The 6th seeded Barton Community College volleyball team continued its NJCAA Division I Tournament march with a resounding sweep over 14th seeded Indian Hills Community College (25-21, 25-14, 25-16) Thursday evening in Clarksville, Tennessee. The seventh straight sweep sends the now 33-2 Cougars into the remaining top four teams of the tournament, playing Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal versus 2nd seeded Miami Dade College (24-2) as the Sharks battled from behind in pulling out a 5-set victory over 10th seeded Missouri State-West Plains. Indian Hills, who lost 3-1 to the Cougars back on Sept. 14 in Sterling, Colo., drops to 26-10 on the year bouncing into Friday's 4:00 p.m. consolation bracket versus West Plains (35-6) in battling for an eventual best-finish fifth placing.
CLEVELAND (AP) — With snow falling, Nick Chubb plowed forward. On a play that looked eerily similar to the one in Pittsburgh last year that threatened to end his career, Chubb kept his legs moving and pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown he and his teammates won’t forget. Chubb ran for a 2-yard touchdown w ith 57 seconds left, and the Cleveland Browns stunned one of their division rivals on Thursday night, beating the Steelers 24-19 and ending their five-game winning streak. Chubb’s score came in his first game against the AFC North-leading Steelers (8-3) since the running back sustained a season-ending left knee injury in Week 2 last September in a Monday night game against the Steelers.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani keeps setting records, even after the season is over. The Los Angeles Dodgers star added his third Most Valuable Player award to his collection and first in the National League when he was chosen unanimously by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Thursday. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees won the American League award for the second time, also unanimously. Ohtani last year became the first two-time unanimous MVP. He won the AL award in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting. He didn’t pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. Ohtani became the first player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, then helped the Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series.
Jason Kelce will try his hand at late-night television early next year. Kelce announced during an appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday night that he will host “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce,” on ESPN. The one-hour show will tape on five straight Friday nights beginning Jan. 3. That coincides with the last week of the NFL’s regular season and the playoffs. The show will originate in front of a live audience from Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The first four episodes will air at 1 a.m. EST starting on Jan. 4 with the final episode coming on at 1:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 1.
THURSDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 11 Tennessee 64, Virginia 42
No. 13 Baylor 99, No. 22 St. John's 98
No. 16 Indiana 69, UNC Greensboro 58