HAYS, Kan. – One week after clinching their first MIAA title, the Fort Hays State Tigers wrapped up their first undefeated regular season in 100 years after beating Nebraska-Kearney 41-7 in front of 5,128 on a cool, damp day at Lewis Field. The Tigers picked up 450 yards of offense and turned three UNK turnovers into 14 points to move to 11-0.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

Layne Bieberle Postgame Interview

Tanner Hoekman Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Senior Trae Regier returned the opening kickoff 50 yards setting up the Tigers first touchdown, a two-yard run from fellow senior Kenneth Iheme. Harley Hazlett hauled in a one-yard shovel pass from Jacob Mezera to push the lead to 20-0 with 7:25 to play in the second quarter.

Tanner Hoekman returned in interception 33 yards for a touchdown with 35 seconds to play in the quarter to give the Tigers a 27-0 lead at halftime.

Matt Wendelberger caught a three-yard pass for a touchdown and Isaiah Blackmon capped a 15-play, 76-yard drive to cap the scoring. The Tigers closed out the game with a 21-play, 90-yard drive that ate the final 11:08 off the clock.

The Tigers rushed for 205 yards led by Kenneth Iheme who has 100 on 14 carries. Jacob Mezera completed 25 of 34 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Layne Bieberle and Harley Hazlett both had eight receptions. Bieberle had 105 yards and Hazlett 64.

FHSU will find out their playoff fate Sunday when the pairings are announced at 4pm.

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The Fort Hays State wrestling team competed in their first tournament on the year at the Northern Colorado Open on Saturday (Nov. 11). The Tigers finished with eight placers. Brandon Ball and Christian Lance won their weight classes, while Dylan Wiesner finished second. Dy’Juan Carney (133 lb), Efe Osaghae (157 lb) and Rakim Dean (197 lb) all finished in fourth place. Jonathan Ball (149 lb) and Marty Verhaeghe (165 lb) each added a sixth place finish to their resumes.

Dy’Juan Carney started off the Northern Colorado Open on a good note as he pinned Fabian Guerrero of Northwest Kansas Technical College in 2:10 to advance to the quarterfinals of the 133-pound weight class. Carney dropped his second match of the day to Rico Montoya of Northern Colorado by way of a fall in 4:22. Carney defeated Otis Rollins of Colby CC in the second round of the consolation side by pinning him in 6:40. He advanced on to the consolation semifinals due to a medical forfeit. Carney then advanced to the third place match with by way of a forfeit. Carney finished in fourth place after suffering a 9-5 decision from Ronald Stevens of Wyoming.

Brandon Ball received a bye in the first round. Ball advanced to the quarterfinals after a 17-0 technical fall victory over Adrian George of New Mexico Highlands. Ball moved on to the semifinals in the 141-pound weight class after a 4-0 decision over Lyle Plummer of Air Force. He then defeated Garrett O’Shea of Air Force with a 4-2 decision to advance to the championship match. Second-ranked Brandon Ball won the Northern Colorado Open after an 11-3 tiebreaker victory over Joshua Giorgio of Air Force.

Jonathan Ball wrestled unattached in the Northern Colorado Open while receiving a bye in the first round. Ball defeated Ben Hornickle with a 4-3 decision. Ball then moved on to the semifinals of the 149-pound weight class by pinning Justin Davis (unattached-Colorado) in 1:57. Ball fell in the semifinal match to Sam Turner of Wyoming with a tiebreaker 4-3 loss. Ball ended his tournament with a tie for sixth place finish after a 7-1 decision loss to Benjamin Polkowske of Northern Colorado in the consolation semifinals.

Efe Osaghae defeated Kameron Frame with a 9-7 sudden victory to move on to the second round in the 157-pound weight class. Efe then used a 7-5 sudden victory over Reis Humphrey of New Mexico Highlands to advance to the quarterfinals. Osaghae defeated Terence Perkins of Air Force in an 11-5 decision. He dropped his semifinal match to Macoy Flanagan of Northern Colorado by way of a 3-0 decision. Osaghae defeated Humphrey once again in the consolation semis with an 8-5 decision victory. Efe Osaghae finished the Northern Colorado Open with a fourth place finish after falling to Tyler Kinn of Northern Colorado with a 6-0 decision.

Marty Verhaeghe dropped his first round match to Hayden Hastings (unattached-Wyoming) by way of a 6-1 decision. He pinned Kory Polley in the first round of the consolation round in 2:23. Verhaeghe then defeated Aaron Benton of Colorado State by technical fall (18-1). He advanced to the consolations semis after a 3-2 decision over Trace Carello of Air Force. Verhaeghe ended his tournament with a tie for sixth place finish after a 3-2 decision defeat from Jakob Discher.

Dylan Wiesner began his tournament by pinning Lance Killgore of New Mexico Highlands in 5:24. He picked up another pin in the second round after defeating Preston Lauterbach of Colorado State in 3:46. Wiesner moved on to the semifinals after a 13-11 decision victory over John Hagey from Air Force. Wiesner advanced to the championship match in the 174-pound weight class after a 9-1 major decision over Casey Randles. Wiesner dropped the title match after suffering a 16-6 major decision loss to Noah Irons of Air Force.

Rakim Dean received a bye in the first round of the 197-pound weight class. Dean was defeated via a 4-2 decision from Jacob Seeley of Northern Colorado. Dean advanced through the consolation side of the bracket via a medical forfeit, a 14-3 major decision over Antonio Navarrette of New Mexico Highlands, another medical forfeit and an 18-0 technical fall victory in the consolation semifinals. Dean walked away with a fourth place finish in the 197-pound weight class after suffering a 5-4 tiebreaker loss in the third place match.

Christian Lance began his tournament with a bye in the first round. Lance advanced to the quarterfinals after a 21-4 technical fall victory over Oscar Soto from Northeastern Junior College. He grabbed a 3-2 decision over Hunter Mullins from Wyoming to move on to the semifinals in the 285-pound weight class. Lance was not done as he picked up a 9-4 decision over Kayne Hutchison of Air Force Prep to advance to the championship match. Seventh-ranked Christian Lance defeated Cody Johnson of Colorado State-Pueblo with a 3-2 decision to walk away victorious in the 285-pound title bout.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend as they head up to Kearney, Neb. to compete in the Nebraska-Kearney Open on Saturday (Nov. 18). The tournament is set to kick off at 9 a.m.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team battled back to take the second set against Northwest Missouri State Saturday afternoon (Nov. 11), but the upset bid came up short as the Bearcats came away victorious in four sets (11-25, 25-21, 16-25, 12-25). The Tigers wrap up the regular season 11-23 overall and 2-16 in the MIAA while the Bearcats move to 17-14 on the year and 11-7 in conference action.

Northwest Missouri State picked up 11 blocks in the win, limiting FHSU to its lowest attack percentage this season (.019) while countering with a .243 swing rate. Azlyn Cassaday picked up a team-high 11 kills, adding two blocks and five digs. Logan Wallick chipped in 10 kills while Callie Christensen posted four kills and four blocks (one solo).

The Bearcats took control early after winning the first set, 25-11, and jumping out in front to start the second set. The Tigers trailed by as many as six in the second frame, 18-12, before scoring six in a row to tie things up at 18. A NWMSU service error started the rally before Taylor White dropped in a service ace to cut the deficit to four. Wallick tied things up with a pair of kills off assists from Becca Page after two Bearcat errors put the Tigers within two.

Fort Hays State fell behind once again, 20-18, before the Tigers rallied to take the set thanks to a 7-1 run. Northwest Missouri made five errors down the stretch before a kill from Kylie Rollman secured the 25-21 FHSU victory. The Tigers were unable to maintain the momentum, however, with the Bearcats taking the match after winning the third set, 25-16, and the fourth set, 25-12.

The Fort Hays State Tigers shot over 60% in the first quarter on their way to a 26-6 lead after the ten minutes. The Tigers pushed their lead to 30 by have time at 45-15. Fort Hays State opened the game on a 23-2 run and then used a 11-0 run over the final minute of the first quarter and first four minutes of the second quarter to put any doubt of the outcome away.

Highlights

Fort Hays State was never threatened in the second half pulling away for an 84-42 victory. Five players scored in double figures led by the career high 16 of Taylor Rohlfs. Kacey Kennett added 15 for a second consecutive game. Carly Heim scored 13, Whitney Clampitt added 12 and Emma Stroyan 10.

Coach Tony Hobson

The Tigers are 2-0 on the season. Southwest Minnesota State fall to 0-2.

Fort Hays State used runs of 13-3 and 20-3 in the first half to take control of the season opening game at the MIAA-NSIC Challenge in Fayette, Iowa. The Tigers did allow the host Upper Iowa Peacocks to score for the first 6:30 building their lead to 8-0 and then took a 13-3 lead for their biggest lead of the first quarter.

Fort Hays State led 15-8 after the first quarter then exploded for a 20-3 run to open the second quarter. The run was started by seven straight points from Taylor Rolfs. At the end of the run the Tigers led 35-11 and took a 37-17 lead to half time.

Highlights

Fort Hays State continued to increase the lead through the second half pushing the lead to 50-24 after three quarters. The Tigers outscored the Peacocks 16-8 in the fourth quarter for the 66-32 win. The Tigers held Upper Iowa to single digit scoring in each of the four quarters.

Tatyana Legette and Kacey Kennett each scored 15 to lead the Tigers. 11 players in all scored during the game. Fort Hays State starts the season at 1-0. Upper Iowa falls to 0-1.

Coach Tony Hobson

Fort Hays State women vs. Upper Iowa
Tipoff: 8pm

EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State shot 64-percent in the first half and 52-percent for the game and beat No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State 85-66 in the MIAA/NSIC Challenge at White Auditorium. The Tigers outrebounded the Mustangs by 14 and outscored them 50-22 in the paint.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

After trailing early by five, FHSU used a 6-0 run to go up five. A 7-0 run late in the first half pushed their lead to seven. They then scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and led by as many as 25.

Peyton Stephens came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points to lead the Tigers. Marcus Copper added 14, Brady Werth 12, Aaron Nicholson 11 and Hadley Gillum 10 along with nine rebounds. Kyler Kinnamon dished out eight assists and had three steals.

Fort Hays State vs. #15 Southwest Minnesota State
Tipoff: 5:30pm

GOLDEN, Colo. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team dropped its season-opening dual on Wednesday (Nov. 8) by a score of 22-16 to Colorado School of Mines.

Colorado School of Mines’ Zach Gracia put the Orediggers up 5-0 right out of the gate in the 125-pound bout with a 17-2 technical fall over Conrad Cole. In the subsequent 133-pound class, Noah Au-Yeung extended the Orediggers lead to 9-0 with a major decision, 12-0, over Dy’Juan Carney.

At 141 pounds, 2nd-ranked Brandon Ball put the Tigers on the board as he managed to defeat Lukas Erickson with a 9-0 major decision. Ball picked up where he left off last season as he begins this year 1-0.

In the 149-pound bout, Fort Hays State’s Brody Lewis battled with Colorado School of Mines’ Noah Ottum. Ottum got the better of true freshman Lewis and increased the Orediggers lead to 13-4 with an 8-0 major decision.

Efe Osaghae cut the Orediggers lead to 13-7 in the 157-pound weight class with a 3-2 decision over Ethan Ruby. Osaghae used a key takedown in the third period to start his redshirt-freshman campaign with a victory.

Halfway through the dual the Orediggers lead the Tigers 13-7.

In the 165-pound bout, Marty Verhaeghe fell behind early in his match and used a quick escape and a takedown in the third period to inch closer, however it was not enough as he fell to Keenan Willits 9-4 in his first match of the season.

Dylan Wiesner took to the mat in the 174-pound weight class against the Orediggers TJ Shelton. Wiesner took advantage of a quick lead in the bout after two takedowns and an escape but in the second period was tangled up by Shelton and was pinned. The Orediggers took a commanding 22-7 lead in the match.

For the 184-pound battle, the Tigers brought out Micah Felton to take on Andrew Hinkle of the Orediggers. Felton used a key takedown in the third period and never looked back as he defeated Hinkle by a 7-1 decision. With the Tigers not getting a fall in this match, the Orediggers clinched the dual victory as they lead 22-10 after this bout.

At 197 pounds, Rakim Dean added three more points to the Tigers total as he emerged victorious over Anthony Spallino by an 8-4 decision.

In the last bout of the evening, 7th-ranked Christian Lance went up against Ian Cheatum in the 285-pound match. Lance finished the dual on a good note for the Tigers as he battled Cheatum until the very end. Lance arose from the mat with a 7-2 decision.

The Tigers are back on the mat this weekend as they travel to Greeley, Colo. to compete in the Northern Colorado Open on Saturday (Nov. 11). The Open is set to begin at 9 a.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team had nine players named to the 2017 All-MIAA Team, released on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The Tigers have six first team selections and three second team selections. Brett Parker was named Coach of the Year and Derick Gonzalez was named MIAA Player of the Year.

Earning unanimous first team selections for the Tigers are forward Abdoulaye Cisse and midfielder Derick Gonzalez. They were two of the four players selected as unanimous picks as Joe Garcia, midfielder from Northeastern State and MIAA Freshman of the Year Michele Ganz of Lindenwood also with that distinction. Joining both on the first team are goalkeeper Michael Yantz, defenders Killian Gorman and Luis Torres, and midfielder Luis Mendez.

Second team selections went to defender Caesar Jones, midfielder Tobias Patino and forward Raul Fierro.

Gonzalez, a senior, earns All-MIAA First Team honors for the second straight year, while earning MIAA Player of the Year. He leads the Tigers in points with 34, entering the NCAA Tournament with ten goals, while leading the nation in assists with 14. He ranks first in the MIAA in points and total assists. Gonzalez sits in third in total goals in the conference. Gonzalez was named to the NSCAA All-Central Region first team and the D2CCA All-Central Region first team last year.

Cisse, a junior, makes his first All-MIAA First Team list. He has put up solid numbers this year as he ranks second on the team in goals (eight) and assists (seven). He leads the team in shots on goal with 22 on the year.

Yantz, a senior, earns his second straight first-team honor at goalkeeper. Yantz ranks second in the MIAA in shutouts (five) and is third in both goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.763). He has an overall record of 8-4-2. He is now a three-time all-conference selection after earning second team honors his sophomore campaign.

Gorman, a senior, picks up his third All-MIAA honor after a first-team selection this year. Gorman was named to the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team his sophomore season.

Torres, a junior, earns his second All-MIAA First Team honor. Torres has accumulated a goal and one assist on the year while playing the second-most minutes on the pitch for the Tigers with 1,417. Torres was the lone All-America selection a year ago. He was named to the NSCAA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team as a sophomore last season.

Mendez, a sophomore, picks up another All-MIAA First Team honor in his second year with the Tigers. He has scored two goals and picked up four assists on the season. Mendez was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year a season ago. He was also named to the D2CCA All-Central Region first team as a freshman.

Jones, a junior, earns second team All-MIAA honors this year. He has started in 13 matches on the year and has logged 1,045 minutes on the pitch. He has two goals and one assists to his credit this season.

Patino, a junior, receives second team honors for the second straight year. Patino has set up his teammates with four assists on the season.

Fierro, a junior, earns second team honors in his first year as a Tiger. Fierro has recorded the only hat trick on the season when he scored three goals against Southwest Baptist. He ranks third on the team in points (16) and goals (seven) on the year.

Coach Brett Parker was named the Coach of the Year in the MIAA for the first time in his tenure at Fort Hays State. He has helped the Tigers to at least 11 wins in each of his seven seasons at the helm.

Below is the 2017 All-MIAA Men’s Soccer Team

Player of the Year
Derick Gonzalez, MF, Fort Hays State

Freshman of the Year
Michele Ganz, F, Lindenwood

Coach of the Year
Brett Parker, Fort Hays State

First Team
GK: Michael Yantz, Sr., Fort Hays State
D: Killian Gorman, Sr., Fort Hays State
D: Seth Russell, So., Upper Iowa
D: Luis Torres, Jr., Fort Hays State
D: Jeremy Tutas, Sr., Lindenwood
MF: Derick Gonzalez, Sr., Fort Hays State**
MF: Joe Garcia, Jr., Northeastern State**
MF: Gabriel Jaimes, Sr., Lindenwood
MF: Luis Mendez, So., Fort Hays State
F: Abdoulaye Cisse, Jr., Fort Hays State**
F: Ruairidh Crawford, Sr., Upper Iowa
F: Michele Ganz, Fr., Lindenwood**
F: Aaron Ugbah, So., Northeastern State

Results reflect ties in the voting
**Unanimous Selection

Second Team
GK: Ryan Davis, Sr., Northeastern State
GK: Connor Rortvedt, Sr., Upper Iowa
D: James Doyle, Fr., Northeastern State
D: Caesar Jones, Jr., Fort Hays State
D: Bailey Weeks, So., Northeastern State
MF: Marko Circo, So., Upper Iowa
MF: Italo Martin-Soares, Fr., Upper Iowa
MF: Tobias Patino, Jr., Fort Hays State
MF: Ismael Serratos, Sr., Northeastern State
MF: Tyler Walker, So., Northeastern State
F: Raul Fierro, Jr., Fort Hays State
F: Justin Todd, Jr., Northeastern State

Honorable Mention
Northeastern State: Andrew Galvan, D
Southwest Baptist: Alberto Rodriguez, MF
Upper Iowa: Cameron Bosacki, D

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
November 8, 2017

Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers regular season home finale with Nebraska-Kearney Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field.

Brown and select players met with the media inside Lewis Field on Tuesday, a session that can be heard by clicking on the links below.

Head coach Chris Brown

 

Senior RB Kenneth Iheme

Senior CB Trae Regier

Sophomore WR Layne Bieberle

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s basketball team gave the Kansas Jayhawks all they could handle in the first half Tuesday evening (Nov. 7), leading as late as 29-28 before heading into the locker room down by five, 38-33. But the perennial powerhouse showed why it is the #4/#3 team in the land after the break, using a strong second-half performance to outlast the Tigers, 86-57.

Mark Johnson Post game interview

Highlights

Historic Allen Fieldhouse did not seem to faze the Tigers, as they hit 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the floor on the night. The Jayhawks countered with an efficient 51.6 percent (32-for-62) from the floor. KU used its significant size advantage to dominate under the basket, outrebounding the Tigers 45-29 while doubling up FHSU on points in the paint, 44-22.

Hadley Gillum and Brady Werth each scored 14 points to lead the Tigers, while Jared Vitztum grabbed a team-high five rebounds. The Tigers kept Jayhawk standout Devonte’ Graham in check in the first half, limiting the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year to three field goals before halftime. Graham got things rolling out of the locker room, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc to help him reach a game-high 27 points.

Fort Hays State went toe-to-toe with the Jayhawks for the entirety of the first half, never trailing by more than six and taking the lead five different times. The sides traded buckets for the first five minutes of the game before KU went on an 8-3 run to go in front 16-10, the largest lead of the half.

The Tigers bounced back in a big way, holding KU scoreless over the next four minutes while scoring seven-straight points to creep back in front, 17-16. Gillum knocked down a turnaround hook shot before Grant Holmes dropped in a layup on the next possession. After a two-minute scoring draught for both teams, Gillum drilled a three from the right wing to give the Tigers the lead.

The Jayhawks rallied to take a five-point lead before the under-four timeout, but Trey O’Neil drilled back-to-back triples in a 25 second span to singlehandedly take back the lead, 29-28. The junior knocked one down from the left wing before sinking a long ball from the top of the key while being knocked down on the next possession.

Gillum drilled his second three-pointer late in the half to tie things up at 33, burying one from the left wing off a pass from Aaron Nicholson. The Jayhawks finished the half on a 5-0 run to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room.

Gillum led all scorers in the first half, picking up 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting including both of his three-point attempts. O’Neil added eight points in the half while Nicholson dished out to assists to go along with four points. The Tigers drilled 40.6 percent (13-of-32) of their shots over the first 20 minutes of action.

After Werth dropped in put-back layup after grabbing an offensive rebound to trim the deficit to three, the Jayhawks started to pull away. KU went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes before scoring 15-straight to go in front by 27 with six minutes to play, 71-44. The Jayhawks led by as many as 32 late in the half, but Isaiah Nunnery drilled a pair of three-pointers down the stretch to help break up the KU rhythm.

The Tigers are set to open the regular season this weekend when they head to Emporia, Kan. for a pair of neutral site contests. FHSU will open the season on Friday (Nov. 10) against No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State before facing off with Sioux Falls on Saturday (Nov. 11). Both contests begin at 5:30 p.m.