Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers outlasted Pittsburg State 42-41 Saturday in Pittsburg.
The Tigers return home this Saturday for a matchup with Nebraska-Kearney in a battle of a pair of 5-2 teams.
Senior wide receiver Layne Bieberle and senior defensive back Tanner Hoeckman also addressed the media
Chris Brown
Layne Bieberle
Tanner Hoeckman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sophomore quarterback Chance Fuller and redshirt-freshman running back Te’Corey Tutson of Fort Hays State received MIAA Football Athlete of the Week honors, presented by Mammoth Turf, for their efforts in the 42-41 win over Pittsburg State last week. Fuller earned Offensive Athlete of the Week, while Tutson earned Special Teams Athlete of the Week.
Fuller threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-41 win for Fort Hays State at Pittsburg State. He completed 71.8 percent of his passes (23-of-32) and had touchdown passes of 1, 12, 67, and 68 yards. Both of his touchdown passes of over 60 yards went to Layne Bieberle, who finished with 152 yards on four catches. His 67-yard connection with Bieberle on 3rd-and-20 for a touchdown pushed FHSU in front 35-34 early in the fourth quarter, then added his 12-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later to push the FHSU lead to 42-34, which proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
Tutson finished with 130 kick return yards in the win at Pittsburg State. His longest return went for 44 yards. He averaged 21.7 yards per return. Tutson finished with 135 all-purpose yards for the game, also rushing the ball for five yards on the touchdown drive that pushed FHSU back into the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Fuller and Tutson joined Nebraska-Kearney linebacker Sal Silvio (Defensive Athlete of the Week) for the weekly honors from the conference office on Monday, October 21.
WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football is back in the receiving votes section of the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Monday (Oct. 21). The Tigers are among four MIAA teams in the receiving votes section, while two teams from the conference remain in the top 25. FHSU is currently on a five-game winning streak.
By knocking off Pittsburg State this past Saturday, Fort Hays State pulled Pitt State from the top 25. The Gorillas went into the game ranked 19th. Pittsburg State is now at the top of the receiving votes list, just on the outside the top 25 looking in. Fort Hays State is fourth among teams receiving votes, while Missouri Western is right behind as the fifth team listed receiving votes. This week’s opponent for the Tigers, Nebraska-Kearney, is also among the receiving votes list after a 24-17 win over nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State. The Lopers pushed the Bearcats from No. 7 in the poll to No. 14 this week.
Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Missouri Western, and Nebraska-Kearney all sit in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings at 5-2. Central Missouri leads the conference at 7-0, ranked No. 11 in the latest national poll, and Northwest Missouri State is second at 6-1.
Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for October 21, 2019.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Record | Pts. | Prev. | Week 7 | Next Game |
| 1. | Valdosta St. (Ga.) (30) | 7-0 | 774 | 1 | D. Florida Tech, 55-28 | Oct. 26 at North Greenville (S.C.) |
| 2. | Ferris St. (Mich.) | 7-0 | 737 | 2 | D. Northwood (Mich.), 44-17 | Oct. 26 vs. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.) |
| 3. | Minnesota St. | 7-0 | 708 | 3 | D. Mary (N.D.), 74-17 | Oct. 26 at Minnesota-Crookston |
| 4. | Tarleton St. (Texas) (1) | 7-0 | 663 | 4 | D. No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce, 35-21 | Oct. 26 at Texas A&M-Kingsville |
| 5. | Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) | 7-0 | 644 | 5 | D. Oklahoma Baptist, 42-14 | Oct. 24 at Southern Nazarene (Okla.) |
| 6. | Notre Dame (Ohio) | 7-0 | 608 | 6 | D. Wheeling (W.Va.), 51-13 | Oct. 26 vs. Findlay (Ohio) |
| 7. | Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) | 7-0 | 586 | 8 | D. Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 36-23 | Oct. 26 at Limestone (S.C.) |
| 8. | Indianapolis (Ind.) | 6-0 | 526 | 10 | Idle | Oct. 26 vs. Missouri S&T |
| 9t. | Colorado School of Mines | 7-0 | 519 | 11 | D. Fort Lewis (Colo.), 42-0 | Oct. 26 at Azusa Pacific (Calif.) |
| 9t. | Slippery Rock (Pa.) | 7-0 | 519 | 9 | D. Edinboro (Pa.), 41-30 | Oct. 26 vs. Clarion (Pa.) |
| 11. | Central Missouri | 7-0 | 421 | 14 | D. Emporia St. (Kan.), 34-27 | Oct. 26 vs. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) |
| 12. | Wingate (N.C.) | 7-0 | 417 | 13 | D. UNC-Pembroke, 48-38 | Oct. 26 vs. Virginia-Wise |
| 13. | Colorado St.-Pueblo | 6-1 | 368 | 15 | D. Colorado Mesa, 48-22 | Oct. 26 vs. Adams St. (Colo.) |
| 14. | Northwest Missouri St. | 6-1 | 343 | 7 | Lost to Nebraska-Kearney, 24-17 | Oct. 26 vs. Lincoln (Mo.) |
| 15. | Bowie St. (Md.) | 7-0 | 337 | 16 | D. Virginia St., 24-14 | Oct. 26 vs. No. 25 Virginia Union |
| 16. | Grand Valley St. (Mich.) | 6-1 | 311 | 17 | D. Northern Michigan, 45-17 | Oct. 26 vs. Davenport (Mich.) |
| 17. | Kutztown (Pa.) | 7-0 | 305 | 18 | D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 35-12 | Oct. 26 vs. Shippensburg (Pa.) |
| 18. | Harding (Ark.) | 6-1 | 247 | 21 | D. Southwestern Oklahoma St., 45-14 | Oct. 26 at Northwestern Oklahoma St. |
| 19. | Indiana (Pa.) | 6-1 | 209 | 22 | D. Clarion (Pa.), 59-21 | Oct. 26 vs. Gannon (Pa.) |
| 20. | West Florida | 5-1 | 177 | 24 | D. West Georgia, 30-2 | Oct. 26 at Florida Tech |
| 21. | West Chester (Pa.) | 6-1 | 151 | 12 | Lost to Shepherd (W.Va.), 35-23 | Oct. 26 vs. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) |
| 22. | Angelo St. (Texas) | 6-1 | 142 | 25 | D. West Texas A&M, 17-14 | Oct. 26 vs. Texas-Permian Basin |
| 23t. | Henderson St. (Ark.) | 6-1 | 71 | NR | D. East Central (Okla.), 48-17 | Oct. 26 at Southeastern Oklahoma St. |
| 23t. | Texas A&M-Commerce | 4-2 | 71 | 20 | Lost to No. 4 Tarleton St. (Texas), 35-21 | Oct. 26 vs. Western New Mexico |
| 25. | Virginia Union | 6-1 | 67 | NR | D. Chowan (N.C.), 41-34 | Oct. 26 at No. 15 Bowie St. (Md.) |
Dropped Out: Pittsburg St. (Kan.) (19), Minnesota-Duluth (23)
Others Receiving Votes: Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 39; Dixie St. (Utah), 37; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 20; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 12; Missouri Western St., 11; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 5; Minnesota-Duluth, 5; Truman St. (Mo.), 5; Eastern New Mexico, 4; Frostburg St. (Md.), 4; Tiffin (Ohio), 4; Nebraska-Kearney, 3; Assumption (Mass.), 2; Southern Arkansas, 2; Miles (Ala.), 1.
HAYS, Kan. — After only playing 28 minutes Friday night before weather interfered, the Tigers were back in action on Sunday against Missouri Southern. The defense stood tall all afternoon and the offense put three goals on the board, as Fort Hays State ended the weekend with a 3-0 victory. The Tigers improved their record to 8-3-1 (4-1-1 MIAA), while the Lions fell to 2-11-2 (1-5-1 MIAA).
The Tigers tested goalkeeper Riley Laver (2-9-1) from opening kick. After putting nine shots on goal, Cailey Perkins was able to make the tenth shot in the 25th minute off assists from Darby Hirsch and Jenna Prince. Hirsch threaded a pass through to Jenna Prince near midfield, then Prince found Perkins ahead at the top of the box where she rifled in her third goal of the year. Fort Hays put six more shots on goal, while the defense only allowed three shots before ending the first half with a 1-0 lead.
The second half was exactly like the first as the wind shifted around and favored the Tigers once again. After five more shots, Perkins scored her second of the day and her fourth of the year in the 62nd minute. Off a corner kick, Darby Hirsch crossed the ball into the box and Perkins headed it past Laver to double the lead. Hirsch also picked up her second assist of the day on that goal. Sophomore defender Karli Potts checked into the match following the second goal from Perkins. Six minutes later, she was able to find the back of the net for her first career goal. Potts capitalized on MSSU’s inability to clear the ball, and she cashed in on a loose ball chance in front of the net to put the Tigers up 3-0. Following another great defensive performance from the back line and senior goalkeeper Megan Kneefel (7-2-1), the Tigers closed out their eighth victory of the year and seventh shutout of the 2019 campagin.
The offense came alive in this match as the Tigers attempted 24 shots throughout the 90 minutes with 12 on goal. Nine different Tigers were able to put pressure on the Lion’s back line with shot attempts. Perkins led the team with 5 shots (4 on goal) and Hirsch followed with four shots and one on goal.
The Tiger defense was a brick wall, allowing just four shots and one on goal to Missouri Southern. Kneefel recorded her 15th career shutout, placing her in a tie for second place all-time with Abbie Flax (2014-16) for career shutouts. Darby Hirsch also made a mark in the record books on the first goal of the match. She picked up career assists 16 and 17 and now owns the record for most career assists in the FHSU women’s program history.
The Tigers continue their home stand with another match Friday night (Oct. 25) against the Hillcats of Rogers State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Following a back-and-forth game, a missed 38-yard field goal by Pittsburg State with a little over a minute to play gave Fort Hays State a 42-41 win over the 19th-ranked Gorillas in front of 8,041 Saturday afternoon at Carnie Smith Stadium.
It’s the Tigers (5-2, 5-2 MIAA) fifth straight win following an 0-2 start and their fourth straight over the Gorillas (5-2, 5-2 MIAA) and third straight in Pittsburg.
FHSU lead 28-24 at halftime and drove to the Pitt State five on their opening possession of the third quarter but fumbled. The Gorillas scored 10 straight to go up 34-28 and had the ball in Tiger territory when Drew Harvey ripped the ball away from Gorilla quarterback Brandon Mlekus.
Following an offside penalty on the Gorillas, Chance Fuller connected with Layne Bieberle on a 67-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 20 to take a 35-34 lead early in the fourth.
A Harvey interception set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Fuller to Manny Ramsey to put FHSU up 42-34 with 12:09 to play.
The Gorillas Kiah Kintchen would score on a 35-yard option on the Gorillas next possession to pull within 42-40. PSU lined up for a 2-point conversion but settled for the extra point following an illegal procedure penalty.
The Tigers drove into Gorilla territory on their next possession but had to punt.
Starting from their own 11 yard line, PSU drove to the FHSU 21 but Jared Vincent’s 38-yard field goal attempt veered wide left with 1:03 to play.
The Tigers win despite giving up 613 yards of offense to Pitt State. Chance Fuller completed 23 of 32 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Two of them were to Layne Bieberle who had four receptions for 152 yards. Harley Hazlett hauled in eight catches for 51 yards while rushing for 24 yards on three carries.
Charles Tigner had his third 100-yard rushing game going for 127 on 19 carries with a touchdown.
Jordan Starks led the Tigers with 14 tackles. Drew Harvey added 12 with one for a loss to go along with a forced fumble and recovery and interception.
The Tigers host Nebraska-Kearney this Saturday. The Lopers are also 5-2 following a 24-17 home win over No. 7 Northwest Missouri State.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in three sets to Pittsburg State Saturday evening (Oct. 19), 25-14, 25-10, 25-19. The loss moves the Tigers to 6-13 overall and 3-8 in MIAA play, while the Gorillas improve to 10-10 on the year and 5-6 in conference action.
Pittsburg State jumped in front early in all three sets, with the Tigers’ latest lead coming at 7-6 in the third set. The Tigers could not find a rhythm on offense, posting an attack percentage of .054. Pittsburg State, on the other hand, recorded just 10 attack errors en route to a swing rate of .324. FHSU totaled six blocks on the night, one better than the Gorillas.
Emily Ellis recorded three solo blocks in the match, tied for the second-most in a three-set match during the rally scoring era (2001-present). Isabelle Reynolds led the team with seven kills and tallied the lone service ace for the Tigers. Morgan Christiansen added five kills and two blocks (one solo). Katie Darnell totaled 14 assists with Taylor White chipping in six assists and nine digs. Libero Abbie Hayes led the way with 10 digs.
The Tigers will return home to host fourth-ranked Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 22) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – For the first time in 734 days, No. 18 Fort Hays State men’s soccer fell in a conference matchup. On Saturday afternoon (Oct. 19), the Northeastern State defeated FHSU, 4-1.
The RiverHawks Flynn Semmerling began the scoring inside of the first five minutes and continued on to a hat trick, adding goals in the 19th and 25th minutes.
Northeastern State remained very persistent on the offensive end, registering 20 shots at goalkeeper Kieran Brown, who recorded four saves in the contest.
FHSU attempted to ignite their offensive play late in the match when Arsenio Chamorro collected his second goal of the season in the 85th minute, but were unable to add any more.
Over two years ago, similarly, the Tigers traveled to Tahlequah and fell to Northeastern State, 3-1. Since that loss, FHSU has created a remarkable streak of 17-0-1 in all conference games – winning its final two in 2017, all eight in MIAA play in 2018, and the first seven of the current season now as members of the GAC.
The RiverHawks’ latest victory splits the season series at one win each. The Tigers found their victory on a game-winning overtime goal by Santiago Agudelo in September. With the loss, Fort Hays State is now 8-4-1 on the season and 7-1-1 in Great American Conference games. Northeastern State, following their victory, advances to 7-6 overall and 5-4 in the GAC.
FHSU will get ready to host Harding University (7-3-2, 6-2-1 GAC) next week in a pivotal conference game. The Bisons currently sit second in the Great American Conference standings with a record of 7-3-2 (6-2-1 GAC), just one game back in the loss column to the Tigers.
Fort Hays State (4-2. 4-2 MIAA) at
#19/21 Pittsburg State (5-1, 5-1 MIAA)
Saturday, October 19 – 1 pm
Carnie Smith Stadium – Pittsburg, Kan.
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM) LISTEN LIVE
Fort Hays State Football heads to Pittsburg State on Saturday for another pivotal MIAA matchup. The 4-2 Tigers face the 5-1 Gorillas at 1 pm inside Carnie Smith Stadium. The Gorillas enter the game as the No. 19/21 ranked team in Division II, while the Tigers are on a four-game win streak.
Fort Hays State is coming off a 19-3 Homecoming win over Emporia State in Hays last week. The Tiger defense has been solid of late, holding their last three opponents to seven points or less (3 vs. Missouri Southern, 7 at Central Oklahoma, 3 vs. Emporia State). FHSU is the only squad in the MIAA to hold opponents inside 10 points in more than one game this year. As a result, FHSU now leads the MIAA in scoring defense allowing 18.8 points per game.
Pittsburg State is coming off a 38-17 loss in a battle of nationally ranked teams with Northwest Missouri State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City last week. It was the first loss of the season for the Gorillas as now only two unbeaten teams remain in the MIAA (Northwest Missouri and Central Missouri). Pittsburg State dropped six spots in the AFCA Top 25 Poll after the loss from No. 13 to No. 19.
Fort Hays State won the last three meetings with Pittsburg State. Last year in Hays, FHSU won 50-21. The teams have not met in Pittsburg since 2016, when the Tigers claimed a 54-41 win in a shootout. The Tigers have won the last two meetings of the teams in Pittsburg, claiming the 2014 matchup 7-6. The 2016 meeting was Homecoming for Pittsburg State and FHSU serves as the Homecoming opponent again this year.
Aside from owning the best scoring defense in the MIAA, Fort Hays State ranks 14th in NCAA Division II in passing yards per game. The Tigers are averaging 295.5 yards per game through the air. They have balanced the passing game well during their current win streak, rushing for over 160 yards in all four wins. FHSU produced a season-high 183 yards on the ground last week against Emporia State, while producing its season low in passing yards (209). Quarterback Chance Fuller ranks ninth in NCAA Division II for passing yards per game (285.2) and fifth for passing touchdowns (18).
The Tigers have had a 100-yard rusher in three out of the last four games. Charles Tigner went for 125 yards against Washburn and 111 against Emporia State, while D.J. Hickman reeled off 121 at Central Oklahoma. Harley Hazlett leads the receiving corps with 40 catches for 541 yards. Hazlett ranks 13th in NCAA Division II for receptions per game (6.7) and seventh for receiving touchdowns (8).
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Drew Harvey leads the Tigers in tackles with 50. Tanner Hoekman is the team leader in interceptions with three, while ranking second on the team in tackles with 48. Sheldon Schmidt is the team leader in sacks with three.
CLAREMORE, Okla. – For the second time in the 2019 campaign, the Fort Hays State Tigers have defeated the Rogers State Hillcats in conference play. The first result, which occurred at home in Hays, was a 2-0 victory for FHSU. Thursday night’s match ended, 1-0, in favor of the black and gold.
The majority of the rematch was filled with back and forth play. At the conclusion of the match, the Tigers held 52-percent of the possession, with a large portion of that number being controlled in the midfield.
Meanwhile, the Hillcats spent a large portion of their 90 minutes in the attacking half of the field.
Although Rogers State pressured the Tigers with 11 shots throughout the match, they were unable to find the back of the net due to a strong defensive presence from Fort Hays State’s back line. Each of the four defensive players (Mariano Benitez, Alec Bevis, Moritz Walther, and Joey McCain) played all 90 minutes in the victory.
Freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown collected two saves en route to his second career clean sheet.
With just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Alonso Rodriguez struck Fort Hays’ eighth shot of the match. From a few yards inside the 18-yard box, the junior midfielder slotted the ball in the lower right-hand corner of the goal, registering his third of the season.
Almost two minutes later, Rogers State’s James Connor attempted to equalize the scoresheet, but had his shot ring off the crossbar.
Now 8-3-1, FHSU will battle against conference foe, Northeastern State University on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers and the RiverHawks clashed in Hays earlier in the season when an overtime goal by Santiago Agudelo sealed the result for the black and gold. Their second matchup this season is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
DALLAS – The Dallas Renegades of the newly reformed XFL professional football league selected former Fort Hays State standout safety Doyin Jibowu in the 2019 XFL Draft on Wednesday. Jibowu was an undrafted free agent signing in the spring of 2019 with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, but was released prior to the start of the regular season in September.
Jibowu played in four preseason games with the Chicago Bears in 2019 before his release when the Bears trimmed their roster for the regular season. Over the four games, he recorded seven tackles and one interception.
Training camps for XFL teams will begin in November of 2019. The first regular season games are set to begin in February of 2020. The regular season will consist of 10 weeks, while the playoffs and championship game will be in April. The Dallas Renegades will be playing home games inside of Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, the long-time home of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.
Jibowu was a two-time All-America selection by the Don Hansen Football Committee and finished his senior year of 2018 with 57 tackles, including 6 for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 sack, and 11 pass breakups. He wrapped his impressive four-year career at FHSU with 276 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 9 interceptions, and 26 pass breakups. Jibowu was a three-time All-MIAA First Team selection at defensive back and received Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA in his time at FHSU. Jibowu helped FHSU to back-to-back MIAA Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018 and a pair of bowl game appearances in 2015 and 2016.
Former University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops is the head coach and general manager of the Renegades.
With the 8th pick of Round 8 (No. 64 overall) in the Defensive Backfield #XFLDraft, the #XFLRenegades select saftey @DoyinJi!#RenegadesDraft // #RaisingHell pic.twitter.com/iZQuKHLzB0
— Dallas Renegades (@XFLRenegades) October 16, 2019
Hutchinson native Ben Heeney also was drafted by the XFL’s New York Guardians.
Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers earned a 19-3 win over Emporia State Saturday in Hays.
The Tigers have won four in-a-row and are 4-2 heading into Saturday’s meeting with the 5-1 Pittsburg State Gorillas.
Sophomore wide receiver and sophomore quarterback Chance Fuller also addressed the media Tuesday. You can hear their comments below.
Chris Brown
Manny Ramsey
Kiel Simas
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The FHSU men’s golf team placed third overall at the Blue Tiger Invitational hosted by Lincoln University. The tournament was held at Jefferson City Country Club, a par-72 course.
As a team, the Tigers finished in their highest position of the season. They led the tournament after the first round, shooting 308. After rounds of 313 and 316, the Tigers finished with a 937 overall, good for third place as a team. Concordia-St. Paul won the tournament with a total of 917. Central College of Iowa claimed second place over the Tigers by one stroke, shooting a 936 over three rounds.
Pete Carney led the team by turning in a 12-over par 228 total (72-77-79). Carney finished in sixth place overall individually. Bryce Cowan followed Carney, putting together an 18-over par performance of 234 (78-77-79). Cowan ended the tournament tied for eighth place individually and led the team in birdies sinking ten throughout the three rounds. Isaiah Grover had a top-15 performance as he finished tied for 15th. Grover carded a 239, shooting 23-over par for the tournament (82-79-78). Marcus Willey earned a top 20 finish by placing in a tie for 18th overall. He ended the tournament with a 240 total, shooting 24-over par (79-81-80). Cole Gritton rounded out the team with a 241 total (79-80-82). Gritton finished in a tie for 21st individually.
Fort Hays State also had three individuals competing aside from players chosen for the team scoring. Colton Bobek finished the highest in a tie for 23rd. He put in rounds of 84, 79, and 79 for a 242. Reese Emert followed Bobek with a 250 (81-89-80), finishing in 33rd. Luke Russell carded rounds of 84, 87, and 82 for a 253 and tied for 34th.
Gabe Trowbridge of Lincoln claimed first individually by shooting a 5-over 221 (73-74-74).
The Tigers will play their final tournament of the fall season next week at the Jerry Hrnciar Invitational in Duncan, Okla (Oct. 21-22).
