The defense is looking good in the early practices for the Junction City Blue Jay football team this season.

Five starters return on that side of the ball for Head Coach Randall Zimmerman.

“As a whole the defensive unit has been really good, and then our special teams have been really good. And offensively it’s just going to take us some time. We have one returning starter on that side of the ball.”

Zimmerman added it will take a little bit of time, and there are going to be some growing pains on the offense side of the ball.

“Defensively, those kids look really really good. They’re really athletic. They’ve worked hard to get themselves in better athletic condition.  They know what they’re doing. They line up, and they’re really getting to the ball.”

The Blue Jays have a public scrimmage from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday at Al Simpler Stadium.  The team practiced in pads for the first time on Thursday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have acquired safety Kelcie McCray from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for offensive guard Rishaw Johnson in a move that should bolster depth for both teams.

McCray entered the league with Miami as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas State. He’s appeared in 15 games over the past two seasons with the Dolphins and Buccaneers.

The Chiefs are desperate for help at safety, particularly with Eric Berry still dealing with a nagging heel injury. Undrafted rookie Daniel Sorensen has been pressed into a starting role.

Johnson has appeared in three games over parts of two seasons for Kansas City. He had slid down the depth chart after the Chiefs acquired several other linemen in the draft and free agency.

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Every school has “max-out day,” when guys try to better their best in a variety of weightlifting exercises. No. 20 Kansas State is no different.

But when Jonathan Truman settles under the bar, everybody else in the room stops what they’re doing to watch. The former walk-on-turned starting linebacker is quite possibly the pound-for-pound strongest player to have ever come through Bill Snyder’s program.

Truman has been known to bench press more than 430 pounds and squat more 540, numbers that are impressive for anyone but even more so considering he’s just 5-foot-11, 215 pounds.

In fact, that weight training is a big reason he’ll be starting for the second straight year when Kansas State opens its season Aug. 30 against Stephen F. Austin.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Jamaal Charles returned to Chiefs practice Thursday for the first time since hurting his foot last week, though he’s unlikely to play in Saturday night’s preseason game against Minnesota.

Charles hurt the foot last Thursday while moving out of the dormitories at Missouri Western, where the Chiefs start their training camp workouts. He did not make the trip to Carolina for their second preseason game last weekend.

Wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas returned after missing a day of practice with spasms in his hamstring. Defensive back Chris Owens was also back on the field after leaving a day earlier with a knee injury.

Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and linebacker Joe Mays did not practice.

DENVER (AP) – Matt McBride hit his first career grand slam and Jorge De La Rosa pitched eight crisp innings, helping the Colorado Rockies cool off the Kansas City Royals with a 5-2 win on Wednesday night.

The loss trims the Royals’ lead to one game over Detroit in the AL Central.

Danny Duffy (8-11) was cruising along with a 2-1 lead until a two-out error by third baseman Christian Colon in the sixth opened the door for a big inning. McBride lined a fastball from Duffy into the left-field bleachers and then zipped around the bases in exhilaration.

It was McBride’s first homer since Sept. 25, 2012, and third of his career. He was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs the day before.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Add rookie running back De’Anthony Thomas to a lengthy list of Chiefs players who are missing practice as the team prepares for its preseason game Saturday night against Minnesota.

The electrifying Thomas missed Wednesday’s workout with spasms in his hamstring.

Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles remained out with his foot injury. Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry is out with a heel injury and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is dealing with a quad injury.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid declined to say after practice whether any of them will be available for the Vikings game, when the starters are expected to play into the third quarter.

 

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Ben Heeney may know better than anybody the challenge that faces Kansas after losing its top two running backs to season-ending injuries just one day apart.

The senior linebacker has had to tackle Brandon Bourbon and Taylor Cox in practice, and he’s close friends with both of them. Bourbon is his roommate.

Bourbon tore his ACL during a scrimmage Sunday, and Cox tore an Achilles tendon in a non-contact drill Monday. Jayhawks coach Charlie Weis announced the injuries in a statement Tuesday, but was not available Wednesday, when he was due to speak to the media.

Instead, three of the Jayhawks’ leaders were asked to discuss the impact of the injuries, and Heeney said he’s confident that the rest of the guys on the roster will step up.

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Erik Kratz homered twice after replacing an ailing Salvador Perez, and Jason Vargas pitched seven strong innings to lead the first-place Kansas City Royals to a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

Vargas allowed one run on four this and struck out three, but had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 17 when Oswaldo Arcia hit a solo homer in the seventh. Perez had two hits and two RBIs before leaving in the seventh because of discomfort in his right knee, helping the Royals win for the 21st time in 26 games.

Kansas City extended its lead over the idle Detroit Tigers in the AL Central to two games.

Trevor May gave up three runs on seven hits and walked four in 4 2-3 innings for the Twins.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The status of Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles remains in question after he missed Sunday night’s preseason game in Carolina because of a bruised foot.

Charles had made it through every training camp practice without picking up any significant bumps or bruises. Then, when he was in the process of moving out of the Missouri Western dorms on Thursday night, he rolled his foot over a curb.

The Chiefs had no media availability on Friday or Saturday, so the injury was not revealed until Sunday, when Charles was not on the trip to Carolina.

Coach Andy Reid said Monday that Charles had X-rays and an MRI exam that revealed no significant injury. Still, it is unclear how long Charles will be out.

There was a strong turnout of athletes for the first day of football practice at Junction City High School.

Coach Randall Zimmerman estimated the turnout at about 165 players. “Not too bad a first day, for having that many kids out. A lot of new kids, a handful of freshmen that were out that we hadn’t seen during the summer….which summertime’s all optional stuff. But you can sure tell the kids that have been here and taken advantage of the optional things during the summer.”

The Blue Jays went right to work during their first practice installing the basics of their offense  defense, and special teams. “Very first period we installed a special team. Then we’re installing offense and defense throughout, trying to get them out and move, listening to terminology, and we’ll just keep throwing that out there. It’ll sink in.”

The Blue Jays have a scrimmage open to the public Saturday morning from eight until noon at the Al Simpler Stadium. The first game is Sept. 5 at Highland Park, and the first home game is Sept. 12 against Emporia.