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Category: Sports

COLUMN: High school football playoffs — a community happening

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By KARISSA NIEHOFF
National Federation of State High School Associations
and BILL FAFLICK
Kansas State High School Activities Association

Many people would agree that their years in high school were some of the best years of their lives—particularly those individuals who were members of a sports team or participated in other activities such as the marching band or debate team.

In many cases, team members become lifelong friends. Reunion parties are held from time to time as teammates return to remember the fun—more so than the outcome of games or events—they had participating in high school activities. Quite often, reunions for sports teams are staged during the highlight of each sports season—the state playoffs.

And as the calendar turns to November, there is nothing like the excitement of high school football playoffs in cities across Kansas and throughout the nation every Friday night.

While each team will be trying to advance to the state championship, the outcome of the games is only a part of the experience for those individuals in attendance.

Why? Because the people in the stands at high school football playoffs are moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, neighbors down the street, fellow students, and longtime residents of the community. People in the stands know the players on the field. Win or lose, their support and love is always there.

There is no tradition in sports with the history of high school football. There are 30 rivalry games (60 high schools) that started before 1900 and continue today, the longest of which is Connecticut’s New London High School and Norwich Free Academy, which have been playing annually since 1875.

In Michigan, Battle Creek Central and Kalamazoo Central have been playing since 1896. In Massachusetts, the Wellesley-Needham Heights rivalry dates to 1882. And in Colorado, Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial have been matched since 1892.

Although there are more options for entertainment on a Friday night than ever before, there is still nothing to match high school football playoffs in the fall. With all the people attending games of the 14,247 high schools that play football, expect more than 10 million fans each Friday night—easily the #1 fan base in the country.

As you attend high school football playoff games this year in Kansas, remember that the players, coaches and game officials deserve your utmost support, encouragement and respect. While advancing in the playoffs is the desire of each team, the ultimate objective of high school sports and activities is to have fun and enjoy these special years.

We urge you to continue to support the high school teams in your community!

Kariss NieHoff is executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bill Faflick is executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

Black rallies to win annual Black and Gold Scrimmage

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Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Allie Schweizer photo

HAYS, Kan. – The 17th-ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team unofficially opened the 2019-20 season Wednesday with the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. After trailing for much of the evening, the Black squad rallied for a 42-40 victory, the fourth win in the last five years for the black team.

With the depth up and down this year’s roster, the Tigers opted for a slightly different format for the 2019 edition of the scrimmage. In four weight classes (125, 133, 149, 285) a pair of wrestlers battled for a chance to advance and take on one more teammate in round two. In two weight classes (174, 197) head coach Chas Thompson sent four wrestlers to the mat, facing off in a pair of semifinal bouts before wrestling in a championship and consolation match in round two. Two more weight classes (157, 184) featured just one matchup.

Five Tigers came away with two wins on the night, including one true freshman, one redshirt-freshman, one sophomore and two juniors.

Mason Turner came away victorious at 125 pounds, winning his first match with a pin late in the first period before earning a major decision in the championship bout.

Jonathan Ball captured a pair of wins at 149 pounds, pinning his first opponent midway through the opening round before earning a tech fall win in his second match of the night.

Efe Osaghae battled his way through a loaded 174-pound class, earning a pair of close decisions.

Tereus Henry came away victorious in the 197-pound tournament, recording a pin with just seconds remaining on the clock in the opening round of his first bout before holding on for a 9-6 decision in the championship bout.

A.J. Cooper took down both of his opponents via pin to secure the victory at 285 pounds. Entering the final bout of the evening needing at least a major decision to help his team to victory, the junior managed to shake off an early takedown and pick up his second pin of the night midway through the second period, completing the comeback.

After their final tune-up Wednesday, the Tigers will head to St. Louis, Mo. to open the regular season Saturday (Nov. 9) at the Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open, hosted by Maryville University. Action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

The Tigers have five home dates on the schedule for the 2019-20 season, including three duals and two tournaments. FHSU begins its home schedule on Dec. 7 with the annual Bob Smith Open before wrapping up the year by hosting one of six NCAA DII Super Regionals on March 1.

Full results from the 2019 Black and Gold Scrimmage can be found below.

Round One
Wt Winner Result Team Score
125 Mason Turner (Gold) defeats Collin Cole Fall 2:30 Gold leads 6-0
133 Devin Onwugbufor (Gold) defeats Payton Sadowski Fall 4:15 Gold leads 12-0
149 Jonathan Ball (Black) defeats Kadin Heacock Fall 1:13 Gold leads 12-6
157 Anthony Scantlin (Gold) defeats Colten Ballentine TF 21-3 Gold leads 17-6
174 Efe Osaghae (Black) defeats Nick Lucas Dec 5-2 Gold leads 17-9
174 Marty Verhaeghe (Gold) defeats Nathan Dotson Maj 10-2 Gold leads 21-9
184 Aryus Jones (Black) defeats Clint Herrick Maj 11-0 Gold leads 21-13
197 Ryan Tiers (Black) defeats Elias Robles Fall 6:00 Gold leads 21-19
197 Tereus Henry (Gold) defeats Jarod Camacho Fall 2:56 Gold leads 27-19
285 A.J. Cooper (Black) defeats LJ Flax Fall 2:07 Gold leads 27-25
Round Two
Wt Winner Result Team Score
125 Mason Turner (Gold) defeats Broderick Green Maj 9-1 Gold leads 31-25
133 Conrad Cole (Black) defeats Devin Onwugbufor Dec 9-3 Gold leads 31-28
149 Jonathan Ball (Black) defeats Josh Lenker TF 18-3 Black leads 33-31
174 Champ. Efe Osaghae (Black) defeats Marty Verhaeghe Dec 4-2 Black leads 36-31
174 Cons. Nick Lucas (Gold) defeats Nathan Dotson Fall 1:53 Gold leads 37-36
197 Champ. Tereus Henry (Gold) defeats Ryan Tiers Dec 9-6 Gold leads 40-36
285 A.J. Cooper (Black) defeats Jordan Davis Fall 4:11 Black wins 42-40

FHSU men’s soccer drops to No. 9 in NCAA Super Region ranking

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INDIANAPOLIS – In the latest NCAA Regional poll, Fort Hays State University is ranked in the ninth slot. The Tigers were previously ranked seventh in Super Region 3, but a loss to Newman has watched them fall two positions.

At 10-5-1, the Tigers will be competing to secure the GAC conference title tomorrow nigh at 6 p.m. (Nov. 7) in Hays, Kan. when they take on Southern Nazarene. To cap off their season, FHSU will hit the road to face Oklahoma Baptist whom the Black and Gold are 5-0 against all-time. That game is schedule for Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Against Southern Nazarene, Fort Hays State will still be defending their home win streak, which currently sits at 23 matches.

Rogers State is the only other Great American Conference program to notch a spot in the regional rankings, coming in at No. 12.

The top three positions remain untouched from the original poll that released on October 27, 2019. Lake Erie owns the top spot, followed by Bellarmine and Ohio Valley.

Below are the NCAA Super Region Rankings for November 6, 2019:

Super Region 3
Rank School In-Region Record DII Record
1 Lake Erie 17-1 17-1
2 Bellarmine 13-0-4 13-0-4
3 Ohio Valley 10-3-2 10-3-2
4 Maryville (MO) 14-2-2 14-2-2
5 McKendree 13-2-2 13-2-2
6 UIndy 12-4-1 12-4-1
7 Cedarville 8-2-6 8-2-6
8 Tiffin 8-4-4 8-4-4
9 Fort Hays St. 10-5-1 10-5-1
10 Walsh 8-5-2 10-5-2
11 Davenport 9-4-1 9-6-1
12 Rogers St. 11-4-1 11-4-1

FHSU women’s soccer team enters MIAA Tournament as No. 5 seed

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FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With a fifth-place finish in the MIAA regular season standings, Fort Hays State will enter the 2019 MIAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Tigers will go on the road to face the No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Friday evening (Nov. 8) at 7 pm. FHSU enters the tournament with a record of 10-5-2 (6-3-2 MIAA), while Central Oklahoma enters at 12-4-2 (7-4 MIAA).

Fort Hays State defeated Central Oklahoma earlier this season in Edmond by a score of 2-1. It ended a 13-match unbeaten streak by the Bronchos at home. Since that loss, Central Oklahoma has won three straight at home.

This is the first time the Tigers have to go on the road in the first round of the MIAA Tournament since the 2012 season. That was the only other year FHSU went into the MIAA Tournament with a seed lower than No. 4. It turned out really well for the Tigers that year as the No. 6 seed as they blazed through the No. 3 (Truman), 2 (Central Oklahoma), and 1 (Central Missouri) seeds to win the MIAA Tournament Championship and claim an automatic qualifying spot in the NCAA Tournament. A berth into this year’s NCAA Championship Tournament field for the Tigers will likely need another tournament championship run as the Tigers sit outside of the top nine teams in the NCAA’s Central Region rankings.

If the Tigers claim a second win in Edmond this year, they will move on to face either No. 1 seed Central Missouri or No. 8 seed Washburn in the semifinals the following week on November 15. The highest remaining seed in the tournament following the first round will host the remainder of the MIAA Tournament next week.

Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Ryan Prickett photo

Former Hays High star Delton leaves TCU program

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Delton – KSU Athletics
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Graduate transfer quarterback Alex Delton has left TCU’s team after not playing in the past two games.

Coach Gary Patterson acknowledged the departure of Delton during his weekly news conference Tuesday. The transfer from Kansas State was named a team captain at the beginning of the season and started the first two games for the Horned Frogs.

Patterson said Delton obviously wanted to play more. Freshman Max Duggan has started the past six games.
Duggan is dealing with an injured middle finger on his throwing hand sustained in Saturday’s 34-27 loss at Oklahoma State. Michael Collins came in for Duggan and took a hard shot to the midsection on TCU’s last offensive play.

Patterson said he thinks Duggan will play Saturday against No. 11 Baylor, but that Collins probably won’t for the Frogs (4-4).

In his career at Hays High, Delton was a two-year starter at quarterback for the Indians, completing more than 55 percent of his passes for 1,978 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 1,369 yards and 21 touchdowns.

— Hays Post contributed to this report

Two Hays High sophomores among area ranked wrestlers in KWCA preseason poll

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Hays High will have two wrestlers enter the season with a preseason ranking. Sophomore Gavin Meyers is ranked second at 195 and Gavin Nutting second at 220 in the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association rankings.

KWCA 5A Preseason Rankings

Ellis has a couple ranked in 3-2-1A. Sophomore Mason Gottschalk is sixth at 145 and junior Konnor Pfeifer third at 152.

KWCA 3-2-1A Preseason Rankings

Trego also has two ranked. Senior Dillon Dunn is preseason No. 3 at 220 and senior Parker Opat third at 285.

Plainville senior Jordan Finnesy is No. 1 at 170 and Hill City’s Jayce Hamel fourth.

Stockton junior Markeis Spiller is ranked third at 113.

Hill City’s William Penrod is ranked sixth at 220

Smith Center is ranked first in the team rankings and Hoxie second.

Newcomer Wade leads Wichita State past Omaha

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Newcomer Trey Wade had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Dexter Dennis added 17 and 9 and Wichita State defeated Omaha in the season opener on Tuesday night.

Dennis made 5 of 9 from 3-oint range and Wade was 3 of 5 as the Shockers were 11 of 31. Wade, a junior college transfer who originally played at UTEP, is the first Shocker newcomer to debut with a double-double since O.J. Robinson in 1999.

Grant Sherfield had 12 points for Wichita State., which led 31-25 at halftime.

Ayo Akinwole scored 16 points with eight rebounds for the Mavericks. J Gibson and Zach Thornhill added 11 points apiece. Matt Pile grabbed 15 rebounds.

Wichita State is 16-1 in home openers since its renovated arena opened in 2003 but Louisiana Tech snapped the 16-game streak last season.

Diarra, Mawien lead K-State past North Dakota State

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MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Cartier Diarra had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists, Makol Mawien had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kansas State beat North Dakota State 67-54 in a season opener on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats took the floor in Manhattan for the first time since winning the Big 12 regular-season championship last season.

The Bison, whose season ended in a second-round loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament last year, gave the Wildcats all they could handle while leading the majority of the first half.

Rocky Kreuser led the Bison with 14 points and Tyson Ward had 12.

North Dakota State went to the line 25 times, shooting 64%. The Bison kept it close by hitting eight three-pointers, just short of their 9.5 makes per game last season.

The Wildcats proved to be no match for the Bison in the paint, scoring 34 points from inside and holding North Dakota State to 14.

Already up by five, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run in the second half to extend their lead and never looked back.

BIG PICTURE

North Dakota State brings back most of its scoring from a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last year. Don’t be surprised if they are playing on the big stage again this season.

The Wildcats are a much different team than they were last year. K-State will lean on Sneed and Diarra to carry the load.

UP NEXT

North Dakota State hosts Mayville State for their home opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

No. 4 Duke edges third-ranked Kansas

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NEW YORK (AP) – Tre Jones scored 15 points and Cassius Stanley added 11 of his 13 points in the second half to help No. 4 Duke beat third-ranked Kansas 68-66 in the opener of the Champions Classic on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

While Duke doesn’t have the star-studded freshmen class of last season of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and RJ Barrett, coach Mike Krzyzewski may have a more balanced team, capable of making plays down the stretch when needed.

Trailing 61-60 with 2:29 left, Stanley drove to the basket and made the layup and was fouled. The freshman guard converted the free throw to give the Blue Devils a one-point lead.

Devon Dotson missed a layup on the other end and Jones then hit a jumper that bounced off the rim twice before dropping in with 1:33 left.

Marcus Garrett got the Jayhawks back within one. After a miss by the Blue Devils, Kansas turned the ball over with 37 seconds left. It was the Jayhawks 28th turnover of the game. Jones then converted two free throws with 26.2 seconds left.

Kansas had chances, but couldn’t convert until Dotson banked in a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer. He finished with 17 points.

This is just the third time in school history that Duke has opened up its season with a top-five matchup. The Blue Devils beat No. 2 Kentucky in this event last year in Indianapolis.

Tuesday’s game marked the return of Kansas senior Udoka Azubuike, who played only nine games last year after tearing ligaments in his right hand. He had eight points. It also was the first game for Silvio De Sousa since the 2017-18 season. He was suspended for two seasons because of NCAA violations and sat out last year as Kansas was implicated in the FBI probe of college basketball. Kansas won an appeal that allowed De Sousa to play this year. He got a nice ovation from the fans when he checked in nearly 3:30 into the game. He finished with three points.

Duke led 33-30 at the half as neither team really got into much of an offensive rhythm in the opening 20 minutes. There was a lot of sloppy play with Kansas committing 18 turnovers in the first half. Despite all the miscues, the Jayhawks were able to stay in the game by hitting 10 of their 19 shots.

No. 1 Michigan State plays second-ranked Kentucky in the second game of the doubleheader. This is the first time in the nine-year history of the event that the four teams occupy the top four spots in the poll.

GOING STREAKING: Kansas has been ranked in the poll for 201 consecutive weeks and that’s the longest active streak in the nation.

NIFTY PLAY: Freshman Cassius Stanley had back-to-back dunks on the break, both coming on assists from Tre Jones. The second one came when Jones threw a 45-foot bounce pass to a streaking Spencer who finished the play with a one-handed jam.

NOT SO FREE THROWS: Both teams struggled from the foul line with Kansas going 16 for 26 and Duke 14 for 23.

MSG MILESTONES: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has had many memorable moments at Madison Square Garden, including passing Bobby Knight with his 903rd career win in 2011 to become No. 1 on the all-time men’s victory list. He also had his 1,000th career win at MSG in 2015.

UP NEXT:

Duke: Hosts Colorado State on Friday.

No. 2 Lopers top Tiger volleyball

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team struggled to keep pace with second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Tuesday (Nov. 5), falling 12-25, 12-25, 17-25. The Tigers move to 6-19 overall and 3-14 in the MIAA, while the Lopers’ perfect season continues at 27-0 and 17-0 in league action.

Isabelle Reynolds paced the Tigers with 12 kills, tallying a .333 attack percentage after recording just three errors on 27 swings. Madison Miller and Taylor White led the way with 12 digs each, with White adding eight assists and one service ace. Katie Darnell tossed up a team-high 12 assists. Jordan Eshbaugh and Emily Ellis teamed up for a pair of blocks to lead the team.

Nebraska-Kearney recorded a .385 attack percentage in the win, including just five attack errors. The Tigers posted a .061 swing rate on the night.

After the Lopers pulled away in each of the first two sets, UNK appeared to be headed in the same direction in the third set, up 18-8. The Tigers called a timeout to regroup before scoring nine of the next 12 points to close within four, 21-17. Reynolds opened the run with a kill before Jordan Eshbaugh and Ellis teamed up for a block. Another Reynolds kill and another block from Jordan Eshbaugh and Ellis made the score 18-12, prompting a UNK timeout. The teams traded the next several rallies before Delaney Humm dropped in two of her nine kills on consecutive rallies, helping the Tigers narrow the gap to four. UNK battled back to take the next four points, securing the three-set victory.

The Tigers will hit the road for the final time in the regular season later this week when they travel to St. Joseph, Mo. to play Missouri Western. First serve is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 7).

FHSU women’s soccer hangs with No. 4 UCM, falls in OT

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Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Ryan Prickett photo

HAYS, Kan. – Playing as a rescheduled game from October 18th, the Tigers were unable to hold off the Jennies’ high-powered offense for the full 90 minutes. UCM forced overtime and escaped Hays with a 2-1 victory. Fort Hays State ends the regular season at 10-5-2 (6-3-2 MIAA) and will have the No. 5 seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament. Central Missouri ended its 2019 regular season at 16-1-1 (10-0-1), claiming the MIAA regular season championship.

The Tiger offense was ready to go from opening kick. They had five shots against UCM’s Lindsey Johnson in the first 20 minutes of play. Fort Hays was able to capitalize on a mistake from Johnson in the 25th minute. Cailey Perkins waited at the top of the box off a goal kick, where Johnson accidentally fed her the ball. Perkins fired one past Johnson for her sixth goal of the season and gave FHSU the early 1-0 lead. In the 75th minute, it looked as though Central Missouri had tied the game off a header from Kassie Newsom. However, she was ruled offsides, and Fort Hays caught a break.

Despite FHSU’s best efforts to hold UCM scoreless for a full 90 minutes, UCM was able to tie the game up on a goal from Makayla Toth in the 83rd minute. Following a frenzy in the box that positioned Megan Kneefel away from the goal, Toth was on the receiving end of two blocked shots and she was able to net her 16th of the 2019 campaign.

In overtime, the Jennies were able to put their first shot in the back of the net just seven minutes into a golden goal situation. After working the ball around the field, off another blocked pass Kelsey Mueller found an opening and struck the ball past Megan Kneefel to seal the victory for the Jennies.

The Tigers outshot the Jennies in the first half, 8-3, but were able to only muster two more shots for the rest of the match. Chloe Montano led the team with three shots, and two on goal. Darby Hirsch and Jenna Prince followed Montano with two shots each and one on goal for Hirsch. Perkins scored the lone goal for the Tigers, and it stood as her only shot of the match.

Facing twelve shots, Megan Kneefel (9-4-2) stopped two of the four shots on goal from UCM.

The Tigers turn their focus towards the postseason, as they prepare to battle No. 4 seed Central Oklahoma in Edmond on Friday in the MIAA conference tournament. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Fort Hays traveled to Edmond on Oct. 4 earlier this season and escaped with a 2-1 victory.

🎥 FHSU football holds weekly football press conference

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Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers put together a record-setting performance against the Lincoln Blue Tigers, earning a 66-6 win.

Saturday the Tigers host the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats in one of their biggest games of the season.

Senior offensive lineman Nathan Hale and senior linebacker Kolt Trachsel also addressed the media. You can see their comments below.

Chris Brown

Nathan Hale

Kolt Trachsel

FHSU men’s soccer receiving votes in latest United Soccer Coaches poll

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer is receiving votes in the latest edition of the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 Poll. FHSU was No. 20 in last week’s poll, but a 1-0 loss to Newman moved the Tigers out of the top 25.

Rogers State is the only Great American Conference team inside the top 25 of this week’s poll, holding a ranking of No. 22 even though it has lost twice to FHSU this season. Northeastern State joins FHSU as GAC representatives in the receiving votes list of the poll.

Fort Hays State is looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed for the Great American Conference Tournament this week when it takes on Southern Nazarene at home on Thursday and Oklahoma Baptist on the road on Saturday.Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll for November 5, 2019.

Rank School Prev W-L-T
1 Azusa Pacific University 1 14-0-0
2 Lynn University 3 12-0-1
3 California State University-Los Angeles 4 13-0-1
4 Lake Erie College 5 17-1-0
5 Gannon University 6 14-1-0
6 Adelphi University 2 14-1-1
7 Palm Beach Atlantic University 9 11-2-2
8 Wilmington University 8 16-1-1
9 Young Harris College 15 10-3-0
10 University Of Charleston 11 14-2-1
11 St. Mary’s University (Texas) 10 12-2-2
12 Bellarmine University 12 13-0-4
13 California State University-San Bernardino 14 10-2-3
14 Colorado School Of Mines 18 12-3-3
15 Wingate University 19 9-2-3
16 University Of West Florida 21 11-1-2
17 Maryville University of St. Louis 24 14-2-2
18 Franklin Pierce University 22 11-3-1
19 Western Washington University 23 10-3-1
20 Texas A&M International University NR 11-4-1
21 Lander University 25 10-3-2
22 Rogers State University NR 11-4-1
23 Florida Tech 16 10-2-1
24 McKendree University 17 13-2-2
25 Midwestern State University 13 11-4-0

Also receiving votes: West Chester University, Fort Hays State University, Mercy College, Cal Poly Pomona, Francis Marion University, Mississippi College, Northeastern State University, Millersville University.

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