Area High School Football games head into the final month of regular season games.  Listed below are area games in and around Reno County.  Please check back every Saturday morning for an update of results through out the area.

HUTCHINSON HIGH SCHOOL

KWBW RADIO 1450 am/98.5 fm       KWBW RADIO APP      BW STREAM

DATE       OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Newton
Fri, Oct 11 @ Derby
Fri, Oct 18 @ Salina-South
Fri, Oct 25 Wichita-Haysville Campus

HUTCHINSON-TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

DATE        OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Garden Plain
Fri, Oct 11 (N) Wichita-The Independent
Fri, Oct 18 Whitewater-Remington
Fri, Oct 25 (N)Anthony/Harper-Chaparral

 

HUTCHINSON-CENTRAL CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

DATE        OPPONENT
Fri, Oct  4  @ Pretty Prairie
Fri, Oct 11  Langdon-Fairfield 
Fri, Oct 18 Stafford  
Fri, Oct 25 @ South Haven

BUHLER HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE           OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 @ McPherson
Fri, Oct 11 Towanda-Circle
Thu, Oct 17 Hays
Fri, Oct 25 @ Winfield

NICKERSON HS
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE        OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Hugoton 
Fri, Oct 11 Larned 
Fri, Oct 18 Kingman 
Fri, Oct 25 @ Pratt

INMAN HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE          OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Brookville-Ell-Saline
Fri, Oct 11 @ Sublette
Fri, Oct 18 Meade
Fri, Oct 25 Sedgwick

HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

DATE OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4   @ Clearwater
Fri, Oct 11 Cheney
Fri, Oct 18   @ Wichita Collegiate
Fri, Oct 25 Wichita-Trinity Academy

PRETTY PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE       OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Central Christian
Fri, Oct 11 @ South Haven
Fri, Oct 18 Norwich
Fri, Oct 25 @ South Barber (Kiowa, Ks)

STERLING HS
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

DATE            OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 @ Cimarron
Fri, Oct 11 Ellinwood
Fri, Oct 4 Lakin
Fri, Oct 25 Southwestern Heights

BURRTON HIGH SCHOOL 
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE        OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 South Haven
Fri, Oct 11 @ Norwich
Fri, Oct 18 Kiowa-South Barber
Fri, Oct 25 Chase 

LANGDON-FAIRFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

DATE OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 Bucklin
Fri, Oct 11 Hutchinson-Central Christian
Fri, Oct 18 South Haven
Fri, Oct 25 Norwich

STAFFORD HIGH SCHOOL
SEASON SCHEDULE – 2019-2020

 

DATE          OPPONENT
Fri, Oct 4 @ Ingalls
Fri, Oct 11 Bucklin
Fri, Oct 18 @ Hutchinson-Central Christian
Fri, Oct 25 @Satanta

 

Friday Morning Sports with KWBW’s Rob Dreher.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Chiefs Reporter BJ Kissel caught up with Randy Reid – Andy Reid’s fictional brother (Eric Stonestreet) – to help break down Sunday night’s matchup against the Indianpolis Colts.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna and Kolten Wong each had two-run doubles in the ninth inning as the St. Louis Cardinals overcame shaky defense to extend Atlanta’s postseason misery, holding on for a wild 7-6 victory in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. The Braves didn’t go quietly in their half of the ninth. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run homer and Freddie Freeman added a solo shot. But Carlos Martinez got the final two outs to put the Cardinals ahead in the best-of-five series.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The primetime showdown Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs was supposed to be a matchup of Super Bowl contenders with young quarterbacks poised to begin a rivalry that could stretch the next decade or more. But that was thrown into jeopardy when Andrew Luck retired. Now, with the emergence of Jacoby Brissett, there is still plenty of intrigue when the Colts visit Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday night.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 finally has a full slate of conference games this weekend. And by Sunday, the league should have a pretty good idea of who will be the favorites to challenge Oklahoma or Texas for spots in the league championship game in December. The No. 6 Sooners and No. 11 Longhorns remain the favorites to reach the title game, but they meet in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 12. That brings pressure to avoid another loss that could disrupt a title rematch.

ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuna Jr. again failed to run out a long fly ball in the Atlanta Braves 7-6 loss to St. Louis in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. He thought he hit a homer in the seventh but watched as the ball hit off the wall. He settled for a single when he should have been on second base, and the mistake may have been costly in the Braves’ loss.

UNDATED (AP) — Sixth-ranked Oklahoma heads to Kansas on Saturday for what should be little more than a tuneup before the Sooners face No. 11 Texas in the Red River Rivalry. The Sooners have won 21 straight true road games, by far the longest streak in the nation. Kansas is coming off a blowout loss at TCU.

National Headlines

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Walker Buehler combined with three relievers on a two-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers took the opener of their NL Division Series with the Washington Nationals, 6-0. Buehler was fantastic for six innings, striking out eight and holding Washington to one hit. Max Muncy had three RBIs, including a two-run single that put the Dodgers up 4-0 in the seventh before pinch-hitters Gavin Lux and Joc Pederson belted solo homers in the eighth off Hunter Strickland.

SEATTLE (AP) _ The Seattle Seahawks withstood a wild finish to beat the Los Angeles Rams, 30-29. Russell Wilson threw for four touchdowns, including a go-ahead, 5-yard pass to Chris Carson on fourth-and-goal with 2:28 remaining. The Rams had a chance to win it before Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play.

BEREA, Ohio (AP) _ Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry remains in concussion protocol following a strong game in a win over Baltimore. Landry caught eight passes for a career-high 167 yards in Sunday’s 40-25 victory. He sustained a concussion late in the third quarter and did not return. Coach Freddie Kitchens said it’s not yet known if Landry will be available Monday night at San Francisco.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) _ Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden still is not ready to announce his starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. Gruden said after Thursday’s practice that he is “getting closer” to deciding on a QB from among Colt McCoy, Case Keenum and first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins but wants to wait at least another day.

Thursday Scores

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final St. Louis 7 Atlanta 6
Final L-A Dodgers 6 Washington 0

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Seattle 30 L.A. Rams 29

TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay at Houston 2:05 p.m.
Minnesota at N-Y Yankees 7:07 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
St. Louis at Atlanta 4:37 p.m.
Washington at L-A Dodgers 9:37 p.m.

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(18)UCF at Cincinnati 8 p.m.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers overpowered the Nationals on the mound and at the plate, extending the dominance that led to a franchise-record 106 victories in the regular season right on into the playoffs.

Walker Buehler allowed one hit over six innings, Max Muncy drove in three runs and Los Angeles capitalized on mistakes to beat Washington 6-0 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Thursday night.

“Oh, they’re good. They’re really good,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “That’s why they have been in the postseason so many years in a row.”

Buehler struck out eight, walked three and retired his final seven batters after earning the start over veterans Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu, whose 2.32 ERA was lowest in the majors this season.

“Walker, time and time again, just knows how to temper, control his emotions and transfer that into the delivery, the execution of pitches,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Dodgers rookie Gavin Lux and Joc Pederson slugged pinch-hit solo homers in the eighth.

Nationals first baseman Howie Kendrick had two grounders roll under his glove, the second leading to the Dodgers’ second run in the fifth.

Washington’s Patrick Corbin stumbled through a rocky first inning. He issued four walks, joining Art Reinhart of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only pitchers to walk that many in the first inning they ever pitched in the postseason.

Reinhart walked four _ including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig _ in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the 1926 World Series against the Yankees.

“That first inning was the game,” Roberts said. “That really set the tone.”

Corbin walked three in a row with two outs in the 31-pitch inning. Yan Gomes was charged with a passed ball, too, and Muncy drew a free pass with the bases loaded to put the Dodgers in front.

“Walked a lot of guys, chased a lot of bad pitches,” Martinez said. “When you’re walking guys and not hitting, it’s tough to win ballgames.”

Corbin gave up two runs _ one earned _ and three hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out nine and finished with five walks.

“It just didn’t seem like he had his command,” Muncy said. “We did a really good job of not chasing balls out of the zone.”

Cody Bellinger walked with two outs and scored on an error by Kendrick in the fifth that made it 2-0. Third baseman Anthony Rendon made a diving stop on Chris Taylor’s single down the line, but his throw to first wasn’t in time and Bellinger went to third.

Muncy’s grounder rolled through Kendrick’s legs for an error, scoring Bellinger, and Taylor got thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

“I wouldn’t change anything about the way I tried to make that play. Just one of those times you just miss it,” Kendrick said. “You never want to let your teammates down or do anything that could give the other team the advantage.”

In the fourth, Muncy singled leading off. Corey Seager followed with a hit that got past a diving Kendrick at first and rolled into right, sending Muncy to third. But then Corbin settled down and retired the next three batters to end the inning.

“Mechanically, was rushing a little bit. Was cutting my fastball,” Corbin said. “Later on was able to get back to my sinker and everything else felt good after that.”

Muncy added a two-run single with two outs in the seventh, extending the lead to 4-0.

The Nationals loaded the bases in the fourth on three walks by Buehler. He escaped when Asdrúbal Cabrera tapped the ball back to the mound and Buehler flipped to first to end the inning.

“From that first throw, he was on point,” Roberts said. “That’s a really good lineup over there and for him to go six, we needed that.”

Juan Soto, who had the key hit in the wild-card win over Milwaukee, singled in the second and Trea Turner doubled in the ninth off Joe Kelly for the Nationals’ only hits.

It was a quiet offensive night for each team’s MVP contender. Rendon, who hit .319 in the regular season, went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts and a walk. Bellinger, a .305 hitter, struck out twice and walked twice.

It was the fourth shutout in eight games between the teams this season, third by the Dodgers.

Los Angeles won its eighth in a row dating to the regular season. Washington’s nine-game winning streak, including the wild-card victory, ended.

CORBIN’S TRIBUTE

Corbin scrawled the number 45 in the dirt on the back of the mound in the bottom of the first, a tribute to late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs. He’s been doing that since Skaggs died July 1 of a toxic mix of drugs and alcohol. “Obviously, we all miss him,” Corbin said.

BACK IN THE DAY

Buehler and catcher Will Smith formed an all-Kentucky battery. Buehler is from Lexington and Smith is from Louisville, where he attended college. Buehler pitched at Vanderbilt. They played against each other in high school and college. “You could tell back then he was special,” Smith said, recalling Buehler threw 95 mph in high school.

IN THE CROWD

Magic Johnson and Billie Jean King, part of the Dodgers’ ownership group, shared a box with principal owner Mark Walter, Sandy Koufax and Tom Lasorda. … Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, former Dodger Matt Kemp, former Dodgers manager Joe Torre and actor Jason Bateman attended.

UP NEXT

Coming off the first relief appearance of his career, Washington RHP Stephen Strasburg will start Game 2 against Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw on Friday. Strasburg tossed three shutout innings Tuesday night in a dramatic wild-card victory over Milwaukee. He’s under no limitations returning two days later. “My arm’s felt great all year,” Strasburg said. He would be available to return on normal rest for a potential Game 5 next Wednesday in Los Angeles. By starting Kershaw in Game 2, the Dodgers could possibly use him out of the bullpen if Game 5 is necessary.

SEATTLE (AP) — For all the other times when Seattle’s Russell Wilson was the best player on the field and made highlight plays, this was different.

It could have been the stage of prime time or facing a division nemesis in the Rams. Or the circumstances of building an early lead, losing it and then rallying once more in the fourth quarter.

Whatever the reason, Seattle received a performance from Wilson that’ll be hard to top.

“It was one of the best, I think,” Wilson said.

Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Carson on fourth-and-goal with 2:28 gave Seattle the lead, and the Seahawks held on for a 30-29 win over the Rams on Thursday night when Greg Zuerlein’s 44-yard field goal with 11 seconds left missed wide right.

Seattle earned a needed win against its NFC West foe after losing six of the past eight to the Rams. And while there were contributions from plenty of others, Wilson orchestrated a memorable night.

Whether it was his throws from the pocket or when he was forced to improvise, Wilson was at his best. It was one stunning play after another from Seattle’s star, continuing the best start to a season in his career.

Even his opponents were left in awe.

“Russell Wilson is playing out of his mind right now,” Rams safety Eric Weddle said.

Wilson was 17 of 23 for 268 and four touchdowns, and rushed for another 32 yards. He had touchdown passes of 13 yards to Tyler Lockett and 40 yards to DK Metcalf in the first half. He threw a 10-yarder to David Moore in the third quarter and he had a final answer after the Rams’ had taken a 29-24 lead.

Wilson led Seattle 60 yards in 12 plays, helped during the drive by a roughing-the-passer call on Clay Matthews. After stalling inside the 10, Seattle faced fourth down at the 5. Wilson scrambled as he had all night, buying enough time to find Carson open in the corner of the end zone.

The running back scared nearly all of the 69,000 in attendance by juggling the pass before gaining control. Carson said he lost the pass in the stadium lights, which led to the juggle.

“I thought Russell played one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Seattle appeared to wrap up the victory when Tedric Thompson made a juggling interception of Jared Goff’s pass while lying on the turf with 2:08 left. But the Rams forced Seattle to punt and took possession at their own 7 with 1:38 left.

In just seven plays, Goff had the Rams to the Seattle 30 after a 28-yard strike to Gerald Everett. The Rams stalled and a 9-yard pass to Everett on third-down set up Zuerlein’s attempt. The snap was good, but the kick stayed just to the right.

Zuerlein had hit three field goals earlier in the game.

“It’s one kick. He’s made a lot of big kicks for us. He’s going to continue to make a lot of big kicks for us,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.

Goff finished 29 of 49 for 395 yards and one touchdown just days after throwing for a career-high 517 yards and tying an NFL record with 45 completions in a loss to Tampa Bay. Everett had seven catches for 136 yards, and Cooper Kupp had nine grabs for 118 yards and a TD.

“We had some things that didn’t go our way where we didn’t finish drives but we were moving the ball really well,” Goff said.

Carson finished with 118 yards rushing on 27 carries. The touchdown was his only reception.

“Everyone kept their composure. Everyone was so poised and stayed in the moment,” Seattle offensive lineman Duane Brown said. “We were always very optimistic and had all the faith in the world and big time players stepped up for us.”

LOCKETT’S CATCH

Lockett’s toe-tapping TD catch in the first quarter was as improbable as it gets. According to NFL statistics , the catch had a 6.3% catch probability, the most improbable completion of the past two seasons.

“It doesn’t get any more on time or on the money with his footwork there,” Wilson said.

GURLEY’S MISTAKE

Todd Gurley was a featured part of the Rams’ offense early and finished with 51 yards on 15 carries, but the run game vanished during most of the second half.

“I thought he had some really good, hard-earned yards against a really good defensive front,” McVay said.

Gurley also fumbled for the first time since Week 3 of last season. The fumble was ripped out by Jadeveon Clowney, who also recovered the ball. It was Gurley’s first fumble in 338 offensive touches. He had gained 1,915 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns between his two fumbles.

KEY CATCH

Brandin Cooks had just one reception but it was a big one. Cooks pulled in a 29-yard catch from Goff on third-and-8 from the Rams 27 early in the fourth quarter as he was being covered tightly by Shaquill Griffin.

Cooks was being evaluated for a concussion after the play and did not return. Carroll challenged there should have been offensive pass interference, but the call on the field stood. The catch led to Zuerlein’s field goal that gave the Rams a 29-24 lead.

INJURIES

D.J. Fluker suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter. He was replaced at right guard by Jamarco Jones, who typically is a backup tackle, but was forced to play guard with normal backup Ethan Pocic out because of a back injury.

UP NEXT:

Rams: Los Angeles stays in the NFC West, hosting San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Seahawks: Seattle is at Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 13.

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden slides sideways or steps backward, and the screaming starts.

Whether seated on the opposing bench or on a stool in a sports bar, somebody is insisting that Harden must have traveled between the time he finished dribbling and launched his shot from a different spot. Traveling will be an emphasis this season for officials, who are determined not to allow offensive players to gain an extra edge by taking an extra step.

Scoring stars like Harden already got an advantage once hand-checking on the perimeter was no longer legal, so they can’t be given another one.

“If we can’t allow people to hand check, we can’t allow them to travel because then they’re almost unguardable,” vice president of referee operations Mark Wunderlich said.

That said, most times when Harden does his signature step-back, he doesn’t travel.

“It is legal, except for the fact that he gets a third step in every now and then when his rhythm is just off, which shows you the highlight of how difficult it is,” said Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s head of referee development and training.

That’s why referees are working harder to get it right.

Critics of the NBA — and even some fans — have long sneered that the league doesn’t call traveling. McCutchen said data showed officials were missing about two per game, but the way the game is played today can make those misses more penal for the defense.

Players are bigger, faster and more skilled, and even big men who would have been centers in a previous generation are now do-everything forwards like 6-foot-11 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He already gets far enough with the two steps that are legal, forget when allowed a third.

McCutchen compared the difference with Tiny Archibald, a 6-1 guard who played in the 1970s and ’80s.

“He covered 10 feet with his two steps,” McCutchen said. “How far is Giannis covering? The game has changed.”

So officials have begun to change with it, altering the way they were taught to officiate when McCutchen and Wunderlich were on the floor. Before, referees were trained to look first at the defensive player. Now they have reversed their sequencing, looking first at the offensive player’s feet to make certain a legal pivot foot has been established and not changed.

And the league added new language in the rule book to define the “gather,” to clarify how many steps a player can take after receiving the ball or completing his dribble.

At the referees’ preseason meetings and training camp last week, McCutchen said officials studied replays of three travels each time they returned from a break, and had a dedicated 45-minute session on traveling.

An educational video was sent to teams , and the referees visited the coaches’ preseason meetings, where they had a traveling station with two players on the floor so they could do demonstrations for the coaches.

And Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said the league stressed that Harden’s step-back jumper is legal.

“They made a point, which is great, to tell every head coach that is not traveling. It’s not traveling,” D’Antoni said. “So hopefully coaches will quit complaining and hopefully you guys in the news will understand that that’s not traveling. There’s other points that we have to clean up that are traveling and the NBA is going to try to do a better job of that.”

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich quipped last year that the step-back 3 came when players “jump backwards and travel and shoot a 3.” But the leaders of the referee team praised Harden for his cleverness and creativity.

“On the dribble, we always talk about dribbling you can take two legal steps to the basket, right? No one ever thought about on the gather after you dribble you can take two legal steps backwards,” Wunderlich said.

Added Jason Phillips, who will oversee the Replay Center: “The rulebook doesn’t state that the two steps have to be in any direction.”

Harden said it never should have been a debate, because if he was traveling then referees would have been whistling him for it.

“I’m tired of hearing that’s a travel, from coaches, from other players, from haters, fans, whatever you want to call it,” Harden said.

But he acknowledges it looks awkward, so the referees know they have to educate teams and fans just as much as themselves. There is no new rule or even a new interpretation of traveling, just a desire to correctly call the travels that are in the books.

That’s why it’s the biggest emphasis on the preseason list of points of education.

“The first one is traveling and the second one is traveling and the third, fourth and fifth one are traveling,” McCutchen said. “I’m only joking to show that there are POEs and then there are POEs. We really want to get better at our fundamentals of the game and traveling is a big part of that.”

Major League Baseball Thursday announced the finalists for the 2019 Hank Aaron Award, which has recognized the most outstanding offensive performer in each League since it was established in 1999.

Baseball fans have the opportunity to help select the winners of this distinguished award by voting for an American and National League player online at MLB.com/hankaaronaward and the 30 Club sites starting Thursday and running through Wednesday.

Five former Hank Aaron Award winners are among this year’s finalists: Christian Yelich, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Cabrera. During the 2019 regular season, the 30 finalists have a combined 1,023 home runs, 2,925 RBI and 2,822 runs. Thirteen finalists were named All-Stars this year and overall the 30 finalists combined to have been named All-Stars 71 times. The finalists for the 2019 Hank Aaron Award are:

American League		National League
Baltimore Orioles	Trey Mancini	Arizona Diamondbacks	Ketel Marte
Boston Red Sox	Xander Bogaerts	Atlanta Braves	Freddie Freeman
Chicago White Sox	Yoán Moncada	Chicago Cubs	Anthony Rizzo
Cleveland Indians	Carlos Santana	Cincinnati Reds	Eugenio Suárez
Detroit Tigers	Miguel Cabrera	Colorado Rockies	Nolan Arenado
Houston Astros	Alex Bregman	Los Angeles Dodgers	Cody Bellinger
Kansas City Royals	Jorge Soler	Miami Marlins	Starlin Castro
Los Angeles Angels	Mike Trout	Milwaukee Brewers	Christian Yelich
Minnesota Twins	Nelson Cruz	New York Mets	Pete Alonso
New York Yankees	DJ LeMahieu	Philadelphia Phillies	Bryce Harper
Oakland Athletics	Marcus Semien	Pittsburgh Pirates	Josh Bell
Seattle Mariners	Omar Narváez	San Diego Padres	Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tampa Bay Rays	Austin Meadows	San Francisco Giants	Kevin Pillar
Texas Rangers	Danny Santana	St. Louis Cardinals	Paul Goldschmidt
Toronto Blue Jays	Randal Grichuk	Washington Nationals	Anthony Rendon

 

For the 10th consecutive year, a special panel of Hall of Fame players, led by Hank Aaron himself, will also vote on the winners of the award which is officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball.

The panel of Hall of Famers includes Roberto Alomar, Johnny Bench, Craig Biggio, Ken Griffey Jr., Eddie Murray and Robin Yount. These Hall of Famers – who combined for 17,010 hits, 8,844 RBI and 2,275 home runs – have all been personally selected by Aaron to lend their expertise to select the best offensive performer in each League.

Continuing through October 9, fans have the opportunity to select one American League and one National League winner from a list comprising of one finalist per Club. The winners of the 2019 Hank Aaron Award will be announced during the 115th World Series.

Past winners of the Hank Aaron Award include: J.D. Martinez and Christian Yelich (2018); Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Altuve (2017); Kris Bryant and David Ortiz (2016); Josh Donaldson and Bryce Harper (2015); Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout (2014); Miguel Cabrera and Paul Goldschmidt (2013); Miguel Cabrera and Buster Posey (2012); José Bautista and Matt Kemp (2011); José Bautista and Joey Votto (2010); Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols (2009); Aramis Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis (2008); Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder (2007); Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard (2006); David Ortiz and Andruw Jones (2005); Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds (2004); Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols (2003); Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds (2001-02); Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton (2000) and Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa (1999).

The Hank Aaron Award was introduced in 1999 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, and, at that time, was the first major award introduced by Major League Baseball in more than 25 years.

ATLANTA (AP) — Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals look as gritty as ever.

The Atlanta Braves also started down a familiar path.

Marcell Ozuna and Kolten Wong each hit two-run doubles in the ninth inning as the Cardinals overcame shaky defense and a wild finish to extend Atlanta’s postseason misery, holding off the Braves 7-6 in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Thursday night.

The Cardinals fell behind 3-1 _ hurt by their normally reliable defense. But Paul Goldschmidt homered in the eighth, sparking a two-run outburst that tied it 3. In the ninth, the Cardinals blew it open against Braves closer Mark Melancon.

Dexter Fowler and Tommy Edman singled before Goldschmidt walked on four pitches to load the bases with one out. Melancon got ahead of Ozuna with two quick strikes, only to give up a liner just inside the third-base bag that put St. Louis ahead for the first time.

Wong finished off Melancon with another two-run double, this one down the right-field line.

“These are fun, exciting games,” said Matt Carpenter, who came through with a pinch-hit bloop single off Melancon to tie the game in the eighth. “Every out, every pitch is important. There’s a lot of adrenaline involved, but that’s what you play for, that’s why you’re here.”

During a run of nine playoff appearances from 2004-15, the Cardinals were known for their postseason heroics, most notably rallying for a dramatic World Series win over Texas in 2011.

This team looks ready to follow in that mold.

The Braves are stuck in a nightmare that seems to repeat itself every October.

Atlanta has lost nine straight playoff series and is just one away from tying the Chicago Cubs’ record for postseason futility _ 10 postseason losses in a row between 1908 and 2003. Atlanta has not won a postseason series since 2001, and hasn’t even led a series since going up 2-1 on San Francisco in the 2002 NLDS. The Giants won the next two games to advance.

To their credit, the Braves didn’t go quietly in their half of the ninth.

Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run homer off Carlos Martinez, and Freddie Freeman added a solo shot. But Martinez got the final two outs to claim a shaky win and put the Cardinals head in the best-of-five series going into Game 2 Friday. St. Louis ace Jack Flaherty goes against Mike Foltynewicz.

“We’ve played all season expecting to win those type games,” Freeman said. “You give up that kind of lead, it’s tough to swallow.”

The Braves snapped a 1-1 tie in the sixth when Dansby Swanson slashed a wicked one-hopper that bounced off the chest of third baseman Edman. The ball deflected to shortstop Paul DeJong, who had a chance to get a force at second base for the third out. But the throw to Wong was a bouncer, the ball shooting off his glove for an error as two runs scored.

Wong also messed up an attempted backhanded toss for an error in the first, helping the Braves grab a 1-0 lead.

It was totally uncharacteristic for a Cardinals team that led the majors during the regular season with just 66 errors and a .989 fielding percentage.

In the end, it didn’t matter.

ACUNA’S BLUNDER

Acuña, playing for the first time since Sept. 24 after resting a sore left hip, may have cost the Braves an important run in the seventh by hot-dogging on a towering drive down the right-field line.

Apparently thinking it was a homer, the 21-year-old slugger jogged halfway to first carrying his bat before seeing the ball bounce off the wall. He wound up with only a single _ a reminder of a similar play in August which led manager Brian Snitker to yank the youngster out of a game against the Dodgers.

“He should have been on second,” Snitker said. “We’re kind of short-handed to do anything about it right there.”

Acuña eventually made it to second on a groundout, only to get doubled off on Josh Donaldson’s liner to end the inning

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (right shoulder tightness) was left off the postseason roster, but manager Mike Shildt said he’s ”moving forward” in hopes of being available later in the postseason should St. Louis advance. Wacha is expected to play catch soon before possibly advancing to a light bullpen session.

Braves: RHP Chris Martin left without throwing a pitch in the eighth after reporting tightness in his left oblique while warming up. The Braves were forced to call in Luke Jackson, who was greeted with Goldschmidt’s homer and would up being charged with both runs that inning. “We had the whole thing set up right where we wanted it,” Snitker said. “That was a big blow.” Atlanta could replace Martin on the roster before Game 2, but he would have to sit out the rest of the series as well as the NL Championship Series should the Braves advance.

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Flaherty has been dominant since the All-Star break. The 23-year-old went 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA in 15 starts, the third-lowest in major league history over the second half behind Jake Arrieta (0.75) of the 2015 Chicago Cubs and Greg Maddux (0.87) of the 1994 Braves.

Atlanta will counter with Foltynewicz, who also finished strong in a definite tale of two seasons. The 2018 All-Star was demoted to Triple-A in June with a 2-5 record and 6.37 ERA. Since rejoining the rotation in early August, he is 6-1 with a 2.65 ERA, claiming the second spot in the postseason rotation.

Boy’s Soccer: Hutchinson 8, Ark City 1.

Hutchinson High Soccer handles Ark City 8-1.  Salthawk Soccer is now 6-4 on the season.

Hutchinson’s Reaghan Martin tied for 7th in the Hutchinson Invitational Golf Tourney at Carey Park.  Reaghan shot an 81. Hutchinson’s team scored 403 for 14th.

Buhler High Soccer lost a close match to McPherson, 2-1.

Buhler JV Tennis: JV LEAGUE CHAMPS!

Buhler 65, Mac 58, Collegiate 57.
1S Tana Warner 1st
2S Rylie Pedersen 2nd
1D Kayla Babcock/Olivia Frederick 2nd
2D Grace Hickert/Jessi Ferneau 1st

Photo courtesy of Buhler Tennis Twitter

 

 

Nickerson JV Cross Country @ Pratt results:

Owen Krehbiel took 2nd.

Trevyn Preville took 3rd.

Adan Garcia took 9th.

Alexis Allen took 1st.