US employers added just 143,000 jobs last month, jobless rate slips to 4% to start the year

• February 7, 2025

By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 143,000 jobs last month, but the jobless rate slipped to 4% to start 2025 and the government revised November and December payrolls higher.

The first job report of Donald Trump’s second presidency suggested that he inherited a labor market that is solid but unspectacular. Economists had expected about 170,000 new jobs in January.

It’s a downshift from 2024 which averaged 186,000 new jobs a month, including a surge of 256,000 in December. The unemployment rate is expected to remain low at 4.1%.

The future is cloudier.

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal workers by offering them financial incentives, yet a federal hiring freeze that Trump imposed Jan. 20 is a “negative for employment growth,’’ Bradley Saunders, an economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a commentary last week. The freeze came after the Labor Department collected the January jobs numbers, so any impact would be revealed in upcoming employment data.

Likewise, a cold snap that probably increased seasonal layoffs in the Midwest and Northeast occurred late in January and won’t register in government jobs data until the February numbers come out, Saunders wrote.

Economists are also worried about Trump’s threat to wage a trade war against other countries. He’s already imposed a 10% tax on imports from China.

Canada and Mexico – America’s two largest trading partners — remain in his crosshairs though he gave them a 30-day reprieve from the 25% tariffs he was planning to sock them with on Tuesday, allowing time for negotiations. Trump says that America’s two neighbors and allies haven’t done enough to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants and fentanyl into the United States. Trump is also itching to slap tariffs on the European Union; pointing to America’s deficit in the trade of goods with the EU, which came to $236 billion last year, he says that Europe treats U.S. exporters unfairly.

The tariffs, which are paid by U.S. importers who generally try to pass along the cost to customers, could rekindle inflation – which has fallen from the four-decade high it reached in mid-2022 but is still stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. If the tariffs push prices higher, the Fed may cancel or postpone the two interest-rate cuts it had forecast for this year. And that would be bad for economic growth and job creation.

The job market has already cooled from the red-hot days of 2021-2023. American payrolls increased by 2.2 million last year, down from 3 million in 2023, 4.5 million in 2022 and a record 7.2 million in 2021 as the economy roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns. The Labor Department also reports that employers are posting fewer jobs. Monthly job openings have tumbled from a record 12.2 million in March 2022, to 7.6 million in December – still a decent number by historical standards.

As the labor market cools, American workers are losing confidence in their ability to find better pay or working conditions by changing jobs. The number of people quitting has fallen from a record 4.5 million near the height of the hiring boom in April 2022, to December’s 3.2 million, which is below pre-pandemic levels.

Still, layoffs remain below pre-pandemic levels, creating an unusual situation: If you are employed, you probably enjoy job security. If you’re looking for one, things have gotten tougher.

The Labor Department is also expected to report annually released revisions Friday that will show job creation from April 2023 through March 2024 wasn’t as strong as originally reported.

A preliminary version of the revisions, released in August, showed that 818,000 fewer jobs were created over those 12 months – lowering average monthly hiring during that span from 242,000 to 174,000. Because they are not final, the August estimates have not yet been added to the official government payroll numbers. The revisions out Friday will become official and part of the historic data.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers confident they found ‘perfect guy’ in trade for Mark Williams

• February 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Just 36 hours before acquiring the player who the Lakers hope will be the big man of their present and future, General Manager Rob Pelinka described the type of center the organization was searching for after acknowledging it was the team’s biggest need.

“Versatility, mobility, a vertical lob threat, I think that’s a key to the spacing that Luka [Doncic] likes to play,” Pelinka said during Doncic’s introductory press conference on Tuesday morning. “Competitive – those are some of the core things there. Those players are hard to find. But we’ll accomplish the task that’s before us. We’ll find a way.”

The Lakers indeed found a way and their guy, acquiring 7-foot, 241-pound center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night in a trade that finally became official on Thursday night after the Lakers’ 120-112 home win against the Golden State Warriors.

“Once Luka was on board, we’ve had some really good sort of basketball philosophy discussions just in terms of our roster, the players on it and just how he sees it in the spirit of just really talking about basketball at a high level,” Pelinka said to a group of beat reporters at Crypto.com Arena. “Those have been fun. One of the things we talked about is whether it would be at the deadline or potentially the summer, seeing if we could add a vertical big, a mobile big that fit also within JJ Redick’s coaching style.

“It wasn’t like, ‘Go get this.’ That was not the spirit of the discussions. More like ‘Stylistically, some of the bigs I had in Dallas were really effective to how I play and how I make my reads.’ And I said, ‘Hey, I’ll do my best for the deadline to see if something like that’s available. If not, it’s something we’ll attack this summer.’”

Doncic, who is likely to make his debut on Monday, and the Lakers won’t have to wait until the summer, with Williams fitting the archetype of big men who have thrived alongside the Slovenian star: an athletic and mobile lob threat who can make his presence felt at the rim.

“He fits that perfect archetype,” Pelinka said. “He’s got great hands, catches the ball above the rim, can finish, gives us a defensive paint presence. There’s a lot of teams in the West that have formidable size that are around the standings with us, Memphis and Houston and OKC. And we just felt like we needed to address that, and we felt like we got the perfect guy.”

Williams, who was drafted with the No. 15 pick out of Duke in 2022, is averaging 16 points (59.7% shooting), 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game in his third NBA season.

He’s averaged 11.7 points (62.6% shooting), 8.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocked shots and 1.1 assists for his career.

“We feel that Mark is a young, starting center in this NBA and he provides that vertical threat,” Coach JJ Redick said. “We as a staff have a job to do in developing him as a screener, decision-maker in the pocket and on the defensive end. But we’re confident with his character, work ethic, IQ that he’s going to be a really good player for us.”

While acknowledging the team’s need for another big man on Tuesday, Pelinka also said that the market for bigs was “dry.”

His comments opened the door for a conversation he wasn’t anticipating.

“You guys gave me help with the press conference by asking about the bigs – that was like a billboard when I said we needed a big,” Pelinka said. “Of course I got several calls and [one] was an incoming call from [Hornets president of basketball operations] Jeff [Peterson]. Great guy. Straightforward. Easy to negotiate with a person of integrity and he just said, ‘hey, this isn’t a player that we’re putting on the market, but just wanted to have a discussion and to see if there’s a fit because you have some stuff on your cap and players in your stable of players that we really like.’ And we just opened up an honest dialogue that went from there.”

Pelinka added: “He lined up so well just in terms of his age and career trajectory with Luka and other parts of our roster. When the opportunity came our way, we were aggressive and brought him to our team. We’re super excited to add Mark Williams.”

The Lakers sent the Hornets rookie wing Dalton Knecht, veteran wing Cam Reddish, their 2031 unprotected first-round draft pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap.

The ’31 pick was their last tradeable first-round pick. They sent Dallas their 2029 pick, along with 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and third-year guard Max Christie, in the trade for Doncic.

“We’ve said all along we were willing to use our picks if the right opportunity came,” Pelinka said. “We feel like we have two top-five, top-10 players in the world on our team right now. And just saw this as an opportunity to give those two players all the resources they need to make a playoff run.”

The concerns with Williams begin with this durability.

Williams has only played in 85 NBA games: 43 as a rookie (he also played 11 G League games), 19 the following year and 23 of the Hornets’ 48 games this season.

He dealt with multiple sprained left ankles as a rookie and had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb during the offseason after his first season.

Williams missed most of last season because of a lower back issue.

He sat out the first 20 games of this season because of a strained tendon in his left foot before playing in 23 of 28 games.

But the Lakers are making a bet that Williams will continue to develop and put his early-career injury woes behind him.

“We fully vetted his health stuff, led by Dr. Khris Jones at UCLA Health and Dr. Leroy Simms on our team and he’s had no surgeries,” Pelinka said. “So these are just parts of, he’s still growing into his body. We vetted the injuries he’s had and we’re not concerned about those.”

​ Orange County Register 

CSUN routs Cal State Fullerton for 3rd straight win

• February 7, 2025

NORTHRIDGE — Two teams headed in opposite directions squared off Thursday night, and nothing changed for either side.

Marcus Adams Jr. had 21 points and Keonte Jones scored all 18 of his in the second half, as the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team cruised to an 82-63 victory over last-place Cal State Fullerton at the Matadome.

It was the third straight win for CSUN (16-7 overall, 8-4 Big West Conference), which is off to its best start in conference play since the 2008-09 season and moved into a tie for third place with UC Riverside (15-9, 8-4). The Matadors and Highlanders are both two games behind second-place UC San Diego (19-4, 9-2).

Adams and Jones both filled up the stat sheet. Adams shot 5 for 11 from 3-point range and had seven rebounds and four steals, while Jones grabbed 12 rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocked shots. Tyler Beard had a season-high 12 points and tied his career high with nine assists for the Matadors, who had a season-best 14 steals and tied their season high with 25 assists.

Donovan Oday had 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting (3 for 4 from 3-point range) to lead the Titans (6-18, 1-11), who lost their fourth straight. Kaleb Brown added 11 points and two steals, and Keith Richards contributed eight points and five rebounds.

Adams made a trio of 3-pointers while helping CSUN to a 20-11 lead with 10:44 left in the first half, but the Titans battled back to get with 22-21. The Matadors regained control and held Fullerton scoreless over the final 4:23 of the first half for a 41-29 halftime lead.

After closing the first half on a 6-0 run, the Matadors opened the second half with an 11-0 surge to break the game open. Five different Matadors scored during the run, which Grady Lewis capped with a jumper for a 52-29 lead. Plagued with foul trouble in the first half, CSUN’s Scotty Washington checked in midway through the second and promptly hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Jones followed with two straight baskets to close a 10-0 run that gave the hosts their biggest lead of the night at 71-42 with 8:42 left.

Fullerton never cut the margin below 19 points the rest of the way.

Northridge shot 43.3% overall and 11 for 33 from 3-point range. Fullerton shot 36.4% overall, 7 of 18 from behind the arc and went 24 for 32 at the free-throw line. CSUN outrebounded the Titans 40-34 and had a 34-10 advantage in points in the paint.

“Defense was great tonight,” CSUN coach Andy Newman said. “It’s fun to watch them play when they’re locked in and we got it from a lot of different people tonight. Scotty getting in foul trouble forced us to get into our bench. Watching Jordan (Brinson) and Tyler defend was fun.”

UP NEXT

CSUN plays at Long Beach State on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fullerton plays host to UC Davis on Saturday at 6 p.m.

BIG WEST STANDINGS

Through Thursday, Feb. 6

UC Irvine – 20-3, 10-1

UC San Diego – 19-4, 9-2

CS Northridge – 16-7, 8-4

UC Riverside – 15-9, 8-4

UC Santa Barbara – 15-8, 7-5

UC Davis – 13-10, 7-5

Hawaii – 13-10, 5-7

CS Bakersfield – 10-14, 4-8

Cal Poly (SLO) – 9-15, 3-9

Long Beach State – 7-17, 3-9

CS Fullerton – 6-18, 1-11

​ Orange County Register 

LeBron James, surging Lakers outlast Steph Curry, Warriors

• February 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES — There’s an ironic twist that the Lakers’ first game after the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday night was against the Golden State Warriors.

Because it was the Warriors who became synonymous with a “two-timeline” plan – a strategy to extend Golden State’s championship-contending seasons, led by franchise icon Steph Curry, while also surrounding a veteran core with young players (Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski) who could help bridge the gap to a successful post-Curry era.

In a way, the Lakers are now operating on a version of their own two-timeline plan after the acquisitions of 25-year-old, five-time All-NBA selection Luka Doncic and 23-year-old center Mark Williams this week.

The hope is that Doncic, specifically, will lead the Lakers to a prosperous post-LeBron James era while also increasing the team’s chances of competing for a title this season.

And James showed on Thursday why he and the current version of the Lakers are worth continuing to invest in.

With Doncic’s Lakers debut likely not coming until Monday night, the 40-year-old James had a season-high 42 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers blew most of a 26-point lead before hanging on to beat the Warriors, 120-112, at Crypto.com Arena.

“To be honest with you, we gave up a lot of uncontested 3s,” Coach JJ Redick said. “They had 28 3-point attempts in the first half and 21 of those were uncontested. Now, some of those were by people like Draymond [Green] that we wanted to be uncontested. But that’s just too many. The problem is, when they start making 3s, there’s an overreaction to that. And so a lot of the breakdowns in our defense in the second half was actually us just giving up layups. And making up our own rules. And not having a low man.”

The victory, which put the Lakers at 30-19 on the season, was their fourth straight, the eighth in their last nine games and 10th in their past 12.

With his 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a late 115-106 lead with a little over one minute left in the game, James became just the second 40-year-old in NBA history to score at least 40 in a game.

The other: Michael Jordan, who scored 43 points on Feb. 21, 2003, four days after turning 40.

“What do I think? That I’m old – that’s what I think,” James said. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep. That’s the first thing I think.”

James was a focal point of the Lakers’ early surge that led to them building the 26-point lead late in the second quarter, with Doncic watching from the bench for the second straight game since being acquired in a stunning trade with Dallas last weekend.

The four-time MVP knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in a 38-second stretch – the last one a 34-footer from the Lakers’ midcourt logo – to give them a 45-23 lead early in the second quarter that grew to 69-43 before halftime. James scored 18 in the second quarter.

“With LeBron, we’ve run out of words and superlatives and descriptions to sort of capture what he’s doing at this stage of his career and at this age,” Redick said. “It continues to be remarkable, it really does.”

The Warriors closed the quarter strong, cutting their deficit to 69-49 at halftime and eventually trimming the margin to five points in the fourth after a Curry 3-pointer got Golden State within 109-104.

Curry (37 points on 13-of-35 shooting to go with seven rebounds and four assists) scored more than half of his point total (19) in the fourth. He finished 6 for 20 from behind the arc, with the 20 attempts matching the fifth-most of his career.

But the Lakers held on with late-game free throws from James and shot-making from Austin Reaves.

Reaves finished with 23 points, making 15 of 16 free throws to go with four assists and three steals.

“It was the only shot that actually felt good in my hand,” Reaves said of his free-throw shooting. “But, just trying to stay aggressive. Just, get to my spots. Be crafty. Just try to continue to play the game the right way.”

Gabe Vincent had 15 points (five 3-pointers). Jarred Vanderbilt added five points, 14 rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes.

​ Orange County Register 

Laguna Beach girls water polo holds off Rosary in CIF-SS Division 1 playoff opener

• February 7, 2025

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Laguna Beach’s girls water polo team played Thursday in a lower playoff division against an opponent it defeated a month ago.

Fortunately for the Breakers, they arrived highly motivated.

Laguna Beach used a blistering first period to defeat Pacific Coast League foe Rosary 12-9 in a CIF-SS Division 1 first round match at El Toro High.

In advancing to Wednesday’s quarterfinals at Harvard-Westlake, the Breakers (17-11) scored the first five goals, including three by Presley Jones. They later overcame foul trouble and hot shooting from Rosary (17-9) in the fourth period.

“(The start) was our make or break (moment),” said Laguna Beach’s Kara Carver, a USC-bound senior who netted a match-high five goals. “I feel our best games are when we have a really great start and when we go on a run. That just brings the momentum into the rest of the game.”

“Although we lost some of that, we gave ourselves a good cushion in the beginning.”

Making its first appearance outside the top playoff division since 2011, Laguna Beach led 5-0 after the first period.

Jones, a UCLA-bound senior, scored the first three goals, including two off counterattacks.

“Last time that we played (Rosary), the way we came out wasn’t our best,” Jones said, referring to a 10-4 win in league. “We weren’t very energized so we wanted to change that. Our preparation going into this week was to counter hard and come out with the energy and set the tone.”

Laguna Beach led 8-2 at halftime and 9-2 early in the third period on a strike from center by Brooke Schneider (five assists).

For the most part, the new division assignment looked like a non-issue for Laguna Beach.

“It’s different, especially for us being in Open the past three years, but it’s a good opportunity,” Carver said of Division 1. “We have a good shot at winning, if we play our best.”

Rosary, the Division 4 champion last season, scored five goals in the fourth period — mostly on lobs shots from the perimeter — but never got closer than three goals.

Carver opened the fourth by winning the sprint and scoring on a lob for a 10-4 lead. But she fouled out moments later on a penalty drawn by Lexi Velazquez.

Velazquez, a senior, converted the penalty shot for one of her three goals in the fourth period. She finished with three goals to share the team-lead with left-hander Madilyn Ekstrom, a senior committed to Marist.

Rosary coach Gabriel Martinez said inexperience in Division 1 slowed his players early.

“In basically three years, we’ve went from Division 5 to Division 1,” he said. “Once (we) got warmed up, I thought (we) played really, really well.”

In the second half, Martinez aggressively released defenders to offense before the end of the shot clock.

Rosary senior goalie Tyler Jackson finished with 10 saves in her duel with Laguna Beach senior and UC Santa Barbara-bound Siena Jumani (five saves).

The Royals converted 4 of 8 chances from the extra attacker while Laguna Beach went 0 for 1.

In other Division 1 matches:

JSerra 13, Agoura 8: Juniors Maddie Weston and Gabby Elbaz each scored four goals to lead the host Lions (17-6), who play at Dos Pueblos in the quarterfinals.

San Clemente 7, Sunny Hills 4: Uncommitted senior goalie Audrey Bogard had 17 saves at Capistrano Valley in the loss for the Lancers, who led 3-2 at halftime. San Clemente (20-8) outscored Sunny Hills 5-1 in the second half. The Tritons play at South Coast League foe Beckman in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

In Open Division group matches:

In Group A:

Mater Dei 10, Corona del Mar 4: Sienna Sorensen made 11 saves, Kirra Pantaleon netted five goals and Paige Segesman drew five exclusions to lead the top-seeded and host Monarchs (22-3).

In Group B:

Orange Lutheran 14, Foothill 4: Jailynn Robinson scored five goals, four different players added two apiece and Kyla Pranajaya collected seven saves to lead the No. 2 Lancers (22-3) at Orange Coast College.

Newport Harbor 12, Long Beach Wilson 8: Lydia Soderberg recorded eight saves, Emerson Mulvey scored three goals and Gabby Alexson drew four exclusions to lead the Sailors (22-5) at Corona del Mar High.

​ Orange County Register 

NFL Honors: Bills’ Josh Allen edges Ravens’ Lamar Jackson for MVP

• February 7, 2025

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Josh Allen wanted to leave New Orleans with different hardware. Still, the Buffalo Bills quarterback is happy to be recognized for his accomplishments.

Allen edged two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award in the closest race since Atlanta QB Matt Ryan beat out New England legend Tom Brady in 2016.

“I wish we weren’t hoisting this trophy. I wish we were hoisting the Lombardi – and we’re going to keep working until we do,” Allen said Thursday, referring to winning a Super Bowl.

Allen, who led Buffalo to a fifth consecutive AFC East title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23 and finished with 383 points. He received 22 second-place votes and one third. The Bills fell short of playing on Sunday, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.

Ravens QB Jackson, who led Baltimore to a second straight AFC North championship, got 26 second-place votes and one fourth for a total of 362 points.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finished third (120 points) followed by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (82) and Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff (47).

Allen threw for 3,731 yards, 28 TDs and had six picks for a 101.4 passer rating. He ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, becoming the first player in NFL history to have five consecutive seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns.

“I feel like my teammates wanted this more for me than I did, but I’m very honored,” said Allen, who was joined at the awards by fiancee Hailee Steinfeld.

Jackson had career-highs with 4,172 yards passing, 41 TDs to just four interceptions and a 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. He got 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18 to earn AP first-team All-Pro honors.

The last time a first-team All-Pro didn’t win the NFL MVP award was 1987. Denver Broncos QB John Elway was the MVP that season and San Francisco 49ers QB Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro. The MVP award is given to a player who had the most valuable season while All-Pro is a statistical recognition.

AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

Jayden Daniels was a near-unanimous choice for AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after helping the Washington Commanders win 12 games.

The Pro Bowl quarterback, who starred at San Bernardino’s Cajon High and won a Heisman Trophy at LSU, received 49 of 50 first-place votes with the other going to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers.

“It’s just nothing but hard work, and just preparation,” Daniels said, alluding to the jump he made in his final season at LSU, when he won the Heisman. “If you lock in for one year, your life will change. I kind of did that.”

Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, threw for 3,568 yards, 25 TDs and posted a 100.1 rating. He also ran for 891 yards and six scores. Daniels led the Commanders to a pair of road playoff wins before losing to the Eagles in the NFC championship game.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix finished third in the voting, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was fourth and New York Giants wideout Malik Nabers placed fifth.

AP Coach of the Year

Kevin O’Connell beat out Dan Campbell for AP NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins with quarterback Sam Darnold.

The Vikings, widely picked to finish last in the NFC North, ended up playing for a division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed in the final game of the regular season. They lost to the Lions and then were knocked out of the playoffs by the Rams.

“I put a lot of thought into this season. I thought it had a chance to be a special team,” said O’Connell, who was presented by Bill Belichick, the coach who drafted him in the third round in 2008. “It really wasn’t about that. It was more my belief in our organization and my belief in our coaches and our players to come together and just try to win one football game.

“It’s a great example of unique people and unique things being able to come together and find a way to try to have unique results.”

O’Connell got 25 first-place votes, 18 seconds and seven thirds, appearing on all 50 ballots.

Campbell, who guided Detroit to a franchise-record 15 wins, got 19 first-place votes to finish second. Kansas City’s Andy Reid (4), Denver’s Sean Payton (1) and Washington’s Dan Quinn (1) also received first-place votes.

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Rams edge rusher Jared Verse was an overwhelming choice for AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Verse had 4½ sacks and led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He also had 11 tackles for loss.

“Hard work can take you anywhere,” Verse said. “You don’t have to be the biggest, the strongest, the fastest. As long as you work hard, you can overcome anything. So, it’s just a testament to that.”

Verse got 37 first-place votes, well ahead of Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who received nine.

Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske, Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock and Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil each got one apiece.

AP Comeback Player of the Year

Burrow took the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from wrist surgery in 2023 to lead the NFL with 4,918 yards passing and 43 touchdown passes.

Burrow played all 17 games for the Bengals (9-8) after missing seven due to injuries the previous season. He received 31 first-place votes and finished far ahead of Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (3).

Vikings QB Sam Darnold (8), Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (2) also got first-place votes.

AP Offensive Player of the Year

Barkley ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles.

Barkley sat out Philadelphia’s final regular-season game when he was 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record but he has 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the playoffs.

Barkley needs 30 yards rushing in the Super Bowl to set the all-time single-season record, including the playoffs. Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis had 2,476 yards rushing in 19 regular-season and playoff games in 1998 for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

Barkley received 35 of 50 first-place votes.

Ravens QB Jackson received 12 first-place votes and teammate Derrick Henry got one. Burrow and Allen also received one first-place vote each.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase finished third in the voting despite no first-place votes. Chase, a unanimous selection for All-Pro, won the receiving triple crown, leading the league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 TDs.

AP Defensive Player of the Year

Patrick Surtain II became the seventh cornerback to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Denver Broncos’ All-Pro allowed just 37 receptions, had four interceptions and opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating throwing against him.

“When I’m holding my side of the field down, that’s where I become most valuable to the team,” Surtain said. “That’s what I did all year. … That’s what I came to do, is lock down my side of the field.”

Surtain received 26 first-place votes, beating out Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (11) and Cleveland Browns edge Myles Garrett (5).

Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt (3), Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (2), Lions safety Kerby Joseph (1) and Vikings edge rushers Andrew Van Ginkel (1) and Jonathan Greenard (1) also received first-place votes.

Stephon Gilmore was the last cornerback to win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. Charles Woodson, Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Lester Hayes and Mel Blount previously won it.

AP Assistant Coach of the Year

Ben Johnson was a clear choice for the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year, receiving 29 first-place votes.

Johnson, who was the Lions’ offensive coordinator, led a group that was first in scoring (33.22 points per game) and second in yards (409.5). He was hired to coach the Chicago Bears after Detroit lost in the playoffs.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores got three first-place votes and finished second in the voting. Former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who was hired to coach the New York Jets, received six first-place votes and came in third.

A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began.

​ Orange County Register 

Former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

• February 7, 2025

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the smallest induction class in 20 years following offseason rule changes meant to make it harder to get inducted.

Gates, elected in his second year of eligibility, will be joined by defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Eric Allen and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

Gates spent his entire 16-year career with the Chargers, becoming one of the best at his position with 116 touchdown catches. Gates played only basketball in college at Kent State, but the undrafted free agent and former power forward became the Chargers’ franchise leader in receptions, yards receiving, and touchdown catches and was selected to eight Pro Bowls.

“The opportunity I got speaks volumes of how (the Chargers) believed in me,” Gates said. “I’m happy it all paid off.”

Gates, who has served as the Chargers’ legends ambassador since retiring in 2018, was introduced in New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre by his former Chargers teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, LaDainian Tomlinson.

“It’s really so hard to describe in words,” Gates told reporters after the announcement. “I’m so happy. It’s like a world of weight off my shoulders. I finally made it. I finally reached the pinnacle of sports.”

He became an All-Pro in just his second season in 2004. He was an All-Pro again the next two seasons and went on to have a 16-year career with the Chargers. Gates finished with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and an NFL record for tight ends with his 116 touchdown catches. He ranks seventh all-time in touchdown receptions.

Gates transferred to Kent State after Nick Saban, then the football coach at Michigan State, discouraged him from playing both sports for the Spartans. Gates helped the Golden Flashes reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament as a junior. He earned Associated Press All-American honorable mention accolades as a senior, averaging 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, but NFL scouts kept tabs on him and the rest is history.

“Antonio is an amazing human being who also happens to be one of the greatest players in NFL history. I’m thrilled to see him get the recognition he so deeply deserves,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement on the team’s website. “To accomplish what Antonio has, never having played college football and going undrafted, is a testament to perseverance, hard work and maximizing your God-given ability. … He redefined the tight end position in a way no one has since Kellen Winslow, and I can’t wait to see him put on that gold jacket for the first time this summer in Canton.”

Gates will be the 12th Charger to be enshrined, joining wide receivers Lance Alworth and Charline Joiner, offensive tackle Ron Mix, coaches Sid Gillman and Don Coryell, quarterback Dan Fouts, tight end Kellen Winslow, defensive end Fred Dean, linebacker Junior Seau, Tomlinson (running back) and executive Bobby Beathard.

Sharpe got in as a seniors candidate in voting announced Thursday night at the NFL Honors and will join younger brother Shannon as the first siblings ever inducted into the Hall. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning fell short and won’t join older brother Peyton in Canton, Ohio, this year. Neither will former Rams receiver Torry Holt, who was a finalist for the sixth consecutive year.

Shannon delivered the news directly to Sterling, and they will be together forever at the Hall after the induction ceremony on Aug. 2.

“I don’t think that has really set in yet,” Sterling Sharpe said. “It’s one of those situations where the closer it gets to having the same color jacket he has and standing in same place he stood and being able to have a conv about the journey to get there I think it will set in. But right now it hasn’t hit home yet.”

While the small class is a change from past years when at least seven people got inducted in each of the previous 12 classes, it isn’t unprecedented.

There were only four inductees in the 2005 class and there were 18 other years with three or four inductees since the first class of 17 was enshrined in 1963.

“You almost appreciate it more,” Jared Allen said. “Nothing comes easy. When I found out it was only four, it became more special. There’s a true emphasis on what it means to be a Hall of Famer. Clearly we fit that. For me, it was kind of a sigh of relief.”

New rules were instituted this year after a push by Hall of Famers to make the Hall more exclusive, and that led directly to the smaller class. The modern era candidates were voted from 15 down to seven in the final stage, instead of five in past years.

The 49 voters then got to vote for five of the seven with anyone reaching 80% or finishing in the top three getting into the Hall. In past years, the five finalists all got an up-or-down vote with all five getting in for the past 17 years.

The candidates from the seniors, coach and contributor categories were then all placed in a group with voters picking three. Candidates also needed 80% support with the top finisher automatically getting in even if he fell short.

Hall of Fame spokesman Rich Desrosiers said no decision was made on whether to keep this system in place for 2026 but said one year might be too soon to draw any conclusions.

Jared Allen was a four-time All-Pro who finished his career with 136 sacks, including a league-leading 22 in 2011 for Minnesota. He also led the league in sacks with 15½ for Kansas City in 2007 and reached double digits in seven straight seasons. His final game was a Super Bowl loss for Carolina against Denver in the 2015 season.

Eric Allen starred for 14 seasons as a top cornerback in the NFL and never had to move to safety as he aged. Allen’s career spanned from the “Fog Bowl” game in 1988 when he starred for Philadelphia as a rookie to the “Tuck Rule” game in the 2001 season for Oakland in his final game.

Allen finished with 54 interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1989 and had two other seasons as a second-team selection.

He got in on his 19th year of eligibility.

“Rarely does life play out like you want it to,” Eric Allen said. “There’s always some curves and bends. But time always reveals the truth. … It took maybe time for people to see the complexity of my situation.”

Sharpe had a short but productive career for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-94. His best season came in 1992, when he became the sixth player to win the receiving triple crown, setting an NFL record with 108 catches for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season, 1994, before a neck injury cut his career short.

Sharpe was a three-time All-Pro and had 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 TDs. He trailed only Jerry Rice over his seven-year career in receptions and TD catches.

The Sharpe brothers will join three father-son tandems in the Hall: Tim and Wellington Mara; Art Rooney Sr. and Dan Rooney; and Ed and Steve Sabol.

The four other modern-era candidates who reached the final stage but fell short were offensive tackle Willie Anderson, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri and Holt. Those four automatically advance to the final 15 for next year’s voting.

The other eight finalists who got cut earlier were Manning, offensive lineman Jahri Evans, receiver Steve Smith Sr., defensive end/linebacker Terrell Suggs, running back Fred Taylor, receiver Reggie Wayne, safety Darren Woodson and offensive lineman Marshal Yanda.

The seniors candidates who fell short were linebacker Maxie Baughan and offensive lineman Jim Tyrer, with Mike Holmgren falling short as the coach and Ralph Hay as the contributor.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Ana girls wrestling team has tons of fun as it wins first CIF-SS dual meet title

• February 7, 2025

SANTA ANA — The high level of skill displayed by the Santa Ana girls wrestling team on the mat is matched by the Saints’ insistence to have fun together off the mat.

Both were obvious at Santa Ana High School on Thursday when the Saints defeated El Toro, 63-18, to win the CIF SS Division 2 Dual Meet championship.

The team championship was the first for the Santa Ana girls wrestling program.

The Saints, who are arguably the feel-good story of Orange County wrestling this season, won by pins in 10 of 14 weight classes and lost only one match on the mat, with two of the Chargers victories coming by forfeit.

Izzy Cruz’s second-period pin against Olivia Lavanderos was the lone victory for the Chargers.

Santa Ana is coached by the husband-and-wife team of Monica and Fernando Serratos, who led the Saints to the Southern Section team title in only their second year at the school.

The gymnasium was full for the match which started with both teams coming through an inflatable tunnel, being introduced with loud music blaring.

The Saints danced in pairs and in groups of three and four, traded high fives and were all smiles before and after the match and even a bit during the match.

“We work really hard,” said Fernando Serratos, a 1997 Santa Ana graduate and two-time CIF-SS champion, Masters champion and junior college state champion. “We work 365 days a year. We do a lot of the offseason stuff, but the biggest factor is we keep it cool. We don’t put any pressure on them. As you can see, they came out with guns blazing. This is something that they really wanted to do. They put together their own goals.”

The couple’s three daughters wrestle for Santa Ana. They are ranked in the state — Alicia, a senior, at 110, Anabelle, a sophomore, at 125, and Angelica, a freshman at 105 — and each won their match by pin Thursday night.

Also scoring pins for the Saints were Gabriella Martinez (100), America Franco (115), Tiffany Nguyen (120), Nelly Herandez (130), Yanni Sanchez (140), Alyiah Sandoval (155) and Angelica Salazar (170).

“Oh my gosh, it’s amazing,” Alicia Serratos said. “We’ve never won anything this big yet. We’re going to go to CIF Individuals, Masters, state, and we’re going to win it all. That’s the goal this year.”

Angelica Serratos said balancing the hard work in the wrestling room with having fun as a team away from the mat is important to the team’s success.

“You work hard and when you work hard, you win a lot and winning is obviously fun,” the freshman said. “But I think going through the sacrifices with your team and doing that hard work, doing that extra work with your team, it brings us all together and creates a big family for all of us.”

The Santa Ana boys team took the mat before the girls on Thursday and were also victorious.

The Saints dominated in the lower weight classes in a 44-24 victory over Peninsula to capture the CIF-SS Division 6 team championship.

“And this one’s for Santa Ana,” said an emotional coach Pablo Cunningham after the victory. “We love our school. We love our community.”

Jose Molina (117), Erik Lopez (124) and Sebastion Cordina (130) all came away with victories by technical falls and Aiden Aguilar (136) and Jayden Palomino (142) won their respective matches with pins.

“It feels great to know that all the hard work that we’ve been putting in, all the hours of nonstop training finally pays off,” Palomino said. “These guys work super hard day in and day out.”

Cunningham figures to have some wrestlers place in the CIF Southern Section individual tournament and advance to the Masters.

The Saints also return 10 wrestlers next season.

​ Orange County Register