Speaking of the Patriots, they’re one of three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the best?
You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record – and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos.
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday’s win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a statement.
Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel’s first three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then – but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge.
Drake Maye’s MVP claims won’t go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory.
The defence is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards – becoming just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score.
While you can argue who ‘the best’ is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule – which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo.
Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule.
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There’s a long way to go but the door is open for a shock top seed in the AFC.
UCLA is apparently running the equivalent of a hurry-up offense as part of its efforts to switch football homes.
Should the Bruins go ahead with plans to abandon the Rose Bowl for SoFi Stadium, the move could happen quickly — as soon as next season.
But no one should reprogram their GPS for 1001 Stadium Dr. in Inglewood just yet.
Despite significant momentum among UCLA officials toward making the move to SoFi Stadium, no final decision has been made, according to one person familiar with the school’s discussions about the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
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Even if the school did agree to play its 2026 home games at SoFi Stadium as part of an accelerated timeline — first reported by Bruin Report Online — at least one significant hurdle would remain.
That big roadblock involves pending litigation designed to keep UCLA at the stadium it has called home since the start of the 1982 season. The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Co. have filed a lawsuit to force the Bruins to honor the terms of the lease that requires them to stay at the Rose Bowl through the end of the 2043 season.
A consideration of an estimated payout has presumably been factored into UCLA’s calculus of its willingness to abandon its Rose Bowl lease for more lucrative terms at SoFi Stadium. But might a possible massive financial penalty imposed by a court give university officials pause?
In their joint filing, Pasadena and the Rose Bowl contended that UCLA’s departure could cause harm to the city and its residents that might “easily exceed a billion dollars [or more],” and that monetary damages alone might not be able to compensate for the losses incurred by those entities.
Money is clearly at the heart of UCLA’s proposed move.
For the fiscal year 2024, the last for which information is available, UCLA reported $8.35 million in football ticket sales — less than half of the $20 million it made in 2014, when it was setting attendance records under coach Jim Mora — and just $738,373 in revenue from game programs, novelties, parking and food and concessions.
As part of any lease agreement with SoFi Stadium, the Bruins would receive suite revenue they were not taking in at the Rose Bowl, where they had locked themselves into a long-term deal giving them no return on suite sales or stadium sponsorship sales and only a sliver of parking, concessions and merchandise revenues.
In return, the Rose Bowl had pledged more than $150 million in stadium renovations while recently refinancing an additional $130 million in bonds for additional infrastructure improvements. Among the plans in the works is a field-level club in the south end zone scheduled to open in time for the 2026 season. The Rose Bowl has agreed to let UCLA keep revenue from 1,200 plush, extra-wide seats as part of the renovations, though those seats would also benefit the stadium at other events throughout the year.
Where might UCLA get the money to pay the Rose Bowl as part of any settlement for leaving the iconic venue? Like other Big Ten schools, the Bruins could receive an up-front payment of $140 million as part of a proposed $2.4-billion deal between the conference and an investment fund of the University of California pension system.
Other benefits of moving to SoFi Stadium would include a 13-mile commute that’s half the distance between campus and the Rose Bowl, as well as enhanced facilities such as more modern seating and scoreboards. But there are concerns about tailgating at SoFi Stadium, which has far more restrictive policies than those enjoyed by fans on a sprawling golf course and parking lots at the Rose Bowl.
There would also be no guarantees of increased attendance as part of a stadium switch. When UCLA played Boise State in the 2023 L.A. Bowl at SoFi Stadium, the game drew an announced attendance of 32,780. That’s less than the 37,098 fans the team has averaged this season at the Rose Bowl, which is putting it on pace for an all-time low at the stadium.
Visiting fans might also be less likely to travel across the country to see a game at SoFi Stadium as opposed to the Rose Bowl, which has long been considered one of the top destinations in college football.
While it’s unlikely that UCLA’s stadium situation will be settled before its final home game of the season against Washington on Nov. 22, fans might want to savor that view of the San Gabriel Mountains a little longer than usual.
Just in case it’s the last time they get to see it before a home football game.
Nico Iamaleava looks for an open receiver against Nebraska.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
After UCLA’s 28-21 loss to Nebraska, one more defeat will erase the possibility of a bowl game, leading freshmen, sophomores and juniors to join their more veteran teammates in developing a potential case of senioritis.
Quarterbacks: A. There’s nothing more you can ask from Nico Iamaleava given all the hits he takes and resolve he shows while running this offense.
Running backs: C-. Once again, Iamaleava (86 yards rushing) outgained the combined efforts of running backs Jaivian Thomas, Jalen Berger and Anthony Woods (69 yards).
Wide receivers/tight ends: C-. The only touchdown catches were made by Woods and fellow running back Anthony Frias II.
Offensive line: D. Eugene Brooks’ return was offset by the injury loss of Garrett DiGiorgio and more false start penalties.
Defensive line: D. The Bruins have failed to record a sack in three consecutive games as part of a sustained failure to put pressure on the quarterback.
Linebackers: C. The struggles to contain Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson didn’t end here.
Defensive backs: C. Key Lawrence and Cole Martin made the team’s only tackles for loss, but the secondary allowed a freshman quarterback to complete his first 11 passes in his debut as a starter.
Special teams: B. Jacob Busic ran for a first down on a fake punt, but Mateen Bhaghani pulled a field goal wide left.
Coaching: C-. Two weeks to prepare after a blowout loss weren’t enough to help this staff get the Bruins to play at a high level again.
Opening basketball thoughts
Xavier Booker in the second half against Pepperdine.
(William Liang / Associated Press)
It’s easy to overreact to what happens early in a season.
With that caveat out of the way, the first impressions of the UCLA men’s basketball team were not great. Two relatively narrow victories in what were expected to be blowouts of Eastern Washington and Pepperdine caused the 12th-ranked Bruins to slip all the way from No. 10 in the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy to No. 31.
The biggest early concerns about this team are rebounding and defense. Tyler Bilodeau continues to look lost at times after moving from center to power forward and the guards need to do a much better job of grabbing rebounds.
The big positive takeaway was Xavier Booker’s 15-point, five-block performance against Pepperdine, which signaled that the converted power forward might be the answer the team needs at center after the departure of Aday Mara.
A more definitive assessment of UCLA’s potential will come after the Bruins (2-0) face No. 13 Arizona (2-0) on Friday night at the Intuit Dome in an early season showdown.
Meanwhile, there was plenty to like about the UCLA women’s basketball team based on its early results.
After a slightly disjointed opening victory over San Diego State, the Bruins showed off their depth with three 20-point scorers — none of them named Lauren Betts — in a blowout of UC Santa Barbara. This team can beat you from inside and out, with so much shooting and playmaking complementing Betts that opponents won’t know where to start when game planning.
No. 3 UCLA (2-0) faces an early test Monday against No. 6 Oklahoma (1-0) at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Olympic sport spotlight: Men’s water polo
Ryder Dodd
(Raymond Tran / UCLA)
Get ready for an epic rematch.
Having suffered its only loss of the season to its biggest rival, the UCLA men’s water polo team can even the score when it faces USC on Saturday morning at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on the Trojans’ campus.
The second-ranked Bruins (21-1) got a final tuneup for the rematch with the Trojans (18-2) on Friday, beating Pacific, 17-2.
When UCLA faced USC on Oct. 18, the Bruins rallied to forge a 12-12 tie on a fourth and final goal from sophomore Ryder Dodd before the Trojans’ Jack Martin scored the winner with 46 seconds left in a 13-12 victory.
The rematch between the rivals will be UCLA’s last game before it opens play in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament on Nov. 21 at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center.
Remember when?
Most UCLA fans reflexively think about the Bruins’ 1976 Rose Bowl triumph over top-ranked Ohio State when asked about their favorite football memory involving the schools who will meet again Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
But an equally improbable triumph came in 1980 in Columbus, Ohio.
With the Bruins coming off a 5-6 season and coach Terry Donahue feeling considerable heat amid player losses to academic and disciplinary problems and mass turnover on his coaching staff, including the departure of close friend Bobby Field to do landscaping near Dallas, the team entered Ohio Stadium as a double-digit underdog.
It left as 17-0 victors.
Behind a dynamic offense devised by new offensive coordinator Homer Smith and another workmanlike performance from tailback Freeman McNeil, whose 118 yards rushing in 31 carries marked his third consecutive 100-yard game, UCLA dominated the second-ranked Buckeyes.
Donahue had fired up some of his players, including All-American safety Kenny Easley, earlier in the week by handing out photocopies of a Times article from the previous season. After Ohio State pulled out a 17-13 victory over the Bruins at the Coliseum, several Buckeyes players were quoted as saying their UCLA counterparts were soft and had been “sucking it up” by the second quarter.
A year later, many of those same players went on to hold the Buckeyes scoreless in their home stadium.
Afterward, Donahue ascended the stadium steps to celebrate with his wife, Andrea, who wiped a tear from her cheek as her husband returned to the field, according to Sports Illustrated. In the locker room, the Bruins blasted what became their theme song on the way to finishing the season 9-2.
It was one of Queen’s greatest rock anthems — “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Opinion time
If UCLA plays its football games at SoFi Stadium in 2026, will you go?
Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on X @latbbolch. To order an autographed copy of my book, “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” send me an email. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
British and Irish Lion Mack Hansen has been recalled to the Ireland squad for the side’s remaining autumn Tests but Jamie Osborne will miss out with a shoulder injury.
Ireland are back in action against Australia on Saturday in Dublin (20:10 GMT) before taking on world champions South Africa at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 22 November (17:40 GMT).
Connacht’s Hansen has rejoined the squad despite initially being considered out for the autumn series because of the foot injury he picked up in his side’s United Rugby Championship loss to the Bulls last month.
Hansen has never started at full-back for Ireland, although his past four Connacht appearances have been in the position, but with usual starter Hugo Keenan also out the former Brumbies player gives head coach Andy Farrell another option in his back three.
Osborne wore the 15 jersey against New Zealand and Japan to start the month but was replaced by Jimmy O’Brien in the second half of the 41-10 win over the latter on Saturday and Farrell said afterwards that his shoulder injury did not “look good”.
Hansen’s club-mate Darragh Murray has also been called into the squad with the second row capped during the summer tour to Georgia and Portugal.
Leinster pair Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier remain doubts for this weekend’s game against the Wallabies with hamstring strains and their progress will be monitored before the team is announced on Thursday.
There is better news on the injury front with centre Stuart McCloskey making progress with a groin injury sustained against the All Blacks and expected to take a full part in training this week.
Otherwise, risk missing the master class that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is conducting this season.
One that has the 17th-year pro squarely in the conversation for his first NFL most valuable player award.
“I see those people say stuff like that,” Stafford said Sunday after passing for four touchdowns in the Rams’ 42-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, “and all I can think about is like I’m just lucky to have unbelievable teammates.”
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in their 42-26 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Stafford, 37, is playing as if he were in the middle, not near the end, of a possible Hall of Fame career.
On Sunday he tossed touchdown passes to receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and tight ends Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson as the Rams avenged an overtime loss to the 49ers in Week 5 and improved to 7-2.
How efficient has Stafford played this season?
He has passed for a league-leading 25 touchdowns.
With only two interceptions.
“He can walk on water right now,” Nacua said.
In the last three games, Stafford has passed for 13 touchdowns. His second touchdown pass Sunday, to Allen, was the 400th of his career.
Stafford’s name already fills the NFL record book. He is among the top 10 in several passing categories. But he never has been this efficient for this long.
Stafford has not had a pass intercepted in the last six games, the longest such stretch of his career.
“It looks like the game is really in slow motion to him right now,” coach Sean McVay said.
Rams players (from left) Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, Jordan Whittington and Davante Adams celebrate in the third quarter of a 42-26 win over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Stafford’s recent run of excellence is on par with other awe-inspiring Los Angeles sports icons.
He has been as dominant as the UCLA fast break and full court press from the 1970s. Clayton Kershaw’s 12-to-6 curveball. Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer swing.
This is a Wayne Gretzky assist. A Nolan Ryan no-hitter.
A Reggie Bush breakaway run. A Serena Williams backhand winner. A Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sky hook, a Magic Johnson no-look pass, a Kobe Bryant game-winning three. A Lisa Leslie low-post move. A Candace Parker dunk.
A Jim Murray or Bill Plaschke column.
A fill-in-the-blank run of excellence.
Overblown? Perhaps. The NFL is a humbling league. Stafford’s recent run could end next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.
So enjoy it in real time. Follow Stafford’s lead.
“I have fun out there,” he said when asked about what Nacua described as Stafford’s ‘shimmy shake’ touchdown celebration. “I lose my mind when we score touchdowns.”
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford smiles while being interviewed after the Rams’ win over the 49ers on Sunday.
(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
That’s how defensive coordinators must feel when Stafford completes one of his patented no-look passes.
Adams played eight seasons in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers. He knows what an MVP looks like.
“It’s looked like MVP play to me all year,” Adams said, pointing to a Week 2 game against the Tennessee Titans, when Stafford shook off an interception and led the Rams to victory. “Just to rally a team and continue to lead at a high level when things don’t go your way, I think that’s what really shows what an MVP is like.”
Stafford’s success harks to 2021, when he passed for 41 touchdowns and led the Rams to a Super Bowl title. He is on pace for an even more impressive statistical finish.
“The heater that he’s on, it’s elevating everybody else’s play,” Nacua said, “and we’re continuing to jump on that bandwagon with him and let him take us as far as he can.”
If Stafford continues his stellar play the Rams could find themselves right back here at Levi’s Stadium.
It’s one of the last things a newly appointed football manager wants. They’ve only been at their new club for five minutes and already a key player is out injured. Hardly the start they’d hoped for – but could it have been avoided?
Along with the obvious objective of winning games, one of the main priorities for any manager is to have a healthy squad to pick from.
But many experts will tell you the arrival of a new manager and backroom team can often lead to a short-term increase in injuries.
Physiotherapist Ben Warburton – brother of Wales rugby union legend Sam – is one.
Warburton began his career working with academy players at both Cardiff City and Welsh rugby union team the Dragons. He has since worked primarily in rugby, and was Wales’ physio for their summer tour to Japan this year.
“It’s very well known within the medical world that you get an increase of injury incidence when a new coach comes in,” he told BBC Sport.
“Players want to impress the new coach and get in the starting XI – it’s a clean slate. They’re likely to report a little bit less to the medical staff and may train through some bumps and niggles, which can potentially lead to an injury.”
Changes to the type of training can also make a big difference.
“If, for example, a new manager comes in and wants to shift the focus to gym work, that could cause injury issues if players aren’t used to that,” Warburton said.
Ben Dinnery, founder of Premier Injuries – a website used to track and record injury data for the Premier League, agrees.
“There are lots of factors at play,” he said. “There’s the injury history of certain players that a new manager probably won’t know as much about as previous coaching staff.
“Then there’s the issue of player fatigue. A new manager will understandably want to get the absolute maximum out of the players – but there’s a risk of overdoing this.
“And, finally, there’s the psychological impact of players working as hard as possible to make their mark – all of which can potentially lead to an increase in injuries.”
Rookie Beckett Sennecke had his first two-goal game, Leo Carlsson extended his scoring streak to 10 games with two power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.
Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider had two assists apiece and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the first-place Ducks, who have scored 33 goals during their longest winning streak in two years. Anaheim wasn’t even slowed by playing at Vegas on Saturday, instead beating both of the Western Conference’s 2024-25 division champions during its first back-to-back set of the season.
The 19-year-old Sennecke had already solidified his spot on the Ducks’ roster before he scored in the first and second period against Winnipeg. He has six goals and five assists in his first 15 NHL games, answering any questions about whether the former No. 3 overall pick was ready to make the leap from juniors to the NHL.
Carlsson got his first two man-advantage goals of the season during his second consecutive two-goal game, giving him 19 points in 10 games and keeping him near the top of the NHL scoring race.
The 20-year-old Swedish center extended the longest scoring streak of his career with a goal in the first period. Carlsson added his 10th goal of the season during another man-advantage in the third, giving him five goals and seven points in the past three games.
Kyle Connor scored and Eric Comrie stopped 17 shots for the Jets, who have lost three straight. After winning nine of its previous 11 games, Winnipeg scored just two goals while getting swept in the California half of its current six-game road trip.
Sennecke opened the scoring with a one-timer from the slot off a no-look pass from Gauthier, and Carlsson converted an assist from Troy Terry.
Connor got his ninth goal early in the second period, but Sennecke converted a rebound seven minutes later.
Up next for the Ducks: at Colorado on Tuesday night.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. High school basketball season is a week away from beginning, so let’s start discussing top players and top teams.
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Brandon McCoy has left St. John Bosco for Sierra Canyon.
(Greg Stein)
The Mission League has continued to have a surge in basketball talent through transfers and development of young players. Harvard-Westlake won consecutive state titles until Eastvale Roosevelt broke through last season and has won seven straight league championships.
Sierra Canyon will start out as No. 1 in the state in many rankings and polls with an influx of transfers, including St. John Bosco’s Brandon McCoy and JSerra’s Brannon Martinsen to team up with Maximo Adams, who previously played at Narbonne and Gardena Serra before starring for the Trailblazers last season.
Two of the best guards in the Trinity League. Georgia Tech commit Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita and Kansas commit Luke Barnett of Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/sjjy8EWC1p
The Trinity League is not far behind, led by Santa Margarita, which returns four starters and has Georgia Tech commit Kaiden Bailey, Washington State commit Brayden Kyman and Oregon State commit Drew Anderson. Mater Dei has Kansas commit Luke Barnett. St. John Bosco has one of the nation’s top seniors in 6-foot-9 Christian Collins. The Braves also have one of the nation’s top lacrosse players who’s also 6-7, Dominic Perfetti.
Missouri commit Jason Crowe Jr. is back to lead Inglewood. Crossroads has added two sensational sophomore transfers in Evan Willis from Mater Dei and Shalen Sheppard from Brentwood. Pasadena’s 6-11 Josh Irving is committed to Texas A&M. Gene Roebuck from La Mirada is a high-scoring junior guard.
Quarterback Wyatt Brown of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame shows off the thrill of victory in 44-28 Division 3 playoff win over Laguna Beach.
(Craig Weston)
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame needed a strong offensive performance to hold off Laguna Beach 44-28 in a Division 3 opener. Quarterback Wyatt Brown made plays and running back Noel Washington had three touchdowns to offset 413 yards passing and four TD passes from Jack Hurst. Here’s the report.
No. 1 seeds losing were Torrance in Division 5, Crespi in Division 6, Silverado in Division 9, Village Christian in Division 10 and St. Anthony in Division 11.
Five No. 1 teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. It was also a tough week for unbeaten teams, with Crespi, Torrance, Crean Lutheran and Rowland losing in the opening round.
Leuzinger might have pulled off the most impressive win over Crean Lutheran 34-17 in Division 2 behind the return of quarterback Russell Sekona, who had four touchdown passes after being sidelined with a hand injury. Los Alamitos rallied for a 35-28 win over Yorba Linda. San Juan Hills got a walk-off field goal from Kyle Donahue to defeat Downey 28-27.
In Chaparral’s 63-42 win over Chaminade, quarterback Dane Weber completed 24 of 31 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns with one interception and ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns in win over Chaminade.
Beware of trick plays in the football playoffs. Fullerton opened last night with a 38-21 win over La Quinta, including this beautiful double pass. Courtesy Interscholastic Films. pic.twitter.com/D5khTz8v6x
The Division 1 playoffs begin Friday: Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco, Servite at Corona Centennial, Mission Viejo vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Santa Margarita at Sierra Canyon.
No. 1-seeded Carson and quarterback Chris Fields begin the Open Division playoffs Friday against King/Drew. The other opening matchups have Kennedy at Birmingham, Garfield playing Palisades at site to be announced and Crenshaw at San Pedro.
Van Nuys pulled off the biggest upset in Division I with a victory over No. 4-seeded Banning, Kudos to coach Ken Osorio, who resurrected a program that didn’t have many wins or many players before he took over in 2023. Van Nuys is at Marquez on Friday. Another good quarterfinal matchup has Franklin at No. 1 Venice.
In Division II, Western League schools University and Fairfax meet for a second time. University lost the first time 21-20. Chatsworth upset No. 3 Roosevelt and now plays at No. 6 Marshall. In Division III, top-seeded Santee received 241 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Darnell Miller, pushing his season total to 2,485 yards and 27 touchdowns.
History made with 1st #HSFB all-women crew 🔥 in a @CIFLACS playoff game, as Maywood CES defeats LA Fremont, 38-16, in #LACity Div 3.
Crew (L-R): Connie Wells (Back Judge), La Quica Hawkins (Umpire), Kim Bly (Referee), Zina Jones (Head Line Judge), Amirah Leonard (Line Judge)👏 pic.twitter.com/TDQHxzj9X7
Ava Irwin (2) celebrates with her teammates after catching two TD passes in JSerra’s 25-20 victory over Orange Lutheran for the Southern Section Division 1 flag football title.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Perfection. It was achieved by the JSerra flag football team with a 25-20 win over Orange Lutheran to win the Southern Section Division 1 championship.
Three times JSerra faced the defending Division 1 champions. Three times JSerra found a way to beat Orange Lutheran. The Lions finish 28-0.
Hall of Fame basketball player Gail Goodrich came to Sun Valley Poly High on Friday to have the school’s gym named after him.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Anges Times)
Gail Goodrich, one of the greatest basketball players in Los Angeles history, returned to town to have his alma mater, Sun Valley Poly, name its new gym, “The Gail Goodrich Sports Complex.”
Gail Goodrich scored 29 points in 1961 City final for Poly High. He scored 42 points for UCLA in 1965 NCAA final. He led the Lakers in scoring during the NBA championship year of 1971-72. Los Angeles sports legend. 82 years old and humble as ever. pic.twitter.com/zr8ddI3O9e
Goodrich, 82, was emotional and appreciative. He’s one of the few athletes to have won a City title, NCAA title and NBA title with Poly, UCLA and the Lakers. He’s a basketball Hall of Famer and beloved by many Los Angeles sports fans.
Sierra Canyon players celebrate their five-set victory over Marymount in the Southern Section Division I semifinals Nov. 1,2025, in Chatsworth, CA. Sierra Canyon went on to win the girls’ volleyball title. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Palisades knocked off Western League rival Venice to win the City Section Open Division title. Here’s the report.
Sierra Canyon received the No. 1 seed for the Open Division state volleyball playoffs that begin this week. Here are the pairings.
Water polo
Corona del Mar’s Sam Macias (20) fires in a goal at close range against Santa Margarita.
(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)
The Final Four is set for the Southern Section Open Division boys water polo semifinals Wednesday at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatic Center. It will be No. 1-seeded Newport Harbor facing No. 6 Mira Costa and No. 3 Corona del Mar taking on No. 4 Oaks Christian.
Harvard-Westlake basketball coach David Rebibo and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Ferkel have been elected to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be June 28 at the Skirball Cultural Center in the Sepulveda Basin. . . .
Freshman Layla Phillips of Harbor Teacher Prep poses for a photo.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
The City Section has another freshman phenom to promote. Freshman Layla Phillips from Harbor Teacher Prep won the City Section girls’ golf championship, and it wasn’t even close. Here’s a profile on a player whose name is going to be known nationally. . . .
Moanikeala Finau from Diamond Bar won the Southern Section individual girls’ golf championship. . . .
A free heart screening for students and kids ages 10 to 25 will take place Thursday from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at La Mirada High. . . .
St. John Bosco closer Jack Champlin has committed to UC Irvine. . . .
Daniel Robles has resigned as football coach at Don Lugo. . . .
Joe Jurado, who criticized the Southern Section when his 9-1 Rim of the World football team failed to make the playoffs at an at-large team, has resigned as head coach. . . .
Sophomore defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou from Orange Lutheran has reclassified to the class of 2027. He’s 6 feet 7, 275 pounds. . . .
Dean Herrington has been let go as football coach at St. Francis. Here’s the report. . . .
St. Francis is advertising its position as paying its new football coach from $125,000 to $175,000. JSerra is advertising from $150,000 to $200,000. The Catholic schools think football is a wise investment. . . .
Terrance Smith is no longer the football coach at Ayala. . . .
Junior quarterback Deshawn Laporte of Burbank has committed to Delaware State. . . .
Johnny Dukes is the new basketball coach at Eastvale Roosevelt. . . .
Linebacker Ryder Barnes from Crean Lutheran has committed to Cal Poly. . . .
Former Sun Valley Poly assistant football coach Steve Smith is the new head coach at Reseda. . . .
The Southern Section cross-country prelims will take place Friday and Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.
From the archives: Tyler Glasnow
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow with former Hart coach Jim Ozella, who coached him in high school.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Former Hart High pitcher Tyler Glasnow followed former Harvard-Westlake pitcher Jack Flaherty in coming to the Dodgers and becoming a world champion by contributing on the mound during the World Series. Glasnow was injured during last year’s World Series but finally came through for his home-town team.
From the Washington Post, a story on former San Clemente quarterback Sam Darnold becoming an NFL MVP candidate.
From Westridgespyglass.org, a story on a high school journalist bringing to light how her school tried to keep quiet a volleyball match against Jurupa Valley.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the growth of former Los Alamitos receiver Makai Lemon, now a star at USC.
Tweets you might have missed
A look at the speed of Mater Dei receiver Chris Henry Jr. on his touchdown reception vs. St. John Bosco. Courtesy Interscholastic Films. pic.twitter.com/SKTLmm6OHr
USA U-17 team members include: Pedro Guimaraes* (Orange County SC; Aliso Viejo, Calif.), Enrique Martinez* (LA Galaxy; Compton, Calif.), Mathis Albert (Borussia Dortmund/GER; El Segundo, Calif.) https://t.co/BFZxiVm4IG
As another example of the sometimes ridiculous happenings in LAUSD, Joe Reed has been cleared after 14 months of being in teacher jail (home with full pay). He returned to Huntington Park Oct. 24 but the principal didn’t save his basketball coaching position.
The competition is on for best hair among point guards in the Trinity League. Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita vs. Earl Bryson of JSerra. Winner deserves NIL deal. pic.twitter.com/diSyb1x7QG
JSerra Catholic (CA) set to pay next head coach up to $200k👀
The Lions officially posted their head football coaching position on Nov. 2 and will be considered one of the most desirable jobs in California high school football.
The LA84 Foundation announced 19 grants valued at $1.78 million to promote youth sports. Compton Unified will expand free after-school sports to 25 campuses. pic.twitter.com/45KZfrrDSI
The people trying to turn high school sports into college sports just stop. Go attach yourself to the wannabe prep schools who don’t care what high school sports is supposed to be about.
🚨BREAKING: FINAL RANKINGS! — Boys teams from Beckman, Woodbridge, West Torrance, Foothill Technology & Viewpoint along with girls teams from Mira Costa, Claremont, Santa Margarita, JSerra & St. Margaret’s complete the regular season as the top-ranked teams in their respective… pic.twitter.com/llhViqZVYO
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Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney believes Virgil Van Dijk’s disallowed goal against Manchester City should have stood, saying that Andy Robertson was not blocking Gianluigi Donnarumma’s vision or impeding his ability to try to make a save.
Not for the Chargers, whose defense put the clamps on the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 25-10 victory before a sea of black-and-gold-clad fans and a national TV audience.
Neither team had many offensive highlights — or first downs, for that matter — but the Chargers did enough to win their third game in a row, something they hadn’t done since the first three games of the season.
You might call the Chargers inhospitable, seeing as the Steelers came into the game averaging 25.3 points. You might call the Steelers inhospitable for filling SoFi Stadium with Pittsburgh fans.
The Terrible Towels were everywhere, but there were precious few opportunities to swirl them. By the fourth quarter, thousands of those fans were streaming for the exits. The Steelers were held to 11 first downs, converted two of 11 third downs and generated 221 total yards.
Aaron Rodgers looked every bit of his 41 years. He was sacked three times, intercepted twice, brought down in the end zone for a safety and he finished with an anemic passer rating of 50.6.
The Steelers looked nothing like the team that forced six turnovers against Indianapolis the week before and handed the Colts just their second loss.
In the waning moments, Keenan Allen caught a pop pass and ran seven yards to become the Chargers’ all-time receptions leader (956), surpassing Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates.
Rodgers couldn’t establish anything close to an offensive rhythm, and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert took an all-too-familiar beating, playing behind an offensive line that has had 19 different combinations this season.
Herbert was sacked five times, a week after the Tennessee Titans got to him six times.
Chargers linebacker Bud Dupree dances after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Steelers scored first with a 59-yard field goal by Chris Boswell in the opening quarter, but after that it was virtually all Chargers. Cameron Dicker had three field goals, and Ladd McConkey and Kimani Vidal scored touchdowns.
Rodgers threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson with 2 minutes 57 seconds remaining, but that was merely a cosmetic score that made the game appear a bit closer.
Herbert took a hit from behind in the second quarter, was slow to his feet and got both ankles taped on the sideline.
According to NBC, he came into the game having been pressured an average of 17 times per game, more than any other quarterback this season, and having absorbed an average of nine hits per game, second-highest for an NFL quarterback in the last 20 seasons.
Even though they leaned into a bunch of quick-developing pass plays to get the ball out of Herbert’s hands quickly, the Chargers still saw their quarterback knocked down time and again. His passes were batted down at the line of scrimmage too, with one winding up back in Herbert’s hands for a reception (although that was wiped out by a Pittsburgh penalty).
The Chargers’ defense got to Rodgers as well, putting the first points on the scoreboard for the home team by sacking the future Hall of Famer in the end zone.
The Chargers next head to Jacksonville. The Jaguars, who got off to a 4-1 start, have lost three of four.
Jacksonville is the site of a horrible memory for the Chargers, who blew a 27-point lead there to suffer a one-point loss in a January 2023 playoff game.
Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy believes Jeremy Doku had “the best game he’s ever had in a Manchester City shirt” as Pep Guardiola’s side dominanted Liverpool in a 3-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the first half to lead seven USC players in double figures and start the Trojans off and running to a 114-83 victory over Manhattan on Sunday.
Baker-Mazara made seven of 13 shots, including three of four from three-point range, and all nine of his free throws to help the Trojans (2-0) score more points than they’ve had since 1998. He added seven rebounds.
Ezra Ausar scored 17 points on seven-for-10 shooting for USC and Rodney Rice pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jacob Cofie totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Terrence Williams II added 10 points and seven boards. Reserves Jaden Brownell and Jordan Marsh scored 13 and 11, respectively.
USC jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Anthony Isaac’s layup capped a 5-0 spurt for Manhattan to tie it. From there neither team had a two-possession lead until Baker-Mazara hit a three-pointer to put USC up 28-23 with 7:48 left before halftime. The Trojans sank four of their next five shots to push their advantage to double digits and upped it to 55-37 at the break.
USC led by as many as 35 in the second half and topped the century mark on a layup by Brownell with 6:16 left to play.
Junior guard Jaden Winston scored a career-high 29 to pace the Jaspers (1-1). The fifth-year senior guard made nine of 14 shots with three three-pointers while making all eight of his free throws. Terrance Jones had 18 points and fellow reserve Isaac scored 16.
Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney says the “commitment” shown by Aston Villa on and off the ball was the key to their emphatic 4-0 win over Bournemouth at Villa Park.
SEATTLE — Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.
The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death.
Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches.
He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well in 1996.
“Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.”
Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle — which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since.
And he did it all with grace, something he was proud of.
“Leaders don’t yell and scream,” Wilkens told Seattle’s KOMO News earlier this year.
Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the year with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league record that was later passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and then Gregg Popovich (who retired with 1,390).
Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. He was an All-Star five times with St. Louis, three times in Seattle and once with Cleveland in 1973 at age 35. A statue depicting his time with the SuperSonics was installed outside Climate Pledge Arena in June.
“Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.”
Wilkens twice led the league in assists but was also a prominent scorer. He averaged in double-figure scoring in every season of his career, except his final one in 1974-75 with the Trail Blazers. His best season as a scorer came in his first season with the SuperSonics in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
Leonard Wilkens was born Oct. 28, 1937, in New York. His basketball schooling came on Brooklyn’s playgrounds and at a city powerhouse, then Boys High School, where one of his teammates was major league baseball star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Providence College and was drafted by the Hawks as the sixth overall pick in 1960.
His resume as a player would have been enough to put Wilkens in consideration for the Hall of Fame. What he accomplished as a coach — both through success and longevity — cemented his legacy.
Countless other honors also came his way, including being elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Providence Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Wall of Honor.
His coaching stops included two stints in Seattle totaling 11 seasons, two seasons in Portland — during one of which he still played and averaged 18 minutes per game — seven seasons in both Cleveland and Atlanta, three seasons in Toronto and parts of two years with the Knicks.
Wilkens also has the most losses in NBA coaching history with 1,155. But his successes outweighed the setbacks. He guided the SuperSonics to their lone championship with a victory over the then Washington Bullets, a year after losing to them in the Finals.
Wilkens moved into first place on the wins list on Jan. 6, 1995, while coaching the Hawks. His 939th victory surpassed Red Auerbach’s record. From there, he became the first coach to reach 1,000 career wins, a mark since matched by nine others.
The possibility of playing and coaching at the same time was raised before the 1969 season when Wilkens was at the home of SuperSonics general manager Dick Vertlieb and playing a leisurely game of pool.
“I thought he was crazy,” Wilkens recalled. “I kept putting him off, but he was persistent. Finally, we were getting so close to training camp, so I said, ‘What the heck, I’ll try it.’”
From there, he became increasingly enamored with coaching.
Seattle trailed the Cincinnati Royals by four points with a few seconds remaining when Wilkens set up a play that resulted in a dunk. Then, he ordered his players to press since the Royals were out of timeouts. The Sonics stole the inbounds pass, scored again to tie it and won in overtime.
“I was like, ‘Wow!”’ Wilkens said. “I had just done something as a coach that helped us win, not as a player.”
After his coaching career ended in 2005, Wilkens returned to the Seattle area where he lived every offseason. Wilkens ran his foundation for decades, with its primary benefactor being the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle’s Central District.
He also restored a role with the SuperSonics in 2006 as the team’s vice chairman, but he left the post a year later after it became clear new owner Clay Bennett wanted to move the club out of Seattle.
Wilkens is survived by his wife, Marilyn; their children, Leesha, Randy and Jamee; and seven grandchildren.
Match of the Day pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy believe Rob Edwards has “too big a mountain” to climb to keep Wolves in the Premier League, as the Middlesbrough manager is set to takeover at the club he spent four years at as a player.
Manchester City celebrated Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management with a statement 3-0 win over Liverpool to close to within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Erling Haaland shrugged off missing an early penalty on Sunday to head in his 99th Premier League goal before Nico Gonzalez’s deflected effort and a wonder strike from Jeremy Doku confirmed City’s status as Arsenal’s major title rivals.
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Liverpool have now lost four of their last five league games to leave the defending champions down in eighth, eight points off the top.
Arsenal’s 10-game winning run came to an end in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland on Saturday and Guardiola’s men took full advantage in the battle of the two sides that have dominated English football’s Premier League over the past decade.
Even if decisions went against Arne Slot’s men, this was another display of how far they have fallen since cruising to a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February.
The Reds showed signs of a revival in beating Aston Villa and Real Madrid in the past eight days, but had no answer to the slickness of a rejuvenated City, who have won 11 of their last 14 games in all competitions.
Conor Bradley shut down the threat of Madrid’s Vinicius Junior on Tuesday, but was given a torrid time by the pace and trickery of Doku down City’s left.
Early in the first half, Doku made the most of Ibrahima Konate’s clearance off Bradley to round Giorgi Mamardashvili before his trailing leg was clipped by the Georgian goalkeeper.
Referee Chris Kavanagh was initially unmoved, but pointed to the spot after a VAR review.
Haaland has struck 28 times already this season for club and country, but has yet to score for City from the penalty spot in 2025-26.
Mamardashvili redeemed himself by getting down low to his left to turn the Norwegian’s penalty to safety to briefly lift the mood among the Liverpool players and travelling support.
City remained in control of the game, though, as Rayan Cherki’s effort was deflected wide before Mamardashvili turned Doku’s strike after another mazy run into the side netting.
Haaland has only failed to score in two of his 18 appearances this season, and duly delivered with a looping header to meet Matheus Nunes’s wicked delivery at 29 minutes.
Pep Guardiola marked his 1,000th game in management in style [Michael Regan/Getty Images]
Liverpool thought they were level nine minutes later, when van Dijk’s header from a corner arrowed into the far corner.
However, Andrew Robertson ducked out of the way of his captain’s effort and was deemed to have interfered with Gianluigi Donnarumma from an offside position.
Instead of going in all square, City rubbed salt in the wounds of Liverpool’s perceived injustice.
The visitors were slow to get out from a corner, and Gonzalez had time to take aim before his shot deflected off van Dijk to wrong-foot Mamardashvili.
Liverpool only had themselves to blame for not getting back in the game early in the second period as Cody Gakpo blazed over with the goal gaping at the end of a fine move involving Mohamed Salah and Bradley.
But Doku fittingly rounded off arguably his best performance in three seasons at City to seal a statement victory.
The Belgian jinked inside the leaden-footed Konate before curling into the top corner from outside the box.
Salah summed up Liverpool’s day and season so far when he dinked wide a glorious chance 10 minutes from time.
Despite the visitors’ need for goals, Slot left 125-million-pound ($165m) striker Alexander Isak on the bench for the entire match due to his lack of match fitness.
The decision to tear up the squad that coasted to the title with a near 450-million-pound ($692m) spend in the transfer window looks more misguided by the game as Liverpool find themselves in a battle just to make the top four rather than the title race.
After the game, Doku told Sky Sports that he was very happy with the team’s performance.
“It is always good for the confidence [to dominate a match], but I have great players around me. That gives me the feeling that I have to do more in every game and every day I want to improve,” he said.
Van Dijk said Liverpool struggled to recover from a difficult first half.
“Our pressing just wasn’t good enough; it should have been better. We need to find more consistency. Losing hurts, always, but 3-0 especially,” he said.
“There were some good moments in the game, but you play Man City at home, who can make it very difficult. The focus should be on reflecting on this when we come back and then fight again.”
Earlier on Sunday, Aston Villa thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 to move into seventh place in the Premier League. But Newcastle United’s poor domestic form continued as they slumped to defeat at Brentford.
Nottingham Forest ended a winless Premier League run stretching back to the first weekend of the season as they came from behind to beat Leeds United 3-1 at the City Ground.
Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion shared the spoils in a dour 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.
It completed a miserable day for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc retiring earlier in the race after a collision with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli broke his front suspension. The Italian rookie had been knocked into Leclerc’s path by the McLaren of Oscar Piastri.
In a separate interview with Viaplay, Hamilton was more optimistic about the Ferrari and what he might be able to achieve in the future.
“It would be wrong to say that there are no positives at all,” he said.
“If you look at Charles’ performance in qualifying, it shows that the car does have some pace in it.
“But we are just really having to fight through those hardships at the moment. I have to believe that these hardships lead to… I believe there is something extraordinary up ahead in my life and in my destiny.
“I truly still believe in this team and what we can achieve together. I just have to keep pushing and keep giving them everything I can.”
The double Ferrari retirement in Sao Paulo left them fourth in the constructors’ championship, with Mercedes now 36 points clear in second and Red Bull third.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz face federal charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy for allegedly intentionally throwing pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could wager correctly on whether pitches would be balls or strikes.
The 23-page indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York outlines several incidents, including one this season that involved the Dodgers.
During a game at Cleveland on May 28, the indictment states that Clase threw a pitch that was meant to be a ball, but Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages swung and missed, resulting in a strike. Clase retired the side in order for his 11th save of the season in Cleveland’s 7-4 victory.
About 20 minutes later, the indictment states that “Bettor-1” sent a message to Clase of a GIF of a man hanging himself with toilet paper. Clase allegedly responded to “Bettor-1” with a GIF of a sad puppy dog face.
The indictment states that from 2023 to 2025, bettors “won at least $400,000 from the Betting Platforms on pitches thrown by” Clase.
Ortiz joined the scheme in 2025, according to the indictment: “Ortiz agreed to throw balls (instead of strikes) on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks.” Clase allegedly served as middle man between the bettors and Ortiz.
The indictment states the alleged scheme started as early as May 2023 with Clase, who purposely threw pitches outside the strike zone so bettors could win proposition bets.
“The bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches, based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during MLB games,” the indictment said. “Clase often threw these pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, Clase often threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone.”
Clase, 27, is one of the top closers in baseball. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic led the American League in saves in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and has a career earned-run average of 1.88 to go with 182 saves.
Clase signed a five-year, $20-million contract in April 2022 that included a $2-million signing bonus. The deal also includes $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028.
Ortiz, also from the Dominican Republic, was traded to the Guardians before the 2025 season after spending three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Both pitchers were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July when MLB launched an investigation and were moved to the restricted list when the regular season ended. The Ohio Casino Control Commission also started an investigation.
If convicted on all charges, both pitchers face up to 65 years in prison.
ESPN reported that the betting-integrity firm IC360 sent alerts to sportsbook operators regarding two pitches thrown by Ortiz in June. The first came when Ortiz spiked a slider in the dirt to open the second inning against the Seattle Mariners. The second came when Ortiz opened the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals with a slider that flew to the backstop.
The Guardians released the following statement: “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”
Aston Villa put in a dominant team performance, with four different goalscorers, to secure their biggest Premier League win of the season by beating Bournemouth 4-0 at Villa Park.
