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Notes and observations as USC and Texas prepare for a game that can’t possibly match their 2006 encounter ... LOS ANGELES >> You might be surprised to hear which USC coach was in tears in the locker room immediately after the Trojans lost to Texas, 41-38, in the BCS title game. Was it Pete Carroll? Steve Sarkisian? Ed Orgeron? No, someone who has a less-emotional image: Lane Kiffin. Perhaps ...

(Games at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted.) Poly (2-0) vs. Mission Viejo (3-0) at Veterans Memorial Stadium Two undefeated, nationally ranked teams will take the field in Long Beach tonight as the No. 10 Jackrabbits host the No. 25 Diablos (per MaxPreps’ rankings). Mission Viejo beat Poly 42-14 last year and is ranked ahead of the Jackrabbits in the CIF Southe Section’s Division 1 poll this week. “It...

LAGUNA HILLS >> Mayfair kept it close for as long as it could against Santa Margarita on Thursday night at Laguna Hills High. Eventually, the Eagles took over in the trenches and ran away for a 49-3 nonleague victory. Santa Margarita (4-0) rushed for 328 yards and six touchdowns as a team. The Eagles are ranked No. 9 in CIF Southe Section Division 1, and No. 13 in Califoia according to M...

VIDEO: Is something wrong with St. John Bosco football offense? We discuss why the St. John Bosco football offense isn’t putting up the big numbers that helped the Braves win the CIF-SS and CIF State titles last season. Advertisement Click here to subscribe to Digital & Home Delivery - 50% off About the Author JJ Fiddler is a sportswriter and videographer who has been coveri...

TORRANCE >> In a showdown of nationally-ranked programs, St. John Bosco wore down Chaminade in the second half for a 31-17 victory over the Eagles. “They’re a good football team, that was a quarterfinalist last year,” said Bosco coach Jason Negro. “I didn’t think we’d play so poorly offensively; we should’ve been up by more at halftime.” The first half was all about the defenses, though, as ...

LONG BEACH >> Deshaun Harvey was the spark St. Anthony needed on Friday against Wilson, with the quarterback picking up a crucial third down in the fourth quarter before throwing the winning touchdown in a 14-6 victory at Clark Field. The Saints (2-0) have won 13 consecutive games at home, and this is their first victory over the Bruins (1-2) in more than 25 years. The local rivalry wasn’t p...

LOS ANGELES >> Scott Quessenberry’s phone blew up with congratulatory messages after UCLA pulled off the second-biggest comeback in NCAA history on Sunday night. It took the better part of two days for the UCLA center to respond to every text and tweet. He didn’t finish until Tuesday. When he finally did, it was just in time for practice. The Bruins (1-0) are trying to move past the euphoria...

Rancho Dominguez Prep looked ready to redeem itself from a loss to Legacy early last season in its season opener on Thursday. But that was not the case as the Lobos fell to the Tigers 35-28. The Lobos (0-1) took an early 7-0 lead when senior Tumac Summerville intercepted a pass by Legacy’s quarterback and took it all the way back for a 41-yard touchdown with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter. Bu...

Dog Haus, a Pasadena-based restaurant chain known for its gourmet hot dogs and sausages, is about to unveil a new eatery in the Rose Bowl. Dog Haus and the stadium’s management announced a multiyear partnership Wednesday, making Dog Haus the first restaurant to have a permanent location at the iconic venue. The new location by Tunnel 6 on the stadium’s east side will be up and running Sunday, just...

The heat wave this week in Southe Califoia has forced area high schools to adjust practice and game times for their sports team, and to adhere to guidelines that are in place to protect the safety of the athletes. The San Feando Valley and Inland regions have felt the most disruption, as temperatures in those areas have soared well above 100 degrees since Monday. In the L.A. City Section, so...

Ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southe Section’s Division 4 poll, the Downey High football team expected a better start to the season than what it got against Santa Margarita. The Vikings were totally overmatched against a Trinity League opponent in a 56-0 loss last Friday night. Particularly uncharacteristic for the Vikings was an offensive line that struggled to slow down the Eagles’ pass rushers. “Th...

Ranking the top 10 sports events Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 you won’t want to miss: NO. 1: COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON OPENERS USC vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN Details/TV: At the Coliseum, Saturday at 2:15 p.m., Pac-12 Network UCLA vs. TEXAS A&M Details/TV: At the Rose Bowl, Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Channel 11 Admire Sam Daold while he’s still in got some Coliseum eligibility and a Heisman campaign. Also keep in mi...

LOS ANGELES >> Is it possible for USC to have any surprise players when the Trojans are ranked No. 4 and one of the most scrutinized programs in the nation? Even in the social media age, it is possible for players to exceed expectations or surprise the public. One of my picks is tight end Cary Angeline, a 6-foot-7 freshman who looks fast enough to be a receiver. Angeline might only make two ...

Here are the Week Zero games for local high school football on Friday. Games at 7 p.m. unless noted. St. John Bosco at St. Thomas Aquinas, 4 p.m. Reigning CIF-Southe Section and CIF State champion Bosco opens the season in Florida against the defending state champion Raiders, and that’s nothing new. Coach Jason Negro has scheduled eight out-of-state opponents in the last six years. The Braves ar...

LONG BEACH >> The future is now for Long Beach Poly. With numbers dwindling, increased competition for talent from St. John Bosco and other private schools, there’s no telling what will happen next year or after that. Head coach Antonio Pierce’s recent announcement that the school will drop its junior varsity team was a reminder that there will be consequences for having the two smallest fre...

BELLFLOWER >> “Our expectations are to win a national championship,” St. John Bosco senior Jaiden Woodbey said after a recent practice. “We have the mentality and leaders to do it.” St. John Bosco is one of few high school football programs in the country where a player can say something like that with conviction. Coming off of its second CIF State title in four years, Bosco is a legitimate ...

LOS ANGELES >> USC coach Clay Helton on Saturday expressed no conces about his team’s position in any preseason polls. “As I’ve continuously told our team, it’s about worrying about this first game and starting fast,” Helton said. “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.” He remains closely familiar with the old axiom. In 2015, the Trojans began the season ranked eighth in the Associated Press preseason poll. Then came disarray. Helton, the offensive coordinator, was p...

LOS ANGELES >>xa0When UCLA opened its training camp on Aug. 2, a picturesque sunset tinted the sky over Wasserman Football Center pink and purple. Admiring the view from afar, former UCLA receiver Jordan Payton, who is currently in his second NFL training camp with the Cleveland Browns, perhaps felt a small tinge of jealousy. “@UCLAFootball spoiled now,” the school’s all-time leader in receptions tweeted. “I still remember San Beardino.” Not only did the Bruins not have to spend training c...

The Wilson High football program is in the midst of a renaissance under third-year coach Mark Ziegenhagen, but the Bruins only have four retuing starters from the 2016 team that reached a CIF-SS divisional semifinal for the first time since 1991. “We’re young and raw with a lot of first-year starters, but I was saying the same thing last year,” Ziegenhagen said. “That’s because we have kids who buy into the system. No one knew about Jacobi Hardy.” Hardy was the 2016 Moore League Offensive Player...

After a disappointing 1-9 season in 2016, the Millikan football team was in need of a culture change. Former Lakewood High standout and University of Notre Dame defensive lineman Justin Utupo takes over as Millikan’s head coach after serving as the defensive coordinator last year. Utupo brings youth, enthusiasm and recent experience to a Millikan team with loads of young talent. “I want to establish a winning culture and get the boys to compete,” Utupo said. “I’m trying to build a winning progra...