2-1A
Phillipsburg 30 Troy 29
3A
Wichita-Collegiate 19 Rossville 20
4A-Division 2
Holcomb 21 Holton 0
4A-Division 1
Andover Central 12 Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege 68
5A
Wichita-Bishop Carroll 14 Shawnee-Mill Valley 35
6A
Derby 27 Overland Park-Blue Valley 14
By Dustin Armbruster
Each of Saturday’s 2-1A state championship contenders had something in common. Neither Phillipsburg or Troy had ever won a state football title. In fact both were playing in their first ever state title game.
Neither offense could get much going early in the game, it was the Troy defense that scored the first points of the game. Phillipsburg had held Troy on 4th and goal from the one yard line, but two plays later the Panthers fumbled the football back into the endzone. The Panthers recovered but were tackled in the end zone for a Troy Trojans safety. Troy then held Phillipsburg to three plays and a punt and struck on a 45 yard touchdown pass from Reid Greaser to Cuttar Huss. The extra point put Troy up 9-0 with 3:40 left in the first quarter.
Phillipsburg would find find their rhythm on offense in the second quarter. Kirk Coomes capped off an 11 play 62 yard drive with a seven yard touchdown run. Troy struck back with a wild 56 yard pass on third down from Greaser to Chris Winkel and tacked on a two point conversion to go back up 17-8. Just 1:06 later Kirk Coomes broke off a 54 yard touchdown run and again added the two point conversion getting the Panthers within a point at 17-16.
Phillipsburg held Troy on 4th down with 4:00 to go in the first half, but had their drive stalled at the 25 yard line following a penalty.
Coach JB Covington
Troy started the second half with the football once again got inside the red zone again but could not score. Phillipsburg turned their opening drive into a score on a 62 yard Kirk Coomes run, taking their first lead of the game at 22-17. Troy took the lead back, 23-22, with their longest drive of the game, 11 plays and 66 yards, scoring on a Greaser to Winkel three yard pass with 4:13 left in the third quarter.
Phillipsburg ensuing possession ended after a bad snap on a punt attempt, giving Troy the football at the Panther 28 yard line. The Panther defense would hold on fourth down with one of the seven Phillipsburg sacks on the day. The first break in Trojan offense came early in the fourth quarter. Phillipsburg would sack and force a Trojan fumble recovered by the Panthers at the Troy 26 yard line. Kirk Coomes would rumble in for his fourth touchdown of the day. The touchdown came on 4th down from the four yard line. Coomes accounted for all 30 points as he ran in the two point conversion giving Phillipsburg a 30-23 lead. The Panthers had two opportunities to add points over the final ten minutes but punted the ball after three plays each time.
Troy scored after the second of those two punts on the fourth touchdown pass by Greaser, this one again to Cuttar Huss. Troy however did not convert on the two point conversion leaving the score 30-29 with 3:17 remaining.
Troy attempted an on-side kick but touched the ball just before the minimum ten yard requirement. Phillipsburg would drain the final three plus minutes off the clock but not with out drama. The Panthers were set up with 4th and four and following a time out went with a hard count to draw Troy offsides. The result of the first down allowed Phillipsburg to take three knees out of the victory formation and win 30-29.
Mark Coomes
Sophomore Kirk Coomes led the way for Phillipsburg with 243 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He scored all 30 of Phillipsburg’s points scoring on three two-point conversions.
Troy’s quarterback Reid Greaser went 17-24 for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Listen as ‘Voice of the Chiefs’ Mitch Holthus takes a look back at the Chiefs dominating win in San Diego and previews Sunday’s key home game with the Buffalo Bills.
The Holthus Hotline airs Saturday at 6:30 a.m. during the Chiefs season.
By MARK DIDTLER
Associated Press
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Shannon Hall scored 20 points and Riley Norris added 12 as Alabama upset No. 20 Wichita State 64-60 in the consolation round of the AdvoCare Invitational on Friday.
It was first time Alabama (3-2) beat a Top 25 team on a neutral court since Nov. 29, 2009, a 68-66 victory over then No. 15 Michigan.
Wichita State (2-3) lost its second straight invitational game without senior guard Fred VanVleet, who missed his third consecutive game overall due to ankle and hamstring injuries. He twisted his ankle in the season opener Nov. 13 against Charleston Southern and then was limited by hamstring soreness four days later in a game with Tulsa.
The game was delayed with 3:07 left in the second half when Wichita State forward Anton Grady was injured. After falling face-first on the court, he was put on a backboard and taken off on a stretcher.
There were no other details immediately available on Grady’s injury.
By MARK DIDTLER
Associated Press
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – Freshman Bennie Boatright had a career-high 22 points and USC beat No. 20 Wichita State 72-69 in a first-round game Thursday at the AdvoCare Invittional.
Wichita State (2-2) played without senior guard Fred VanVleet, who missed his second consecutive game with ankle and hamstring injuries. He twisted his ankle in the season opener Nov. 13 against Charleston Southern and then was limited by hamstring soreness four days later in a game with Tulsa.
USC (5-0) also got 15 points from Jordan McLaughlin. It’s the Trojans best start since opening the 2000-01 season 8-0.
Ron Baker had 25 points and Markis McDuffie added 14 for Wichita State.
After the Trojans had their lead cut to one, Boatwright’s 3 from the corner gave USC a 64-60 advantage with 4 1-2 minutes left.
Boatright hit another 3-pointer, and then had a steal before Katin Reinhardt made a 3 to extend the USC advantage to 70-62 late.
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) – Wayne Selden Jr. scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting,and No. 5 Kansas won the Maui Jim Maui Invitational with a 70-63 victory over No. 19 Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.
The Jayhawks (4-1) did what no other team in the field could do, take a lead over the Commodores (5-1). It didn’t happen until the second half but when they got it they extended it to as many as 13 points.
Kansas trailed by 10 points midway through the first half and the Jayhawks were able to cut the lead to 30-26 at halftime.
They took control with their offense, shooting 62.5 percent (15 of 24) in the second half.
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – The NCAA will allow freshman Cheick Diallo to begin playing for No. 5 Kansas beginning next week, ending a months-long investigation into the five-star prospect’s background.
In a statement Wednesday, the NCAA said Diallo received a limited amount of impermissible benefits. The result is a five-game suspension that includes four games already missed and the Maui Invitational title game Wednesday night against No. 19 Vanderbilt.
Diallo will be allowed to play Tuesday night against Loyola.
The 6-foot-9 Diallo has been allowed to practice with Kansas, but he had been barred from participating in games while the NCAA examined his coursework from a New York prep school and his relationship with his guardian, Tidiane Drame.
The NCAA said Kansas provided new information last week that helped it render a decision.
FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head softball coach Adrian Mohr has announced five signings for the 2017 season. Signing in the early period with the Tigers are Lexie Kimminau, Lily Sale, Jeni Mohr, Bailey Boxberger, and Tess Gray. Three are from Colorado and two are from Kansas.
Kimminau, the younger sister of former Tiger pitcher Kelsey Kimminau, is currently a senior at Pomona High School in Arvada, Colo. She was an all-state selection and all-conference first team selection as a pitcher in her senior year. She helped her team to a second-place finish at the Class 5A State Tournament as a senior. To go with a 2.87 ERA, she also hit .333 with nine home runs and 33 RBI as a hitter.
Sale, a teammate of Kimminau’s at Pomona High School, is a three-time all-league selection at shortstop. She earned all-league second team honors as a senior, but also garnered first team honors as a junior. As a senior in 2015, she hit .369 with four home runs and 26 RBI.
Mohr is currently a senior at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. She was an all-league first team selection at third base, but can also play the middle infield. As a senior in 2015, she hit .329 with four home runs and 17 RBI.
Boxberger is currently a senior at Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kan. She can play both first and third base. She was a Kansas Class 6A All-State Second Team selection in 2015 as an infielder, while also garnering all-league honors. She helped Olathe South to the 6A State Championship in 2015.
Gray is currently a senior at Blue Valley Southwest High School in Overland Park, Kan. She was an all-league selection at catcher as a junior. Over her last two years, she has hit .480 with 48 hits, 27 RBI, and two home runs.
Boxberger and Gray have yet to complete their senior seasons in softball as Kansas high schools play softball in the spring.
Hays High basketball will hold the 31st annual Maroon and Gold intrasquad basketball scrimmage this Friday (Nov. 27th) at Hays high school. This year’s girls’ team will play at 6 p.m. followed by the boys team at 7 p.m.
The evening will include a look at this year’s teams and the boys Basketball parents meeting.
Admission is a canned good which will be donated to the National Honor Societies Hays High Holiday Help Project for families in need.
The scrimmage is open to the public
By Diane Gasper-O’Brien
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. — If Shawn Behr could give players on this year’s Fort Hays State University football team a piece of advice, it would be to enjoy this time heading into their season finale.
The 2015 FHSU football team qualified for post-season action for the first time in 20 years with its 8-3 record, and the Tigers were invited to represent the MIAA in the Mineral Water Bowl Dec. 5 in Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Game time is noon vs. the University of Minnesota-Duluth. More information about the game and accompanying activities can be found at www.fhsu.edu/BowlBound.
Behr, a native of Great Bend, was the starting quarterback on the last Tiger team to make it to post-season play, in 1995. He has been paying particular attention to Fort Hays State the past five years as the Tigers consistently improved under Head Coach Chris Brown.
“The cool thing about Coach Brown is that every single year, he’s gotten one win better,” said Behr, who lives in Great Bend with his wife, Desa, and their 7-year-old daughter, Kya. “I’m so glad to see he finally got over that hump.”
After going 4-7 in his first year as the Tiger head coach in 2011, Brown’s teams have climbed the ladder with season marks of 5-6, 6-5 and 7-4 before this year’s efforts tied the school record for most wins in a season.
To reach the post-season is something special, said Behr, whose name is on numerous single-season and career top 10 lists for FHSU football. Behr, who still holds the all-time FHSU record for most passing touchdowns in a season with 34, had seven 300-yard passing games his magical senior season.
“It all culminates with the post-season,” Behr said. “You work hard, and there are some monumental wins throughout the season. But once you finally make the post-season, it’s such a great feeling.”
The 1995 Tigers lost just one regular-season game and finished 8-2-2 overall after losing to Texas A&M-Kingsville in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Fort Hays State football is 0-3 in post-season action.
Behr would like to see that streak end this year, and he hopes to be on hand in person to see it happen.
His wife, a graduate of Kansas State University, is “a huge K-State fan,” and West Virginia is playing the Wildcats in Manhattan the same day as the Tigers’ bowl game.
“I’m hoping to drop off my wife and daughter in Manhattan and go on to the bowl game,” Behr said. Excelsior Springs is just two and a half hours from Manhattan.
There is a tailgate party before the bowl game, sponsored by the FHSU Alumni Association. Online registration and more information about the tailgate events are available at https://ow.ly/UZLgL (case sensitive).
After graduating from Fort Hays State in 1996, Behr played one year of professional ball in Europe before returning home. He said he has a “lifetime of memories” from his senior season.
Behr, general manager of Marmie Ford-Lincoln auto dealership in Great Bend, hopes to reunite with some alumni at the bowl tailgate party, then hopefully settle in to watch a good game.
A victory in the bowl game not only would give the Tiger football program its first post-season win but also would set a school record for most victories in a season.
“At any rate, we just need to win it,” Behr said. “We had a fantastic season in 1995, but it would have been even better to have won that last game.”
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Justin Jackson scored 22 points, Kennedy Meeks added 15 and ninth-ranked North Carolina used a 21-3 finishing run to beat Kansas State 80-70 on Tuesday night in the CBE Classic title game.
Theo Pinson scored 11 and Brice Johnson had 10 points for the Tar Heels (5-1), who trailed 67-59 with just more than 4 minutes remaining before their game-ending charge.
Kamau Stokes hit six 3-pointers and finished with 24 points for the Wildcats (4-1), but the freshman also committed a pair of costly turnovers in the closing minutes. Justin Edwards added 10 points.
Meeks started the Tar Heels’ final push with a pair of free throws, and Johnson added a putback moments later – one that perhaps could have been called interference. Joel Berry II added a 3 from in front of his own bench, and Jackson scored on a drive to the basket.
By JIM O’CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) – Perry Ellis scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and No. 5 Kansas had another easy win on the way to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational championship game.
The Jayhawks (3-1) beat UCLA 92-73 on Tuesday night in the semifinals and will play No. 19 Vanderbilt, which defeated Wake Forest 86-64, for the title on Wednesday night.
It will be the second championship for either school. Vanderbilt won here in 1986, and Kansas won in 1996.
Frank Mason III had 16 points, Wayne Selden Jr. scored 15 and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk had 13 for Kansas in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score. The Jayhawks were up 59-33 at halftime and by at least 20 points for all but the closing seconds of the second half.
By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State shot 62-percent from the floor including 9-of-16 from 3-point range as they move to 4-0 with a 92-76 win over Newman University Tuesday at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers led most of the way, racing out to an early 12-point first half lead. The Jets answered with a 22-8 run to go up two with 8:18 to play, but the Tigers closed the first half on a 19-2 run to lead 55-39 at the break.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Rob Davis Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Newman scored the first six points of the second half only to see the Tigers answer with a 9-0 run to build the lead 19.
Dom Samac led three Tigers in double-figures with 20 points, 16 of them in the first half. Rob Davis added 15 and Kenny Enoch 14. Craig Nicholson scored six while dishing out eight assists. Kyler Kinnamon scored eight and had six assists.
The Tigers outscored the Jets 44-24 in the paint and 27-18 off of turnovers.
James Pegues scored 21 to lead Newman who falls to 3-1.
