On anniversary of Sandy Hook, Newtown football wins championship on final play

Newtown High School won the championship with a last-second touchdown on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Newtown marked the seventh anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School with vigils, church services and a moment of joy when the community’s high school football team with a shooting victim’s brother as linebacker won the state championship Saturday in a last-minute thrill.

The Newtown High School Nighthawks won the Class LL state championship on a 36-yard touchdown pass as time expired, beating Darien 13-7. The title was the first for Newtown since 1992. The team ends the season undefeated.

Ben Pinto, whose brother Jack was among those killed in the shooting, played linebacker for Newtown.

‘The whole town showed out on this special night,’ senior Jared Dunn told The Hartford Courant. ’We knew we had to bring it home for our town.”

Twenty first graders and six educators were killed at the elementary school on Dec. 14, 2012.

At a remembrance service earlier Saturday, Monsignor Robert Weiss, of St. Rose of Lima Church, expressed dismay about how the spate of deadly gun violence has continued in the U.S. since Sandy Hook.

‘On this day seven years ago, we all thought the world was going to change. But it seems we were deluded because the situation has gotten even worse with the violence of guns,’ Weiss told a packed memorial Mass on Saturday, Hearst Connecticut Media reported. ‘We live in fear, we live in anxiety, and yet we live in hope because we know God walks with us.’

According to Connecticut Against Gun Violence, which helped to organize vigils held in the state on Saturday, more than 700,000 Americans have been killed or injured in gun violence since the Sandy Hook shooting.

The annual memorial Mass at St. Rose of Lima began with the traditional reading of the names of the Sandy Hook victims. A bell was solemnly rung after each name was recited.

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While seven years have passed, many in the small community of Newtown still struggle to cope with the magnitude of the tragedy.

‘Just when I thought I was moving past the difficult part of this experience, it comes back. And I know it is like that for a lot of us in Newtown,’ Rabbi Shaul Praver said during an interfaith service at Newtown Congregational Church.

Weiss was overcome by tears at the end of his homily.

’I am asked all the time how we are doing ” how our families are doing ” and my answer is, ‘I don’t know,’ because every day brings something new,′ Weiss said. ‘All we are given is what we have here this morning.’

Gov. Ned Lamont ordered all state and U.S. flags in Connecticut to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday in remembrance of the Newtown victims.

‘The tragedy that occurred that day is one of the worst in our history,’ Lamont, a Democrat, said in a statement. “But in its aftermath, we witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of humanity, hope, and kindness cascading into our state from over the entire world, spreading a message of love that we must proactively protect.

WATCH: Deshaun Watson hits Kenny Stills for Texans’ 1st touchdown against the Titans

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver Kenny Stills helped take the first lead against the Tennessee Titans.

The Houston Texans took the lead 7-0 over the Tennessee Titans with 9:59 to go in the second quarter Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson dropped back on a second-and-10 from the Titans’ 12-yard line and tossed a touchdown pass to receiver Kenny Stills to give the Texans’ first blood.

The touchdown drive was setup thanks to an 86-yard interception return from outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who caught an errant ball tipped away by safety Justin Reid on a first-and-goal play from the Texans’ 5-yard line. The big shift in momentum is what the Texans needed to try to steal a win in the Music City.

How to Watch Valencia vs. Real Madrid, La Liga Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch Valencia vs. Real Madrid Live Online.

La Liga returns this weekend with the penultimate round of matches this year, and for one of the leaders, this is the last game before the biggest game of the season. El Clásico is now just a few days away, and the all-time winners travel to a place where they haven’t had much recent success but will try to keep the winning streak going.

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Valencia vs. Real Madrid

When: Sunday, December 15

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET

TV: beIN SPORTS

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

It’s almost impossible for Real Madrid to not be thinking about Barcelona right now. El Clásico happens next Wednesday and will have giant implications in the title race. Beating the team’s biggest rivals is a must for Madrid after so many bad results in that matchup lately. Zinedine Zidane’s team hasn’t lost since the middle of October and come into this weekend riding a four-game winning streak in the league and can’t afford a bad result just a few hours away from a trip to Camp Nou.

The problem for Real Madrid is it will face Valencia, who is right back in contention for European places in La Liga and just qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 thanks to an amazing victory away to Ajax. Valencia also beat Real Madrid at home last April, which was a dagger in Real’s hearts and practically handed Barcelona the title at the end of last season. Valencia loves to make it tough at home for Los Blancos and could hand a significant blow to Real’s confidence on Sunday. 

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LeBron James was nervous but Bronny James delivers best game over SVSM

LeBron James said he was more nervous than his son Bronny but his eldest son had his best game yet against his father’s alma mater.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to stay perfect away from Staples Center later today when they take on the Atlanta Hawks, there is no doubt that Saturday night was one of the biggest nights ever for LeBron James and his family as his eldest son Bronny James had his best performance as a high school player in a win over LeBron’s alma mater.

Bronny James had a career-high 15 points, including a go-ahead basket and steal in the final seconds of the game to help his Sierra Canyon Trail Blazers team defeat St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (Akron, Ohio).

During the game, James was interviewed by ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and he said he was more nervous than Bronny.

From Tarek Fattal of the L.A. Daily News

“I think I was a lot more nervous than my son coming in here,” LeBron said to ESPN’s Rachael Nichols. “It’s been such a surreal moment for myself, our family and Bronny himself. It’s full circle that I’m here in my home state, my son is here with his high school playing my alma mater.”

The nerves were completely understandable but in the James family way, Bronny lived up to the expectations. The details of last night were also special to see as Bronny wore SVSM-themed Air Zoom Generations, the first signature shoe that LeBron ever had. Bronny even earned a nickname from his “uncle” Dwyane Wade.

Meanwhile, James’ teammates from the 2003 Ohio State title team were in attendance at the game in Columbus, Ohio. James was also joined by his wife Savannah courtside and his friend and agent, Rich Paul.

Bronny was named the game’s MVP and awarded a trophy for his play after the game.

Texans OLB Whitney Mercilus’s interception cancels Titans’ red zone trip

Houston Texans outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus produced an interception that canceled the Tennessee Titans’ red zone trip.

The Houston Texans needed a big play against the Tennessee Titans, and their defense did not disappoint.

On a first-and-goal from the Texans’ 5-yard line, quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a pass to tight end Anthony Firkser that was sure to score a touchdown. However, safety Justin Reid hit Firkser, jarred the ball loose, and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus grabbed the ball on a tip drill.

With his second career interception, gathered all in 2019, Mercilus sprinted 86 yards down the right sideline to the Titans’ 12-yard line.

The Texans eventually scored with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson to receiver Kenny Stills. The extra point put the Texans ahead 7-0 with 9:59 to play in the second quarter.

Colby Covington lashes out at ‘fake ref’ after his UFC 245 loss to Kamaru Usman

He wasn’t happy.

Colby Covington lost Saturday night’s main event at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, losing by TKO to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the fifth round.

While no fighter is happy after a loss, Covington was especially upset with referee Marc Goddard. The British referee paused the fight earlier for questionable calls of a low blow and an eye poke by Covington.

Yet, the fight took a turn when Usman appeared to break Covington’s jaw in the third round.

Then, in the fifth round, Goddard ended the fight with Covington covering his head on the canvas. It was Covington’s first loss by TKO.

Covington didn’t agree with the stoppage, and he let Goddard know about it immediately and then again on Twitter.

Covington tweeted that Goddard was a “fake ref” over the stoppage and earlier calls. Covington didn’t remain in the octagon to see Usman’s arm raised as champion, opting instead to go to the dressing room early.

He also didn’t speak to reporters after the fight — though ESPN confirmed that Covington indeed suffered a broken jaw.

The loss dropped Covington to 15-2 in his MMA career.

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The Bengals took a first-quarter lead over the Patriots, and Twitter ripped New England

That was an ugly first quarter.

The New England Patriots didn’t look like a 10-3 team to start Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals. And the Bengals didn’t look like they were 1-12. They took a three-point lead over New England after one quarter.

And NFL fans and media members began to freak out.

It was one thing for the Patriots to struggle against the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs over the last few weeks. But their struggles against the Bengals were doubtlessly surprising. Hence, the big reaction on Twitter. It was only one quarter, but media members were not impressed by the Patriots’ play, particularly on defense.

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Mike Perry feels ‘like a dumbass’ following 90-second loss at UFC 245

Mike Perry is not very happy with his losing performance against Geoff Neal at UFC 245.

[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] isn’t very happy with his performance at UFC 245.

Perry (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) not only suffered the fastest defeat of his career at just 90 seconds, but also experienced his first loss due to strikes when Geoff Neal (13-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) stopped him in dramatic fashion on Saturday’s card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The welterweight fight had a lot of shine on it due to the clash of styles and its position as the featured preliminary bout on ESPN2. Perry didn’t rise to the occasion, and, while obviously embarrassed, owned up to that (via Twitter).

Phok bro. Wtf , my offense wasn’t there. Damn if I don’t feel like a dumbass. Kids don’t be like me. It’s dangerous when you seem to enjoy getting hit in the face , But Still , I will be back in the gym to drill moves to kill until my team feels I’ll bring the thrills ! Thanks

There wasn’t much to speak of in the quick fight. Neal caught Perry early with a head kick then put the pressure on until he got the finish, moving the Fortis MMA product to 5-0 inside the octagon.

The outcome continued a rough stretch for Perry, though. Despite being a fan favorite, “Platinum” has lost five of his past seven UFC fights and has taken considerable damage in each of those defeats.

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UGA commit Marcus Rosemy dominates state championship

UGA commit Marcus Rosemy is a talented four-star prospect from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He plays at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

The Georgia Bulldogs have big-time help on the way in the form of 2020 wide receiver commitment Marcus Rosemy. Rosemy is a talented four-star prospect from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He plays at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, which won the state championship this past weekend.

Rosemy played a huge role in their state championship win. He scored a sweet touchdown catch in the biggest game at the highest level of Florida High School football:

Rosemy didn’t stop there. He also intercepted a potential touchdown on the game’s final play:

Rosemy will be fun to watch in Athens. Congratulations to him on the state championship. He’ll be a difference-maker as soon as he gets on campus.

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Panthers Highlights: Christian McCaffrey sets new franchise record with TD run

Christian McCaffrey is having one of the most special seasons any Panthers player ever has.

Christian McCaffrey is having one of the most special seasons any Panthers player ever has. With this one-yard touchdown run, he set a new franchise high for most all-purpose yards in a season, passing Steve Smith’s previous record of 1,995. That was McCaffrey’s 17th score of the year.

Carolina still looks pathetic trying to stop the run, though and Donte Jackson’s coverage issues have carried over from last week. They trail the Seahawks 13-7 early in the second quarter.

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