Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 10, 2017
Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers home game with Washburn 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 cornerback Kamon Clayton
Sophomore tight end Matt Wendelberger
Senior running back Kenneth Iheme
Fort Hays State moved up two spots in the latest D2Football.com Poll released on Tuesday (Oct. 10). The Tigers are No. 10 in the latest edition of the weekly supplemental poll.
The Tigers are currently two notches higher in the AFCA Division II Poll at No. 8, which serves as the official top 25 poll of Division II football. Up until the last two polls, the Tigers had a higher ranking in the D2Football.com Poll in each of the previous three weeks. FHSU has been in the top 25 of both polls now for five straight weeks.
Fort Hays State is one of four MIAA schools currently in the D2Football.com Poll. Northwest Missouri State continues its reign at No. 1, while Washburn is No. 22 and Central Missouri is No. 24.
Below is the D2Football.com Poll for Tuesday, October 10.
Team Record Previous
1 Northwest Missouri State 6-0 1
2 Indiana (Pa.) 6-0 3
3 Minnesota State 6-0 5
4 Grand Valley 5-1 7
5 Ashland 5-1 8
6 Shepherd 5-0 6
7 CSU-Pueblo 5-1 9
8 Midwestern State 4-0 11
9 Ferris State 4-1 10
10 Fort Hays State 6-0 12
11 Texas A&M-Commerce 4-1 2
12 Indianapolis 6-0 13
13 Slippery Rock 6-0 15
14 Winona State 6-0 17
15 West Alabama 5-1 21
16 Central Washington 6-0 18
17 West Georgia 5-1 23
18 Sioux Falls 5-1 4
19 Bowie State 6-0 19
20 Delta State 5-1 14
21 Assumption 5-0 22
22 Washburn 5-1 25
23 Southeastern Oklahoma 6-0 NR
24 Central Missouri 4-2 NR
25 Wingate 5-0 NR
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior running back Kenneth Iheme earned MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week honors on Monday (Oct. 9) for his efforts in the 21-17 win over Pittsburg State this past Saturday.
Iheme rushed for a career-high 189 yards on 28 carries against Pittsburg State. Iheme’s biggest rush of the night shifted the momentum to FHSU after falling down 17-0. Right after a fumble forced by the Tiger defense, Iheme ran 47 yards to the endzone to cut the deficit to 10. Later in the second quarter, Iheme had a 27 yard run to get the ball from the FHSU 3 to the 30, tripped up by the last man to beat. However, it led to a 70-yard touchdown pass on the next play, cutting the PSU lead to three. In the fourth quarter, Iheme sparked the Tigers again with a 38-yard run to get the ball in Gorilla territory. Later on the drive, he scored a two-yard touchdown, which proved to be the game-winning score with 11:34 remaining.
Iheme joins Jacob Mezera (Week 1 Offensive Athlete of the Week), Brandon Brown (Weeks 1 and 4 Special Teams Athlete of the Week), Nathan Shepherd (Week 2 Defensive Athlete of the Week), Monterio Burchfield (Week 3 Offensive Athlete of the Week), and Jose Delgado (Week 5 Defensive Athlete of the Week) as Tigers to earn weekly MIAA honors this season. The Tigers have had a player earn a weekly MIAA honor each week this season.
The other MIAA Football Athlete of the Week honors went to Cody Lindsay of Missouri Western (Defensive Athlete of the Week) and Tyler Basch of Missouri Western (Special Teams Athlete of the Week).
Click below to listen to Tiger Talk with “Voice of the Tigers” Gerard Wellbrock and Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown.
Tiger Talk airs on Monday evening at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State continued its ascent in the latest AFCA Division II Poll, released on Monday (Oct. 9). The Tigers moved up three more spots, now in the top 10 at No. 8. Fort Hays State is out to a 6-0 start on the season after pulling out a thrilling 21-17 win over Pittsburg State on Homecoming this past weekend in Hays.
The Tigers are now approaching their highest ranking ever in an official NCAA Division II Poll. The highest mark was a No. 6 ranking in the September 16th poll of 1996, organized by the NCAA Football Committee at that time. The AFCA Poll did not take over as the official poll until 2000. This is the highest ranking for the Tigers since holding the No. 8 ranking in the preseason poll of the 1996 season.
Continuing their rise in the poll will not be easy for the Tigers with a 5-1 Washburn team coming to Hays this weekend. The Ichabods remain among the top receiving vote teams in the poll. Northwest Missouri State continued its reign at No. 1 with a 36th consecutive victory. The two-time defending national champs defeated Central Oklahoma 17-10 this past Saturday. Both FHSU and Northwest Missouri are 6-0, with Washburn one game back in third place in the MIAA standings. Central Missouri is also receiving votes in the poll, with its two losses to Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri.
Below is the AFCA Poll for October 9.
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev.
1. Northwest Missouri St. (34) 6-0 850 1
2. Shepherd (W.Va.) 5-0 797 3
3. Indiana (Pa.) 6-0 780 4
4. Minnesota St. 6-0 750 5
5. Indianapolis (Ind.) 6-0 688 7
6. Midwestern St. (Texas) 4-0 682 10
7. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 5-1 615 8
8. Fort Hays St. (Kan.) 6-0 600 11
9. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 6-0 516 12
10. Central Washington 6-0 507 13
11. Texas A&M-Commerce 4-1 483 2
12. Colorado St.-Pueblo 5-1 417 14
13. Winona St. (Minn.) 6-0 367 22
14. Bowie St. (Md.) 6-0 358 19
15. Ferris St. (Mich.) 4-1 356 15
16. Ashland (Ohio) 5-1 319 18
17. Assumption (Mass.) 5-0 306 20
18. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 5-1 287 6
19. Southeastern Oklahoma St. 6-0 223 23
20. Colorado Mesa 5-1 216 21
21. Delta St. (Miss.) 5-1 206 9
22. West Georgia 5-1 175 25
23. West Alabama 5-1 172 NR
24. Wingate (N.C.) 5-0 88 NR
25. Humboldt St. (Calif.) 4-1 82 17
Others Receiving Votes: California (Pa.), 43; Virginia St., 39; Washburn (Kan.), 35; Central Missouri, 22; West Chester (Pa.), 22; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 18; Eastern New Mexico, 17; Catawba (N.C.), 10; Notre Dame (Ohio), 3; Arkansas Tech, 1.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated the Lindenwood Lions 2-1 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8). The Tigers improved to 6-4-2 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA, while the Lions fell to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
The Tigers and Lions were in a defensive battle throughout the first half as neither team scored. Fort Hays State got off six shots in the first half, including four on goal. Lindenwood was just behind with four shots, while only one was on target.
The second half started with a bang from the Lions as Michele Ganz scored his ninth goal of the season in the 49th minute. The Tigers rebounded with the equalizer from Abdoulaye Cisse in the 54th minute, scoring his sixth goal of the season that tied the game at one goal apiece. With the goal, Cisse now owns the school record for consecutive matches scoring a goal with six straight.
The Tigers and Lions battled each other in a tough defensive matchup once again until Mauricio Etcheverry found the back of the net for the second time this season on a shot from 30 yards out in the 80th minute to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
The score stood until the end as Michael Yantz earned the win in goal for the Tigers to improve his overall record to 5-3-2 on the season. Yantz picked up five saves on the day to increase his season total to 44 on the year.
The Tigers continue their undefeated start to conference play when they travel to Bolivar, Missouri, to face Southwest Baptist on Friday (Oct. 13). Kickoff is set for 3 pm.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The weekend trip to Missouri for the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team ended with two big wins for the Tigers, including a 1-0 double-overtime victory against No. 20 Missouri Western. Silvana Romero netted her third goal of the season to give the Tigers their fourth MIAA win of the season, and improve their overall record to 7-3-2 and 4-1 in conference. With the loss, the Griffons drop to 10-2 this season and 4-1 in MIAA competition.
With the match remaining scoreless until the second overtime, the Griffons showed they had the offensive strength as they outshot the Tigers 25-11 in the match with 11 hitting on target compared to Fort Hays State’s three on goal. Conversely, Megan Kneefel collected 11 saves in net for the Tigers while Sara Lyle only brought in two for the Griffons. Kneefel now owns a 4-2-1 overall record anchoring in the net for Fort Hays State while Lyle drops to 10-3 on the season.
With neither team able to get on the board throughout regulation, the Griffons were forced into their first overtime match of the season while the Tigers appeared in their third. One overtime period ended with no scores, pushing the match to the decisive extra period. Just over five minutes into the second overtime, Silvana Romero scored from ten yards out from the box on the left side to earn a solo goal and her third so far this season. The goal lifted the Tigers to the 1-0 win over the Griffons for the third-straight victory against Missouri Western.
The Tigers look to continue their two-match winning streak as they host two home matches this coming weekend. On Friday (Oct. 13), Fort Hays State meets up with 2-8-1 Southwest Baptist in Hays at 6 p.m. On Sunday (Oct. 15), the Tigers kickoff with 1-7-2 Missouri Southern for a 1 p.m. match at FHSU Soccer Stadium.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State scored 21 unanswered points to overcome a 17-0 second quarter deficit and beat Pittsburg State 21-17 in front of 6,875 Saturday night at Lewis Field. The Tigers improve to 6-0, their best start since 1983 and beat the Gorillas at home for the first time since 1978.
Chris Brown Postgame Interview
Kenneth Iheme Postgame Interview
Jose Delgado Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Kenneth Iheme rushed for 189 and two touchdowns. His 47 yard scamper after a Pitt State fumble put the Tigers on the board with 6:06 to play in the second quarter. He gave the Tigers their first lead on a two-yard touchdown run with 11:34 to play in the game
The Gorillas (2-4) drove to the Tiger 18 in the closing seconds but failed to complete a pass in their final three attempts. After Kamon Clayton knocked away passes in the endzone on second and third down, Nathan Shepherd hit PSU quarterback John Roderique on the final play of the game forcing the pass to fall short and preserve the victory.
Jacoby Williams completed 6 of 10 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception after starter Jacob Mezera left in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Mezera threw an interception to defensive lineman Simanu’a Thomas which was returned 22 yards for a touchdown to push the PSU lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Williams hit tight end Matt Wendelberger on a 70-yard TD strike with 48 seconds to play in the second quarter to pull the Tigers within 17-14.
Pitt State ran 35 more plays than the Tigers but gained one less yard. They had the ball for 38:16 compared to FHSU’s 21:44.
Roderique led the Gorillas with 131 rushing yards while completing 12 of 28 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
HAYS, Kan. – A slow start doomed the Fort Hays State volleyball team Saturday, with the Tigers falling in straight sets against Northwest Missouri State (14-25, 18-25, 19-25). FHSU is now 9-12 on the year and 1-6 in conference play, while the Bearcats move to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in the MIAA.
The Bearcats put together one of their best offensive performances of the season, recording their second-best hitting percentage of the year to outhit the Tigers, .410-.172. It was the highest hitting percentage the Tigers have allowed since 2015 (.431, at #11 Central Oklahoma, 10/16/15) Kylie Rollman picked up one-third of FHSU’s kills on the day, totaling 12 kills and a .400 swing rate. Taylor White led the team with 14 digs, while Amirah Bentley (16 assists) and Becca Page (14 assists) split setting duties.
The Tigers never led in the first or second set, with NWMSU roaring to a 25-14 victory in the opening frame thanks to a .424 attack rate. The visitors were able to best that in the second set, swinging at a .441 clip to take the frame 25-18. FHSU kept things close early in the third set, leading by as many as two, 4-2, after a kill from Sydney Dixon. The Tigers later led 6-5 before the Bearcats took the lead for good thanks to a 9-0 run, jumping in front 14-6. Trailing 21-11, the Black and Gold put together four consecutive points to close the gap to six. Magan Alexander started things off with two-straight kills before Tatum Bartels added another to narrow the margin to 21-14. The only Tiger block of the night kept the Tigers alive after NWMSU reached set point, 24-19, but the Bearcats finished things off on the next serve.
Fort Hays State returns to the floor Thursday (Oct. 12) when they host No. 20 Central Missouri for the annual Pass, Set, Pink night. Fans that wear pink will get into the match FREE! First serve is set for 6 p.m.
VICTORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team wrapped up its regular season with a solid performance at the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday morning (Oct. 7). The Tigers hosted the event at Sand Plum Nature Trial on a wet and muddy fall morning. The Tigers finished tenth overall and fifth among MIAA programs, totaling 263 team points.
A total of 820 runners competed in the four races, surpassing the previous record from last season’s race of 661 participants. 167 men took to the course in the eight-kilometer Gold Race.
Layton Werth navigated the course in 26:29.7 to finish 36th individually. Reed Rome earned a 44th place finish with a time of 26:44.8. Alex Barbosa finished in 63rd place (27:06.0) while Brett Meyer posted a time of 27:06.8 to finish 65th. Robert Loeffler rounded out the scoring for FHSU in 85th crossing the finish line in 27:20.9.
Western State took the team title after upsetting the top-ranked team in the country (Adams State), finishing with 51 points. Adams State completed the race with 77 team points, enough for second place. Central Missouri was the top MIAA team as they finished with 93 points. Mason Phillips captured the individual title with a time of 24:48.0.
The Tigers return to the course in two weeks when they travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to compete in the MIAA Championships on Saturday, October 21st. The race is set to commence at 11 a.m.
VICTORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team ended their regular season racing with a strong performance at the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday (Oct. 7). Fort Hays State hosted the event at Sand Plum Nature Trail on a wet and muddy autumn morning. The Tigers finished fourth overall and second among MIAA teams, completing the race with 160 points.
A total of 820 runners competed in the four races, ultimately breaking the previous meet record held at last year’s race (661). 165 women traversed the course in the five-kilometer Gold Race.
Lindsay Roberts navigated the trail in 19:04.0, finishing 19th individually. Chelsea Jackson finished just a couple seconds behind Li. Roberts with a time of 19:05.9 to claim the 20th spot. Lauren Roberts completed the course in 19:31.9 to finish at 39th overall. Yessenia Gonzales reached the finish line a few seconds behind La. Roberts with an individual finish of 40th overall (19:34.1). Lisa Penner rounded out the scoring for the Tigers with a time of 20:11.7 and a 72nd place finish.
Western State upset the second ranked team in the country and won the event with 48 team points. Pittsburg State was the first MIAA program to cross the finish line with a second place finish and totaling 73 points. Adams State rounded out the top three with 142 points. Winnie Kibet of Colby CC took home the individual title concluding the race with a time of 18:00.6.
The Tigers are back on the course in two weeks as they travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to compete at the MIAA Championships (Oct. 21). The race is set to begin a 10 a.m.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Football, ranked No. 11 in the latest AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, hosts Pittsburg State for Homecoming on Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. It will be the 75th meeting all-time between the schools as the Tigers look to remain undefeated on the season, while the Gorillas look to snap a two-game losing streak.
There will be plenty of entertainment surrounding the game, sponsored by Big Creek Crossing. Lane Haas, a musician from Coldwater, Kansas, will be playing an acoustic show from 5:00-6:45 pm just outside of the front entrance on the east side of Lewis Field. Following the game, there will be a FIREWORKS SHOW sponsored by Horizon Appliance & Electronics, the Hays CVB, and Jamie and Brianna Day. The show will start approximately 10 minutes after the game is over, so stick around after the game and enjoy the fireworks!
The game has big implications from a historical standpoint for both programs. The Tigers are looking for their first win over the Gorillas in Hays since 1978. Although the Tigers two of the last three meetings between the teams, both in Pittsburg, the Gorillas have a mark of 11-0-1 in Hays since 1979. The one result in that span keeping the Gorillas from owning a 12-game win streak in Hays was a 16-16 tie in 1995.
On the flip side, Pittsburg State is looking for its 700th win in program history. Lindenwood and Washburn denied the historic milestone over the past two weeks in Pittsburg. The Gorillas are on the verge of being the first program ever in NCAA Division II to reach that mark. Pittsburg State has an all-time record of 699-345-48. Pittsburg State has a 19-win lead on Tuskegee (680) for all-time wins by NCAA Division II programs. Pittsburg State is looking to become the 33rd program across all levels of college football to reach the 700-win barrier.
Fort Hays State also looks to push Pittsburg State into unfamiliar territory for the first time in 25 seasons. Entering the game at 2-3 overall, Pittsburg State has not been two games under the .500 mark overall since the 1993 season when it started that year 0-2.
Going into the 2014 season, Pittsburg State had not lost to Fort Hays State in 20 straight contests (19-0-1). The Tigers ended the futility against the Gorillas with a 7-6 win in Pittsburg in 2014 when the Gorillas ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Poll. The following year, the Tigers had a 10-point lead (24-14) at halftime in Hays, only to see the 15th-ranked Gorillas reel off 17 unanswered points in the second half and escape Hays with a win by a score of 31-24. Last year’s meeting in Pittsburg was an offensive shootout in which the Tigers prevailed 54-41, with Jacob Mezera setting a new Fort Hays State record for total offense in a game with 508 yards (446 passing, 62 rushing). The long unbeaten run by the Gorillas against the Tigers from 1979-2011 gave them plenty of separation in the all-time series, which sits in their favor at 46-19-9.
Even with the historic implications of the game, the No. 11 ranked Tigers enter Saturday looking to maintain at least a share of the MIAA lead with Northwest Missouri State. The two-time defending national champion Bearcats ran their win streak to 35 games last week pulling out a 24-20 thriller over Central Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Northwest Missouri plays host to Central Oklahoma (2-3) this week. Fort Hays State looks for its first 6-0 start since the 1983 season.
The Fort Hays State defense looks to get back on track this week after surrendering a season-high 438 yards and 35 points at Lindenwood last week. The previous highs were 369 yards and 24 points at Central Oklahoma in Week 3. At home, the Tigers are allowing an average of 244 yards per game through two contests. The Tigers held their opponent under 10 points in both of those contests (6 allowed to Central Missouri in Week 2 and 7 allowed to Northeastern State in Week 4). The Tigers have held their opponents under 10 points in three of five contests so far this year. Overall, FHSU is allowing just 15.3 points per game and 302.8 yards per game to rank second in the MIAA in both categories behind Northwest Missouri State. The Tigers are 19th in the nation in scoring defense and 26th in total defense.
Pittsburg State enters the game averaging 383.4 yards of total offense, but its allowing 424.8 yards per game. Fort Hays State is averaging 462.6 yards of total offense. Pittsburg State allowed more than 400 yards to three of its five opponents this year, with 354 as its least allowed.
Mezera looks to become the sixth quarterback in Fort Hays State to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark. He is just 68 yards shy of the mark entering Saturday. Mezera has completed 70 percent of his passes this year (112-of-160) for 1,379 yards and 12 touchdowns. His top two targets are Monterio Burchfield and Tyler Bacon, each with 24 receptions. Burchfield is averaging 20.8 yards per catch with a total of 498 receiving yards on the season. Kenneth Iheme is the top rusher for FHSU at 477 yards, coming off a career high 174-yard performance at Lindenwood. He produced 232 all-purpose yards in that game, also a career high.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jose Delgado leads the Tigers with 38 tackles (9.5 per contest). With 14 tackles and a sack last week, Delgado shared MIAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kolt Trachsel had a big 25-yard interception return for a touchdown that proved to be the winning score at Lindenwood last week.
