HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France wants Jimmie Johnson to be commended for his four-year run atop NASCAR, and not used as an example of why the championship format might be flawed. Johnson heads into Sunday's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway poised to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive titles, all under the Chase for the Sprint Cup   Full Story

VESTAL, N.Y. -- The Hoosick Falls Central School varsity field hockey team’s run at the New York Class-C state championship game was sliced short on Friday. The Panthers (19-3) were defeated by Port Jefferson, 2-1, in the Class-C state semifinals at Vestal High School. "It’s a tough loss to take after such a great season," HFCS head coach Denise Campbell said.   Full Story

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Deja-vu can be a dangerous thing. Everything may feel vaguely familiar to the Hoosick Falls Central School football team when it takes the field against Bronxville in Saturday’s New York state semifinal game at Dietz Stadium. Like the Panthers (11-0), the Section-I champion Broncos are undefeated on the year (10-0) and are coming off a regional-final blowout (34-6 over   Full Story

There’s never really a good time for the New York Jets to face the Patriots. Since Bill Belichick became New England’s coach in 2000, the Jets are 7-13 against their rivals from Foxborough. Many of the games have been contentious -- remember Spygate and the Eric Mangini-Belichick non-handshakes -- and Belichick and current Jets coach Rex Ryan aren’t exactly buddies.   Full Story