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Sondheimer: Jaden Jefferson has helped lead Cathedral to 4-0 record

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Sondheimer: Jaden Jefferson has helped lead Cathedral to 4-0 record

“The Jeffersons” was a hit TV sitcom on CBS from 1975 to 1985, with its famous theme song, “Movin’ On Up.”

There’s another hit Jeffersons show playing out on the football field at Cathedral High, where coach Vince Jefferson, younger brother and offensive coordinator Jabari Jefferson, and Jabari’s son, quarterback Jaden Jefferson, have the Phantoms rolling this season at 4-0.

There’s even comedy involved since Vince is the defensive coordinator and debates with the offensive coordinator whether to punt, kick a field goal or go for it on fourth down. Last season, in a game against St. Francis, Vince wanted to settle for a field goal. Jabari objected loudly, wanting to go for a touchdown on fourth down.

“I was laughing,” Jaden said.

The field-goal attempt was blocked and run back for a touchdown.

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Jabari offered the last words: “I told you we should have gone for it.”

Vince and Jabari are close. They had to overcome the death of their mother when they were young. Jabari was in middle school and Vince was a senior in high school. Jabari was a star running back at Cathedral under former coach Kevin Pearson, who hired Vince as an assistant.

There are more Jeffersons headed to Cathedral. Vince has a son who’s a receiver arriving next year, so it will be cousin catching passes from cousin.

Jaden has two brothers,12 and 10, so he’s proud about his 4.0 grade-point average.

“I feel anybody should be a role model to any little brother, but for me being a role model to my brothers is big. He looks up to me, so I have to pave the way,” Jaden said.

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Sophomore quarterback Jaden Jefferson of Cathedral has been outstanding this season.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Jaden’s ability to improvise, stay calm under pressure and make plays at his size (5 feet 10) is reminding Cathedral fans of former quarterback Bryce Young, who played two years for the Phantoms before transferring to Mater Dei, then winning the Heisman Trophy in 2021 at Alabama before becoming the NFL’s No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.

“Bryce is an inspiration tor me, because with shorter quarterbacks, he paved the way for me to go on further to college,” Jaden said.

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Cathedral has used the speed from members of the Southern Section Division 3 championship track team to have success. Jaden tries to get the ball to his athletes and let them make plays. He has 10 touchdown passes with one interception in four games.

He’s got senior Antonio Walton, who ran a 10.73-second 100 meters last year and returned from an injury. There’s 6-3 sophomore receiver Quentin Hale, a top triple jumper. Another sophomore receiver, Brian Prince, ran a 22.21-second 200 meters. Sophomore Roosevelt Reuben might be the fastest of all, having run 21.25 in the 200 and 47.80 in the 400 as a freshman. Reuben is supposed to return soon after having a bone chip cleaned up.

Sophomore quarterback Jaden Jefferson of Cathedral looks downfield against Chaminade.

Sophomore quarterback Jaden Jefferson of Cathedral looks downfield against Chaminade.

(Michael Blackshire/Los Angeles Times)

Jaden has his own speed and strength. “One of the things about Jaden is he’s a weight-room junkie,” Vince said.

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Pound for pound (he’s 170), Jaden might be the strongest on the team and occasionally can be found lifting with the linemen. He can do a 400-pound squat. He believes being strong helps protect him from injuries.

Jabari and Jaden commute daily from their home in Moreno Valley, leaving at 6:15 a.m. for a two-hour drive to Cathedral near downtown Los Angeles. The big delay happens in a West Covina freeway bottleneck. It’s 90 minutes home. Jaden sleeps on the ride to Cathedral and catches up on homework on the way home.

Jaden was the quarterback for the best youth football team in the nation, the L.A. Rampage, that included such top high school players as Duvay Williams and Skylar Robinson from Gardena Serra, Richard Wesley from Sierra Canyon and Steven Perez from Banning. He was like a politician when answering the question of who was his favorite player.

“The whole team was like brothers and a big family to me,” he said.

Make no mistake about it, Jaden, his father and uncle have Cathedral moving on up.

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Auburn fans shower officials with debris after wild buzzer-beater gets overturned

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Auburn fans shower officials with debris after wild buzzer-beater gets overturned

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A chaotic scene unfolded at Auburn University on Tuesday night as a wild buzzer-beater was waved off well after the Tigers had celebrated on their own court.

With 0.6 seconds remaining and Auburn trailing 90-88, KeShawn Murphy, somehow left wide open, caught an inbounds pass and nailed a long 3-pointer for what was thought to be the game-winner.

However, officials went to the scorer’s table to review the play, which was awfully close.

 

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Auburn Tigers players watch the replay of a possible game-winning shot that was called back as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Ultimately, officials ruled that the shot had not gone off in time, ending the Tigers’ celebration and prompting one from Texas A&M.

The officials quickly made themselves public enemy number one and were showered with debris from fans on their way off the court. At least one referee needed his head to be covered.

One fan sitting courtside even turned his back and threw his drink over his shoulder aimed at an official.

“They didn’t say a word. They just said it was no good and ran off the floor. I probably wouldn’t want to talk to me in that moment, anyway,” Auburn head coach Steven Pearl, who took over for his dad, Bruce this season, said after the game. “So, I get why they’d run away from me. Just from the angles that I saw, it looked like it was off his fingers. But that was just, I don’t have all the same angles they have.”

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Texas A&M Aggies players celebrate victory as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Jake Crandall/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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It is now six losses in their last 10 games for the Tigers after starting 5-1. They lost in the Final Four last year to Florida, who won the national championship over Houston.

Auburn (9-6, 0-2) led 47-37 at halftime and extended the margin to 61-45 with 12:29 remaining.

KeShawn Murphy of the Auburn Tigers reacts after officials ruled that his last-second shot did not beat the shot clock to win the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on Jan. 6, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)

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Texas A&M answered with a steady run fueled by outside shooting, taking its first lead at 8:42 when Pop Isaacs buried a 3-pointer. The Aggies followed with back-to-back triples from Isaacs to open a five-point cushion that they would not relinquish, by the skin of their teeth.

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Former NFL player Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after accident on his ranch

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Former NFL player Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after accident on his ranch

Two-time All-American wide receiver and prominent Outdoors Channel host Jordan Shipley is in critical condition after an accident on his ranch in Texas, his family said in a statement.

Shipley, 40, was described as stable after remaining hospitalized Tuesday night in Austin. The statement said a machine that he was operating near his hometown of Burnet caught fire. The former Texas great suffered “severe burns on his body.”

Shipley abruptly retired in 2012 after three NFL seasons primarily because of persistent concussion issues and chronic knee problems. He quickly transitioned to television shows that showcased his passion for deer hunting, co-hosting “The Bucks of Tecomate” and “Tecomate Whitetail Nation.”

“It was not hard at all,” Shipley said at the time of retiring at 27. “Only because I never saw myself as a football player first. Don’t get me wrong, I worked my tail off for football and I loved it but never saw that as my whole identity because I had such a big background in outdoors. Really, with this opportunity I had I was actually pretty excited about moving forward.”

Although he enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 with 52 receptions for 600 yards and three touchdowns, he is best remembered as a record-setting player at Texas.

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Shipley starred as a receiver and a kick returner from 2006 to 2009, setting program single-season records in 2009 with 116 receptions and 1,489 yards. He also remains the career leader for receptions with 248 and ranks second in career receiving yards with 3,191, behind Roy Williams. Shipley also returned four punts or kickoffs for touchdowns.

After being drafted in the third round by the Bengals, he became one of the most popular players with Cincinnati fans, and his No. 11 jersey was worn by thousands. After a debilitating knee injury early in the 2011 season, he was never the same player, and he had short stints with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville before retiring.

According to his family, Jordan was operating a machine at his ranch when it caught fire. He managed to free himself from the machine, but “not before sustaining severe burns on his body in the process.” Jordan was airlifted to the hospital in Austin.

“He was able to get to one of his workers on the ranch, who drove him to a local hospital. He was then care-flighted to Austin, where he remains in critical but stable condition,” the statement said.

Shipley’s younger brother, former Texas wide receiver Jaxon Shipley, 33, asked for prayers in a statement on Instagram: “Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery. I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”

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Tom Izzo explodes on former Michigan State player in wild scene: ‘What the f— are you doing?’

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Tom Izzo explodes on former Michigan State player in wild scene: ‘What the f— are you doing?’

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Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been known to get visibly angry with his players over his years in East Lansing, but what happened Monday night against USC was different.

Izzo let loose his frustration on a former player.

During the Spartans’ blowout over the Trojans, 80-51, Izzo was spotted unloading on former Michigan State center Paul Davis, who played for the team from 2002-06, after he caused a disturbance in the stands.

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Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a call during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

Referees pointed out Davis, who was a spectator, from his courtside seat after he was among many in the building who disagreed with a call in the second half. Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.

Anderson responded with a loud whistle, stopping play and pointing at Davis. Then, Anderson went over to Izzo to explain what happened, and the 70-year-old coach went ballistic.

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First, he was motioning toward Davis, and it was clear he asked his former center, “What the f— are you doing?”

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Davis was met by someone asking him to leave his seat, and that’s when Izzo went nuts. He shouted “Get out of here!” at Davis, who appeared to gesture toward Izzo, perhaps in apology for disturbing the game.

Izzo was asked about Davis’ ejection after the game.

“What he said, he should never say anywhere in the world,” Izzo responded when asked what happened. “That ticked me off. So, just because it’s 25, 20 years later, I’m going to have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’”

Izzo quickly clarified that what Davis said “wasn’t something racial” and “it wasn’t something sexual.”

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefited the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Imagn Images)

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“It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Davis later met with reporters Tuesday, apologizing for his actions.

“I’m not up here to make any excuses. I’m up here to take accountability, to own it,” Davis said. It was a mistake that will never happen again. It was a mistake that’s not me, but, unfortunately, last night it was.”

Izzo said Davis was one of his “favorite guys” during his time playing for the Spartans. He had a breakout sophomore campaign with 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and two assists per game in 30 starts for Izzo during the 2003-04 season.

Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb.  (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

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In his senior year, Davis averaged 17.5 points, a career-high, in 33 games.

He was taken in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Davis played just four seasons in the league, his final one with the Washington Wizards.

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