There are some jobs that are just too good to pass up. For the Hays High Indian’s football and track coach Ryan Cornelsen, this was one of them. Cornelsen has announced his resignation at Hays High after five seasons. Cornelsen will be taking over as head football coach for the Hutchinson Salthawks, who recently had their coach Randy Dreiling resign for a similar position at St. Thomas Aquinas. He also will serve as an assistant for the track program.
Cornelsen had immediate success in Hays winning his first seven games in a 7-2 season that included a loss to Hutchinson in district play. In fact, his Indians hosted Hutchinson in a 2011 opening round loss. Cornelsen went 35-12 over his five seasons in Hays and is 88-24 in his two head coaching stops in Hays and La Crosse. His 35 wins rank him sixth all-time at Hays High and his 74.5 percent winning percentage ranks first.
In a sport measured by post-season success, Cornelsen was able to do something at Hays that hadn’t been done since 1995 — make the playoffs. He led Hays to the playoffs in 2011 and 2012, the first time in school history that the Indians had made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
Hays was also crowned Western Athletic Conference champions three times under Cornelsen — 2009, 2011 and 2012.
In his time with the Indians, he also led boys track team to four consecutive team titles in four opportunities. Cornelsen plans to stay with Hays through the spring semester and coach the track team as well.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man has sued the National Football League, accusing it of pricing average football fans out of the Super Bowl.
Josh Finkelman, of New Brunswick, said the NFL only made 1 percent of all tickets available to the public for purchase at face value. He says that means most fans must buy their tickets on the secondary market, where they can command thousands of dollars.
Finkelman’s lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Newark. It claims the NFL is violating the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
Lawyer Bruce Nagel said the lawsuit is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
The NFL said it is reviewing the suit. It notes that three-quarters of the game’s tickets are given to teams, which sell them at face value to fans who win lotteries.
The Fort Hays State Tigers used a 30-13 first half run to build a nine-point first half lead, then held Southwest Baptist to 28 points in the second half to defeat the Bearcats 91-72 Monday night in Bolivar. The victory is the Tigers second straight and improves their record to 10-3 overall and 2-3 in the MIAA. SBU falls to 8-5 and 1-3 in the conference.
The Tigers trailed by eight in the first half before going on a 30-13 run to go up nine with :10 to play. The Bearcats hit a three at the horn to pull within 50-44 at halftime.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Andrew Victoria led five Tigers in double figures with 18 points and 11 rebounds, his first career double-double. Carson Konrade hit four 3-pointers and added 17. Craig Nicholson scored 13, Dwayne Brunson 12 and Jake Stoppel 10.
Southwest Baptist was led by Rashaad Brown-Peterson’s 13 points. The Bearcats hit just four of their 19 three-point attempts in the second half after hitting 8-of-16 in the first.
The Fort Hays State Lady Tigers hit nine second half three-pointers and defeat the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 93-66 Monday in Bolivar. The Tigers raced out to an 18-point first half lead but the Bearcats respond with a 33-15 run to take a one-point lead early in the second half, but FHSU answered with four-straight three’s to push the lead back go double-figures.
Chelsea Mason hit three of the Lady Tigers 10 three’s and finished with a game-high 20 points. Nicola Kacperska also hit three three’s and scored 13. Kate Lehman added 18 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers raced out to a 6-0 lead to start the game and led by 18 with 11 minutes to play in the half thanks to a 10-0 run. The Bearcats would outscore the Tigers 27-13 the rest of the half to pull within 40-36 at the break.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Lady Tigers are now 9-2 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA. SBU falls to 6-5 and 1-3 in the conference.
Fort Hays State wrestling dropped out of the Top 20 as a team, but saw two wrestlers – Adam Ludwin and Trey Page – earn individual rankings in the latest Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll, released Jan. 3.
FHSU is still receiving votes in the poll, but fell out of ranking (previously No. 20) from the previous poll, released Dec. 4. The Tigers won the Jet Invitational, hosted by Newman, in their last appearance, topping Ouachita Baptist (now No. 12) and Central Oklahoma (now No. 3) in the process.
Individually, Ludwin made his debut in the 125 pound national rankings, sitting at No. 6 after starting the season at 15-5. Ludwin is 7-2 against Division II opponents,
285-pounder Page also made the individual rankings, pulling in fourth after knocking off Cody Dauphin (now No. 3) at the Bob Smith Open and Newman’s Lorenzo Serna (now No. 8) at the Bob Smith Open and the Jet Invitational. Page is 12-4 on the season thus far, and 8-2 against Division II opponents.
The Tigers will travel to Des Moines, Iowa this weekend for the NWCA National Duals on Saturday, Jan. 11 and Sunday, Jan. 12.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It was so loud inside Allen Fieldhouse that San Diego State’s players could barely hear what coach Steve Fisher was saying, yet they knew what the message would be as the timeout ended.
No matter the situation, it’s always the same.
“He just tells you to think something positive, whether it’s basketball, family, whatever. Think something positive,” Xavier Thames said. “I think that really helps.”
It sure seemed to settle down the Aztecs.
Thames scored 16 points, and calmly made four straight free throws in the closing seconds Sunday, helping No. 21 San Diego State knock off No. 16 Kansas 61-57, ending the Jayhawks’ 68-game non-conference winning streak at their venerable on-campus arena.
Skylar Spencer added 13 points and Josh Davis had 10 for the Aztecs (12-1), who have won 11 straight since losing to No. 1 Arizona on Nov. 14. That streak is tied for the second-best in school history, trailing only the 20-0 start of the 2010-11 team.
“Our coach never gets rattled,” San Diego State forward Winston Shepard said. “He’s always even keeled, whether we’re up 20 or it’s a close game in here. After every timeout, he tell us to take a good thought out there.”
Think happy thoughts? Why didn’t those other 68 teams try that at the Phog?
Kansas (9-4) still had a chance to tie the game when Perry Ellis went to the free throw line with 11.9 seconds left. He made his first free throw but, after San Diego State called a timeout to ice him, Ellis missed the second and the Jayhawks were forced to foul.
Thames made both free throws to give San Diego State a three-point lead, and the Aztecs fouled rather than allow Kansas to attempt a tying 3. Frank Mason missed the first and made the second, and Thames made two more free throws with 4.6 seconds left to seal the win.
“This is a great win for us,” Thames said. “A lot of teams don’t come in here and get victories. I’m just blessed to be a part of this one.”
Andrew Wiggins and Mason scored 14 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who had won 112 of their last 114 games at Allen Fieldhouse. Joel Embiid finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
The Jayhawks struggled against the long, lanky Aztecs right from the start, missing eight of their first nine shots and allowing San Diego State to dictate the tempo.
After a 3-pointer by Naadir Tharpe gave Kansas a 9-8 lead, the Jayhawks had just one more field goal over the next 8-plus minutes. Thames and Davis had no such trouble for San Diego State, hitting a series of jumpers and contested layups as the Aztecs built a 29-23 halftime lead.
Kansas wound up shooting 20.7 percent (6 of 29) in the first half.
“I think everybody, we all missed shots we usually make,” Wiggins said, “and that’s going to happen from time to time with a young team.”
The Aztecs kept up the intensity in the second half, forcing the Jayhawks to misfire on eight of their first 10 shots with their in-your-face, man-to-man defense. The lead slowly grew to 44-33 when JJ O’Brien converted after two misses, once more silencing a packed house.
The Jayhawks finally started to build some momentum midway through the second half, closing within 58-56 on a basket by Wiggins and 50-48 on Tharpe’s scooping layup.
It seemed as if every time Kansas went on a run, though, the Aztecs had an answer.
Spencer scored after Tharpe’s basket, and Thames curled in a 3-pointer to give San Diego State a 55-48 lead with 3 minutes to play. Kansas made one more salvo, getting within 57-55 on a 3-pointer by Mason and seemingly getting the ball back after O’Brien missed a free throw.
During a stoppage in play, the officials determined that the ball went off Kansas with 44.8 seconds left. And even though the Jayhawks got a stop, it cost them precious time.
Kansas coach Bill Self called a timeout with 20 seconds left and decided to go with Ellis, the sure-handed sophomore. He drove to the basket and was fouled, but the 72 percent free throw shooter could only make the first of his two attempts, and San Diego State eventually held on to win.
“Every play we made, it seemed like they came down, they got something positive out of the next possession,” Mason said. “Whether it was free throws or a made basket, we just couldn’t get the stops we needed.”
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Fred VanVleet had a season-high 22 points to lead No. 8 Wichita State past Northern Iowa 67-53 on Sunday, the unbeaten Shockers’ 15th straight win.
Cleanthony Early had 18 points for Wichita State (15-0, 2-0 Missouri Valley), which established a school record for consecutive wins and extended the best start in school history. The previous record winning streak of 14 games came in 1953-54.
Deon Mitchell had 16 points for Northern Iowa (7-7, 1-1).
Wichita State shot a season-worst 38.1 percent from the field, but VanVleet continued his hot streak. In the last four games, he averaged 18.3 points while compiling 21 assists and just one turnover.
Early scored 11 of Wichita State’s first 13 points in the second half. His third 3-pointer in a 5-minute span gave the Shockers a 43-33 lead with 14:05 remaining.
Northern Iowa rallied by taking the ball to the basket. Drives by Marvin Singleton and Mitchell were followed by Wes Washpun’s two free throws that cut Wichita State’s lead to 43-39 with 12:17 to play.
VanVleet sparked the next significant spurt for Wichita State. He made a jumper with 8:11 remaining and then dribbled past two Panthers and slithered between two more for a winding layup to go up 57-44 with 6:28 remaining, the biggest lead of the game to that point.
Fittingly, it was VanVleet who sealed the victory.
With the shot clock winding down, he bulled through the Northern Iowa defense and hit a 12-footer while being fouled with 2:28 remaining. The three-point play made it 64-47.
Just 33 seconds later, VanVleet was in transition when he lofted a left-handed layup over two Panthers while being fouled. That three-point play pushed the Shockers’ lead to 67-47 as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
The Panthers shot 33.9 percent (19 of 56) for the game.
Northern Iowa started the game almost ideally, but the momentum didn’t last long. The Panthers scored 12 points in the game’s first 4 minutes and took a 10-point lead.
But Northern Iowa scored only 10 points — making just three field goals — in the first half’s final 16 minutes, allowing Wichita State to take a 30-22 lead.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Andrew Luck threw four second-half touchdown passes and scored on a fumble recovery, leading the Indianapolis Colts from a four-TD deficit to an historic 45-44 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a wild-card game Saturday.
It’s only the second time in playoff history a team rallied from a deficit of 28 or more points to win, according to STATS. Buffalo trailed by 32 before beating Houston 41-38 in overtime in January 1993.
Luck’s first career playoff victory sends Indianapolis (12-5) to either Denver or New England next weekend for the divisional round with four straight wins.
Kansas City (11-6) finished its turnaround season with three straight losses, two to the Colts and none more stunning than Saturday’s loss.
The Chiefs took a 38-10 lead early in the third quarter, but all they could muster after that was two field goals, while Luck and the Colts began their comeback.
Craig Nicholson scored a game-high 22 points, hitting all 11 of his free throw attempts, and Jake Stoppel added a career-best 14, all in the first half, to lead the Fort Hays State Tigers to a 76-67 win at Missouri Southern Saturday. The win improves the Tigers to 9-3 and 1-3 in the MIAA. The Lions, who have a seven-game win-streak snapped, fall to 9-2 and 3-1 in the MIAA.
James Fleming hit a three-pointer to close out the first half giving FHSU a five-point lead at halftime. His steal and layup with 9:33 to play pushed the lead to 12. Southern closed within six but could never get any closer.
Fort Hays State shot only 44-percent for the game but hit 5-of-13 from beyond the arc (4-9 in the second half) and hit 21-of-27 free throws. The Tigers outrebounded MSSU by five.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
Andrew Victoria scored eight and grabbed 10 rebounds and Jared Tadlock hit two key second half three’s and finished with nine points.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Oklahoma State forward Le’Bryan Nash may have given Kansas State the ultimate compliment when he stepped out of the locker room after a 74-71 loss to open Big 12 play on Saturday.
“They just outplayed us. They played hard every time. They don’t care what the situation is, they just play. That’s what we need to do,” he said. “We played tentative and we need to play hard every game. That’s what I’m going to do from now on. Play 100 percent and give 100 percent.”
Nash scored 20 points, Markel Brown finished with 16 and Marcus Smart added 15 for the Cowboys (12-2, 0-1), who still had a chance to tie the game just before the final buzzer sounded.
Nino Williams made two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to give Kansas State a three-point lead, and Smart quickly raced up the court. The Cowboys’ leading scorer got a decent look from the wing, but his running 3-point attempt clanked off the rim as the game ended.
“They executed on the offensive end, but we just didn’t execute on our end,” Smart said. “We ran plays and we called plays to give people shots and we missed it or couldn’t capitalize.”
Marcus Foster scored 17 points, Williams finished with 15 and Thomas Gipson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (11-3, 1-0), who have now won nine straight games after losing to the likes of Northern Colorado and Charlotte earlier in the season.
“Just a great win, a gutsy win by our guys,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “I’m not sure we were real pretty at times, they seemed to control the game, they’d get up five, we made a couple plays, we’d tie or take the lead, and then they’d go back up. … We got stops when it counted.”
The Cowboys were playing without two key players.
Michael Cobbins, their best big man, sustained a season-ending Achilles injury on Monday, and freshman guard Stevie Clark — their second-leading scorer off the bench — did not play after he was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession on Wednesday.
“This was going to be an adjustment game,” Cowboys coach Travis Ford said. “It’s been a tough week. We lost a major part of our team. We have to adjust.”
he Wildcats, who’ve made a habit of pummeling opponents during their win streak, tried to wear down the short-handed Cowboys in the first half. They pawed and pressed and got physical with Smart and Nash as much as possible, and both of them were clearly frustrated.
Both of them also picked up two fouls late in the first half.
Kansas State was unable to take advantage of the brief stretch in which both sat on the bench, though. Foster scored in the waning seconds of the half to put the Wildcats in front, but the Cowboys raced up court and Brown managed to curl in a layup at the buzzer for a 38-37 lead.
The senior dished a bit of attitude at the Kansas State student section as he left the floor.
Oklahoma State tried to extend the lead early in the second half, and Smart’s dunk and foul with about 13½ minutes left provided a cushion. But Smart decided to do a chin-up on the rim and slap the backboard after his slam, and he was hit with a technical — his fourth foul of the game.
While he took a seat, the Wildcats started to gather momentum.
Shane Southwell hit a 3 from in front of his own bench to knot the game 52-all with just over 9 minutes left, his first points of the game. A few minutes later, Nash picked up his fourth foul, and Cowboys coach Travis Ford put Smart back in the game.
The Wildcats went right at him, and Smart wisely backed down on a couple of occasions to avoid picking up his fifth foul. That allowed the Wildcats to surge ahead, taking a 65-60 lead when Foster slashed through the lane and curled in a layup with 3½ minutes remaining.
That matched the biggest lead of the game, and the gritty Wildcats managed to hit just enough free throws — and make just enough stops — to hold on at the end.
“We felt like that was one of the toughest games we’ve played so far,” Gipson said. “For us to be young and come out and get a huge win against the No. 6 team in the nation, that feels real good.”
Missouri Southern used an 18-4 to build a six-point lead with 2:18 to play and defeat the Fort Hays State Lady Tigers 76-71 Saturday at the Leggett & Platt Center in Joplin. The loss snaps the Tigers three-game win streak as they fall to 8-2 overall and 2-2 in the MIAA while the Lions improve to 9-2 and 3-1 in the conference.
The Lady Tigers built an eight-point lead with 8:39 to play but were hurt their cause with 20 turnovers and 53-percent free throw shootong (22-41). The Lions outrebounded FHSU by four and hit 32-of-43 from the foul line.
Tony Hobson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
FHSU led by five at halftime thanks to an 8-0 run to close out the half. The Tigers shot a scorching 56-percent over the first 20 minutes while holding the Lions to 1-of-8 shooting over the final five minutes of the half.
Kate Lehman led the Tigers with 17 points and 15 rebounds but hit just one field goal in the final 9:45 of the game and was just 5-for-13 from the free throw line. Kate Edwards added 17 points and nine boards
The Lions were led by Sharese Jones who scored 18.
The TMP Lady Monarchs started off 2014 in impressive fashion with a heart stopping 59-58 overtime win over the Victoria Lady Knights. Both teams hit big shots down the stretch in the fourth quarter and overtime. TMP Freshman Megan Koenigsman, who finished with 25 points, hit a circus shot with just over 20 seconds left in regulation that tied the game at 48 points apiece. Neither team was able to score again and the game would head to overtime.
It was a back and forth battle in the extra period with the largest lead belonging to Victoria at 53-50 with 2:29 left on the clock. TMP would battle back to take the lead at 57-55 on a Koenigsman three and Kristin Huser from Victoria would answer with a three of her own to give the lead back to Victoria at 58-57. TMP would strike last as Junior Kaylor Gottschalk hit two free throws with just under 23 seconds to secure the win.
TMP is now two and four on the season and will play at Larned on Tuesday. Victoria drops to four and two.
GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
Boys: TMP 59, Victoria 39
Joe Hertel’s TMP Monarchs picked up their second straight victory over the Victoria Knights on Friday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. It was a tight game throughout most of the first half. The two teams were tied at 11 after the first quarter and TMP grabbed a 23-18 lead at halftime.
What you thought was going to be a close game in the second half was anything but as TMP exploded for 21 third quarter points, outscoring Victoria 21 to nine, to take a commanding 44 to 27 lead going into the fourth quarter. TMP put up 15 points in the final quarter to only 12 for Victoria and the Monarchs grabbed their third win on the season 59-39. Max Megaffin led the Monarchs with 20 points and Bryan Dome led the Knights with 19.
TMP is now three and three on the season. Victoria drops to four and two.
