prefers to eat with his hands rather than use utensils.
“He’s probably No. 1 on the unique list,” Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs said of Hollins during Super Bowl week. “He’s actually taught me a lot. Alternative medicines, things he does, things he eats, how he moves on the daily. He is definitely one of my different teammates.’”
New England Patriots receiver Mack Hollins catches a pass as Seattle Seahawks’ Riq Woolen defends during Super Bowl LX on Sunday in Santa Clara.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
In eight NFL seasons, Hollins played for the Philadelphia Eagles (winning a Super Bowl ring following his rookie season in 2017), Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills before signing with the Patriots last offseason.
Hollins was the Patriots’ leading receiver during their 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl LX. He had four catches for 78 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Drake Maye in the fourth quarter.
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX.
This is the second time the Seahawks hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in four visits to the NFL’s championship game.
After joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1976, the Seahawks didn’t make it to the big game until Super Bowl XL following the 2005 season. Coached by Mike Holmgren and led by quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle went 13-3 during the regular season and defeated Washington and Carolina in the playoffs.
In the Super Bowl, the Seahawks gave up a 75-yard touchdown run to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker to fall behind 14-3 early in the third quarter. Seattle closed the gap with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Jerramy Stevens, but Pittsburgh got a touchdown on a trick play — a 43-yard pass from Antwaan Randle El to fellow receiver Hines Ward — midway through the fourth quarter to help seal a 21-10 win.
The Seahawks’ next visit to the big game came following the 2013 season. They went 13-3 and defeated New Orleans and San Francisco in the playoffs before facing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
It was no contest. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch had a touchdown run. Quarterback Russell Wilson had touchdown passes to Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin. Malcolm Smith had a pick-six. Percy Harvin scored on a kickoff return. And coach Pete Carroll led Seattle to a 43-8 victory and its first Super Bowl championship.
After a 14-14 halftime tie, the Seahawks took a 10-point lead in the third quarter, only for the Patriots to score two touchdowns in the fourth for a 28-24 advantage just before the two-minute warning. Wilson led the Seahawks 79 yards on the ensuing drive — but they needed 80 yards.
On first and goal from the Patriots’ one-yard line with 26 seconds remaining, Wilson’s pass for Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler to seal the win for New England.
The Seahawks didn’t return to the Super Bowl until this year. Coach Mike Macdonald and quarterback Sam Darnold led Seattle to a 14-3 record and wins over San Francisco and the Rams in the playoffs.
Kicker Jason Myers was responsible for all of the scoring in the first three quarters, connecting on four field goals for a 12-0 Seattle lead. The Seahawks scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to AJ Barner for a 19-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Myers made Super Bowl history with his fifth field goal, and teammate Uchenna Nwosu scored on a 45-yard interception return.
SANTA CLARA — Sam Darnold did not really know what to say.
So as the Seattle Seahawks quarterback stood on stage at Levi’s Stadium after becoming a Super Bowl champion, he made a few comments thanking teammates and fans before ultimately boiling it down to this:
“Just a job well done,” he said.
The words were simple. Concise. And captured the essence of a player who traveled a road filled with disappointments and setbacks but always believed in himself.
On Sunday, Darnold was far from spectacular. But the former San Clemente High and USC star played error-free, tossed a touchdown pass and let running back Kenneth Walker III, kicker Jason Myers and a dominating defense do the rest in a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
It was the Seahawks second Super Bowl title, their first since 2014.
This year’s defense dubbed itself the “Dark Side.” All-Pros do not abound. Individual personalities lean more toward quietly confident rather than brash.
And on Sunday, it lit up the stadium by harassing Patriots quarterback Drake Maye into three turnovers and sacking him six times.
Linebacker Derick Hall forced a third-quarter fumble that turned the momentum. Safety Julian Love ended any real chance of a comeback with a fourth-quarter interception. And, after cornerback Devon Witherspoon hit Maye’s arm on a blitz, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu returned an interception for a touchdown.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throws an interception as he is hit by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon in the fourth quarter of Seattle’s 29-13 win in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)
“They lived up to the ‘Dark Side’ today,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said as he held the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the winner’s stage. “It’s going to go down in the history books.”
Myers made history by kicking a Super Bowl-record five field goals. Walker rushed for 135 yards and was voted the game’s most valuable player, the first running back to win the award since Terrell Davis in 1998.
But the story of the Seahawks’ season revolved around Darnold.
The third pick in the 2018 draft endured tough times with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before he spent a season as the backup for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2024, he led the Minnesota Vikings to 14 victories but the team did not re-sign him.
The Seahawks welcomed him with open arms, and he became the first former USC quarterback to start a Super Bowl.
Is this what the Seahawks envisioned when they signed Darnold to a three-year deal with $55 million in guarantees?
Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy on stage in front of Sam Darnold and Kenneth Walker III following a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“Yeah, absolutely,” general manager John Schneider said in a celebratory locker room filled with cigar smoke and champagne. “The person, the leader — he’s the ultimate competitor.”
On Sunday, Darnold was not nearly as sharp as he was in a pivotal Week 16 overtime victory over the Rams, and the NFC championship game against the Rams.
But early in the fourth quarter, he connected with tight end AJ Barner for a touchdown that gave the Seahawks a 19-0 lead. He completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards. He did not have a pass intercepted. He did not fumble.
“I feel like I could have been a lot better,” he said. “Feel like we could have scored more points, to be quite frank. But again, we got the job done.”
A job well done by Darnold all season, teammates said.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during the second half against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
“The story that’s been written, my story, I don’t know if I could have written a better ending to this year. Some really tough times this year, and to be in this place, be able to go through this year with these guys, it’s one of the most fun years I’ve had.”
Jones started for the Rams in Super Bowl LVI as a rookie but rather than extending him after his third year, the team traded him to Tennessee before last season. The Titans later traded him to the Seahawks, who gave him a three-year extension last spring.
“It’s amazing, man,” Jones said of being a two-time champion. “Those California Super Bowls — I like those.”
After Darnold’s touchdown pass, it appeared the Seahawks were on their way to the first shutout in Super Bowl history. But Maye came back and fired a touchdown pass to Mack Hollins, pulling the Patriots to within 12 points.
Patriots fans perhaps envisioned a repeat of Super Bowl LI in 2017, when Tom Brady led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons.
But the Seahawks made sure that was not going to happen.
Love picked off a Maye pass, and Myers kicked his final field goal to increase the lead to 22-7. Late in the fourth quarter, Witherspoon hit Maye, and Nwosu grabbed the ball in the air and returned it 45 yards for a 29-7 lead.
The Seahawks were on their way to finishing the season with their 10th consecutive victory.
Maye, runner-up to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the NFL most valuable player award, completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
“They had applied some pressure where they got us a few times,” Maye said, “and we’ve got to be better with the football and make better decisions and I’ve got to make better throws when the game goes like that.”
When it was over, Darnold was holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy on stage.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, left, and running back Kenneth Walker III celebrate on stage after a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
“I was like, ‘This thing’s a lot lighter than I thought it was,’” he said. “But it was great just to be able to hold that trophy and finally enjoy it.”
Darnold will enjoy something else: He will now forever be known as Super Bowl-champion Sam Darnold.
“It’s special, man,” he said. “I’m not going to lie — it’s a dream come true. It really is.
“Just going to continue to lean in to that, and soak it all in.”
The Seattle Seahawks defence put on a clinic to lead their team to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60.
How does the saying go? Defence wins championships – and that’s exactly what happened at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Here are some of the best pictures from a memorable night as the Seahawks got their hands on the Lombardi trophy for the second time in franchise history.
The Seattle Seahawks produced a devastating defensive display to beat the New England Patriots and claim their second Super Bowl victory.
Two of the NFL’s strongest defences battled it out in Sunday’s showpiece and the Seahawks emphatically came out on top to win 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium.
It was a defensive performance for the ages and Briton Aden Durde played a pivotal role, becoming the first overseas coach to win America’s biggest game.
Seattle’s 46-year-old defensive coordinator has helped create the most-feared defence in the NFL, which has become known as ‘the Dark Side’, and they showed why on American football’s biggest stage in Santa Clara, California.
New England’s second-year quarterback Drake Maye narrowly missed out on this season’s Most Valuable Player award but was stifled by the Seahawks, who claimed six sacks, forced three turnovers and scored a defensive touchdown.
After Seattle led 9-0 at half-time, Maye’s first turnover resulted in the game’s opening touchdown for tight end AJ Barner early in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu then returned an interception for a 45-yard touchdown, while Jason Meyers kicked a record five field goals.
“We were the better team, we’re the best team. We loved each other, we believed in each other and now we’re champions,” said Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
“We went to the dark side tonight, we love our players, they made it happen. They made it come to life and we won the game.”
I like Seattle. The Seahawks were the NFL’s most complete team this season and can present problems in all three phases.
While Seattle’s defense doesn’t scare New England — the Patriots prevailed against the solid Chargers and elite Houston and Denver defenses — the Seahawks likely will give Drake Maye’s blockers problems.
As good as he was this season, Maye fumbled six times in the playoffs, losing three. New England’s run defense was among the league’s best early in the season, then fell off, but has snapped back with the return of Milton Williams.
Establishing the run is huge for the Seahawks, who need that for their play-action passing game. Seattle needs some stepped-up production from running back Kenneth Walker III, who was so-so in the championship game.
It hurts the Seahawks that they don’t have running back Zach Charbonnet, who was excellent in short yardage and pass protection.
The Patriots have really good defensive backs who will have their hands full with Jaxson Smith-Njigba and the Super Bowl-seasoned Cooper Kupp.
Sam Darnold has proven time and again that he has turned the corner in his career and is legitimately sharp, reliable and poised under pressure. It feels like this game will be close for awhile, and Seattle will pull away just enough in the second half.
On Sunday, the Seahawks and Patriots will play in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.
After the Seahawks defeated the Rams in the NFC championship game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was asked during a postgame broadcast about being an “afterthought” behind the Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.
“We did not care,” Macdonald proclaimed, making public an attitude players adopted throughout Macdonald’s two seasons.
The Seahawks reflect their second-year coach, safety Julian Love said, by keeping an intense but “matter-of-fact” approach.
“He tries to keep the main thing, the main thing,” Love said. “He doesn’t like to make … grandeur out of everything.
“Like, he’ll say, ‘Who do we play next, and what time do we play?” And then we’ll all say in a team meeting, constantly, just like every meeting, ‘We don’t care!’ That mindset and his quote … that’s just how he’s been all year, all the past two years and that shows who we are as a team now.”
The Seahawks won their last seven regular-season games and finished 14-3 to capture the top seed in the NFC. After a first-round bye, they routed the 49ers and beat the Rams to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015, when they lost to the Patriots and fell short of repeating as champions.
Quarterback Sam Darnold, cast aside by the Minnesota Vikings after he led them to a 14-win season in 2024, played well throughout the season and spectacularly in the playoffs.
Running back Kenneth Walker III leads the rushing attack, and George Holani has stepped into a complementary role that Zach Charbonnet filled before suffering a knee injury in the divisional round against the 49ers.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs with the ball during a win over the Rams in the NFC championship on Jan. 25.
(Ben VanHouten / Associated Press)
Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was voted the NFL offensive player of the year after catching 119 passes, 10 for touchdowns. Darnold also relies on receiver Cooper Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year and Super Bowl LVI most valuable player when he played for the Rams, and the electric Rashid Shaheed, along with tight end A.J. Barner.
Linebacker Ernest Jones, linemen Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy and DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safety Nick Emmanwori are among the standouts for the Seahawks “Dark Side” defense that gave up a league-best 17.2 points per game in the regular season.
Jason Myers is the kicker, All-Pro Michael Dickson the punter and Shaheed the dynamic kick returner.
Like the Seahawks, the Patriots and their fans were similarly inspired by a speech receiver Stefon Diggs made before a preseason game, when he proclaimed “We all we got. We all we need.”
After finishing 4-13 last season, Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired first-year coach Jerod Mayo and hired Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker and three-time Super Bowl champion who coached the Tennessee Titans for six seasons.
“We were intentional about making sure that when the players returned there was a program in place that they could look at, that they could believe in, that they wanted to be a part of and that they wanted to protect,” Vrabel said. “That’s what we set out to do.”
Vrabel, the NFL coach of the year, led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and their first AFC East title since 2019. The Patriots then defeated the Chargers and the Houston Texans before beating the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship game to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2018 season, when they defeated the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Quarterback Drake Maye is a dual threat who became an MVP finalist while leading an offense that averaged 28.8 points a game.
Diggs is Maye’s top target — he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the seventh time — and tight end Hunter Henry plays a prominent role. Receivers Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Demario Douglas and tight end Austin Hooper also have made plays.
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs runs with the ball against the New York Jets on Dec. 28.
(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)
Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson combined for 13 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
Defensive lineman Milton Williams, linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson and Robert Spillane, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and safety Jaylinn Hawkins are among the key players for a defense that gave up 18.8 points a game during the regular season — the league’s fourth-best mark. Sack leader Harold Landry III is questionable because of a knee issue.
Andy Borregales is the kicker, Bryce Baringer the punter, and Marcus Jones is a second-team All-Pro punt returner.
That’s what the man who led New England to six Super Bowl victories and nine appearances in the NFL’s championship game said when he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in June 2024.
“I am a Patriot for life!”
That’s what the retired quarterback told the crowd at Gillette Stadium in September 2023 at the start of the first NFL season since the end of his 23-year career, which included three seasons and one more Super Bowl win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. May the best team win.”
That’s what Brady said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast earlier this week. The comment wouldn’t have been a big deal if he had been talking about this year’s Puppy Bowl, in which his clone dog Junie will not be a participant.
But alas, he was talking about Super Bowl XL, which pits the Seattle Seahawks against the team that has a 17-foot bronze statue of Brady outside its stadium (a.k.a. the Patriots).
Now, Brady is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but they fell just a teensy bit short of making the playoffs after finishing the season at 3-14 and aren’t a factor at all in this weekend’s game in Santa Clara.
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady speaks at the August 2025 unveiling of a bronze statue of himself at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass.
(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
Brady actually did provide plenty of context along with his comment, and we’ll get to that shortly. But first, how about some reactions from Brady’s former Patriots teammates?
Retired linebacker Tedy Bruschi said he has no problem showing his support for New England and coach Mike Vrabel, who played for the Patriots teams that won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVII and XXXIX.
“That’s the way Tom feels. I got a big-a— dog in the race, I’m telling you that right now,” Bruschi said on Boston’s WEEI 93.7 FM. “That’s my boy right there, you know, Vrabel — eight-year teammate, like a brother of mine. I mean, all of us, really. It’s like, we’ve got a dog in the fight. My dog is big and I’m cheering for him.”
“Raiders ain’t in it,” Wilfork said on WEEI. “Say what it is, what you see.”
He added: “At the end of the day, if you’re a Patriot for life … don’t give me that political bullcrap. That’s just what it is. If you don’t think we’re gonna win, just pick Seattle then. Don’t straddle the fence.”
Retired cornerback Asante Samuel wrote on X: “Tom Brady I am highly I mean highly disappointed in you not rooting for your ex teammate, Mike Vrabel who is about to do something special.”
In a separate post, Samuel suggested that Brady wants to be “the only one winning super bowls.”
Retired tight end Rob Gronkowski said on the “Up & Adams” YouTube show that he hadn’t talked to Brady about the matter yet, but he did have a theory on why his good friend might not be rooting for the Patriots.
“He probably wants to be the quarterback. He’s that competitive,” Gronkowski said. “He wants to be the guy in the Super Bowl right now.”
Retired offensive linebacker Damien Woody said on ESPN’s “Unsportsmanlike” that Brady’s comment was “ludicrous,” then continued, “I don’t care if you’re the minority owner of the Raiders. Dammit, you have a statue in Foxborough. Make it known. Nobody wants to hear all this, ‘I don’t have a dog in the fight.’ The hell you do! If Robert Kraft put that damn statue outside of his stadium, oh, you better believe you got a dog in the fight.”
OK, now on to what Brady actually said on the podcast. Host Jim Gray asked what this Super Bowl is like for him as someone so closely associated with the Patriots and their past success. As part of his answer, Brady pointed out that there are “always different chapters in your life.”
“And now, in a different phase of my life, I really root for people and the people I care about, the people who I know the work that goes into what they’re trying to accomplish,” Brady said. “So I really want to sit back as a fan and enjoy the game, enjoy the moment. And I always think, may the best team win. You know, it’s not going to be who I’m cheering for, who I think is going to win. It’s going to be decided by the people out there on the field.”
Brady added: “I just want to see good football. I want to see good plays, good throws, good strategy, good decisions. And that’s the joy in the game for me. … So listen, I don’t have a dog in the fight in this one. May the best team win. And in terms of the Patriots, this is a new chapter in New England, and I’m glad everyone’s embraced the Mike Vrabel regime, all the amazing players that have worked so hard to get their club to this position.”
Gray brought up the “idiotic” perception that Brady and other members of the Patriots dynasty might not want this year’s team to succeed and somehow distract from their accomplishments. Brady agreed that such thoughts are “idiotic” and said that all the memories and relationships he built during that era will always mean something to him.
“No one can take those away from me,” Brady said. “So regardless of what anyone would say or think or want to add to the conversation, I’m just excited that the two best teams who have been consistently the best teams all year are playing for the Super Bowl.”
SANTA CLARA — Drake Maye did not wait long to earn a spot on the NFL’s grandest stage.
In only his second season, the New England Patriots’ quarterback led his team to the Super Bowl.
Now Maye, 23, will try to join four other second-year quarterbacks who won Super Bowl titles.
“I’m not too great at my history,” Maye said when asked if he knew the other second-year winners. “I know there’s been some young ones.”
Kurt Warner of the Rams, Tom Brady of the Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks won titles in their second seasons.
Maye correctly identified the player he called “Big Ben.” Apprised that Brady, who won six of his seven Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, also was part of the group, Maye quipped, “Brady, he wasn’t a bad one either.”
On Sunday, Maye will lead the Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
It’s a “full-circle” moment, said Maye, who attended Super Bowl Bowl L at Levi’s Stadium with his father in 2016.
The Patriots are seeking their first title since the 2018 season, when they defeated the Rams in Super Bowl LII in Atlanta.
“The thing that makes it so special for me, at such a young age, is to cherish such a moment,” Maye said.
Maye has been nursing a right shoulder injury but he said he would be “just fine” for Sunday when the Patriots go against the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense.
Maye is in the Super Bowl after making a huge leap from his rookie season.
The Patriots selected the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maye out of North Carolina with the third pick in the 2024 draft. Under first-year coach Jerod Mayo, Maye passed for 15 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions, and rushed for 421 yards and two touchdowns for a team that finished 4-13.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye speaks during a news conference on Monday.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Mayo after the season and replaced him with Mike Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker who won three Super Bowls with the team as a player and coached the Tennessee Titans to three playoff appearances in six seasons from 2018 to 2023.
Vrabel brought back Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator for three Patriots Super Bowl championship teams, and Maye flourished.
“Give a lot of credit to the people around me,” Maye said. “Coaches, players, new teammates, another year with people I did play with, and just finding confidence in myself.”
Maye completed a league-high and franchise-record 72% of his passes, 31 for touchdowns, with eight interceptions. He also rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns while leading the Patriots to a 14-3 record and the AFC East title.
Maye is a finalist for NFL most valuable player and for offensive player of the year.
“It all starts with talent,” Vrabel said of Maye, adding, “He plays the position athletically, and that allows him to be accurate with the football, whether that’s in the pocket or extending plays. He … continues to build and develop as a leader, so his success and his performance is a large part of why we’re here.”
Receiver Kayshon Boutte concurred.
“It’s pretty much as simple as that,” he said.
The 2020 season that Cam Newton played for the Patriots provided “useful” material for designing an offense that took advantage of Maye’s mobility, McDaniels said. Maye’s ability to learn quickly and not repeat mistakes has helped him thrive.
“We’ve added a lot this year,” McDaniels said, “and I still think we’re just scratching the surface of where this is going.”
Receiver Stefon Diggs is Maye’s favorite target. The 11th-year pro caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns.
“To be that young and be that mature and be able to play at a high level is something I always wanted as a young player,” Diggs said. “He’s cool with all his teammates. … If you play football, you know. He has that quarterback mindset, that quarterback energy.
“Yeah, he’s cool.”
Tight end Hunter Henry said Maye embodies consistency as a person and a player.
“He’s got a routine, he works really hard, he wants to be great,” said Henry, a 10th-year pro. “He’s never really satisfied. He just wants to continue to improve.”
Maye helped lead the Patriots to playoff victories over the Chargers and the Houston Texans before defeating the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in the AFC championship game.
Containing Maye in the pocket will be a challenge, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said.
“Man, he can flat out run,” Jones said. “Can’t sleep on his speed. … When he gets out of the pocket, he’s running, running, running, and he just throws one.”
Patriots defensive lineman Milton Williams played last season for the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. Maye and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, he said, are similarly selfless.
“They never take any credit for anything they did even though they’re both special players,” Williams said. “It’s all about the team with those guys, and guys respect that and guys go out there and play hard for ‘em knowing they’re capable of taking games over and winning games in big moments.”
Maye appears ready for the moment. He is not thinking about age or experience going into the biggest game of his life.
“It’s winning the game,” he said, “and enjoying the time with my teammates.”
Super Bow LX is set for Sunday in Santa Clara, and don’t be surprised if someone who played high school football in the Southland on the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots makes a big play or even becomes the game MVP.
In fact, if you want to make a hunch bet in Las Vegas, former Narbonne linebacker Uchenna Nwosu of the Seahawks might be someone to consider. He’s the only athlete from the City Section competing, and two former Super Bowl MVPs were John Elway from Granada Hills and Malcolm Smith from Taft.
Nwosu has quite a story. He never started at Narbonne until his senior year. He was a junior varsity player focused on basketball.
His football coach, Manuel Douglas, remembers a meeting with Nwosu, who wanted to give up the sport.
“Coach, I’m not going to make it in football,” Nwosu told him.
“What are you an idiot?” Douglas said. “You’re 6-2 and too small for basketball.”
Douglas said, “He always had the grades. He just had to wait his turn. He had a moment he was going to quit and I wasn’t going to let him.”
Nwosu started 14 games his senior year in 2013, became the captain at USC and was a second-round draft pick of the Chargers.
“Perseverance,” is the word Douglas used to describe how Nwosu finds himself starting in the Super Bowl.
“He’s had to work from the beginning,” Douglas said. “People have their moments when they falter, but he never gave up.”
Among the other Southland high school graduates:
In 2017, USC quarterback Sam Darnold visits his former teammates at San Clemente High.
(Los Angeles Times)
Sam Darnold, quarterback, San Clemente: The hero of the Seahawks’ offense and the first former USC quarterback to play in a Super Bowl has been a legend in San Clemente for years.
Said San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz: “Sam has continued to be the same Sam he was in high school. He is the leader of the locker room where he sets the example and makes everyone around him better. He is a man of few words and lets his actions do the talking. He is the ultra competitor and when he steps onto the field or basketball court, he was there to win.”
Former St. Monica receiver Kyle Williams now plays for the Patriots.
(St. Monica Yearbook)
Kyle Williams, receiver, St. Monica: The Patriots took a chance on a 5-foot-10 receiver, making him a third-round pick from Washington State.
Said St. Monica coach Thomas Barnes: “He is living and walking proof that a kid from St. Monica Prep can make it all the way to the big time. You don’t have to go to one of the big name schools, go to St. Monica and become the big name.”
Former St. John Bosco running back George Holani in 2023 for Boise State. He plays for the Seahawks.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
George Holani, running back, St. John Bosco: A backup running back for the Seahawks who’s filled in for the injured Zach Charbonnet, Holani twice ran for more than 1,000 yards at St. John Bosco before starring at Boise State.
Said coach Jason Negro: “I’m not surprised one bit in George’s journey from Bosco to the Super Bowl. He took the lessons he learned here and the ones that were instilled in him by his family and continued to climb the professional sports ladder.
“George is one of the most humble and hard-working individuals I’ve ever encountered in my career. He’s built on loyalty and culture, which is why he took the path from Bosco to Boise State.
“He trusted the process and understood he needed to be rooted in who he was to get to his ultimate destination, which is playing in the biggest game in the world.”
Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) attempts to evade a tackle by Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai (48) in 2024.
(Greg M. Cooper / Associated Press)
Jahlani Tavai, linebacker, Mira Costa: Just looking at the family history of the Tavai family in the South Bay means there will be plenty of people cheering for him and the Patriots. There are six brothers, all of whom played football.
Said coach Don Morrow: “Jahlani deserves a lot of credit. He was a great athlete coming out of Mira Costa but wasn’t the biggest guy. He was tall and lanky. He really changed his body at Hawaii and got really strong and moved to linebacker.”
Mission Viejo wide receiver Brenden Schooler looks for room to run against Norco in 2015.
(Los Angeles Times)
Brenden Schooler, safety, Mission Viejo: The Patriots once had one of the most famous special teams player in Matthew Slater from Servite. Now Schooler is getting noticed after being signed as a free agent in 2022. He made the Pro Bowl in 2024.
Said defensive coordinator Brett Paton: “Brenden was alway the guy who did extra, first in and last out. Made everyone around him a winner, held his teammates to a higher standard, really good leader. And always came up with the big play when we needed it. In the CIF championship game versus Vista Murrieta, he had the game-changing pick at safety.”
Team owner Robert Kraft also failed to receive enough votes to be included in the Class of 2026, according to multiple media outlets. The inductees will be announced Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco.
Kraft was among the many people who expressed disbelief last week when the news surfaced that Belichick, who coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories and nine appearances in the NFL’s championship game, would not be entering the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
“Whatever perceptions may exist about any personal differences between Bill and me, I strongly believe Bill Belichick’s record and body of work speak for themselves,” Kraft said in a statement.
“He is the greatest coach of all time,” he added, “and he unequivocally deserves to be a unanimous first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.”
Belichick and Kraft were part of a pool of candidates separate from that of the modern-era players. Belichick was this year’s finalist in the coaches category, while Kraft was the finalist in the contributors category. Three former players — Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood — were selected as finalists in the seniors category.
The 50 members of the Hall’s selection committee were allowed to vote for up to three of those five finalists. A maximum of three of those finalists can make it into the Hall by receiving at least 80% of the votes. If none of them gets 80%, then the person receiving the most votes makes the cut.
Kraft was first nominated for the Hall of Fame in 2013 and was a finalist for the first time this year. He has made it to the Super Bowl 11 times since buying the Patriots in 1994, more than any team owner in NFL history.
While Kraft may not have his name announced as a Hall of Famer this week, he could be getting a pretty decent consolation prize days later — if coach Mike Vrabel, quarterback Drake Maye and the rest of the current Patriots bring home the Lombardi Trophy by beating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
Some actors who appear right on the edge of becoming household names and who happen to be hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time might be leery of letting a famous relative steal their spotlight.
Alexander Skarsgård let it happen twice in the same “SNL” episode when his father Stellan Skarsgård appeared in a returning sketch about immigrant fathers (in which Cardi B also appeared) and one about a Scandinavian film’s giggly production. To be fair, though, his dad is currently Oscar-nominated in the supporting actor category for “Sentimental Value.”
If the Alexander of the Skarsgård was bothered, it sure didn’t show; the first-time host of the 1,000th episode of “SNL” was loose and committed throughout, even if not all the sketches hit. And yes, before you go racing to Peacock to confirm, Alexander gave his father Stellan a big ol’ hug in the closing goodbyes. Aww.
If “SNL” shied away last week from directly addressing the quickly devolving situation in Minneapolis last week, it found its footing with a cold open about ICE that didn’t rely on James Austin Johnson’s impression of President Trump. Instead, it featured former cast member Pete Davidson as border czar Tom Homan taking over command of clueless ICE officers. This was followed, after the monologue, by a well-executed sketch about a mom (Ashley Padilla) slowly changing her mind about the Trump administration.
As the younger Skarsgård’s career has shown (“Murderbot,” “True Blood,” “The Northman”), he’s used to playing odd, extreme characters and “SNL” was a nice fit.
For the first time in a while, Trump didn’t dominate the cold open of the show; instead, Davidson came back to the show, wearing a bald cap to portray Homan. Homan points out the irony that things have gotten so bad in Minneapolis with ICE that he’s now considered the voice-of-reason adult in the room. ICE commanders (Kenan Thompson, Andrew Dismukes, Johnson, Ben Marshall, Mikey Day and Jeremy Culhane) claimed their orders were “wildin’ out” and wondered if they’re supposed to be releasing the Epstein files. As Homan pointed out, the ICE raids were to distract from those, but now the Epstein files are being released to distract from ICE. Davidson is remembered more for his “Weekend Update” segments and his Chad character on “SNL,” but he does some nice work here even if he breaks character at one point.
Skarsgård’s could have spent his monologue discussing his TV and movie roles, like his upcoming film “Wicker” or his role in the new Charli XCX mockumentary “The Moment,” but instead he focused on the band members who appear on stage but rarely get to speak on the show. He interviewed some of the band members, poorly, and then grabbed a saxophone to do some inspired fake playing. It was silly and fun, a nice start to Skarsgård’s night.
Best sketch of the night: Mom’s having a change of heart, but you can’t say anything
For most of this season you can count on at least one sketch to feature a standout performance from featured player Ashley Padilla, who has become a ringer for playing women who are either very deluded and are trying to pretend they’re not, or who are trying to manage other people’s reactions to her odd behavior. For this sketch, she gets to do both, playing a mother who, after a lengthy preamble, reveals to her adult children and husband (Skarsgård) that she’s starting to change her opinion about Trump’s policies, from immigration to guns to trans people. As her kids struggle to hold back their reactions, lest she swing back the other way, her husband just wants to go to Red Robin for his birthday scoop. Best line: “If I hear a single ‘I told you so,’ I will go see the ‘Melania’ movie tonight!”
Also good: Having the right body shape for Olympics-level luge, even if it’s a corpse
Wickline, another featured player, has become a polarizing cast member among fans, some of whom simply don’t get her humor or appreciate her performances, while others love her quirky songs and see her as bringing a unique vibe to the show. For this Olympics-themed pre-taped piece, she gets to have a lot of fun as a reluctant luge competitor who is terrified to go down the mountain and tries to fake being sick to avoid going to Milan. This might remind you of Patti Harrison’s perfect performance in the “Capital Room” sketch on “I Think You Should Leave,” but Wickline manages to make the character her own.
‘Weekend Update’ winner: They scored again ahead of the Super Bowl
Sherman was promoted to “Weekend Update” weather correspondent in a segment that included a surprise appearance from “30 Rock” star Jack McBrayer, but it was Dismukes and Padilla as a couple who just had sex winning the week with their awkward, infatuated banter, which tied in nicely to a discussion about next week’s big game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The couple predict that the Patriots will be on top the first half, but at some point the Seahawks will come from behind and dominate the Patriots for a little while. “Maybe the Patriots get tired and ask the Seahawks to play themselves for a while,” Dismukes suggests. Things go off the rails when he says no matter what happens, someone’s getting a ring, which puts tension on the budding relationship. “I didn’t say that night!” he explains to a disappointed Padilla. The two previously hooked up for the first time in the Glen Powell episode.
