HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
The Troy High School football team completed its second undefeated season yesterday by winning the section II Class AA state championship at the Syracuse Carrier dome. The Flying Horses defeated section VI champion Lancaster 41-26. Troy was 13-0 this season.
NFL-SCHEDULE
Tonight’s Monday night football matchup is the Houston Texans playing in Baltimore against the Ravens at 8:30 p.m.
The Philadelphia Eagles continue to own the NFL's best record after running their winning streak to nine games.
Carson Wentz threw for three more touchdowns and had 227 passing yards as the 10-1 Eagles trounced the Bears 31-3 in Philadelphia. Wentz has thrown 27 scoring passes this season, five off the team record set by Sonny Jurgensen in 1961.
Zach Ertz was Wentz's primary target with 10 receptions for 103 yards and a TD. LeGarrette Blount had 102 yards rushing for the Eagles, who reduced their magic number to one for clinching their first NFC East title since 2013.
The Eagles' defense allowed zero total yards in the first half and just 140 for the game. The 3-8 Bears failed to record a first down in the opening half, something that hadn't happened in the NFL since 2012.
The Eagles also moved closer to clinching home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs when another lengthy winning streak ended.
The Saints had won eight in a row before Jared Goff threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams' 26-20 victory over New Orleans. NFL scoring leader Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals for the 8-3 Rams, who also got TD receptions from Sammy Watkins and rookie Josh Reynolds.
Los Angeles allowed just 96 passing yards in the first three quarters and guaranteed itself a non-losing season for the first time in 11 years.
Alvin Kamara made an early 74-yard touchdown run and a late TD reception for the 8-3 Saints, who lost for the first time since Sept. 17.
New Orleans fell into a first-place tie with Carolina in the NFC South.
Checking out the other NFL finals for Week 12:
— The Panthers are 8-3 after scoring once on special teams and once on defense to rally past the Jets 35-27. Luke Kuechly returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown, and Kaelin Clay had a 60-yard punt return for a score to help Carolina get their fourth straight win. Cam Newton was just 11 of 28 for 168 yards, but he also hurdled over linebacker Jordan Jenkins for a 2-point conversion to give the Panthers a 26-20 lead with 12:05 left.
— Atlanta still has control of a wild-card berth after Julio Jones hauled in 12 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Falcons past the Buccaneers 34-20. Tevin Coleman rushed for 97 yards and two TDs, scoring on a three-yard run in the third period and adding a game-clinching, 14-yard run after the two-minute warning. Matt Ryan was 26 of 35 for 317 yards in helping the 7-4 Falcons drop the Bucs to 4-7.
— Seattle gave its playoff hopes a big boost as Russell Wilson threw for two TDs and ran for a short score to lead the 7-4 Seahawks to a 24-13 win at San Francisco. Wilson completed 20 of 34 passes for 228 yards and moved past Joe Flacco to become the winningest quarterback in his first six seasons with 63 victories. Jimmy Garoppolo made his 49ers debut with 1:07 remaining and found Louis Murphy for a 10-yard touchdown as time expired, too late for the 49ers to avoid their 10th loss in 11 games.
— The Steelers pulled out their sixth straight win by downing the Packers 31-28 on Chris Boswell's 53-yard field goal as time expired. The Steelers needed the late kick despite Ben Roethlisberger (RAWTH'-lihs-bur-gur), who threw for 351 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Le'Veon Bell ran for 95 yards and had another 88 receiving as Pittsburgh remained tied with New England for the AFC's best record.
— Rob Gronkowski hauled in two of Tom Brady's four touchdown passes as the Patriots improved to 9-2 with their seventh consecutive win 35-17 over the Dolphins. Rex Burkhead also scored two TDs for New England, and Dion Lewis had 15 carries for a career-high 112 yards. Matt Moore completed 23 of 34 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, but also had two interceptions as the 4-7 Dolphins dropped their fifth in a row.
— Buffalo won a battle of slumping teams as Tre'Davious White intercepted Alex Smith with just over a minute remaining to secure the Bills' first win in four games 16-10 at Kansas City. Tyrod Taylor threw for 183 yards and a touchdown in his return to the starting lineup, and Stephen Hauschka hit three field goals for the 6-5 Bills. Smith threw for 199 yards and a touchdown, but the 6-5 Chiefs showed little rushing production in their fifth loss in six games.
— DeMarco Murray scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:59 left to push the Titans past the Colts 20-16. Tennessee sacked Jacoby Brissett eight times and didn't allow a point after Adam Vinatieri's 42-yard field goal put Indianapolis ahead 16-6 in the third quarter. Marcus Mariota was 17 of 25 for 184 yards, including a TD pass to Delanie Walker that got the Titans within 16-13.
— Tennessee is now part of a two-way tie for first in the AFC South after the Cardinals ended the Jaguars' four-game winning streak 27-24. Phil Dawson decided it with a career-long 57 yard field goal with one second remaining, dropping Jacksonville to 7-4 and leaving Arizona 5-6. Dawson also was good from 34 and 42 yards as the Cardinals beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season.
— Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes and the Raiders spoiled quarterback Paxton Lynch's first start of the season with a 21-14 victory over the Broncos. The game featured a fight between Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, leading to the ejections of both players and Denver guard Gabe Jackson. Oakland dealt the 3-8 Broncos their seventh consecutive loss and improved to 5-6.
— Cincinnati's 30-16 win over Cleveland leaves the Browns 0-11 and in line to get the No. 1 draft pick for the second consecutive year. Rookie Joe Mixon ran for a career-high 114 yards and a touchdown to help the 5-6 Bengals pick up their second consecutive win. Andy Dalton finished 18 of 28 for 214 yards with a pair of touchdowns, while Randy Bullock drilled three field goals.
NFL-COWBOYS-MCFADDEN
The Cowboys have released running back Darren McFadden and kicker Mike Nugent while signing defensive end Datone Jones and promoting running back Trey Williams from the practice squad.
McFadden had fallen down the depth chart after leading the team in rushing two years ago. Nugent became expendable once Dan Bailey returned from a groin injury on Thursday.
T25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL-POLL
The newly-released Associated Press college football poll looks quite different from last week's following losses by previous No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Miami.
Clemson is the new leader in the poll, followed by Oklahoma, unbeaten Wisconsin, Auburn and the Crimson Tide. The Tigers picked up 27 first-place votes and moved up three spots following Saturday's rout of South Carolina. The Sooners took 24 first-place votes and the Badgers claimed the remaining 10. Oklahoma earned a 28-point win over West Virginia, and the Badgers shut out Minnesota 31-0.
Auburn failed to get a first-place vote despite Saturday's 26-14 win over Alabama.
Georgia is sixth, Miami fell from second to seventh and Ohio State remains eighth, followed by Penn State and TCU.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-TEXAS A&M-SUMLIN
Texas A&M has fired coach Kevin Sumlin after six winning seasons. The first black head coach in program history was 51-26 and 25-23 in the SEC. The Aggies ended their regular season by losing to LSU to finish 7-5 overall and finished 4-4 in the conference for the fourth time under Sumlin.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-ARIZONA STATE-GRAHAM FIRED
Arizona State has fired football coach Todd Graham after six seasons, five bowl trips and a 46-31 record.
The Sun Devils finished the regular season 7-5 on Saturday by beating rival Arizona, a two-win improvement on last season's disappointing record.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-FLORIDA-MULLEN
Florida has hired Mississippi State's Dan Mullen its next football coach.
The expected move reunites the Gators with Mullen, who served four years as their offensive coordinator, winning two national championships in the process. He has been instrumental in the development of quarterbacks Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott.
Mullen was 69-46 in nine years at Starkville and is the Bulldogs' second all-time winningest coach, behind Jackie Sherrill.
NBA-SCHEDULE
The Chicago Bulls' miserable start just got worse.
The Bulls allowed just seven points in the first quarter, but they scored just 13 in the period before losing their fifth in a row, 100-93 to the Heat. The loss drops Chicago to a league-worst 3-15.
Goran Dragic had a team-high 24 points for Miami, which scored 38 in the second quarter to take a 45-42 halftime lead. Wayne Ellington nailed five 3-pointers and had 19 points off the bench as the Heat's four reserves outscored their five starters.
Backup James Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Miami won its third in a row.
Also in the NBA:
— Karl-Anthony Towns provided 32 points and 12 rebounds as the Timberwolves outscored the Suns 119-108. Jimmy Butler had 25 points and Andrew Wiggins added 21 for Minnesota, which pulled away by starting the second half on a 22-11 run.
— The Nets' three-game losing streak is over after DeMarre Carroll scored a season-high 24 points to lead a 98-88 victory against slumping Memphis. Trevor Booker added 16 points and 11 rebounds as Brooklyn sent the Grizzlies to their eighth consecutive loss.
NHL-SCHEDULE
The New York Rangers remain one of the NHL's hottest teams since opening the season 3-7-2.
Jimmy Vesey scored the tying goal 5:05 into the third period and added the winner in the seventh round of a shootout to send the Rangers past the Canucks 4-3. The Blueshirts trailed 2-1 until Michael Grabner tied it 19 seconds into the third period. Tomas Vanek put Vancouver back on top just 41 seconds later before Vesey came through with his fifth goal of the season.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots for New York, which improved to 10-2-1 since its slow start.
The Canucks are 2-2 so far on a six-game road trip that concludes with games in Brooklyn and Nashville.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— The Hurricanes ended the Predators' four-game winning streak by getting shootout goals from Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen in Carolina's 4-3 victory at Nashville. Josh Jooris, Victor Rask and Justin Williams scored in regulation for the Hurricanes, who snapped a two-game skid after Craig Smith tied it for the Predators 8:45 into the third period.
— Ryan Strome provided the go-ahead goal and Cam Talbot made 23 saves as the Oilers doubled up the Bruins 4-2. Patrick Maroon and Adam Larsson also scored before Leon Draisaitl's empty-netter secured Edmonton's second win in six games.
TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Local Scores
Hartford lost to Wagner 72 to 50.
Stony Brook was defeated by Bucknell 85 to 76.
UMass Lowell beat Loyola 83 to 75.
Arkansas defeated UConn 102 to 67.
On the Women’s side:
Hartford beat Alabama A&M 56 to 47.
UNH beat Fairfield 71 to 61.
Stonybrook beat Wagner 69 to 50.
Top-ranked Duke needed a huge comeback to remain unbeaten in men's basketball.
Seventh-ranked Florida led by as many as 17 points midway through the second half before the Blue Devils stormed back for an 87-84 victory in the PK80 Invitational.
Freshman Marvin Bagley led Duke with 30 points and 15 rebounds. He has six double-doubles for the 8-0 Blue Devils. Gary Trent Jr. added 15 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 1:12 remaining.
Also in top-25 men's basketball:
— Eighth-ranked Kentucky gave John Calipari his 700th career coaching victory as Kevin Knox scored a career-high 25 points in a 107-73 romp over Illinois-Chicago in the Adolph Rupp Classic. Hamidou Diallo had a career-best 19 points, PJ Washington added 17 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 to help Kentucky get to 6-1.
— Michigan State won a top-10 matchup as Joshua Lanford hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points to send the fourth-ranked Spartans to a 63-45 win against No. 9 North Carolina in the PK80 Invitational. Michigan State built a 13-point halftime lead and held the Tar Heels under 25 percent from the floor.
— No. 16 Texas A&M pulled away for good with a 19-3 run in the second half to beat 10th-ranked Southern California 75-59. D.J. Hogg scored 15 points as the Aggies improved to 7-0, tying their best start under coach Billy Kennedy.
— Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score a career-high 20 points and 17th-ranked Gonzaga took the consolation game of the PK80 Invitational by beating Texas 76-71 in overtime. Josh Perkins scored 15 for the Bulldogs, who blew a 21-point lead in the second half before improving to 5-1.
— Reserve guard Tyree Crump scored five of his 17 points in overtime and Georgia beat No. 21 Saint Mary's 83-81 in the third-place game of the Wooden Legacy tournament. The Gaels dropped their second straight despite Jock Landale's 33 points and 12 boards.
— Prince Ali scored 16 of his career-high 21 points in the first half of No. 23 UCLA's 87-63 trouncing of UC Irvine. Ali got the starting nod after Jaylen Hands sprained his left foot in the Bruins' 72-70 win over Wisconsin last week.
— Jevon Carter nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute and finished with 29 points to carry No. 23 West Virginia to an 83-79 win over Missouri in the Advocare Invitational championship game. Daxter Miles had 26 points for the 6-1 Mountaineers, who trailed by 16 in the second half.
SKI-WORLD CUP-WOMEN'S SLALOM
American Mikaela Shiffrin has picked up her first win of the season in convincing style, winning both runs of the women's World Cup slalom at Killington, Vermont.
Shiffrin finished with a combined two-run time of 1 minute, 40.91 seconds, 1.64 seconds ahead of runner-up Petra Vlhova of Slovakia.
TENNIS-DAVIS CUP FINAL
France has won the Davis Cup for the first time in 16 years by beating Belgium 3-2.
Lucas Pouille's lopsided 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 win over Steve Darcis in the second reverse singles gave France its 10th Davis Cup title.
F1-ABU DHABI GP
Valtteri Bottas earned his third Formula One victory of the year by taking the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the pole position, beating his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in the season finale.
Hamilton had no need to chase Bottas after wrapping up his fourth world title.
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