South Range hit by illness

GREENFORD — The West Branch at South Range boys basketball game that was scheduled for Tuesday was postponed due to illness in the South Range program. The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

Louisville nips Toledo

Miller Moss throws for 2 TDs, Louisville holds off Toledo 27-22 in Boca Raton Bowl

By TIM REYNOLDS

Associated Press Writer

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Miller Moss took a knee to run out the clock on Louisville’s season, then flipped the ball to an official.

The official had the presence of mind to flip it right back to Moss. After all, he earned the souvenir.

Moss closed his college career by throwing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, Isaac Brown ran for a pair of scores — including a 53-yarder in the final minutes — and Louisville topped Toledo 27-22 in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday.

“Really happy for this group of guys that we were able to finish the season off the way that we did,” Moss said. “On to the next journey, but I’m really grateful for this chapter in my life.”

Keyjuan Brown rushed for 112 yards, Treyshun Hurry and Antonio Meeks had touchdown catches and Moss completed 16 of 24 passes for the Cardinals (9-4), who survived a wild fourth quarter to finish their season with back-to-back wins.

Toledo (8-5) got three points from its first eight possessions, then scored 17 points in three possessions in the fourth — nearly rallying from an 18-point deficit. Avery Smith ran a blocked extra point back for 2 points with 5:03 left, and Chip Trayanum scored on a 3-yard run on the ensuing possession to get the Rockets within 27-22.

“It’s been like that for us all year,” Moss said. “We’ve been in dogfights all year.”

Kalieb Osborne completed 17 of 28 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown for Toledo, which played under an interim coach, Robert Weiner, after Jason Candle — a 1998 graduate of West Branch High School– departed for UConn earlier this month.

The Toledo comeback bid started in the fourth. Jacob Peterson caught a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-11; he made the catch around the Louisville 5 and took three defenders with him into the end zone with 10:42 left. The 2-point conversion got Toledo within 21-11.

A 50-yard field goal by Robert Hammond III got the Rockets within 21-14, but Louisville kept the lead the rest of the way.

“Proud of our team,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “We finished strong. We didn’t play perfect, but we played hard, we played tough, we played to the end.”

Osborne got his first start, with regular starter Tucker Gleason — who played for Weiner at Plant High School in Tampa — out with a pair of fractures in his back.

Gleason was with the Rockets as an assistant coach of sorts for the bowl trip.

“Any chance I can get to come to Florida, I’m going to come to Florida,” Gleason said. “I’ve been in college for six years. I feel like I’ve got so much knowledge that if I wasn’t at least going to try to pass down that knowledge to some of the younger guys in the room not only am I doing myself a disservice but I’m doing them a disservice.”

Takeaways

Louisville: The game had extra significance for the Cardinals. Florida Atlantic’s home stadium exists largely because Howard Schnellenberger — who resurrected the Miami program when he took over as coach 1979 and later coached at Louisville for 10 seasons — wanted it built. Schnellenberger was FAU’s initial coach and the field is named in his honor.

Toledo: Here’s an odd one: A pass 13 yards downfield became a 3-yard loss. Osborne threw a pass from the Louisville 23 to the 10, intended for Kenji Christian — but it was deflected and sailed back beyond the line of scrimmage. Toledo offensive lineman Cole Rhett caught the ball and advanced it about 3 yards before he was stopped 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Up next

Louisville: The Cardinals’ 2026 opener is set for Sept. 5 or 6 against Mississippi, at the Tennessee Titans’ stadium in Nashville.

Toledo: The Rockets are set to open next season at Michigan State in the debut for new Toledo coach Mike Jacobs and new Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald — the former Northwestern coach.

Sanders eyes the present

Shedeur Sanders continues to focus on present, not on how Cleveland Browns might look next season

By JOE REEDY

Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Plenty of people have opinions on where Shedeur Sanders factors at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns heading into next season.

The person at the center of the debate though isn’t spending time looking ahead to 2026, especially with two games remaining this season.

“I live in the present. I’m focused on this week because nothing’s promised going into next year or anything.” Sanders said on Tuesday as the Browns began preparations for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh. “I don’t think it’s about feeling a commitment. It’s about controlling what you can control. I think I have to do my part and get some wins and play clean football.

“The rest isn’t in my hands, so that’s really all it is. I don’t own the organization, so I can’t promise anything will happen. You know, I’m not God. I can’t dictate what’s going to happen each and every day, each and every minute.”

The Browns (3-12) won in Sanders’ NFL starting debut on Nov. 23, but have dropped the next four. With two weeks remaining, they hold the third overall pick in next year’s draft and could move up with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders facing each other on Sunday. Both are 2-13 with the top pick up for grabs.

After making the playoffs in 2023, Cleveland is 6-26 the past two seasons, which has put the futures of coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry into question.

In Sanders’ five games as a starter, he has been sacked 13 times, sixth most in that span.

Of quarterbacks with at least 70 total pass attempts over the past five games, Sanders’ 58.3% completion rate is sixth lowest and 73.7 passer rating is tied for second lowest. The lowest rating belongs to Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield (72.6), who spent his first four seasons in Cleveland after being the top overall pick in 2018.

Besides adjusting to changes on the offensive line, Sanders will now have to adapt to not having running back Quinshon Judkins.

The rookie underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a fractured right fibula and ankle dislocation after he was injured in last Sunday’s 23-20 loss to Buffalo. The Browns placed Judkins on injured reserve and expect him to be able to return to football activities in four to six months.

Judkins, who developed into an integral part of the offense, is second among NFL rookies in rushing with 827 yards and he finished 2 yards shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams will likely be the two running backs. Dylan Sampson remains questionable after missing the past two games because of a hand injury.

Shedeur Sanders will be facing a Pittsburgh defense that has feasted on rookie quarterbacks. The Steelers are 27-6 against rookie QBs since Mike Tomlin became coach in 2007, the best record in the league in that span.

Pittsburgh sacked Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel six times in a 23-9 win in Week 6.

The Steelers (9-6) can clinch their first AFC North title since 2020 with a win on Sunday.

Stefanski said Tuesday that Deshaun Watson will not be activated to the activated roster. Watson’s 21-day practice window opened on Dec. 3 and he mainly worked with the scout team.

The nine-year veteran has been on the physically unable to perform list since the start of the season. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon twice in a three-month period — first during the first half of a Oct. 20, 2024, loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and then in January.

“He’s done a great job with everything that’s that’s been asked of him, but just felt like this was the right decision for him and for us,” Stefanski said.

Cavaliers score 141 points

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, Sam Merrill added 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 141-118 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

Nine of the 11 players used by the Cavaliers players scored in double figures as they won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 21-23. Cleveland also evened its December record at 5-5.

The 23-point victory was the Cavaliers’ second-biggest margin this season.

It was the fifth time in the NBA this season and the second time in three days a team has had nine players score in double figures. According to Sportradar, it was only the second time in franchise history the Cavaliers had done it. The previous time was Nov. 10, 1992, against the Washington Bullets.

Cleveland scored at least 139 points for the second straight night and eighth time this season.

The Cavaliers got 57 points from their reserves as Jaylon Tyson scored 18 and Jaylon Tyson added a season-high 15.

Center Jarrett Allen had 14 points, including his first 3-pointer since Jan. 29, 2023.

Zion Williamson scored 26 points off the bench as New Orleans had a five-game winning streak snapped. Derik Queen added 21 points.

Merrill, who returned to the lineup Monday night after missing 14 games with a sprained right hand, was 7 of 12 from the field and 6 of 10 on 3-pointers in 26 minutes. It was the third time this season he scored at least 20 points.

Queen’s 3-pointer got the Pelicans within 76-70 before the Cavaliers blew it open with a 17-4 run. Mitchell had 13 points and made all six of his shots in the quarter as Cleveland was 17 of 26 from the field.

The Cavaliers will play at the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.

Pirates sign O’Hearn for $29 million

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates took another step toward being a contender in 2026, agreeing to a $29 million, two-year contract with All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn designed to give one of the worst offenses in the majors a boost.

A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal includes $500,000 annually in performance bonuses. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was not yet official.

O’Hearn receives the first multiple-year free agent deal the Pirates have agreed to together since 2016. The left-handed O’Hearn is coming off the best season of his big league career. He hit .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025 and made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Kansas City and San Diego.

The rare splurge by the Pirates is their second significant acquisition in less than a week. Pittsburgh acquired two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay on Dec. 19 as part of a three-team deal that included sending starting pitcher Mike Burrows to Houston.

Pittsburgh has vowed to build around a pitching staff that includes reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and rookie Bubba Chandler. The Pirates are coming off a 71-91 season in which the offense finished at or near the bottom of the majors in most significant statistical categories, including runs and home runs.

O’Hearn gives Pittsburgh a bit of versatility. He has played both first base and a corner outfield spot. The Pirates have the left-hand hitting Spencer Horwitz at first, though O’Hearn could see time there and perhaps in the outfield to play alongside Oneil Cruz and two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds.

O’Hearn is a career .252 hitter, though his numbers have spiked over the last three seasons. He is batting .277 with 46 homers and 182 RBIs since the start of 2023 and now finds himself playing half his games in a ballpark where the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall starts just 320 feet from home plate.