Nebraska quarterback commit Patrick O’Brien is an Elite 11 finalist.
The 6-foot-4 California quarterback received his official invitation to the Elite 11 Finals on Wednesday night, and will be one of 18 competitors to compete in the annual top quarterback competition.
The Elite 11 finals will take place July 5-11 at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
Ten of the past 11 Heisman-winning quarterbacks were Elite 11 finalists.
Lincoln – – The Nebraska Sports Council invites Ogallala and North Platte area residents to run a mile with the State Games of America (SGA) Torch on Tuesday, June 16. There is no entry fee and runners will receive a free T-shirt.
The Torch Run is the precursor to the 2015 State Games of America, which takes place July 28-August 2 in Lincoln, Omaha and surrounding communities. Competition is offered in 67 sports for an estimated 18,000 athletes, including national qualifiers from 46 states and host-state entries from 190 different Nebraska communities.
Locally, the Sidney High School Cross Country team will kick things off west of Ogallala around 7:30 a.m. The Ogallala High School Cross Country team will take over in Ogallala around 9 a.m. and continue west on Highway 30. The Torch will travel through Paxton, Sutherland and Hershey before members of the North Platte High School Cross Country team bring the Torch into the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in North Platte for a media stop. At 7 p.m. Nebraska National Guard soldiers will make a special appearance with the Torch at the Demolition Derby at the Lincoln County Raceway.
Runners are responsible for their own transportation and will be scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis. To sign up, please contact: Pat Hagedorn at 402-471-2544 or hagedorn@nebraskasportscouncil.com
The Torch Run, sponsored by the National Guard, completes its journey on Friday, July 31, when the caldron is lit at the Games’ Opening Ceremonies at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium, home of the Huskers. Olympic hurdler and bobsledder Lolo Jones and Olympic wrestler Jordan Burroughs will do the honors to cap off a show featuring the parade of athletes from 46 different states, exhibitions by the Metal Mulisha motocross team, the Army Golden Knights Parachute team and the famous Crevier family.
For State Games of America entry information and to register online log onto: www.SGA2015.com or call 402-471-2544.
LINCOLN – Lake McConaughy is expected to reach 100 percent capacity by late June, and the high water levels will affect some lake activities.
Great boating, fishing and camping will still be available at the lake, but visitors to Lake McConaughy should take high water levels into account and plan accordingly to get the most out of their trip. Among activities that will be affected:
Boating: High water levels enhance boating opportunities, as there is more surface area available for boaters to explore and more boat launching facilities. Practice safe boating and use caution when boating in unfamiliar areas of the lake, as rising water levels may cause debris to float into the lake. Current boat ramps with docks are at Spillway Bay, Martin Bay, Arthur Bay, Lemoyne, Otter Creek, Cedar Vue bayside and Cedar Vue lakeside. Ramps without docks are at Sandy Beach, Spring Park and Brown’s Bay. Boats can also be launched at Van’s Lakeview boat ramp and from the beach at North Shore Lodge.
Fishing: Rising water levels flood terrestrial habitat, which provides great habitat conditions for a variety of species including panfish species, largemouth bass and northern pike. Increased production of young fish of almost all species is typically seen when water levels rise, so high water conditions will benefit the McConaughy fishery in many ways for many years to come. Generally, with rising water and high water levels, fish will move shallower, towards the bank, and right up into newly-flooded habitat. High water levels also results in more area that fish can inhabit, so they tend to scatter more. In many cases, high water conditions might provide more opportunities for shoreline or wading anglers to catch fish.
Camping: Rising water has covered some of the beautiful white sand beaches that draw many campers to Lake McConaughy. However, visitors can still camp on remaining beaches or in mowed areas surrounding the lake. Visitors are reminded that camping in unmowed native grass is prohibited and that though the grass is green, all campfires must be contained. Primitive areas for camping are available around Martin Bay, No-Name Bay, Arthur Bay, Theis Bay, Blue Heron beach, Sandy Beach, Lemoyne, North Shore, Spring Park, Otter Creek, Omaha Beach and Ogallala Beach. Additionally, Lake Ogallala also offers beautiful, shaded camping areas only minutes away from Lake Mac, and Swanson Reservoir, Red Willow and Enders Reservoir state recreation areas offer plenty of shoreline camping. Medicine Creek State Recreation Area also offers ample primitive camping. Visitoutdoornebraska.org to find camping information on more than 70 state park and recreation areas across the state.
The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District announced that they anticipated the lake would reach capacity at their June board meeting. This would be the first time the lake has been at capacity since 2011. For updates on water levels and affected activities, visit the Lake McConaughy Facebook Page, ilovelakemac.com or call the Lake McConaughy Visitors Center at (308) 284-8800.
Tanner Lubach (Photo Courtesy Stephanie Carpenter/NU Media Relations)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Eight players with ties to Nebraska have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft.
Tyler Peitzmeier of Yutan, who pitches for Cal State Fullerton, and Nebraska catcher Tanner Lubach out of Lincoln Southwest High both were taken in the ninth round. Peitzmeier went to the Chicago Cubs and Lubach to the Los Angeles Angels.
Iowa Western Community College shortstop Ryan Merrill, who graduated from Millard West High, went to St. Louis in the 15th round. Bellevue University pitcher Stephan Meyer, from Tucson, Arizona, went to Pittsburgh in the 18th.
Other picks: Nebraska third baseman Blake Headley (Millard South), 20th, Cubs; Nebraska pitcher Josh Roeder (Plano, Texas), 21st, New York Yankees; Nebraska pitcher Colton Howell (O’Fallon, Missouri), 27th, San Diego; and Papillion-La Vista High School pitcher Sean Chandler, 32nd, Milwaukee.
Blake Headley was taken in the 20th round by the Chicago Cubs (Photo Courtesy Stephanie Carpenter/NU Media Relations)
Lincoln – After senior Tanner Lubach was taken by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ninth round of the 2015 MLB Draft on Tuesday, three more Huskers and two Husker signees heard their names called on Wednesday.
Senior Blake Headley was the first Husker to come off the board on the final day of the Draft when he was taken with the eighth pick in the 20th round by the Chicago Cubs. Senior Josh Roeder soon followed when the New York Yankees took NU’s all-time saves leader with the 18thpick in the 21st round. Junior Colton Howell then became NU’s lone underclassman to be picked when the San Diego Padres selected him with the 12th pick in the 27th round. Nebraska also saw a pair of future Huskers get selected. In the 28th round the Arizona Diamondbacks took Cedar Lake, Ind., product Jesse Wilkening and in the 39th round the New York Mets took Altoona, Pa., native Chad Luensmann.
With four Huskers picked in the 2015 MLB Draft, Nebraska has had at least three players picked in 16 of the last 17 Drafts dating back to 1999. The four Huskers picked were the most since 2012 when five players were picked. None of the four Huskers picked in the 2015 MLB Draft had been drafted before.
2015 MLB Draft Picks Tanner Lubach | SR | C (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 9th Round) Named second-team All-Big Ten this season, Tanner Lubach finished second on the team with a career-best .312 batting average. He tied for the team lead in home runs with four, hit 10 doubles, one triple and was third on the team with 26 RBIs. Lubach was even better at the plate during Big Ten play with a .369 batting average, while starting 23 of NU’s 24 league games.
A Johnny Bench Award candidate each of the last two seasons, Lubach was one of the best defensive catchers in the Big Ten during his three seasons at Nebraska. Lubach finished his career second in Husker history in runners caught stealing with 44, just two behind Cory Burleson’s school record of 46. He posted a .993 career fielding percentage, with only six errors in 918 chances. In 138 career starts, Lubach allowed just 13 passed balls, including only two in 2015.
Blake Headley | SR | 3B (Chicago Cubs – 20th Round) A two-time All-Big Ten performer, Blake Headley led the Huskers in both doubles (18) and RBIs (41) in 2015. The Omaha native improved his RBI total each season at Nebraska, starting with six as a freshman, then 25 as a sophomore, 27 as a junior and 41 as a senior to end his career with 99 RBIs. Headley played in 184 games during his four-year career, including 158 starts. He ended his career with a .294 batting average, 32 doubles, seven triples and five home runs. Headley saw most of his time at third base during his career at NU, but also played first base during his junior year in 2014. He committed just 18 errors in 718 chances during his career, posting a .975 fielding percentage.
Josh Roeder | SR | RHP (New York Yankees – 21st Round) A member of both the Stopper-of-the-Year and College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher-of-the-Year watch lists in 2015, Josh Roeder earned third-team All-Big Ten honors following another stellar season as Nebraska’s closer. The Plano, Texas, native set a new career record at Nebraska for saves with 33, while saving a single-season-best 15 games this season. Roeder ended the year with 28 strikeouts to three walks in 20.0 innings over 20 appearances.
Colton Howell | JR | RHP (San Diego Padres – 27th Round) Colton Howell had a breakout season in 2015 and served at Nebraska’s setup man out of the bullpen. The 6-1 righty ended the year with a 2.08 ERA in 30.1 innings over 25 appearances, with 31 strikeouts. Opposing hitters produced a .215 average off of Howell in 2015 after hitting over .300 in each of the last two seasons. Howell’s 25 appearances easily set a career high, as he made a combined 22 appearances during his first two seasons at Nebraska. Howell earned saves in NU wins over Hawaii and Michigan in 2015, his only career saves.
Jesse Wilkening | HS (Cedar Lake, Ind. – Hanover Central) | C (Arizona Diamondbacks – 28th Round) Jesse Wilkening hit .495 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs for Hanover Central High School in 2015. The 5-10 catcher ended his prep career with an Indiana state-record 206 career hits, breaking the previous state record of 202 held by Adam Norton, who went on to play at Notre Dame. A top-250 nationally-ranked catcher, Perfect Game ranks Wilkening as the No. 41 overall player in the state of Indiana. Wilkening competed at the 2014 Perfect Game WWBA 17u National Championships for Gravel Baseball and the 2013 Perfect Game WWBA Underclass World Championships for the Evoshield Seminoles.
Chad Luensmann | HS (Altoona, Pa. – Bellwood-Antis HS) | RHP (New York Mets – 39thRound) Ranked as one of the top 120 right-handed pitching prospects in the country by Perfect Game, Chad Luensmann pitched for Bellwood-Antis High School in Altoona, Pa. Luensmann tossed a five-inning perfect game in a 11-0 win over Moshannon Valley in early May, as the 6-3 right hander struck out 14 of the 15 batters he faced. Luensmann was a honorable-mention All-American by Perfect Game in 2015 and a 2014 underclass honorable-mention All-American. He was named to the all-tournament team at the 2014 Perfect Game WWBA World Championships in Jupiter, Fla. And competed at the 2014 Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. The last time the Huskers has a player on their roster from Pennsylvania was 1983 when Dave Bailor (Connellsville, Pa.) was a senior.
DENVER (AP) — Carlos Martinez pitched efficiently into the seventh inning for a fifth straight start and Randal Grichuk hit a solo homer, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 on Wednesday to avoid a series sweep.
Martinez (7-2) had a shutout until Ben Paulsen’s two-run homer in the seventh. He gave up eight hits in 6 1-3 innings and tied a career-high with two singles at the plate. Martinez also scored a run to help the Cardinals salvage the final game of what’s been a rough series.
St. Louis was outscored 15-6 in the opening two games and had slugger Matt Holliday go on the disabled list with a strained right quadriceps.
Chad Bettis (2-1) allowed three runs in five innings as the Rockies finished a 5-5 homestand.
Victor Lewis of James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas drives against an opponent. Lewis signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the North Platte Community College Knights./ Courtesy photo by Star-Telegram/Willis Knight
The North Platte Community College Knights Basketball team announced the signing of Victor Lewis from Arlington, Texas.
Lewis, a 6’ 3” guard played for Jeff Plemons at James Martin High School in Arlington.
Plemons said, “Victor is super competitive and hates to lose. He will fight tooth and nail to get the win. He is a strong rebounder and good at getting to the rim.”
Lewis was a two-year starter for the James Martin Warriors and an All-District first team player. He was the second leading scorer on the team and leading rebounder for the Warriors as a guard.
The Warriors, during Lewis’s junior season were the district champions.
Lewis averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He shot 53 percent from the floor, 56 percent from behind the three-point line and 82 percent from the free throw line.
Lewis is the sixth recruit for the Knights upcoming season and the third from the state of Texas.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man has been convicted of murder and other crimes in the shooting death last year of an 18-year-old in Omaha.
Nineteen-year-old Adrian Lester was convicted by a Douglas County jury in Omaha on Wednesday. Lester was accused of shooting Tielor (TYE’-lur) Williams, who died on April 14, 2014, following his shooting at Gallagher Park. Police say Williams was shot five times in the face in a dispute over a marijuana deal.
Lester’s attorney had argued that two witnesses identified another man, Dennis Brewer, as the actual gunman, but a jury acquitted Brewer after a trial in March. Prosecutors argued that the witnesses’ identification pointed to Adrian Lester as the shooter.
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Omaha man has made a deal with prosecutors for his role in the death of a Fremont teen who was found outside in bitter cold last fall.
The Fremont Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/1F8V8tb ) Dakota McDonald pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge. He was originally charged with a felony of procuring alcohol for a minor that resulted in death.
Prosecutors say McDonald purchased the alcohol that 16-year-old Jaime Valdez consumed before his death.
A city worker found Valdez on the morning of Nov. 16. The National Weather Service says the temperature was 2 degrees with a wind chill of minus 16 that morning in Fremont.
Authorities determined that Valdez died from hypothermia associated with acute ethanol intoxication.
