Mount Union held off Carnegie Mellon 24-19 in the third round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs on Saturday.
Rossy Moore’s sack of Carnegie Mellon quarterback Ben Mills with 1:25 left helped the Purple Raiders close out the Tartans.
Mount Union will face Salisbury in the quarterfinals next Saturday.
ALLIANCE — Rossy Moore always has a nose for the football … and opposing quarterbacks.
Just look at what the All-American linebacker has done in Mount Union’s first two NCAA Division III football games.
Moore helped the Purple Raiders get off to a fast start against John Carroll last week when he returned a fumble for a touchdown.
On Saturday, he dealt Carnegie Mellon’s upset bid a crushing blow.
Moore’s sack of Tartans quarterback Ben Mills on fourth down with 1:25 left helped Mount Union wrap up a 24-19 win at Larry Kehres Stadium. The Purple Raiders (12-0) advance to the quarterfinals to face Salisbury next Saturday at a time to be determined.
Mount Union head coach Geoff Dartt believes next week’s game will be on the road. Salisbury has a better NCAA Power Index ranking than Mount Union.
The Tartans (11-2) were at the Mount Union 46-yard line when Moore produced the biggest defensive play of the game.
“The mindset for sure was to close out the game,” Moore said. “… Our defensive line coach was like ‘Let me and KB (end Kaleb Brown) rush off the edge and go make a play to take us home. We did that.
“We put time and effort in and worked super hard on our pass rush. When the moment comes, we’re ready for it for sure.”
The Tartans were pinned back at their own 14 with 2:44 left at the start of their final drive. They didn’t go away quietly.
Mills completed a 14-yard pass to Brendan McCullough. After the two-minute warning, he connected with Reece Kolke for a 23-yard gain into Purple Raiders territory.
Carnegie Mellon didn’t gain a yard after that. Mills threw three straight incompletions, including a pass that was broken up by Mount Union cornerback Zack Liebler. Moore finished the job.
“We were confident that we could get a stop with our pass rush,” Dartt said. “They did that, and obviously that ended the game.”
The Purple Raiders used a 17-0 run over the second and third quarters to grab the lead for good. Tyler Echeverry ran for two touchdowns during that stretch. Ivan Maric also kicked a 41-yard field goal.
Echeverry’s great season keeps an rolling. The All-American eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the seventh straight game and finished with 112 yards on 27 carries. He went into the day leading the nation in touchdown runs. The two TDs give him 24 for the season.
What has Echeverry attributed his success to?
“The offensive line,” he said. “I’ll say it every time and it will sound cliché, but some of the seams they can create against some good defensive lines and good linebackers is just insane. I work with them every day, so it’s kind of second nature when you see that to just hit it hard.”
Quarterback TJ DeShields threw for 218 yards and ran for a touchdown for the Purple Raiders, who are in the quarterfinals a year after getting eliminated by Alma in the second round.
“We’re excited about the win,” Dartt said. “Carnegie Mellon is a great team and very well coached. Obviously we want some plays back, but what a great football game. We’re happy to come out on top.”
LONDON — The European Union said Friday it sent TikTok an urgent request for more information about Romanian intelligence files suggesting that Moscow coordinated influencers on its platform to promote an election candidate who became the front-runner in the presidential election.
The 27-nation bloc’s executive branch is using its sweeping digital rulebook to scrutinize the video sharing platform’s role in the election, which ended with the far-right populist Calin Georgescu coming from out of nowhere to take top spot in the first round of voting.
Declassified files released by Romanian authorities earlier this week suggest that a pro-Russia campaign used the messaging app Telegram to recruit thousands of TikTok users to promote Georgescu.
It is unclear from the intelligence release whether Georgescu was aware of the alleged campaign or assisted in it.
European Commission officials said they asked the video sharing platform to comment on the files and to provide information on actions that it’s taking in response. It’s the second time the commission has asked TikTok for information since the election’s first round of voting on Nov. 24, and comes a day after it ordered the Chinese-owned platform to retain all election-related files and evidence.
TikTok did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
“We are concerned about mounting indications of coordinated foreign online influence operation targeting ongoing Romanian elections, especially on TikTok,” Henna Virkkunen, the commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said in a post on X.
TikTok has 24 hours to respond to the EU request, officials told a press briefing in Brussels. Georgescu will face pro-EU reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a final vote on Sunday.
“TikTok needs to step up resources to counter information operations ahead of the election weekend,” Virkkunen said.
Georgescu’s unexpected rise in the polls has plunged the European Union and NATO country into turmoil and spurred the authorities to release the files.
Romania’s intelligence services alleged that one TikTok user paid $381,000 to influencers on the platform to promote content about Georgescu. They said they obtained information that “revealed an aggressive promotion campaign” to increase and accelerate the candidate’s popularity.
Some of the thousands of social media accounts used in the campaign were allegedly created years ago but were only activated in the weeks leading up to the first round vote, the files indicated.
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AP writer Stephen McGrath in Bucharest contributed to this report.
But if you believe the average Spanish sports fan has the capacity to distinguish between XVs rugby and the sevens version, or understands the team their country just beat actually didn’t contain a single All Blacks player, think again.
The breathless coverage reminded Sports Insider of the time when the USA Eagles beat our men’s sevens team for the first time and the headlines Stateside read: “USA Eagles shock the world.”
Pol Pla, of Spain, scores against the All Blacks Sevens in Dubai. Photo / Getty Images
It mattered not that it was the sevens team. Americans didn’t get that nuance.
Back to Dubai. Our men’s sevens team are hardly “titans”. Nor is it a shock when they get beaten (which seems to be increasingly often nowadays).
One wonders if the casual Arab sports fan is no different to the American. Did the All Blacks brand just take a hit in the Middle East, where the biggest sports money tap is now located?
The Dubai results simply reinforce how daft and inaccurate it is that New Zealand Rugby insists the men’s sevens team must be called the “All Blacks Sevens”.
In its collective wisdom, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) believes calling the sevens specialists the All Blacks adds to the lustre of the black jersey and creates additional commercial opportunities and increased awareness of our dominant rugby heritage.
I’d argue it does the opposite. If anything, it undermines the All Blacks brand as casual sports fans around the globe cast a superficial eye over international media coverage and see headlines of rugby minnows increasingly lowering our colours.
And now we have the added folly of the same smoke and mirrors being applied to the XVs game with the “All Blacks XV” now touring annually, when in fact most Kiwis would prefer they were called “New Zealand A” in convention with other national unions.
But Silver Lake and the marketing boffins at NZR don’t see it that way.
It’s obvious the majority of Kiwi fans disagree and overwhelmingly decry the All Blacks moniker being given to anything other than the best men’s XVs team we can put on the park.
Directors and executives grossly overpaying themselves
While this madness is going on, directors and senior executives at NZR are paying themselves unprecedented salaries and fees.
Gregor Paul’s revelations in the Herald this week that, on average, senior executives at NZR are paid $467,000 annually and that directors fees now total $1.4 million a year, the latter being more than the yearly grant paid to Heartland unions, should outrage rugby fans.
An average obviously means some executives are on higher wages.
The provincial rumour mill is claiming that the combined salaries of the top two executives in the game (one from NZR and one recently departed from its commercial arm) total more than $2 million.
If that’s accurate, it’s an even greater outrage.
Elite professional sport does need to employ capable executives and pay for competent directors, and those sorts of salaries and fees are not uncommon. But not when an organisation is bleeding money (almost $80m in losses in the past two years) and its flawed strategy is being exposed on a regular basis.
And nor when the independent Pilkington review, commissioned by NZR, has found the organisation’s governance no longer fit for purpose.
Meanwhile, the self-congratulation continues with NZR patting itself on the back for achieving one million subscribers to its All Blacks YouTube channel.
Let’s not forget that earlier this year, NZR ran the white flag up on its misguided NZR+ digital channel, which is costing it more than $10m a year, to pivot to promoting its premium content on YouTube instead.
And if you think a million subscribers on YouTube is some sort of incredible feat, here’s some context around how the numbers stack up for “the greatest team in the history of (all) sport”. Food for thought:
There are approximately 41,900 YouTube channels with over a million subscribers. The All Blacks need to swell their audience by more than five times to five million to even crack the top 100 in sports channels.
A single individual, Ilona Maher, an American rugby sevens player, has over eight million followers across social media, including 4.6 million on Instagram alone (the All Blacks have 2.6 million on Instagram).
A Canadian gymnast named Anna McNulty has almost 10 million YouTube subscribers, as does the Australian cricket team, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka both top five million each (five times the audience of the All Blacks).
French freestyle football player Sean Garnier has almost six million subscribers on YouTube.
If you’ve never even heard of Maher, McNulty or Garnier, join the club.
Even then, to increase the audience, the All Blacks have been forced to piggy-back off international YouTube “sports influencers” who have much bigger numbers.
Hence we have had visits to New Zealand at God knows what cost by the likes of some Americans named “Dude Perfect” (60 million subscribers) and a “Japanese sensation” called the Fischers (eight million), who performed such riveting content as learning how to kick a rugby ball and playing “monster tag”.
Dude Perfect (left and centre), with Richie McCaw, promote a new partnership with the All Blacks.
I wonder what traditional Kiwi rugby fans make of it all.
It’s yet another example of the squandering of money and more of the nonsensical rhetoric NZR continues to push down our throats.
NZR told us during the Silver Lake negotiation saga that there are 60 million All Blacks fans around the world and they wanted to “monetise” them with the Americans’ help. A dollar per fan and there’s $60m annually, went the spiel.
So three years into the deal, we’ve managed to, on average, convince one in every 60 global fans to follow the team’s YouTube content even though it’s free.
Not sure I’d be boasting about that.
Chris Wood and his colourful Notts Forest owner
Has New Zealand football (with a lower case ‘f’) ever had a more golden period than right now?
Auckland FC sit magnificently astride the top of the A-League table with five wins, not a single goal conceded, and the Wellington Phoenix breathing down their necks, therefore setting the stage for a bumper return derby at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday that will rival Warriors crowds of this year.
Chris Wood has been shining for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and for the All Whites. Photo / Photosport
Chris Wood’s match-winning penalty against Ipswich Town last weekend not only made the All Whites striker the joint top scorer in his club Nottingham Forest’s Premier League (EPL) history* but also reinforced his position among the EPL’s top scorers this season.
Only Liverpool talisman Mo Salah (13) Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (12) have found the net more often than the nine goals Wood has racked up so far this season.
The 32-year-old former Hamiltonian’s goal against Ipswich also reinforced his growing reputation as potentially the EPL’s best penalty taker.
Wood has an unblemished record of seven successes from as many attempts during his EPL career and has not missed from the spot in a match of consequence since 2016, when he was playing for Leeds United.
Wood might want to steer clear of celebrating too closely with Nottingham Forest’s owner though.
Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis is one of the more unusual EPL club owners.
For starters, he had previously been accused of heroin trafficking and match-fixing – both charges he successfully fought in court.
However, he now has fresh charges of “inciting sporting violence” and “funding a criminal organisation” to deal with, both related to the murder of a policeman with a flare gun.
Marinakis also owns leading Greek club Olympiakos and prosecutors in his native country claim he was in cahoots with the club’s notorious “Gate 7 firm” who are accused of killing the policeman during a riot.
He denies the charges.
SailGP and Sir Russell Coutts are flying high
If Kiwi football is soaring, our sailing stocks aren’t too far behind either.
Not only is the America’s Cup locked away for at least another two years but SailGP – the brainchild of Sir Russell Coutts – has never been in better shape as it heads into its fifth season.
The series will make its long-awaited Auckland debut in the second event of the 2025 season on January 18-19 and is set for bumper summer crowds eager to watch the action close-up.
But it is the commercial performance of the high-voltage foiling catamarans that is catching the eye.
SailGP is set to break even for the first time, with its managing director Andrew Thompson claiming revenue has “at least doubled” since the 2022-23 series.
The New Zealand SailGP team. Photo / Photosport
Luxury watchmaker Rolex has signed up as the series’ first-ever overall naming-rights sponsor and SailGP has since announced two other major commercial deals with Emirates Airlines and international logistics company DP World.
“Our league is growing revenues,” Thompson told business website SportsPro. “It has always been our aspiration that after five seasons, we’d be in a situation where we are at least breaking even. We’re on track to do that, which is something that’s never happened in this sport before.
Thompson described the 10-year title sponsorship deal with Rolex as a “coming-of-age” partnership, saying Emirates and DP World came on board because of SailGP’s growing presence in the Middle East.
“We have had a number of events in the Middle East now, in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which has sparked that interest, frankly,” he said, adding that the US and Asia are the next targets for an expanded presence.
Thompson said SailGP’s new deals put the series alongside some of the biggest global sports organisations from a commercial perspective.
“It is a privilege of ours to be alongside the likes of Wimbledon, [the] PGA Tour and Formula One and others,” he said. “It is certainly our aspiration to be amongst the top tier of sports properties.”
Last season, SailGP claimed its broadcast audience had increased by 48% to reach 193 million households across 212 territories.
First Nations Cup rugby tournament to be played in England in 2026
You read it here first … it will be announced shortly that England will host the inaugural Nations Cup tournament in 2026, between countries from the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
The second tournament will be hosted two years later by Qatar, with the blood money set to substantially boost the coffers of individual national unions as the Middle East finally adds rugby to its dubious hosting list of high-profile sports.
England’s Chandler Cunningham-South tackles All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor at Twickenham last month. Photo / Photosport
And the United States has been earmarked for 2030, although there are still several caveats on that yet to be satisfied.
If they are, it means the earliest a Southern Hemisphere country can host the tournament is 2032.
Will New Zealand ever host it?
Not unless Saudi Arabia buys us.
Time zones and commercial imperatives mean the Nations Cup will be no different to the World Cup now – its finals will never be played here.
Team of the Week
Team McLarenBruce McLaren’s name will be celebrated internationally if the team the Kiwi icon inspired can hold off Ferrari to win their first Formula One Constructors Championship in 26 years in the final round of the world championship series in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Ferrari sit just 21 points behind McLaren’s Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri.
Steven Adams Tops the Herald’s Sporting Rich list (yet again) with $21m-plus, despite a year out of action injured in the NBA.
Howick College The Auckland school’s golden-point win over red-hot favourites Hamilton Girls’ High School in the final was the best game of the popular Condor sevens tournament.
* Before the Premier League era, Grenville Morris scored the most goals for Nottingham Forest, with 217 career strikes in all competitions
Mount Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie looks for a receiver in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry with a gain under pressure from Marietta safety Lukas Ratliff in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union wide receiver Nick Turner runs along the sidelines for a long gain in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie with a keeper in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry runs for a touchdown in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mounty Union coach Geoff Dartt questions call from the sideline in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union defender Kaleb Brown with a stop on Marietta running back Taz Morris in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Marietta’s Jay Melchiori celebrates a Quinn Brown touchdown in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union’s Darnell Williams with a kickoff return in the first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union specialist Shaun Thomas pushes away the tackle of Marietta cornerback Jaelon Quiero-Gordon in tne first quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry under pressure from Mariietta linebacker Harley Hopkins in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie with a keeper under pressure from Marietta safety Lukas Ratliff in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie under pressure from Marietta defender Blade Barclay in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry with a first down to set up a touchdown in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union’s Matt Anderson with a second quarter touchdown in Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union’s Matt Anderson celebrates a second quarter touchdown against Marietta Mount Union. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union safety John Roland trips up Marietta quarterback Connor Vierstra in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union wide receiver Jerry Cooper and Marietta defender Vante Hodges go up tor a ball in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mounty Union quarterback Noah Beaudrie under presure from Marietta defender Brady Russell in the second quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union defender Marcus stops Marietta tight end Derek Witsberger in the third quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union quarterback TJ Deshields looks for a receiver in the third quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union’s Caleb Rinard runs the ball in the third quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository
Mount Union running back Tyler Echeverry with the ball in the third quarter of Marietta at Mount Union football. Saturday November 09, 2024.
LONDON — Chinese online retailer Temu is facing a European Union investigation over suspicions it’s failing to prevent the sale of illegal products, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm said on Thursday.
The European Commission opened its investigation five months after adding Temu to the list of “very large online platforms” needing the strictest level of scrutiny under the bloc’s Digital Services Act. It’s a wide-ranging rulebook designed to clean up online platforms and keep internet users safe, with the threat of hefty fines.
Temu started entering Western markets only in the past two years and has grown in popularity by offering cheap goods – from clothing to home products — that are shipped from sellers in China. The company, owned by Pinduoduo Inc., a popular e-commerce site in China, now has 92 million users in the EU.
Temu said it “takes its obligations under the DSA seriously, continuously investing to strengthen our compliance system and safeguard consumer interests on our platform.”
“We will cooperate fully with regulators to support our shared goal of a safe, trusted marketplace for consumers,” the company said in a statement.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said in a press release that Brussels wants to make sure products sold on Temu’s platform “meet EU standards and do not harm consumers.”
EU enforcement will “guarantee a level playing field and that every platform, including Temu, fully respects the laws that keep our European market safe and fair for all,” she said.
The commission’s investigation will look into whether Temu’s systems are doing enough to crack down on curb “rogue traders” selling “non-compliant goods” amid concerns that they are able to swiftly reappear after being suspended. The commission didn’t single out specific illegal products that were being sold on the platform.
Regulators are also examining the risks from Temu’s “addictive design,” including “game-like” reward programs, and what the company is doing to mitigate those risks.
Also under investigation is Temu’s compliance with two other DSA requirements: giving researchers access to data and transparency on recommender systems. Companies must be detail how they recommend content and products, and give users at least one option to see recommendations that are not based on their personal profile and preferences.
Temu now has the chance to respond to the commission, which can decide to impose a fine or drop the case if the company makes changes or can prove that the suspicions aren’t valid.
Brussels has been cracking down on tech companies since the DSA took effect last year. It has also opened an investigation into another ecommerce platform, AliExpress, as well as social media sites like X and Tiktok, which bowed to pressure after the commission demanded answers about a new rewards feature.
Temu has also faced scrutiny in the United States, where a Congressional report last year accused the company of failing to prevent goods made by forced labor from being sold on its platform.
LOS ANGELES — Hollywood’s actors union called a strike against the popular multiplayer online game “League of Legends” on Tuesday, arguing the company that produces the game attempted to get around the ongoing video game strike by hiring non-union actors to work on a union title.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said the company, Formosa Interactive LLC, tried to “cancel” an unnamed video game affected by the strike shortly after the start of the work stoppage. The union said that when Formosa learned it could not cancel the game, the company “secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for ‘non-union’ talent only.” In response, the union’s interactive negotiating committee voted unanimously to file an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board and to call a strike against “League of Legends” as part of that charge.
“League of Legends” is one of Formosa’s most well-known projects. The company provides voiceover services for the game, according to SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA has accused Formosa of interfering with protections that allow performers to form or join a union and prevent those performers from being discriminated against — a move the union called “egregious violations of core tenets of labor law.”
Formosa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “League of Legends” developer Riot Games said that the company “has nothing to do” with the union’s complaint.
“We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, ‘League of Legends’ has only asked Formosa to engage with union performers in the U.S. and has never once suggested doing otherwise,” Riot said in an emailed statement. “In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered.”
SAG-AFTRA’s allegations are related to a non-Riot game, the game publisher said.
“It’s bad enough that Formosa and other companies are refusing to agree to the fair AI terms that have been agreed to by the film, television, streaming, and music industries, as well as more than 90 other game developers,” said the union’s national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “To commit illegal unfair labor practices is beyond the pale and won’t be tolerated by SAG-AFTRA members.”
SAG-AFTRA members must immediately stop providing covered services to “League of Legends,” the union said. Until Tuesday, the game was one of several titles that remained unstruck. Formosa is a union signatory.
“League of Legends is a game of champions. Instead of championing the union performers who bring their immense talent and experience to beloved characters, decision-makers at Formosa have chosen to try to evade and abandon them,” said Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh. “Such double-dealing is very disappointing from a longtime committed union signatory.”
SAG-AFTRA called a strike against major game companies in July after more than a year of negotiations around the union’s interactive media agreement broke down over concerns around the use of unregulated artificial intelligence. Formosa is a member of the bargaining group in those talks.
Three weeks of Friday night lights have come and gone, and the Summerville Bears and Sonora Wildcats, both still undefeated, are set to kick off their respective league campaigns this week.
What better time, then, to take a stab at a few informed guesses as to each team’s performance throughout the rest of the season, including league and postseason play?
These predictions are based on a combination of each team’s body of work thus far this season and what I have seen on the ground, covering both teams throughout their first three contests.
Summerville may not win league, but they will run away with D-VII section football title
For the first time in a decade, the Mother Lode League title is anyone’s for the taking, and no one wants it more than the Summerville Bears, who have finished as the league runner-up in both of the last two seasons to Sonora.
But the league title might not be quite as wide open as some fans believe. The Calaveras Red Hawks and, more notably, the Linden Lions, pose a very real challenge to the Bears’ hopes of being crowned the MLL champs.
This writer projects that Summerville will take down Calaveras in Week 7 somewhat handily. Linden on the other hand, the Bears’ Week 11 foe, will be a load.
Outside of the Hilmar Yellowjackets, whom the Bears scheduled to replace their canceled game against Millennium in Week 9, Linden is the only team Summerville will face that throws the ball more than it runs.
Despite having plenty of talent in the secondary, an efficient, pass-heavy offense is simply not something the Bears come up against often, and without experience comes costly mistakes. I anticipate that Summerville will fall just short of Linden in a shootout in their final league contest.
But while the path to a league title will be a difficult one, the outlook for Bears fans ought to be considerably more cheery as they look forward towards the postseason.
Summerville sits firmly in the No. 1 spot in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII rankings in MaxPreps, and is the only undefeated team left in the division.
The Waterford Wildcats, whom the Bears thumped 46-12 in Week 3, come in at No. 4. Denair, a team Summerville blanked 38-0 in Week 2, comes in at the No. 9 spot.
The only team anywhere close to within striking distance of Summerville in the entire division is the Stone Ridge Christian Knights, who boast a 2-1 record but were defeated soundly by Calaveras, 27-7 in their opener.
SRC defeated Summerville 34-26 in a preseason classic in Tuolumne back in 2022, the same year the Bears came within 1 point of winning an elusive blue banner emblazoned with the words “Sac-Joaquin Section Champion. “
If there was ever a year to expect the Bears to go back and seal the deal, this is the one.
Bears’ potent offense will average 42 points per game in league
The Summerville Bears have been quite efficient on the offensive side of the ball through their first three contests, putting up 24, 38 and 46 points, in wins over Ripon Christian, Denair and Waterford, respectively.
That build in offensive momentum is sure to continue into the MLL season, with only two teams, Calaveras and Linden, capable of slowing the Bears down.
Bret Harte, Riverbank, River Islands and Big Valley Christian all project to be massive blowouts in Summerville’s favor, which should buoy their scoring average even if it dips in their more competitive matchups against the Red Hawks and Lions.
Moreover, the Bears’ offense hasn’t been some boom-or-bust affair. Built on an established run game from running back Isaac Biggs and a gifted cadre of slot backs, including Colton Cash and Orlando Lopez, the Summerville offense is consistent and repeatable, week-to-week.
With junior quarterback Bryce Leveroos just getting better and better, this year’s Bears offense will be something to behold.
Week 5, Sept. 20: Summerville 49, Bret Harte 0
Week 6, Sept. 27: Summerville 42, Riverbank 12
Week 7, Oct. 4: Summerville 35, Calaveras 22
Week 8, Oct. 11: Summerville 42, River Islands 7
Week 9, Oct. 18: Hilmar 24, Summerville 21
Week 10, Oct. 25: Summerville 56, Big Valley Christian 14
Week 11, Nov. 1: Linden 35, Summerville 29
Sonora will shock the TVL, dethroning Hughson and Escalon to win league title
Quite a bit has to go right for this prediction to come true, but this writer believes a Trans Valley League title is in the cards for Sonora.
Since the early goings of the Sac-Joaquin Section realignment cycle, much has been made of the Wildcats’ jump into the ranks of the vaunted TVL. They will make their long-awaited league debut this Friday against the Escalon Cougars — the team that defeated them 35-34 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title game two years ago.
“In our league, you could call everybody a rival,” Sonora football head coach Kirk Clifton said. “I look at our league, our track record and what is going on in the preseason, and I think it is everything that everybody has built it up to be.”
One loss in this stacked league could cost any team their shot at the TVL title. The Wildcats are particularly aware of that this week, facing off against Escalon.
“They are a very well-coached team,” Clifton said. “They are the benchmark of the league. I don’t necessarily think anybody has to get excited to play them. I think if you are not excited to play them, then you have got something wrong with you.”
If Sonora can take down Escalon this week, their eyes will turn towards an even tougher challenge — a Week 8 matchup with the Hughson Huskies.
Hughson is coming off of a 40-39 Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI title win last year over the Bradshaw Christian Pride — the team that knocked Sonora out of the playoffs.
University of Arizona commit Robert McDaniel is back in the gun again this season for Hughson and is flanked by a stable of dangerous targets including Malakai Sumter and McDaniel’s younger brother, Bryce.
Sonora’s play against Antelope in a Week 3 rout of the Titans, 55-6, was an encouraging sign of the Wildcats’ developing ability to defend against the pass.
Secondary players like Cash Byington, Jon Curran and Colton Gibson will be tested by the size and speed of Hughson receivers, and the Wildcats’ defensive front including ends Wyatt Ling and Caden Burd will have to pressure McDaniel and make his life difficult in the pocket.
Look out for an upset in Week 8. If Sonora can pull it off, their first season in the TVL might just end in a TVL title.
Sutton will rush for 1,000 yards in first varsity season
It didn’t take much time at all for junior fullback Tommy Sutton to make his presence known on the football field this season.
One of his very first varsity carries was a big one — busting out into the open field through a gap in the offensive line and rumbling 64 yards early in the Wildcats’ 31-21 win over Oakdale in their season opener.
He finished with 106 yards on 12 carries that game, and his workload in the two following games has shown that his production was not a fluke. Through Sonora’s pre-league campaign, Sutton has logged 33 carries for 242 yards through three games.
Running through gaps created by a stellar Wildcats offensive line, Sutton has been Sonora’s dependable workhorse at fullback.
Heading into a league schedule that will require four quarters of solid football from the Wildcats, the starters — Sutton included — will be on the field for more snaps than they have in a decade of Sonora football.
With that steady dose of carries forthcoming, the junior has a very real chance of eclipsing the elusive 1,000-yard mark this season.
