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1C Sports Julius Thomas' skills honed on the hardwood JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Broncos third-year tight end Julius Thomas began the season with more NCAA tournament trips (two) on his resume than catches in the NFL (one). Now, the former power forward at Portland State is the key to Denver's record-shattering offense, freeing up Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker, especially in the red zone. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound late-bloomer is also a bulls-eye for some of Manning's biggest moments, like when he caught his 51st TD throw that broke Tom Brady's single-season record, one of a dozen touchdown passes he caught this year, breaking Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe's team record for tight ends. He was Manning's main target in the AFC Championship, too, with eight receptions for 85 yards a week after his two clutch third-down catches helped ice Denver's win over San Diego. ''Sometimes I have to remind myself,'' Manning said, ''that he hasn't played a ton of football.'' A giant banner of Thomas hangs outside the media hotel in Times Square, an indication of just how far this relative football toddler has come. ''Is my helmet on?'' Thomas asked sheepishly Monday while aboard the Cornucopia Majesty ship, docked outside the team hotel across the Hudson River. Yes. ''OK, that's good. So, I won't get recognized too much,'' Thomas said. ''That's a lot of people walking by seeing that thing.'' He might want to get used to the spotlight. With the wintry weather and Seattle's stingy secondary sure to stifle some of Manning's other options, Thomas could be Denver's X-factor in the Super Bowl. ''No, this isn't something that I imagined doing when I was 20 years old getting ready to play in the NCAA tournament,'' Thomas said. ''I wasn't thinking, 'Man, if you just fast-forward that clock a little bit, you'll be competing in the biggest game in America.' It's just a blessing to be here. I've been very blessed in my athletic career, so I'm going to enjoy it.'' Thomas played just one year of football in college after exhausting his eligibility on the hardwood. He tried to line up with the receivers on his first day of practice but was ushered over to the tight ends group. ''I was like, 'What? Hold on, I don't know about all that,''' Thomas recounted. ''But Coach (Nigel) Burton, he sat me down and we talked about it and he told me that he felt if I played tight end I'd be able to create matchup problems.'' Sure enough, he caught 29 passes for 453 yards and earned All-Big Sky Conference first-team honors in 2010, and he caught a touchdown pass and the attention of scouts at the East-West Shrine Game. ''I really thank him for helping me decide to play tight end,'' Thomas said. ''It was a great move on his part to not let me play receiver. I've loved playing tight end ever since.'' Broncos boss John Elway said Thomas reminds him of Sharpe, who was his co-pilot when he was leading the Broncos to Super Bowl titles from the huddle. ''It was like Shannon, who do you cover Shannon with? A corner? Or do you cover him with a safety or a linebacker,'' Elway asked. ''So, the matchups were always very favorable.'' Thomas' only obstacle was staying healthy. He got hurt on his first catch as a pro, hobbling off the field with a high right ankle sprain on Sept. 18, 2011. When Manning picked Denver as his destination that following spring, Thomas was among a handful of guys who gathered on local high school fields for clandestine workouts during the lockout, but soon he needed surgery and wouldn't catch a single pass in 2012. He gained confidence, however, running with the scout team and capitalized on extra time with Manning last offseason when it was Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen who were hurt to gain his quarterback's confidence, too. He was pretty sure only friends and family picked him up in fantasy football leagues before his five-catch, 161-yard, two-touchdown performance against Baltimore in the NFL opener on Sept. 5 — 729 days since his first NFL reception. He finished with 65 receptions for 778 yards and added 14 receptions for 161 yards in the postseason. All the while, he flashes some of the same moves on the football field that he used to showcase on the basketball floor, where he was a bully on the blocks. Shielding a defensive back to give the quarterback an opening, he said, is just like posting up a player under the basket to give the point guard a clear passing lane. Tight ends with power forward in their DNA are matchup nightmares because they're faster than linebackers and bigger than safeties, said Thomas' position coach, Clancy Barone, who's also tutored the alpha hoopster-turned-gridiron great, Antonio Gates. What set Thomas apart was being such a quick study after walking on as a college senior. ''We knew he was very grown-up football-wise,'' Barone said. ''What's the best way to put this, he wasn't immature as a football player. He wasn't like your typical guy with the big eyes that say, 'This is all so new to me.' He's a guy that you could tell knew football. He had studied football and he was acting like a pro already. That's a rare find.'' Tehama Tracker Today's schedule BOYS BASKETBALL Foothill at Red Bluff, 7:30 p.m. Anderson at Corning, 7:30 p.m. Liberty Christian at Los Molinos, 7:30 p.m. Redding Christian at Mercy, 7:30 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Red Bluff at Foothill, 7:30 p.m. Corning at Anderson, 7:30 p.m. Liberty Christian at Los Molinos, 6 p.m. Redding Christian at Mercy, 6 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Anderson at Corning, 3:15 p.m. Los Molinos at Mercy, 3:15 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Anderson at Corning, 3:15 p.m. NBA Washington at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Sports on TV MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL • 4 p.m., ESPN — Michigan St. at Iowa • 4 p.m., ESPN2 — West Virginia at Baylor • 4 p.m., ESPNU — Missouri at Arkansas • 6 p.m., ESPN — Kentucky at LSU • 6 p.m., ESPNU — Virginia at Notre Dame • 6 p.m., FS1 — St. John's at Creighton • 8 p.m., ESPNU — New Mexico at Utah St. NBA • 7:30 p.m., CSNB — Washington at Golden State NHL • 4:30 p.m., NBCSN — Washington at Buffalo SOCCER • 11:55 a.m., NBCSN — Premier League, Everton at Liverpool Tuesday January 28, 2014 Flannery, band raise more than $96K for Bryan Stow AP file photo San Francisco Giants third base coach Tim Flannery, right, and his brother Tom, left, sing the national anthem before a 2013 game with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. Flannery, who is also a musician, presented the family of Bryan Stow with $96,000 during the weekend to help with his case as he continues to deal with traumatic injuries and brain damage from being severely beaten outside Dodger Stadium on opening day 2011. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tim Flannery received a heartfelt thank-you voicemail from Bryan Stow, who struggles to put thoughts and words together nearly three years after being severely beaten outside Dodger Stadium on opening day 2011. Flannery, the San Francisco Giants' third base coach and musician, presented the Stow family with $96,000 during the weekend to help with Bryan's care as the father of two and former paramedic continues to deal with traumatic injuries and brain damage from the attack. And more money is still coming from recent silent auctions and further CD sales. Flannery and his band, The Lunatic Fringe, just concluded a series of four sold-out Northern California concerts benefiting Stow, while all dollars from purchases of Flannery's 11th album, ''Outside Lands,'' released in November, go directly to Stow. ''That was, for me, kind of a gamble. People always say, 'Well, why don't you just write a check?' I always say, 'Well, I only hit nine home runs in my 10-year career, I can't just write a big check,''' Flannery said by phone Monday. ''I did write a check, I wrote a check that produced a new record. ... I'm just playing the music. I'm doing the same thing I always do. For people to come and just continue the love, it's a great, great honor.'' As part of the large donation presented Saturday night, Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt contributed $25,000 to match Flannery's initial total and former Giants great turned instructor Will Clark wrote a $10,000 check. ''I don't think we could even begin to explain how much the efforts of all the people involved mean to us,'' Stow's sister, Bonnie Stow, wrote in an email Monday. ''They're all busy people, with their own lives going on, yet they take the time to put on these shows to help Bryan. It's like 'thank you' just isn't enough. Even when he's not playing these shows, Tim stays in touch with our family and sends his love to Bryan continuously. He's amazing.'' Flannery presented Bonnie Stow with the envelope of money before his show Saturday in Santa Cruz, where the Stow family lives and where Bryan is now cared for by his parents, Dave and Ann. ''She kind of went quiet and both of us kind of broke down and just held each other for a while,'' Flannery said. ''I told her 'all the people who wrote checks and all the people who brought their gifts, everybody loves you and everybody loves your family.''' Flannery's band dedicated the song ''You Have My Word'' to Stow's parents. Flannery received a photo Sunday from the family of the couple holding hands during that song while on a rare evening out. ''It felt like this is a great opportunity to let the family know that people still are thinking about them. More than anything it allows them to know that people still care, people still think about them,'' Flannery said. ''That has always been the story, everybody else showing up and giving of themselves. I play the music. It inspires me to just keep doing it. It's not that difficult for me doing what I always do.'' In all, Flannery held 24 concerts during the baseball offseason. As he told his music crew and support staff of the success, ''We went 24-0.'' Favors powers Jazz past depleted Kings, 106-99 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Derrick Favors had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Marvin Williams added 16 points and 11 rebounds to power the Utah Jazz past the depleted Sacramento Kings 106-99 on Monday night. Enes Kanter scored 15 and Jeremy Evans had 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Jazz capitalized on injuries that have left Sacramento without frontcourt starters DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay for the past three games. After the Jazz sent their starters to the bench with the game seemingly in hand, the Kings mounted an unlikely comeback that fell just short. Sacramento trimmed a 20point lead to five in the final minute but came up empty on three of its final four possessions. Jason Thompson scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Kings, who lost their fourth consecutive game. Derrick Williams had 17 points and 15 boards. PREP ROUNDUP BOYS BASKETBALL West Valley 51, Red Bluff 50 The Spartans (12-6, 0-1) lost their Sac River League opener 51-50 in Cottonwood Friday night. Corning 48, Central Valley 32 Corning knocked off Central Valley 48-32 on the road Friday to remain perfect in Northern Athletic League play. The Cardinals (15-3, 3-0) and Falcons were tied 10-10 after the first period, until Corning broke the game open outscoring Central Valley 26-9 in the second and third periods. Michael Shoemaker led Corning with 16 points and eight rebounds. Nick Hoag had 12 points and 10 boards. Los Molinos 47, Mercy 41 Los Molinos (10-8, 2-3) beat visiting county rival Mercy 47-41 Friday. Tommy Garcia led Mercy with 21 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Reid Gardner had 13 points for the Warriors (6-13, 1-4). GIRLS BASKETBALL Corning 54, Central Valley 44 The Lady Cardinals (14-5, 3-0) stayed unbeaten in Northern Athletic League play with a 54-44 home win against Central Valley Friday. Mercy 64, Los Molinos 38 A strong second half propelled the Lady Warriors 64-38 over county rival Los Molinos (7-7, 1-4) Friday. Mercy (16-3, 4-1) outscored hosts Los Molinos 28-11 in the fourth period. Jessica Curl had 27 points, 24 rebounds and five blocks for Mercy. Marissa Strarman added 20 points and four blocks for the Lady Warriors. GIRLS SOCCER Red Bluff 0, Foothill 0 The Lady Spartans (4-5-4, 1-3-3) played to a scoreless draw Friday at Foothill. Cheyenne Houghtby made four saves in net to earn the shutout. Mikenna Curry led the Spartans with four shots. WRESTLING Tim Brown Memorial Corning placed 79th with 16 points at the Time Brown Memorial in Sacramento. Clovis West high School won the event with 247 points. Sutter was the best placing Northern Section team with 147 points tying for fourth place. Chase Wimer at 106 pounds and Alex DeJesus at 113 pounds each went 2-2 for Corning.