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Edison wins D-II thriller
TULARE -- The senior leaders -- Max Schuh and Tevin McDonald -- did what senior leaders do, leading Edison High down the football field in the closing minutes.
Then they turned the outcome over to the youngster, and he didn't disappoint.
Vadal McDonald kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to cap a drive Schuh and Tevin McDonald engineered, lifting the fifth-seeded Tigers to a 26-25 upset of top-seeded and defending champion Tulare in a Central Section Division II semifinal Friday at Bob Mathias Stadium.
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Bulldogs aim to toughen up front
Jason Shirley doesn't mind admitting it now. The defensive line was a huge factor in Fresno State's struggles last season.
"Last year's trouble was the defensive line wasn't as strong as it was in past years," said Shirley, now a senior and entering his third season as the starting nose tackle. "If we're going to be weak, the defense is going to be weak. And that's what we had last year -- a weak defense."
Fresno State ranked in the bottom half of the nation in nearly every defensive category, including 97th in points allowed per game (28.3) and 108th in third-down defense.
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NFL Playoff Preview - N.Y. Jets (10-7) at San Diego (13-3)
Something will have to give when two red-hot teams, the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, face off in an AFC Divisional Playoff from Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Chargers, champions of the AFC West and winners of 11 straight since a 2-3 start, forged their 13-3 mark largely on the back of one of the league's most explosive offenses. Norv Turner's club finished the regular campaign ranking first in the AFC in scoring offense (28.4 points per game), fourth in passing offense (271.1 yards per game), and fifth in total offense (360.1 yards per game), with Pro Bowl-bound quarterback Philip Rivers (4254 passing yards, 28 TD, 9 INT) and his top targets Antonio Gates (79 receptions, 1157 yards, 8 TD) and Vincent Jackson (68 receptions, 1167 yards, 9 TD) leading the way.
The Chargers were never held under 20 points during the regular season, and scored 30 or more six times during their 11-game winning streak.
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NFL Playoff Preview - N.Y. Jets (10-7) at San Diego (13-3)
Something will have to give when two red-hot teams, the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, face off in an AFC Divisional Playoff from Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Chargers, champions of the AFC West and winners of 11 straight since a 2-3 start, forged their 13-3 mark largely on the back of one of the league's most explosive offenses. Norv Turner's club finished the regular campaign ranking first in the AFC in scoring offense (28.4 points per game), fourth in passing offense (271.1 yards per game), and fifth in total offense (360.1 yards per game), with Pro Bowl-bound quarterback Philip Rivers (4254 passing yards, 28 TD, 9 INT) and his top targets Antonio Gates (79 receptions, 1157 yards, 8 TD) and Vincent Jackson (68 receptions, 1167 yards, 9 TD) leading the way.
The Chargers were never held under 20 points during the regular season, and scored 30 or more six times during their 11-game winning streak.
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NFL Playoff Preview - N.Y. Jets (11-7) at Indianapolis (15-2)
When they take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium for Sunday afternoon's AFC Championship, the New York Jets will be looking to prove that the notions of homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, first-round byes, and even postseason home games are overrated factors in the quest for a championship.
The homestanding Indianapolis Colts, meanwhile, can prove exactly the opposite with a victory of their own.
The Jets and Colts made their way into the 2009 NFL Playoff bracket in markedly different manners, and in the four weeks that have passed since their much- debated regular season meeting, little has changed about their perceived stature.
Josh Lujan opened the season as a pretty pedestrian linebacker.
He's closing it as a fearsome pass-rushing lineman.
The Redwood High senior had six sacks to key a dominating defensive performance as the 10th-seeded Rangers rolled over No. 7 Hoover 28-0 in a first-round Central Section Division II football playoff game Friday night at McLane Stadium.
"He was just doing an average job at linebacker," said Redwood coach John Yavasile, whose team advances to face No. 2 El Diamante. "But since we put his hand in the dirt, he's found his calling."
Even when Lujan wasn't making a sack, he was forcing a rushed throw, helping Redwood (6-5) hold Hoover to 54 yards passing.
"I was just doing what the coaches told me to do," said Lujan, a 5-10, 170-pound senior. "I went all out on every play. It didn't seem like anyone was blocking me."
The pressure Lujan, linebacker Taylor George and the rest of a resurgent Rangers defense applied forced a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns -- a 35-yarder by Matt Ramos with 8:41 remaining in the second quarter for the game's first points, and a 28-yarder by Travis Beck that essentially put the game out of reach at 28-0 with 11:34 left in the game.
"I read it perfect," Ramos said. "I stepped in front [of the receiver] and it was right in my hands."
George made a momentum-turning sack, one of 13 for the Rangers, on the final play of the first half. He pulled down Hoover quarterback Shane Martinez for a 12-yard loss on fourth down from the Redwood 9-yard line to preserve a 7-0 lead.
"People can see it as a big fourth-down play, but I was just doing my job," George said. "Our defense really prepared. We knew if we played assignment football, we could shut them down."
Hoover (6-5) had to play the final 16:36 without UCLA-bound running back-linebacker Eric Kendricks, who suffered an ankle injury.
"We couldn't block them," Hoover coach Pat Plummer said. "Redwood played a great game. Their front eight shut down our run."
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