NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Jamaal Charles scored a 1-yard touchdown with 6:23 left, and the Kansas City Chiefs kept up their perfect start after rallying to beat the Tennessee Titans 26-17 on Sunday.
The Chiefs (5-0) are off to their best start since 2003, when they won their first nine games. This win came despite blowing a 13-0 halftime lead in this early AFC showdown between these surprising teams bouncing back after losing seasons.
The Titans (3-2) couldn’t have been more out of synch in the first half with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting for Jake Locker sidelined with his sprained right hip. He missed his first five passes and went three-and-out on his first five series before guiding Tennessee to 17 straight points in the second half.
Charles put the Chiefs ahead to stay, and they intercepted Fitzpatrick twice in the final 6:14. Ryan Succop kicked four field goals, including a 48-yarder.
The Junction City Blue Jays scored 56 points in the first half enroute to a 56-0 win over the Highland Park Scots on homecoming night at Al Simpler Stadium.
Jamaal Campbell opened the Junction City scoring by catching a 16-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Lueker on the opening series of the game with 9:14 remaining in the first quarter. The Blue Jays scored touchdowns 35 points in the opening quarter, with the final score coming on a punt return for a touchdown by Raye Wilson.
Homecoming ceremony
At halftime the schools agreed to shorten the quarters in the second half from 12 minutes down to 8 minutes.
The Blue Jays used a lot of substitutes in the game, and neither team scored in the final two quarters.
Junction City is 3-2 on the season while Highland Park is 0-5.
Mary Beth Valoaga was named the Homecoming Queen and Eddy Banul the Homecoming King for 2013. They were crowned during a ceremony at halftime of the football game.
The 1969 and 2008 Junction City Blue Jay state championship football teams will be honored at the senior high school on October 18.
Special activities are planned including a meal in the school cafeteria before the Junction City – Washburn Rural football game, special seating in the end zone, and a get-together with the Blue Jay coaches in the cafeteria after the game.
Cathy Bassett was 10 years old when the Blue Jays won the Class Four-A state championship in 1969, the first season that postseason playoffs were held in Kansas high school football. She has obtained memorabilia from Helen Simpler, the wife of the late Al Simpler, the Blue Jay head football coach in 1969. Bassett said she will display it at the event on the 18th. One of the items was a Blue Jay newspaper from December 5, 1969.
Bassett read one of the lines from the story. “An estimated 45-hundred Junction City fans were among the 52-hundred people in attendance at KSU Stadium who witnessed the first ever grid championship final.” Bassett added even back in 1969 the community supported the Blue Jays. “And always have, always will, and I think that’s a wonderful thing.”
The 1969 team went 10-1 with only a loss to Ponca City, Oklahoma. They defeated Bishop Carroll in the state championship game .
The 2008 football team took a strong following to their state championship game which was played at Washburn University in Topeka. Their final record was 13-0. They defeated Lawrence Free State in the Class Six-A state championship game.
Special commemorative t-shirts for the event on Oct. 18 are being sold for $10 before and and during the first half of the Blue Jay homecoming football game against Highland Park this Friday Night ( October 4 ). You can also call Connie Gallentine at 717-4067 or email her at conniegallentine@usd475.org.
A senior defense official says U.S. military academy football teams will be on the field this weekend, despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The official said Wednesday the decision affects this weekend’s games only, and future games will be evaluated as events unfold in the coming days.
The teams will be allowed to play because the games are paid for with non-appropriated funds, and have been long planned. Army is scheduled to travel to Boston College this weekend, and Air Force will play at Navy in Annapolis, Md.
The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
Non-appropriated funds generally come from outside sources and are not approved through Congress.
Kansas State men’s head basketball coach Bruce Weber will join four other area coaches Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the American Cancer Society’s sixth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Season Tipoff Reception at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium.
Weber will be joined at the reception by Missouri head coach Frank Haith, Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall, UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson, Kansas head coach Bill Self as well as legendary Missouri head coach Norm Stewart.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Coaches vs. Cancer, as the event will play tribute to contributions made by cancer survivor and Coaches vs. Cancer Founding Father, Stewart and his wife, Virginia.
The five coaches will be involved in a media panel discussion from 4:30-5 p.m., where they will discuss their respective team’s outlooks for the upcoming season. A VIP reception will follow from 5-6 p.m., before the program begins at 6 p.m. Fans will have the opportunity to chat with the coaches and bid on auction items to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
The cost is $100 per person, which includes a cocktail reception. Fans can also purchse a VIP ticket for $250 per person, which includes admission to the VIP reception as well as the main event.
Weber has been a longtime supporter of Coaches vs. Cancer, currently serving on the organization’s Council, and was the recipient of the 2007 Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – It was a gamble from the get-go, the decision by the Kansas City Chiefs to trade two draft picks for Alex Smith this past offseason. So far, it’s paying off.
Smith is off to the best start of his career, leading the Chiefs to a 4-0 mark. He’s on pace to set career bests for yards passing, yards rushing and touchdown passes, and has even outplayed the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick – the guy who took his starting job last season.
Perhaps most importantly, Smith hasn’t made many mistakes. He threw his first two picks last Sunday against the Giants, but has otherwise been flawless. And that’s a big reason the Chiefs are tied with the Titans, their opponent Sunday, for the NFL’s best turnover margin.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following a year that saw K-Sate reach unprecedented athletic, academic, administrative and fundraising success, John Currie was presented the 2013 Bobby Dodd AD of the Year Award at the annual Division 1A Athletics Director meetings in Dallas.
John Currie
The honor, which coincides with head coach Bill Snyder being named the 2012 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, comes on the heels of Currie being named a 2013 FBS UnderArmour AD of the Year this past summer.
“We are very pleased to be able to recognize John Currie as the winner of the 2013 award,” stated Jim Terry, Chairman of the Dodd Foundation. “John’s vision and drive have made it possible for all sports at Kansas State to reach new heights of success and excellence. Having met and worked with John when Coach Bill Snyder was selected as the 2012 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year gave us the opportunity to see the excellent facilities and processes which John has put in place at this impressive university. We feel strongly that when a head football coach is recognized as a national coach of the year, that school’s director of athletics is responsible for putting into place the many processes necessary for that coach to have succeeded. John Currie has definitely done this at Kansas State University.”
Since Currie’s introduction as director of athletics on May 18, 2009, K-State’s intercollegiate program has experienced a tremendous turnaround and enjoyed accomplishments and national attention that are unmatched in program history, including a record-setting 2012-13 academic year.
This past year K-State achieved a milestone that only four other BCS schools have obtained since 1998 when the Wildcat football, men’s basketball and baseball teams won conference championships in the same season. K-State also became the first Big 12 school to have league coach of the year honorees in football, men’s basketball and baseball in the same year as Snyder, Bruce Weber and Brad Hill took top coaching honors.
A BCS bowl berth in football and second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in volleyball highlighted the fall season. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams advanced to the postseason with Weber leading the men’s team to the most wins ever by a first-year head coach in school history and the program’s first league title in 36 years.
Five track and field athletes were crowned Big 12 champions in the spring and Hill’s baseball squad – picked seventh out of nine teams in the Big 12 preseason poll – won the program’s first conference championship in 80 years. The Wildcats made even more history by hosting their first NCAA baseball regional and winning on their home field to advance to their first Super Regional.
K-State has had another outstanding academic year in 2012-13 with 73 current or former student-athletes earning degrees, while a total of 236 earned Big 12 Commissioner’s honor roll accolades this spring, the most since 2008.
In addition, a total of 95 Wildcat student-athletes earned Academic All-Big 12 recognition in all sports during the 2012-13 athletic season, while senior women’s basketball player Brittany Chambers, junior outfielder Jared King and Petra Niedermayerova from women’s tennis all earned the inaugural Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year award in their respective sports.
With the friendly slogan of “Welcome to K-State” symbolizing the goal of providing The Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, K-State’s marketing and fundraising efforts have been completely overhauled in Currie’s tenure. Responding to a new emphasis on personal interaction and communication, K-State supporters have pushed attendance to new heights, while the Ahearn Fund’s fiscal year 2012’s record of $35.8 million means that annual cash giving totals have nearly tripled since Currie’s arrival.
Thanks to the grass-roots support of the 9,500-plus members of the Ahearn Fund, more than $125 million of facility enhancements are either completed or currently underway, including the new West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Other notable facility enhancements completed under Currie are the new $18 million award-winning Basketball Training Facility, Mike Goss Tennis Stadium, Intercollegiate Rowing Center as well as incremental upgrades that have benefited each of K-State’s 16 athletics programs.
Currently a member of the NCAA Division I Administrative Cabinet and the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, Currie also serves on various Big 12 committees.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals and manager Ned Yost have agreed to a two-year contract extension after wrapping up an 86-76 season, the best finish for the franchise in 24 years.
Yost’s contract was set to expire after the season, and the Royals announced the extension on Tuesday.
Yost has been the manager in Kansas City for the past four years, and has been instrumental in helping to bring along one of the youngest rosters in the major league. Progress was evident after the All-Star break this season, when the Royals went 43-27 down the stretch.
That allowed the Royals to get into playoff contention. They were eliminated from the AL wild-card race in their penultimate series of the season.
Yost is 741-831 in 10 seasons as manager of the Brewers and Royals.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds will step down in August 2014 and move into a consulting role at the nation’s wealthiest college athletic program.
The school is expected to make a formal announcement Tuesday, according to the person who spoke condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt a statement from university officials.
The Austin American-Statesman first reported Dodds’ decision on Monday.
Dodds could not immediately be reached for comment. Dodds vigorously denied a report earlier this month that he was stepping down on Dec. 31. Under the retirement plan to be announced Tuesday, Dodds will remain on the job through Aug. 31, 2014 and move into a consulting role through 2015.
