quarterfinal - The Latremie Post

Kirk Herbstreit blatantly calls out Alabama football’s effort vs. Indiana

Alabama football faced rare and blunt scrutiny on college football’s biggest stage as the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Indiana unraveled quickly at the Rose Bowl.

Kirk Herbstreit’s criticism became the defining storyline of the night as Alabama struggled to match Indiana’s energy and physicality in their 38-3 blowout loss on Thursday night in Pasadena. The defeat marked the most lopsided bowl loss in program history and immediately raised questions about effort, preparation, and identity under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

As the Hoosiers continued to extend their lead in the second half, Herbstreit delivered pointed commentary during ESPN’s Rose Bowl broadcast. Popular sports outlet Awful Announcing shared video clips on X (formerly Twitter) capturing the analyst’s real-time reaction as Indiana pulled away.

“It feels like Alabama, it’s just strange to see,” Herbstreit said. “They’re just existing. They’re just out there. Nobody is playing with any fire. It’s almost like they feel defeated. Like there’s nothing we can do.”

Herbstreit’s criticism centered on the Crimson Tide’s body language and sense of urgency. Alabama players appeared disengaged while Indiana controlled both lines of scrimmage. The Hoosiers dominated possession, forced turnovers, and limited Alabama to a single field goal before scoring late to seal the decisive Rose Bowl victory.

Alabama entered the second round with momentum after surviving the first, but the matchup against Indiana exposed gaps that talent alone could not cover. Indiana’s balanced offense and relentless defense dictated the game from the opening drive, leaving Alabama unable to mount a response.

Now, the College Football Playoff quarterfinal defeat sends the Crimson Tide into the offseason facing unfamiliar questions. Herbstreit’s comments resonated widely because they echoed what viewers saw throughout the night.

For a program traditionally built on intensity and high standards, the lack of visible fire marked a stark departure and an uncomfortable turning point heading into 2026.
https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/alabama-football-news-herbstreit-criticizes-effort-vs-indiana

Broomfield girls, Mead’s Carter Woods shine At NCCT wrestling tournament

Local Wrestlers Shine at Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament

GREELEY — Competing against many of Colorado’s top wrestlers and a few out-of-state visitors, several local standouts impressed throughout the annual Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament. Saturday’s finals matches at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley saw Broomfield junior Shayla Martinez win the girls’ 190-pound division, Mead senior Carter Woods take second in the boys’ 190s, and a few other local talents earn a podium finish.

“It’s really good mat time, a lot of good reps and work that’s going to help prepare me and make me better,” Woods said.

Broomfield’s Martinez Repeats as 190-Pound Champion

For the second straight year, Martinez took the 190-pound crown, this time pinning Thornton’s Kaida Hull in the first-place match.

“I’m proud of myself,” Martinez said. “I won it last year, but this time I had more confidence in myself and knew that I really had another chance to get at the top of the podium.”

Martinez, who last season became the first girls wrestler from the Boulder Valley School District to win a state championship, credited consistency and confidence for helping her repeat at the NCCT.

“Honestly, I had to go in with confidence in myself and thinking, if I want to be the best, I have to beat the best and do everything I can, no matter what,” Martinez explained. “While I was wrestling, I stayed calm and knew that if I worked my stuff, I would get what I wanted.”

Martinez is currently the top-ranked 190-pound wrestler in the girls’ Class 5A division, according to On The Mat.

Four other Broomfield wrestlers placed in the top eight: Abigail Borden (eighth, girls’ 105); Nicholas Penfold (fifth, boys’ 157); Kaliyah Schimpf (fifth, girls’ 155); and Bella Barajas (fourth, girls’ 170).

Legacy’s Clifton Bounces Back from Quarterfinal Loss

The goal was to stay alive a little longer in the 132-pound championship bracket, but Legacy senior Matthew Clifton remained proud of his ability to bounce back from a quarterfinal defeat.

Instead of checking out in the consolation bracket, Clifton gathered himself and was rewarded with an 8-1 win over Littleton’s Christian May in the third-place match.

“I had to fight back, a long day, lots of matches,” said Clifton, who placed third at state last season. “I wanted to finish out hard, I wanted to be dominant, I didn’t want to give up any points. I worked hard. I could have had a better tournament, but I think that’s a strong way to end it.”

Clifton entered the week ranked No. 2 in his 132-pound Class 5A weight class, according to On The Mat. Cherokee Trail’s Cooper Matthews, the top-ranked wrestler in Clifton’s division, took first on Saturday.

Fellow Legacy wrestler Isaac Woolman also took third in the 138-pound division, and 285-pound Lightning Leo Medina reached the fifth consolation round.

“We got that dawg energy in some of my guys,” Clifton said. “Last year we had a tough year, but these guys have come back meaner and hungrier.”

Carter Woods Comes Up Just Short

One year removed from finishing third in the Class 4A 190-pound state tournament, Woods is enjoying another strong start to his senior season.

“I thought I did well,” Woods said. “I thought I got to my shots and offense well, but I’ve got a long way to go. There’s tons of stuff I can work on heading into state.”

Fellow Maverick Breckan Palko took eighth in the 132-pound class.

Other Local Placers

Erie produced a pair of sixth-place finishers in Tyler Muir (190s) and Wyatt Walston (215s). Holy Family’s Veronika Hafer also took sixth in the girls’ 110s, while teammate Adam Moore placed eighth in the boys’ 157s.

https://www.timescall.com/2025/12/20/broomfield-girls-meads-carter-woods-shine-at-ncct-wrestling-tournament/

Three takeaways from Kentucky volleyball’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals sweep over Auburn

No. 1 seeded Kentucky volleyball (23-2, 15-0 SEC) can now look forward to seeing action in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament after a quarterfinal sweep against No. 8 seeded Auburn (17-11, 7-8) 3-0. The match saw complete domination from the Wildcats, with Auburn only posing a real threat in the third set, where Kentucky prevailed 25-22. In every aspect of the game, it’s easy to discern that Kentucky has set a strong precedent for the run they will take in the tournament. Here are three key takeaways from the match against Auburn that summarize Kentucky’s strong showing. Eva Hudson unsparingly fuels offensive attack- Senior Eva Hudson has been no stranger to headlines this season for Kentucky, and her practically perfect performance against Auburn has been the leading story out of Sunday’s match. Hudson finished with a 13-kill, no-error performance against the Tigers. With four terminations in the opening set, she aided in giving Kentucky multiple scoring runs, including a 5-0 that drew Auburn to call a time out, and was a cornerstone to the offensive performance. Freshman Kassie O’Brien has also been instrumental this entire season, and was huge against the Tigers. O’Brien currently ranks No. 14 in the NCAA for assists per set at 10. 54, pairing with her total 875 assists on the season. Against Auburn, O’Brien finished with 42 assists to round out at 14 assists per set in the match. Leading the kill count on the afternoon was junior Brooklyn DeLeye with 15, followed by Hudson and then redshirt junior Lizzie Carr, who put up eight terminations. The team hitting percentage ended in 0. 349, with 106 total attack attempts. Kentucky’s dominate defense- Kentucky and its ability to defensively excel, especially in generating digs, was completely apparent against Auburn. O’Brien and libero Molly Tuozzo both lead the team in digs, with 10 apiece. Coming in second was Molly Berezowitz with nine, followed by Hudson with eight and DeLeye with seven. The Cats also finished the game with six total blocks which beat out Auburn although being named as the best in the SEC statistically in blocking. Kennedy Washington and O’Brien lead amongst both teams in involvement in blocks, with three each, followed by Asia Thigpen and Carr with two apiece. Kentucky’s defense is not only sustained by its defensive specialists, but also gets its hitters in on the action to help sustain gameplay and depth. Against Auburn, the team limited the Tigers to only garnering a 0. 168 hitting percentage. Leading the Tigers in kills was Liz Markovska with 12 yet she only achieved a 0. 086 hit percentage. Craig Skinner finally has won a match in the SEC Tournament- The SEC Tournament has not been held since 2005, which also happened to be Kentucky Head Coach Craig Skinner’s inaugural season with the Wildcats since being named head coach in 2004. In that first, and only, game of the SEC Tournament 20 years ago, Kentucky fell to Arkansas. Now on par with the record that the 2025 SEC Coach of the Year holds during his tenure, which includes six other SEC Coach of the Year titles, Skinner can round out his resume with an SEC Tournament win. It should be easy to ascertain that Skinner will get his second, and maybe even third tournament wins paired with a championship title to round out his 21st year with the Wildcats. During Sunday’s match, the head coach looks as confident as ever as he sat (yes, sat) on the sideline that his team has every ability to make it far in the tournament. Only time will tell if Kentucky volleyball will be the team to win the tournament after its 20 year hiatus. Kentucky’s next showing will be against No. 4 seeded Tennessee on Monday, Nov. 24 to compete for a spot in the finals. The match is set to start at 6 p. m. EST.
https://kykernel.com/120633/sports/three-takeaways-from-kentucky-volleyballs-sec-tournament-quarterfinals-sweep-over-auburn/

UNC’s Reese Brantmeier Wins NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship

UNC senior Reese Brantmeier defeated Cal’s Berta Passola Folch in an all-ACC championship match at the NCAA Women’s Singles Championship in Orlando Sunday. Brantmeier won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Sunday’s win capped off a thrilling week for Brantmeier, who played three-set matches in the first, second, third and semifinal rounds before Sunday’s championship. She beat opponents from Vanderbilt, SMU, Auburn, Texas and USC before defeating Passola Folch. Brantmeier’s quarterfinal win was particularly notable, as she defeated Texas’ Carmen Andreea Herea in two sets, finishing with a dominant 6-0 win in the second set after going to a tiebreak in the first. Herea was the No. 2 overall seed in the 64-woman field. The win adds to an already crowded trophy case for Brantmeier. The junior helped Carolina win its first-ever NCAA team championship in 2023, then finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Doubles Championship the next week with teammate Elizabeth Scotty. The Tar Heels won the ACC Championship in both 2024 and 2025, with Brantmeier winning ACC Player of the Year and earning All-America honors in both singles and doubles. She helped Carolina reach the national semifinals in the 2025 NCAA Team Championship, but was forced to exit her singles match with an injury. The Tar Heels lost to eventual champions Georgia. Brantmeier’s title wraps up the fall season for the UNC women’s tennis program, which will return to action in the spring season after the new year and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter. Related Stories.
https://chapelboro.com/sports/uncs-reese-brantmeier-wins-ncaa-womens-tennis-singles-championship