The Saint Xavier High School volleyball team lost three matches in a quadrangular at Miltonvale.

The Lady Rams fell to Southern Cloud 25-8, 25-6, to Lakeside 25-10, 25-11, and to Pike Valley 25-9, 25-15.

 

HOWIE RUMBERG, AP Baseball Writer

TORONTO (AP) — Marco Estrada pitched one-hit ball into the eighth inning, giving Toronto’s tattered bullpen a rest and leading the Blue Jays over the Kansas City Royals 7-1 Wednesday to close to 3-2 in the American League Championship Series.

Troy Tulowitzki broke open the game with a three-run double off Kelvin Herrera in the sixth, giving him seven RBIs in the series. Edwin Encarnacion had walked with the bases loaded against Edinson Volquez, who seemed flustered by close calls against the Royals.

Estrada faced the minimum 20 batters before Lorenzo Cain walked with two outs in the sixth. Closer Roberto Osuna was perfect in the ninth.

Toronto forced the series back to Kansas City, where Yordano Ventura will start for the defending AL champions on Friday against David Price.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has had surgery to repair the torn ACL in his right knee, the first step toward what he hopes is a return to the field by the start of next season.

The surgery was performed Tuesday by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that everything went according to plan and that “all reports are good.” Charles also posted a photo of him in the hospital on Instagram with a caption that read, “Surgery went well (and) now the road to recovery begins.”

Charles was hurt early in the third quarter of a loss to Chicago on Oct. 11. Charcandrick West and Knile Davis split the bulk of his carries last week in Minnesota.

Kansas City plays Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Kansas City Royals finished off their 14-2 romp in Toronto, moving within one win of a return trip to the World Series.

Ben Zobrist and Alex Rios homered early off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and the Royals poured it on late to take a 3-1 edge over the Blue Jays.

Kansas City can win the best-of-seven series Wednesday when Edinson Volquez starts against Toronto’s Marco Estrada.

Fans at Rogers Centre cheered when Blue Jays infielder Cliff Pennington relieved with two outs in the ninth inning, becoming the first primarily position player to pitch in the postseason, STATS said. He gave up two singles before getting the final out.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State Athletics Hall of Fame member and longtime supporter Fred Merrill, Sr., passed away Tuesday at the age of 91.

Merrill, who was inducted into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, and his family have been loyal contributors to both the university and athletics department for many decades.

 

“We are saddened by the loss of one of the all-time great K-Staters in Fred Merrill, Sr.,” Athletics Director John Currie said. “The Merrill family has been so generous to Kansas State University and K-State Athletics for many years, and Fred’s passion and love for K-State will forever be remembered.”

 

The family has played a key part in facility improvements and projects throughout all athletic venues at Kansas State, including the Dev Nelson Press Box at then-KSU Stadium, the indoor football facility, the Vanier Football Complex, Colbert Hills Golf Course, Frank Myers Field at Tointon Family Stadium and most recently, the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

 

“Fred was and will remain a dear, genuine, loyal and caring friend (as is Virginia),” said head football coach Bill Snyder. “He and his entire family have been great proponents of our program and major members of the football family.  He is dearly missed, but as Fred, Jr., expressed to me: ‘he hasn’t been able to get to games of late, but now he will be able to see them all.’  Fred has done so much for so many, a great example of K-Staters caring about people.”

 

In addition to his involvement with K-State Athletics, the Leawood native contributed to several academic programs and colleges throughout the university, was involved in a wide variety of campus projects and also was a member of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees. The family established numerous funds within various departments in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, College of Human Ecology and College of Arts and Sciences.
Merrill, a 1949 graduate of K-State with a degree in milling science, was chairman and CEO of Cereal Food Processors. In 2011, Merrill was presented the Department of Grain Science and Industry Outstanding Alumni Award by President Kirk Schulz, while in 2005 he was honored with the K-State Medal of Excellence and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Agriculture.

 

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, and four children, including Fred Merrill, Jr., who was a football and track and field student-athlete at K-State.
– k-statesports.com –

 

Kenny Lannou

Associate A. D. for Communications – K-State Athletics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

————
KENNY LANNOU
Associate A.D. for Communications | K-State Athletics

Head Coach Bill Snyder
On traits of past teams bouncing back from three-straight losses…

“Well, you know it is not so much losing three in a row as it is how badly we were defeated this last week is probably the most significant thing. But, if you go back, as recently as two years ago, I think we started the season off 2-4 and then players came back and we won six out of the last seven, including the bowl game. I can relate back to that group. I think the biggest thing that allowed that to happen was young guys realizing that there was a reason for them to be confident, if they did things that they have not done up to that point of time. When I say they, it is just not the players, but players, coaches – like myself, in particular – which in reality meant that previous to that we had taken some things for granted. Consequently, we got back to doing the things that we were capable of doing and a big part of it was – as I remember now – having meetings with players about how we practiced and not taking our practices for granted. The effort level stepped up, the focus stepped up and the discipline stepped up, as I recall. I think that had an impact. That is my best guess in what impacted the turnaround with those guys. They were not necessarily going through all the same things that we are going through right now, so I do not think we were hurt by a great deal of injuries at that time, if  I recall correctly, but a variety of other things. Anyway, that is how I remember that particular year. Going back to the others, I would have to do some better research to give you a better answer.”

 

On the biggest issues with the offense…

“There is not necessarily one major issue. I think it is broad based and there are quite a few things. Some of them are reasonably simple to perceive and are virtually the same things you ask about or the media ask about on a pretty regular basis. You know, it is one of things of what do you need to do to win in that category. Those are some of the things that we are not doing, so some of it has to do with that. You have to ask, ‘Why is that?’ It is easy for me to say we are at a 21-percent completion percentage – that is obviously one of the reasons for the inability to get ourselves successful first downs in third-down situations. You know, it is easy to take the statistics and read those off, but obviously, you have to dig deeper than that to understand why that is the case. I think it is a mixed bag as much as anything. Part of it is making sure we are getting into the right things from an offensive standpoint. By the same token, let us make sure that everyone is on the same page in regards to the execution of the things that we are doing and that we execute well. That means you take mistakes that were made – you know, he ran the wrong route, he over-threw the football, you missed a block or whatever the case may be – you just have to go back and address each one of them. That is why you practice. If you did not have those issues, you would not practice. So, it is a matter of trying to become more in depth with the skills that we have with both players and certainly coaches as well.”

 

On the 2009 loss at Texas Tech and how quickly you can bounce back…

“Well, we have addressed the impact that they can have on making a distinct turnaround, if you will. The important thing is what it takes. We have addressed the things that I think took place in that change of direction that we had. It was kind of a dramatic change for us at that time – it would have been for anybody. It really ignited the players for the rest of the season, I think. So, you have the capacity to do that, and we are not alone. You could go back and look at the teams that we have been involved with here in the last three weeks. We have all had similar type of ball games and have come back from it and have had great success beyond that: Oklahoma did with a loss to Texas, Texas did with a loss to TCU and so on down the road.”

 

On who the starting quarterback will be on Saturday…

“In all reality Joe (Hubener) will start the ball game, but I want to hold everyone accountable throughout the course of the week – all of us – myself included, in regards to how well we preform throughout the course of the week. That becomes important to us right now because we are not starting all over, but we are having to take a different direction, obviously. So, that makes everyone accountable.”

Junior Quarterback Joe Hubener

On the mentality of the team…

“Obviously there are a lot of people frustrated. The whole team is upset about what happened Saturday; it was embarrassing. It isn’t something we want to do and it isn’t something we want to be known for. We have to get that mentality that the game happened and it is in the past and we are going to look on to the next one.”

On finding the strength to move on…
“Looking back on the past, this team has been in this situation before. In 2003, that team lost three Big 12 games and ended up winning the Big 12. Two years ago, in 2013, we were 2-4 to start that season then they won six of the next seven.”

 

On his confidence level as of now…

“It’s fine. During the game it was pretty low. I mean that was embarrassing and it was rough. I can’t dwell on that – I have to put it behind me and know that the team has shown that we can be successful. I have shown that I can be successful and we have to put it together. I have to forget about what happened on Saturday and focus on practice.”

 

Junior Offensive Lineman Terrale Johnson

On bouncing back after Oklahoma…

“It is about bouncing back. It is going to be a big test because that is three losses and nobody wants to feel that again. The test is going to be what we do and getting out there and working. You can see it as a test or as another opportunity. We all want to get that win, so this week is going to be good for us.”

 

On Texas having a 2-4 record…

“Texas is a good football team, they are always good. I watched Texas when I was young and I could tell that even though they have a bad record, they have good players and good coaching. It is going to be a tough team, but we just have to get ready for this week and play well.”

 

On rallying behind Joe Hubener…

“It is a team thing and you cannot blame anything in the past on him. We all have to execute our jobs. Even though we have lost these past two games, he has done a good job. Whatever the coaches call, we have to execute it. We are not hanging our heads on Joe or anything; it is just a team thing. We all have to rally around each other and keep going.”

 

Junior Linebacker Will Davis

On last week’s game…

“I think a lot of guys were embarrassed, but considering all the facts, a lot of guys are hungry to get going. A lot of guys are hungry. We are getting ready for Texas, and that is about it right now.”

 

On what the coaches are comparing this 3-3 start to…

“I think the biggest thing we compared it to is that a couple years ago the football team started 2-4. We are 3-3 right now. That team turned it around, and they took it upon themselves to turn it around. That is the same thing we have to do. We have to take it upon ourselves as players to turn it around.”

 

On what was key to the last turnaround…

“The leaders of that football team put it on their shoulders to motivate guys it practice and in the film room to do just a little bit extra; to get a little bit better every day than maybe they had the last couple weeks, and change their mindset a little bit. That is how they turned it around.”

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RYAN LACKEY
Assistant Director | Athletics Communications

Manage

Terms

COACH WEBER: We’re excited. I think we have a new group, a lot of new faces. For our staff, it’s been a fun summer and fall into practice.

Got a group that works very hard, very coachable, and play hard. I think our biggest obstacles will be so many new faces, the inexperience, and then just the injuries. Getting somebody back like D.J. Johnson coming off a couple foot surgeries and being out 16 months, it’s going to take him a little bit of time.

Carlbe Ervin, one of our new guys who is coming off a little procedure, it’s taken him a little bit of time. So staying healthy, just getting that experience.

And then kind of mixing it together, our older returning players from D.J. Johnson, Wesley Iwundu, Justin Edwards, Steven Hurt, mixing in the new guys and finding a nice balance and good group that I think will be very competitive.

Q. Coach, typically coaches like to use their shortcomings from the previous season to work with the group and motivate the new group. But when you talked to us at K-State Media Day last week, you said you were trying to distance yourself as much as possible from what happened last year. Why is that and what is the new motivation you’re using with your team?
COACH WEBER: I think the biggest thing is we don’t need negativity. Part of the good positive energy focused on what’s at hand.

Last year is over, it’s done with. It’s been well-documented. We had our struggles and we had some really nice moments also. But at the same time, let’s focus on today, tomorrow, just staying positive and coming together as a group that enjoys each other and is coachable, as I said. You can’t do anything about what happened in the past. But you can control what you do at practice today, what you do tomorrow, a week or two weeks from now in an exhibition game and be ready for those.

Q. Can you kind of define Steven Hurt’s control? Does it change at all? He seems like a guy that’s drifted outside some on offense, but does he have to be a big rebounder for you inside?
COACH WEBER: I think the biggest thing for him, just like Justin Edwards, it’s an adjustment. Big XII basketball, best conference in the country, RPI the last couple years. Every game you’re playing against high-level coaches, you’re playing against high-level players. It took them a little bit of time to figure it out.

Also, we had to figure it out. Last year a lot of our stuff was geared on Thomas Gipson going inside. That’s where he was good.

Now I think Steven, his best attributes on the offensive end are definitely his shooting, facing up, shooting the 15, 17 footer, even out to three. So we’ve got to find ways to get him baskets, get him open so he can shoot the ball. At the same time, we’ve been on him, he has to be a presence on the defensive end inside. He is our big body. He’s going to have to deal with the contact, clog the lane up. He’s going to have to rebound.

The other day, in the scrimmage, he was our leading rebounder, which is a positive thing. He’s not one of those flying around guys that are going to be getting these dunks and all these rebounds. But he has to be solid and do his job on a daily basis, and that’s going to help us.

Q. Coach, you mentioned Steven and Justin. How much more after their first year at K-State, how much more can you expect from them the second year after that learning curve?
COACH WEBER: I hope a lot. I know they expect that. They’ve had, again, some nice moments. Steven Hurt at Oklahoma last year, huge game, did some big time things.

Justin, games against Kansas, Iowa State down the stretch. These are top teams. These are Sweet Sixteen teams, and top teams in the conference and they played well. So they use that as a positive motivator. They knew they had to work a little harder to compete. You’re competing against some of the top players in the country. That work ethic, getting your bodies right, putting in the time. I believe that they’re going to take a nice step forward.

Q. You had mentioned on Saturday that you liked this group or you love this group, and you believe that they can be competitive and maybe shock some people down the road. What kind of opportunity is this for you to do that with ten newcomers? And do you like this role, so to speak?
COACH WEBER: Well, I like the team, as you mentioned, and it’s fun to coach them every day you go. They haven’t been perfect by any means, but I’d say nine out of the first ten days we just coached them. We didn’t have to beg them to go hard or get after them to go hard, so that makes it a lot easier.

Now you can worry about the stuff you’re supposed to worry about, you know, setting up the angle on the screen, the defense, getting in the right position or how you’re going to guard something and you’re not wasting at much time.

I think the injuries are a big thing. I’ve said all along, we get experience, we get healthy and stay healthy. Then you’ve got to win some close games.

I think we saw it with our football program. You lose two heartbreakers and it’s — you know, you worry about your team going one way or another, and then you have a big letdown, like they did the other day. Now they’ve got to rebound from that.

I think that is the key. You win some games early. They can be ugly, but you win them. You start feeling good about yourself, and then that goes a long way as you get into the season.

Q. Coach, we just heard from the coordinator of men’s basketball officials about quite an extensive amount of rules changes. Freedom of movement, hand checking, the elimination of the five-second count. What are you and your coaching staff going to do to help the players adjust with so many different changes this year?
COACH WEBER: It’s something we’ve addressed since our league meetings back in May, and talking with Curtis, and talking to him throughout this summer.

For me, with the shot clock, just watching NBA games, watching the flow of the game, I don’t want to have bad shots at the end of the shot clock. I want to have good shots. We’re going to have to work harder earlier to get those good shots and have good flow to our offense.

The defensive part, we’ve always taken a lot of pride in being physical, being aggressive. It’s going to be that fine line. I think with a young team and inexperienced team, we’ve got to be more of a team defense, helping people. So it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

I’ve already had officials come twice to practice. We’re going to have it another time this week and a couple times next week when we’ve got an exhibition game. So I hope we’re helping the guys adjust to it.

I think we’re going to watch the video as a staff. We watched it with the officials, and then the new officiating video. Then I’ve never done it with the players, but I’ve thought about doing it with the players also. This is as much as we can help them and tutor them and help them understand earlier, I think it will benefit our staff and the players.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas is the preseason pick to win its 12th consecutive Big 12 title.

All-American forward Perry Ellis opted to return for his senior season, and he’ll be joined by talented guards Wayne Selden, Frank Mason and Devonte Graham, all players who logged crucial minutes as the Jayhawks rolled to another conference championship last season.

But there is plenty of talent around the league. Oklahoma returns All-American guard Buddy Hield, who may have been a first-round pick had he declared for the draft after last season. He’ll be joined by fellow seniors Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler, who also started all 35 games for Oklahoma a year ago.

Iowa State may have a new coach in Steve Prohm, but Georges Niang, Jameel McKay and Naz Long are seniors with high expectations.