First off Merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season. I know I must be getting old, when on Saturay night I was surrounded by family. I was holding my newest cousin (Sydney is 2 months old) and had a total 'step back and observe like this is straight out of a movie' moment. Amidst 4 little ones, my cousins, my aunt and uncle, mom, step dad, brother and girlfriend, I realized that was a good as it gets. It didn't matter what was going on in our lives that day or week or year, what mattered was we were together. Here's hoping you can have that feeling at some point before the new year.
Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. On to the Christmas review...
Republic County boys (4-0): TheBuffs are certainly living up to their preseason billing as one of the top teams in the NCAA, if not all of 3A. Trevor Kuhlman has been the emotional leader on the floor, as well as the scoring leader. Gary Roberts is still up to his old tricks of being in the right place at the time, as evidenced by the steal and layup against Beloit to spark a 12-1 run to close out the game. Colton Grove has bumped up his scoring a bit this year (9.2) and has run the show from the point flawlessly. Trey Duensing has also provided some punch with his athleticism at the "3" spot, and Ronny Dyke continues his development at the post position.
There are only two things that worry me about the Buffs and it might not show up until they play the right teams: height and depth. There's not a lot you can do about height, but when the tallest person you can put on the floor is 6'2" you will fight an uphill battle most of the time. The Buffs have used their quickness at every position so far to negate any height advantage for the other team, and will have to contiue to do so. The depth is one that can certainly improve over the course of the year. Guys like Kurt Engle, Austin Kasl and even Nick Junker must contribute solid minutes every night for the Buffs.
Republic County girls (3-1): If nothing else, the girls should be entertaining to watch this year. After being outgunned by Concordia, the girls bounced back to defeat Beloit in the league opener. When your leading scorer, Celia Porter, can get shut out and you still win, that means other players stepped up big. And if the Lady Buffs find some consitency, they could be dangerous.
There are many girls seeing their first varsity action of their careers, and Porter along with Alta Svoboda will have to be steadying hands when the gong gets tough. Like I said, should be fun.
Check back Friday for Piek Valley's recaps. And of course, leave me a comment if you'd like. (It's free, but won't show up till I let it, so be patient!)
Rescheduling of games
Try to follow me here. It's gonna get crazy...
Republic County at Russell Basketball games for 12/14 postponed. No make up date set
Republic County vs Valley Heights BB will be postponed again. No make up date set.
RC wrestling at Minneapolis will be Tuesday Dec 18 at the middle school.
RC Wrestling at Beloit will be January 22, 2008.
RC JH BB with Minneapolis has been postponed indefinately.
Currently awaiting word on the RC at Russell games for tonight. Russell is forecasted for anywhere between 3 to 9 inches of snow with winds up to 25 mph. Talked to RHS AD Mark Paul and RCHS Doug Lull, and we expect a final desicion before 2 pm.
When I know other reschedulngs, they will be posted here! Updated: 2:20 pmFriday 12/14
Republic County at Russell Basketball games for 12/14 postponed. No make up date set
Republic County vs Valley Heights BB will be postponed again. No make up date set.
RC wrestling at Minneapolis will be Tuesday Dec 18 at the middle school.
RC Wrestling at Beloit will be January 22, 2008.
RC JH BB with Minneapolis has been postponed indefinately.
Currently awaiting word on the RC at Russell games for tonight. Russell is forecasted for anywhere between 3 to 9 inches of snow with winds up to 25 mph. Talked to RHS AD Mark Paul and RCHS Doug Lull, and we expect a final desicion before 2 pm.
When I know other reschedulngs, they will be posted here! Updated: 2:20 pmFriday 12/14
Let's go to the video...
Clifton/Clyde's Dustin Cyr catches some air in the Eagles Sub State loss at Hanover.
RC 7th grader Kyle Strutt knocks down a 3 on the inbounds play. Just how you draw it up!
NCAA playoff
Here is a quic recap of a neat debate going on with some of my family about a playoff system for college football. Feel free to leave your thoughts...
1) 11 regular season games for everyone. Minimum of 6 home games. No conference championship games, so no conference can get hosed out of a chance. Regular season done the week of Thanksgiving. 2) 8 team playoff. We cna use the BCS ( or some form of it) to determine the 8 teams, with no conference tie ins or Notre Dame BS. High seed hosts in the first round.
Using this years final BCS, here's the bracket...
1. Ohio State vs 8. Kansas
4. Oklahoma vs 5. Georgia
3. Virginia Tech vs 6. Missouri
2. LSU vs 7. Southern California
Winners would move on to the semi finals, to be played on a rotation at the 4 major bowls. For instance, OSU would play OU at the Fiesta Bowl, and Va Tech would play USC in the Rose Bowl. OU vs USC in the Sugar bowl for the playoff championship. But what about the Orange Bowl, you ask? based on the rotation, the Orange would get first pick of ANY team that didn't make a playoff. How intriguing would 9. West Virginia vs 10. Hawaii be? After that, you still have 28 other bowls that get there games. Bowls for everyone, playoffs for the top teams. Everyone wins! Oh, but the schedule would be important.
Using this years calender... Dec 1. 2-3 bowls. Armed forces, papajohns.com, ETC
Dec 8 1st round playoffs
Dec 15 More bowls
Dec 22 2nd round playoffs
Dec 23-31 ALL remaining bowls, probably building up with the top "Bowl Championship"
Jan 1 Playoff Championship
Won't happen I know, but kinda fun. You can still have all 32 bowls, AND a playoff system. Feel free to add comments of suggestions. Would probably have to add in that no conference can have 3 teams. Tha would bump Kansas to the Orange Bowl, and WVU would play OSU in the first round.... Eric
You’ve got to have all the conferences in this thing or it won’t fly. I’d support your program with an additional four teams in the playoff that would get home site games and give the top four teams a bye in the first round so that they have an inherit advantage. This would make six conference champs and six at-large teams. The conference champs have to be in the top-20 of the BCS standings to get a bid and any team not in a BCS conference has to be in the top-12 to be CONSIDERED or the top-8 to be an automatic qualifier. I argue that there be no limit placed on teams from one league – I don’t think the SEC would either.
Your top-tier bowls are going to want nothing to do with there games being on December 22nd either. I’d suggest something like this:
A 12-game regular season that lasts 13 weeks, giving everyone a BYE. This year that season would have begun on August 25th and ended on November 17th.
No conference championship games. Leagues with divisions would need to decide how they would determine a league champion (ie, the Big 12 goes to nine league games).
12 teams advance to the playoffs with six conference champs and six at-large teams. See above.
First round games would be played at home sites on December 1st. Heisman ballots due on Sunday December 2nd.
The following week is taken off for the Heisman presentation on December 8th.
Currently there are 31 bowls games. We are going to use seven bowls for this system, leaving 48 teams (24 bowls) to play in a non-playoff game – all of which will take place between December 18th and the 28th. Only one game would be played on the 25th and 26th of December, but all games would be played by the 28th. See below for details. How fun would that be?
The seven bowls involved in the playoff would be as follows: Gator, Cotton, Holiday, Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar. The Gator, Cotton and Holiday would ALWAYS hold quarterfinal games with one current BCS Bowl also holding a quarterfinal. These will be held on December 25th and December 26th every year.
National semifinal games would be funneled to the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl this year and would be played on New Year’s Day every year. Ideally you’d pair the games to limit travel – Fiesta Bowl and Holiday Bowl winners would move on to the Rose Bowl and Gator and Cotton Bowl winners would move to the Orange.
The National Championship Game would always be on January 8th, unless it fell on a Sunday so that it would not compete with the NFL.
Ideally, you’d also funnel the bracket and bowls geographically as well to help with fans and travel. This year would go something like this. Also, in the first round games, I’d suggest that visiting teams be allotted tickets up to 15% of the stadium capacity.
December 1st Games
No. 12 Arizona State @ No. 5 Georgia
No. 11 Illinois @ No. 6 Missouri (Interesting rematch)
No. 10 Hawaii @ No. 7 USC
No. 9 West Virginia @ No. 8 Kansas
National Quarterfinals (Dec. 25 and 26)
Kansas, West Virginia winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl)
Georgia, Arizona State winner vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (Holiday Bowl)
Missouri, Illinois winner vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech (Gator Bowl)
USC, Hawaii winner vs. No. 2 LSU (Cotton Bowl)
National Semifinals (January 1st)
Fiesta Bowl, Holiday Bowl winners (Rose Bowl), 7 CST kickoff
Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl winners (Orange Bowl), 2:30 CST kickoff
...My cousin Tony
I tried to space out the bowls to maximize TV possiblities. The NCAA makes WAY too much from the TV bowl contract with ESPN etc and no way would the NCAA want to see 20+ bowls played in 3 days. I also kept the playoffs at 8 to allow for the fewest playoffs to the shortest seson without just having a FInal 4.
My format has the 2 champioship teams playing 14 games, almost the norm right now. Yours could see a team without the bye have an additional game, and 15 is s crapload of games to be playing in college. Oh, and if we want to account for the HYPESMAN trophy, do it Jan 8, AFTER the entire season. You know Tommie would've won it in 95, not even a question. Imagine a playoff year, and Tebow gets maybe 3 more games. He could have a 30-30 year for td's.
If you go the geographic way, you might as well eliminate conferences. 8 regional champs and 4 at large, by your format. Mine would be 6 and 2. But that's an awful lot of regional games. 119 teams divided by 8 = 14.8 (15). 119/6= 19.8 (20). 20 teams in a region is just too much. 119/16 regions= 7.4 teams per region, and now we're a DII system. Just saying... Eric
1) 11 regular season games for everyone. Minimum of 6 home games. No conference championship games, so no conference can get hosed out of a chance. Regular season done the week of Thanksgiving. 2) 8 team playoff. We cna use the BCS ( or some form of it) to determine the 8 teams, with no conference tie ins or Notre Dame BS. High seed hosts in the first round.
Using this years final BCS, here's the bracket...
1. Ohio State vs 8. Kansas
4. Oklahoma vs 5. Georgia
3. Virginia Tech vs 6. Missouri
2. LSU vs 7. Southern California
Winners would move on to the semi finals, to be played on a rotation at the 4 major bowls. For instance, OSU would play OU at the Fiesta Bowl, and Va Tech would play USC in the Rose Bowl. OU vs USC in the Sugar bowl for the playoff championship. But what about the Orange Bowl, you ask? based on the rotation, the Orange would get first pick of ANY team that didn't make a playoff. How intriguing would 9. West Virginia vs 10. Hawaii be? After that, you still have 28 other bowls that get there games. Bowls for everyone, playoffs for the top teams. Everyone wins! Oh, but the schedule would be important.
Using this years calender... Dec 1. 2-3 bowls. Armed forces, papajohns.com, ETC
Dec 8 1st round playoffs
Dec 15 More bowls
Dec 22 2nd round playoffs
Dec 23-31 ALL remaining bowls, probably building up with the top "Bowl Championship"
Jan 1 Playoff Championship
Won't happen I know, but kinda fun. You can still have all 32 bowls, AND a playoff system. Feel free to add comments of suggestions. Would probably have to add in that no conference can have 3 teams. Tha would bump Kansas to the Orange Bowl, and WVU would play OSU in the first round.... Eric
You’ve got to have all the conferences in this thing or it won’t fly. I’d support your program with an additional four teams in the playoff that would get home site games and give the top four teams a bye in the first round so that they have an inherit advantage. This would make six conference champs and six at-large teams. The conference champs have to be in the top-20 of the BCS standings to get a bid and any team not in a BCS conference has to be in the top-12 to be CONSIDERED or the top-8 to be an automatic qualifier. I argue that there be no limit placed on teams from one league – I don’t think the SEC would either.
Your top-tier bowls are going to want nothing to do with there games being on December 22nd either. I’d suggest something like this:
A 12-game regular season that lasts 13 weeks, giving everyone a BYE. This year that season would have begun on August 25th and ended on November 17th.
No conference championship games. Leagues with divisions would need to decide how they would determine a league champion (ie, the Big 12 goes to nine league games).
12 teams advance to the playoffs with six conference champs and six at-large teams. See above.
First round games would be played at home sites on December 1st. Heisman ballots due on Sunday December 2nd.
The following week is taken off for the Heisman presentation on December 8th.
Currently there are 31 bowls games. We are going to use seven bowls for this system, leaving 48 teams (24 bowls) to play in a non-playoff game – all of which will take place between December 18th and the 28th. Only one game would be played on the 25th and 26th of December, but all games would be played by the 28th. See below for details. How fun would that be?
The seven bowls involved in the playoff would be as follows: Gator, Cotton, Holiday, Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar. The Gator, Cotton and Holiday would ALWAYS hold quarterfinal games with one current BCS Bowl also holding a quarterfinal. These will be held on December 25th and December 26th every year.
National semifinal games would be funneled to the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl this year and would be played on New Year’s Day every year. Ideally you’d pair the games to limit travel – Fiesta Bowl and Holiday Bowl winners would move on to the Rose Bowl and Gator and Cotton Bowl winners would move to the Orange.
The National Championship Game would always be on January 8th, unless it fell on a Sunday so that it would not compete with the NFL.
Ideally, you’d also funnel the bracket and bowls geographically as well to help with fans and travel. This year would go something like this. Also, in the first round games, I’d suggest that visiting teams be allotted tickets up to 15% of the stadium capacity.
December 1st Games
No. 12 Arizona State @ No. 5 Georgia
No. 11 Illinois @ No. 6 Missouri (Interesting rematch)
No. 10 Hawaii @ No. 7 USC
No. 9 West Virginia @ No. 8 Kansas
National Quarterfinals (Dec. 25 and 26)
Kansas, West Virginia winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl)
Georgia, Arizona State winner vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (Holiday Bowl)
Missouri, Illinois winner vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech (Gator Bowl)
USC, Hawaii winner vs. No. 2 LSU (Cotton Bowl)
National Semifinals (January 1st)
Fiesta Bowl, Holiday Bowl winners (Rose Bowl), 7 CST kickoff
Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl winners (Orange Bowl), 2:30 CST kickoff
...My cousin Tony
I tried to space out the bowls to maximize TV possiblities. The NCAA makes WAY too much from the TV bowl contract with ESPN etc and no way would the NCAA want to see 20+ bowls played in 3 days. I also kept the playoffs at 8 to allow for the fewest playoffs to the shortest seson without just having a FInal 4.
My format has the 2 champioship teams playing 14 games, almost the norm right now. Yours could see a team without the bye have an additional game, and 15 is s crapload of games to be playing in college. Oh, and if we want to account for the HYPESMAN trophy, do it Jan 8, AFTER the entire season. You know Tommie would've won it in 95, not even a question. Imagine a playoff year, and Tebow gets maybe 3 more games. He could have a 30-30 year for td's.
If you go the geographic way, you might as well eliminate conferences. 8 regional champs and 4 at large, by your format. Mine would be 6 and 2. But that's an awful lot of regional games. 119 teams divided by 8 = 14.8 (15). 119/6= 19.8 (20). 20 teams in a region is just too much. 119/16 regions= 7.4 teams per region, and now we're a DII system. Just saying... Eric
Time update
Republic County will be at Superior on Saturday, 12/1. Note the time changes... 2:00 start for the JV games, followed by the varsity girls around 3:30 or so, and the boys to follow. Inclimate weather will be something to keep an eye on, so be carel out there. Our cruiser only holds so many...
Post season awards
A listing of post season awards for High school and our former area athletes.
NCAA Football HM defense: Trey Duensing, RC, Jr
NCAA Volleyball 1st team: Celia Porter, RC, Sr; Jessica Wollenburg, RC, Jr. HM: Lauren Hoops, RC, Sr.
Pike Trail League Volleyball 1st team: Drew Sothers, PV, Sr; Kayce Clark, PV, Sr
Jayhawk Football 2nd team Offense: TE Nate Larkins (BHS 2006)
Topeka Capital Journal All 8man football Ian Peters, PV, End
Did I miss one? Let me know in the comment section!
NCAA Football HM defense: Trey Duensing, RC, Jr
NCAA Volleyball 1st team: Celia Porter, RC, Sr; Jessica Wollenburg, RC, Jr. HM: Lauren Hoops, RC, Sr.
Pike Trail League Volleyball 1st team: Drew Sothers, PV, Sr; Kayce Clark, PV, Sr
Jayhawk Football 2nd team Offense: TE Nate Larkins (BHS 2006)
Topeka Capital Journal All 8man football Ian Peters, PV, End
Did I miss one? Let me know in the comment section!
There is no joy in Mudville...
The mighty Eagles have fallen. Hanover defeated Clifton/Clyde 28-26 Friday night for the Sub State Championship. Congrats to the Wildcats, they played a heck of a game defensivly, not letting the speedy Eagles get behind them but one time, that a 51 yard TD pass from Dustin Cyr to Michael Lambert. I'll ask again if anyone has a picture of Lambert's conversion attempt, he looked VERY close, I'd like to see just how close. Hanover will play Macksville for the 8 man D I title on Saturday.
With that game, we have wrapped up our fall sports season coverage. Deb, Bob, and I are heading to Smith Center Friday night to see if St. Francis will be the first to score on the Redmen. The streaks so far... 51 overall, 12-0 this year, and the big one... 760-0. Total score accumulation for the year. WOW!
With that game, we have wrapped up our fall sports season coverage. Deb, Bob, and I are heading to Smith Center Friday night to see if St. Francis will be the first to score on the Redmen. The streaks so far... 51 overall, 12-0 this year, and the big one... 760-0. Total score accumulation for the year. WOW!
All Pike Trail League football
Congrats to the all league perfromers from Pike Valley:
1st team Offense: Konner Bergstrom, QB; Derek Barrett, RB; Josh Kraus, Guard; Ian Peters, End; Troy Brown, Kicker.
1st team Defense: Sam Slinker, End; Colton Carlson, Nose; Ethan Mahin, LB; Derek Barrett, Safety; Ian Peters, LB, Punt returner and Kick Returner.
Honorable Mention Offense: Kale Freed and Sam Slinker
Honorable Mention Defense: Troy Brown
You're hard work has not gone unnoticed!
1st team Offense: Konner Bergstrom, QB; Derek Barrett, RB; Josh Kraus, Guard; Ian Peters, End; Troy Brown, Kicker.
1st team Defense: Sam Slinker, End; Colton Carlson, Nose; Ethan Mahin, LB; Derek Barrett, Safety; Ian Peters, LB, Punt returner and Kick Returner.
Honorable Mention Offense: Kale Freed and Sam Slinker
Honorable Mention Defense: Troy Brown
You're hard work has not gone unnoticed!
Eagle update
First of all, thanks for the comments in other posts. Someone IS actually reading this!! On to the Eagles...
Clifton/Clyde ended the regular season by defeating Jewell 48-0. They have rolled everyone on the schedule with the exception of Pike Valley (where they pulled away in the 4th). They have won 2 playoff games by a combined score of 108-8. The defense has been brilliant, only one breakdown agaisnt Marmaton Valley on the long run by the QB, which set up a great pass for the Wildcats only TD. Offensively, The backfield has kept up their explosive ways, and Dustin Cyr was maybe 2 feet off of being 5-5 with 5 TD's in the Regional championship (side note: Coach Russ Steinbrock called for a deep pass on the first play of the game. MV didn't know what hit them when Michael Lambert waltzed into the endzone 13 seconds into the game. WOW!) When you can run it like the Eagles do, and throw it effectivly, you've got yourself a whale of a team.
Next up: the Hanover Wildcats. More research will be done on my part, but you can't be 11-0 without a good team. Congrats and Go Eagles!
Clifton/Clyde ended the regular season by defeating Jewell 48-0. They have rolled everyone on the schedule with the exception of Pike Valley (where they pulled away in the 4th). They have won 2 playoff games by a combined score of 108-8. The defense has been brilliant, only one breakdown agaisnt Marmaton Valley on the long run by the QB, which set up a great pass for the Wildcats only TD. Offensively, The backfield has kept up their explosive ways, and Dustin Cyr was maybe 2 feet off of being 5-5 with 5 TD's in the Regional championship (side note: Coach Russ Steinbrock called for a deep pass on the first play of the game. MV didn't know what hit them when Michael Lambert waltzed into the endzone 13 seconds into the game. WOW!) When you can run it like the Eagles do, and throw it effectivly, you've got yourself a whale of a team.
Next up: the Hanover Wildcats. More research will be done on my part, but you can't be 11-0 without a good team. Congrats and Go Eagles!
Playoffs
We interupt the wonderful comment section of the previous post to bring you this news... Clifton/Clyde is in the playoffs! The Eagles host Marias des Cynges Valley tonight at 6pm. Pregame with me and Nick will begin at 5:45. If can of course hear it on 92.1 fm, and on the internet at www.network1sports.com
C/C is 9-0 and has played but one game into the 4th quarter; that a 46-20 at Pike Valley. MdCV is 5-4, but is 4-1 in their last 5 games. Funny things happen in the playoffs, but not tonight... Eagles 48-0.
C/C fans, what are your thoughts?
C/C is 9-0 and has played but one game into the 4th quarter; that a 46-20 at Pike Valley. MdCV is 5-4, but is 4-1 in their last 5 games. Funny things happen in the playoffs, but not tonight... Eagles 48-0.
C/C fans, what are your thoughts?
It's go time...
Final week of the regular season is today, with some teams still having a shot at the post season, and others seeing the year come to an end. Here's what area teams will be facing tonight...
Republic County (1-7) vs Ell Saline (4-4) The Cardinals have locked up a playoff berth witha 32-0 win over Bennington last week. Michael Wimer leads the offense, rushing for 1,189 yards and 8 TD this season. The Buffs are paced by QB Gary Roberts 1,215 yards passing and 9 TDs. A win to end the season, especially the way things went against top teams, would be huge for the Buffs to take some momentum into the winter sports season.
Clifton/Clyde (8-0) at Jewell (1-7) Not many teams in the state can boast they have 3 runners with over 700 yards rushing and 11 TDs. Michael Lambert (906 yds- 22 td), Dustin Cyr (835- 11) and Christian Jackson (744- 14) form the best 1-2-3 combo in 8 man football. Jewell's lone win was against 0-8 Southern Cloud.
Game of the week: Pike Valley (5-3) at St. John's Beloit- Tipton (6-1) By now, they know what's on the line: PTL Championship, trip to the playoffs. StJB-T's only loss is to Clifton Clyde, 0-50, while Pike Valley gave C/C their first full game last week, losing 20-46. Pike valley must win by 9 or more to win the tiebreaker with the BluJays. Anything else and STB-T will move on. Panther coach Don Melby and senior leaders Ian Peters and Konner Bergstrom will have the team ready, and it should be a great one.
Good luck to all our area teams!!!
Republic County (1-7) vs Ell Saline (4-4) The Cardinals have locked up a playoff berth witha 32-0 win over Bennington last week. Michael Wimer leads the offense, rushing for 1,189 yards and 8 TD this season. The Buffs are paced by QB Gary Roberts 1,215 yards passing and 9 TDs. A win to end the season, especially the way things went against top teams, would be huge for the Buffs to take some momentum into the winter sports season.
Clifton/Clyde (8-0) at Jewell (1-7) Not many teams in the state can boast they have 3 runners with over 700 yards rushing and 11 TDs. Michael Lambert (906 yds- 22 td), Dustin Cyr (835- 11) and Christian Jackson (744- 14) form the best 1-2-3 combo in 8 man football. Jewell's lone win was against 0-8 Southern Cloud.
Game of the week: Pike Valley (5-3) at St. John's Beloit- Tipton (6-1) By now, they know what's on the line: PTL Championship, trip to the playoffs. StJB-T's only loss is to Clifton Clyde, 0-50, while Pike Valley gave C/C their first full game last week, losing 20-46. Pike valley must win by 9 or more to win the tiebreaker with the BluJays. Anything else and STB-T will move on. Panther coach Don Melby and senior leaders Ian Peters and Konner Bergstrom will have the team ready, and it should be a great one.
Good luck to all our area teams!!!
Season's end in sight...
I mentioned this morning the playoff picture with 2 games to go, as well as where area volleyball and cross country are participating. The recap...
Regional Cross Country: Republic County at Riley (Leonardville Golf Course), Pike Valley at Riley, Concordia at Marysville (Country Club).
Sub-State Volleyball: Republic County (12-19) vs Riley County (15-19) at Rossville, Concordia vs. Royal Valley at Chapman.
8man Football (Top 2 teams from each district move on to playoffs)
Clifton/Clyde.....Pike Valley....Kensington....St. John's/ Tipton
...... +63..............+40...........+2.............+21
........3-0...........2-1...........2-1............2-1
........PV.............C/C.......St.J-T.........Kensington
........Jewell......St. J- T.......Lakeside......Pike Valley
As you can see, the Panthers hold their destiny in their hands. A loss in either of the next 2 games means PV needs help. Win out and win the district.
Regional Cross Country: Republic County at Riley (Leonardville Golf Course), Pike Valley at Riley, Concordia at Marysville (Country Club).
Sub-State Volleyball: Republic County (12-19) vs Riley County (15-19) at Rossville, Concordia vs. Royal Valley at Chapman.
8man Football (Top 2 teams from each district move on to playoffs)
Clifton/Clyde.....Pike Valley....Kensington....St. John's/ Tipton
...... +63..............+40...........+2.............+21
........3-0...........2-1...........2-1............2-1
........PV.............C/C.......St.J-T.........Kensington
........Jewell......St. J- T.......Lakeside......Pike Valley
As you can see, the Panthers hold their destiny in their hands. A loss in either of the next 2 games means PV needs help. Win out and win the district.
XC, Pike Valley homecoming, JH football
Pictures from events of the past few weeks. You will note a lack of volleyball pics. If you've got them, I'll put them up here!
Week 6 football
Republic County 6, Beloit 72
Ouch. Not much else to say. District play begins at home against Washington County Friday. New season.
Pike Valley 12, Kensington 14
The Panthers came up one 2pt conversion short against one of the top teams in the state. I an Peters had 18 tackles to lead the D, while Derek Barret had 114 yards on the ground to pace the Panthers. PV travels to Jewell Friday, before hosting Clifton/Clyde in the biggest game in Scandia since Hope came to town for the Sub-State Championship game in 2005.
Ouch. Not much else to say. District play begins at home against Washington County Friday. New season.
Pike Valley 12, Kensington 14
The Panthers came up one 2pt conversion short against one of the top teams in the state. I an Peters had 18 tackles to lead the D, while Derek Barret had 114 yards on the ground to pace the Panthers. PV travels to Jewell Friday, before hosting Clifton/Clyde in the biggest game in Scandia since Hope came to town for the Sub-State Championship game in 2005.
Homecoming win for Pike Valley
Pike Valley 48 Lakeside 0
This is how you step up on homecoming night. Efficient offense, a smothering defense, and an early exit for the visitors. Konner Bergstrom had a huge game; 13 carries, 118 yards, 4 TD's, 7-14 106 yards passing, 1 TD. Ian Peters showed why he was homecoming king with 11 tackles, 1 rushing TD, and 4 catches. Bravo, Panthers. Bravo. Next up, the very tough (and 5-0) Kensington Gold Bugs.
Russell 50 Republic County 12
This is what not to do on homecoming. The Buff offense was stagnat against a defense that loaded up to stop the run. The result; QB Gary Roberts passed many times, and scrambled well, but couldn't put enough points on the board when it mattered most. Missing Kuhlman, and after the first snap of the game, Duensing for another game doesn't help, but somewhere, someone has to step up. Next up, on the road to Beloit, who defeated Ellsworth 48-12. If you think the Trojans will show anything that remotely resembles mercy on the Buffs, you're in a sad mental state. Defensive attitude (and TACKLING!!!) for the Buffs needs to change before Friday.
This is how you step up on homecoming night. Efficient offense, a smothering defense, and an early exit for the visitors. Konner Bergstrom had a huge game; 13 carries, 118 yards, 4 TD's, 7-14 106 yards passing, 1 TD. Ian Peters showed why he was homecoming king with 11 tackles, 1 rushing TD, and 4 catches. Bravo, Panthers. Bravo. Next up, the very tough (and 5-0) Kensington Gold Bugs.
Russell 50 Republic County 12
This is what not to do on homecoming. The Buff offense was stagnat against a defense that loaded up to stop the run. The result; QB Gary Roberts passed many times, and scrambled well, but couldn't put enough points on the board when it mattered most. Missing Kuhlman, and after the first snap of the game, Duensing for another game doesn't help, but somewhere, someone has to step up. Next up, on the road to Beloit, who defeated Ellsworth 48-12. If you think the Trojans will show anything that remotely resembles mercy on the Buffs, you're in a sad mental state. Defensive attitude (and TACKLING!!!) for the Buffs needs to change before Friday.
Sacred Heart 49 Republic Co 16
It wasn't pretty September 21, as Sacred Heart turned 5 RC turnovers into touchdowns, scoring on their first six and 7 of 8 possesions in the game. Buffs moved the ball against the SH JV, but must do it against the varsity. Here's a 2 point conversion pass from Gary Roberts to Ronny Dyke.
Here's to the homecoming game versus Russell.
Pike Valley 60, Southern Cloud 12
Videos now, short recap to follow...
Payton Cross scores on a 2 point conversion in the first quarter to put Pike Valley up 32-0.
I have been informed that this is Ethan Mahin making the form tackle on the toss. Thanks for the heads up!
You too can get your video clips on the net! Send them to krepsports@hotmail.com
new video feature
I mentioned this in the last post, but I can post video clips on this blog now. For instance...
Now imagine your favorite athlete online for everyone to see! I did this clip with my very cheap digital camera on Corbin's last day in August. The winning touchdown, fantastic rally, or clip of your favorite XC runner could be here! Email me at krepsports@hotmail.com
Week 2 is in the books
Republic County had a rough go of it in their game Friday, falling to Minneapolis, 27-6. Offensively, Buff QB Gary Roberts didn't take a snap where he didn't have pressure, and that fall on the Oline. Minneapolis used just enough big plays (ie, kickoff return to start the game) to make RC play catch up, something that never happened. NO time to wallow, as RC hits the road to take on 2-0 Ellsworth Friday night. Caleb Kruse is off to another fantastic start; over 500 yards and 8 touchdowns rushing in 2 games. should be quite the test for the Buffs.
Pike Valley played a great game against a nery good team, defeating Rock Hills 52-20. Ian Peters had one of the better individual games you'll see; 6 catches, 108 yards, 4 tds, and 8 tackles on defense. Konner Bergstrom was the one handing out those passes, finishing 8-12 151 yds. Also props to Derek Barrett, who provided a nice punch on the ground with 21 carries and 108 yards with 3 PAT runs.
Anyone taking pictures and/or digital video at these games in encouraged to email me at krepsports@hotmail.com I'd be happy to put them on here!
Pike Valley played a great game against a nery good team, defeating Rock Hills 52-20. Ian Peters had one of the better individual games you'll see; 6 catches, 108 yards, 4 tds, and 8 tackles on defense. Konner Bergstrom was the one handing out those passes, finishing 8-12 151 yds. Also props to Derek Barrett, who provided a nice punch on the ground with 21 carries and 108 yards with 3 PAT runs.
Anyone taking pictures and/or digital video at these games in encouraged to email me at krepsports@hotmail.com I'd be happy to put them on here!
What a start to the year...
Yeah, you heard/saw it right... Republic County 38, Southeast of Saline 8. It wasn't a fluke win, the Buffs looked sharp on offense and stingy on defense. QB Gary Roberts was very good early, hitting his first 6 passes and finishing 14-20 for 185 yards and a TD. He also added 2 TD rushing.
Big surprise of the night was Trey Duensing, who rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries. Colby Ferris he is not, but Trey showed a nice burst, got some great blocks, and ran with authority. He carried it over to the defensive side, where his 36 yard interception return for touchdown was the big play spark the Buffs were looking for, and they used that as a springboard for the rest of the game.
Also kudos to head coach Brad Couture, picking up his first win in his first game as head coach!
PIKE VALLEY had a tough game to start as well, but came back to defeat Linn, 22-20. Konner Bergstrom scored with 2 minutes left, and the D held deep in their own territory for the win. After last year's dissapointing 1-8 record, this has got to feel good for the Panthers. No rest for the weary, as a game with Rock Hills, winners over Jewel 54-8, comes to Scandia Friday night.
Best of luck to all teams this week! Leave a comment on your favortie team (or my comentating...)
Big surprise of the night was Trey Duensing, who rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries. Colby Ferris he is not, but Trey showed a nice burst, got some great blocks, and ran with authority. He carried it over to the defensive side, where his 36 yard interception return for touchdown was the big play spark the Buffs were looking for, and they used that as a springboard for the rest of the game.
Also kudos to head coach Brad Couture, picking up his first win in his first game as head coach!
PIKE VALLEY had a tough game to start as well, but came back to defeat Linn, 22-20. Konner Bergstrom scored with 2 minutes left, and the D held deep in their own territory for the win. After last year's dissapointing 1-8 record, this has got to feel good for the Panthers. No rest for the weary, as a game with Rock Hills, winners over Jewel 54-8, comes to Scandia Friday night.
Best of luck to all teams this week! Leave a comment on your favortie team (or my comentating...)
County Tailgate Party
The start to the new season means we can tailgate again, and where better to start than the Republic County Courthouse. Friday, August 24 at 5:30. Rep Co HS, JH and Pike Valley Cheerleaders are set to perform. It's a great way for everyone to get together before the start of the season. Don't forget to check our home page to view the broadcasting schedule for this season.
A sad start to the year...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and firends of Jake Valek, who was killed in a car accident on August 11. Jake always had a big smile on his face, was very quick to make friends and was just the kind of kid that people enjoyed having around. He was an excellent athlete, and a fine student. You'd be hard pressed to find someone at school who wasn't touched by a charismatic kid like Jake. He will be missed.
Fair week and Fun day
Feature racing Wednesday in McCool, NE.Whew! A long week and fun weekend turns back to routine on this Monday. Congrats to all the 4-h kids on your projects and thanks to all the exhibitors and sponsors who make the fair what it is!
On to pictures i got from the week. If you have more that you'd like to see on here, send them in an email to krepsports@hotmail.com
Bouncy ball competition at Courtland fun day
Don Droud Jr in Friday's Heat race. He finished 2nd after starting 8th.
Cody Brewer in the pits Friday.
Friday and Saturday Feature winner Jerry Coons, Jr
2nd on Saturday, Levi Jones gets pushed off for hot laps.
Corbin's big idea...
Corbin, in his infinite wisdom, decided to write about the upcoming fall sports. I said OK. Here's some banter...
Pike Valley Football
Corbin: Due to the lack leadership last year forced our 2006 team to end with a 1-8 record. This was also because of the very young athletes we had playing on the field. We only had 6 seniors and only 3 of them played both ways. This left gaps to fill as we relied on the younger classmen to step in and do the best they could. Due to this year in the dumps has allowed the younger kids for more experience to be better when it is their time to shine. There are very many young athletic kids comming back to hopefulyy experience a better season for 2007.
Eric: Yeah, expectations after the fantastic 2005 season may have been a bit high. Nonetheless, the Panthers looked to the youth to make some plays. It just never happened. But sometimes that can turn into a good thing. Now your young guys have a year under them and they'll be hungry to bounce back. You've still got some athletic seniors ( Ian Peters will be a big part of the defense and offense) and you're young guys aren't so young anymore.
Corbin: All though the 2005 season was spectacular i think it hurt us in the following year. Not saying that i wish that season never happened but that was a very talented class. As a few of us were allowed to play with them i think we had it in the back of our minds that the following season was going to be as easy. (Not trying to sound arrogant but that year was special.) We had a lot of heart and leadership and kids that would do anything to win. That's why it is sometimes hard to posess a good team because you could have the most talented athletes with no heart and get beat by a team with mediocre athletes who love the game. We did have athletes in 2006 but we lacked in heart.
Republic County
Eric: Corbin doesn't have quite the insight to the Buffs, so he's going to sit this one out. The Buffs matched Pike Valley's 1-8 record, picking up their win over Ell-Saline in the season finale. Similar to PV, the Buffs relied on young players to step up, and many did. QB Gary Roberts posted not one but TWO 300-yard games in 06, and has had a great summer so far at camps. Trevor Kuhlman will be the leading reciever coming back after leading the team in recieving yards. He also lead the team in INT's on D. The Oline will have to find some replacements, and there's that minor detail of the running game, were Colby Ferris averaged 110 yards a game.
Defensivly, well, the stoppers need to to step up. It got ugly at times last year and for this team to go forward, it must start with the defense. 3 and outs, fumbles, turnovers will be at a premium this year. Dline play will be critical as well, as teams like Russell and Beloit had their way with the Buffs.
Have a thought? Leave us a comment!
Pike Valley Football
Corbin: Due to the lack leadership last year forced our 2006 team to end with a 1-8 record. This was also because of the very young athletes we had playing on the field. We only had 6 seniors and only 3 of them played both ways. This left gaps to fill as we relied on the younger classmen to step in and do the best they could. Due to this year in the dumps has allowed the younger kids for more experience to be better when it is their time to shine. There are very many young athletic kids comming back to hopefulyy experience a better season for 2007.
Eric: Yeah, expectations after the fantastic 2005 season may have been a bit high. Nonetheless, the Panthers looked to the youth to make some plays. It just never happened. But sometimes that can turn into a good thing. Now your young guys have a year under them and they'll be hungry to bounce back. You've still got some athletic seniors ( Ian Peters will be a big part of the defense and offense) and you're young guys aren't so young anymore.
Corbin: All though the 2005 season was spectacular i think it hurt us in the following year. Not saying that i wish that season never happened but that was a very talented class. As a few of us were allowed to play with them i think we had it in the back of our minds that the following season was going to be as easy. (Not trying to sound arrogant but that year was special.) We had a lot of heart and leadership and kids that would do anything to win. That's why it is sometimes hard to posess a good team because you could have the most talented athletes with no heart and get beat by a team with mediocre athletes who love the game. We did have athletes in 2006 but we lacked in heart.
Republic County
Eric: Corbin doesn't have quite the insight to the Buffs, so he's going to sit this one out. The Buffs matched Pike Valley's 1-8 record, picking up their win over Ell-Saline in the season finale. Similar to PV, the Buffs relied on young players to step up, and many did. QB Gary Roberts posted not one but TWO 300-yard games in 06, and has had a great summer so far at camps. Trevor Kuhlman will be the leading reciever coming back after leading the team in recieving yards. He also lead the team in INT's on D. The Oline will have to find some replacements, and there's that minor detail of the running game, were Colby Ferris averaged 110 yards a game.
Defensivly, well, the stoppers need to to step up. It got ugly at times last year and for this team to go forward, it must start with the defense. 3 and outs, fumbles, turnovers will be at a premium this year. Dline play will be critical as well, as teams like Russell and Beloit had their way with the Buffs.
Have a thought? Leave us a comment!
Pacman in trouble again...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2908112
Eric: Pacman at it again, this time in Atlanta strip Club. This guy is begging to get kicked out of the NFL. Or at least drop his friends, who were actually involved in the shooting.
Corbin: "Crackman Jones" has been in the League for 2 years and arrested 5 times. Now from my opinion i think that that is a little rediculous. This kid is recieving bookoo bucks dont you think either he could either respect his team and stay out of trouble or atleast buy some new friends "since they are the ones who were shooting".
Eric: Bookoo? Yeah, try $1.3 million this year. That's what he's out if he does indeed serve the full year suspension. The sad thing, I think is the Titans haven't done or said anything. Of course, you can't cut a guy that's on suspension from the league, but I would tell him he's done as soon as he's off suspension. At this point, he's just embarrassing.
Corbin: He's Almost like TO.. yea he could be good but its guys like this that can ruin a team and a teams reputation. Sure he's good but look how many other corners are out there that could replace him. Its not like he is the foundation of the team he won't really be missed if he is released.
Anybody else want to chime in? Leave us a comment!
Eric: Pacman at it again, this time in Atlanta strip Club. This guy is begging to get kicked out of the NFL. Or at least drop his friends, who were actually involved in the shooting.
Corbin: "Crackman Jones" has been in the League for 2 years and arrested 5 times. Now from my opinion i think that that is a little rediculous. This kid is recieving bookoo bucks dont you think either he could either respect his team and stay out of trouble or atleast buy some new friends "since they are the ones who were shooting".
Eric: Bookoo? Yeah, try $1.3 million this year. That's what he's out if he does indeed serve the full year suspension. The sad thing, I think is the Titans haven't done or said anything. Of course, you can't cut a guy that's on suspension from the league, but I would tell him he's done as soon as he's off suspension. At this point, he's just embarrassing.
Corbin: He's Almost like TO.. yea he could be good but its guys like this that can ruin a team and a teams reputation. Sure he's good but look how many other corners are out there that could replace him. Its not like he is the foundation of the team he won't really be missed if he is released.
Anybody else want to chime in? Leave us a comment!
Racing on the high banks
Sunday night brings the World of Outlaws and MARS Late models to Belleville, with Jayhusker minisprints on the short track. Of course the big news from yesterday was the confirmation that Scott Bloomquist will run his late model. This is kinda like Terrence Newman playing a pick up game of flag football at the high school. HUGE, news. Expect to show up early if you want a good seat, they could be hard to come by.
Especially interesting, for me anyway, will be to watch some of the "locals" like Kelly Boen and Steve Kosiski run with the "big dogs." Kelly has basically dominated late model races here for 2 years, but can't put the money into his engine the guys like Bloomquist do. But Boen and the others have some local knowledge that can make a big difference in set up. Don't be surprised if the new guys struggle a bit in the heats, and make some big adjustments.
Add that to the fact that the feature race is scheduled for 50 LAPS and you've got yourself high drama on the high banks. Folks, this could conseivibly be the best show on the track this year. And yeah, I'm including the Midget Nationals. For $25, it's a steal. Hope everyone can make it out to the high banks Sunday. Remember, gates open at 5pm, and racing starts at 7. See ya there!
Especially interesting, for me anyway, will be to watch some of the "locals" like Kelly Boen and Steve Kosiski run with the "big dogs." Kelly has basically dominated late model races here for 2 years, but can't put the money into his engine the guys like Bloomquist do. But Boen and the others have some local knowledge that can make a big difference in set up. Don't be surprised if the new guys struggle a bit in the heats, and make some big adjustments.
Add that to the fact that the feature race is scheduled for 50 LAPS and you've got yourself high drama on the high banks. Folks, this could conseivibly be the best show on the track this year. And yeah, I'm including the Midget Nationals. For $25, it's a steal. Hope everyone can make it out to the high banks Sunday. Remember, gates open at 5pm, and racing starts at 7. See ya there!
Summer time...
Summer is here, and the ball games are off and running. Which means a couple of things are certain: my evening bath in bug spray, I'll miss one or two spots, and I'll see someone make some crazy good play at least once a night. Here's hoping its your son or daughter I see! Leave your comments or thoughts about summer baseball and softball on this post! Thanks, and good luck to all the teams.
State Track 2007
Fisrt off, thanks to everyone who took time to view the site this weekend. We came within 6 of the single day record on Friday with 47 views. I realize not everyone was working on Saturday, and we still had 30 looks around. Thanks. Hopefully you found what you were looking for. If not, feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email if there's something more or different I can do in the future.
As for the athletes, there was some fantastic performances and some dissapointments. It's state, it happens. Thanks and congrats to everyone who made it that far. Just getting to State is an accomplishment in and of itself.
As for the athletes, there was some fantastic performances and some dissapointments. It's state, it happens. Thanks and congrats to everyone who made it that far. Just getting to State is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Might as well get started now...
So, this regional track thing got crazy on Friday. Between Republic County, Pike Valley, Clifton/Clyde and Concordia, a grand total of 63 events qualified for the State Track Meet. Needless to say, I'll be a bit busy Friday and Saturday. You'll find a link on the home page for all the qualifiers, their regional marks, and when they first perform this weekend. I beg of you, PLEASE look at that page, I spent 4 hours working on it!!! I'll have two digital cameras going in Wichita (thanks, Angie) to try to get a picture of everyone. There will be an album on the photo page just for State Track 2007. Congrats to everyone who qualified. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed!
*******
And now as an aside, whoever set up the times for the running events at the Beloit Regional needs to be smacked. Our intern, Corbin Larson, had no more than 10 minutes between his leg of the 4x800 relay and the start of the 1600. Folks, this is regionals, there is no way on God's green earth you shouldn't start the meet earlier to give some of the kids more of a break between races. I understand you can only have so many days off of school, and therefore regionals has to be crammed in. But with 25 teams, you HAVE to start early. I'm sure Corbin wasn't the only one to get hosed out of a trip to state. And for anyone who thinks it wouldn't have made a difference, Corbin's season best time would have placed him 3rd by a half second. And don't you think a senior deserves that shot?
Stepping off the soapbox, that's all for now.
*******
And now as an aside, whoever set up the times for the running events at the Beloit Regional needs to be smacked. Our intern, Corbin Larson, had no more than 10 minutes between his leg of the 4x800 relay and the start of the 1600. Folks, this is regionals, there is no way on God's green earth you shouldn't start the meet earlier to give some of the kids more of a break between races. I understand you can only have so many days off of school, and therefore regionals has to be crammed in. But with 25 teams, you HAVE to start early. I'm sure Corbin wasn't the only one to get hosed out of a trip to state. And for anyone who thinks it wouldn't have made a difference, Corbin's season best time would have placed him 3rd by a half second. And don't you think a senior deserves that shot?
Stepping off the soapbox, that's all for now.
Congrats to league champs!
A list of league champs from Pike Valley and Republic County...
RC: Karen Brown- Javelin, 110'3"
Lauren Keefer- Pole Vault, 8'6"
Courtney Sinn- 300 meter hurdles, 49.33
PV: Drew Sothers- 200, 27.5, 400, 1:03.44
Trisha Peterson- 100 hurdles, 17.15
Nickie Weir- Shot put, 38' 4.5", Discus, 96' 10"
Laura Housholder- Javlein, 114' 3"
Colton Stensaas- 100, 11.38, 200, 23.61
Ethan Mahin- Pole Vault, 10'
Also congrats to the Pike Valley girls for taking the team title at Mankato!
RC: Karen Brown- Javelin, 110'3"
Lauren Keefer- Pole Vault, 8'6"
Courtney Sinn- 300 meter hurdles, 49.33
PV: Drew Sothers- 200, 27.5, 400, 1:03.44
Trisha Peterson- 100 hurdles, 17.15
Nickie Weir- Shot put, 38' 4.5", Discus, 96' 10"
Laura Housholder- Javlein, 114' 3"
Colton Stensaas- 100, 11.38, 200, 23.61
Ethan Mahin- Pole Vault, 10'
Also congrats to the Pike Valley girls for taking the team title at Mankato!
Performance of the week nominee..
Congrats to our intern, Corbin Larson. On Tuesday, Corbin broke the 5 minute mark in the 1600 meters at Tescott. For some, that may not seem like much, but for a guy that takes off like he does, to not die at the end is really great. Next goal; sub 4:50. Good luck, Corbin!
You can nominate your favorite athlete for perfomance of the week in the comments below!
You can nominate your favorite athlete for perfomance of the week in the comments below!
Review of the weekend...
Track teams got to see some very tough competition at the Beloit Relays Friday. A number of personal and season best's, which is always great to see a few weeks into the year.
Congrats to the softball team, picking up their first 2 wins of the year! 7-3 and 13-1 over Lincoln. Defense was MUCH improved, giving up just 4 errors in 2 games.
The golf team continued solid play Friday in less than ideal conditions. Get used to it fellas (and ladies), the wind tends to blow in the spring!
That's all for now. If there are other stories or highlights that I've missed, please to be afraid to give me a call or send me an email (you can find a link on the sports home page).
JH track today...
I'll be at the high school this afternoon at the JH track invite. Hoopefully I get some pictures to put on here. Anyone else that takes a picture of anyone in the area, I'd love to put them on the page or the Photo Album on the main site. Thanks for your help and Good Luck!
The first of the new...
Hey Ya'll! Here's the new blog for the station and me. I'll have some local sports and other stuff on here. Feel free to leave me comments or questions. Hope you have a good day!
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