thursday

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Birmingham 32, Taft 0

Eagle Rock 26, Lincoln 0

El Camino Real 34, Chatsworth 0

Franklin 27, Los Angeles Marshall 6

Fremont 8, Crenshaw 0

Fremont 34, Dymally 0

GALA 30, Port of Los Angeles 0

GALA 12, Washington Prep 0

Jefferson 36, Foshay 0

Manual Arts 13, Los Angeles 0

Monroe 26, Smidt Tech 13

San Pedro 27, King/Drew 0

Sun Valley Magnet 27, AMIT 0

Verdugo Hills 32, Arleta 7

View Park 24, Stella 12

Washington Prep 28, Port of Los Angeles 0

Southern Section

Antelope Valley 27, Highland 18

Aquinas 32, Woodcrest Christian 0

Arroyo 25, El Monte 6

Ayala 7, Glendora 6

Azusa 25, Garey 9

Bishop Diego 7, Cate 6

Brentwood 13, Windward 6

Burbank Burroughs 20, Monrovia 18

Cantwell-Sacred Heart 34, Whitney 12

Capistrano Valley Christian 51, Legacy College Prep 0

Castaic 13, West Ranch 0

Chino 14, Montclair 6

Compton 19, Long Beach Cabrillo 16

Compton Early College 44, Compton Centennial 0

Crean Lutheran 19, Cypress 2

Edison 19, Western Christian 7

El Modena 13, Sonora 6

El Rancho 13, Santa Fe 0

Gabrielino 39, Temple City 20

Gardena Serra 33, St. Mary’s Academy 0

Hawthorne 13, Beverly Hills 0

JSerra 19, Orange Lutheran 12

Keppel d. San Gabriel, forfeit

La Canada 14, San Marino 13

Laguna Beach 28, San Juan Hills 7

La Habra 32, Troy 0

Lakewood St. Joseph 40, Anaheim Canyon 12

Lancaster 13, Knight 6

La Sierra 21, Norte Vista 0

Linfield Christian 40, Riverside Notre Dame 12

Loma Linda Academy d. United Christian Academy, forfeit

Long Beach Poly 48, Long Beach Jordan 0

Long Beach Wilson 26, Bishop Montgomery 0

Marina 24, Corona Santiago 12

Montebello 13, Rosemead 0

Mountain View 26, Alhambra 7

Ontario Christian 42, Arrowhead Christian 28

Palmdale d. Littlerock, forfeit

Quartz Hill 13, Eastside 0

Rancho Verde 13, Orange Vista 6

Redlands Adventist Academy 30, Public Safety 0

Redlands East Valley 31, Temecula Valley 7

San Jacinto Valley Academy 6, Hemet 0

San Marcos 13, Ventura 12

Santa Ana Foothill 30, Fullerton 13

Santa Ana Valley 14, Magnolia 6

Schurr 36, South El Monte 0

Shalhevet 12, Animo Leadership 6

Shalhevet 48, Environmental Charter 12

St. Bonaventure 36, Fillmore 6

St. Lucy’s 42, Sierra Vista 6

St. Margaret’s 40, Rosary 6

St. Monica 71, Mary Star of the Sea 0

Village Christian 40, Chadwick 7

Workman 31, Edgewood 6

Xavier Prep 13, Banning 7

Yucaipa 21, Arlington 7

Intersectional

Granada Hills Kennedy 19, Golden Valley 18

Vasquez 7, Panorama 6

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Angelou 25, Diego Rivera 6

Bernstein 35, Mendez 0

Carson 62, Gardena 0

Contreras 19, Roybal 0

Contreras 7, Hollywood 0

Garfield 42, South Gate 0

Los Angeles Hamilton 12, Palisades 7

Manual Arts 6, Foshay 0

Maywood CES 12, Elizabeth 0

Narbonne 20, King/Drew 6

Orthopaedic 30, Belmont 20

RFK Community 33, Mendez 0

RFK Community 14, Bernstein 0

San Pedro 20, Wilmington Banning 19

Santee 37, West Adams 0

Torres 7, Sotomayor 6

Venice 35, WISH Academy 0

Westchester 7, Fairfax 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But honestly, it’s part of it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He made one of the biggest splashes in the Lakers’ first preseason game. Ziaire Williams set the tone of the Lakers’ new defensive style, pressuring the ball the full length of the court and injecting energy into his teammates. The Sierra Canyon High alumnus sank three three-pointers in a stellar debut for his hometown team.

Then came the swelling in his left foot.

After a minor injury slowed Williams’ preseason ascent, the 6-foot-9 forward could be in position to return to the lineup for the Lakers’ preseason finale at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the visiting Denver Nuggets. Williams practiced fully Thursday after missing the last three games. He’ll leave the final call up to the Lakers’ medical staff as the team tries to maximize its preseason preparation.

“It’s important, man, just to get game reps with each other, but health is key,” said Williams, who had 13 points and a steal as a starter in the preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5. “If you can’t go, you just can’t. It’s not the end of the world. Going back to championship identity, we’re looking ahead at the bigger picture. So it’s not worth [it] to risk your body for a game that doesn’t count and then be out for the real games.”

With nine new players, the Lakers needed training camp and preseason games to build chemistry as a group. Small injuries to several players interrupted the process, but with one fewer preseason game than last year and almost double the total practice days, coach JJ Redick said integrating new players still has “been pretty seamless.”

“We would love to have gotten looks with everybody healthy and everybody good to go,” Redick said, “but we also have to be smart with an 82-game season.”

The Lakers debuted new center Walker Kessler only this week, and the star acquisition who jammed a pinky finger early in training camp still has not played in a game with guard Luka Doncic, who was held out of Tuesday’s game for a planned rest day. Doncic participated fully in practice Thursday, as did forward Adou Thiero, who sat out Tuesday because of “maintenance,” Redick said. Rookie Cameron Carr (undisclosed) remained out of practice Thursday after missing the last two games.

Guard Quentin Grimes has been a preseason iron man. The free-agent signing who is angling for a starting position has played a team-high 97 minutes in four preseason games. With Doncic and Austin Reaves playing together only once in the first four games, Grimes has filled a larger ballhandling role than he might have if the Lakers were at full strength. The 26-year-old guard who is on his fifth team in six seasons credited his journeyman history for helping him get comfortable with a do-it-all role.

“I’ve done a good job of just creating offense, creating opportunities whether that be for myself or for teammates, getting everybody involved,” said Grimes, who is averaging 12.3 points and 2.5 assists on 53.3% shooting in the preseason. “I feel like this team allows me to play on the ball, off the ball in any situation. I feel like I’ve played that kind of [role at] every stop.”

Collin Sexton is the only offseason acquisition who has not made his Lakers debut. Battling a lower leg injury, Sexton participated in all of practice except for periods of live play Thursday. After practice, the guard was seen with kinesiology tape snaking up his right calf while working on the court with assistant coaches.

Sexton’s presence could help stabilize the Lakers’ offense, which is averaging 25.3 turnovers during the preseason.

When Sexton was sidelined at the beginning of the preseason, Redick said he was not worried about the guard’s status for the Oct. 21 season opener against Golden State. When asked Thursday about Sexton’s availability, Redick said simply he was “trending in the right direction.”

As swiftly as Barry Manilow returned to the stage following a health-related hiatus, he has stepped away.

On Friday, Manilow cut his concert short just two songs after it began. The 83-year-old crooner abruptly told the crowd to talk among themselves as he walked off stage, according to concertgoers who detailed the incident on social media. The curtain dropped, and a few moments later the audience was told the show was a wrap. Manilow’s performance slated for Saturday was subsequently nixed.

The day before, on Thursday, the “Copacabana” singer had returned after a six-week break to perform at the International Theater at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, telling the audience, “I’m back!” Manilow appeared to be spry and energetic throughout the show. “God, I feel like I’m a teenage idol again,” he joked when a couple of audience members tossed underwear onto the stage. He picked up a pair of full-coverage briefs and asked if they needed to go to the laundry, then a pink lacy thong and joked, “I’ll keep this pair.”

“After a triumphant welcome-back concert on Thursday, Barry got hit with bronchitis and had to cancel his Friday and Saturday shows,” reps for Manilow told Paste Magazine.

Last year, Manilow revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and that surgery would require him to postpone several performances. In May, he told The Times that, since he had surgery, he was getting winded just walking down the hallway. “Ninety minutes of screaming in tune, which is what I do for a living — I’m not up for that yet,” he said at the time. “I will be, but it’s taking a long time to get my voice back. They warned me that I’d have to learn to breathe again. So these days, I get up, I go to my piano and I try to be creative. Before I know it, the afternoon’s over.”

The star returned to the stage in June following a six-month hiatus, in support of his latest album, “What a Time,” his first LP loaded with new material in almost 15 years.

But in August, Manilow canceled shows because of vocal and technical problems before telling fans he needed to pause. “We just finished a fantastic summer tour, 29 shows in 68 days,” the singer said. “The shows were fantastic. The audiences were fantastic. And I sounded fantastic. But it seems that we were pushing a little too hard.

“Now we all need to sit down and shut up,” Manilow said.