Sports – Page 320 – Hays Post Archive

Late rally lifts Fort Hays State past Central Missouri

Posted on January 5, 2017January 5, 2017

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State outscored Central Missouri 8-2 over the final 1:15 to overcome a five-point deficit and beat the Mules 74-73 Thursday at Gross Coliseum. Rob Davis, who scored a game-high 34 points, hit the go-ahead jumper with 27-seconds to play. He added two free throws to extend the lead to three with four second to play.

Aaron Nicholson fouled Spencer Reeves with two seconds left. Reeves hit the first free throw then intentionally missed the second but after securing the rebound, the Tigers Drew Kite was called for a foul. Gabriel Williams hit the first free throw but missed the second. Jaquan Smith secured the rebound to end the game, which saw 52 combined fouls and 68 combined free throws.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (9-4, 3-2 MIAA) led by 10 in the first half, but the Mules (8-4, 2-2 MIAA) responded with a 16-4 run to take their first lead early in the second half. They would hold Fort Hays State without a field goal for over eight minutes in the second half and build the lead to seven on two different occasions, the latest with 5:40 to play.

Hadley Gillum scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

Spencer Reeves and DJ Richardson both scored 14 to lead the Mules with Dushaun Rice adding 11.

UCM scored 33 of their 73 points from the free throw line, hitting 33-of-40. FHSU was 21-of-28 from the foul line.

Tiger women hold off Jennies for sixth straight win

Posted on January 5, 2017January 6, 2017

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Jill Faxon scored 13 of her team-high 17 points in the first half, Kacey Kennett added 14 points, both hit three 3-pointers to lead the Fort Hays State women to a 69-59 win over Central Missouri Thursday at Gross Coliseum.

After missing their first seven shots to open the game, the Tigers (12-2, 3-2 MIAA) went on a 21-4 run to build a 12-point second quarter lead. They closed the half on a 15-4 run to go up 17 and led by as many as 22 late in the third before the Jennies (10-2, 3-1 MIAA) closed the gap to five with under four minutes to play.

The Tigers responded with a 10-2 run which included six points without any time off the clock after two technical fouls on UCM coach Dave Slifer.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers went 3-for-15 from the floor in the fourth quarter and finished at 35.5-percent for the game but hit 10-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Jennies went 8-for-12 in the final frame to finish 31.1-percent but were held to their lowest point total of the season.

Photo courtesy FHSU Athletics

Former Neb. gymnastics coach, a Fort Hays State alum, left lasting legacy

Posted on January 5, 2017January 5, 2017

By DEREK NOEHREN
North Platte Telegraph

Gary Cooper was the first and only gymnastics coach North Platte High School ever had, creating the program in 1966 and coaching until 2002.

Cooper, 73, died Dec. 13 in a Denver hospice, leaving behind his wife, Kay; their son, Ryan, a former gymnast at North Platte; and a multitude of adoring friends and pupils.

“I’ll just always remember those piercing blue eyes, big smile and that toothpick always hanging out of his mouth,” said Marissa Geier-Moats, a gymnast under Cooper from 1995 to 1999. “He was like a second father to me and was there for all the girls. He was our coach, but also formed relationships and bonds with us.”

Originally from Illinois, Cooper attended college and was a gymnast at Fort Hays State in Kansas, where he met Kay. They were married for 51 years.

“That was a very eventful time,” Kay Cooper said. “We were just young newlyweds, and we came to North Platte so Gary could start the gymnastics program.”

Cooper coached boys gymnastics from 1966 until 1991, when lack of participation at other schools and the emergence of club gymnastics caused the program to fold. Cooper coached the girls team from 1981 to 2002 and also coached track and field and tennis, as well as teaching physical education.

However, gymnastics is where he most made his mark, taking the upstart program to four state runner-up finishes in 1969, ’74, ’75 and ’77.

The feat was that much more impressive, given that many of the Omaha and Lincoln schools had gymnasts with more experience and year-round training, whereas North Platte had a roster almost exclusively made up of first-time gymnasts.

That was the case for Steve and Tommy Vieyra, who further put North Platte gymnastics on the map. Steve became the school’s first state champion gymnast in 1971, followed by a state title by Tommy in 1973.

Tommy Vieyra’s path to gymnastics was winding, but a prime example of Cooper’s impact and legacy.

“I was getting into trouble and started doing drugs when I was 14 years old at Madison Middle School,” Tommy Vieyra said. “I was a talented multisport athlete, but kept quitting sports because I had a bad attitude. Coach Cooper straightened my attitude out, and we had a tight bond and remained friends long after he coached me.”

Kay saw firsthand how much Cooper’s relationships with his gymnasts meant.

“The thing I keep thinking about is that he genuinely cared for those kids,” Kay Cooper said. “He really tried to take kids that were headed in the wrong direction and straighten them out.”

Although Cooper had a big heart, he was also a fierce competitor and motivator.

“He was such a driven guy,” Geier-Moats said. “He always pushed you and knew you could do things that even you didn’t think were possible. If you told him you couldn’t do something, he’d give you this intense stare with one arm crossed over the other. He truly believed in us and wanted us to succeed.”

There will be a celebration of life for Gary Cooper at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Quality Inn and Suites with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name for future designation. Online condolences may be made at adamsswanson.com.

Reprinted with permission

Wichita State beats Drake behind Morris, Smith

Posted on January 5, 2017

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Shaquille Morris scored 13 points, Daishon Smith added 13 with three 3-pointers, and Wichita State used a big first half to beat Drake 90-65 on Wednesday night to win its fourth straight and improve its all-time record against the Bulldogs to 41-4.

Landry Shamet added 11 points, Markis McDuffie had 10 and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Shockers (13-3, 3-0, Missouri Valley) outrebounded Drake 54-28, including 18-5 on offensive boards, resulting in 26 second-chance points. Wichita State scored 22 points off of 15 turnovers and outscored the Bulldogs 42-24 in the paint.

Wichita State opened with a 10-2 run and pulled ahead on an 8-2 run capped by Morris’ tip-in. Morris’ dunk with 5:58 left sparked an 11-2 run and the Shockers led 51-21 at halftime.

The Bulldogs stiffened in the second half and outscored the Shockers 44-39, but couldn’t overcome their 30-point halftime deficit.

De’Antae McMurray scored 13 for Drake (3-12, 1-2).

Tigers remain No. 18 in the nation; Inman, Ball, and Lance ranked

Posted on January 4, 2017January 4, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State holds steady as they remain tied as the 18th-ranked team in the nation according to the Division II Coaches Association Poll, released Wednesday. Tied with FHSU is Augustana, which moved up from the 23^rdspot, and UNC-Pembroke, which jumped three places from the previous poll.

In the individual rankings, 197-pound senior Jon Inman jumped two places and now sits as the No. 2 wrestler at 197 pounds. Despite suffering a minor injury last time out, Inman is the only Tiger to remain undefeated this season posting an unblemished 14-0 record. The No. 2 slot is the highest for Inman’s career as he was ranked sixth all last season at 184 pounds and kicked the 2016-17 campaign off at No. 4.

Another Tiger wrestler remaining in the national rankings is 141-pounder Brandon Ball. He is the No. 7 wrestler in his weight class and has been a constant in the FHSU lineup this season. The redshirt-freshman is currently second on the team in wins, posting a 19-3 record this season.

A new Tiger added to the rankings this time around is heavyweight Christian Lance who debuts at No. 9 with the new release. Lance, who has been a force this season for the Tigers, leads the team with 25 wins and has dropped just three bouts this season.

Here is a link to the most recent rankings.

Division II Wrestling Rankings (January 4, 2016)

FHSU Sports Information

Tuesday’s prep basketball results

Posted on January 4, 2017

BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Abilene 52, Chapman 31
Alma, Neb. 76, Northern Valley 73
Andover 54, Andover Central 49
Arkansas City 68, Valley Center 50
Basehor-Linwood 62, Spring Hill 31
Blue Valley 75, Rockhurst, Mo. 60
Bluestem 72, Eureka 59
Burrton 63, Pretty Prairie 50
BV West 53, Blue Valley Southwest 25
Chaparral 56, Medicine Lodge 36
Clearwater 49, Rose Hill 36
Clifton-Clyde 66, BV Randolph 37
Coffeyville 70, Parsons 65
Conway Springs 66, Cheney 62
Cornerstone Family 63, Wetmore 36
Crest 52, Northeast-Arma 45
Derby 66, Salina South 49
Dodge City 49, Great Bend 40
Douglass 45, Garden Plain 44
Ellsworth 70, Russell 39
Erie 53, Cherryvale 46
Eudora 57, Tonganoxie 48
Frankfort 62, Centralia 61, OT
Garden City 58, Hugoton 39
Goddard-Eisenhower 69, Maize South 57
Hesston 38, Pratt 24
Hillsboro 68, Nickerson 41
Hoisington 57, Lyons 24
Holton 45, Perry-Lecompton 37
Horton 54, Oskaloosa 43
Humboldt 59, Marmaton Valley 23
Hutchinson Central Christian 71, Fairfield 41
Hutchinson Trinity 55, Bennington 39
Inman 54, Ell-Saline 37
Iola 63, Anderson County 55
Jackson Heights 64, Valley Heights 35
Jackson Heights 64, Valley Falls 35
Jayhawk Linn 43, Uniontown 37
Jefferson North 72, Pleasant Ridge 35
Kapaun Mount Carmel 55, Wichita Bishop Carroll 41
KC East Christian, Mo. 71, Veritas Christian 66
KC Piper 58, KC Turner 51
Kingman 49, Larned 32
Labette County 62, Fort Scott 43
Lawrence 68, Leavenworth 54
Lawrence Free State 55, SM East 46
Liberal 52, Perryton, Texas 35
Lincoln 34, Chase 31
Maize 80, Goddard 60
Manhattan 70, Topeka 64
Marysville 50, Falls City, Neb. 45
Maur Hill – Mount Academy 49, McLouth 22
McPherson 68, Buhler 65
Minneola 57, Ingalls 51
Moscow 77, Hardesty, Okla. 19
Mulvane 69, Wellington 67
Nemaha Central 41, Jefferson West 35
Newton 57, Hutchinson 44
Northern Heights 59, Central Heights 40
Norton 47, Cambridge, Neb. 25
Olathe North 61, SM North 58
Olathe Northwest 51, SM South 47
Onaga 38, Doniphan West 34
Osawatomie 55, Santa Fe Trail 49
Osborne 75, Thunder Ridge 24
Otis-Bison 63, Stafford 42
Paola 47, DeSoto 39
Phillipsburg 51, Beloit 43
Pike Valley 55, Tescott 24
Pittsburg 63, Chanute 33
Pittsburg Colgan 52, Miami, Okla. 43
Pleasanton 59, Chetopa 49
Raytown, Mo. 58, Lansing 45
Rock Creek 60, Riley County 27
Rossville 47, Silver Lake 42
Salina Central 59, Wichita Campus 43
Salina Sacred Heart 71, Southeast Saline 53
Scott City 57, Southwestern Hts. 44
SM Northwest 52, Olathe South 47
SM West 70, Olathe East 43
Smoky Valley 47, Haven 42
South Central 53, South Barber 49
St. John 57, Kinsley 13
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 53, Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 27
St. Paul 54, Southeast 46
St. Thomas Aquinas 61, Bishop Miege 57
Stockton 58, Golden Plains 17
Topeka Seaman 73, Highland Park 57
Topeka West 68, Junction City 63
Ulysses 61, Lakin 42
Wakefield 37, Goessel 25
Washburn Rural 64, Emporia 58
Wichita Collegiate 80, Andale 75
Wichita East 62, Wichita Northwest 55
Wichita Heights 43, Wichita South 35
Wichita Southeast 74, Wichita North 56
Wichita Trinity 58, Belle Plaine 23
Winfield 40, El Dorado 35
Yates Center 45, Flinthills 29

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Abilene 60, Chapman 40
Alma, Neb. 43, Northern Valley 37
Andale 38, Wichita Collegiate 22
Andover Central 50, Andover 40
Baxter Springs 38, Galena 32
Beloit 49, Phillipsburg 13
Blue Valley Southwest 75, Lansing 46
BV Randolph 35, Clifton-Clyde 30
Cambridge, Neb. 38, Norton 31
Centralia 71, Frankfort 54
Chase County 65, Mission Valley 22
Cheney 40, Conway Springs 35
Chetopa 47, Pleasanton 34
Clay Center 54, Concordia 38
Crest 60, Northeast-Arma 54
Derby 60, Salina South 30
Doniphan West 38, Onaga 32
Ell-Saline 38, Inman 36, OT
Ellis 53, Ellinwood 50
Ellsworth 42, Russell 35
Erie 54, Cherryvale 48
Eudora 46, Tonganoxie 43
Eureka 54, Bluestem 42
Flint Hills Christian 49, Yates Center 27
Flinthills 49, Yates Center 27
Garden Plain 58, Douglass 13
Girard 62, Oswego 26
Goessel 42, Wakefield 13
Great Bend 52, Dodge City 37
Hardesty, Okla. 44, Moscow 25
Haven 33, Smoky Valley 30
Hesston 47, Pratt 24
Hoisington 47, Lyons 43
Holton 64, Perry-Lecompton 27
Horton 37, Oskaloosa 33
Hugoton 54, Garden City 32
Humboldt 35, Marmaton Valley 14
Hutchinson Central Christian 56, Fairfield 47
Hutchinson Trinity 54, Bennington 23
Ingalls 45, Minneola 40
Iola 37, Anderson County 35
Jayhawk Linn 33, Uniontown 28
Jefferson North 75, Pleasant Ridge 44
Jefferson West 45, Nemaha Central 38
Junction City 47, Topeka West 30
KC East Christian, Mo. 59, Veritas Christian 56, OT
KC Piper 83, KC Turner 24
Kingman 58, Larned 37
Labette County 64, Fort Scott 33
Lawrence Free State 63, SM East 30
Leavenworth 47, Lawrence 38
Lincoln 47, Chase 20
Linn 43, Valley Heights 35
Maize 36, Goddard 19
Maize South 63, Goddard-Eisenhower 42
Manhattan 69, Topeka 30
Marysville 54, Falls City, Neb. 38
Maur Hill – Mount Academy 60, McLouth 24
McPherson 52, Buhler 31
Medicine Lodge 55, Chaparral 52
Moundridge 46, Sterling 43
Neodesha 38, Riverton 28
Newton 48, Hutchinson 23
Nickerson 32, Hillsboro 29
Northern Heights 47, Central Heights 32
OKC Northwest, Okla. 58, Liberal 40
Olathe East 62, SM West 28
Olathe North 45, SM North 37
Olathe Northwest 57, SM South 54
Olathe South 39, SM Northwest 27
Otis-Bison 57, Stafford 16
Paola 33, DeSoto 27
Parsons 43, Coffeyville 19
Pittsburg 55, Chanute 36
Pittsburg Colgan 49, Miami, Mo. 30
Pratt Skyline 43, Bucklin 32
Pretty Prairie 31, Burrton 22
Riley County 52, Rock Creek 34
Rose Hill 39, Clearwater 24
Rossville 55, Silver Lake 45
Rural Vista 46, Solomon 31
Salina Central 62, Wichita Campus 24
Santa Fe Trail 60, Osawatomie 21
Scott City 57, Southwestern Hts. 34
Sedan 32, Caney Valley 22
South Central 44, South Barber 28
Southeast Saline 40, Salina Sacred Heart 31
Spring Hill 55, Basehor-Linwood 28
St. John 57, Kinsley 13
St. John’s Beloit-Tipton 48, Glasco/Miltonvale-Southern Cloud 29
St. Paul 35, Southeast 19
St. Thomas Aquinas 39, Bishop Miege 38, 2OT
Stockton 38, Golden Plains 35
Tescott 50, Pike Valley 45
Thunder Ridge 58, Osborne 19
Topeka Seaman 61, Highland Park 51
Ulysses 40, Lakin 28
Valley Center 38, Arkansas City 33
Valley Falls 42, Jackson Heights 19
Washburn Rural 35, Emporia 32
Wellington 57, Mulvane 33
Wetmore 53, Cornerstone Family 23
Wichita Bishop Carroll 45, Kapaun Mount Carmel 37
Wichita Northwest 52, Wichita East 46
Wichita South 55, Wichita Heights 39
Wichita Southeast 57, Wichita North 50
Wichita Sunrise 67, Derby Invasion 33
Wichita Trinity 45, Belle Plaine 24
Wilson 37, Natoma 30
Winfield 36, El Dorado 24

Mykhailiuk gives No. 3 Kansas win over K-State

Posted on January 4, 2017

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Svi Mykhailiuk went the length of the court and threw in a finger-tip layup as the buzzer sounded to give No. 3 Kansas a 90-88 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday night.

Josh Jackson matched a career high with 22 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists, and Landen Lucas added 18 points and 12 rebounds, as the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) pushed their home winning streak to 50 in one of the closest games during that incredible streak.

The Wildcats (13-2, 1-1) had the first chance to take the lead in the final seconds, but Dean Wade missed a 3-pointer and the ball bounced out of bounds with 5.6 ticks left on the clock.

Kansas struggled to get the ball inbounds, but once it got into Mykhailiuk’s hands, he used his long stride to carry him down the court. His buzzer-beating basket gave him 11 points in the game, not to mention kept coach Bill Self from losing to Kansas State for the second time at Allen Fieldhouse.

Wade matched a career high with 20 points.

FHSU women’s basketball receiving votes in WBCA poll

Posted on January 3, 2017

LILBURN, Ga. – For the third consecutive week, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team is receiving votes in the WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll. The latest edition of the Top 25 was released Tuesday (Jan. 3) by the organization. The Tigers received seven points in the voting process.

It is the fifth time the Tigers have been listed in the poll this season, reaching as high as 25th in the poll after their 6-0 start.

Fort Hays State is one of five MIAA schools recognized in the latest release. Emporia State climbed to second in the poll after defeating Pittsburg State, with the Gorillas dipping to No. 6. Central Oklahoma fell one spot to No. 20 after losing its first game of the season. Central Missouri, FHSU’s next opponent, is also listed in the receiving votes category, seven slots ahead of the Tigers.

Nine schools representing the Central Region are listed in the poll, including those also receiving votes, three more than the next-closest region (Southeast).

The Tigers will return to conference action this week when they host Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist. First up is a Thursday evening (Jan. 5) duel with the Jennies, with first tip set for 5:30 p.m.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for January 3, 2017.

Rank	School (1st Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Ashland (22)	(14-0)	598	1
2	Emporia State	(12-1)	556	5
3	Virginia Union (2)	(9-0)	512	6
4	Bellarmine	(10-1)	490	4
5	Angelo State	(10-0)	486	7
6	Pittsburg State	(11-1)	485	3
7	Alaska-Anchorage	(10-0)	476	8
8	California (Pa.)	(11-1)	444	2
9	Colorado State-Pueblo	(13-0)	422	9
10	Lincoln Memorial	(11-0)	405	10
11	California Baptist	(13-2)	362	11
12	Drury	(11-2)	297	14
13	Arkansas Tech	(7-1)	267	15
14	Winona State	(12-2)	261	16
15	Seattle Pacific	(11-1)	228	13
16	Lewis	(11-2)	200	17
17	Bentley	(11-3)	194	12
18	Wheeling Jesuit	(9-1)	186	18
19	Columbus State	(8-0)	156	23
20	Central Oklahoma	(11-1)	104	19
21	Grand Valley State	(9-3)	98	21
21	North Georgia	(10-1)	98	24
23	Clayton State	(9-2)	80	22
24	Minnesota State-Moorhead	(11-1)	71	RV
25	Northern State	(10-2)	65	25

Dropped Out: No. 20 Florida Southern (8-4).

Receiving Votes: Eckerd (10-2) 52; Saint Mary’s, TX (11-2) 29; Adelphi (11-2) 28; Simon Fraser (12-2) 24; Queens, NY (10-3) 17; Central Missouri (10-1) 17; Regis, CO (10-2) 11; West Florida (9-2) 11; Limestone (7-3) 10; Anderson, SC (8-2) 9; Glenville State (9-1) 8; Caldwell (10-3) 7; Fort Hays State (11-2) 7.

FHSU Sports Information

Royals acquire outfielder Peter O’Brien from Arizona

Posted on January 3, 2017January 3, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have acquired outfielder Peter O’Brien from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league pitcher Sam Lewis. O’Brien was designated for assignment by Arizona on December 23. With his addition, the Royals now have 40 players on their Major League Reserve List.

O’Brien, 26, played in 28 games for the Diamondbacks last season, connecting for a double and five homers in just 64 at-bats, for a .391 slugging percentage. The right-handed hitter recorded his first multi-homer game at the Major League level on June 17 in Philadelphia. He spent a majority of the year at Reno (AAA), where he hit .254 (103-for-406) with 20 doubles, five triples, 24 homers and 75 RBI in 105 games. O’Brien got off to a hot start in 2016, hitting a minor league-best 17 homers and collecting 142 total bases at the time of his second recall (June 10).

He originally signed with the New York Yankees as a second-round selection in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft. O’Brien was acquired by the D-Backs in the trade that sent infielder Martin Prado to New York in 2014. He participated in the 2014 MLB All-Star Futures Game at Target Field and was named the Top Star at the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game.

Lewis, 25, finished his 2016 season with Wilmington (A), appearing in a total of 19 games for three different Royals’ minor league affiliates.

KC Royals Media Relations

Hays High’s Berens named to Kansas Shrine Bowl

Posted on January 3, 2017

Hays High’s Shane Berens was among seven area high school seniors named to the 2017 Kansas Shrine Bowl roster on Tuesday.

Berens will be joined on the West Team by Dylan Foos of Dighton, Plainville’s Hayden Friend, Cullen Grabast of Osborne, Jacob Green from Norton, Great Bend’s Jacob Murray and Landen Urban from Hoisington.

Plainville coach Grant Stephenson was also named to the West coaching staff. Goddard Eisenhower Marc Marinelli was named the head coach of the West. Rossville head coach Derick Hammes will lead the East squad.

The 44^th Annual Shrine Bowl will be played in El Dorado at the BG Products and Veterans Sports Complex at Butler County Community College campus on July 29, 2017 at 7:00 pm.

Kickoff will be at 7:00 pm. Tickets and additional information are available at www.kansasshrinebowl.com or by calling 800-530-5524.

West

Ben Adler…………………. Trinity Academy

Jovon Baldwin……….. Junction City High

Shane Berens……………………… Hays High

Tyrekus Birch………… Wichita South High

Kaden Davis………………… Ellsworth High

Cooper Dreifort…………….. Andover High

Zach Esau………………………. Hesston High

Dylan Foos…………………….. Dighton High

Hayden Friend……………… Plainville High

Joey Gilbertson.. Wichita Northwest High

Kody Gonzalez…………….. Goddard High

Cullen Grabast……………….. Osborne High

Jacob Green…… Norton Community High

Layke Heimerman………….. Halstead High

Zach Helbing…………………. Mulvane High

Peyton Hill………………. Garden City High

Jacob Jenkins…….. Harper-Chaparral High

Hunter Kaufman…………………. Pratt High

Dallin Marlnee……………….. Augusta High

Jacob Murray…………….. Great Bend High

Ben Murray……. Southeast of Saline High

Tanner Orand……………. Eisenhower High

Nate Pauly………………. Garden Plain High

Eldon Picou……………….. Manhattan High

Ethan Richardson…….. Maize South High

Josh Rivas…………………. Hutchinson High

Cooper Root……………. Wichita Collegiate

Marshall Rutschman……… Sedgwick High

Thomas Sanchez………… Dodge City High

Jay Shank………………. Valley Center High

Landen Urban……………. Hoisington High

Peerlus Walker………………….. Derby High

Ethan White…………………….. Buhler High

Dillon Williams……………… Holcomb High

Coaches:

Marc Marinelli (head) Goddard Eisenhower High

Brian Hill………………… Garden City High

Scott Vang…………………… Goddard High

Brent Pfeifer……………. Maize South High

Clint Rider…………………….. Hesston High

Grant Stephenson………….. Plainville High

Certified Athletic Trainer:

Morgan Sommers…………………… Andover

Taylor Rholeder………………………. Wichita

East

Drew Bones……………… Ottawa High

Hunter Browning Washburn Rural High

Dalton Cowan. Topeka Seaman High

Bryce Crouch………….. Emporia High

Jay Dineen Lawrence Free State High

Clayton Fowler……….. Hartford High

Colin Grunhard.. Bishop Miege High

Dawson Hammes……. Rossville High

Jake Hastings…… Santa Fe Trail High

Trenton Henry Nemaha Central High

Wyatt Hubert Shawnee Heights High

Cuttar Huss………………….. Troy High

JJ Letcher……………………. Piper High

Jordin Linn…………… Neodesha High

Michael Maffry…… Blue Valley High

Jordan Martin…………….. Turner High

Greg Martin…………. Marysville High

Jason Meeker………… SM West High

Brandon Miekus……. Frontenac High

Trey Moore…………… Lawrence High

Justin Peine……….. Prairie View High

Travis Pickert St. James Academy High

Danny Presler………. SM North High

Trystan Pringle…………. Lyndon High

Eric Renyer……………… Sabetha High

Eric Scott…. Basehor- Linwood High

Adam Smith………….. Atchiison High

Chandler Struthers…… St. Pauls High

Trevor Thompson……. SM East High

Garrett Tierney ……BV North West High

Peyton Usher-Pearson….. Independence High

Mitchell Wertzberger ….Wabaunsee High

Kamaren Wilson…. Field KinleyHigh

Keegan Zars………… Mill Valley High

Coaches:

Derick Hammes (head) Rossville High

Bob Lisher Lawrence Free State High

Tom Radke……… St. James Academy

Rob Hedrick…………….. Ottawa High

Warren Seitz… Nemaha Central High

Brent Hoelting…………. Lyndon High

Team Managers:

Nick Sloop…… Nemaha Central High

Certified Athletic Trainers:

Curt Sudbeck…………….. St. Benedict

Kaylin Voss………………….. Lawrence

Kubiak tells Broncos he’s leaving for health reasons

Posted on January 2, 2017

DENVER (AP) — Broncos coach Gary Kubiak informed his players after their victory over Oakland on Sunday that he’s stepping away from the game and the team he loves. He said the grind of coaching was taking too big of a toll on his health.

The Broncos beat the Raiders 24-6 Sunday, a bittersweet capstone to a disappointing season that began with expectations of repeating as Super Bowl champs and ended without a trip to the playoffs.

Kubiak, 55, leaves with two years left on his contract and a 24-11 record in Denver, including a 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50. Including his eight seasons with Houston, his career record is 87-77.

Chiefs win AFC West title with win over Chargers

Posted on January 1, 2017

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Alex Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Kansas City Chiefs clinched the AFC West title and a first-round playoff bye with a 37-27 victory Sunday against the Chargers in perhaps the final NFL game in San Diego.

The Chiefs (12-4) clinched the division with the win and Oakland’s loss at Denver.

San Diego fired coach Mike McCoy after the game.

Smith, who went to nearby Helix High in La Mesa, scored on a 5-yard scramble early in the second quarter to tie the game at 10 and then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide-open Charcandrick West later in the quarter to put the Chiefs ahead for good at 17-10. That followed the first of two interceptions by Philip Rivers that led to 10 points for the Chiefs.

Smith was intercepted once, on a deflected pass that Jahleel Addae returned 90 yards for a touchdown to pull the Chargers (5-11) to 20-17 in the third quarter.

Smith came right back and threw a 2-yard scoring pass to West, who again was wide open.

Rookie Tyreek Hill showed some fancy footwork in returning a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter.

For the second straight year, the Chargers were playing perhaps their final game in San Diego.

Chargers chairman Dean Spanos has until Jan. 15 to decide whether to move the team to the Los Angeles area and join the Rams in a stadium scheduled to open in Inglewood in 2019. A Chargers-written ballot measure seeking $1 billion in hotel occupancy taxes to help fund a new downtown stadium was soundly defeated on Nov. 8.

Last year, Spanos was in the process of trying to move the team to Carson to share a stadium with the rival Raiders. That plan was defeated by fellow NFL owners in January, but Spanos was given the option to move to L.A. if he couldn’t come up with a way to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium.

The Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time” played on the PA during a break in the action after a Chiefs field goal made it 37-20 late in the game.

MCCOY FIRED

About an hour after the game, the Chargers fired McCoy after a second-straight last-place finish and a third straight season out of the playoffs. He was 27-37 in four seasons, with the Chargers having lost 23 of their last 32 games. They’ve also lost 13 of their last 14 AFC West games dating to late in the 2014 season. He had one year left on his contract.

GATESY

Chargers tight end Antonio Gates tied Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdown catches in NFL history by a tight end with 111.

Gates tied the mark on a 2-yard pass toss from Rivers early in the second quarter to give the Chargers a 10-3 lead. Gates caught the ball and extended it in his right hand to break the plane.

Gonzalez spent his first 12 seasons of his career with the Chiefs before finishing with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Chargers tried to get Gates sole possession of the record in the fourth quarter but Rivers overthrew him on second-and-goal from the 11 and then Gates couldn’t hold onto a third-down pass in double coverage. The Chargers settled for a field goal from Josh Lambo to cut the Chiefs’ lead to 34-20.

Late in the game, Rivers threw a 12-yard TD pass to San Diego’s other tight end, wide-open rookie Hunter Henry.

RIVERS PICKOFFS

Rivers was intercepted twice to set a career high with 21. He was picked off by Marcus Peters in the second quarter to set up Smith’s TD pass to West, and was picked off in the end zone on the next possession by Marcus Peters to set up Cairo Santos’ 25-yard field goal for a 20-10 halftime lead.

Rivers’ previous high was 20 in 2011.

BOSA

Chargers rookie defensive end Joey Bosa dropped Smith in the first quarter, giving him 10 ½ sacks in 12 games. Bosa missed all of training camp in a nasty contract dispute with the Spanos family and then injured a hamstring, costing him the first four games of the season. He missed the season-opening loss at Kansas City, when the Chargers blew a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead and lost 33-27 in overtime.

INJURIES: Chiefs S Eric Berry left with an ankle injury in the second half. For the Chargers, safety Darrell Stuckey left with a knee injury, linebacker Christopher Landrum suffered a concussion and guard Orlando Franklin had a shoulder injury.

Broncos end season with win over Raiders

Posted on January 1, 2017

DENVER (AP) — In a game that couldn’t have gone much worse, Oakland lost its latest starting quarterback, Matt McGloin, to a shoulder injury, then fell 24-6 on Sunday to Denver, a team with nothing to play for and facing the possible exit of coach Gary Kubiak for health reasons.

Combined with Kansas City’s win over San Diego, the Raiders (12-4) squandered the AFC West title and the first-round bye that went with it — and instead fell to the No. 5 seed.

The Raiders came into the last week of the regular season with a chance at the AFC’s top seed. Now, they are a wild card with a rookie third-stringer as their only fully healthy quarterback.

Earlier in the day, New England locked up the top seed.

Leading Oakland into next week’s game at Houston could be rookie Connor Cook if the injury to McGloin proves serious.

McGloin, who got the start when Derek Carr broke his leg last week, left late in the second quarter. He completed six passes for 21 yards, missing virtually every throw downfield. He stood on the bench in a stocking cap for the second half.

A fourth-year player out of Penn State, McGloin was making his first start since 2013. He was hurt when Jared Crick slammed him to the turf, drawing a roughing-the-passer penalty. Moments before that play, McGloin overthrew a wide-open Amari Cooper.

Cook was 14 of 21 with a touchdown to Cooper, an interception and a lost fumble against the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos (9-7), who ended a three-game slide.

Devontae Bookwr became the first Broncos rookie with a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Clinton Portis in 2002.

Before the game, there was speculation Kubiak will step down after the season. He’s 11 months removed from leading Denver to a Super Bowl win over Carolina. The 55-year-old Kubiak suffered a complex migraine on Oct. 9 following Denver’s loss to Atlanta.

STATS

Justin Forsett’s 64-yard run in the second quarter was the longest of the season by a Broncos running back. … The Broncos’ offense scored more points Sunday than the last three games combined (23). … Oakland coach Jack Del Rio is still looking for his first division title as a coach. Only Norm Van Brocklin (173) coached more games without winning a division in NFL history than Del Rio (171).

INJURIES

Raiders: Safety Nate Allen was evaluated for a concussion.

Broncos: Receiver Emmanuel Sanders hurt his foot in the first quarter and didn’t return. … Special teamer Zaire Anderson was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field after being injured on punt coverage in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Face the Texans (9-7), who have an unsettled QB situation as well.

Broncos: Head into the off season possibly looking for a new head coach.