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Sherman Oaks CES enters playoffs unbeaten four years after shutting down football

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Sherman Oaks CES enters playoffs unbeaten four years after shutting down football

At the intersection of Yolanda and Victory avenues sits a rundown field with just as much dirt as green grass peeking out from above the soil.

“We never have time to fix the patches,” said Dayvon Ross, football coach for the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies. “There’s more dirt than grass for sure.”

The sandlot-like multipurpose field for SOCES, a public magnet school in the San Fernando Valley, is home to its football team. The school, however, is more known for performance arts than sports.

Just four years after the football program temporarily shuttered, SOCES is 8-0 and sits atop the 8-man City Section standings — a turnaround from the 4-6 record it tallied last year in its return. With the City Section playoffs on the horizon, the roster is 22 players strong, requiring each Knight who takes the field to suit up on offense and defense.

Sherman Oaks CES quarterback and safety King Burns rushed for three touchdowns and passes for two scores in a win Friday.

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(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)

“It’s hard work,” said King Burns, a senior quarterback and safety who had 120 yards and three touchdowns rushing while passing for 102 yards and two scores in a win over East Valley on Friday night. “We learn our positions and it pays off on the field. We are ready to go out there at all times.”

One of the 22 at the root of the Knights’ undefeated campaign is junior Daniel Truong, a 5-foot-6 running back and linebacker who tallied a prolific 1,058 yards, 14 touchdowns and 42 tackles through seven games. He sat out the season finale against East Valley as he recovers from a back injury in hopes of playing in the postseason. He ran for more than 1,300 yards last season, his first playing football.

Now at 16, his rise as one of the state’s best 8-man running backs has offered him not only opportunities to play in front of college programs, but also the freedom to grow socially.

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“I was a kid hanging out by myself and just doing nothing,” said Truong, who recently competed at UCLA and USC football camps against 11-man opponents. “It feels amazing because I got to get close to other people. Now, they’re my brothers. I hang out with them every day.”

Ross, a former NFL hopeful who once competed for roster spots on the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, said most of his players had zero experience before joining the team. Truong, second in the state in rushing yards among 8-man teams, according to MaxPreps, is no different.

Sherman Oaks CES running back and safety Daniel Truong poses for a photo during practice.

Sherman Oaks CES running back and safety Daniel Truong is a team leader with his work ethic on and off the field.

(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)

The Knights’ second-year coach added that Truong has learned the ins and outs of football by going beyond practice to improve. Ross said Truong even texts him on weekends after games, sharing videos of his performance in drills and asking for advice on how to improve.

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“I knew that he was going to be something special — from his will to work,” Ross said. “The kid never gets tired. He never complains.”

Ross chuckled while showing a picture of Truong in a Hawaiian T-shirt and bragged moments later about his running back crushing his record deadlift in the weight room. Ross directs practice with high expectations but keeps the energy lighthearted with kids of all ages roaming the practice grounds after school.

Football never was something Ross imagined he would coach. But now, two years into leading this team, he’s all in. Ross put $20,000 into the program for new equipment and uniforms and even explored paying for a new field.

“When I interviewed here and saw these guys, they wanted a program so bad,” he said. “The kids bought in. Last year, we went 4-6, and I kind of had a bitter taste in my mouth. “I’m like, ‘Ah, man, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this.’ But then, in the offseason, these kids were committed every day, coming to practice sore.”

Sherman Oaks CES coach Dayvon Ross poses for a photo under a sign on campus.

Sherman Oaks CES coach Dayvon Ross helped restart the 8-man football program last year and has the Knights unbeaten this season.

(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)

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He added that he sees his students’ potential as limitless — and hopes it will translate to college football Saturdays in the future. The players’ buy-in convinced Ross that SOCES was a job worth competing and staying for.

With more fans — and students — coming to games, Truong said the encouragement places winning at the forefront of the team now more than before the season.

“It’s been awesome that people are coming out to support us,” he said. “It means a lot. It helps us want to win.”

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship. 

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. 

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”

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In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”

Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”

The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.  

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.

Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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 The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. 

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.

So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.

Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.

In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.

“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.

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Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.

In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.

Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.

His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.

“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.

And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.

Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced. 

In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.

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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints. 

“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.

“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”

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Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.

Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.

After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.

“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,’” Payton said.

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The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.

“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”

Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.

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“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered]. 

“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”

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