HAYS — Fort Hays State pushed its win streak to six games by holding off Nebraska-Kearney 37-31 at Lewis Field Stadium on Saturday.

Now 6-2 overall, the Tigers pushed their win streak in the series with the Lopers to eight straight in the process. The Lopers dropped to 5-3 with the loss.

The Tigers never trailed, building a 23-7 lead before the Lopers trimmed the lead to 23-10 by halftime. The offense was firing on all cylinders in the first half, churning out 275 yards with three touchdowns and a field goal. Charles Tigner reached the endzone twice for FHSU’s first two touchdowns of the game, a 17-yard touchdown run and then a 15-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. A Dante Brown field goal and Layne Bieberle touchdown reception covered the Tiger scoring in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Tigers had to hold off surges from the Lopers three times to secure the game. The Lopers scored a touchdown on their first drive of the half to trim the Tiger lead to 23-17, but the Tigers found an answer on a Manny Ramsey 88-yard touchdown reception from Chance Fuller near the end of the third quarter. It was the longest pass and reception for either player in their collegiate careers so far. FHSU led 30-17.

The Lopers pulled within six once more on a TJ Davis 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers responded with a 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive, capped by a two-yard run by Tigner.

The final Loper surge occurred on the ensuing drive as the Lopers put together a long 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped on a 1-yard run by Darrius Webb. It was Webb’s second rushing touchdown of the day for UNK. The Tigers led 37-31.

The Tigers needed a pair of first downs to run out the clock and they were successful on both third-down situations. On 3^rd-and-9, Fuller hit Ramsey on the right sideline and he stretched for a 10-yard gain at the first-down stick. On 3^rd-and-6, Fuller found Harley Hazlett over the middle for another 10-yard gain to seal the game.

Fuller had a career day with 435 passing yards, completing 28-of-38 attempts. Ramsey finished with a team-high 169 receiving yards on six catches, Bieberle had 127 receiving yards on seven catches, and Hazlett had a team-high nine catches for 81 yards. Bieberle produced the ninth 100-yard receiving game of his career at FHSU, just one shy of the record 10 held by Lance Schwindt. Hazlett is just one reception shy of the career reception record at FHSU of 168 held by Eric Busenbark, now with 167 overall. Hickman and Tigner combined for 85 rushing yards, Hickman with 43 and Tigner with 42. FHSU finished with 514 yards of total offense.

Tanner Hoekman led the Tiger defensive effort with 11 tackles, while Kolt Trachsel added 10. The Tigers held the nation’s third-best rushing offense to 287 yards on the ground, about 35 yards under its season average. Overall, the Lopers finished with 383 yards.

TJ Davis led UNK with 118 rushing yards, while passing for 96. Darrius Webb added 88 yards on the ground. LaRoy James led UNK in tackles with 16.

Fort Hays State travels to Jefferson City, Mo., next week for a meeting with Lincoln University (1-7). Kickoff is set for 1 pm.

Most of them — the students and the players — were not alive the last time K-State (5-2, 2-2) topped Oklahoma at home in 1996. First-year head coach Chris Klieman was coaching defensive backs at Western Illinois at the time.

Fans had not rushed the field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium since clinching a Big 12 Championship at home against Texas in 2012. This time, the Wildcats knocked off the four-time defending Big 12 champion.

“It was crazy. It was a surreal moment,” said true freshman receiver Joshua Youngblood, who had three catches and his first career touchdown on a jet sweep. “It was great having them down there, talking to everybody, seeing people who were in my classes come to the game. It’s a great feeling.”

“That was a crazy moment,” added senior center Adam Holtorf. “That’s something that I’ll truly remember forever, being a senior and being able to beat a highly-ranked team at home the way we did. There’s so many things going through your head, but it’s something special.”

For a little more than three quarters, K-State’s execution was something special.

Behind it, the Wildcats overcame 10-0 and 17-7 deficits in the first quarter to take a 24-23 lead to halftime. They outscored Oklahoma 17-0 in the third quarter to build a 25-point lead and they held on in the fourth quarter for the victory.

K-State’s win was sealed when an onside kick recovery by Oklahoma with less than two minutes left was overturned by replay review, prompting a loud roar in the stadium and putting K-State’s offense into the victory formation.

“I don’t know if it has really fully hit me yet, to be honest. I’ve just been at a loss for words,” K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “I was sitting at my locker kind of just thinking about what we just did and how we did it. It’s a special moment for me in my life, but I know for Kansas State and the history, it’ll go down as a game people will remember forever. Just the thought of me being a part of it, a small part of it, is something I’m truly grateful for.”

Thompson and K-State’s offense came together quickly after a three-and-out to start the game.

The Wildcats followed that series with three consecutive scoring drives of 10 or more plays that ate up a combined 15:45 of clock. K-State ended up with eight straight scoring drives between the first and fourth quarter — the most against a Big 12 opponent since recording eight in 2012 against West Virginia. K-State’s run of scores was capped by a 10-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to go up 48-23 early in the fourth quarter.

“What can you say about the resolve of our guys? I’m so proud of the players and the coaches. We told them before the game that we belong on this stage and told them to continue to believe,” Klieman said. “The guys continued to believe throughout the game. Even when we were down 10-0 and 17-7, I saw a sideline of guys who felt like they really had a chance to win the football game and stay in the football game against a great, great football team.”

The Wildcats used effective offense as a second defense, winning the time of possession by more than 16 minutes (38:08 to 21:52). They did so, in part, with a rejuvenated run game.

K-State rushed for 213 yards, led by James Gilbert’s 105 on 13 carries. Jordon Brown, in his first action since K-State’s Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, added 63 yards on 12 carries. Thompson chipped in 39 yards and a career-high four scores on the ground. He also connected on 18-of-28 through the air for 213 yards, hooking up with nine different receivers.

“We were so confident going into this game,” senior left tackle Scott Frantz said. “(The coaches) had a great game plan and said, ‘Hey, just trust us. If you execute it, it’s going to work.'”

The Wildcats also forced and took advantage of a pair Oklahoma turnovers, turning them into 14 points.

“We talked about being able to create a huge turnover to change the momentum,” Klieman said. “We were able to create two.”

AJ Parker intercepted a pass off an Oklahoma trick play late in the first half. Thompson scored three plays later on a 14-yard draw on third-and-10.

Senior linebacker Eric Gallon made a pair of game-changing plays close together in the second half.

Gallon suffered a serious injury on his second crucial play, a forced fumble on a pooch kick about midway through the third quarter. Ross Elder recovered the fumble, which led to one of Thompson’s touchdown runs. The series before, Gallon, a senior, deflected a third-down pass to cap a three-and-out. It, too, opened the door to a short field and a quick K-State score.

“Those were amazing plays. We love Eric. When he went down, we made the decision we had to go win it for him and for everything he’s worked for and everything he’s done,” Parker said. “Prayers out to EG. We used his plays to get the win and we’re forever thankful for him.”

K-State, one win away from bowl eligibility, will head to Lawrence next weekend to face Kansas for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown. It will kick at 2:30 p.m., on FS1.

Score By Quarters

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
Oklahoma	17	6	0	18	41
Kansas State	7	17	17	7	48

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Butler Grizzlies scored two goals in the first 13 minutes of Saturday’s Region VI Tournament first-round game and the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team couldn’t completely climb out of that hole.

The Blue Dragons scored two second-half goals, but a potential third goal with 5 minutes to play in regulation was turned away and Hutchinson’s season came to an end with a 3-2 loss to the Grizzlies.

Hutchinson closes the 2019 season with a 12-4 record. Butler advances to the regional semifinals with a 12-5-1 record.

Butler stung the Blue Dragons with two early goals from Alyssa Stewart and Priscila Bonilla to lead the Blue Dragons 2-0 at halftime.

The Blue Dragons finally broke through with a Chavelle Henry goal from a Syeria Matthias assist just 2:53 into the second half. Butler regained a two-goal lead in the 72nd minute with a Sandra Thiman goal.

The desperate Dragons applied all-out pressure and cut the deficit to 3-2 when Esther Karhayu blasted a goal in the upper-right corner – Samantha Vaughn had the assist – with 18:07 remaining in the second half.

The Dragons continued to apply pressure and Karhayu had Hutch’s third goal on her foot, but she was denied on a tremendous all-out save by Butler goalkeeper Leslie Winkle, who couldn’t control the rebound. Vaughn then blasted a shot just wide of an open net with 4:56 to play.

That turned out to be Hutch’s final shot on goal of the game.

Winkle made six saves against Hutchinson, which out-shot Butler 13-7.

Blue Dragon keeper Chiara Soergel (12-4) had just one save in four shots on goal against her.

Hutchinson its fourth-straight Region VI Tournament game, the last three have come in a regional opener.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

Freshman middle blocker Jaydin Schake posted career highs for kills and attack percentage to lead the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team to a Jayhawk West sweep of Independence on Saturday at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Independence .416-.014 to sweep the Pirates 25-15, 25-16, 25-10 for their third-consecutive victory.

Saturday’s victory accomplished two things for the Blue Dragons:

+ The victory gave Hutchinson head coach Patrick Hall his 200th coaching win with the Blue Dragons. Now in his eighth season, Hall is 200-104 at Hutchinson. He joins Ronda Shirley and Becky Endicott as Hutch volleyball coaches with 200 wins.

+ The Blue Dragons also clinched a home match for the opening round of the 2019 Region VI Tournament. Hutchinson improves to 13-17 overall and 9-6 in the Jayhawk West. The fourth-place Blue Dragons will play host to an opening-round match on Tuesday, November 5. Official pairings for the Region VI Tournament will be announced next week.

To get Hall’s 200th win and the Blue Dragons’ home match-clinching victory, Schake had her best match as a Blue Dragon. The freshman from Amherst, Nebraska, had career highs of 15 kills and a .750 attack percentage. Schake did so on 20 total attacks with no errors.

Schake’s .750 attack percentage tied for the 10th-highest in Hutchinson single-match history, tying Callie Bruey (2004) and Ludmila Amaral (2006).

Schake was one of four Blue Dragons to hit .333 or better on Saturday. The Blue Dragons posted their second-highest team hitting percentage of the season at .416.

Freshman Katelyn Elstun hit .444 on eight kills. Freshman Camila Espejo, freshman Jenna Thorne and sophomore Eden Hiebert all had five kills each. Espejo and Hiebert both hit .333 and Thorne hit .286.

The Dragons out-blocked Independence 7-1. Schake had four total blocks, including one solo block. Myracle Lettries and Thorne had three blocks each. The Dragons also had six ace serves. Hiebert had three aces.

Sophomore setter Eboni Sapien tallied 32 assists. Freshman libero Alissa Bautista had 16 digs. Hiebert had 11 digs.

Set 1: Schake got off to a fast start with four early kills, two on slide plays, to give Hutch an early 10-4 lead. Back-to-back double blocks – first Thorne and Lettries, then Lettries and Hiebert – upped the Dragon lead to 14-5. The Dragon lead grew to 11 at 20-9 with two Schake kills and an Espejo kill. Lettries’ kill made it 23-12 and Thorne ended the set with a cross-court kill to give Hutch a 25-15 win. Hutch had 14 kills in the set and held the Pirates to eight. Schake had six kills in the set.

Set 2: A 4-0 run gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead to open the second set. An Elstun kill started a 5-0 Hutch run for a 9-5 lead. Leading 14-10, the Blue Dragons pulled away in the second set with six unanswered points, getting a Hiebert ace and Elstun kill to build a 20-10 lead. Schake had three of her six second-set kills in a final push to close out the set with a 25-16 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set 3: Schake had three early block assists, two with Thorne and one with Elstun, to build an early 5-1 run. A Hiebert kill capped a 5-1 run to give Hutch an 11-4 lead. Leading 13-8, A Schake kill started a match-clinching 12-2 run for a 25-10 Hutch win. The Dragons had 12 kills and only two errors with four blocks to Indy’s five kills and 10 attack errors.

The Blue Dragons will close out the 2019 regular season at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at Barton in Great Bend.

 

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Hutchinson Community College men’s cross country team looks to defend its 2018 Region VI championship on Saturday when the 2019 Championships are contested on Saturday.

The 2019 Region VI Cross Country championships will be hosted by Allen Community College in Iola. The men’s race starts at 10 a.m. and women’s race at 11 a.m.

The Blue Dragon men are ranked No. 7 in the latest USFTCCCA NJCAA Division I rankings. Hutchinson’s women are No. 15 in the women’s poll.

Hutchinson’s men burst onto the national scene one year ago when the Blue Dragons won their first Region VI title since 1996 and Andrew Kibet became Hutch’s first individual champion in 37 years.

Only Cloud County is ranked higher than the Blue Dragons from Region VI in the national rankings and the Thunderbirds are No. 1 in the nation. Hutch has yet to beat Cloud County, but was edged by only one point at the Emporia State Invitational in late September.

Kibet and fellow sophomore Sylvestre Kibarar have been the top two runners for the Blue Dragons this season with sophomore Brett Hillabrand a strong third runner. Several freshmen stepped up for the Blue Dragons two weeks ago at the Fort Hays State Tiger Open.

Teagan Flanagan and Austin Lorenzo came up big for the Dragons at the Tiger Open, as well as sophomore Jeffrey Klopf.

The men’s field will have No. 1 Cloud County, No. 7 Hutchinson, No. 12 Butler, No. 20 Pratt and No. 21 Colby.

The Blue Dragon women put tighter their best race of 2019 two weeks ago at the Tiger Open as Hutchinson finished second.

Sheila Too and All-American Gabby Collins have been the consistent 1-2 runners for the Hutch women. First-year runners Christina Bruce, Megan Miller, Brooklyn Terstriep and Natalie Schroeder all posted season-best times two weeks ago.

The Blue Dragons enter the women’s race as the third highest-ranked team in the region. Ahead of Hutch is Cowley at No. 7 and Butler at No. 12. Pratt is No. 20 and Colby is No. 21.

Hutchinson has finished third in the region in the past two seasons and is the defending Jayhawk West team champion.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Region VI Championship When: Saturday, October 26, 2019 Where: Iola, KS Men’s Race: 10 a.m. Women’s Race: 11 a.m. Live Results: Black Squirrel Timing Twitter: @bluedragonsport

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – The Hutchinson Community College Volleyball team plays its final home match of the 2019 regular season on Saturday with a lot at stake.

Winners of two matches in a row, the Blue Dragons play host to the Independence Pirates at 2 p.m. Before the game, the 2019 Blue Dragon sophomores will be honored.

The Blue Dragons can accomplish two major feats with a victory on Saturday.

Hutchinson can clinch a home match for the opening round of the Region VI Tournament, which begins on November 5. The 12-17 Blue Dragons are 8-6 in league play. One win over Independence on Saturday or at Barton on Monday will clinch fourth place in the Jayhawk West. The top four teams in the league earn home opening-round matches.

A victory will also clinch the 200th Blue Dragon victory for head coach Patrick Hall, who is 199-103 in his eighth season on the Hutchinson bench. He will be the third Blue Dragon coach to reach 200 wins, joining Ronda Shirley and Becky Endicott.

The Blue Dragons come off a 3-0 win over Butler on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. Camila Espejo tied a career high with 20 kills on .487 hitting to lead Hutchinson.

Earlier this season, the Blue Dragons swept the Pirates at Independence. Hutchinson hit .350 in the match, getting 11 kills on .435 hitting from freshman Katelyn Elstun. The Pirates hit .211 against Hutchinson.

The Pirates are a much-improved team with already three more victories this season than in 2018. The Pirates are 6-8 and in sixth place in the Jayhawk West.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON VOLLEYBALL

Hutchinson (12-17, 8-6) vs. Independence (11-17, 6-8) When: Saturday, October 26, 2019 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena First Serve: 2 p.m. Live Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 2 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following a hard-fought 24-17 win over TCU last week, K-State welcomes No. 5 Oklahoma to Manhattan for an 11 a.m., contest on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game will air on ABC with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst) and Allison Williams (sidelines) on the call. The contest can be heard across the 39-station K-State Sports Network including MY93.1fm, KHMY with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst) and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. The game can also be heard on SiriusXM (S: 136, X: 200, Internet: 954) in addition to the TuneIn app.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
• K-State got back on the winning track last week with a 24-17 win over TCU to move to 4-2 on the season. The Cats have opened the Chris Klieman era with four impressive victories – highlighted by a 31-24 win at No. 23 Mississippi State and last week’s win.
• K-State has rushed for 1,183 yards (197.2 yds/gm) through its first six games, while it eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in the fifth game. It marked just the eighth time since 2000 – but just the second since 2013 – that the Wildcats hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark through the first five games of the season.
• The Wildcats also have 14 rushing touchdowns after tallying only 20 rushing scores a year ago. Of the 14 scores, 11 have come from running backs after the group accounted for only 13 last season.
• Quarterback Skylar Thompson – who now has four game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or later in his career – has thrown for 994 yards and seven touchdowns with one interception, while three receivers – Dalton Schoen, Phillip Brooks and Malik Knowles – each have at least 10 catches and 100 yards on the year.
• The K-State defense enters the week ranked highly in many statistical categories, including third down defense (2nd; 23.9%), passing yards allowed (5th; 152.5 yds/gm), first downs allowed (6th; 98), pass efficiency defense (10th; 105.88) and scoring defense (19th; 18.7).
• The Wildcats have surrendered only 2.7 third-down conversions this year to rank second in the nation behind Wisconsin (2.1).
• Freshman safety Wayne Jones (31 tackles) is one of six Wildcats with at least 20 stops on the season.
• Eighteen different Wildcats have at least a half tackle for loss for a team total of 30, led by Wyatt Hubert’s 5.0. The sophomore also leads the team with 3.0 sacks, just ahead of redshirt freshman linebacker Daniel Green (2.0).
• Cornerback AJ Parker has a team-high two interceptions.
• The Wildcats possess a great kicker/punter duo as Blake Lynch ranks 19th nationally in field goal percentage (87.5%) and fifth among active players for a career, while Devin Anctil ranks 13th in the nation with a 45.5-yard punting average.

A LOOK AT OKLAHOMA
• Oklahoma enters the game ranked fifth in the country and is led by Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Hurts at quarterback.
• The Sooners defeated West Virginia, 52-14, last week to improve to 7-0, and they enter the game with the No. 1 offense in the nation in both yards and points.
• Hurts lead the team in rushing and passing and has combined for 30 touchdowns (20 passing and 10 rushing) through seven games.
• CeeDee Lamb is a Biletnikoff Award candidate and currently has 31 catches for 681 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Defensively, Kenneth Murray leads the team with 51 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss.

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
• Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 76-19-4, including a 38-10-1 mark in Manhattan.
• Kansas State will be looking to snap a seven-game winning streak by the Sooners in Manhattan as the Wildcats’ last home win over OU was a 42-35 triumph in 1996.
• That streak was nearly snapped two years ago in a 42-35 contest in 2017. The Wildcats scored a game-tying touchdown with 2:25 left in the game, but Oklahoma went 76 yards in 11 plays and scored the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds remaining.

HOSTING TOP FIVES
• K-State will host an AP top-five team in Manhattan for the 27th time in school history and the eighth time since 2000 on Saturday.
• The Cats are 2-24 overall and 2-5 since 2000. The two victories were against No. 4 Nebraska, 29-28, in 2000 and No. 4 Texas, 45-42, in 2006.

TWO OF THE BIG 12’S BEST
• Saturday’s match up between K-State and Oklahoma features two teams that rank in the top three in Big 12 wins since the league’s inception in 1996. The Sooners lead with 149 wins, while the Wildcats are third with 114 victories.
• The Wildcats also rank third in the conference in winning percentage since round-robin play began in 2011. They sit at .600 (45-30), trailing only Oklahoma (.829; 63-13) and Oklahoma State (.632; 48-28).

A NEW ERA
• The new era of K-State Football under Chris Klieman has opened with a 4-2 record through six games.
• Klieman, who was named the 35th head coach in school history on December 10, 2018, was just the fourth head coach in K-State history to start 3-0.
• He also became just the fourth head coach to begin a tenure with at least four wins in the first six games.

A WINNING HISTORY
• A proven winner with a championship history, Chris Klieman came to Manhattan after capping his five-year stint as head coach at North Dakota State by winning his fourth national championship in 2018.
• Klieman guided the 2018 Bison to a perfect 15-0 record, making NDSU just the fifth team in FCS history to go undefeated and untied on the way to a national championship.
• A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Klieman has a career record of 76-15 (.835), as he went 69-6 in his five seasons at North Dakota State, 3-7 in one year as the head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005 and 4-2 so far at K-State.
• Klieman’s overall winning percentage ranks seventh among all active NCAA coaches – regardless of division – and tops among active FBS coaches.

FEW FLAGS
• One staple of Kansas State football throughout the years has been limited penalties, and the 2019 Wildcats have continued that trend.
• K-State enters the week ranked second in the Big 12 and 17th nationally in fewest penalties (34), while it is second in the league and 14th in the country in fewest penalty yards (293).

YOUNG PUPS
• K-State opened the season with 60 total freshmen (true and redshirt) on the roster, which equated to 47.2 percent of its total squad.
• The 60 freshmen were the eighth most in the nation.
• The Wildcats played 20 total freshmen (combined true and redshirt) in their season opener, which ranked seventh in the nation.
• In week two against Bowling Green, the Wildcats played 32 freshmen.

HIGH T.O.P.
• K-State enters this week ranked fifth nationally in time of possession at 34:11.
• The Wildcats’ best season time of possession average since 1985 was 33:55 during the 2011 season.
• K-State possessed the ball for 41:09 against Nicholls, the most in the nation in the opening weekend.
• The Wildcats followed that up with 42:52 against Bowling Green to rank as the most is the most by at K-State team since at least 1988, while it ranked eighth in Big 12 history and was the most by a Big 12 team since 2011.

CONTROLLING THE TEMPO
• K-State has showcased a balanced offense in the first half of the season, highlighted by a 197.2-yard average on the ground to rank fifth in the Big 12.
• The Wildcats had 573 yards of total offense against Nicholls, which tied for the seventh most in school history and were the most ever in a season opener.
• With 521 yards against Bowling Green, K-State eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark in the first two games of a season for the first time ever.

FEW OFFENSIVE TURNOVERS
• The Wildcats only have three offensive turnovers in its first six games (2 INT, 1 FUM), their fewest in the first half of the season since 2012 (2 INT, 1 FUM).
• K-State was the final team in the nation to commit an offensive turnover when it fumbled at Oklahoma State.
• Of the Wildcats’ four lost fumbles in their first three games, three were on punt returns and one on an interception return.
• K-State went the first 189 minutes, 38 seconds of the 2019 season without committing an offensive turnover.

RACKING UP RUSHING YARDS
• The Wildcats showed at the outset of the season its ability to run the football, a mark that now stands at 197.2 per game.
• Kansas State has 1,183 total rushing yards this season. The Wildcats hit the 1,000-yard mark in their fifth game, marking the eighth time since 2000 but just the second since 2013 it only took five games to get to 1,000.
• K-State carded over 300 yards rushing in each of the first two games, the first time since at least 1965 that the Wildcats went over the 300-yard mark twice to open a season.

RUNNING TO PAYDIRT
• Six different Wildcats have tallied rushing touchdowns this year for a team total of 14. Last year, K-State had 20 total rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
• K-State running backs have accounted for 11 rushing touchdowns this season after the position group only had 13 in 2018.
• Transfer running backs James Gilbert (4) and Jordon Brown (3) lead the team in rushing touchdowns, while quarterback Skylar Thompson has two and both Harry Trotter and Joe Ervin have one.

DEFENSE RANKING HIGHLY
• K-State ranks first in the Big 12 and 19th nationally in scoring defense (18.7 pts/gm), while the Wildcats are first in the league and fifth nationally in passing yards allowed (152.5 yd/gm).
• Kansas State finished in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense only twice since 2003. In terms of pass defense, K-State has not finished better than 40th in the country since 2003 when it ranked seventh.

GETTING OFF THE FIELD
• The K-State defense has excelled in terms of getting off the field on third down during the first six games of the year as the Wildcats rank second in the nation in third down defense (23.9%) behind Wisconsin (16.1%).
• The Wildcats are allowing only 2.7 third down conversions per game to rank second nationally to the Badgers (2.1).
• Additionally, K-State is the only team in the nation to not allow a fourth-down conversion.

LIMITED SNAPS
• Thanks to its efficiency on third downs, the K-State defense is one of the nation’s leaders in fewest defensive snaps played.
• K-State has defended against just 361 plays in its six games as its 60.1 defensive snaps per game rank fifth in the nation.

SCORING IN THE THIRD PHASE
• Kansas State has been far and away the best team among FBS programs over the last 15 years when it comes to scoring via a kickoff or punt return.
• The Wildcats have a combined 49 kickoff- and punt-return touchdowns since 2005, 19 more than any other FBS school during that stretch.
• After only having one in 2018 – a punt-return score in the season opener – Malik Knowles got things going in 2019 with a 100-yard kickoff return at Mississippi State.

DEFENSE ON KICKOFFS
• K-State has been consistent in terms of kickoff coverage as the Cats have not allowed a kickoff-return touchdown in the last 81 games, the last being against Louisiana on September 7, 2013. During that stretch, K-State has defended against 304 returns.
• K-State has ranked in the top 30 nationally in kickoff return defense each of the last five seasons, including a No. 2 national ranking in 2017.
• The Wildcats enter this week ranked 12th in that department by limiting opponents to just 16.92 yards per return.

DEFENSE ON PUNTS
• K-State also rank highly this season in punt-return defense at 10th by allowing only 2.0 yards per punt return.
• The Wildcats have allowed just one punt-return touchdown in the last 68 games, defending against 90 punt returns.

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

HUTCHINSON, Kan. –

TOPEKA, Kan. – The KSHSAA has released the upcoming playoff brackets and seeds.  List here are some of the local area teams and their opponents for the playoffs that start on Nov. 1st.  For a full list of brackets, go to kshsaa.org.

The Hutchinson Salthawks ( 2-6 ) will travel to Manhattan (7-1) in the first round of the Class 6A postseason playoffs Friday Nov. 1. The winner of that game will advance on Nov. 8 to meet the winner of the Lawrence-Free State ( 7-1 ) vs. Wichita South ( 3-5 ) contest. There are five rounds in the 6A playoffs. The state championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. in Emporia.

Buhler (6-2) will host Wellington in 4A.  The winner of that game will advance on Nov. 8 to meet the winner of the Mulvane ( 4-4 ) vs. Independence ( 2-6) contest. The state championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. in Topeka at the Hummer Sports Complex.

In other 4A first round games, McPherson (8-0) will play host to Abilene (0-8) while Nickerson (4-4) will travel to Colby (8-0).

In 3A, Andale (8-0) hosts Clay Center Community HS (6-2).  Hesston (7-1) hosts Clearwater (6-3) while Halstead (8-0) hosts Wichita Collegiate (5-3). The 3A State Championship game is hosted by Hutchinson Community College and played at Gowans Stadium.

In the 2A bracket, Hutchinson Trinity Catholic (4-4) will travel to Eureka (5-3) while Garden Plain (8-0) plays host to Fredonia (4-4).  Sterling (4-4) will travel to Norton (5-3). The 2A state championship game is at Salina Stadium in Salina on Nov. 30th.

Inman (4-4) will host Johnson-Stanton County (1-7) in the 1A bracket while Hutchinson-Central Christian (7-1) will host Ingalls (4-4) in the 8 Man Div. II playoff bracket. In 8-Man Div. I, Little River (7-1) hosts Montezuma-South Gray (5-3). The 1A state championship is hosted by Fort Hays State while 8-Man Div. 1 and 2 are hosted by Newton High School.

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior guard Xavier Sneed poured in a game-high 18 points, while freshmen Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy added 16 and 10 points, respectively, as Kansas State opened exhibition play with an 86-49 victory over Emporia State on Friday night before 8,805 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

The 86 points were the most in a home exhibition game in nearly eight years, as the Wildcats scored nearly half their points in the paint (40) while converting 23 Hornet turnovers into 34 points. The last time the team scored this many points in an exhibition came in a 90-60 win over Fort Hays State on November 6, 2011.

K-State has now 25 consecutive exhibition games at Bramlage Coliseum dating back to 2003.

In addition to the trio in double figures, seven other Wildcats registered at least two field goals on night, as K-State connected on 45.6 percent (36-of-79) from the field, including 35.5 percent (11-of-31) from 3-point range. The 11 made 3-point field goals were the most-ever in an exhibition game, surpassing the 10 against Washburn in 2010 and Pittsburg State in 2016. The team also held a 20-2 edge in fast-break points, thanks in part to 11 steals.

In all, the 36 made field goals came on 27 assists, including a game-high 7 from junior newcomer David Sloan.

Sneed scored his game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 24 minutes, while Gordon went 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from long range, with 7 rebounds in a little over 20 minutes. Murphy collected a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points.

ESU was led by junior transfer Brenden Van Dyke, who scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a little erratic play to open the game, K-State settled down behind the play of seniors Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien to rattle off 11 consecutive points to take a double-digit lead with just 14 minutes to play. Sneed and Mawien each had four points in the 11-0 run.

The Hornets would end the run with a bucket on the next possession, however, the Wildcats answered with 9 straight points to push the advantage to 23-7 with 10:52 to play in the half. During the stretch, freshman Antonio Gordon ignited the offensive attack with five points, including a 3-pointer.

A 5-0 run by ESU closed the gap to 23-12 with just under nine minutes to play, but K-State again answered with a 12-2 run, including 8 in a row from Gordon, to extend the advantage to 35-14 with 3:33 remaining. The lead stood at 23 points at the half, as the Wildcats headed into the locker room with a 42-19 advantage.

K-State connected on 43.9 percent (18-of-41), including 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from 3-point range, while holding ESU to 30 percent (6-of-20) shooting, including 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from long range. The Wildcats scored 18 points off 16 Hornet turnovers and scored 22 of their 42 points in the paint.

Nine different Wildcats scored in the opening half, including a game-high 14 points from Antonio Gordon on 6-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Sneed added 7 points, while freshman Montavious Murphy had a team-high 7 rebounds to go with 5 points.

K-State continued to push its lead in the second half, opening up a 53-26 advantage after a fast-break bucket by freshman guard DaJuan Gordon with 14:30 to play.

ESU was able to cut into the deficit with a 16-7 spurt over the next 4 minutes capped by a 3-pointer from redshirt freshman Justin Balcome to close to within 60-42 with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Much like the first half, the Wildcats responded with a run of their own, scoring 14 of the next 19 points to push the lead back to 27 points at 74-47 with 5:10 left on a fast-break bucket by junior Mike McGuirl. The lead would exceed 30 in the waning minutes, as the squad finished on a 12-0 run for the 86-49 victory.

Sneed scored 11 of his game-high 18 points in the second half on 4-of-5 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, while Sloan scored 6 of his 8 points and 4 of his game-high 7 assists after halftime. The Wildcats connected on 47.4 percent (18-of-38), including 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from 3-point range, in the second half.

PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME

Senior Xavier Sneed led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, while a pair of freshmen – Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy – had double-digit scoring efforts. Murphy led all players with 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points, while Gordon’s 16 points came on 7-of-10 shooting.

STAT OF THE GAME

34 – K-State scored 34 points off of 23 Emporia State turnovers, collecting 11 steals on night.