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Pick-six helps Palos Verdes beat Bakersfield Christian in Division 2-A bowl game

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Pick-six helps Palos Verdes beat Bakersfield Christian in Division 2-A bowl game

Jace DeMoss picked the perfect time for his first interception of the season, returning it 65 yards for a touchdown with 2:09 left to clinch Palos Verdes’ 28-10 triumph over Bakersfield Christian in Saturday night’s Southern California Regional Division 2-A bowl game at South Torrance High.

The Sea Kings (10-5) will play undefeated NorCal winner Twelve Bridges in the CIF 2-A state bowl championship at 11:30 a.m. next Saturday at Saddleback College. It is Palos Verdes’ first trip to a state bowl.

“I saw the quarterback drop back, I just faded back into coverage and the ball came to me,” said DeMoss, a junior who also plays H-back. “I saw a receiver in front of me and cut up the field behind him.”

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Rakowksi ran for 97 yards on 12 carries and completed six of 11 throws for 49 yards, making key plays to move the chains.

Palos Verdes running back Andrew Habif is tackled in midair during the first half of a SoCal Regional Division 2-A bowl game on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Torrance.

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(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“He’s elusive, he makes really good decisions and he’s our leader,” DeMoss said of his signal-caller. “We knew with the team we had, it was possible to go far. I play more on offense, but I enjoy defense — it’s more challenging and more creative.”

Rakowski completed a 13-play, 67-yard drive with a one-yard run, and Dylan Freebury’s extra point gave the Sea Kings a 7-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first quarter.

Bakersfield Christian (11-3) answered with an eight-play, 80-yard march capped by Ethan Eckles’ 24-yard score on a fourth-down screen pass from Lincoln Adame with 1:10 left in the quarter.

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The teams traded punts for the remainder of the first half until Adame connected with Andre Calderon on a 40-yard pass play to set up a season-high 47-yard field goal by Cohen Peters with 23 seconds left in the second quarter to put the visiting Eagles up 10-7 at halftime.

Rakowski bounced off several tacklers like a pinball and raced 31 yards down the sideline on Palos Verdes’ first drive of the second half, and the Sea Kings regained the lead, 14-10.

After stopping Bakersfield on fourth down, Palos Verdes drove 54 yards in seven plays, scoring on Andrew Habif’s nine-yard rush to widen the lead to 21-10 with 8:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Habif finished with 102 yards on 20 carries.

Palos Verdes beat La Serna 23-7 last Saturday to win the Southern Section Division 5 title, with Rakowski rushing for two touchdowns and Camren Hughes intercepting two passes, one for an 80-yard touchdown. The Sea Kings have won six straight since their 37-3 loss to Inglewood.

Twenty-five players graduated from last year’s squad, which went 10-0 in the regular season, was the Bay League champion and lost 59-35 to Mission Viejo in the Southern Section Division 2 first round. Rakowski threw for 23 touchdowns last year and has passed for 18 more this fall.

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Adame threw for 200 yards and Calderon had four catches for 75 yards for the Eagles, who were shut out in the second half.

“Our defense is built around physicality,” DeMoss said.

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

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Chiefs and Browns make first trade of 2026 draft and both eventually fill needs

The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.

The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.

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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:

Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.

So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.

LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)

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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.

“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.

Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.

BROWNS MAKE STUNNING KENNY PICKETT TRADE TO RAIDERS AS BACKUP QUARTERBACK ROLE REMAINS WIDE OPEN

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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”

This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.

Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:

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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.

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Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.

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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?

They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

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Defending champion UCLA women’s basketball lands top transfer, continues roster overhaul

UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.

Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.

Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.

The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.

The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.

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UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.

Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.

A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.

Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.

Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.

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The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.

Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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WWE to hold premium live event in Saudi Arabia amid Iran ceasefire

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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.

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The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.

Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.

“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.

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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.

WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”

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John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)

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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”

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