KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had 14 players named to the All-MIAA Football Team for 2016 on Tuesday. The Tigers have three first team, two second team, and three third team selections, along with six players that earned honorable mention status. Sie Doe, Jr. was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year following his tremendous play this year at defensive end.

The 14 All-MIAA selections is a new high for FHSU under head coach Chris Brown. Last year, the Tigers had 13 all-conference picks.

First team selections went to senior defensive lineman Sie Doe, Jr., senior defensive back Raheeme Dumas, and junior running back Shaquille Cooper. Second team selections are junior defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd and senior linebacker Alex Schmidtberger. Third team selections include junior running back Kenneth Iheme, senior offensive lineman Mason Dickey, and junior kicker Brandon Brown. Honorable mention nods went to sophomore quarterback Jacob Mezera, redshirt-freshman wide receiver Layne Bieberle, redshirt-freshman tight end Matt Wendelberger, sophomore linebacker Jose Delgado, and senior defensive backs Rashad Dunnigan and DeAndre James.

Doe earns the second All-MIAA distinction of his career with a first team selection this year after honorable mention status last year. His dominating numbers up front on the defensive line earn him the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Doe posted an impressive 15 sacks in the regular season, breaking the FHSU single season record by three. Add that to 6.5 sacks last season and he now shares the FHSU career record for sacks with Trevell Smittick, the person he passed for the single-season record. Doe currently ranks third in the nation in sacks, averaging 1.36 per game, and has eight more sacks than Cass Weitl, who ranks second in the conference in total sacks with seven. He also leads Super Region 3 in sacks by 3.5. Doe also leads the MIAA in tackles for loss (18.5) and is tied for 13^th in the nation. He is tied with two other players for the national lead in forced fumbles with five. He recorded 76 tackles in the regular season to rank third on the team.

Dumas earned the first All-MIAA selection of his career, providing tremendous coverage for the Tigers at cornerback this year to earn a first-team selection. His six interceptions this year is just one shy of the single-season record at FHSU and it ties for sixth nationally. Add in seven pass break-ups to give him 13 passes defended this year, which ties for sixth best in the conference. He has a total of 32 tackles this year.

Cooper earns All-MIAA First Team honors for the second straight year at running back. Though his rushing yards total was down this season compared to last, currently at 825 for the year, he also provided a big threat as a receiver finishing with 32 receptions for 354 yards. He also added in 126 kick return yards this year to produce 1,305 all-purpose yards. He ranks second in the MIAA in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game (75). Cooper now ranks fifth all-time in all-purpose yards at FHSU with 3,744 in his career.

Shepherd earns the second All-MIAA selection of his career, moving up to second team honors this season after a third-team nod last year. At defensive tackle, he has 53 tackles, three sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble this year.

Schmidtberger earns the third All-MIAA selection of his career with the second team selection. He was an honorable mention pick in both 2014 and 2015. He currently ranks third in the MIAA in tackles with 131, averaging 11.9 per game. He ranks fourth nationally in total tackles and tackles per game. Schmidtberger ranks third all-time in tackles for the NCAA Division II era at FHSU with 341.

Iheme earns the first All-MIAA selection of his career with a third team selection. He has given the Tigers a solid 1-2 punch at running back this year, producing 485 rushing yards. He has added 22 receptions for 177 yards and 156 kick return yards to produce a total of 816 all-purpose yards this year. Iheme went past the 1,000-yard rushing mark in his career this year, now with 1,148 rushing yards.

Dickey earns the first All-MIAA selection of his career with third team honors on the offensive line. Dickey has been a staple in the Tiger starting lineup over four years, making 44 consecutive starts. He has served as the team’s left tackle this year after starting three years at right guard.

Brown has been a great transfer addition to the team this year at kicker. He has produced 79 points this year, setting a new single-season record for kick scoring points at FHSU by passing the old mark of 77 by Roy Miller in 1992. With 15 field goals, he has also tied Miller for the single-season field goals made record at FHSU. His longest field goal of the season was 49 yards. He has also impressed on kickoffs this year averaging 59.2 yards per attempt, sending 31 of his 60 attempts for touchbacks. Brown has also been utilized for punting this year, averaging 40.4 yards per attempt on 37 tries with a season long of 78 yards to tie the second-longest punt in FHSU history.

Mezera earns the first all-conference honor of his career with the honorable mention nod at quarterback. After staying under the 300-passing yard mark for the first five games of the season, Mezera had a breakout game at Pittsburg State in Week 6 by throwing for 446 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground for 508 yards of total offense to break the school record. His 446 passing yards were most in the FHSU’s NCAA Division II history and third most all-time. He went on to throw for over 300 yards in the next two games. He finished the regular season completing 200-of-315 attempts for 2,342 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bieberle gets an all-conference pick in his first year on the field for FHSU at wide receiver. He has 27 receptions this year for 409 yards, averaging 15.1 yards per catch with a team-best five touchdowns. He had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career at Emporia State with 116 yards.

Wendelberger also picks up all-conference honors in his first year on the field at FHSU. He has 15 catches for 163 yards at tight end and has been key in the blocking game as well.

Delgado receives the first all-conference selection of his career with honorable mention status at linebacker. Delgado ranks fourth in the MIAA in tackles with 101, averaging 10.1 per game. He ranks 27^th nationally in tackles per game. He also has 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery this year.

Dunnigan gets the first all-conference selection of his career with the honorable mention pick at defensive back. Playing opposite of Dumas at the other cornerback position, Dunnigan compiled three interceptions and 46 tackles. He is tied with Dumas for the team lead in passes defended with 13 this year. His 10 pass break-ups ties for fifth best in the MIAA and he is tied for sixth in the conference in passes defended.

James earns the second All-MIAA selection of his career, but first as a defensive back. He was an honorable mention pick at kick returner as a freshman in 2013, but gets the nod this year as a safety. James has 52 tackles and two interceptions this year to go with 220 kick return yards. The senior now has 174 tackles and 1,268 kick return yards in his career. He ranks third all-time in kick return yards at FHSU.

Complete All-MIAA team below

MIAA Offensive Player of the Year – Kyle Zimmerman, QB, Northwest Missouri
MIAA Defensive Player of the Year – Sie Doe Jr., DL, Fort Hays State
MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year – Jaylen Zachery, RS, Central Missouri
MIAA Freshmen of the Year – Brenner Clemons, WR, Pittsburg State
MIAA Coach of the Year – Adam Dorrel, Northwest Missouri

First Team (Offense)
QB – Kyle Zimmerman, Northwest Missouri
RB – Josh Caldwell, Missouri Western**
RB –  Shaquille Cooper, Fort Hays State^
WR – Jaylen Zachery, Central Missouri
WR – Mitchell Foote, Emporia State**^
WR – Levi Copelin, Pittsburg State
TE/FB –  Jordan Grove, Northwest Missouri**^
OL – Chase Sherman, Northwest Missouri**
OL – Travis Anderson, Missouri Western**^
OL – Derrick Puni, Central Missouri
OL – Jarret Statsny, Emporia State
OL – Jamie Theiman, Northwest Missouri
K – Simon Mathiesen, Northwest Missouri^
PR/PR – Jaylen Zachery, Central Missouri**
**=Unanimous selection

^=Repeat First Team Selection

First Team (Defense)
DL – Eddie Vinson, Emporia State
DL – Sie Doe Jr., Fort Hays State
DL – Collin Bevins, Northwest Missouri**^
DL – Cass Weitl, Northwest Missouri
LB – Connor Harris, Lindenwood^
LB – Tyke Kozeal, Nebraska-Kearney
LB – Jacob Vollstedt, Northwest Missouri^
LB –  Cody Heiman, Washburn
DB – Tevin Teamer, Central Missouri
DB – Raheme Dumas, Fort Hays State
DB – Kevin Berg, Northwest Missouri^
DB –  Deron Washington, Pittsburg State
P –  Carter Anchors, Pittsburg State
**=Unanimous selection

^=Repeat First Team Selection

Second Team (Offense)
QB – Garrett Fugate, Central Missouri
RB – Clay McKenzie, Central Oklahoma
RB –  Phil Jackson II, Northwest Missouri
WR – Justin Brown, Emporia State
WR – Gary McKnight, Northeastern State
WR – Shawn Bane Jr., Northwest Missouri
TE/FB – Seth Hebert, Central Missouri
OL – Brandon Waggoner, Central Oklahoma
OL – Max Oeser, Missouri Western
OL – Codey Funk, Pittsburg State
OL – Bo Farrow, Pittsburg State
OL – Michael Miller, Washburn
K – Perry Schmiedeler, Washburn
KR/PR – Austin Panko, Pittsburg State

Second Team (Defense)
DL – Josh Powell, Central Missouri
DL – Nathan Shepherd, Fort Hays State
DL – Heath Wilson, Fort Hays State
DL – Akhmad Abdul-Razzaq, Washburn
LB –  Kole Schankie, Emporia State
LB –  Alex Schmidtberger, Fort Hays State
LB – James Huskey, Missouri Western
LB – Spencer Brown, Pittsburg State
DB – Monteze Latimore, Central Missouri
DB – A.J. West, Emporia State
DB – Donte Watkins, Missouri Western
DB – Anthony Lane, Northwest Missouri
P – Perry Schmiedeler, Washburn

Third Team (Offense)
QB – John Roderique, Pittsburg State
RB – Kenneth Iheme, Fort Hays State
RB – Luke Quinn, Nebraska-Kearney
RB – Cameron Wilcox, Northwest Missouri
WR – Connor Pulley, Central Oklahoma
WR – Dijuan Ussery, Missouri Western
WR – Bryce Chavis, Washburn
TE/FB – Kyle Swartz, Pittsburg State
OL – Chris Gomez, Central Missouri
OL – Sam Noble, Central Oklahoma
OL – Jordan Baldwin, Northeastern State
OL – Mason Dickey, Fort Hays State
OL – Ryan Huff, Northwest Missouri
K – Brandon Brown, Fort Hays State
KR/PR – Kendell Sparks, Lindenwood

Team Reflects Tie in the Voting

Third Team (Defense)
DL – Dalainey Taala, Central Missouri
DL – Deontay Wilson, Central Oklahoma
DL – DeAndre Glover, Emporia State
DL – Jonathan Harris, Lindenwood
LB – Dylan Albertson, Central Missouri
LB – Josh Monteagudo, Emporia State
LB – Kenneth Davis, Northeastern State
LB – Jarrod Bishop, Northwest Missouri
DB – Tre Dickerson, Emporia State
DB – Bakari Triggs, Lindenwood
DB – Edward Richey, Northwest Missouri
DB – Zach Franklin, Washburn
P – Stetson Broce, Missouri Southern

Honorable Mention
QB – T.J. Eckert, Central Oklahoma; Braxton Marstall, Emporia State; Jacob Mezera, Fort Hays State; Dimonic McKinzy, Northeastern State; Derek McGinnis, Washburn.
RB – Gabe Vandiver, Central Missouri; Jake Gandara, Central Oklahoma; Landon Nault, Emporia State; Calen Campbell, Lindenwood; Aaron Daniels, Lindenwood; Michael Rose, Pittsburg State.
WR – Kyle Echols, Central Missouri; Josh Crockett, Central Oklahoma; Layne Bieberle, Fort Hays State; DeSean Warren, Lindenwood; Deantrell Prince, Lindenwood; Scott Lathrop, Missouri Southern; Josiah Bennett, Missouri Southern; Jordan Morrison, Missouri Southern; Patrick Bolton, Missouri Western; Malcolm Moore, Nebraska-Kearney; Blake Holtmeier, Nebraska-Kearney; Austin Panko, Pittsburg State; Dre Washington, Northwest Missouri; George Sehl, Northwest Missouri; Brenner Clemons, Pittsburg State.
TE/FB – Reese Richards, Emporia State; Matthew Wendelberger, Fort Hays State; Blake Vandenberg, Missouri Western; T.J. Schieber, Northwest Missouri.
OL – Layne Fischer, Central Missouri; DeAndre Herron, Emporia State; Estevan Arana, Emporia State; Deshaun Lawson, Lindenwood; Mitche Moore, Missouri Southern; Hayden Eatinger, Missouri Western; Zach Beard, Nebraska-Kearney; Luke Browne, Nebraska-Kearney; Tyler Easter, Northeastern State; Ryan Dodd, Pittsburg State; Bob Marco, Washburn.
DL –  Connor Flagel, Central Missouri; Carson Smith, Central Oklahoma; Donovan Walker, emporia State; Daylon Harper, Missouri Western; Tye Spies, Nebraska-Kearney; Caleb Mather, Northwest Missouri; Simanu’a Thomas, Pittsburg State; Trey Parker, Washburn; Spenser Matthews, Washburn.
LB – Jose Delgado, Fort Hays State; Cody Lindsay, Missouri Western; Darrian Bass, Missouri Western; Tyrell Robison, Missouri Western; La’More Wise, Northeastern State; Darian Morris, Northeastern State; Ethan Fugitt, Pittsburg State; Austin Tillman, Washburn.
DB – Diaron Rhodes, Central Missouri; Jackson Newman, Central Missouri; Rashad Dunningan, Fort Hays State; DeAndre James, Fort Hays State; Wesley Thomas, Lindenwood; Chris Goss, Missouri Southern; Ricky Green, Missouri Southern; Antwan Hadley, Nebraska-Kearney; Steffon Herd, Northeastern State; Devon Siers, Northeastern State; Jack Young, Northwest Missouri; Marcus Jones, Northwest Missouri; Corey Ballentine, Washburn.
K – Seth Hiddink, Central Oklahoma; Austin Morton, Emporia State.
P – Christian Fulham, Central Oklahoma; Justin Marcha, Emporia State

FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State wrestling traveled to Greeley, Colo. on Sunday (Nov. 13) to compete in the Northern Colorado Open. Jon Inman (197) and Christian Lance (285) won tournament titles for the second straight week, while Rakim Dean (184) also placed.

Inman the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 197 went 4-0 on the day with four decisions to claim the title. After receiving a bye in the first round he handled New Mexico Highlands’ Christopher Collins in the second round by the score of 11-4. In the quarterfinal round he got the better of Wyoming’s Cody Vigoren with a 5-2 decision to advance to the semifinals. There he had his tightest match of the day against Colorado Mesa’s Austin Gaun with a 9-7 decision. In the finals Inman claimed his second title in as many tournaments with a 5-2 decision over Jacob Seely of Northern Colorado.

Lance went 5-0 on the day to claim his second individual title of the year. He defeated three Division I wrestlers to claim the title. In the first round, Lance won a nail-biter over Wyoming’s Hunter Mullins by a 3-2 decision. In the following round he recorded a first period fall at the 2:30 mark over CSU-Pueblo’s Drew Strong to move into the quarterfinals. There he once again was on the better end of a 3-2 decision, this time over Jack Kuck of Northern Colorado. In the semifinal bout Lance once again defeated a member of the Wyoming team, Sam Eagan with a 7-4 decision to advance to the finals. In the championship bout, Lance once again came out on top of a one-point decision by topping Northwest Kansas Tech’s Odgerek Batkhishig by the score of 6-5.

Dean went 5-1 on his way to a third place finish for the day. He started the day with a pin over Northeastern Junior College’s Dylan Buschow at the 1:50 mark in the first period. His only loss then came in the ensuing round where he fell victim to Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel in a 10-3 decision. In the consolation bracket Dean went on to win his next four matches starting with a technical fall over Northwest Kansas Tech’s Kyle Rodriguez by the score of 17-2. From there he would defeat CSU-Pueblo’s John Lewis with another major decision 13-3, and New Mexico Highlands’ Luis Terrazas in a 6-3 decision to advance to the third place match. Dean then was garnished third place honors after Wyoming’s Nate Shaw forfeited due to a medical issue.

The Tigers have one more open tournament next week when they head to the Nebraska-Kearney Open on Saturday (Nov. 19) before kicking off the dual season the following Thursday (Dec. 1) when they take on Lindenwood in Hays.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Rob Davis scored 33 points and hit the game-winning shot with under a second to play and Fort Hays State beat the University of Sioux Falls 80-79 Sunday at the Stewart Center. It’s the second straight year the Tigers (1-1) have beaten the Cougars (0-2) with a  last second shot as they go 1-1 in the season opening NSIC/MIAA Challenge.

Sioux Falls nearly pulled out the win but Zach Wessell 75-foot heave rimmed out as time expired preserving the Tigers victory.

Mark Johnson Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

Davis hit seven of the Tigers nine 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds. Hadley Gillum added 17 points and tied the game at 78 after a Kyler Kinnamon steal. JaQuan Smith chipped in with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Tigers shot 61-percent in the second half including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc after hitting only 36-percent in the first half in battling to a 31-all tie at the break.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Connor Frankamp scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Wichita State cruised to a 92-55 win over Long Beach State on Sunday night.

MANKATO, Minn. – The 24th-ranked Fort Hays State women’s soccer team advanced to the Central Regional Final (round of 16) of the NCAA Tournament after a nail-biting shootout victory over 15th-ranked Minnesota State on Sunday. The game officially goes down as a 2-2 draw, but the shootout determined the advancing team. FHSU took the shootout 4-2 and is now 15-4-3 overall, while Minnesota State ends its season at 16-3-3 overall.

Fort Hays State will now travel to the campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan for the Central Regional Final against the team it tied for the MIAA Regular Season Championship, Central Missouri, on Friday (Nov. 18). The Jennies advanced to the regional final with a 2-1 win over MIAA foe Central Oklahoma on Sunday. The winner of that match will take on the winner of the Midwest Regional Final between Grand Valley State and Truman. The Super Regional Final is slated for Sunday.

The Mavericks struck first when Dana Savino found the back of the net in the 65^th minute. After earning a corner kick, the Mavericks sent a ball into the box that bounced around for quite some time, then Savino made a run that put her in position to bounce the ball off of her chest across the line.

Less than a minute later Regan Lawler tied the game when she scored her first goal of the season. From midfield, Lawler launched a missile towards the Maverick goal just above the keeper’s reach, tipping off the gloves and into the goal. The shot lit a fire in the Tigers as they played the rest of the second half with a new life and sense of urgency.

Silvano Romero put the Tigers into the lead for the first time just under five minutes later. Dani Harris ripped a shot from 25 yards out that the Mavericks goalkeeper was able to deflect up to the crossbar but she fell to the ground doing so. Romero followed the shot and buried the rebound in the wide open net.

Later in the half, two players collided causing a stoppage in play. This stoppage may have hurt the Tigers momentum as the Mavericks were able to gather themselves during the stoppage of play. Just moments later, Savino struck once more to even the score.

At the end of 90 minutes, neither team was able to get the go-ahead goal, and the fans were treated to free soccer. In the first 10-minute overtime, the Mavericks threw everything they could at the Tigers but came up empty. The second 10-minute overtime was much of the same as the Tigers showed their “bend, don’t break” mentality, but held on forcing the draw and the shootout.

In the shootout the Tigers went first with Silvana Romero at the line, but unfortunately she missed. After the first Maverick shooter found the back of the net the Tigers found themselves trailing 1-0.

Next up for the Tigers was Dani Harris who evened the score at 1-1. Then Tiger goalkeeper Abbie Flax changed the complexion of the shootout by diving and getting her fingertips on the second MSU shot, deflecting the ball just outside the post.

Hannah Smith put the Tigers in the lead for the first time as she completely fooled the Mavericks keeper. But MSU responded to make it a 2-2 tie after three shootout rounds.

Darby Hirsch gave FHSU the edge once more as she found the net on her try. With the fourth Maverick shooter at the line, Abbie Flax once again made an outstanding diving save setting the Tigers up for the shootout-winning opportunity.

For the second time in four matches, Thayla Dwyer lifted the Tigers to a shootout victory and the round of 16 in the tournament. She was calm and collected as she approached the ball and buried it easily to send the Tigers to the Central Regional Final. Dwyer had the shootout winner in a first-round tie with Missouri Western in the MIAA Tournament.

In addition to the two shootout saves, Flax made four big saves throughout the course of the match and now sits at 12-4-3 this season.

Game time of the match with Central Missouri in Allendale, Mich. on Friday (Nov. 18) will be announced when made available by Grand Valley State.

FHSU Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Volleyball received the No. 5 seed for the MIAA Tournament as the bracket was released on Saturday evening. FHSU tied Central Missouri for fourth in the conference standings, but UCM held the tiebreaker on FHSU for the No. 4 seed. Therefore, the Tigers head to Warrensburg, Mo. for the opening round on Tuesday evening at 6 pm.

Tournament Bracket

Fort Hays State did all it could to take the No. 4 seed in the tournament by defeating Southwest Baptist on Saturday, but the hopes were dashed later in the evening when Central Missouri pulled out a five-set win over Northwest Missouri State. FHSU needed an NWMSU win to host a first round game and NWMSU had three match points, but UCM rallied and denied FHSU from hosting.

Fort Hays State reached the 25-win mark for the first time under head coach Kurt Kohler on Saturday, just the third time the program has reached that accomplishment in its NCAA Division II history. A win in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament would push the 2016 squad to the second-most wins alone in Fort Hays State’s NCAA history. They have matched the 25 wins of the 2003 squad. The 31 posted by the 2004 team is the only mark better.

Fort Hays State split the regular season meetings with Central Missouri. The Tigers won 3-1 in Hays, but the Jennies won 3-0 in Warrensburg. The win for FHSU in Hays was one of the biggest of the season, knocking off a No. 6 nationally ranked Jennies team. UCM was ranked No. 15 for the meeting in Warrensburg and currently holds the No. 16 ranking in the nation.

The Tigers have played well down the stretch of the regular season, winning five of their last six contests. FHSU enters the match at 25-8, while UCM is 22-9. Both finished 11-7 in the MIAA. The winner will potentially play either No. 1 seed Nebraska-Kearney or No. 8 seed Emporia State in the tournament semifinals on Friday at the site of the highest remaining seed in the tournament.

The tournament schedule is below.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 (at higher seed)
Game 1: #8 Emporia State at #1 Nebraska-Kearney          7 p.m.
Game 2: #5 Fort Hays State at #4 Central Missouri            6 p.m.
Game 3: #6 Northwest Missouri at #3 Central Oklahoma   7 p.m.
Game 4: #7 Missouri Western at #2 Washburn                   7 p.m.

Friday, November 18, 2016 (at higest remaining seed)
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2    TBA
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4    TBA

Saturday, November 19, 2016 (at same location as Friday matches)
Game 7: Semifinal Winners                                TBA

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Fort Hays State fell in its season opener to Southwest Minnesota State by a score of 84-60 on Saturday evening. A close game throughout the first half, FHSU went cold shooting the ball in the second half while SMSU heated and ran away with the game.

The Tigers and Mustangs went back-and-forth in the first half with 12 lead changes and eight ties. SMSU found a bit of separation by the end of the half, leading by five at the break 39-34. The Tigers shot well in the first half at 53.6 percent, while holding the Mustangs to just 41.4 percent. The free-throw line was the difference for SMSU before the break, where it was 13-of-14 compared to just 3-of-5 for FHSU.

Fort Hays State closed within four points twice early in the second half, but a 10-0 run by SMSU from the 15:14 to 13:40 marks quickly changed the complexion of the game. The Tigers would never cut the lead back inside double digits as the Mustangs shot the ball well after the break and cruised to the final 24-point margin. SMSU shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second half, which included a 5-of-10 effort beyond the 3-point line.

Hadley Gillum had the hot hand for FHSU, finishing with 20 points. He was 9-of-12 from the field and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Rob Davis was the only other Tiger in double figures with 11 points. After a hot shooting first half, FHSU cooled to just 37.5 percent shooting in the second half. The Tigers struggled from 3-point range all night, going just 1-of-10 beyond the arc. FHSU finished at 46.2 percent shooting from the field for the game. Turnovers were also a sticking point for FHSU, committing 19 compared to just eight for SMSU.

The Tigers face host University of Sioux Falls on Sunday evening (Nov. 13) at 5 pm in their second game at the NSIC/MIAA Challenge.

FHSU Sports Information

By Dustin Armbruster

Southwest Minnesota State jumped out to a 5-0 lead hitting their first two shots of the game before Fort Hays State put together a 12-0 to take a lead they would never give up. The Tigers led by seven twice in the first quarter but then went on a 4:40 scoring drought extending into the second quarter, allowing the Mustangs to stay with in five points at the end of the first quarter 15-10.

Once the Tigers broke out of the shooting drought they took off. Fort Hays outscored the Mustangs 25-13 in the second quarter to take their biggest lead of the game to the locker room 40-23. The Tigers were powered by eight three pointers in the first half by six different players. Fort Hays defensively forced 15 first half turnovers leading to a 12-1 scoring edge off of turnovers.

Highlights

The Tigers defense didn’t relent in the second half allowing a single point in the first five minutes of the third quarter and building their lead to 49-24. Fort Hays would push their lead as high as 30 in the third quarter and lead 59-32 heading into the fourth and cruised to an 83-49 victory.

Coach Tony Hobson

Jill Faxon led four in double figures with 16, Emma Stroyan scored 14 and Taylor Rohlfs and Kacey Kennett each added 12. Fort Hays hit 13 three pointers in the game while shooting 49% overall. Freshman Lauren Hedlund led the Mustangs with 12.

Emma Stroyan

Fort Hays moves to 2-0 on the season and head to St. Cloud, Minnesota to take for another two game classic, playing St. Cloud State on Friday and Bemidji State on Saturday. Southwest Minnesota State falls to 0-2.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

KEARNEY, Neb. – Shaquille Cooper rushed for a season-high 152 yards and a touchdown, Charles Tigner added another 95 on the ground with three touchdowns and Fort Hays State outscored Nebraska-Kearney 20-7 in the second half and beat the Lopers 27-17 Saturday afternoon at Cope Stadium at Foster Field.

Fort Hays State (7-4) finishes with their third straight season of seven or more wins, a first in program history.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

 

Shaquille Cooper Postgame Interview

 

Charles Tigner Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

The Tigers (7-4) rushed for a season-best 299 yards as they win their fifth straight over the Lopers and fourth straight in Kearney.

Tigner scored on runs of 41, one and 29 yards, all out the wildcat package. Cooper’s 12-yard touchdown run with 4:02 to play capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive after Nebraska-Kearney (1-10) had cut the lead to three.

Fort Hays State struggled throwing the ball. Backup quarterback Brad Schencker completed 7-of-19 passes for 36 yards with no touchdowns and interceptions.