By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State scored 10 points in the final 3:44 to rally past Central Oklahoma 31-24 Saturday night at Wantland Stadium to remain unbeaten. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 21 in the AFCA poll and No. 17 in the d2football.com media rankings, rallied from deficits of 14-0 and 24-21 to move to 3-0.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

Monterio Burchfield Postgame Interview

Connor Shedeed Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Monterio Burchfield, who had eight receptions for 217 yards, hauled in a 64-yard strike with 0:42 to play to give the Tigers the lead. The defense then knocked down a pass at the goal line on the final play of the game to preserve the win.

Jacob Mezera, who threw an interception which led the Bronchos second touchdown, connected with Kenneth Iheme on a 75-yard touchdown pass on the Tigers first play of the third quarter to tie the game 14-14.
Kenneth Iheme capped an eight play 91 yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run to give FHSU a 21-14 lead with 1:07 in the third quarter.

UCO would answer with 10 straight points, taking the lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Chas Stallard to L’lliott Curry with 7:32 to play.

The Tigers answered with a nine-play, 83 yard drive that ended with a 24-yard Brandon Brown field goal to tie the game with 3:44 to play.

Luke Wright sacked Stallard on third down to force a UCO punt and give the Tigers the ball back for the game winning drive.

Fort Hays State looks to remain unbeaten on Saturday night when it plays at Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The Tigers take a No. 21 AFCA ranking into the game, its first time ever in the top 25 of the AFCA poll. FHSU is 2-0, while Central Oklahoma enters at 1-1.

You can hear the game on Tiger Radio Mix-103 beginning with the Auto World Pregame Show at 6 pm. Click to listen

The Tigers are coming off a 35-6 win over then No. 13 ranked Central Missouri last week in Hays. Central Missouri dropped from the top 25, while the Tigers moved to the spot UCM held in the preseason poll. In the D2Football.com supplemental poll, the Tigers are No. 17 in the nation. FHSU is looking for its third straight win over UCO overall and third straight win in Edmond. The Tigers are 3-1 against the Bronchos under head coach Chris Brown.

Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in both scoring offense and defense, putting up 41.5 points per game and allowing just 6.5 per game. The Tigers rank third in the nation in points allowed per game. The defense is allowing just 261.5 yards per game, second in the MIAA only to Northwest Missouri State’s 231.5 per game. The Tigers are averaging 432 yards of total offense per game to rank third in the MIAA.

Through two weeks of play, Fort Hays State and two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State are the only teams to remain unbeaten in the MIAA. Eight of the 12 teams currently sit at 1-1.

Jacob Mezera reached a milestone last week in the win over Central Missouri. He became the ninth Tiger quarterback in history to reach 3,000 passing yards for a career. Layne Bieberle leads Tiger receivers with 10 catches for 190 yards so far, producing his second career 100-yard receiving game last week. Kenneth Iheme is the top rusher on the team with 133 yards. Connor Shedeed leads the Tigers in tackles with 14 for the season.

BETHANY, Okla. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team opened play in the MIAA/GAC Crossover with a split Friday (Sept. 15), rallying to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma State before falling to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the evening session. The Tigers are now 6-6 on the year, while the Bulldogs fell to 4-9 after two losses and the Rangers improved to 7-5 with a pair of wins.

Magan Alexander led the Tigers offensively in both matches, picking up 34 kills on the day. Amirah Bentley tossed up 87 assists between the two matches while adding 27 digs. Taylor White led the team with 32 digs on the day.

The Tigers are set to wrap up their early season non-conference schedule Saturday (Sept. 16) when they face off against Oklahoma Baptist at 10 a.m. and tournament-host Southern Nazarene at 6 p.m.

Fort Hays State 3, Southwestern Oklahoma State 2 (11-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 15-12)
Despite a slow start, the Tigers rallied from a two-set deficit to knock off Southwestern Oklahoma State in a thrilling five-set match. It is the fifth time that FHSU has gone the distance this season, matching its total from all of last season. The Tigers are now 4-1 in five-set contests this year.

The Tigers went to Magan Alexander early and often, with the sophomore picking up 20 kills on 48 swings. Her 20 kills match the most in a match for a Tiger so far this season. Kylie Rollman added 14 kills, while Sydney Dixon also reached double figures with 11. Amirah Bentley had a busy afternoon, leading the team with 52 assists and 22 digs.

SWOSU outhit (.254 to .177) and outblocked (seven to three) the Tigers in the match, but FHSU held an advantage in service aces (seven to two) and kills (65 to 63).

Fort Hays State struggled out of the gate, losing the first set 25-11 and falling behind early in the second frame. The Tigers began to regroup in the second set, trading points with the Bulldogs all game, leading to 15 ties and six lead changes. FHSU led as late as 20-19, but Southwestern Oklahoma State jumped back in front to reach set point, 24-23. The Tigers tied things up at 24 to hold off one set point, but the Bulldogs recorded the next two points to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The teams traded punches in the third set, with neither side leading by more than four until the Tigers put together three-straight points to win the match, 25-21. A kill from Alexander returned serve to the Tigers at 23-21. White proceeded to record back-to-back aces to win the set and keep the Tigers alive in the match.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the fourth set, FHSU captured five of the next six points to take a 5-3 lead and never trailed again in the match. Bentley recorded a kill and a service ace to spark another 5-1 run for the Tigers, this time giving the Tigers a 25-17 victory in the set and forcing a deciding fifth set.

The Tigers put their foot on the gas to start the fifth set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead after Tatum Bartels delivered a strong kill. FHSU stretched the lead to six with a block from Callie Christensen and Alexander, but SWOSU scored the next four points to close within two. Interim head coach Brandi Fairbank called a timeout to regroup, helping the Tigers put away the set and the match with a 15-12 victory.

Northwestern Oklahoma State 3, Fort Hays State 0 (21-25, 21-25, 20-25)
The Tigers couldn’t get anything going in the afternoon session, falling in straight sets to Northwestern Oklahoma State. It was the first time the Rangers have ever defeated FHSU, making the all-time series 13-1.

Fort Hays State picked up three more kills than the Rangers (41 to 38), but the Tigers recorded 28 errors in the loss. FHSU recorded a .102 attack percentage, its second-lowest outing of the season. The Rangers countered by swinging at a .255 clip.

Magan Alexander was the lone Tiger to reach double figures in kills, leading the match with 14 kills. Amirah Bentley tossed up a match-high 35 assists while Taylor White led the team with 15 digs. Tatum Bartels and Callie Christensen both picked up three blocks in the loss.

NWOSU used a pair of big runs to steal the opening set, scoring six-straight points to get back into the set and tallying the final five points in the frame to secure a 25-21 win.

Fort Hays State once again kept things close in the second set, forcing five lead changes and nine ties. A Ranger service error tied things up at 21, but NWOSU scored the next four points to take the set, 25-21.

Three kills from Sydney Dixon and a service ace from Bartels helped the Tigers move in front 6-3 in the third set, ultimately leading by as many as five, 14-9. The Rangers rallied back to tie the match, but the Tigers seemed to have an answer each time. Alexander picked up a kill to put FHSU in front 20-19, but NWOSU went on to score the next six points to put the match on ice, 25-20.

SEATTLE – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team took a heartbreaking loss Thursday evening (Sept. 14), falling to Seattle Pacific in the final minute of the second overtime period, 2-1. The Tigers dip to 0-4-1 on the season with the loss, while the Falcons improve to 4-1 overall.

The Tiger offense was aggressive in the first half for the second game in a row, with four different Tigers slipping through the defense for an opportunity to score. Four of the five shots FHSU attempted in the opening half were off the mark, but one was able to find the back of the net. The Tigers were on the board first after a corner kick from Luis Mendez found Derick Gonzalez just outside the six-yard box. Gonzalez delivered a perfect header just to the inside the left post to give the Tigers the early advantage in the 17th minute of the match. It was the senior’s team-leading second goal of the season.

The Falcons evened the match less than two minutes later when Mori Tsuchiya found the top shelf on a 12-yarder in the 19th minute. The equalizer was Tsuchiya’s third goal of the season to lead SPU.

Seattle Pacific controlled possession for the duration of the match after the break, limiting the Tigers to one shot in the second half and no shots in overtime. Meanwhile, the Falcons attempted two shots in the second half, four more in the first overtime and five in the second extra period. The Tigers were forced to play the final 22 minutes of regulation and overtime with 10 men after Abdoulaye Cisse received his second yellow card and was sent off in the 68th minute.

The Falcons appeared poised to steal the match in the first overtime, rifling off four shots over the final three minutes. The first attempt was blocked before Tiger goalie Alex Rodela made a diving save. Another SPU shot bounced off the post just seconds later before being cleared away by the Tiger defense. The Falcons had one final push in the period, but Rodela made another save with 16 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Tiger defense continued to feel the pressure in the second overtime period, keeping the Falcons at bay until they finally broke through with less than 30 seconds remaining in the match. After FHSU blocked a pair of shots and two more attempts sailed wide, Ryan Higgins picked up the golden goal off the left post from just in front of the net.

Rodela (0-1) made his first start of the season in goal, making two timely saves in the first overtime period to keep the score all square. They were the only two saves for either team in the match, with every other shot either finding the net or being off target. Gonzalez attempted two shots with Brian Ness, Arsenio Chamorro, Caden Frank and Paul Luna all adding one shot.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday (Sept. 16) as they travel to Bellingham, Wash., for a 9 p.m. (CT) kickoff with the Western Washington Vikings.

KEARNEY, Neb. – In their third-consecutive overtime match, the Tigers fell to Nebraska-Kearney 1-0 on a golden goal from Megan Cook for the Lopers. This is also the first loss of the season for Fort Hays State as they now sit at 2-1-2 on the year.

Both teams were scoreless heading into overtime, with this being six-straight halves the Tigers were held scoreless. Although the Tigers outshot the Lopers 8-5, Nebraska-Kearney came into the extra time with an offensive mind as they earned two-consecutive shots early in the extra time. It wasn’t until the 98:49 minute mark when Cook netted the winning goal for the Lopers.

In goal for the Tigers was Megan Kneefel who picked up her first loss of the season with three saves to her name in the match. Ali Hirschman collected the win behind the net for Nebraska-Kearney also with three individual saves.

The Tigers will be on the road for two more matches with a trip to Emporia State on Sunday (Sept. 17) slated for a 2 p.m. start.

ADA, Okla. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team cruised to a straight-set victory against East Central Thursday evening (Sept. 14), opening a five-match weekend in Oklahoma. FHSU improved to 5-5 on the year, while East Central dipped to 3-6 overall. It was the first match under interim head coach Brandi Fairbank, who moves to 1-0 in her head coaching career.

The Black and Gold posted a .219 attack percentage while holding ECU to a .081 swing rate. FHSU put things on ice by swinging at a .441 clip in the final set, picking up 18 kills to just three errors.

Magan Alexander matched her career-high with 12 kills, leading the way with a .400 attack percentage. Kylie Rollman also reached double figures in kills, adding 10 kills and two blocks. Kailey Klibbe picked up a match-high three service aces, also chipping in eight digs.

East Central grabbed an early 5-1 lead in the first set, but FHSU bounced back with Tatum Bartels serving the team to seven-straight points. ECU kept things close for the majority of the set, but Fort Hays State secured the opening set victory with a 7-2 run after leading 18-17, capped off by a kill from Sydney Dixon.

The teams traded points to open the second set, with neither side leading by more than two until FHSU scored four in a row to jump in front 9-6. The Black and Gold would lead the rest of the way, fending off multiple ECU runs with a block or a big kill. Ultimately, Rollman secured the 25-21 set victory with a kill on a pass from Taylor White.

Fort Hays State came out on a mission in the third set, jumping out to a quick 11-4 lead behind a six-point run. Azlyn Cassaday picked up two service aces in the stretch and Madison Elwood added two of her seven kills to open the string of FHSU points. ECU used a 5-1 run to close as close as four points down, 20-16, but Fort Hays State scored the final five points of the match to capture set three, 25-16.

FHSU returns to action Friday (Sept. 15) when it travels to Bethany, Okla. to begin play in the MIAA-GAC Crossover. The Tigers will face off with Southwest Oklahoma State at noon before going up against Northwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m.