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Four teams depart Jayhawk League

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For 42 years, the Jayhawk League has been one of the premier summer collegiate baseball leagues in the country but that is in jeopardy for 2019. The league announced Wednesday morning four teams have left to join the Sunflower League, which will be entering its third year.

Derby, Great Bend, Haysville and El Dorado will be departing, leaving only the Larks, Liberal, Dodge City and Oklahoma City.

A post on the Jayhawk League Facebook page cited an inability to raise the funds necessary to compete in the Jayhawk League as the reason for the departures.

“There was very little communication from these teams before this happened, and we wish we could have tried to work it out,” the post stated. “The remaining teams — Liberal, Hays, Dodge City and Oklahoma — are still committed to the Jayhawk League, and plans to keep the league viable began last week and are ongoing.”

The Larks wrapped up their 10th Jayhawk League title this summer and have finished in either first or second place in 11 of the last 13 seasons.

Snell, Rays tie team record shutout streak; beat Royals

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Blake Snell helped Tampa Bay match a team record with 27 consecutive shutout innings and the Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Tuesday night.

The scoreless stretch ended when Snell (15-5) allowed a fifth-inning solo homer to Ryan O’Hearn. Snell struck out 11 and gave up four hits in six innings. The left-hander has 13 straight home starts of allowing one earned run or fewer, which is longest stretch in the majors since 1913, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Since returning from a stint on the disabled list for left shoulder fatigue Aug. 4th, Snell is 3-0 and has given up two earned runs over 20 innings in four starts.

O’Hearn has five homers in 14 career games for the Royals, who dropped to 50 games (38-88) under .500.

Tampa Bay’s Tommy Pham had three hits, an RBI and a walk but left in the eighth after he appeared to hurt his right hand/wrist area diving back to first base on a pick-off attempt.

Willy Adames had three hits and put the Rays up 1-0 on a homer off an overhanging catwalk in the second that left fielder Alex Gordon nearly made a diving catch on. The effort would have been in vain if Gordon caught it because Tropicana Field ground rules state a ball hitting that catwalk is an automatic home run.

Gordon was OK after going over the short wall down the left-field line trying to catch Brandon Lowe’s fifth-inning foul ball.

Joey Wendle made it 3-0 with a two-run triple off Glenn Sparkman (0-2) during the fourth.

Sparkman gave up three runs and seven hits over four innings in his second career start.

Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 17th save, working out of a two-on, one-out jam.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Manager Ned Yost said LHP Danny Duffy, placed on the 10-day DL on Aug. 13th, is “pretty much on track” to start Thursday night. … RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) could start a minor league rehab assignment next week. … OF Jorge Bonifacio was a late scratch with lower back tightness.

Rays: 3B Matt Duffy, hitting .202 over his previous 25 games, was rested. Duffy was limited to three minor league games in 2017 following Achilles tendon surgery. “We’re getting to the dog days of the season, that’s something I’ve got to recognize,” manager Kevin Cash said. … LHP Vidal Nuno (right hamstring) allowed three hits in three scoreless innings for Class A Charlotte.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Jakob Junis (6-11) will face a Rays bullpen game Wednesday night. Junis is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two appearances against Tampa Bay.

Love, Oliver, Grier lead AP Preseason All-America team

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By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

Heisman Trophy runner-up Bryce Love of Stanford and Outland Trophy winner Ed Oliver of Houston highlight The Associated Press preseason All-America team.

Chosen by AP poll voters, the team announced Tuesday also features West Virginia quarterback Will Grier and his teammate, receiver David Sills V.

Love, along with Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell, Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards and Utah kicker Matt Gay, were the only players who made first team All-American after last season and first team to start this season. Love ran for 2,118 yards and 8.05 per carry last season and was second to Baker Mayfield in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Oliver was a second-team All-American last year after being first team as a freshman in 2016.

Clemson and Wisconsin led the way with three players on the first team. Alabama and Wisconsin each had a total of five players on the first and second teams combined.

FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback — Will Grier, senior, West Virginia.
Running backs — Bryce Love, senior, Stanford; Jonathan Taylor, sophomore, Wisconsin.
Tackles — Jonah Williams, junior, Alabama; Mitch Hyatt, senior, Clemson.
Guards — Beau Benzschawel, senior, Wisconsin; Nate Herbig, junior, Stanford.
Center — Ross Pierschbacher, senior, Alabama.
Tight end — Noah Fant, junior, Iowa.
Receivers — A.J. Brown, junior, Mississippi; David Sills V, senior, West Virginia.
All-purpose player — Myles Gaskin, senior, Washington.
Kicker — Matt Gay, senior, Utah.
Defense
Ends — Nick Bosa, junior, Ohio State; Clelin Ferrell, junior, Clemson.
Tackles — Ed Oliver, junior, Houston; Christian Wilkins, Senior, Clemson.
Linebackers — Devin White, junior, LSU; Devin Bush, junior, Michigan; T.J. Edwards, senior, Wisconsin.
Cornerbacks — Greedy Williams, sophomore, LSU; Deandre Baker, senior, Georgia.
Safeties — Jaquan Johnson, senior, Miami; Taylor Rapp, junior, Washington.
Punter — Mitch Wishnowsky, senior, Utah.
__
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback — Trace McSorley, senior, Penn State.
Running backs — A.J. Dillon, sophomore, Boston College; Damien Harris, junior, Alabama.
Tackles — David Edwards, junior, Wisconsin; Greg Little, junior, Mississippi.
Guards — Alex Bars, senior, Notre Dame; Michael Dieter, senior, Wisconsin.
Center — Sam Mustipher, senior, Notre Dame.
Tight end — Kaden Smith, junior, Stanford.
Receivers — N’Keal Harry, junior, Arizona State; Anthony Johnson, senior, Buffalo.
All-purpose player — Deebo Samuel. senior, South Carolina.
Kicker — Rodrigo Blankenship, junior, Georgia.
Defense
Ends — Rashan Gary, junior, Michigan; Raekwon Davis, junior, Alabama.
Tackles — Dexter Lawrence, junior, Clemson; Jeffrey Simmons, junior, Mississippi State.
Linebackers — Cameron Smith, senior, Southern California; Troy Dye, junior, Oregon; Mack Wilson, sophomore, Alabama.
Cornerbacks — Byron Murphy, sophomore, Washington; Julian Love, junior, Notre Dame.
Safeties — Lukas Dennis, senior, Boston College; Andrew Wingard, senior, Wyoming.
Punter — Jake Bailey, senior, Stanford.

2018 FHSU grad named head tennis coach at McPherson College

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McPherson College Athletics

MCPHERSON –  Rafa Bulnes, a former two-time All-American McPherson men’s tennis player, has been named the Bulldogs new head men’s and women’s tennis coach effective immediately, director of athletics Andrew Ehling announced Monday afternoon.

“In 2016, I graduated from McPherson with a vision to become a head coach in the future,” Bulnes said. “I worked for two years on my craft at Fort Hays State (Kan.), and I want to thank Coach (Brian) Flax for sharing his experience with me.

Bulnes / courtesy photo

“As a former player, it is an absolute dream to become the new head coach at McPherson. I want to thank (president) Michael (Schneider) and Andrew (Ehling) for this amazing opportunity. I want to thank my parents for the constant support over the years. Finally, I want to thank Craig Holman for his commitment to the college and the tennis program. Craig has been an amazing mentor to me over the years, and to work with him will bring nothing but success.”

Bulnes inherits were a McPherson men’s program that is 17-0 in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) play and 16-1 on the women’s side in the last two seasons. Last season, the McPherson men’s team won its second-straight KCAC title and fourth-straight KCAC Championship crown and reached the National Championship second round. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs claimed a share of their fifth-straight KCAC title and made their fifth-straight appearance in the KCAC Championship title match.

“It’s great to have Rafa back on campus,” Ehling said. “He’s hungry to be a successful coach and mentor to our student-athletes. Rafa was a tireless competitor as an athlete, and I can’t wait to see what he brings to our tennis program and community as a coach.”

Bulnes spent the previous two seasons (2016-18) as the graduate assistant women’s tennis coach for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association member in NCAA Division II.

Bulnes was a two-time All-American in his two and a half seasons (2012-16) donning the Red and White, leading the Bulldogs to a KCAC Championship title and berth in the National Championship first round. As a sophomore, he was voted the KCAC Player of the Year.

Before joining McPherson, Bulnes was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) second team All-American in 2012 at Vincennes (Ind.), helping lead the Trailblazers to a fifth place finish in the NJCAA Division I Championship.

The Osmalen, Netherlands, native earned a Bachelor of Arts in health science from McPherson in 2016 and a Master of Science in health and human performance from Fort Hays State in 2018.

The Bulldogs men’s team is 51-6 in KCAC matches in the last eight seasons, having not lost more than one conference match in a season during that time.

The McPherson women’s squad is 38-1 in KCAC matches in the last five seasons.

FHSU men’s soccer tops MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team enters the 2018 season tabbed first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday (Aug. 21). Last season the Tigers claimed the conference title with a 7-1 record for the first time in school history. Northeastern State sits in the second spot, while Lindenwood rounds out the top three.

The Tigers are looking to win back-to-back conference championships for the first time in program history. FHSU was one match short of their fourth consecutive NCAA Central Regional championship in 2017, when they fell to conference rival Northeastern State in the Regional final by a score of 2-1 after allowing the go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation.

The first regular season action for the Tigers will take place on Friday (Aug. 31) at 7 p.m. when FHSU hosts McKendree University for just the second meeting in school history. The Tigers travel to Rockhurst University on Sunday (Sept. 2).

2018 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Fort Hays State (3) – 15
2. Northeastern State (1) – 13
3. Lindenwood (1) – 11
4. Upper Iowa – 7
5. Southwest Baptist – 4

Yarbrough, Rays post shutout over Royals

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Ryan Yarbrough helped extend Tampa Bay’s shutout streak to 23 innings, and the Rays got their only run via video replay in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Yarbrough (12-5) pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of Rays opener Hunter Wood. The rookie left-hander gave up two hits and a walk while striking out six, earning his major league-leading 10th relief win.

Yarbrough and three others combined for Tampa Bay’s second straight shutout. Jose Alvarado pitched the ninth for his fifth save and stretched the Rays’ streak of scoreless innings, which included 14 over the weekend in Boston.

Willy Adames drove in the game’s first run. After singles by Ji-Man Choi and Kevin Kiermaier in the second inning, Adames hit a two-out chopper over third base. Adames beat Rosell Herrera’s throw across the diamond, but it took a 43-second review to reverse the original out call.

The run came off right-hander Jorge Lopez, who pitched five innings in his second major league start. Lopez (0-3) gave up five hits and three walks.

Kiermaier had three of Tampa Bay’s eight hits after coming into the game batting .127 in August.

Royals reliever Jake Newberry struck out three in 1 2/3 innings in his major league debut.

Wood pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits with two strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder) “felt really good” after a bullpen session, according to manager Ned Yost, who will determine Tuesday whether Duffy will pitch Thursday night’s series finale.

Rays: INF Daniel Robertson said recent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb went well and he has no pain. Robertson hasn’t given up on getting at-bats during the final days of the season. “There won’t be any rushing it,” he said. … LHP Vidal Nuno (strained right hamstring) will make his second rehab start Tuesday night with Class A Charlotte and should be back in September.

MINORS MATTERS

LHP Matthew Liberatore, taken by the Rays in the first round of the 2018 draft, allowed three hits and struck out eight over five innings to get his first pro win in the GCL Rays’ 6-0 victory over the Twins. He has a 0.98 ERA over 27 2/3 innings in eight starts.

UP NEXT

LHP Blake Snell (14-5) will pitch Tuesday night’s game against Royals RHP Glenn Sparkman (0-1). Snell, whose 2.10 ERA ranks second in the AL, has not given up a run in two straight starts of five innings each.

FHSU women’s soccer tabbed fourth in MIAA Preseason Poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s soccer team is ready to get back into action for the 2018 season as they have been picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The rankings, released Monday (August 16), tabbed the Tigers in their position after capturing 88 points.

With the 2017 season now in the rearview mirror, Fort Hays State looks to build off a year in which they accomplished a 10-6-4 overall record, alongside a 7-3-1 MIAA tally. Last season, the Tigers made it into the MIAA conference semifinals where they fell to eventual national champions in Central Missouri, 3-0. This loss came after a thrilling 14-round shootout at home against Missouri Southern, winning 11-10 in penalty kicks.

Focusing on this season, the Tigers will see a mix of old and new on the pitch, with both returning and incoming players looking to make contributions. Coach Blake Reynolds, now in just his second season at the helm of Fort Hays State, brings in a strong recruiting class to pair up alongside his returners. The Tigers bring back 12 athletes who saw time last season, with two red-shirts coming back as well. Additionally, 12 incoming freshmen will wear the FHSU jersey for the first time. For another year, Australia will be represented on the roster as junior Nikita Woods heads to Hays from Larimer County Community College. Woods continues to expand her soccer journey after calling Corrimal, Australia her home prior to her collegiate career. Woods comes off two years with the Golden Eagles, amounting 25 goals and 10 assists in her time. Another junior transfer being welcomed to the Tigers roster is Chloe Montano from Calabasas, Calif. Montaño brings in two years of experience from Santa Barbara City College where she contributed 12 goals alongside 11 assists. The freshman class is represents four states, with players coming to Hays from Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and California.

The Tigers are coming off a season which they out-scored their opponents 23-17, while also outshooting the same opponents 247-211. Fort Hays State will look to fill the void of former leading scorer Eden Stoddard who led the team with eight goals during the 2017 season. This year, junior forward Darby Hirsch is the returning leading scorer for the Tigers with three contributed last season. Only Olympia Katsouridis and Catalina Hernandez, along with Hirsch, have a goal to their name on this season’s roster.

Other notable returners for the Tigers are Paige Utterback, Taryn Schnell and Shayla Podlena. Both Utterback and Schnell participated in all 20 games last season, while Podlena started 13 matches. Megan Kneefel will be the anchor in goal for the Tigers as she is back for her junior season after starting six games and recording 40 saves with a 4-2-2 sophomore season record.

Preseason for the Tigers is just around the corner as they play host to Kansas Wesleyan in their lone exhibition game on August 24 at 6 p.m. The regular season gets started with a trip to Fayette, Iowa where the Tigers will face-off against home team Upper Iowa on August 30, followed by a tilt September 1 against Southwest Minnesota State. Fort Hays State will make its first regular-season home appearance On September 14 against Emporia State slated for 7 p.m.

Below is the 2018 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

2018 MIAA Women’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Central Missouri (11) – 121
2. Missouri Western (1) – 108
3. Northeastern State – 98
4. Fort Hays State – 88
5. Central Oklahoma – 85
6. Missouri Southern – 66
7. Washburn – 62
8. Emporia State – 45
9. Lindenwood – 43
10. Northwest Missouri – 40
11. Nebraska Kearney – 23
12. Southwest Baptist – 14

No. 1 Alabama tops preseason Top 25; Clemson, Georgia next

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By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

Alabama will begin its quest for a second consecutive national championship with a rare three-peat.

The Crimson Tide is just the second team to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll for three straight seasons. Alabama received 42 out of 61 first-place votes.

No. 2 Clemson received 18 first-place votes. Georgia is No. 3 and Wisconsin is fourth. The Badgers received one first-place vote. Ohio State was ranked No. 5.

The preseason AP poll started in 1950 and since then only Oklahoma from 1985-87 had started No. 1 in three straight years until now.

Ring up another milestone for coach Nick Saban’s Tide dynasty. Alabama has won five national championships since 2009 and now has been No. 1 to start the season five times under Saban. Last season was the first time Saban’s team started and finished the season No. 1.

The Tide enter this season with a question at quarterback, but there appears to be two good answers from which Saban has to choose: Tua Tagovailoa won the College Football Playoff championship game for Alabama with a second-half comeback and overtime touchdown pass. Jalen Hurts has led the Tide to the national title game in each of his two seasons as a starter.

Whoever is quarterback, Alabama’s offense should be potent with running back Damien Harris working behind a powerful line anchored by tackle Jonah Williams.

The Tide’s always tough defense will have all new starters in the secondary, but defensive end Raekwon Davis and linebackers Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses are primed to be Alabama’s next All-Americans.

The machine never stops in Tuscaloosa. One again, everybody is chasing Alabama.

White Sox erase 6-run deficit, rally for win over Royals

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CHICAGO (AP) – For many struggling teams, a large early deficit results in a lackluster effort the rest of the way.

The Chicago White Sox, though, keep battling.

Omar Narvaez homered and drove in the go-ahead run with a single, Chicago relievers tossed seven scoreless innings and the White Sox rallied from a six-run deficit for a 7-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Avisail Garcia and Tim Anderson also homered for Chicago, which has won four of five.

Hector Santiago (5-3) allowed just two hits in four innings of relief to get the win. Jace Fry, the last of six relievers, got the final two outs for his second save.

Of Chicago’s 46 wins, 26 have been come-from-behind affairs.

“It says a lot about them because they’re fighting,” manager Rick Renteria said. “Certainly a great team win.”

Ryan O’Hearn, Whit Merrifield and Alex Gordon homered for Kansas City, which dropped to 2-13 in the rubber game of series this season.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in order in the first, but was rocked for six runs and three homers (on 46 pitches) in the second. O’Hearn started things with a two-run shot, Merrifield made it 5-0 with a three-run blast and Gordon added a solo shot.

“I wasn’t commanding my pitches,” Lopez said through a translator.

Kansas City starter Heath Fillmyer allowed just one hit in the first three innings, but then suddenly lost it. The right-hander faced six batters in the fourth and didn’t record an out.

Jose Abreu and Daniel Palka had back-to-back singles to start things and Garcia hit a three-run homer to trim the deficit in half. After Nicky Delmonico singled, Anderson homered to make it 6-5. Narvaez followed with a solo blast to tie the score and chase Fillmyer.

“He just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Second time around, they kind of got on him. Wasn’t a bad pitch to Garcia, but from that point it snowballed on him and other pitches weren’t that great of pitches.

“By the time I could get somebody up, the game was tied.”

In the fifth, Narvaez gave the White Sox a 7-6 lead with a two-out RBI single off Brian Flynn (3-4), scoring Garcia from second base.

PROMOTED

Highly touted prospect Michael Kopech will make his major league debut Tuesday night when the White Sox host the Minnesota Twins. The 22-year-old is 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 24 starts with Triple-A Charlotte this season, including a 4-0 mark with a 1.84 ERA in his last seven starts. The hard-throwing right-hander has 170 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings.

“I’m excited to see his progression,” said catcher Kevan Smith, who caught Kopech in Charlotte earlier this season. “His fastball is electric.”

ROYALTY

Gordon’s homer was the 169th of his career (all with the Royals), tying Hal McRae for fourth in franchise history.

DAY TRIPPIN’

The White Sox play the Twins in Minneapolis on Monday night in a makeup of one of three games snowed out in April. The teams then play two games in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It’s an odd thing, for sure,” Renteria said of the one-game road trip. “I’ve never experienced it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (shoulder impingement) threw long toss on Saturday and is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Monday. Yost said Duffy will start at Tampa Bay on Thursday – the day he’s eligible to come off the 10-day DL – if there are no issues.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jorge Lopez (0-2, 4.44 ERA) makes his second start of the season on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series at Tampa Bay. RHP Ryan Stanek (1-3, 2.74) pitches for the Rays.

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (8-9, 6.15) takes the mound Monday night at Minnesota in the makeup of a game snowed out in April. LHP Stephen Gonsalves (0-0, 0.00) makes his major league debut for the Twins.

Chiefs sign Scandrick

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Kansas City Chiefs have signed veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick to a contract for this season that could be worth up to $1.5 million. The move fills an area of need after an offseason overhaul of their secondary. The longtime Cowboys cornerback signed a $10 million, two-year deal with the Redskins in March. Scandrick was released Tuesday and visited the Chiefs this past week.

First week of practice for Hays High complete

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Coach Tony Crough had his team at Lewis Field Stadium on a picture perfect Saturday morning to wrap up the first week of practice.  The Indians still have 70 plus players at practice each day are looking to have a separate group of players for each offense and defense.

Coach Tony Crough

 

The Indians will have practice next week which will included the Maroon and Gold Scrimmage on Friday night.

The first game of the season is August 31st in Junction City.

 

Tigers hold second preseason scrimmage Saturday

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HAYS, Kan. – Jmari Davis hauled in four touchdown passes, three of them from starting quarterback Jacob Mezera, to highlight Fort Hays State’s second and final scrimmage of their preseason camp Saturday morning at Lewis Field.

Head coach Chris Brown

Senior QB Jacob Mezera

RS-Freshman WR Jmari Davis

RS-Freshman WR Jmari Davis hauls in a pass at Saturday’s scrimmage.

The redshirt-freshman from Muskogee, Oklahoma caught a 44-yard strike from Mezera on the first possession between the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense. He then grabbed a 50-yard pass from Mezera on the first play of the second session with both No. 1 units.

His third touchdown catch came from backup signal caller Chance Fuller from 58-yards out. He rounded out his day by catching an 18-yard pass from Mezera during a session inside the red zone.

Fuller, a redshirt freshman from Arlington, Texas, also connected with redshirt-freshman Manny Ramsey on a 35 touchdown strike with the No. 2 offense and defense.

True freshman Blake Sullivan out of Goddard hit fellow freshman Terrance Anglin for three touchdown passes with the No. 3 offense and defense.

The No. 1 defense picked off two passes, one by defensive end Irick McDonald which was returned 50-plus yards for a touchdown. Starting safety Connor Shadeed also had an interception against the No. 1 offense during the two-minute drill.

With the start of classes Monday, the Tiger shift to afternoon practices starting Monday as they prepare for their season opener vs. Central Missouri on Thursday August 30th.

FHSU’s Jibowu named to D2Football.com Preseason All-American Team

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Fort Hays State’s Doyin Jibowu has been named the D2Football.com Preseason All-American Team. The Devner senior was named All-America Honorable Mention by the Don Hansen Football Committee last season and was an All-Super Region 3 First Team selection by D2CCA and Don Hansen Football Committee at safety.

2018 D2Football.com Preseason All-America Team

Jibowu led the Tigers with five interceptions which ranked second in the MIAA. He finished with 62 tackles which ranked fourth on the team, which included 7.5 tackles for loss.

The Tigers are picked ninth in the D2Football.com Preseason poll.

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