Sports
It’s high school football playoff time, with new teams trying to crash the championship party
For the first time in years, the Southern Section and City Section football playoffs will start with a hint of uncertainty as to which team finishes as champion in the highest divisions.
Since 2016, every Southern Section Division 1 championship game has been won by St. John Bosco or Mater Dei. This season, Mater Dei has losses to Corona Centennial and Santa Margarita. St. John Bosco’s invincibility was punctured with a 35-31 regular-season finale loss to Mater Dei.
“We have to pick ourselves up. We’re still a good football team,” St. John Bosco coach Jason Negro said.
Then there’s Sierra Canyon, which is 10-0, has the best defense anywhere with five shutouts and still gets ranked No. 4 by a computer that decides Southern Section playoff pairings. Do you think the Trailblazers have something to prove?
“We’re kind of the new kids on the block,” coach Jon Ellinghouse said. “We’ve gained some valuable experience. We have a team that belongs on the stage.”
Sierra Canyon is opening the playoffs in two weeks, hosting Santa Margarita as part of an eight-team Division 1 bracket released on Sunday. St. John Bosco is seeded No. 1, Corona Centennial No. 2, Mater Dei No. 3. The championship game is set for Friday, Nov. 28, at the Rose Bowl.
Sierra Canyon will be facing a gauntlet of Trinity League teams, something it has prepared for in the last two seasons by playing Trinity teams in nonleague and playoff games. That Santa Margarita matchup features perhaps the two best defenses in the Southland and six of the players in the game are USC commits.
Don’t forget the best quarterback in Southern California comes from No. 6-seeded Mission Viejo. Ohio State commit Luke Fahey passed for a school-record 569 yards this past week against Los Alamitos. And the Diablos have wins over Santa Margarita and San Diego Lincoln as part of a 9-1 record but injury problems on defense will make it a tough task to get by defending champion Mater Dei.
And Centennial coach Matt Logan, who has passed the 300-win plateau, has his team ready for the big games ahead with an offense that has scored 59 and 60 points, respectively, the past two weeks. His team plays Servite at home, a team it beat 42-14 in August. St. John Bosco hosts Orange Lutheran, a team it beat 48-0.
In the City Section, Birmingham will take a 54-game unbeaten streak against City opponents into the Open Division playoffs as the No. 2 seed, but Carson is the No. 1 seed after winning the Marine League and making weekly improvement behind junior quarterback Chris Fields III.
There’s lots of intriguing City Section story lines. Palisades is 10-0 after its campus was shut down because of the Palisades fire, with coach Dylen Smith having to scramble to form a team without a weight room or home field and players losing homes. The team has won a series of close games with a dynamic passing attack featuring quarterback Jack Thomas, who has 42 touchdown passes.
Crenshaw won the Coliseum League title even though its veteran coach, Robert Garrett, has been on administrative leave all season. He has 298 career victories. Interim coach Terrance Whitehead will send his team against San Pedro.
The 11-time City champion Colts will open against King/Drew, which lost to Crenshaw in the Coliseum League title decider but wanted to play in the Open Division. Be careful what you wish for.
Birmingham coach Jim Rose is so busy coaching his team and the school’s flag football team in next week’s Division II playoffs that he’s teaching everyone how to multi-task. Last week, after the flag team won a game, they wanted to stop the bus at Chick-fil-A.
“No, the boys have practice,” Rose said.
It’s been a strange season with more than 40 transfer players declared ineligible for two years for violating CIF rule 202, which bans providing false information to the Southern Section on transfer paperwork. This past week, Norco forfeited six victories when an investigation found a violation of CIF rule 510, which bans undue influence with prior contact before enrolling several players. San Juan Hills forfeited nine games but received an at-large berth to the Division 2 playoffs. Long Beach Poly, which had six players declared ineligible, decided not to enter the playoffs despite finishing second in the Moore League.
Then, on Saturday, JSerra announced it is parting ways with third-year coach Victor Santa Cruz following an 0-5 Trinity League record. JSerra’s season is over after not receiving an at-large berth.
It’s been a season of unusual happenings, so prepare for a postseason of the same.
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Details surrounding the tragic death of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland were revealed Thursday after officials confirmed that the 24-year-old NFL pro died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase in Texas.
The Texas Department of Public Safety released a statement detailing the events of Wednesday night that ultimately led officials to find Kneeland “deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson (23) runs against Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (94) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
According to officials, DPS troopers attempted to make a traffic stop around 10:33 p.m. when the driver, later identified as Kneeland, refused to stop. Authorities engaged in a pursuit but eventually lost sight of Kneeland’s vehicle, ending the chase.
His car was later found abandoned, and authorities began searching the area. Kneeland was later found dead.
Frisco police, which assisted in the DPS pursuit, released a statement saying that the abandoned vehicle was found by troopers “minutes later” and that Kneeland was believed to have fled on foot.
Police said that during their search, they learned that “Kneeland had expressed suicidal ideations.”
Marshawn Kneeland (94) of the Dallas Cowboys looks on from the sideline during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
He was located at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Frisco police said that the official cause of death will be determined by the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office, but he appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Cowboys first released a statement confirming the news of Kneeland’s death.
COWBOYS DEFENSIVE END MARSHAWN KNEELAND DEAD AT 24
“It is with extreme sadness that the Dallas Cowboys share that Marshawn Kneeland tragically passed away this morning. Marshawn was a beloved teammate and member of our organization. Our thoughts and prayers regarding Marshawn are with his girlfriend Catalina and his family.”
Kneeland’s family released a statement shortly after his cause of death was revealed.
“We are devastated by this tremendous loss and are still processing the depth of our grief. As Marshawn was making his mark on the football field with the Dallas Cowboys, he held an even more special place off the field — as a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend. He was kind, determined, humble, and full of love. His light shone brightly in every life he touched, and his spirit will continue to live on through the countless hearts he inspired.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (94) recovers a blocked punt for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
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“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support from friends, fans, and the community. During this difficult time, we ask for privacy as we come together as a family to honor and remember Marshawn’s life and legacy.”
Kneeland was in his second season with the Cowboys after being selected 56th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. His death came just days after he recorded his first NFL touchdown in a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
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Marcus Smart couldn’t believe the stat line. Five steals and two blocks for who?
“Lukaaaaa,” Smart said, elongating Luka Doncic’s name while smiling toward his star teammate who was sitting with his feet in an ice bucket with ice bags wrapped around his knees.
Doncic matched his career high for steals in a regular-season game Wednesday. The guard averaging 40 points per game claimed his defense was the only thing he did well on a night when he finished one rebound short of a triple-double. While collecting 35 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, he was an inefficient nine-for-27 from the field and four-for-11 from three. He missed four free throws, turned the ball over four times and, after picking up his fifth foul with 7:58 remaining in the fourth, nearly fouled out.
The last fact took Rui Hachimura by surprise.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Hachimura said. “But you know, he’s trying to be more aggressive [on defense] and that’s what we need from him, too.”
Redick said Doncic had a few games when he started slow defensively in terms of physicality and engagement, but has been overall “really good” this season. Even when he was switched on to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama or point guard Stephon Castle, Doncic still competed well.
“There wasn’t matador defense,” Redick said. “He still guarded. And that was huge. The reason we won the game is because we guarded in the fourth quarter. Our fourth-quarter defense was the No. 1 reason we won the game.”
The Lakers limited the Spurs to 36.8% shooting from the field during the fourth quarter while forcing six turnovers. Wembanyama was held to 19 points on labored five-for-14 shooting with eight rebounds. He was nine-for-11 on free throws and fouled out with 1:40 remaining when he bowled over Hachimura.
Sports
Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter: Dodgers celebrate World Series repeat, NFL trade deadline frenzy
Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw holds the trophy as the Dodgers celebrate their win in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Welcome to the Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
ALL EYES ON MLB – According to FOX Sports, 25,984,000 viewers tuned into Game 7 across FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services. The company said it was the most-watched World Series game since Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Continue reading …
WORLD SERIES MVP – Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched all nine innings in Game 2. He threw six innings in Game 6, and went 2 ⅔ innings in Game 7 to secure the Dodgers’ second consecutive championship. Yamamoto became the second Japanese-born player to earn World Series MVP honors. Continue reading …
THREE’S A CHARM – Shohei Ohtani has two World Series rings in his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the two-way Japanese superstar already has his sights set on a potential trifecta. Continue reading …
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani acknowledges the crowd during the World Series championship parade at downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 3, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
‘THE TRUTH’ – The Baltimore Ravens bolstered their pass rush by picking up Dre’Mont Jones. The Tennessee Titans received a conditional draft pick in exchange for Jones, who praised the Tennessee rookie quarterback. “Cam is the truth too y’all give ‘em time, he can be great,” Jones said. Continue reading …
MAKING MOVES – The Philadelphia Eagles acquired Pro Bowl defensive back Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens in a swap of draft picks a few days before the NFL trade deadline. Continue reading …
SELL MODE – The New York Jets were involved in a series of blockbuster trades leading up to Tuesday’s deadline. New York sent All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys. In a separate deal, Sauce Gardner was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a player and two first-round draft picks. Continue reading …
New York Jets helmets during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 17, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jim Dedmon/USA TODAY Sports)
‘HE’S A BUM’ – The Cowboys dropped Monday’s game to the Cardinals, falling to 3-5-1 on the season. Dak Prescott finished the night with 259 passing yards. While the Cowboys’ offense has been a strong point this season, Draymond Green criticized Prescott and questioned his ability to ever win a championship. Continue reading …
FROM FOX SPORTS – The flurry of activity by the Dallas Cowboys leading up to this year’s NFL trade deadline prompted an animated reaction from Dak Prescott. “I’m f—— pumped. You can quote me on that,” the Pro Bowl quarterback said. Continue reading …
FROM OUTKICK – Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels fell to the turf in pain late in the 38-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and could return before season’s end, though the team must decide whether to play him again. Continue reading …
WATCH NOW – The Bills beat the Chiefs in Week 9 in Josh Allen’s fifth consecutive regular-season win against Patrick Mahomes. FOX Sports’ “First Things First” crew asked if the Bills are Super Bowl contenders. They also discussed the Los Angeles Dodgers defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. Watch here …
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