Sports – Page 443 – North Platte Post Archive

NFL Boosts Youth Flag Football with New Program

Posted on September 3, 2014

The NFL wants to boost flag football participation by providing kits to a half-million youngsters.

A program being announced Wednesday by Commissioner Roger Goodell will supply elementary schools and after-school programs nationwide with equipment and instruction. Six cities are targeted as focal points this year: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Seattle.

Plans are for the Fuel Up To Play 60 initiative, run in conjunction with the National Recreation and Park Association, to expand nationwide in three years.

Funded as part of the league’s $45 million commitment to USA Football, the program is designed to keep children active while stressing good nutrition and enabling them to learn the basics of football.

Lake Helen to Undergo Lake Rehabilitation

Posted on September 3, 2014

Lake Helen in Gothenburg has been chosen for lake rehabilitation. The lake previously had frequent fish kill events and poor water quality due to shallow water depths and high amounts of phosphorous contaminating the lake.

Myers Construction of Broken Bow will start the lake rehabilitation this week with construction to continue through June, 2015.

The project will involve deepening the lake for improved habitat, adding underwater rock shoals for habitat diversity, a new boat ramp with floating dock, an ADA fishing pad and a fish screen structure to keep unwanted species from entering the lake from the canal. The lake is scheduled to be stocked with game fish next summer.

Financial contributors include the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Aquatic Habitat Program funded through the purchase of Aquatic Habitat Stamps, Sportfish Restoration Program funded by the purchase of fishing gear and licenses and Motorboat Access funds from the purchase of boating gear along with the City of Gothenburg and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

Huskers Host Pair of Non-Conference Foes

Posted on September 3, 2014

Following its weekend sweep, the Nebraska soccer team (3-1) returns home to the Nebraska Soccer Field to host No. 20 Oklahoma on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) and North Dakotaon Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Huskers and Sooners are meeting for the 17th time in series history, with NU holding a 12-3-1 advantage. Nebraska fell in the most recent meeting between the former Big 12 rivals by a 2-1 margin on the road in 2012.

Sunday’s match against North Dakota marks the second time the teams wi
ll have met. The Huskers emerged with a 6-1 triumph over UND in 2009.

Both matches will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network and stats will be available on Huskers.com.

Last Time Out: Huskers Sweep Butler, Marquette in Dramatic Fashion
Nebraska took down Butler, 1-0, on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Nebraska Soccer Field before defeating Marquette, 3-2, on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, Wis.

The Huskers outshot the Bulldogs 17-2, but it wasn’t until Caroline Flynn’s goal in the 83rd minute that NU got on the scoreboard. Flynn scored from 30 yards out to the top left corner of the net from the right side of the field. Goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned two saves during the shutout.

Against the Golden Eagles, Nebraska trailed 2-0 before scoring three goals in the final 26 minutes en route to a 3-2 triumph. Jaycie Johnson scored twice, making her first goal in the 65th minute before adding the game winner off an assist from Caroline Gray in the 83rd minute. Mayme Conroy added a goal for the Huskers in the 69th minute.

Huskers Split Opening Weekend Games
Nebraska opened the regular season on Friday, Aug. 22 with a 4-0 victory over SMU before falling to DePaul, 2-1, on Sunday, Aug. 24 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

Against the Mustangs, goalkeeper Kelly Schatz earned a shutout in her first career start at the position. She compiled five saves, four of which came in the second half. Caroline Gray, Caroline Flynn, Jaycie Johnson and Sydney Miramontez each scored for the Huskers in the home opener.

Against the Blue Demons, Johnson scored the lone goal for the Huskers in the 89th minute off an assist from Flynn, but DePaul had already built a 2-0 lead. Elise Wyatt scored for the Blue Demons in the 16th minute before Abby Reed added a goal in the 85th minute.

Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma is 2-1-1 after splitting matches against top 10 opponents last weekend. The Sooners upset No. 6 Florida, 2-1, before narrowly falling to No. 2 Florida State, 1-0, at home. Oklahoma opened the season on Aug. 22 with a 2-0 win over Oklahoma State before tying Utah 1-1 on Aug. 24. Friday’s match against the Huskers marks the Sooners’ first road game of the 2014 campaign.

Rachel Ressler leads Oklahoma in goals with two this season. Abby Hodgen, Lizzie Luallin and Devin Barrett have each scored once for the Sooners in 2014. Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Fahrner has 18 saves on the season in more than 371 minutes of play.

Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota enters Sunday’s contest with a 1-2 record, its lone victory a 3-0 triumph over Chicago State on Aug. 29. UND opened the season on Aug. 22 with a 1-0 loss to North Dakota State and fell by a 6-0 margin to Green Bay on Aug. 31.

Caitlin Dahl, Zoe Berlinquette and Austin Overson have each scored once this season, while goalkeeper Kristi Hestdalen has earned 18 saves in 270 minutes of action.

Huskers Showing Ability to Score Late
In each of its last three games, Nebraska has scored in the final eight minutes, delivering the game-winning score twice in that stretch. On Aug. 29 against Butler, Caroline Flynn broke a scoreless tie with her goal in the 83rd minute. Two days later, Jaycie Johnson also scored in the 83rd minute to break a 2-2 tie at Marquette.

On Aug. 24, despite a loss against DePaul at home, Johnson scored in the 89th minute off an assist from Flynn. In Nebraska’s season-opening win over SMU, the Huskers’ final goal came in the 75th minute from Sydney Miramontez. Prior to her goal, NU led the game 3-0.

Johnson Continues to Produce on Offense
Nebraska’s leading goal scorer from 2013, Jaycie Johnson, started 2014 where she left off from last season and has four goals through four games.

During the first weekend, Johnson scored one goal against SMU and added an additional score against DePaul. Last weekend Johnson was scoreless in the Butler game before producing two goals at Marquette, including the game winner in the 83rd minute.

A Lake Winnebago, Mo. native, Johnson has taken 16 shots this season, 11 of which have been on goal.

Final Season at Nebraska Soccer Field
The Huskers are in their 10th and final season at the Nebraska Soccer Field before moving into the Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex next season. Since moving to campus in 2005, NU has compiled a 65-25-12 record and has nine home games remaining in 2014.

2014 Season Outlook
Nebraska’s 2014 team includes five seniors in Head Coach John Walker’s 21st season at the helm of the school’s soccer program. The Huskers also welcomed back All-Big Ten second-team member Jaycie Johnson, who is a sophomore in 2014 after leading the team with 17 goals last season. The Huskers added 12 newcomers in the offseason in addition to their 12 returning letterwinners from 2013.

Huskers to Make Three BTN Appearances
Nebraska will appear on the Big Ten Network three times this season, while also making seven Big Ten Digital Network showings.

The Huskers open BTN’s 2014 soccer coverage on Thursday, Sept. 11 against Northwestern at the Nebraska Soccer Field. The game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.

Nebraska will host Big Ten newcomer Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m., on BTN. The game was originally set for 1 p.m., but was changed for TV scheduling. NU’s final regular season appearance on the network comes at Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m.

The Lady Dawgs Sweep Lexington

Posted on September 3, 2014September 3, 2014

The North Platte Bulldogs softball team made the short trip to Lexington on Tuesday and came home with a pair of wins, 13-1 and 13-5.

The Dawgs wasted no time jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning in game one of the doubleheader. North Platte then added eight more runs in the second inning, highlighted by a grand slam from senior Mikenzi Wiseman. It was Wiseman’s first home run of the season after leading the team last year with six. Lexington scored its lone run in the bottom of the second inning before North Platte added three more runs in the top of the third to take a 13-1 lead. Lexington failed to score in the bottom of the third and the game resulted in a 12-run rule win for North Platte.

Wiseman led the way by going 3-3 at the plate with the grand slam, four RBI and two runs scored. Senior Jenny Keck earned the win inside the circle by pitching two innings and giving up just one run on two hits. Freshman Avery Doucet came in for the final inning and shut down the Minutemaids without allowing a base runner and striking out two batters.

In game two North Platte jumped out to a 4-0 lead and senior pitcher Katie Franzen had a no-hitter through three innings before Lexington got the bats rolling and scored four runs in the fourth inning to tie the game. The Dawgs then scored nine more runs over the next three innings to take a 13-4 lead. The Minutemaids scored their final run in the bottom of the seventh for a final score of 13-5.

Wiseman had another good game at the plate with three hits, including a triple, an RBI and two runs scored, but Keck provided most of the offensive output. She went 4-5 with a double, 5 RBI and two runs scored. Keck also pitched two scoreless innings of relief and had three strikeouts

Franzen went four innings and gave up the four runs, three earned, on three hits. She also struck out two batters. Freshman Taylar Coleman came in for the final inning for North Platte and gave up one earned run, struck out one batter and walked one.

North Platte is now 5-3 on the season and will next play in a dual in Kearney. The Lady Dawgs will play Hastings at 5:00 pm Thursday, followed by a game with Lincoln East at 6:30 pm. The complete softball schedule can be seen on the North Platte Post Bulldogs Sports Zone.

Game 1	1	2	3	R	H	E
North Platte	2	8	3	13	12	2
Lexington	0	1	0	1	2	7

Game 2	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
North Platte	2	1	0	1	2	5	2	13	15	3
Lexington	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	5	4	6

Posey, Giants Rally for 12-7 Win over Rockies

Posted on September 2, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Buster Posey homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs, rallying the San Francisco Giants past the Colorado Rockies 12-7 on Tuesday night.

Posey’s solo homer in the sixth keyed a three-run burst as the Giants raced back from a 7-1 deficit to remain on the heels of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. He hit a two-run double in a six-run seventh.

Hunter Pence had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 15 games for the Giants.

George Kontos (4-0) kept the Giants in striking distance with 1 2-3 scoreless innings until the bats could heat up.

When they did, the Rockies couldn’t cool them off, as starter Jordan Lyles allowed six runs in 6 1-3 innings before giving way to reliever Matt Belisle (4-7), who surrendered another four before being pulled after getting just one out.

Perez Drives in Go-Ahead Run as KC Tops Texas 2-1

Posted on September 2, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a scorching liner off the glove of third baseman Adrian Beltre for a single, allowing Jarrod Dyson to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Jason Frasor (4-1) left runners on the corners in the eighth against his former team, and Aaron Crow worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his third save of the season.

All-Star closer Greg Holland was unavailable after pitching three consecutive days.

The Rangers’ Derek Holland and counterpart Jeremy Guthrie pitched to a stalemate through seven innings before the Royals broke through against Michael Kirkman (0-1) in the eighth.

Reports: Broncos WR Welker Suspended for 4 Games

Posted on September 2, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Wes Welker is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, according to published reports.

ESPN reported the violation had to do with amphetamines.

The Broncos didn’t immediately return a message from The Associated Press requesting comment Tuesday.

NFL Media reported Welker was notified Tuesday he had lost his appeal, which was heard two weeks ago.

Welker returned to practice Monday for the first time since suffering a concussion Aug. 23. It was his third concussion in 10 months.

Welker caught a career-best 10 TD passes last year.

NU Defense Preparing for Speedy Cowboys

Posted on September 2, 2014

Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team continued its preparations for the second game of the season versus the McNeese State Cowboys, as the Huskers practiced for just under two hours Tuesday afternoon at the Hawks Championship Center and outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields.

Both offensive coordinator Tim Beck and defensive coordinator John Papuchis met with the media following practice.

Papuchis noted that the guys came out strong today during the first full day of preparation for the Cowboys.

“I thought the guys came out with great energy today, it was the first real day of digging into the game plan and I thought it was a pretty good first day.”

According to Papuchis, the defense played well in the season opening 55-7 victory last Saturday against Florida Atlantic, especially how fast the Blackshirts played on the field.

“Best things that stood out to me after the game was I thought we played fast, I thought the effort was good minus a few plays that we pointed out to the guys,” Papuchis said. “I thought we handled our adjustments well, especially things we haven’t seen after that first series was over.”

The first game mistakes did not worry Papuchis, as he pointed it, it was just the first game of a very long season.

“Like any first game that is how it is going to go, we just have to get better.”

As announced Monday during Head Coach Bo Pelini’s weekly press conference, junior preseason all-american candidate Randy Gregory is expected to miss Saturday’s game due to a minor knee injury. Papuchis mentioned that replacing Gregory won’t be an easy feat, but something the Huskers will have to ‘roll with.’

“Obviously Randy is a good player, and replacing him isn’t easy to do but we have a lot of guys that work hard every single day,” he said. “We are just going to roll with that group.”

According to Papuchis, McNeese State has tremendous speed and will likely try to spread the Huskers out on defense.

“We have a lot of respect for this team, their speed coming in. I think they had a well-coached and executing (offensive) line coming in a year ago.”

The Huskers will be back on the practice fields Wednesday as the Nebraska football continues its preparations for their second home game of the season against McNeese State on Saturday Sept. 6, at 11:00 a.m. (Central). Fans can tune in to National broadcast on ESPNU.

Rockies RHP Kahnle Activated from DL

Posted on September 2, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle, sidelined since mid-August by inflammation in his pitching shoulder, has been activated from the disabled list by the Colorado Rockies.

In separate moves Tuesday, the team recalled right-handed pitcher Rob Scahill and infielder-outfielder Kyle Parker from its Triple A Colorado Springs affiliate.

Kahnle missed 15 games while recovering from the shoulder injury. He is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA in 47 appearances this season.

Scahill and Parker are both back with the Rockies for the third time this season. Scahill is 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in four games. Parker has played in five games and has one hit in nine at bats.

Unbeaten US Routs New Zealand 98-71 at Worlds

Posted on September 2, 2014

BILBAO, Spain (AP) — Anthony Davis scored 21 points, Kenneth Faried had 15 and the U.S. remained unbeaten at the Basketball World Cup by beating winless New Zealand 98-71 on Tuesday.

James Harden added 13 points for the Americans, who will play two more games here before moving on to Barcelona for the round of 16. They face the Dominican Republic on Wednesday before wrapping up Group C play on Thursday against Ukraine.

Two nights after having to rally from a halftime deficit and pull away in the fourth quarter for a 98-77 victory over Turkey, the U.S. led this one wire to wire. The game was close only for a little more than a quarter.

BJ Anthony scored 11 points for New Zealand, which fell to 0-3.