By KARISSA NIEHOFF Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and BILL FAFLICK Executive Director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association
If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Kansas, this message is primarily for you.
When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it.
Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Kansas has an alarming shortage of high school officials.
It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.
Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.
Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.
If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official at HighSchoolOfficials.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Kansas are always welcome.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a suburban Kansas City woman has died from injuries sustained when she crashed into a pond.
First responders on the scene of the fatal crash -image courtesy KCTV
Police in Olathe, Kansas, say 61-year-old Helen Riddle apparently suffered a medical emergency last week before her sport utility vehicle struck a car and went off the side of a road. She then crashed through a fence before the SUV became submerged in the pond.
Police announced Tuesday that she died after she was rescued and rushed to a hospital with critical injuries. Divers also searched the water after the crash to make sure no one else had been in the SUV.
McDonald’s of North Hays will host “Coffee with a Cop” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 17, in conjunction with the Hays Police Department.
The event brings police officers and community members they serve together over coffee to discuss community issues, learn more about each other and build relationships in an informal, neutral environment. All Coffee with a Cop attendees will receive a free small cup of coffee, courtesy of McDonald’s.
Area McDonald’s restaurants will continue to work with law enforcement departments throughout the year to host additional Coffee with a Cop events with the goal of improving relationships between law enforcement and community members – one cup of coffee at a time.
“As a McDonald’s owner/operator, being involved in the community is the cornerstone of my business. Supporting our local law enforcement is a huge priority for our organization,” said Gail Kuehl, owner/operator, McDonald’s of Hays, Russell and WaKeeney. “I hope that community members will attend our Coffee with a Cop event and feel comfortable to ask questions, bring forward concerns or simply get to know our officers.”
RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a traffic stop west of Hutchinson.
Smith -photo KDOC
On Monday, a Reno County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle in the 14,000 block of West 4th. The vehicle was traveling 67 mph in a 55 mph zone.
Deputies arrested 40-year-old Kerri Simmons for driving on a suspended license, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
They also arrested 31-year-old Ashley Smith, 31, for more serious charges including possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, with intent to distribute and possession of a narcotic drug. She has five previous convictions that include forgery, obstruction and drug charges.
Simmons was able to post bond while Smith remains jailed on an $18,000 bond.
Coach Tony Hobson, left, discusses strategy with his assistant coach, Talia Kahrs, center, and graduate assistant Paige Lunsford, right. Photo by Ryan Prickett
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
By Diane Gasper-O’Brien
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. –
Fans of Fort Hays State University women’s basketball won’t see Tony Hobson smile much on the sidelines.
On the court, Hobson is as intense as they come. He doesn’t often take a seat beside his assistant coaches, and when he does, he doesn’t stay sitting long. He paces back and forth past the Tigers’ bench with a look of total concentration on his face.
FHSU Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke did get a smile out of his record-setting women’s basketball coach last Thursday when they met at midcourt before the Tigers’ game with Northeastern State (Okla.).
Hammeke – along with Dr. Helen Miles, former women’s basketball coach, and Dr. Tisa Mason, president of FHSU – presented Hobson with a basketball imprinted with Hobson’s latest accomplishment: setting a new career coaching record for the FHSU women’s basketball program.
Coach Tony Hobson diagrams a play for his team during a timeout. Photo by Ryan Prickett
Even then, Hobson seemed a little antsy and appeared relieved to get back to his team’s bench – partly because he doesn’t like calling attention to himself and partly because he and the Tigers had a game to win.
That fierce passion for the game of basketball has paid off in a big way for Hobson and the Tigers.
FHSU, undefeated and the top ranked team in all of NCAA Division II in the D2SIDA media poll, heads into this week’s road games with MIAA intrastate rivals Emporia State (Wednesday) and Washburn (Saturday) with a 15-0 record.
It’s the best start to a season in the history of the Tiger women’s program, which is on pace to set a lot of new marks this season.
One of those came on a road trip earlier this month.
In a Jan. 3 victory over defending national champion Central Missouri on the Jennies’ home floor, Hobson tied Miles for the most career coaching victories at Fort Hays State. Two days later, the Tigers beat Southwest Baptist (Mo.) to give Hobson his 218th victory at FHSU midway through his 11th season in Hays. Miles was 217-154 from 1971-86.
Hobson (now 220-92 at FHSU) shrugs his shoulders while talking about the record that has brought him a lot of praise since the turn of the new year, including a loud ovation at the pregame presentation on Jan. 10.
“All those things are nice, and I don’t want to make light of it because those things are important to the history of the program,” he said. “To get records like this, you have to have a good solid program and have to sustain it. That’s a good thing.”
Then the normally serious Hobson said something that made him smile.
“What it took to get the record is more important,” he said.
What it took to get that record was a lot of hard work through his first nine seasons that has seen Hobson elevate Tiger women’s basketball to new heights.
FHSU won the NAIA national championship with a 34-2 record in 1990-91, then moved to NCAA Division II the next year.
The Tiger program was anything but lean over the next couple of decades, with just one losing season.
But when Hobson joined the Black and Gold in 2008, FHSU women’s basketball got a new spark.
A former standout athlete himself, Hobson had made a name for himself at Hastings College while guiding the Broncos to three NAIA national championships and a 211-40 overall record in seven years.
Before that, Hobson had played and coached at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Hammeke’s hometown.
“I’d known about Tony for a long time, and I knew of his strong work ethic,” Hammeke said.
Hobson also was impressed with Hammeke.
“I knew Fort Hays State’s athletic director was a really solid person,” Hobson said. “He was honest with me, and that’s so important. You have to feel comfortable with who you work with.”
Hammeke definitely was comfortable with Hobson.
“He’s a good recruiter and an excellent basketball coach,” Hammeke said. “We thought he was the right one for the job.”
Was he ever.
Fort Hays State University women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson and his players watch action on the court during a home game earlier this season. Photo by Bob Duffy
It didn’t take Hobson long to make a successful jump from NAIA to NCAA.
After a 39-43 record during Hobson’s first three years, the Tigers have strung together seven consecutive 20-win seasons. They are just six wins away from making that eight in a row. Before Hobson, FHSU posted only eight 20-win seasons in nearly 40 years.
The Tigers are also in the running for finishing near or at the top of the MIAA and making a fourth NCAA tournament appearance in five years.
Hobson points to the addition of two standout players – 6-foot guard Katelyn Edwards and 6-4 center Kate Lehman – during the 2011-12 season in helping get the program over the hump.
Edwards, who was from Crete, Neb., had transferred to FHSU after one year at the University of South Dakota, and Lehman joined the Tigers after a stellar high school career in Newton. Both went on to earn all-conference honors every year for the Tigers, and Lehman finished as the second-leading scorer and top rebounder in FHSU women’s history during her All-American senior year when the Tigers advanced to the top 16 of the playoffs.
“Then it was game on,” Hobson said.
Hobson learned early on at FHSU that the Hays area community likes watching good, competitive basketball.
“People want a winner,” he said. “If you give them something good to watch, they will come.”
Consequently, the Tiger women’s program has ranked second in the nation in attendance for NCAA D-II the past four years with an average of more than 2,000 fans per game.
Even though students have not yet returned to campus for the second semester, more than 2,200 fans showed up for Thursday’s game.
Gradually through the years, Hobson started to notice a shift in the recruiting landscape, too.
“I had a lot of players from Nebraska early on, because I couldn’t recruit against Emporia State and Washburn,” he said.
Hobson paused, an ever-so-slight smile crossing his face.
“It’s not like that anymore,” he said.
Hobson and the Tigers have enjoyed a bumper crop of top-notch recruits the past few years, so much so that this year’s team is so deep that bench players lead the team in various categories on any given night. Six different players have led the Tigers in scoring. No one averages more than about 12 points a game, but six players average at least eight points a game, and the team puts up more than 80 points per contest.
“We’re pretty deep at every position,” he said. “You always have plenty of players. Do you always have plenty of players who can play at the level you need them to? This year, we do.”
Two or three of FHSU’s starters surely could score more, but the Tigers have bought into the team-first philosophy.
“We’ve had the most unselfish group of people I’ve ever been around,” Hobson said. “They sacrifice for each other for the good of the team; they all play their role. They want to win.”
Assembling that type of team starts long before the first tipoff in November.
“A lot of it is recruiting the right type of kids – high character kids,” Hobson said. “We do a better job of accomplishing that than some. Those type of kids are easier to get the point across to.”
Now, the Tigers’ roster features the daughter of a Division I coach and a former D-I player.
Sophomore Madison Mittie, part of that super-sub group for Fort Hays State, is the daughter of Kansas State University head coach Jeff Mittie, one of the winningest active coaches in NCAA Division I with more than 500 career wins.
“I’d never coached a college coach’s daughter,” Hobson said. “When you have a coach take a look at your program and think ‘That’s a good program for my daughter to be in,’ that’s an ultimate compliment when parents feel good about their daughter being in your program.”
Junior Lanie Page, a former prep standout from Wamego whose dad was the coach for the Raiders, had decided to concentrate on academics when she stepped away from the K-State basketball program two years ago.
But senior Tatyana Legette, who knew Page from high school all-star games, talked Page into visiting FHSU.
When Page was in Hays for an FHSU football game in the fall of 2017, she watched a Tiger basketball practice, and she immediately liked what she saw.
“Coach is a lot like my dad in his coaching style and just his personality, honestly,” she said. “He cares about his team a lot and would do anything for them, but he also knows when to be tough and when to push us so that we can see what we’re capable of.”
Talia Kahrs, Hobson’s top assistant coach, agreed.
Kahrs played for Hobson at Hastings, then followed him to Fort Hays State. Following her playing career, Kahrs served as a student assistant for the Tigers for a season, then became Hobson’s head assistant in 2012.
Kahrs said she has learned a lot from Hobson after so many years of being around him on the court. One thing has never changed.
“He just likes to win,” Kahrs said. “Losing is not an option.”
Hobson admitted he is not happy with losing but does accept getting beat by a better team.
“We could play a really good game, and if someone plays better, they’re going to beat you,” he said. “Losing is playing less than what you are capable of, and that bothers me. Losing is different than getting beat.”
Kahrs is well aware of what her job is.
“I think I do a good job of balancing him out,” she said. “I’m more mellow, so I’m the calm to his intensity.”
That intensity barometer will raise a notch or two this week when the Tigers take to the road for those two huge road games.
Saturday’s men’s and women’s games with Washburn have been selected for this week’s D-II Basketball Showcase, with the featured games beginning at 1 p.m. (women’s) and 3 p.m. in Lee Arena in Topeka.
But for now, Hobson is concentrating on Wednesday’s contest with Emporia State.
“People live too much in the past or too much in the future,” he said. “You can’t dwell on last year, or the last game even. And you can’t look too far ahead.”
Victories this week would help keep alive No. 1 on the Tigers’ long-term list of goals for this year – “MIAA champs.”
The final goal on that list is “to host and win regionals.”
“That means you have to be the No. 1 team in the region,” he said, “and that’s 42 teams.”
“We set our goals pretty high,” admitted Hobson, who then broke one of his own rules of looking ahead.
“We’d like to make the elite eight and give it a run,” he said.
Now, that would make a lot of people smile, including Hobson.
Wednesday A slight chance of snow between 1pm and 3pm, then a chance of drizzle and snow. Patchy freezing fog before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 30. East wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday Night A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. East northeast wind around 7 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 28. Southeast wind 5 to 13 mph.
FridayA slight chance of rain and snow before noon, then rain likely between noon and 5pm, then rain and snow likely after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Friday NightSnow, mainly before midnight. Low around 14. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
SUMNER COUNTY — A third earthquake measuring 3.9 or greater in less than 24 hours shook portions of Kansas.
Image Kansas Geological Survey
Just after 9:30p.m. Tuesday, a 4.0 magnitude quake rattled residents east of Caldwell in Sumner County, according to the Kansas Geological Survey. It follows quakes measuring 3.9 and a 4.4 at 7:28 a.m. Tuesday approximately one hour south of Caldwell near Perry, Oklahoma.
There are no reports of damage or injury, according to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce is announcing today that Patty Clark will serve as Deputy Secretary of KDC.
Clark has spent her career in public service with an emphasis on rural policy and government operations. Clark served both the Graves and Sebelius Administrations in the Kansas Department of Commerce, first as Division Director for Ag Marketing and Community Development and then as Deputy Secretary. She served as State Director for USDA Rural Development and most recently returned to the Kansas Leadership Center as Vice-President, later becoming Acting President from September 2017 through March 2018.
“Patty will make an excellent Deputy Secretary,” said Acting Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland. “Her years of public service speak for themselves. She is a real leader and will bring a wealth of experience to both the job and the Department.”
The TMP Lady Monarchs held Oakley to single digits in the second and third quarters and had two players score in double-figures as they beat the Lady Plainsmen 42-27 Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the MCL tournament at Al Billinger Fieldhouse.
Rose McFarland postgame interview
TMP opened the game on an 8-4 run but led by just one at 10-9 after the first quarter.
The Monarchs build a five-point lead to open the second quarter on back-to-back Jillian Lowe field goals at 14-9. Oakley answered with three straight points to cut the lead back to two at 14-12. But that was all the offense they could muster the entire quarter.
The Plainsmen offense struggles continued in the third scoring just two points while the Monarchs scored 14 points in the third quarter that allowed the Monarchs to build a 31-14 lead.
Oakley was able to outscore TMP in the fourth quarter, 13-11 but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Monarchs lead as TMP claims the 42-27 win.
Jillian Lowe finished with a career-high 16 points and Adell Riedel scored in double-figures for the fourth time in the last five games with 10.
Game highlights
TMP improves to 7-3 and will take on Norton in the MCL semifinals after the Blue Jays beat Phillipsburg 47-34 Tuesday.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. –– A Kansas nurse has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to Medicaid fraud and related charges, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
Whitlow-photo Wyandotte Co.
Erin Grae Whitlow, 29, of Lansing, pleaded guilty in November to one count of Medicaid fraud, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance and two counts of felony mistreatment of a dependent adult. Wyandotte County District Judge Jennifer L. Myers on Thursday sentenced Whitlow to 21 months in the Department of Corrections. Convictions such as this one may also result in a period during which the defendant is prohibited from being paid wages through a government health care program.
The charges stemmed from an investigation by the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Division and the Bonner Springs Police Department, which revealed that Whitlow stole morphine from vials during a time she was employed as a nurse by a Bonner Springs nursing facility. The crimes occurred between July and August 2017.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Ed Brancart of Schmidt’s office. The Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office also assisted with the investigation.
This was the first conviction stemming from a statewide sweep by the attorney general’s office cracking down on illegal and harmful activity in Kansas facilities that receive Medicaid funding, which was announced in September. Charges against nine additional defendants remain pending.
It appears former Kansas State quarterback Alex Delton’s days in the Big 12 are not over. Delton, who announced over Christmas that he would be playing his senior year at UTEP, tweeted out yesterday that he will play for Gary Patterson and the TCU Horned Frogs this fall.
The former Hays High Indian played in 20 games for the Wildcats, throwing for 1,200 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 868 yards and 11 touchdowns.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Federal authorities say two homicides in northwest Missouri last year were linked to a large methamphetamine trafficking ring based in Kansas City.
Sparks -photo MDC
A search warrant affidavit filed in U.S. District Court cites the death of James Hampton, whose body was found in the trunk of a burned-out car in August in Lafayette County. It also cites the death of 28-year-old Brittanie Broyles, who was shot to death in Kansas City.
Authorities have charged a dozen people in the alleged drug ring led by 29-year-old Trevor Scott Sparks.
Investigators say Hampton and Broyles were associates of some of those people but no one has been charged in the homicides.
Federal charges allege the trafficking ring sold more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and made $8.5 million.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Somali immigrants can testify at the sentencing this month of three militia members convicted of plotting to bomb their apartment complex in a southwest Kansas city, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein were convicted for their role in the bomb plot
Defense attorneys had hoped to block the 20 short videos of victim testimony from being played at the Jan. 25 sentencing hearings. In a 34-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren also allowed sentencing enhancements for hate crimes and terrorism.
Patrick Stein , Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen were each convicted in April of one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of conspiracy against civil rights. Wright was also found guilty of lying to the FBI.
The weapon of mass destruction charge carries a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, while the civil rights violation could add a decade more behind bars. Prosecutors are seeking life terms for all three. The sentencing enhancements for terrorism and hate crimes bolster the government’s recommendations.
The attack , planned for the day after the 2016 general election in Garden City, was thwarted by another member of the group who tipped off authorities about escalating threats of violence. Garden City is about 220 miles west of Wichita.
Prosecutors said the men formed a splinter group of the right-wing, anti-immigrant militia Kansas Security Force that came to be known as “the Crusaders.”
Defense attorneys argued that the Somalis weren’t victims because no one was hurt. Prosecutors countered that the defendants are trying to de-personalize their crimes and that federal law guarantees every victim the right to be heard at sentencing.
Melgren found that their testimony is relevant at sentencing to determine the overall impact of the crimes, saying he would not be unduly influenced by them since he heard all the evidence at trial. He said the intended victims are entitled to have their statements heard.
“Defendants have not demonstrated that, even if the residents are not entitled to testify, that the Court is stripped of its discretion to hear the testimony,” according to the ruling.
