Sports – Page 251 – North Platte Post Archive

Change to Extra Points Likely in NFL

Posted on March 25, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — Spicing up the NFL’s dullest play, the extra point, appears to be coming for the 2015 season.

While team owners didn’t vote on any extra-point proposals Wednesday, there was so much discussion and interest in potential changes that the issue will be a main focal point for the next set of league meetings in May. In the meantime, co-chairman Rich McKay said his competition committee would “develop alternatives and be ready for a potential vote” in two months in San Francisco.

Among the possibilities are moving the line of scrimmage back for PAT kicks; placing the ball on the 1½-yard line for a 2-point conversion; eliminating the PAT kicks entirely, requiring teams to run a play from scrimmage; and allowing the defense to score, as in college football, if the ball is turned over on a 2-point try.

NPCC Knights Softball to Host Trinidad State

Posted on March 25, 2015

The North Platte Community College Knights Softball team will host the Trinidad State Junior College Lady Trojans in a doubleheader onFriday, March 27 at the Wayne Dowhower Memorial Softball Complex.

The Knights are 10 – 18 on the season. The Knights are led offensively by Sara Villalobos with a .460 batting average. Villalobos has a .644 slugging percentage, four home runs, 20 runs and 19 runs batted in. Brittney Odum leads the Knights with six home runs and 22 runs batted in. Odum also is hitting .425 and has a .667 slugging percentage.

In the ring, the Knights pitching staff has a 3.85 team earned run average. Baileigh Oleson leads the team with a 3.19 earned run average. Oleson is 2 – 6 on the year, has allowed 31 earned runs, 27 walks, 13 home runs and has struck out 27 hitters. Shannon Lieber has a 3.60 earned run average, has allowed 23 earned runs, seven home runs and 15 walks. Lieber has struck out 46 batters and has a 3 – 6 record.

The Lady Trojans are 17 – 8 on the season. The Lady Trojans are led in hitting by Macie Christian with a .535 batting average. Christian has a .733 slugging percentage, three home runs, 28 runs and 19 runs batted in. Samantha Glover leads the Lady Trojans with five home runs and 21 runs batted in. Courtney Vigil has four home runs, batting .476 and has a .833 slugging percentage, which leads the Lady Trojans.

On the mound, the Lady Trojans are led by Demi Madalena and Jessica Salbato. Madalena is 7 – 3 on the season with a 2.95 earned run average. Madalena has allowed four home runs, 27 earned runs and nine walks. She has also struck out 49 hitters. Salbato is 7 – 3 on the season with a 3.45 earned run average. Salbato has struck out 34; allowed two home runs and has only walked nine hitters.

Times for the games are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. CDT

ESPN Radio 1410 will be broadcasting both games. They can also be heard on the internet on www.northplattepost.com. They will be live streamed on www.coachesaid.com.

ZOOperstars! To Appear At Storm Game Saturday (Video)

Posted on March 25, 2015March 25, 2015

KEARNEY, Neb. – Saturday night’s Storm game against the Fargo Force will have no shortage of entertainment both while the puck is in play and during intermission as the world famous ZOOperstars! will be performing in Kearney for the first time.

ZOOperstars! is a cast of outrageous inflatable characters that perform a combination of hilarious stunts, dances, maneuvers and tricks in huge costumes.

The characters also have clever hockey names such as Whale Gretzky, Squidney Crosby and Bobby Orrangutang.

Named one of the best halftime performances in college basketball by the Sporting News.com, the ZOOperstars! have been entertaining fans since 1998. The group has performed at hundreds of different sporting venues across the world, and has made multiple appearances on America’s Got Talent.

To learn more, click here to see a video of the ZOOperstars! performance.
Tri-City continues their six-game homestand this weekend when the Fargo comes to town for a weekend series. Friday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest begins at 7:05.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Viaero Event Center Box Office at 308.338.8011 or visit www.stormhockey.com.

Tom Kropp Announces his Retirement as UNK’s Basketball Coach

Posted on March 25, 2015

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska-Kearney men’s basketball coach Tom Kropp is retiring at the end of June.

The 62-year-old Kropp has spent 39 years in the Lopers’ basketball program, and he finishes his head coaching career with a 482-245 record in 25 years.

He has been co-head coach with Kevin Lofton the past decade after serving as the program’s sole head coach from 1997 to 2005. Between the 1990 and ’96 seasons, Kropp was co-head coach with Jerry Hueser.

The Aurora native was an All-America basketball and football player at UNK and, after a professional basketball career, served as a graduate assistant and assistant coach under Hueser for 10 seasons.

Kropp will teach full-time in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences for the College of Education in fall 2015.

Owners Still with Plenty of Work to do at Meetings

Posted on March 25, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — NFL owners head into their final day of a busy set of meetings with plenty more work to do.

After a flurry of votes and news, several more items on this week’s agenda remain.

A change in overtime that would require both sides to have a possession even if the team receiving the kickoff scores a touchdown is on the table.

So is moving the extra point kick back to the 15-yard line, and a scenario that gives teams that successfully convert a 2-point conversion the chance to immediately add another point from midfield with a “bonus field goal.”

Indianapolis came up with the latter which, if approved, would make a nine-point deficit a one-possession game.

The Colts also have proposed allowing host teams to open a retractable roof at halftime, weather permitting, to enhance fan experience.

Huskers Extended Winning Streak with 7-2 Win Over Titans

Posted on March 24, 2015

Lincoln – The Nebraska baseball team (18-6, 3-0 Big Ten) extended its winning streak to 11 games on Tuesday night with a 7-2 victory over the Cal State Fullerton Titans (11-12, 0-0 Big West). It was the Huskers first-ever win over the perennial power Titans, who had won the first eight meetings between the two teams. The Huskers are now 11-0 this season at Hawks Field, the best start at home since 2008 when the Huskers also started 11-0.

Freshman Garett King improved to 2-0 on the year, as the Anaheim Hills, Calif., native struck out a career-high five batters and didn’t issue a walk over a career-high 5.1 innings. The Titans had a runner on in each of the first four innings, including their leadoff batter three times, but only managed one run off King.

CSF freshman Connor Seabold also struck out five over 5.1 innings, but allowed three runs on seven hits in the loss and fell to 2-2 on the year.

Ben Miller led the NU offense on the night with a 3-for-4 performance, including his second career two-double game. After notching NU’s first hit of the game with a single in the second inning, the sophomore from Clive, Iowa, delivered a double in the sixth and an RBI double in the seventh to put the Huskers ahead 7-2.

Tanner Lubach and Scott Schreiber each recorded two hits on the night, including Lubach’s fourth double of the year and Schreiber’s second triple. Schreiber’s triple in the second came with two outs and put the Huskers on top, 1-0.

Holding a 2-1 lead, the Husker offense gave its pitching staff a cushion in the sixth, thanks to a two-out Titan error. Following a RBI groundout by Austin Darby that put the Huskers ahead 3-1, the Titans were on pace to get out of the inning when Schreiber hit a routine groundball to shortstop Timmy Richards, but Richards threw wide of first base and Miller scored. Freshman pinch-hitter Luis Alvarado stepped in and worked a full count before dropping a RBI double down the right-field line that gave the Huskers a 5-1 lead.

The Titans got a run back in the top of the seventh, but the Huskers responded with two more runs in the bottom of the frame. Colton Howell came in the pitched two innings of scoreless relief to finish off the Huskers’ 11th-straight victory.

The Huskers and Titans wrap up their two game series tomorrow at Hawks Field, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m.

NFL Unveils Plans to Mark League’s 50th Super Bowl

Posted on March 24, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — The Super Bowl turns 50 this year and the NFL is planning a golden yearlong celebration.

The league unveiled plans that include sending a gold-colored football to the high school of every player or head coach who played in the big game. The football will have the player’s name and the name of the high school.

The league also will have the number 50 on the 50-yard line in gold and teams will host Super Bowl reunions.

In addition to the Super Bowl trophy, which is still silver, there are big, Tiffany-crafted numbers 5-0 that will go to the Super Bowl winner. The numbers are cast in bronze, plated in 18-karat gold and weigh nearly 33 pounds.

There will be 19 games between past Super Bowl opponents during the preseason and regular season.

Bubble Bash 5K Coming to North Platte

Posted on March 24, 2015

Are you ready to get bubble-fied? At The Bubble Bash 5K— you most certainly will.

It’s time to give bath time a run for its money, don’t be surprised if the bubble bash 5K changes your outlook on laundry, dishes, baths, perhaps even life. Get ready to get moving with this bubbly color party and let it move you.

From the organization that brought you North Platte’s most successful fitness event ever comes the 2015 Bubble Bash. A record 726 runners, walkers, strollers, joggers, skippers, dancers, and even some rollers participated in the Color Dash last year. The North Platte Visitors bureau along with Jerry Remus Chevrolet is now excited to announce they are bringing The Bubble Bash fun 5K May 17^th beginning at 2:00 pm at the North Platte Community College south campus.

This non-competitive 5K run/walk is taking registrations now online at visitnorthplatte.com. You can register yourself, your team, or your family to dash for bubbles. Each Mile Marker throughout the 5K will have foam stations that will allow you the unique opportunity to blast your bodies into another world as you run, walk, crawl or roll through colorful foam.

The North Platte Visitors bureau would like to give a big thank you to the following sponsors for making this event possible in our community: Eagle Radio, Krull Clinic, Chiropractic Life Center and Sams Club. Have fun and get bubble-fied May 17^th with the Bubble Bash 5K.

Bouma, Jones lead Flames to 3-2 Win over Avalanche

Posted on March 23, 2015

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Lance Bouma and David Jones had a goal and an assist each to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.

Jiri Hudler also scored for the Flames, and Kari Ramo made 25 saves to earn his 15th win of the season.

Calgary held onto third place in the Pacific Division, ahead of the Los Angeles Kings, who won at New Jersey earlier Monday.

Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, and Semyon Varlamov finished with 23 saves. Alex Tanguay also scored, and Ryan O’Reilly added two assists.

NFL Gives 32 Compensatory Picks to 14 Teams

Posted on March 23, 2015

PHOENIX (AP) — NFC champion Seattle, Denver and Kansas City each were awarded four compensatory picks in this year’s draft.

The NFL handed out 32 such picks to 14 teams on Monday. They begin at the conclusion of the third round when Super Bowl winner New England gets the 97th overall choice.

New England lost LeGarrette Blount, Dane Fletcher, Brandon Spikes and Aqib Talib in 2014 free agency, while adding Brandon Browner and Brandon LaFell. Blount returned to the Patriots after being cut by Pittsburgh.

A team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible to receive compensatory picks. The draft will be held April 30-May 2 in Chicago.