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Blue Jays sweep opener

The Junction City Blue Jays opened their baseball season with a sweep of the Topeka High Trojans at Hummer Sports Park in the capitol city.

Junction City won the first game of the doubleheader 4-1 and took the nightcap 19-13.

The Blue Jays play at McPherson on Tuesday.

Jayhawks advance in NCAA Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kansas, with all its ups and downs this season, was a popular pick to be one of the NCAA Tournament’s first big upsets.

As higher seeds like Auburn and Michigan had tense moments in their openers, the Jayhawks soared into the next round.

Dedric Lawson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Kansas dominated inside for an 87-54 rout over Northeastern Thursday in the Midwest Region

“I thought our guys were as locked in as they’ve been all year,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

The fourth-seeded Jayhawks (26-9) had a notable size advantage inside and used it, outscoring the Huskies 50-16 in the paint while grabbing 17 more rebounds.

Devon Dotson controlled the offense and scored 18 points, while Dedric’s brother, K.J., chipped in 13 points.

Kansas shot 56 percent and advanced to Saturday’s second round against fifth-seeded Auburn.

“We were settling for 3s early in the game,” K.J. Lawson said. “Once we settled in, everybody was in attack mode and had a great performance today.”

The best shot for the 13th-seeded Huskies (23-11) was to make their 3-point tries.

They didn’t.

The Colonial Athletic Association champions went 6 for 28 from the arc after finishing the regular season 17th in Division I at 38.6 percent. Sharpshooter Vasa Pusica had a hard time getting separation from the Jayhawks’ athletic guards, finishing with seven points on 2-of-11 shooting.

Jordan Roland had 12 points to lead the Huskies, who shot 28 percent overall.

“They took us out of our own identity,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. “If you were dialing up a blueprint for an upset, you have to have a great shooting night. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that.”

The Jayhawks had a regular season like few others in their storied history.

Kansas made the NCAA Tournament. That was no shock. This was its 30th straight year in the bracket.

But the Jayhawks were a No. 4 seed when they’re usually a 1 or 2.

Kansas played all season without Silvio De Souza after he was connected to the federal probe into college basketball corruption. Center Udoke Azubukie was lost for the season in January to a wrist injury. Senior guard Lagerald Vick left the team for personal reasons in February.

Self navigated the attrition the best he could, piecing together a lineup with four freshmen and a lineup no one could have predicted at the season’s start.

The result: Kansas had its 14-year reign as Big 12 champions come to an end and was a trendy upset pick against the 3-shooting Huskies in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas gave them little chance.

Northeastern was no match for Lawson inside and had a hard time stopping the Kansas guards off the dribble from the get-go. Lawson had 16 points by halftime and the Jayhawks led 37-25.

The Huskies also needed to make 3-pointers to keep Kansas in reach and didn’t, going 5 for 17 in the first half.

The trend continued to start the second half. Lawson hit a 3, scored inside and Kansas used a 16-2 run to go up 53-32.

“We missed our first few shots and I don’t know if we got flustered,” Northeastern’s Bolden Brace, who had seven points and nine rebounds. “We kind of relied on the 3-point shot and when that kind of didn’t work out, other parts of our game kind of fell apart a little bit.”

K-State to meet UC Irvine in NCAA Tournament

GAME 34

Friday, March 22, 2019 >> 1 p.m. CT >> SAP Center (17,496) >> San Jose, Calif.

NCAA South Regional First Round

 

TELEVISION

TBS / March Madness Live

  • Spero Dedes (play-by-play)
  • Len Elmore (analyst)
  • Steve Smith (analyst)
  • Ros Gold-Onwude (sideline reporter)

 

NATIONAL RADIO

Westwood One

  • Chris Carrino (play-by-play)
  • Mike Montgomery (analyst)

 

Online: March Madness Live App [free] / www.ncaa.com/marchmadnesslive

Satellite Radio: Sirius 138 / XM 207 / Internet 974

 

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

  • Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
  • Stan Weber (analyst)

 

TICKETS

Vivid Seats (www.vividseats.com/)

Prices: $66 (upper level) / $100 (lower level)

 

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 463-243/21st season

At K-State: 150-88/7th season

  1. UC Irvine: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

 

UC Irvine: Russell Turner (Hampden Sydney ’92)

Overall: 187-127/9th Year

At UCI: Same

  1. Kansas State: 0-1 (0-0 at neutral sites)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (25-8, 14-4 Big 12)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #14 Makol Mawien

 

UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West)

G: #2 Max Hazzard

G: #3 Robert Cartwright

G: #14 Evan Leonard

F: #32 Tommy Rutherford

F: #5 Jonathan Galloway

 

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Appearance: 31st (5th under Bruce Weber)

Overall: 37-34 (4-4 under Bruce Weber)

In South Region: 4-3 (4-2 under Bruce Weber)

First Round: 11-5 (last time: 2018)

as a No. 4 seed: 3-2 (last time: 2013)

  1. a No. 13 seed: 1-1 (last time: 2013)

 

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 1-0 (last time: 2017)

at NCAA Tournament: First meeting

Last Meeting: W, 71-49, 11/17/17

Weber vs. UC Irvine: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

Weber vs. Turner: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

 

OPENING TIP

  • No. 18/14 Kansas State (25-8, 14-4 Big 12) was rewarded for its successful season on Sunday, as the Wildcats earned their 31st bid to the NCAA Tournament, including the fifth in seven seasons under Bruce Weber. The team is the No. 15 overall seed in the field, including the third among the four No. 4 seeds (trailing Kansas and Florida State). K-State has now advanced to the postseason 11 times in the last 13 seasons (nine NCAA Tournaments and two NITs), including three straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time since making five consecutive appearances from 2010 to 2014.
  • The Big 12 co-champion, K-State was selected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA South Regional and will travel to San Jose, Calif., to play No. 13 seed and Big West regular-season and tournament champion UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West) in the first round at 1 p.m., CT (11 a.m., PT) on Friday, March 22 at the SAP Center. The game will air on TBS with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Len Elmore and Steve Smith (analysts) and Ros Gold-Onwude (sideline reporter) on the call.
  • The winner will advance to play either No. 5 seed Wisconsin (23-10, 14-6 Big Ten) and No. 12 seed Oregon (23-12, 10-8 Pac-12) on Sunday, March 24.
  • K-State is making its 38th postseason appearance, which includes 31 in the NCAA Tournament and seven in the NIT. The Wildcats have posted a 37-34 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play, including 11-5 in the first round. The school will be making its third appearance as a No. 4 seed and the first since the 2013 NCAA Tournament, in which, the Wildcats lost to No. 13 seed La Salle, 63-61, in the West Regional in Kansas City. The other appearance as a No. 4 seed came in the 1988 NCAA Tournament when the team advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating No. 13 La Salle (66-53), No. 5 DePaul (66-58) and No. 1 Purdue (73-70) before falling to No. 6 Kansas (71-58) in Pontiac, Mich. It will be the school’s third consecutive appearance (2017-19) in the South Regional and the fourth overall with the other trip coming in 1993.
  • K-State earned its fifth 20-win season under Weber and finished as co-champion of the Big 12 with Texas Tech with identical 14-4 marks. The Wildcats have posted 25 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history, while the 14 in Big 12 play tie the 1958-59 and 2012-13 squads for the most in school history. Defense carries the Wildcats as they are holding opponents to 59.2 points (third nationally) on 41.4 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent from 3-point range. The team has held 18 of 33 opponents (9 Big 12 foes) to 60 points or less with two eclipsing 70.
  • UC Irvine has won a school-record 30 games, including 16 in a row dating back to Jan. 19, and went a near perfect 15-1 mark in Big West play. Like the Wildcats, the Anteaters are among the best defensive teams in the country, placing third in total rebounds (1,411), ninth in rebounding margin (+7.3) and 11th in total rebounds per game (40.3), while is fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.0).
  • This will be the second meeting between the schools and the first since 2017.

 

NOTES ON UC IRVINE

  • UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West) enters Friday’s game with 16 consecutive wins dating back to a 74-68 win at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 19. The last loss came at home to Long Beach State, 80-70, on Jan. 16. After winning the regular season title with a near perfect 15-1 mark, the Anteaters swept through the Big West Tournament with wins over UC Riverside (63-44), Long Beach State (75-67) and Cal State Fullerton (92-64). Junior Max Hazzard, the grandson of UCLA great Walt Hazzard, was named tournament MVP.
  • UC Irvine is averaging 72.9 points on 45.9 percent shooting, including 36.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with 40.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 63.3 points on 38 percent shooting, including 33.2 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 69.6 percent from the free throw line.
  • The Anteaters rank among the best rebounding teams, averaging 40.3 boards per game. They rank third nationally in total rebounds (1,411), ninth in rebounding margin (+7.3), 11th in rebounds/game and 15th in defensive rebounds. The squad ranks among the Top 20 in scoring defense and is fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.0).
  • Offensively, UC Irvine is one of the most diverse teams with nine players averaging 5 or more points per game, including a pair of double-digit scorers in Hazzard (12.5 ppg.) and Evan Leonard (11.1 ppg.). Hazzard (84) and Leonard (54) have combined for 141 of the squad’s 238 3-point field goals and are both shooting 40 percent or better from long range. First team All-Big West and Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan Galloway is averaging a team-best 8.0 boards to go with 7.0 points and 1.1 blocks per game.
  • UC Irvine is led by head coach Russell Turner, who a 187-127 (.595) record in nine seasons at the helm. He has led the Anteaters to six postseason appearances in the last seven seasons with six 20-plus win seasons.

 

SERIES HISTORY

  • K-State and UC Irvine will meet for just the second time in their respective school history, including for consecutive seasons after the Wildcats earned a 71-49 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 17, 2017.
  •  K-State used a stellar defensive effort to earn the 71-49 victory over UC Irvine last season, holding the Anteaters to 29.6 percent (16-of-54) shooting, including 20.0 percent (4-of-20) from 3-point range, while scoring 21 points off of 17 turnovers. K-State shot 47 percent from behind the 3-point line and got off to a hot start from the field, jumping out to 18-4 lead less than seven minutes into the first half. Kamau Stokes led the way with 14 points, while Xavier Sneed (12) and Cartier Diarra (10) also had double digits.
  • Head coach Bruce Weber is 2-0 all-time against UC Irvine with the other meeting coming while he was at Illinois, as the Illini defeated Russell Turner in his first game as Anteater head coach, 79-65, on Nov. 8, 2010.

 TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

 

2019 Lady Jays Youth Softball Clinic

The Junction City High School softball team is offering a youth softball clinic to all third through eighth graders on Saturday, April 6th.

All who register are welcome to attend. The cost is free. For those that sign up their child and attend one of the summer programs $5 will be taken off of your summer fee.

The clinic will be conducted by JCHS Head Softball Coach Aaron Craig with the assistance of the softball coaching staff and players. Children can work on improving and enhancing their skills, techniques and knowledge of what it takes to become a better softball player.

To register for the clinic go to https://goo.gl/forms/u4cvHB45id3K1u2h2

 

 

Centennial League basketball honors for the Blue Jays

A.J. Dickerson, senior at Junction City High School. has been named of the first-team All Centennial League basketball squad.

Blue Jay teammate Qua’vez Humphrey, a junior,  received Honorable mention.

From Washburn Joe Berry was Newcomer of the Year, Jordan White Player of the Year and Kevin Muff Coach of the Year in Centennial League boys basketball.

Blue Jay basketball awards

A.J. Dickerson was named the most valuable player and the mvp on offense for the Junction City Blue Jay boys basketball team this past season. Team awards were presented Tuesday night.

For the varsity James Hall was named Best Teammate, Anthony Twiggs Newcomer of the Year, Darrin Battiste received the 6th Man honor, Terrance Crumpton Most Improved and Aaron Hamilton the Most Charges.

Other awards included Most Charges for the JV went to Luke Hughes. JV POY Chris Dixon and Joseph Gibson, Gunnar went to Kody Westerhaus, Defensive MVP to Aaron Hamilton and Qua’vez Humphreys, Freshman of the Year to Terrance Tedder, and Practice Player honors to Austin Smith and Billy Bivens.

The varsity team finished with a record of 10-11, the JV 3-18 and the ninth grade team 16-4.

K-State spring football press conference

CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACH

Opening statement…

““We had a good practice yesterday. It was our first practice in pads. The guys flew around and did a nice job. We knew it was going to be a little rough after a week off, but, overall, we were really pleased as a staff. We just got done watching it all. There was good energy, good emotion. There was a lot of good carry over. Obviously, there were things that they forgot over a week, but the trajectory or how we wanted to practice as far as getting a couple done before spring break so they can just learn how we were doing things. Now we will get the ball rolling here for the next three and a half weeks with 12 more practices. We have a little bit of a break right now. We won’t practice again until Friday, but then we will have the remaining three weeks, and we will kind of wrap everything up. But, I was excited about the guys performed yesterday. It was some good contact. It will increase once they start learning more of what they are doing, obviously. That’s the biggest challenge right now – just the installation and the brain overload of all the things that we are putting in.”

 

On the team learning the new installations…

“We should have most of the install in by practice six, and we just finished practice three. We had a good amount of time before spring break where we were kind of hammering on, ‘Hey, this is going to be (practice) one, two and three, because we know there’s a big break between practice two and three. We had some walkthroughs. We had a number of things where those guys had to be challenged to make sure that they could have some retention. Obviously, it wasn’t all there. Take defense for example, we only had a couple of defenses in, so I thought the retention was pretty good. It’s just getting back into the football mode of running to the football and making sure you can keep your mental state about you as there are motions and shifts, because that’s something our offense does an awful lot of, is shift, trade and motion. So that’s probably the biggest challenge. It was yesterday for us.”

 

On wide receiver Hunter Rison…

“Hunter has a bright, bright future here. I have been impressed with him in the first couple of days. He made a couple of nice catches yesterday. He is a pretty dynamic receiver. I’m learning a little bit more about him. I like his demeanor, I like his mentality on how he attacks the game. I am excited to see what he can do. We are pretty blessed to have a number of wide receivers. So, where can we find spots for him to be successful?”

 

On running back James Gilbert…

“James is getting an opportunity. He has played a lot of college football, which has really helped James in the fact that he has a lot more experience than anybody else at running back back there just from his experience at Ball State. He is picking up a new offense just like all the other backs are, but I have been pleased. He has great quickness, great acceleration and sees the hole well. Obviously, we haven’t done tackling or anything like that. So, we’ll see how that plays out over the next couple of weeks, but I am really pleased with James.”

 

On running back Harry Trotter…

“He is a pure running back. That’s what I like about Harry. I don’t think any of that stuff rattles him, as far as what system he had at Louisville or came to here or those things. I think he is just a pure running back. I think he’s pretty special with the ball in his hands. He has to continue to evolve, whether it is catching the ball out of the backfield or pass protection or learning the new system. As running back, it should probably be the easiest of the transitions. It’s a lot easier than o-line or secondary or something. But Harry is going to be in the mix there, and once we get into some scrimmage situations, we will see what he can do, we’ll see what Tyler Burns can do, we will see what James (Gilbert) can do, all those guys. It is a pretty wide-open competition there.”

 

On player comparisons to Harry Trotter…

“We had a player at North Dakota State named Chase Morlock that was pretty similar. He was 215-plus pounds, had enough speed, had enough burst and ran through arm tackles. It will be interesting to see if Harry has those attributes of being able to block, being able to protect and being able to catch the ball out of the backfield, which I knew he has the skill set to do, we just haven’t evolved to that offensively.”

 

On players who have caught his eye…

“Defensively, Justin Hughes is just a really good football player. As a linebacker, you’re learning a new system and he still plays the game really fast. You look at any of the guys up front, because even though things change, you’re a defensive lineman a lot of things stay the same. But as a linebacker, I watch Justin Hughes play, he’s just a really good football player, he has really good instincts. Offensively, Dalton Schoen is just a really good football player. He knows how to get open, uses his hands well, physical guy. There is a number of guys like that, that you can just tell when you flip on the video and 20 plays or so go by and you say, ‘Ok, that guy has played Big 12 football,’ and there is a number of guys like that. So, we are really pleased. It’s just trying to get everybody up to speed with the new stuff.”

 

On unifying the new coaching staff…

“It takes time. I mean, we’re learning each other, how we coach on the field, who’s leading meetings, whether it’s special teams or offense, defense. I am impressed with Coach (Courtney) Mess (Messingham) because I have been around Courtney so much, how he has integrated Collin (Klein) in and wanting input from what Collin sees as a quarterback. Even though it’s new to Collin, he’s having some great ideas in there. It has helped on offense, we have so many guys that have been a part of this system before. On defense, it’s neat to see just all the personalities. There is a lot of coordinator experience on the defensive side, and Coach (Scottie) Haze (Hazelton) has done a nice job implementing some different ideas, whether Buddy (Wyatt) or (Mike) Tui (Tuiasosopo) or Joe (Klanderman) has to try and make us better. But we’re also learning each other’s strengths and learning each other’s weaknesses. The one thing that I have been really impressed, sitting in on both offensively and defensively, we watch practice tape or anything, there’s not any egos in the room, which is something that I didn’t think there would be, just with the people that I hired, but it is just neat to see how they all work well together and have a great respect for one another.”

 

On when he will have a depth chart put together…

“Probably sometime in August. We’re really not going to scrimmage much, and depth charts are so fluid. I look at it more of, who are the 17-22 guys that can help you on each side of the ball that you know early in the season, because you are always going to have another 10-12 that you hope help you later in the season. Then the special teams part is so critical for us because we’re not doing the schematic things on special teams this spring as we are just drill work, simply because, from a coaching staff perspective, I think it gives all of these young players an opportunity to compete and show what they can do. I don’t know a lot of these kids’ skill sets, and when you have a competitive drill like you do in special teams, often times the competitive nature, the ability change direction and be physical usually shows out. So, it won’t be any time this spring for the depth charts.”

 

On process of working together on special teams…

“It’s the way I have been a part of it in the past. I want multiple people involved, not that there hasn’t been multiple people when you have a special teams coordinator. For us, it’s great, because Van Malone is going to be in charge of the punt return. Well, he going to talk to a bunch of wide receivers and running backs that are going to be on that. That gives those guys a perspective on coaching, on dealing with adversity, whatever it may be, so that those young student-athletes can take what Van tells them and take it on later in life, whatever it may be. But I want multiple people in the front of the room. That’s important to expose those guys to some different coaches. So, I think I have four coaches, Coach (Courtney) Mess (Messingham) will be in charge of the punt, but he has three or four guys helping him. Coach (Joe) Klanderman will be in charge of kickoff with some help. Coach (Brian) Anderson will be in charge of kickoff return with some help, and Coach Malone will be in charge of the punt return with some help. (Mike) Tui (Tuiasosopo) will have the PAT/field goal block, and Conor Riley will have the PAT/field goal. But then within each of those segments, somebody has a left side and somebody has a right side, somebody has an interior. So, multiple guys, and I think that the more people you can have coaching and developing athletes, the better you are.”

 

On what his focus has been on during practice…

“Early on, I’ve probably been a little bit more on defense to try to help out there just because we’re trying to teach linebackers. Coach(Scottie) Haze (Hazelton) has the inside linebackers as well as the nickel, so I’ve been focusing more on the nickel position or the safety position because I have really good familiarity within the system at those two spots to help out either Coach Haze or Coach (Joe) Klanderman. Especially during these first five or six days during the installation, it’s hard to have one coach have eyes on everybody. So I’ll do that early on. With meetings, I sit with the quarterbacks a lot in meetings. I’ll go sit with the safeties or linebackers a little bit. I want to make sure that I have the opportunity to be around a lot of guys. I’ll go with the o-linemen here in another week or so. I just think it’s really important for me to continue to build relationships with everybody.”

 

On how his focus during practice compares to when he was at North Dakota State…

“It’s very, very similar. I’m going to get to know everybody. That’s the key for me – to get to know everybody and build relationships with all of them. But, they all know too that my background has been on defense. I’m not going to go tell Coach (Conor) Riley how to coach an offensive tackle where it’s easier for me to help and coach a secondary player.”

 

On the offensive line…

“It’s a work in progress. I’m really pleased that we have so many returning guys. Experience is hard to beat on the offensive line because they see so many different pictures, from blitzes to different run fits. For us, early on into practice, we’re going to emphasize running the football. Later on in practice, we emphasize throwing the football. So, for those guys to be able to separate the two and understand some of the run reads, run fits and blitz reads as well as then getting into a third-down period or pass setting, I’ve been impressed with those guys. I will reserve a little bit on where we are at once we get a little more contact in. The other thing that is pretty special for those guys, and I say the same to the defensive line, is you get to go against guys that have played an awful lot of football. It’s not like a guard is going to just dominate Trey Dishon the whole time or Trey is going to dominate Tyler Mitchell the whole time. I think that’s the neat thing – competition brings out the best in all of us. I think those guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage don’t take for granted that they are getting great work on each day.”

 

On handling the official visit period opening in April…

“That’s new to everybody, I think it just started last year. In the past, I haven’t used it or didn’t need to use it at the FCS level. I don’t think it was used a whole bunch in FBS just being on the committees that I’ve been on. It’s kind of sporadic. David Shaw hasn’t used it at Stanford, (Pat) Fitzgerald hasn’t used it at Northwestern. Some schools have used it. For us, we will pick and choose our spots to be able to use that. Obviously, you’d like to wait until the fall when you get a gameday environment. I think that’s the best sell. But in the same respect, not everybody is waiting until the fall. So, you try to get these guys on an unofficial visit right now. That’s why we have these Junior Days, and we have a number of them throughout the spring just to try to get those guys to come on campus. It’s still the big key – how do you get them on campus? – whether it’s through an official or unofficial visit. We’ll kind of keep playing that out as April continues on.”

 

On knowing everyone’s face and name by having names on the back of practice jerseys…

“I feel pretty good, it’s just sometimes when you’re far enough away and you’re like, ‘Who’s that number compared to that number,’ because maybe the bodies look that same. It’s helped our other coaches. I’m probably around all of them the most, so I feel pretty good, but if you’re Coach (Courtney) Mess (Messingham) and you’re trying to figure out the DBs, and somebody makes a great play on a route, you don’t want to say, ‘Hey, good play 12.’ You want to say, ‘Hey, great play AJ.’ Those are the things that still make it a personal touch here. I feel pretty confident in knowing all the guys now, but I know from an assistant standpoint – because I’ve been there – you get locked into your position and you don’t get to know somebody on the other side of the ball. Well, now you can still get a name with a face and maybe if somebody splashes a play, at least you can look and say, ‘Hey,’ because we don’t see them as much with the obviously helmets on, so those coaches can be able to say, ‘Good job,’ and make sure they know their name.”

 

On safety Marcus Hayes…

“You know, he’s a real competitive guy. He’s got really good athleticism. I don’t know if people remember or recall, but he led that country in punt returns last year at New Mexico, so he’s a special talent. We’re playing him at free safety right now. It’s a different system than what he did at New Mexico, so he’s learning on the run like everybody else. I like his confidence. He’s got a little swagger to him as a defensive back. He’s a really good communicator, which is what you have to be in the secondary. For us, we need to have a quarterback in the secondary, and he’s done a really nice job of that right now.”

 

On Marcus Hayes’ eligibility for the 2019 season…

“He has to sit out, but we are applying for a waiver. We’ll see what happens here this spring.”

 

On March Madness starting…

“Hey, I’m excited that we get to watch some hoops on Friday afternoon before our practice that starts at 4:30. So, the timing works out pretty well. Good luck to both the men and the women. I think we’re in for a great March Madness. This is a great time of year.”

 

HUNTER RISON, SOPHOMORE WIDE RECEIVER

On the coaching change…

“It is different. I was going to see how it went. We had trust in the program that they were going to bring in a good guy, and they brought in Coach Klieman. You know what he is doing. We have great energy now and are excited for the season and what it brings.”

 

On spring practice…

“It has been going really well, just learning the new offense. It is a pro-style, but they are bringing it on to us very well. We are in the third practice. We just finished that yesterday, so things are going well. Mistakes are going to be made, but we are really working on them.”

 

On his redshirt year last season…

“In the spring, I came in and was able to practice and I played in the spring game. Then I ended up feeling some pain in there. I was born with the hip impingement, so it was really just nagging me. I felt that I might as well get this done now and be ready for the season next year. It turned out that I only participated in about three and a half weeks of camp and then ended up sitting for the rest of the season. I could not play anyway, so I just really got that hip right for now.”

 

On his expectations for next season…

“We are taking it day-by-day. I do not want to get ahead of myself, but I am really confident in this team and what we are doing. We have a lot of confidence and the energy is great. I am just excited to see what comes.”

 

JUSTIN HUGHES, SENIOR LINEBACKER

On his season last year…

“That is one of my best assets – being able to learn and pick up things really fast so I can help others. I remember in grade school my teachers used to tell me that I am so smart that I distract others after I am done with my work. That is one of my things. I am just a smart player and I like to communicate. I like to get other players involved and get other players on my energy level. I think that is my duty as the leader of the defense – to get other guys up to my level. I think last year I really got my feet wet and really got me some experience going into my senior season. I thank all the coaches for that, for giving me the opportunity. I made the best of it last year, but I have to really shine this season. I have to get my teammates on board with everything – the new coaching staff and the new defense. We have to get in the film room. I know Denzel Goolsby and I have talked about that a lot. I am a perfectionist. You can ask any of the guys on the defense. I am yelling if we make a mistake. If guys do not do things right, even if I do not do things right, I am going to be mad at myself and will hold other players accountable on the field. I want everybody to be up to par. Perfect and crisp.”

 

On the new coaching staff…

“Coach (Scottie) Hazelton has had a lot of experience in football. He has been with the Jaguars, he has been at Wyoming – one of the best defenses last year. You learn different things from different people. Coach Haze has taught me a lot so far. Elijah Lee and I talk a lot of times because he runs a similar defense at the 49ers. He and I talk all the time and communicate because he had a talk with Coach Haze, as well. He learned a couple things from Coach Haze. I appreciate everything that they have instilled in me and have taught me since they have been here this short time. There are just little things that you pick up to make your game that much better.”

 

On what held him back before last season…

“I guess it was guys before me. Elijah Lee, Charmeachealle Moore, Trent Tanking. You have guys that have just as much knowledge and just as much athleticism as you, so you have to wait your turn. I was not the most experienced sophomore or freshman, so just having that experience in my junior season helped me be able to shine. Having those guys in front of me, like the Mike Moores and the Elijah Lees and the Trent Tankings – those guys are great players. They are great players, and being behind those guys teach you a lot. So, it helps you broaden your game out.”

 

JAMES GILBERT, SENIOR RUNNING BACK

On what changes he has encountered at K-State…

“Just the resources around here. I am not used to the food being good, the indoor facility, the weight room. There are so many facilities that I am utilizing just for the year I have left here. I am pretty excited.”

 

On Coach Klieman…

“He is a defensive guy, so being an offensive player, he can kind of tell you what defense you are looking at. For example, if the running back is in a different stance this might be a pass, but you want to keep your stance the same as when you are running the ball or pass blocking or anything so you cannot tip off the defense and let them know what you are trying to do on offense.”

 

On being the only veteran running back on the team…

“Since I have the most experience and I have played a lot, I feel like giving what I know to the younger players and helping them out the best. Just being a leader. I remember coming in at Ball State. I was one of the younger guys. And now, being at K-State, I am the older guy. So it is funny. Now I have to help the younger players out.”

 

REGGIE WALKER, SENIOR DEFENSIVE END

On the influence he has made on this program…

“The coaches really set that at the top, that you have a voice. That is one of the best things that really happened to us, too, since the new coaching staff has been here. The energy and really giving us that chance to go out and do what we have to do as players. I really enjoy this program.”

 

On what he hopes to accomplish this spring…

“Really just get better every day. Try to learn each and every coach. Learn what they want from us. Just try to lead the team the best I can from what I hear from them, especially myself. I have to lead myself before I lead them, so I am trying to do a good job of doing that.”

 

On who has taken a step forward on defense…

“We have so much energy. People are flying around, especially the d-line. The d-line is going to be pretty good this year. Me, Wyatt (Hubert), Trey (Dishon), Joe (Davies), (Jordan) Mittie. But inside, with the ends, we are going to wreak havoc this year. I am liking it right now.”

 

HARRY TROTTER, JUNIOR RUNNING BACK

On the decision to transfer to K-State…

“This is my home state, home school. They said they had an opening here, that I could make a big impact here, that was important to me. Coach (Taylor) Braet made it feel like home. It just felt like a good decision to come home closer to family so that they could make it to more games. I feel like I can have a good impact here, so I’m pretty excited about it.”

 

On what he brings to the table…

“I’m just an all-around back, can run inside, outside the tackles, catch it out of the backfield, as well as pass protect. They needed some depth as well. I got carries in four or five games out there (Louisville). I think they just liked the all-around skillset, being able to do a couple different things for them.”

 

On the new coaching staff…

“They’ve been great. They bring a lot of energy, a new environment. Coach Klieman and Coach (Brian Anderson) have been great, they bring a lot of energy. It’s great getting to work with Coach Anderson, he’s got a lot of experience been a lot of different places. I’m looking forward to picking his brain and getting as much knowledge as I can from him.”

 

RYAN LACKEY
Director of Football and Golf Communications | K-State Athletics

 

Progress on Rathert Field project

The process to install artificial turf on the infield, foul territory and warning track areas, and turf in the outfield at Rathert Field is progressing. The project has had some tough going due to the rough winter weather.

These photos were taken Monday.

( Photos taken by the City and provided courtesy of the Junction City Brigade ).

K-State women’s basketball headed to the NCAA Tournament

The Kansas State Wildcats women’s basketball team has been awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats, ( 21-11 ) will be the number 9 seed in the Albany, New York regional and will play number 8 seed Michigan ( 21-11 ) in a first round game at 1 p.m. in Louisville, Kentucky.

If K-State wins they will advance to meet the winner of number one seed Louisville – number 16 Robert Morris on Sunday.

Chapman High School represented on All NCKL Teams

Three members of the Chapman High School boys basketball team have been named All NCKL First Team. They include Izek Jackson, Anthony Wasylk and Brandon Colston. Kel Stroud received Honorable Mention.

For girls basketball McKenna Kirkpatrick and Ashlynn Bledsoe were named to the All NCKL First Team while Peyton Suther received Honorable Mention.

In wrestling Zach Ferris was a member of the First Team. He wrestled at 220 pounds. Receiving Honorable Mention were Mitchell Tiller, 170 pounds, Chance Hayden, 182 pounds and Dalton Harvey, who wrestled in the 195 pound weight class.

Chapman Athletic Director Clint Merritt released the information on the selections.

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