HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION
#1 San Pedro 23, #8 Verdugo Hills 0
#4 LA Marshall 31, #5 Wilmington Banning 20
#3 Panorama 6, #6 LA Wilson 0
#2 Eagle Rock 18, #7 Narbonne 14

DIVISION I
#8 Carson 18, #16 Venice 7
#5 Franklin 20, #13 Sylmar 12
#11 El Camino Real 12, #3 Birmingham 7
#2 Bell 17, #7 Garfield 12

DIVISION II
#1 Sun Valley Magnet 34, #9 South East 8
#12 Angelou 19, #13 Mendez 6
#3 San Fernando 20, #6 Lincoln 7
#7 Sherman Oaks CES 18, #2 Crenshaw 12

DIVISION III
#9 Van Nuys 14, #1 South Gate 6
#13 Westchester 50, #12 Monroe 7
#6 Arleta 19, #3 LA Hamilton 6
#2 Hawkins 52, #7 Chatsworth 0

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION
#4 LA Marshall at #1 San Pedro
#3 Panorama at #2 Eagle Rock

DIVISION I
#8 Carson at #5 Franklin
#11 El Camino Real at #2 Bel

DIVISION II
#12 Angelou at #1 Sun Valley Magnet
#7 Sherman Oaks CES at #3 San Fernando

DIVISION III
#13 Westchester at #9 Van Nuys
#6 Arleta at #2 Hawkins

Note: Finals (all divisions) Saturday, Nov. 15 at Garfield High.

Colorado football’s third season with Deion Sanders at the helm has been met with considerable headwinds. The Buffaloes have dropped four of their last five games and enter a Week 11 matchup with West Virginia with a 3-6 record.

Nevertheless, Sanders continues to have the support of one of the university’s key athletic decision-makers. Rick George, Colorado’s athletic director, expressed confidence in the job Coach Prime is doing. George’s only preference would be for the team to pick up more wins.

“I’m proud of Coach Prime. It’s been a tough year what he’s been through. He’s been a trooper, been working hard, motivating. He’s doing the things I want him to do as coach. We just gotta win more FB games,” George told reporters.

George appeared to be referencing Sanders’ health battles, a closely followed topic leading up to the regular season. In July, Sanders announced doctors had removed his bladder after the discovery of a tumor. Sanders said there has been no evidence of cancer since the surgery.

DEION SANDERS REVEALS BIGGEST SURPRISE AT COLORADO’S HOME GAMES: ‘IT NEVER FAILS’

Doctors said a section of Sanders’ intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder. Sanders faced questions about whether he’d be up for coaching after his health scare, but he remains steadfast in his commitment to Colorado.

Sanders was named head coach of the Colorado football program in December 2022. He took over a program that won just one game the previous season. Sanders, a charismatic NFL legend, immediately brought a spotlight to a program that had long been an afterthought.

This season, Sanders has routinely faced opposing teams with a sizable talent advantage. Coach Prime hasn’t been as successful in recruiting lately. Last year, Colorado made the leap to the Big 12 Conference. The Buffaloes won nine games in 2024 but have struggled to find replacements for two-way player Travis Hunter or quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Hunter was the second overall selection in April’s NFL Draft, while Shedeur was drafted in the fifth round.

Kaidon Salter transferred from Liberty to Colorado in the offseason, but his uneven performances have opened the door for fellow quarterback Julian Lewis and others to see playing time.

Sanders barred players from speaking to the media after the Buffaloes’ 52-17 loss to Arizona last week. Saturday’s Colorado–West Virginia game is scheduled to kick off at noon ET at Milan Puskar Stadium.

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ATLANTA — JJ Redick was already preaching one type of Japanese philosophy, harping to his team about the concept of “kaizen” to improve each day. Off the court, the head coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.

Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to facilitate team bonding this season. The slideshows, which come from the Japanese word for chitchat, could be a secret to the team’s hot start as the Lakers (7-2) have won five consecutive games entering a five-game road that starts Saturday in Atlanta at 5 p.m. PST against the Hawks.

The Lakers have pieced together one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses despite injuries keeping LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that’s developed quickly through an even faster form of communication.

PechaKucha presentations are traditionally 20 slides, each with a photo. The speaker has 20 seconds to explain each slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Lakers’ version consists of five slides: where you’re from; favorite basketball memory; person, event or thing that has impacted your life; your non-basketball happy place; and dealer’s choice.

“A lot of times most of the interactions you’ll have with your teammates is on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it’s good to just kind of either learn some stuff about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and stuff like that, where they come from. And that just helps you kind of understand who the person is a little bit better.”

Assistant coach Scott Brooks started his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm he worked on during the weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia showed a photo of his driveway as the origin of his basketball journey. Doncic spoke about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.

One coach and one player present, and then they each nominate the next coach or player to go. With about half of the players and coaches left, Redick said he’s already noticing the holdouts actively planning their presentations before their nominations.

“We’re just constantly encouraging and empowering our guys to get connected,” Redick said. “I believe if you’re connected off the floor, you’re connected on the floor. You need buy-in to that. I’m not trying to take credit for my staff here. It’s the guys on the team, they’re bought into that.”

Doncic, for one, isn’t sold. He deadpanned that he doesn’t think the exercise helps.

Just the fact that Doncic made the joke meant it’s working.

Settled after last season’s jarring trade, the 26-year-old’s personality has started to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic jokester who expresses love for his teammates by threading passes to them through pinhole-sized gaps in the defense and then trash talking them right soon after.

Doncic’s smiling antics, whether he’s trying to sit on Austin Reaves’ lap on the sideline or swishing halfcourt shots in a contest with Reaves, Maxi Kleber and staff members, show just how connected the superstar feels to the team.

“Honestly, the feeling is I’m enjoying, very much, playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] can’t play. We’re still missing LeBron. So this team has a big potential. But everybody who steps on court, gives maximum, man, everybody. So it’s very enjoyable to play.”

Reaves is present on the road trip but will miss a third consecutive game Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after practice Friday as his right groin injury progressed to a strain after previously being categorized simply as soreness.

James did not make the trip to Atlanta. He progressed to on-court basketball activities this week after missing four weeks because of a sciatica on his right side. He was playing one-on-one with coaches, Redick said. A stint with the South Bay Lakers is on the table, but no decision has been made.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t played a single minute for the Lakers yet. Reaves, averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two wins, and Doncic has played in only half of the games. But the Lakers are still fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.

“It shows how professional we are,” guard Marcus Smart said of the team’s chemistry despite constantly changing personnel. “I think a lot of people, especially who aren’t in the brotherhood, they forget that you build a relationship with guys, and then one guy or a couple guys, you get traded and you got to rebuild another one. You don’t understand how tough that is, how much of a toll that takes.”

Just as Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind the group of reporters, clapping loudly. Then Doncic made sure to put on the record that he would beat Smart at a team-building competition that night. Both smiled as they walked away.