Sports – Page 465 – North Platte Post Archive

Chiefs Break Camp in St. Joe, Move Back to KC

Posted on August 14, 2014

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs broke camp on the campus of Missouri Western on Thursday as they prepared for their second preseason game, and will resume practice at their own facility in Kansas City next week.

Now, the question becomes whether the Chiefs will ever return to St. Joseph, Missouri.

This was the final year of a five-year contract to take training camp roughly an hour’s drive north of Kansas City. Previously, the Chiefs had held training camp in Wisconsin, and the trend in the NFL has been to move camp to the team facility on a permanent basis.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said he anticipates a decision by the end of the year, and that he will consider input from general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid.

American Football Heading to China in 2015

Posted on August 14, 2014

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hey China: Are you ready for some football?

The China American Football League plans to kick off in the world’s most populous country in 2015. The announcement made Thursday comes less than a year after Philadelphia Soul co-owner Marty Judge sponsored the first American football game played in China.

The indoor CAFL is expected to begin with six to eight teams in two conferences. The franchises will be in major cities in China and include a combination of American and Chinese players.

Former Super Bowl-winning coach Dick Vermeil and former Pro Bowl quarterback Ron Jaworski partnered with Judge to help make it happen.

CAFL franchise owners will invest $10 million to start.

Rockies: Tulowitzki to Have Season-Ending Surgery

Posted on August 13, 2014

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Colorado Rockies say All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will have surgery on his left hip Friday in Vail, Colorado, and miss the rest of the season.

The team announced the news following their 5-3 loss to the Padres on Wednesday.

Tulowitzki, whose .340 batting average remains tops in the big leagues, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 22, three days after he was hurt running out a grounder at Pittsburgh.

While it was Tulowitzki’s first trip to the DL this season, he had taken days off to rest his chronically tight legs. The leg issues date to 2008 when he tore the left quadriceps tendon.

Vargas Tosses 3-Hitter as Royals Beat A’s 3-0

Posted on August 13, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas tossed a three-hitter for his sixth career shutout, Omar Infante hit a two-run homer and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 3-0 on Wednesday night.

Vargas (9-5) retired the final 23 batters he faced in only his third start since an emergency appendectomy. The left-hander also helped Kansas City bounce back from having an eight-game winning streak snapped and maintain a half-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central.

Salvador Perez drove in the Royals’ other run off Scott Kazmir (13-5), who lost to Kansas City for the second time in 10 days. He has won just once in 10 starts at Kauffman Stadium.

Liriano’s First Homer Helps Padres Beat Rockies

Posted on August 13, 2014

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rymer Liriano’s first big league homer was a two-run shot in the fourth inning and Abraham Almonte also went deep to help the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 Wednesday to tie their season-high with their fifth straight win.

Jedd Gyorko tied his career-high with four hits for the Padres, who are 16-8 since the All-Star break, including winning 11 of 14. The Padres swept a series for the third time this year, all at home.

The Rockies, who have the worst record in the majors at 18-44, struck out 13 times against Ian Kennedy and Joaqin Benoit, giving them 66 in their last six games.

Liriano was called up from Triple-A El Paso on Monday. His homer off left-hander Tyler Matzek (2-8) went an estimated 427 feet.

Huskers Announce Third Early Enrollee

Posted on August 13, 2014August 13, 2014

Lincoln — Aaron Williams became the third high school player to declare his intention to enroll early at Nebraska for the 2015 season, as he signed a financial aid agreements on Wednesday and will join the Husker football program in January.

A 5-foot-11, 185-pound defensive back, Williams attends Carver High School in Atlanta, where he is one of the top defensive backs in the Southeast. A preseason Atlanta Journal Constitution first-team Class AAAAA selection for Coach Darren Myles, Williams is ranked by ESPN.com as one of the top 50 players in the state of Georgia and is one of the top-50 safeties nationally by 247Sports. He is a three-time all-region honoree and helped Carver reach the Class AAAA Playoffs in 2013 by totaling 145 tackles and three interceptions

A consensus three-star recruit, Williams joins Avery Anderson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Eric Lee Jr. (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) as Nebraska early enrollees next January. Both Anderson and Lee signed their financial aid agreements with Nebraska earlier this month.

2015 Nebraska Football Recruit Early Enrollees

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High School

Aaron Williams DB 5-11 180 Atlanta, Ga. Carver

Avery Anderson DB 6-0 175 Colorado Springs, Colo. Pine Creek

Eric Lee Jr. DB 5-11 185 Highlands Ranch, Colo. Valor Christian

Aaron Williams

5-11, 180, DB, Atlanta, Ga. (Carver)

Aaron Williams will look to cap a decorated career by taking Carver High School in Atlanta back to the state playoffs in 2014. A three-time, first-team all-region selection at defensive back, Williams garnered first-team all-state honors from the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2013, totaling 145 tackles, including 109 solo stops, along with six interceptions and four pass breakup. He helped Carver High School to a 7-4 mark and first-round appearance in the Class AAAA playoffs in 2013 for Coach Darren Myles. Williams is rated among the top 50 players in Georgia by ESPN.com, while 247Sports put Williams among the top 50 safeties in the country. In addition, the AJC also rates Williams as one of the top-10 defensive back prospects in the talent-rich state of Georgia. Williams was also selected to play in the Rising Senior Bowl in January of 2014, featuring the top 101 college prospects in the state. Williams committed to Nebraska in May after considering offers from Kansas State, Mississippi State, Cincinnati and Purdue among others. Williams is the son of Ernest & Felicia Williams and born on Jan. 1, 1997.

Chiefs Hope Pass-Rush Package Will Pay Off

Posted on August 13, 2014

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs offered a preview during recent 11-on-11 training camp practices of what could be in store for unsuspecting quarterbacks this season.

Pro Bowl linebackers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, first-round draft pick Dee Ford and fellow pass-rusher Josh Martin all trotted onto the field at the same time, leaving defensive tackle Dontari Poe as the lone down lineman in a unique scheme designed to create pressure.

Elsewhere in the NFL, similar personnel groups are known as “NASCAR packages” — the idea is that they overwhelm the opposing offense with their speed.

“We call it the ‘dog front,'” Hali said. “A bunch of dogs going after (the quarterback).”

MLBPA to Launch ‘Strikeout Cancer’ Initiative

Posted on August 13, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball players will raise money for cancer-related charities by wearing T-shirts with a backward “K” on Sept. 2.

Each team will support a different charity as part of the ” initiative launched by St. Louis reliever Jason Motte, the Major League Baseball Players Association said Wednesday. Players will wear the shirts in clubhouses and batting cages. The backward “K” is baseball’s scoring symbol for a called third strike.

Additional shirts will be available for purchase at www.108stitches.com, and proceeds will be split between the Jason Motte Foundation and charities selected by each team’s player representative.

The union will contribute its licensing fee to Brain Tumor Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in memory Michael Weiner, the former union head who died in November from a brain tumor.

Nebraska AD: Football Program ‘Stable’ with Pelini

Posted on August 13, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst says the football program is stable under coach Bo Pelini.

In a 45-minute interview Wednesday with The Associated Press and reporters from the state’s two largest newspapers, Eichorst said the program is “stable” and the Huskers have a “seasoned coach who has won a bunch of games.”

Last season, a secretly recorded audio of Pelini criticizing fans went public. He also nearly struck a sideline official with his cap during a loss to Iowa. Nebraska finished 9-4 after a bowl win over Georgia.

Eichorst says he wants his coaches to represent the university with “honor and distinction,” to provide athletes with a good experience and compete for championships.

Eichorst says Pelini meets those goals.

Huskers Face Colorado College in Exhibition Match

Posted on August 13, 2014

The Nebraska soccer team travels to Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday for an exhibition match against Colorado College starting at 1 p.m. CT.

The Huskers and Tigers are meeting for the fifth time in series history, with Nebraska holding a 3-1 advantage. NU defeated Colorado College last season by a 2-1 margin in preseason play at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

This week’s match will be streamed on cctigers.com. Live stats are also available on Colorado College’s athletics website.

Nebraska’s 2014 team includes five seniors as Head Coach John Walker begins his 21st season at the helm of the school’s soccer program. The Huskers also welcome back All-Big Ten second-team member Jaycie Johnson, who begins her sophomore year 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. NU earned the No. 13 preseason ranking in the NSCAA poll, released on Aug. 6.

The Huskers are set to play 19 games this season, including matchups against ranked opponents No. 7 Michigan (Oct. 2), No. 15 Marquette (Aug. 31) and No. 24 Penn State (Oct. 24). Nebraska opens the regular season next weekend at home against SMU on Friday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m., at the Nebraska Soccer Field.

The Huskers also host DePaul on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 1 p.m., during their first weekend of competition. NU will host 12 games in its final season at the Nebraska Soccer Field before moving into the Nebraska Soccer and Tennis Complex next year.

For updated schedule information and news on the Nebraska soccer team, visit Huskers.com.

Scouting the Colorado College Tigers
Colorado College returns its leading scorer, Jessie Ayers, and goalkeeper, Kate Scheele, from last season’s team that went 15-4-3 en route to a berth in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Geoff Bennett enters his 11th season at Colorado College and 16th year overall as a head coach in 2014.

The Tigers captured the 2013 Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles. They return 15 letterwinners and add five newcomers this season.