North Platte – Two outs, bottom of the eighth, and the wind blowing, the North Platte Community College Knights Alyiah Franco attempted to steal second. The ball was overthrown and Franco advanced to third. When the ball got away from the Southeast Community College Lady Storm third baseman, Franco scored the game winning run to give the Knights a 7-6 come from behind win in the second game and completed the sweep of the doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Dowhower Softball Complex.

The Knights won the first game 10-4.

In the second game, the Lady Storm started out the game with three straight baserunners. The fourth batter, Jessica Lusk hit a grand slam to give the Lady Storm a 4-0 lead.

Samantha Foster, the Knights’ pitcher settled down and held the Lady Storm scoreless until the seventh inning when they scored two runs.

Meanwhile, the Knights scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning by Sarah Beaton and Shelby Belloni and another run by Franco in the fifth inning. Going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lady Storm held a 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, with Franco and Samantha Gill on base, Erin Renwick pinch hit for the Knights and drove the ball over the outfield fence to tie the game at six and send it into extra innings.

In Game one, the Lady Storm were first on the board on a run by Savannah Grabowski. They added a run in the second by Cassidy Burkhardt.

The Knights took a 4-2 lead after two innings with two runs by Gill, one run by Ana Kaniho, and another one by Franco.

The Storm tied the game up on a two-run home run by Shelby Haskell in the fourth inning.

With Beaton on in the bottom of the fourth, Foster hit a two-run homerun down the left field line to put the Knights up for good at 6-4. The Knights added insurance runs in the fifth by Gill, Alexandra Baldner, Mikela Cabagua, and Franco.

Renwick got the win in game one, and Foster picked up the win in game two.

The Knights are now 24-22 on the season, and finish Region IX Division II regular season play with a 10-2 record. They will be the number one seed and will host either Southeast or Central Community College in a best two out of three series on April 28-30 to determine the Region IX Division II champion.

The Lady Storm are 16-31 overall and finish 4-8 in Region IX Division II play. They are tied with Central Community College, who also finished Region IX play at 4-8. Those two teams will play a best two out of three series on April 21-23 to see who plays the Knights.

The Knights are next in action on Wednesday, April 12 when they host Northeastern Junior College in a doubleheader. Game times are at 4 pm and 6 pm CDT. The games will be livestreamed on www.npccknights.com.

Note: The games against Colby scheduled for April 14 have been cancelled.

2017 GNAC Girls Soccer Final Bracket

 

2017 GNAC Boys Soccer Final Bracket

 

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Knights softball team split a double header against Region IX Division II opponent, Southeast Community College Lady Storm, losing the first game 11-3 and winning the second game 6-4, Saturday afternoon at the Dowhower Softball Complex.

In game one the Lady Storm got on the board first in the third inning by scoring four runs to take a 4-0 lead. The Knights answered back in the bottom of the third with runs by Samantha Gill, Alicia Romo, and Shelby Belloni to cut into the Lady Storm lead to make it 4-3.

After a scoreless fourth inning for both teams, the Lady Storm erupted for seven runs. The Knights were not able to score in the bottom of the fifth to give the Lady Storm the victory because of the eight run rule.

Erin Renwick took the loss for the Knights and Logan Runge had the win for the Lady Storm.

In game two, the Knights struck first with two runs in the first by Sarah Beaton and Belloni. The Lady Storm tied up the score with two runs of their own in the top of the second.

The Knights regained the lead in the bottom of the second. Alexandra Baldner led off the inning by reaching third base and scored on a sacrifice by Renwick.

The Knights added to their lead in the fourth with runs by Baldner and Alyiah Franco to make the score 5-2.

The Lady Storm had solo home runs in the fifth and sixth innings by Savannah Grabowski and Jessica Lusk to cut into the Knights lead at 5-4.

Renwick gave the Knights an insurance run by hitting a home run in the sixth.

Samantha Foster pitched the complete game for the win, striking out five Lady Storm hitters.

The Knights are 22-22 on the season and 8-2 in Region IX Division II play. The Lady Storm are 16-29 on the season and 4-6 in Region IX Division II.

 

North Platte – North Platte Community College Knights softball player Samantha Foster had a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Knights a sweep over the Hastings College Junior Varsity Lady Broncos.

The Knights won the first game 6-3 and then finished the sweep by winning the second game 8-7.

Game one remained scoreless for the first two innings. In the third inning, the Lady Broncos Alyssa Carter homered to right field to break the scoreless tie.
Elyssa Kohmetscher scored another run to give the Lady Broncos a 2-0 lead after the top of the third.

The Knights got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a run by Alicia Romo to cut the Lady Bronco lead to 2-1.

A run by Kohmetscher added to the Lady Bronco lead to make it 3-1.

The Knights took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth on runs by Ana Kaniho, Romo and Mikela Cabagua to take the lead 4-3.

In game two, the Lady Broncos took the early lead, and led 7-3 going into the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth the Knights had runs by Foster, Alexandra Baldner, Kaniho and Alyiah Franco to tie the score at seven.

After holding the Lady Broncos scoreless in their half of the seventh, Foster came up and on the first pitch put it over the right center field fence for the win.

The Knights improve to 21-21 on the season. They will next play Saturday and Sunday, April 8 and 9 in doubleheaders against Region IX Division II opponent Southeast Community College.

ESPN 1410 radio will broadcast the Saturday games. The Saturday games will also be on the Internet at www.northplattepost.com. All games will be livestreamed at www.npccknights.com.

The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation will induct 11 athletes, five coaches, one contributor and one official at its annual Induction Ceremony Oct. 1 at Lincoln East High School.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for K-12 students. Pre-kindergarten children are admitted for no charge.

The athlete group includes three former Husker football players and one Olympian. The five coaches have coached teams to 18 state championships.
The inductees are:

ATHLETES:
–Forrest “Frosty” Anderson, Scottsbluff (1969): Was an all-state selection in football, a 2-year starter in basketball and a contributor to the Bearcats’ state championship track team of 1968. A 3-year letterman for the Huskers, he played split end on the national championship teams of 1970, ‘71.

–Kim (Behrends) Buckendahl, Chappell (1997): The Lincoln Journal-Star Athlete of the Year in 1997, she led Chappell volleyball to a 55-match winning streak and back-to-back state championships, earning all-class all-state her junior and senior years. In basketball, she started for four years, scoring 1,384 points. At UNL, she averaged more than four kills per game for the 34-0 national champions of 2000.

–Leodis Flowers, Omaha Central (1987): A two-time all-state running back and Parade All-American was one of eight finalists for the Gatorade National Player of the Year after rushing for 1,200 yards and scoring 19 touchdowns in seven games his senior year. At Nebraska, he rushed for more than 1,600 yards in his 3-year career.

–Erin (Gudmundson) Haussermann, Kearney Catholic (2002): All-state in volleyball and basketball, she qualified for the state track meet in seven different events, winning the all-class gold medal in the high jump her senior season. A three-year volleyball All-American at UNK, she was the NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2005.

–Richard Knaub, Scottsbluff (1954): Won the all-class gold medal in the pole vault his sophomore and junior seasons at the state track meet and in the long jump his junior year. Slowed by injury his senior year, he went on to win a conference long jump title for UCLA and competed in the 1956 Olympic Trials.

–Laura (Pilakowski) Buttermore, Columbus (1999): Earned all-state honors in volleyball and basketball and qualified for the state track meet all four years of high school. A three-time All-Big 12 volleyball selection, she played on the Huskers’ national championship team of 2000 then finished her career playing on the Husker women’s basketball team.

–Barrett Ruud, Lincoln Southeast (2001): Became Lincoln Southeast’s all-time leading rusher with 2,988 yards and 54 touchdowns while helping the Knights to a 48-2 record and three state championships. A 4-year letterman at linebacker for the Huskers, he set a single-season record for tackles his junior year. He went on to play 8 years in the NFL.

–Renee Saunders, Omaha Marian (1995): Named to all-class all-state volleyball and basketball teams her junior and senior seasons, she went on to play basketball and volleyball for the Huskers. Currently the volleyball coach at Omaha Skutt, she was the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star Female Athlete of the Year in 1995.

–Anne Shadle, South Sioux City (2001): Won three Class B state cross country championships and three all-class gold medals at the state track meet. She went on to earn seven track and cross country letters at Nebraska, winning the mile run and 1,500-meter at the NCAA championships. She competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials.

–Daryl Stovall, Bellevue West (1978): Drafted by Major League Baseball and the NBA, he averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds as a senior at Bellevue West and was a two-time all-state baseball selection. At Creighton, he was a three-year starter in basketball and baseball, signing with the Chicago White Sox before his senior season.

–Scott Usher, Grand Island (2001): Found most of his success in the breaststroke, winning three gold medals at the state meet and being a five-time collegiate All-American and a qualifier for the Olympic finals in 2004.

COACHES:
–Rick Hesse, Clearwater/Valentine: Led Clearwater to four consecutive state basketball titles from 1984-87. He finished with 440 career wins and 12 state tournament appearances.

–Kathy Mettenbrink, Centura: Coached girls basketball at Centura for 34 years, winning 549 games, making 11 state tournament appearances and finishing as state runner-up twice.

–John Miller, Chambers/Southern Valley: Retired as the winningest basketball coach in Nebraska history with 709 total victories — 585 wins and five state titles coaching the Chambers girls and 124 wins and one state title with the Southern Valley boys.

–Carl Tesmer, Grand Island Central Catholic/Hastings St. Cecilia: Has coached football for 41 years, compiling a 339-89-2 record with two state titles, which ranks as the state’s best winning percentage among active coaches.

–Mark Wortman, Elkhorn: Has led Elkhorn football to five state championships, four other state finals and 28 playoff appearances in 36 years.

CONTRIBUTOR:
–Jerry Stine, Omaha: Retired from coaching and teaching at Wheeler Central and Bertrand, but continues to work for several organizations including the Hall of Fame. He is the creator, author and secretary of the Nebraska Coaches Association milestone awards that bear his name.

OFFICIAL:
–Larry Bornschlegl, Hastings: Officiated basketball in Nebraska for 20 years, working 10 state tournaments and eight state championships. He has been an NSAA observer of officials for 25 years.

HONOREES:
In addition to the inductees, the Hall of Fame honors individuals, teams and programs for their accomplishments. This year’s honorees are:
–Great Moment in High School Sports: Winnebago state championship team of 2015 that captured the attention of the state.

–Dominant Dynasties: Omaha Westside swimming, coached by Hall of Fame inductees Cal Bentz and Doug Krecklow, won 24 state championships (13 boys, 11 girls) between 1973 and 1988.

–Ron Gustafson Inspiration Award: Taleah Williams of Norfolk was born without a lower left arm but had an outstanding prep career in basketball and track. She competed in the long jump at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.

–Fischer Family Award: Pat Novacek family of Gothenburg, including Jim Novacek, All-Pro tight end Jay Novacek and Jason Novacek, Nebraska’s first 16-foot pole vaulter.

–Golden Anniversary Team: Schuyler’s “Jolly Green Giants” state championship basketball team of 1968.

–Golden Anniversary Team; Scottsbluff state champion football, cross country, wrestling and boys track teams of 1967-68.

–Silver Anniversary Team: The undefeated state champion St. Paul girls basketball team of 1993.

–Silver Anniversary Team: Lincoln Southeast championship factory that won seven state titles — boys and girls cross country, football, girls basketball, girls gymnastics, boys swimming and boys golf in the 1992-93 school year.

Athletics has been part of Chadron State since its founding in 1911. For more than 100 years, athletics has brought us together – as students, as families, as a community and as a region. Young men and women came to campus and became leaders on the fields of athletic competition. Leaders developed into champions. Leadership lessons imparted by the guiding hands of coaches and faculty are carried long after Eagles leave the nest. Those lessons contribute to Eagles’ ongoing success in the communities where they land.

Structural engineers have reported the existing grandstand, built in 1929, is beyond repair. The concrete is crumbling, safety is a real concern and something must be done. Other problems include crowded facilities, lack of restrooms, inadequate coaches’ boxes and a press box not equipped with today’s technology.

Seven national champions, a 3rd place at Nationals and an RMAC team championship. The Chadron State Eagles Track and Field Team has soared above the competition, in spite of not having an outdoor track facility.

Chadron State College recently secured $6.2 million through a state bond program underscoring the importance of the $11.1-million Sports Complex Initiative. The initiative will provide approximately 20,167 square feet of new and replacement space and approximately 465,362 square feet of site improvements. The Sports Complex Initiative seeks to transform the Chadron State College athletic facilities in two phases.
Stadium Complex Initiative Renderings

Phase I will renovate/replace Elliott Field, Don Beebe Stadium and the Con Marshall Press Box. The proposed south side pavilion greatly improves access to the stadium with new and expanded seating. The new Don Beebe Stadium has two distinct levels. The first level is the Concourse Level and the second level is the Con Marshall Press Box.

The new Concourse Level at Don Beebe Stadium provides expanded concessions, bathrooms and ticket areas. The Con Marshall Press Box provides the technology and space needed for modern media. In addition to game management and media the Con Marshall Press Box will also be home to the Verne and Erma Lewellen Hospitality Center to provide a special gathering space for boosters, alumni and other Chadron State supporters. Elliott Field will also benefit from a modern turf playing surface providing greater safety for athletes and allowing year-round use of the field.

Phase II will construct the new outdoor track facility. Site assessments are currently underway to determine the best location of the state-of-the-art track. The new facility will allow current and future Eagles to continue to excel as well as provide a facility capable of hosting meets, including the RMAC Championships.

The new Sports Complex will satisfy the needs of student athletes and spectators. It will also aid greatly in the retention of students and the recruiting of student athletes to the CSC campus.

The Sports Complex Initiative is part of Next Horizon: The Campaign for Chadron State College which seeks to raise $40 million in state and private support. The campaign is raising funds for capital projects, academic and athletic program support and scholarship endowments.

To learn more about the Sports Complex Initiative or Next Horizon Campaign, contact the Chadron State foundation at 308-432-6366.

North Platte – Three North Platte Community College Knights men’s basketball players have received postseason awards.

Diontae Champion, a sophomore from Arlington, Texas was named to the 2016-17 All-Region IX first team. In addition, Champion was named the most valuable player of the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference for the 2016-17 season. Champion averaged 14.8 points per game this season. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game. Champion is the 36th Knight to be named to the All-Region IX team.

As a freshman, Champion was named to the Region IX All-Tournament team and the All-NCCAC team. In his career, Champion scored 930 points for the Knights, which places him 21st on the all-time Knights Basketball scoring list.

Joining Champion on the All-NCCAC first team was Samuel Kearns. Kearns, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas averaged 12.8 ppg and 3.1 assists per game. Against the NCCAC opponents, Kearns averaged 13.5 ppg and had 20 assists.

Named to the second team All-NCCAC is sophomore Mike Amius.

Amius is from Lake Worth, FL. Amius averaged 11.8 ppg. He led the Knights in rebounding with six rebounds per game. Amius also blocked 33 shots on the season, 10 during NCCAC play.

The other colleges in the NCCAC are: McCook Community College, Southeast Community College, and Central Community College.

The Knights were 22-8 on the season and 6-0 in conference play.

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Knights softball team completed their weekend sweep of the Williston State College Lady Tetons on Sunday afternoon with a pair of wins, 13-5 and 13-0.

In game one, the Lady Tetons took a 1-0 lead on a run by Kortney Perkins.

The Knights got on the board in the second inning by scoring three runs. Shelby Belloni, Erin Renwick, and Alyiah Franco, each scored for the Knights. Franco had an RBI double, which scored Renwick. Franco scored on a single by Samantha Gill. The Knights held a 3-1 lead after two innings.

In the Lady Teton third, Nohemi Mariscal Rivera led off the inning with a home run over the left center field fence to cut the Knights lead to 3-2.
In the bottom of the third, the Knights broke the game open scoring six runs. Sarah Beaton singled and Samantha Foster doubled. Both Beaton and Foster scored on a double by Belloni, who scored on an overthrow to third on a stolen base. Alexandra Baldner doubled and scored on a single by Renwick. Franco reached on a fielder’s choice. Gill hit a two-run home run to right field to give the Knights a 9-2 lead after 3 innings.

The Knights added to their lead in the fourth on runs by Foster, Belloni, Baldner, and Renwick to take a 13-2 lead after four innings.

The Lady Tetons did score three runs in the top of the fifth on a three-run home run by Madison Raynaud, scoring Sydney Flanagan and Monique Camarillo.

In game two, the Knights scored four runs in the bottom of the first. Gill and Mikela Cabagua each scored on a single by Belloni. Belloni scored on a single by Baldner. Baldner ended up on third on the play after a fielding error by the Lady Teton leftfielder. Baldner later scored on a single by Alicia Romo.

The Knights added two more runs in the second inning by Gill and Cabagua.

In the third inning, the Knights scored seven runs. Beaton and Foster had back to back home runs in the inning. Beaton’s home run was a three-run home run.

The Lady Tetons were not able to get anything going on Knights pitcher Erin Renwick. Renwick pitched a complete four inning game and allowed only one hit and two walks, striking out one Lady Teton.

The Knights are now 15-20 on the season. The Lady Tetons drop to 2-18 on the season.

The Knights are in action on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 when they host Region IX Division II opponent Central Community College.

On Saturday, the Knights will play Central in three games. Game times are at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm. On Sunday, it will be a double header starting at 1 pm and 3 pm.

All games will be livestreamed at www.npccknights.com.

Scottsbluff Quad Track & Field Results