Monday Morning Sports Report from KWBW Radio

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Denny Hamlin has won the chaotic NASCAR Cup Series elimination race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, holding off Chase Elliott on a second overtime restart to pick up some extra playoff points. Elliott managed to finish second and advanced to the round of eight on points when Brad Keselowski, whom he’d been dueling with all afternoon, got boxed in on the restart and lost too many spots.

UNDATED (AP) — Ohio State edged past Clemson to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll and Wisconsin dropped to 13th after being upset ahead of its showdown with the Buckeyes. Alabama remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank and No. 2 LSU held its place. Oklahoma stayed No. 5 but Penn State moved up to sixth after Wisconsin’s loss to Illinois. Florida, Notre Dame, Auburn and Georgia rounded out the top 10 to give the Southeastern Conference five of the top 10 teams.

National Headlines

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) _ Aaron Rodgers threw for 429 yards and accounted for six touchdowns as the Green Bay Packers coasted to a 42-24 win over the Oakland Raiders. Rodgers had five passing TDs and completed 25 of 31 passes to eight different targets before finishing with the first perfect passer rating of his career. He also had a touchdown run as the NFC North leaders improved to 6-1.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) _ The San Francisco 49ers slogged through a 9-0 win at Washington as Robbie Gould hit field goals of 28, 22 and 29 yards. A steady rain and whipping winds helped to limit Jimmy Garoppolo to 12 of 21 passing for 151 yards, but the 49ers held the Redskins to 181 total yards. San Francisco is 6-0 for the third time in franchise history, and first since 1990.

CHICAGO (AP) _ The New Orleans Saints are 5-0 without injured starting QB Drew Brees after Teddy Bridgewater threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns in their 36-25 victory against the Bears in Chicago. Michael Thomas had nine receptions for 131 yards, and Latavius Murray ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns to help New Orleans move to 6-1. Chicago quarterback Mitchell Trubisky finished 34 of 54 with 251 yards and two late touchdowns in his first appearance since injuring a shoulder against Minnesota on Sept. 29. The Bears fell to 3-3.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) _ The Buffalo Bills dodged a bullet and improved to 5-1 by erasing a five-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 31-21 triumph over the winless Miami Dolphins. Josh Allen passed for 202 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter TDs that followed Miami turnovers. Micah Hyde returned an onside kick for a touchdown after the Dolphins pulled within 24-21 with 1:45 remaining. Miami is 0-7.

SEATTLE (AP) _ Lamar Jackson ran for 116 yards and a touchdown while also making key throws when necessary in leading the Baltimore Ravens past the Seattle Seahawks, 30-16. The second-year quarterback ran for an eight-yard touchdown late in the third quarter on fourth-and-2 to give the 5-2 Ravens the lead. Russell Wilson was 20 of 41 passing for 241 yards and an eight-yard TD in the first quarter to Tyler Lockett. Seattle slipped to 5-2.

Sunday Scores

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Green Bay 42 Oakland 24
Final Buffalo 31 Miami 21
Final L.A. Rams 37 Atlanta 10
Final Minnesota 42 Detroit 30
Final Indianapolis 30 Houston 23
Final Arizona 27 N-Y Giants 21
Final San Francisco 9 Washington 0
Final Jacksonville 27 Cincinnati 17
Final Tennessee 23 L.A. Chargers 20
Final New Orleans 36 Chicago 25
Final Baltimore 30 Seattle 16
Final Dallas 37 Philadelphia 10

New England at N-Y Jets 8:15 p.m. Mon.

WINFIELD, Kan. – The Wichita Collegiate Girls Tennis won the 4A Tennis State Championship over the weekend with Buhler capturing 2nd place and Topeka Hayden took home 3rd place.  In singles competition Tiffinay Teufel finished 4th and Aliyah Frederick placed 7th. In doubles, Buhlers team of DeMeyer and Hutton placed 4th.  The 2nd place finish is the highest state finish in school history.

State Golf gets under way today with 6A at Carey Park in Hutchinson, 5A Emporia, 4A Hesston and 3-2-1A in Salina.  Several area Girls Golf teams are in competition today.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Cameron Dicker made a 33-yard field goal as time expired and No. 15 Texas survived Kansas’ desperate upset bid 50-48 after the teams exchanged six touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Kansas took a 48-47 lead on Carter Stanley’s 2-point conversion pass to Daylon Charlot with 1:11 to play. Sam Ehlinger then drove the Longhorns into field goal range for Dicker, who calmly drilled the winner.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Skylar Thompson accounted for two touchdowns and sparked a late game-winning drive as Kansas State beat TCU 24-17 for the Wildcats first win in over a month. With eight minutes to play and the game tied 17-17, Thompson had a 61-yard run during an 11-play, 95-yard drive, capped by his 3-yard touchdown run with 2:45 to play.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Brock Purdy threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns, freshman Breece Hall ran 75 yards for the first of his two scores and Iowa State took a big lead early in a 34-24 victory against Texas Tech. Purdy had 277 yards and all three of his scoring tosses for a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Cyclones won their third straight game since losing at Baylor in their only other scheduled trip to Texas. The Red Raiders have lost four in a row to Iowa State.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jalen Hurts passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 75 yards and two more scores and No. 5 Oklahoma cruised to a 52-14 victory over West Virginia. Oklahoma is unbeaten in eight games against West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference in the 2012 season. The Sooners now have won 20 of their last 21 games.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — University of Oklahoma officials say there were no injuries to riders of the school’s “Sooner Schooner” or the horses that pull it when the miniature covered wagon tipped over during the Oklahoma-West Virginia football game. The wagon pulled by two horses and carrying members of student spirit groups circles the field after Oklahoma scores. It was celebrating a second-quarter touchdown when it rolled onto its side while carrying three people.

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Charlie Brewer completed 13 of 17 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score and No. 18 Baylor beat Oklahoma State 45-27 for its ninth straight victory.

National Headlines

HOUSTON (AP) _ The Houston Astros are going to the World Series for the second time in three seasons after Jose Altuve unloaded a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to complete a 6-4 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series. The series-winning blast came a half-inning after DJ LeMahieu tied it with a two-run shot off Roberto Osuna. Yuli Gurriel belted a three-run homer in the first inning and Altuve scored three times to help the Astros earn the right to face the Washington Nationals in the World Series.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) _ Illinois had been 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten until James McCourt booted a 39-yard field as time expired to lift Illinois past sixth-ranked Wisconsin, 24-23. Tony Adams picked off a pass by Jack Coan at midfield with 2:33 remaining to spark the comeback. Heisman Trophy contender Jonathan Taylor rushed 28 times for 132 yards and one touchdown for the Badgers, but he also had a fumble in Illinois territory in the fourth quarter to set up a 75-yard TD drive for the Illini.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) _ Top-ranked Alabama was a 35-13 winner against Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide had to finish the game without Heisman Trophy hopeful Tua Tagovailoa because of an ankle injury sustained in the second quarter. Najee Harris wound up running for 105 yards and two touchdowns and grabbing four passes for 48 yards. Alabama was up just 21-13 until backup wide receiver Slade Bolden threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Miller Forristall in the end zone with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

STARKVILLE, Miss. _ Second-ranked LSU coasted to a 36-13 win over Mississippi State as Joe Burrow passed for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Burrows has a team-record 29 TD passes this season after going 25 of 32 for the 7-0 Tigers. LSU managed to score points on every drive of the first half and led 22-7 at the break.

UNDATED _ Third-ranked Clemson coasted to its 22nd consecutive win as Travis Etienne rushed for 192 yards and a score in a 45-10 thumping of Louisville. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma rolled to a 52-14 win against West Virginia as Jalen Hurts accounted for 391 total yards and five scores. Sean Clifford threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead seventh-ranked Penn State to a 28-21 win over No. 16 Michigan.

Saturday Scores

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final Houston 6 N-Y Yankees 4

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (3)Clemson 45 Louisville 10
Final (5)Oklahoma 52 West Virginia 14
Final (23)Iowa 26 Purdue 20
Final Illinois 24 (6)Wisconsin 23
Final (11)Auburn 51 Arkansas 10
Final (9)Florida 38 South Carolina 27
Final (19)SMU 45 Temple 21
Final (21)Cincinnati 24 Tulsa 13
Final (20)Minnesota 42 Rutgers 7
Final (12)Oregon 35 (25)Washington 31
Final (2)LSU 36 Mississippi St. 13
Final (24)Appalachian St. 52 Louisiana-Monroe 7
Final (18)Baylor 45 Oklahoma St. 27
Final Vanderbilt 21 (22)Missouri 14
Final (13)Utah 21 (17)Arizona St. 3
Final (10)Georgia 21 Kentucky 0
Final (15)Texas 50 Kansas 48
Final (7)Penn St. 28 (16)Michigan 21
Final (1)Alabama 35 Tennessee 13
Final BYU 28 (14)Boise St. 25

HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve, the 5-foot-6 driving force of Houston, delivered a swing that will play in Astros’ highlights forever.

Altuve homered off Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the ninth inning and Houston outlasted the New York Yankees 6-4 Saturday night to advance to the World Series for the second time in three years.

“That’s one of the best moments of postseason history,” Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow said.

In a bullpen Game 6 with a back-and-forth finish, DJ LeMahieu hit a tying, two-run shot off Astros closer Roberto Osuna in the top of the ninth. Altuve answered with a two-run drive to left-center, setting off a wild celebration at Minute Maid Park and earning himself AL Championship Series MVP.

 

“Beautiful game,” Altuve said.

Astros ace Gerrit Cole was waiting to pitch a potential Game 7 on Sunday. Instead, the postseason star — undefeated since May 22 — can be lined up for Game 1 at home against the NL champion Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Yuli Gurriel hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and flashy outfield defense helped Houston’s relievers defeat the Yankees and their vaunted bullpen.

It almost fell apart in the ninth. Gio Urshela singled off Osuna leading off for his third hit of the game, and LeMahieu put a ball into the first row of seats in right field — inches over the glove of leaping George Springer — to tie it at 4.

Altuve, a sparkplug touted as Houston’s heart and soul, didn’t let this one get away.

“I get asked to describe Jose Altuve all the time,” manager AJ Hinch said. “I think MVP is what he is.”

The teams combined to use 14 pitchers in a drawn-out game that lasted 4 hours, 9 minutes.

Houston’s Will Harris, who got four outs over the sixth and seventh innings and has yet to allow a run this postseason, was glad Houston’s bullpen got to show its stuff.

“We have a lot of guys with a lot of pride that are really good at their jobs,” he said. “And I was excited for the opportunity for us to prove that today.”

The defense helped. Right fielder Josh Reddick dived for Brett Gardner’s liner for the second out of the sixth. An inning later, left fielder Michael Brantley laid out for Aaron Hicks’ shallow floater and doubled off Aaron Judge at first.

Gurriel, a holdover from Houston’s 2017 championship team, was 1 for 20 to start the ALCS before his drive in the first inning. He jumped all over a high-and-tight fastball from opener Chad Green, and his shot into the Crawford Boxes was his first connection this postseason.

It’s the third time Houston has eliminated New York in the past five postseasons. The Astros won the 2015 wild-card game in the Bronx and beat the Yankees in seven games in the 2017 ALCS before winning their first title.

“I feel like we are on equal footing with them,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Unfortunately, sports can be a little bit cruel for the team that goes home.”

Washington is seeking its first championship in the 51-season history of the Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise. The original Washington Senators won their only championship for the nation’s capital in 1924 and last reached the World Series in 1933 before becoming the Minnesota Twins for the 1961 season.

Gary Sánchez had an RBI single in the second and Urshela homered in the fourth for the Yankees.

Alex Bregman gave the Astros an insurance run with an RBI on a forceout in the sixth inning.

Brantley’s double play elicited one of the loudest ovations of the night — before Altuve’s blast — from the sellout crowd of 43,357 which included Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Craig Biggio and Rockets stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who watched from the front row in personalized orange Astros jerseys.

New York was 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and 3 for 24 over the final five games of the series. The franchise lost its fourth straight ALCS after falling in 2010, 2012 and 2017. The Yankees will go without a World Series appearance in a calendar decade for the first time since the 1910s.

“The work never ends,” Boone said. “And we’ll continue to try and I guess close that gap.”

Altuve doubled off Green with one out in the first inning and Bregman drew a walk with two outs. After a short visit to the mound, Gurriel knocked the next pitch into the seats in left field for a 3-0 lead. The runs were Houston’s first with two outs in the series.

Houston had been 4 for 40 with runners in scoring position before that big swing.

Brad Peacock, who threw eight pitches in a scoreless eighth inning Friday night, became the fourth pitcher ever to finish a postseason game and then start the next day, and the first since 1924.

He needed seven pitches to retire the side in the first before running into trouble with two outs in the second. Josh James ended the inning by striking out Gardner.

Ryan Pressly had another gutsy escape, too. He hurt his right knee again fielding a bases-loaded grounder by Didi Gregorius but limped over to tag him for the final out of the third. Pressly, who grimaced as he went toward the dugout after one pitch, had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee on Aug. 22 and returned Sept. 20. Pressly also got two strikeouts with the bases loaded in Game 4.

He said that some scar tissue broke off on the play but that he’ll be ready to go this week.

“It’s the World Series,” Hinch said. “It will be all hands on deck.”

By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — Cameron Dicker made a 33-yard field goal as time expired and No. 15 Texas survived Kansas’ desperate upset bid 50-48 after the teams exchanged six touchdowns in the fourth quarter Saturday night.

Kansas took a 48-47 lead on Carter Stanley’s 2-point conversion pass to Daylon Charlot with 1:11 to play. Sam Ehlinger then drove the Longhorns into field goal range for Dicker, who calmly drilled the winner. Ehlinger completed two big passes to Collin Johnson to keep the drive going for Texas (5-2, 3-1 Big 12).

Kansas, under first-year coach Les Miles, nearly had a victory that would have jumbled the Big 12. And the Jayhawks (2-5, 0-4) were oh-so-close. Pooka Williams rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns for the and Stanley passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns.

Ehlinger was just slightly better in crunch time. Ehlinger finished with 399 yards passing and four touchdowns. He also ran for 91 yards to save Texas on a night the program honored its 1969 national championship team with special uniforms and a halftime celebration.

The fourth quarter packed big play after big play, including a 98-yard defensive conversion when Texas returned a blocked extra point. Instead of being tied at 31, the Longhorns led 33-30 and the play only started the fireworks still to come.

Texas receiver Devin Duvernay had eight catches for 110 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas: The Jayhawks came in with the worst offense in the Big 12 but they were explosive under new offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon, who was calling his first game after being promoted by Miles two weeks ago. Dearmon was coaching at NAIA program Bethel University last season but dialed up big-hit plays against the Longhorns time and a

Texas: The Longhorns defense came in as the worst in the Big 12 and again gave up huge chunk plays, whiffed on tackle after tackle and looked lost in coverage The Longhorns have allowed three 100-yard rushers in the last two games.

UP NEXT
Baylor host Texas Tech on next Saturday.

Texas plays at TCU next Saturday

fhsuathletics.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. – In a back-and-forth battle on Saturday (Oct. 19) at Carnie Smith Stadium, Fort Hays State spoiled another Pittsburg State Homecoming by hanging on for a 42-41 win. FHSU ran its win streak to five games, now 5-2, and pulled even with No. 19/21 ranked PSU (5-2) in the MIAA standings. The Tigers ran their win streak over the Gorillas in the overall series to four games and claimed their third straight win in Pittsburg.

Fort Hays State held a 28-24 lead at halftime, but the second half saw two big momentum shifts that ultimately broke the way of the Tigers. FHSU had the ball to start the second half and marched the ball down the field to the redzone. However, the Tigers fumbled the ball away inside the 5-yardline and instead of potentially taking a double-figure lead, sparked a third-quarter rally by the Gorillas.

Four plays following the Tiger turnover, the Gorillas struck for an 86-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Mlekus to Lorenzo West. All of the sudden, the Gorillas had their second lead of the game at 31-28 after leading 21-14 in the second quarter. The Tiger offense could not get anything going on its next drive and the Gorillas marched deep in Tiger territory once again. But the Tiger defense stood tall inside their own 10-yardline and forced a field goal that pushed the Gorilla lead to 34-28.

The Tigers needed a spark with the momentum fully on the side of the Gorillas. They found it on 3rd-and-20 from their own 33-yardline. Chance Fuller stepped up in the pocket and hit a sprinting Layne Bieberle, who got behind the Gorilla defense up the left sideline for a 67-yard touchdown reception. It was Bieberle’s second long touchdown reception of the game after outrunning the Gorilla defense on a 66-yard catch and run on a slant route in the second quarter that knotted the score 21-21 at the time. With the big play on 3rd-and-long, the Tigers found themselves back on top, 35-34.

On the ensuing Pittsburg State drive, Drew Harvey put momentum fully on the side of Fort Hays State. He picked off a Mlekus pass near midfield and returned it to the PSU 17-yardline. Two plays later, Fuller found Manny Ramsey for a 12-yard touchdown connection. The Tigers led 42-34 with 12:09 to go in the game.

Fort Hays State looked to have a defensive stop near midfield on the next drive, but Pitt State elected to go for it on 4th-and-6. It turned up fruitful for the Gorillas as Mak Sexton hit Bryce Murphy with a 15-yard pass. Two plays later, the Gorillas found the endzone on a 35-yard run by Kiah Kintchen. The Gorillas were going to go for two, but a false start pushed the ball back five yards. That proved to be a big penalty as the Gorillas settled for just a PAT kick, making the score 42-41.

The Tigers moved the ball into Gorilla territory on the following drive, but had to punt it away. The Gorillas took the ball with 7:07 remaining at the FHSU 11-yardline and began to put together a long, time-consuming drive. FHSU looked as though it had another stop when Pitt State had 4th-and-13 at midfield, but the connection of Sexton and Murphy happened again, this time for a 20-yard completion.

Time continued to tick away, all the way to nearly a minute left in the game when FHSU held PSU one yard shy of a first down at the FHSU 21-yardline. Pittsburg State elected to give Jared Vincent a 38-yard attempt at a field goal looking to take the lead. Vincent, who had been nearly automatic all year going into the attempt 16-of-17 on field goal tries, pulled the kick wide to the left. It was his first miss inside 40 yards for the season. With only a minute left, the Tigers went into victory formation and ran out the clock, holding on to its 42-41 advantage.

Fuller finished the game with 306 passing yards with four touchdowns. His other touchdown pass aside from the aforementioned connections with Bieberle and Ramsey went for one yard to Matt Wendelberger, which opened the scoring in the game in the first quarter. Bieberle finished with 152 receiving yards on just four catches, averaging 38 yards per reception. Charles Tigner averaged 6.7 yards per rush to finish with a season-high 127. Harley Hazlett was big for the Tigers all around once again, hauling in eight catches for 51 yards, while rushing the ball for 45. Hazlett jumped on a fumble in the endzone early in the game that gave FHSU a 14-7 lead at the time. Te’Corey Tutson was big on kick returns with 130 yards on six attempts, matching Tigner in all-purpose yards with 135 for the game.

Defensively, Jordan Starks led the Tigers with 14 tackles. Harvey had 12 tackles to go with his big fourth-quarter interception.

Mlekus finished with 214 passing yards and 110 rushing yards for the Gorillas. He threw for one touchdown and rushed for two. West led the Gorillas in receiving yards with 152 on six catches.

Fort Hays State has another stiff test on its hands next week when its rival from the north, Nebraska-Kearney, comes to Hays. The Lopers knocked off No. 7 ranked Northwest Missouri State in Kearney on Saturday by a score of 24-17. The Tigers and Lopers will both enter the game at 5-2. Kickoff on Saturday, October 26 at Lewis Field is set for 2 pm.