Fort Hays State men’s basketball coach Mark Johnson held his weekly news conference Monday afternoon in the Cade Suran Tiger Room. The Tigers tied for the MIAA regular season championship and are the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and play at noon Thursday in Kansas City.
Month: March 2013
March 2, 2013
Delbert A. “Del” Eberle
Hays, Kansas – Delbert A. “Del” Eberle, age 71, died Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Hays Medical Center Hays, Kansas.
He was born August 2, 1941, in Wichita, Kansas, to Anton “Tony” and Rosa Marie (Weigel) Eberle. He married Rhonda (Sanders) on October 23, 1976, in Greensburg, Kansas.
He graduated from Kapaun High School, Wichita, Kansas, in 1959. He served honorably in the United States Navy. Delbert worked at Midwest Energy Inc. in Hays, Kansas, for 35 years and retired in 2004. He moved to Hays, Kansas, in 1983 and enjoyed fishing, baseball and watching NASCAR, his family and grandson.
Survivors include his wife, Rhonda Eberle, of the home; two sons, Jason Eberle, Kansas City, KS; Matt Eberle, Hays, KS; one daughter, Toni Caraway and husband, Nesby, Topeka, KS; two sisters, LaVeta Popovich, St. Louis, MO; Delila Boyd and husband, Bobbie, Declo, ID; one grandson, Saylor Caraway; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ron and Dorothy Sanders, Medicine Lodge, KS.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Services are 10:30 A.M. Thursday, March 7, 2013, at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd, Hays, Kansas 67601. Burial in Mount Allen Cemetery, Hays, Kansas, with military honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076.
Visitation is from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Wednesday and from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. Thursday all at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays.
Memorials to The Herndon Speech and Language Clinic c/o Fort Hays State University, Humane Society of the High Plains and The Salvation Army. Condolence can be sent via e-mail to
Four Tigers Earn All-MIAA Honors; Johnson Named MIAA Coach of the Year
Fort Hays State had four players named to the All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team for 2012-13 on Monday and Mark Johnson was named MIAA Coach of the Year. Dwayne Brunson earned first-team honors, while Craig Nicholson was named MIAA Freshman of the Year and a second-team selection. Lance Russell and Ben Congiusta each earned honorable mention honors.
Brunson, a junior from Queens, N.Y., garnered a first-team selection in his first year with the Tigers after transferring from Barton (Kan.) Community College. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. He enters the MIAA Tournament averaging 15.5 points, 7.7 rebounds per game, and 2.1 blocks per game. Brunson has also shot the ball at a very high rate at 61.3 percent from the field and 84.5 percent from the free-throw line. In the MIAA entering the postseason, he ranks 11th in scoring, fourth in rebounding, second in field goal percentage, fifth in free-throw percentage, second in blocked shots, fourth in offensive rebounds per game, and fourth in defensive rebounds per game. He has seven double-doubles in points and rebounds this year and scored in double figures in 22 games. He reached at least 20 points in seven games, including a season high 35 points at Nebraska-Kearney, the most points scored by a player under head coach Mark Johnson. He’s also reached double figures in rebounds nine times this year.
Nicholson, native of Wichita, Kan., is the first FHSU player to earn MIAA Freshman of the Year honors in the school’s seventh year in the conference. Nicholson was also named to the All-MIAA Second Team as a true freshman, the only freshman on the first, second or third teams. He continues to lead the MIAA and ranks second in the nation in assists per game, averaging 7.0. Nicholson has also scored the ball at a high rate, averaging 13.8 points per game to rank third on the team entering the postseason. In the MIAA, he ranks first in assists, second in 3-point field goal percentage, second in assist/turnover ratio, fifth in steals, 17th in scoring, and 14th in free-throw percentage.
Russell was an honorable mention selection, the first all-conference honor of his career in his third year in the program. Entering the postseason, the Wichita, Kan. senior is averaging 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game to rank second in both categories. He’s also third on the team in assists, averaging 2.0 per game. He is shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent beyond the 3-point line, and 78 percent at the free-throw line.
Congiusta was an honorable mention selection, the first all-conference honor of his career in his fourth year with the Tigers. The Sydney, Australia senior redshirted last year but returned strong this year, averaging 12.3 points per game and 3.9 assists per game entering the postseason. Congiusta leads the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage (.438) and has 70 3-point field goals made this year. He is shooting 47.4 percent from the field overall and 90.6 percent at the free-throw line.
Johnson earns his second MIAA Coach of the Year honor after being the Co-Coach of the Year in 2009-10 with Central Missouri coach Kim Anderson. Johnson guided FHSU, which was picked fourth in the preseason coaches and sixth in the preseason media polls, to its first MIAA Regular Season Championship, tying for the league crown with Central Missouri. It’s the third Coach of the Year honor in Johnson’s career, also earned RMAC Coach of the Year honors in 2005-06.
Below is the entire All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team for 2012-13…
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Will McNeill, Sr., G, WU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marky Nolen, Sr., G, PSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Craig Nicholson, G, FHSU
COACH OF THE YEAR
Marl Johnson, FHSU
ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM
Will McNeill, Sr., G, WU**%
Dominique Long, Sr., F, UCM
Josh Gibbs, Jr., F, UCO
Dwayne Brunson, Jr., F, FHSU
Bryton Hobbs, Jr., G, NSU
**Unanimous Selection
% – Repeat first team selection from last season
ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM
Jermaine Bransford, Sr., F, NSU
Alex Bazzell, Sr., G, LWU
Marquis Addison, Jr., G, MSSU
Craig Nicholson, Fr., G, FHSU
Cedric Ridle, Sr., G, LU
ALL-MIAA THIRD TEAM
Mike Carlson, Sr, F, TSU
Dillon Starzl, Jr, F, NWMSU
JaVon McGee, Sr., C, PSU
Widgett Washington, Sr., G, UCM
Martin Mitchell, Sr., G, WU
MIAA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Marky Nolan, Sr., G, PSU
Paul Bunch, Jr., C, ESU
Will McNeill, Sr., G, WU
Bobby Chipman, Sr., F, WU
Matt Wallace, So., G, NWMSU
ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION
Charles Hammork, Jr. G, UCM
Paul Bunch, Jr., C, ESU
Kaleb Wright, Jr., G, ESU
Chris Sights, Sr., G, ESU
Lance Russell, Sr., G, FHSU
Ben Congiusta, Sr., G, FHSU
Jordan Talbert, Jr., F, MSSU
Cedric Clinkscales, Jr, F, MWSU
Adarius Fulton, Jr., G, MWSU
Jon Henderson, Sr., G, UNK
DeAngelo Hailey, Sr., G, NWMSU
Alex Sullivan, Sr., G, NWMSU
Kaleb Porter, Fr., G, PSU
Rico Pierrevillus, Sr., F, PSU
Damion Hooks, Jr., F, SBU
Preston Guiot, So., G, SBU
Seth Jackson, So., G, TSU
Tom Norton, Sr., G, TSU
Bobby Chipman, Sr., F, WU
KHAZ Country Music News: Blake Shelton Open to Reprising His Role as Reba’s “Malibu Country” Brother
Blake Shelton made a guest appearance as Reba‘s brother on ABC’s Malibu Country Friday night, and he is open to the idea of making that role a recurring one. The only drawback is how much time it takes to film an episode of a sitcom.
“It ties you into L.A. for a week,” Blake says. “You do a read-through on a Friday, and then you rehearse Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and film it Thursday, and you’re right back doing the next show the next day.”
Still, Blake thinks it would be fun to return to the Malibu Country set since he had such a great time filming his first episode.
He says, “It was amazing to just see that world and see how they work. It’s a lot of just goofing off, but you’ve got to be a good goofer to do it right, and they’ve got the right ones.”
As for the possibility of getting his own sitcom someday, Blake can’t really see that happening at this point. That’s especially true his role as a coach on The Voice already takes up so much time.
“As soon as the leash gives me a little slack from The Voice, I’m going straight back into touring,” Blake says. “I can’t see myself going from The Voice into more television. I think there will at least be a break there.”
On the music front, Blake’s new single, “Sure Be Cool if You Did,” will be featured on Blake’s upcoming album, Based on a True Story…, due out March 26.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
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Lehman Named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week
For the third time this season, Fort Hays State sophomore Kate Lehman was named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week on Monday (Mar. 4). Lehman also earned the honor on November 26 and December 17. She is one of two players in the conference to earn the honor three times this year, Keuna Flax of Central Missouri being the other.
Lehman averaged a double-double last week, helping FHSU close out the regular season with a pair of wins to tie for fifth in the MIAA standings. She averaged 20.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.0 blocked shots per game. Against Missouri Western, she had 20 points with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, then had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots against Lincoln. The double-doubles were her eighth and ninth of the season. Lehman continues to lead NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game (4.2).
– FHSU Sports Information –
AUDIO – FHSU Weekly Women’s Basketball Press Conference
Fort Hays State women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson held his weekly news conference Monday afternoon in the Cade Suran Tiger Room. The Lady Tigers open MIAA play at home Tuesday at 7pm against Lincoln.
HaysMed Foundation Elects New Officers
The HaysMed Foundation is announcing new officers and members of the Foundation Board of Directors.
Board members voted in as officers are : Kim Hodny, President; Pat Parke, Vice President; Ken Johnson, Treasurer; and Jerry Haley, Secretary.
Those elected to their first three-year term included Matt Dreiling of Hays, geologist and geophysicist with John O. Farmer, Inc. and Tonya Staab of Hays, owner of MamZelles, to their first three-year term on the Board of Directors.
The Board reelected Dr. Tom McDonald, Don Bickle and Nancy Talbott who will serve on the Foundation Board of Directors until January 2016.
Retiring from the Board were Marcy Allenbaugh and Jeff Wick.
Ruth Heffel, Executive Director of the Hays Medical Center Foundation explains it was created in 1995, and “supports HaysMed by funding services outside the normal operating budget to achieve a standard of excellence in patient care through quality staff, programs, services, technology and education.”
The HaysMed Foundation is a separate legal entity from HaysMed and is the designated depository and trustee for all current and future charitable gift assets to the Medical Center.
Record for Conceal Carry Apps
For the second consecutive month, a record number of people has applied for permits to carry concealed handguns, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Monday.
Schmidt said his office received 3,573 applications for concealed carry permits during February, which is a new single-month record. The previous record was set in January, when 3,167 permit applications were received. Before January, the single largest month in the program’s six-year history was 1,651 applications received in March 2012.
Schmidt’s office administers the concealed carry licensing program. He said his concealed carry licensing unit is working hard and doing its best to keep up with the sharp spike in demand. As of March 1, there are 53,180 active concealed carry permits issued by the State of Kansas.
KHAZ Country Music News: The Band Perry Promises Music City Fireworks
The Band Perry has a date with Uncle Sam and Music City. The trio of siblings will headline Nashville’s Fourth of July celebration on the riverfront this year, known as “Let Freedom Sing.”
Grammy-winning bluesman Keb’ Mo’ and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra will warm up the crowd, which typically exceeds 150,000. The evening wraps up with a fireworks display choreographed to live music.
The Band Perry’s sophomore CD, PIONEER, featuring their number-one hit “Better Dig Two,” comes out April 2.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
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Firefighters Respond to Early Morning Fire
The Hays Fire Department responded to a fire early this morning at a home in the 1900 block of Holmes Road.
When firefighters responded, they found smoke in the building and upon further investigation, discovered fire in the wall near the electrical meter box caused by a short in the box. Midwest Energy crews shut down power to the building. Firefighters opened the exterior wall to extinguish the fire.
The fire was reported by the residents just after 3 a.m. The building received moderate damage.
KHAZ Country Music News: Toby Keith’s Band Leader Killed in Traffic Accident
Toby Keith says he is “deeply saddened” after the sudden death of his longtime bass player and band leader, Chuck Goff.
Carl Reber Goff Jr., 54, was killed Wednesday evening in a two-car accident in Noble, Oklahoma, according to The Oklahoman.
In a statement to ABC News Radio, Toby says Goff “was a close friend for over 25 years… Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.”
Goff also co-wrote the hits “You Ain’t Much Fun” and “Upstairs Downstairs” with Toby. On Monday, the band played the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
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The One that Got Away
Twenty year old Matthew Kloke remains in the Barton County jail for Felony flee and elude, reckless driving and possession of stolen property. 
He slipped out of his handcuffs and escaped from Hays Police on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning he stole a car on Milner Street. The owner of the 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix was warming it up on a cold Sunday morning and left it unattended.
Kloke was arrested in Great Bend after a high speed chase. Nobody was injured.
2013 Special Olympics Kansas State Basketball Seeking Volunteers
More than 1500 Special Olympics athletes and coaches from across Kansas will be heading to Hays March 21, 22 and 23, 2013 for the annual Sate Basketball and Cheerleading tournament. This is the 37th year the tournament has been held in Hays. The athletes will play over 150 games during the 3 day event, participate in individual skills and compete in cheerleading. The presenting sponsor is the Kansas State Council of the Knights of Columbus.
For more information about the tournament visit www.ksso.org or call 800-444-9803.
Volunteers are needed. Contact Terri Price at [email protected] or call 913-236-9290 ext. 106 about volunteer opportunities.
2013 Tentative Schedule of Events
Thursday, March 21, 2013
1:00p.m. – 2:30p.m. Individual Skills
Men/Wheelchair – GMC
Women – 100
1:00p.m. – 3:30p.m. Cheerleading – Finals immediately after prelims
1:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. General Store (GMC)
2:30p.m. – 3:00p.m. Wheelchair Individual Skills
3:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. Speed Dribble
Men/Wheelchair – GMC
Women – 100
6:30p.m. – 7:30p.m. General Store (GMC)
7:00p.m. Line up for Opening Ceremonies (Aux. Gyms)
7:30p.m. – 9:00p.m. Opening Ceremonies (GMC)
Friday, March 22, 2013
6:30a.m. – 8:00a.m. Breakfast (GMC – Gate 3)
8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m. Tournament Play (FHSU, Hays High School, Hays Recreation Comm.)
9:00a.m. – 4:00p.m. General Store (GMC)
11:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. Lunch – Gate 3 (GMC)
5:00p.m. – 7:00p.m. Banquet (Fanchon)
7:00p.m. – 9:00p.m. Dance (Hays High Main Gym)
7:30p.m. – 9:00p.m. Family Reception (Hays High, Room 147)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
6:30a.m. – 8:00a.m. Breakfast (GMC – Gate 3)
8:00a.m. – 3:00p.m. Tournament Play (FHSU & Hays Recreation Comm.)
9:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. General Store (GMC)
11:00a.m. – 1:00p.m. Lunch (GMC – Gate 3)