Sports
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.
(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.
“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 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.
“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 helped restart the 8-man football program last year and has the Knights unbeaten this season.
(Benjamin Royer / For The Times)
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.”
Sports
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329
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Nearly five years after his last walk to the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited UFC return Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a head kick moments later. He appeared to slip on both tries. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet.
Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after trying to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle underneath him.
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Conor McGregor of Ireland participates in the walkout before facing Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The official inside the Octagon waved off the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.
During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a first-round replay that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not to the same leg McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.
The loss extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming by first-round TKO against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.
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McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.
“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.
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“‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”
Conor McGregor jumps into the air for a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)
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Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS — The door opened for Arthur Kaluma to show his worth for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League on Saturday night.
He did so in a big way.
Kaluma had 34 points and five rebounds during the Lakers’ 91-70 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He was 11 for 16 from the field and six for 10 from three-point range.
With Lakers rookie guard Cameron Carr unable to play because of a right thumb contusion, Kaluma took over the scoring role. Carr, the 24th pick in the NBA draft, is averaging 17 points per game.
“Cam doesn’t play tonight, so he gets a little bit more minutes, gets a couple more touches,” said Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott about Kaluma. “But he’s done a really good job of making the most of it when he doesn’t have actions run for him. So the way that he’s been able to stay ready, find windows for himself has kept him in a rhythm. So, on a night like tonight, when we can run some actions for him, he knocks them down and just plays out of his mind. It was great.”
Kaluma said he was “a little nervous” but his three-point shooting said otherwise.
“When [teammate] Jon Elmore came down and he pitched it back to me for a three … I just knew when it came off my hand it was cash,” Kaluma said. “So I said, ‘Yeah, I’m hot.’ It went on from there.”
Late in the fourth quarter, Kaluma lined up a three-pointer, setting his feet and scoring from 29 feet out. He flashed three fingers and smiled. His teammates on the bench stood and cheered, as did the fans.
“We have such a great group of guys this year at Summer League and going through this it’s hard to get that camaraderie with a group,” Kaluma said. “But I feel like everybody wants to see everybody succeed and I felt that tonight. I’m not going to lie to you. They tell me to shoot the ball. I passed up a couple of shots and they were mad at me the other day.”
Kaluma played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season. He averaged 14.6 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and shot 55% from the field, 37% from three-point range.
“The G can get grimey, you know what I’m saying? It’s a time where everybody is trying to fight for a position and there is a certain hunger that you have to have in order to be successful in the G,” Kaluma said. “And I feel like that drive that I had my first year in it pushed me into this summer to really get better and work on my game and come here and have the opportunity to perform.”
Kaluma wasn’t alone in helping the Lakers improve to 2-0 in Summer League play.
Adou Thiero ran the court, took a lob pass from Chris Mañon and threw down a two-handed dunk. He had another solid outing with 15 points and four rebounds. He shot just four for 12 from the field, but was a plus-15.
But the night belonged to Kaluma.
“I pride myself on the defensive end,” he said. “I know I got hot offensively, but the shot was just falling today, you know what I’m saying? My game is three-and-D. I lock-up on defense and I know I can hit open shots. I just got hot today and I’m not going to try to let it get to my head.”
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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