Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference October 17, 2017
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers game at Missouri Western State Saturday afternoon at Spratt Memorial Stadium. 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.
Fort Hays State moved up a spot in the latest edition of the D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 17). The Tigers are No. 9 in the latest supplemental poll but remained No. 8 this week in the AFCA Poll, which serves as the official poll of Division II. The Tigers are among the Top 10 of both Division II polls for a second straight week and have been listed in the Top 25 of both for six consecutive weeks now.
Three teams with a loss remain in front of FHSU in the D2Football.com Poll. That list includes Grand Valley State (6-1), Ashland (6-1), and Ferris State (5-1) all from the GLIAC. Indianapolis, the team that defeated Grand Valley in the first game of the season, remains undefeated at 7-0, but ranks only 11th in the D2Football.com Poll. Ashland’s only loss is to the No. 2 team in the poll, Indiana (Pa.). Ferris State’s only loss is to No. 5 Ashland.
Below is the D2Football.com Poll for October 17, 2017.
Team Record Previous
1 Northwest Missouri State 7-0 1
2 Indiana (Pa.) 7-0 2
3 Minnesota State 7-0 3
4 Grand Valley State 6-1 4
5 Ashland 6-1 5
6 Shepherd 6-0 6
7 Midwestern State 5-0 8
8 Ferris State 5-1 9 9 Fort Hays State 7-0 10
10 Texas A&M-Commerce 5-1 11
11 Indianapolis 7-0 12
12 Winona State 7-0 14
13 West Alabama 6-1 15
14 Central Washington 7-0 16
15 Sioux Falls 6-1 18
16 Assumption 6-0 21
17 Delta State 6-1 20
18 Wingate 6-0 25
19 Slippery Rock 6-1 13
20 Central Missouri 5-2 24
21 Virginia State 6-0 NR
22 Colorado Mesa 6-1 NR
23 CSU-Pueblo 5-2 7
24 West Georgia 5-2 17
25 Humboldt State 5-1 NR
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the third time this year, senior kicker Brandon Brown was named the MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week on Monday (Oct. 16). Brown had three field goals and made all four of his extra-point attempts, generating 13 points against Washburn in a 37-20 win.
Brown converted 3-of-4 field goal attempts in the game, with makes from 29, 30, and 47 yards. His only miss was from 53 yards. He converted all four of his extra-point attempts to remain a perfect 31-of-31 on the season in that category. Brown’s 30-yard field goal was the most crucial, converting through the teeth of a strong north wind to tie the game 20-20 at the 3:59 mark of the third quarter, part of Fort Hays State’s 27 unanswered second half points against Washburn.
Joining Brown for weekly honors are Braxton Marstall of Emporia State (Offensive Athlete of the Week) and Stephan Robinson of Central Oklahoma (Defensive Athlete of the Week).
The Tigers have had a player earn a weekly MIAA honor each week this season. That list includes Jacob Mezera (Week 1 Offensive Athlete of the Week), Brandon Brown (Weeks 1, 4, and 7 Special Teams Athlete of the Week), Nathan Shepherd (Week 2 Defensive Athlete of the Week), Monterio Burchfield (Week 3 Offensive Athlete of the Week), Jose Delgado (Week 5 Defensive Athlete of the Week), and Kenneth Iheme (Week 6 Offensive Athlete of the Week).
WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State maintained its position in the latest edition of the AFCA Division II Poll, released on Monday (Oct. 16). The Tigers are No. 8 for a second straight week after all teams higher in the rankings also won. This is the sixth straight week the Tigers are in the Top 25 after entering back on September 11.
The Tigers are coming off a 37-20 win over Washburn this past week. Washburn was among the teams receiving votes last week and remain there this week along with Central Missouri. Northwest Missouri State remains No. 1 after cruising to a win over Northeastern State. The Tigers and Bearcats are now two games clear of the rest of the MIAA field at 7-0. Washburn and Central Missouri are both 5-2.
Fort Hays State has another strong road test this week at Missouri Western. The Griffons are coming off a 26-10 loss at Pittsburg State last week. Missouri Western ranks second in the nation in turnovers gained (22) and turnover margin per game (+2.0).
Below is the AFCA Poll for October 16, 2017.
Rank
School (1st votes)
Record
Points
Prev.
1.
Northwest Missouri State (34)
7-0
850
1
2.
Shepherd (W.Va.)
6-0
791
2
3.
Indiana (Pa.)
7-0
782
3
4.
Minnesota State
7-0
754
4
5.
Midwestern State (Texas)
5-0
682
6
6.
Indianapolis (Ind.)
7-0
678
5
7.
Grand Valley State (Mich.)
6-1
635
7
8.
Fort Hays State (Kan.)
7-0
616
8
9.
Central Washington
7-0
572
10
10.
Texas A&M-Commerce
5-1
541
11
11.
Winona State (Minn.)
7-0
494
13
12.
Ferris State (Mich.)
5-1
424
15
13.
Ashland (Ohio)
6-1
423
16
14.
Assumption (Mass.)
6-0
406
17
15.
Sioux Falls (S.D.)
6-1
352
18
16.
Colorado Mesa
6-1
307
20
17.
Slippery Rock (Pa.)
6-1
288
9
18.
West Alabama
6-1
271
23
19.
Delta State (Miss.)
6-1
263
21
20.
Wingate (N.C.)
6-0
243
24
21.
Virginia State
6-0
165
NR
22.
Humboldt State (Calif.)
5-1
154
25
23.
Bowie State (Md.)
6-1
95
14
24.
Eastern New Mexico
6-1
66
NR
25.
Southeastern Oklahoma State
6-1
64
19
Others Receiving Votes: Colorado St.-Pueblo, 46; Notre Dame (Ohio), 28; California (Pa.), 16; Findlay (Ohio), 16; Central Missouri, 15; West Georgia, 11; Virginia Union, 1; Washburn (Kan.), 1.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team fell to Northeastern State on Sunday (Oct. 15) 3-1. The Tigers moved to 7-5-2 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks improved to 8-4 on the season and 4-1 in conference play.
The RiverHawks jumped on the board early as Justin Todd scored his second goal of the season in the fourth minute of the match on a deflected shot off Michael Yantz. Derick Gonzalez provided the equalizer in the 23rd minute, scoring his eighth goal this season. Gonzalez extended his team record of consecutive matches tallying a point to 11.
The knotted score did not last long as Todd recorded his second goal of the match and third of the season in the 29th minute to give the RiverHawks the 2-1 edge. The Tigers were only able to rifle off one shot in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
The second half was a defensive showdown between the teams. Abdoulaye Cisse, Luis Mendez and Gonzalez all were able to get shots on goal, but none found the net. In the 82nd minute, Joe Garcia took a penalty kick saved by Yantz, but notched his ninth goal of the season off the deflected save to build a 3-1 lead.
The score stood as three more Tiger shots were unsuccessful. Yantz moved to 6-4-2 on the season in goal.
The Tigers are back in action on Sunday (Oct. 22) when they travel to Bismarck, North Dakota, for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at University of Mary.
HAYS, Kan. – After going on a three-match win-streak, the Tigers suffer their first tie since Sept. 10 as they ended in a 0-0 draw against Missouri Southern on a Sunday afternoon matchup. With the tie, Fort Hays State now sits at 8-3-3 overall and 5-1-1 in MIAA play. Missouri Southern improves to 2-8-3 and 2-4-1 in conference. The tie is the first on their home field for the Tigers, who previously won their last three matches.
The first half concluded scoreless as the Tigers only outshot the Lions 5-4. After neither team was able to complete a shot, the half came to an end. The second half was led offensively by the Tigers, who attempted eight shots compared to Missouri Southern’s one. Only seven of Fort Hays State’s shots hit near target, with only three of the Lions hitting frame.
After 110 minutes with no goals, the match ended in a tie. The Tigers were led by senior striker Eden Stoddard who accounted for five shots, followed by Baylie Schmitz and Jasmine Beaulieu who included three a piece for the team’s 16. Julia Liberty documented a Missouri Southern-high of two shots with one on goal.
Megan Kneefel for the Tigers and Luz Galindo for the Lions each take a tie for their own goalkeeping records. Kneefel now owns a 3-2-2 overall record in net for Fort Hays State, and added three saves to her name for the season.
The Tigers hit the road for two-straight away matches next weekend. On Friday at 7 p.m., Fort Hays State will hit the pitch against Northeastern State who is currently 11-1 overall and 5-1 in MIAA play.
The Tigers will stay in Oklahoma Sunday as they face off against 6-6-2 and 3-2-2 (MIAA) Central Oklahoma for a 1 p.m. match.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State scored 27 unanswered second half points to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit and beat Washburn 37-20 at Lewis Field Saturday. The No. 8 Tigers are 7-0 for the first time since 1917 while winning their school record ninth straight game dating back to last season.
Chris Brown Postgame Interview
Charles Tigner Postgame Interview
Doyin Jibowu Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Tiger defense held the Ichabods to eight yards in the third quarter and 89 yards in the second
half while keeping them off the scoreboard.
Fort Hays State took advantage of a roughing the kicker penalty against punter Dante Brown on their first possession of the third quarter which was capped by a Charles Tigner 12-yard touchdown run to close the gap to 20-17.
Brandon Brown’s 30-yard field goal on the Tigers second possession of the quarter tied the game 20-20.
FHSU converted on three straight third down conversions which culminated in a 21-yard leaping touchdown catch by Monterio Burchfield near the right front pylon which capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive to give the Tigers the lead for good at 27-20.
After the Tiger defense got a fourth down stop at their 19 yard line, the offense drove down the field. Jacob Mezera hit Tyler Bacon on a 30-yard strike down the Washburn sideline for the seniors first career touchdown, pushing the lead to 34-20.
Doyin Jibowu picked off a pair of passes late, one setting up another Brandon Brown field goal to round out the scoring.
Fort Hays State outgained Washburn 549 yards to 291 overall. Charles Tigner rushed for 171 yards on 20 carries and touchdown, all in the second half. Kenneth Iheme added another 103 for his third straight 100-yard game.
Jacob Mezera completed 23 of 36 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Burchfield had six catches for 82 yards and Bacon six for 76. Both had a touchown. Layne Bieberle hauled in five passes 68 yards.
Fort Hays State hosts Washburn on Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. Kickoff is set for 2 pm in the annual Hall of Fame Game. The Tigers enter the game ranked No. 8 in the nation with a 6-0 record, while Washburn is one game back in the MIAA standings at 5-1.
You can hear the game on Tiger Radio Mix-103 beginning with the Auto World Pregame Show at 1 pm. Click link to listen LISTEN LIVE
The Ichabods are receiving votes in the latest AFCA rankings, but hold the No. 22 mark in the latest D2Football.com Poll. Washburn’s only loss this year is to top-ranked Northwest Missouri State by a score of 20-14. Washburn defeated Missouri Southern last week by a score of 49-21.
The Tigers are coming off a 21-17 Homecoming win over Pittsburg State last week. Down 17-0 to open the game, FHSU rallied for 21 unanswered points to remain undefeated and tied for first place in the MIAA with Northwest Missouri State. The Tigers look for a second consecutive win over Washburn in Hays (won 35-30 in 2015). However, Washburn holds a 9-2 edge in the series since FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006. The Ichabods won last year’s meeting in Topeka 30-24. Washburn leads the all-time series 44-24-3.
Kenneth Iheme has been a workhorse for the Tigers over the past two weeks. In the 38-35 win at Lindenwood, he had 174 rushing yards and 58 receiving yards for a career-high 232 all-purpose yards. Last week, he rushed for 189 yards in the win over Pittsburg State to earn MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week honors. Iheme leads the MIAA in touchdowns with nine (eight rushing, one receiving), while averaging 111 rushing yards and 146.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Quarterback Jacob Mezera is completing 68 percent of his passes this season for 1,414 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is 33 passing yards away from 4,000 in his career, looking to become the sixth Tiger quarterback in history to reach that mark. Monterio Burchfield has 517 receiving yards this year, averaging 20.7 yards per catch with six touchdowns. Defensively, Jose Delgado averages 10.4 tackles per game to rank 20th in the nation.
Fort Hays State is allowing just 16 points per game, which ranks 17th in the nation. The Tigers have held three opponents under 10 points this season. Fort Hays State is averaging 34 points per game. On the flip side, Washburn looks very similar, averaging 35.8 points per game while giving up 18.7 per game.
The Tigers will be looking to match the best start in school history on Saturday. The 1917 team went 7-0 for its entire season.
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team jumped out to an early lead against 20th-ranked Central Missouri, but it wasn’t enough as the Jennies rallied for a four-set victory Thursday evening inside Gross Memorial Coliseum (25-21, 15-25, 20-25, 12-25). The Tigers dip to 9-13 overall and 1-7 in the MIAA, while the Jennies move up to 16-4 this season and 7-1 in league action.
Brandi Fairbank Postgame Interview
The Tigers played nearly mistake-free in the opening set, totaling a .294 attack percentage after just four errors. FHSU was unable to keep up its strong pace, however, finishing the match with a .082 swing rate. The Black and Gold were able to hold the potent Jennies offense under its season average swing rate (.247), limiting UCM to a .221 hitting percentage.
Magan Alexander had a strong day at the net for the Tigers, reaching double figures in kills for the 11th time this season with 14 kills and a .289 swing rate. She was nearly perfect in the first set, picking up six kills and no errors on 10 swings. Sydney Dixon also reached double figures, adding 12 kills and six digs. Azlyn Cassaday paced the team with 14 digs, matching her season high. Callie Christensen had a game-high six blocks, including two solo swats.
All-MIAA middle hitter Kasey Hohlen had a career night for the Jennies, recording a personal-best 22 kills while swinging at a .463 clip.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair the entire way, with the teams combining for 13 ties and eight lead changes. Neither side led by more than two until the Tigers scored five in a row to turn a one point deficit into a four point lead, 20-16. Cassaday dropped in a pair of service aces during the run, with Dixon and Alexander also adding kills. The Jennies closed within one after a timeout, 22-21, prompting interim head coach Brandi Fairbank to call a timeout of her own. Her team came out of the huddle inspired, capturing the next three points to win the set, 25-21. Alexander started the run with a kill before Kylie Rollman added one of her nine kills on the night. The Tigers secured a 1-0 lead in the match after a Jennie attack error.
Fort Hays State took an early lead in the second set, but the Jennies slowly built their lead thanks to a 13-5 run. UCM ultimately led by as many as 10, evening the match with a 25-15 win.
The Tigers had their chances in the third set, leading by three as late as 19-16. UCM captured the next four points to jump in front for the first time in the frame, 20-19, before an attack error evened the score at 20. Fort Hays State was unable to take advantage, dropping the next five points to lose the set, 25-20, and fall behind 2-1 in the contest.
Central Missouri left nothing to doubt in the final set, never trailing in the frame and quickly leading by six (9-3) thanks to a 7-1 run. The Tigers tried to chip away at the lead, but the Jennies seemed to have an answer at every turn. UCM scored six of the last seven points in the set, taking the fourth set, 25-12, and the match, 3-1.
The Tigers wrap up their four-match homestand Friday when they face off with Lindenwood at 6 p.m.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s golf team completed the Midwest Classic (Oct. 9-10) with a sixth-place finish among MIAA schools and 12th place finish overall (Oct. 9-10). The event was at the Mules National Golf Club, a par-71, 5,800-yard course. The Tigers matched their season best of 325 on the first day before giving up a few strokes on their way to a 340 on the final day, finishing the week with a total of 665.
Hannah Perkins led Fort Hays State for the week, tying for 32nd individually. Perkins fired rounds of 79 and 81 to complete the tournament 18-over par (160).
Hannah Karasiuk shot rounds of 79 and 87 to finish in a tie for 47th. Taylor DeBoer (90-83) and Katie Brungardt (82-91) each tied for 72nd with a total score of 173. Madison Roether shot rounds of 85 and 89, figuring into the team scoring each day.
Arkansas Tech won the tournament after firing rounds of 306 and 307 to finish at 45-over par (613) for the week. Augustana finished second with a score of 615 and Central Missouri (616) finished third. Samantha Crawford of Nebraska-Kearney claimed the individual title with a three-over par performance (145) for the tournament.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished seventh among MIAA teams and 17th overall at the Holiday Inn Express Classic (Oct. 9-10), hosted at St. Joseph Country Club in St. Joseph, Missouri. Junior Mac McNish led the Tigers tying for 30th individually with rounds of 70, 76 and 78 to finish 11-over par for the tournament (224). The Tigers tied for eighth after the first round, matching their season-best score of 297. The Tigers then shot a 311 in the second round and 317 in the third round for a tournament total of 925.
Senior Skyler Tebo completed the tournament in a tie for 36th with rounds of 77, 73 and 76 to finish two shots behind McNish at 226 for the tournament. Seve Sites (72-86-84) and Colton Bobek (78-81-83) each tied for 85th, while Lane Pauls shot rounds of 84, 81 and 83.
McNish was incredibly consistent in the first round, recording two birdies, one bogey and 15 pars en route to his 1-under 70. It was the first under-par round for a Tiger since the 2015-16 season when Lane Pauls shot a 1-under 71 at the MIAA Championships (4/20/16).
Harding took the team title with a 26-over par (294-286-298) finish. The Bison finished the tournament with an 878. Missouri Western tied Harding, but lost the tiebreaker on the second playoff hole, posting a tournament score of 878. Central Missouri finished third just one stroke back with an 879. John Bonaobra of Central Missouri claimed the individual title with a two-under par performance and a total of 211 for the week.
