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NPCC Knights Softball Signs Reanna Crane of Maxwell

Reanna Crane NPCC  Knights Softball Maxwell WildcatsNorth Platte – The North Platte Community College Softball team announced the signing of a National Letter of Intent by Reanna Crane of Maxwell High School.

“I’m excited for the new academic and athletic challenges and opportunities that I’ll be offered,” said Crane. “It’s exciting to further my career in softball and to do it in a place where I’ve grown up playing.”

Crane was joined on her signing day by her Express Club Coach Mark Franzen (back left), her parents Tara Crane and Allen Crane (back middle) and Maxwell’s superintendent and athletic director Mr. Boucher (back right).

“Anna is a very dedicated, smart and athletic young lady,” said Coach Franzen “and will be a huge addition to the NPCC Knights softball program.”

“Anna will bring some depth to our middle infield and speed in our offense,” said head coach Janelle Higgins. “She has been a multi-sport athlete in high school which is always a positive.”

NFL Gives $45 Million Youth Football Grant

nfl_logo2011-medORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NFL Foundation is giving USA Football a five-year, $45 million grant to expand the already burgeoning Heads Up Football program that teaches safe tackling to youngsters.

Foundation Chair Charlotte Jones Anderson announced the grant Monday at the league’s owners meetings after the NFL saw the early success of the program. Heads Up Football had nearly 2,800 youth football organizations teaching it during its first year, more than five times early projections.

Heads Up Football is designed to “take the head out of tackling” and employs master trainers who teach it to coaches throughout the nation. Those coaches in turn instruct youth football players — about 600,000 in 2013.

Funds also will be used to increase NFL flag football league for boys and girls ages 5-17

NPCC Knights Softball Knocks Off Region IX Division II Foe Southeast

Knights-SoftballBeatrice – The North Platte Community College softball team (4-11) traveled to Beatrice on Sunday afternoon where they earned two victories over the Southeast Community College Storm (0-17). In the first game of the day the Knights won 12-4 with Shannon Lieber earning the victory on the mound. In the second game, the Knights again emerged victorious by a score of 12-2 with Rylee Murphy earning the victory.

With the victory in the first game, Lieber earned her third victory of the year on the mound. She gave up four hits, one walk and three earned runs to go along with four strikeouts.

Britlee Anderson led the way for the Knights at the plate as she went 3-4 with one run, one RBI and one double. Brooke Wakefield and Lieber each went 2-3 from the plate. Wakefield scored two runs, had one walk and two stolen bases. Lieber had three runs, three RBIs, one walk and a homerun. Soliel Atenza was 1-2 with two runs, one walk, one RBI and one sacrifice. Katharine Savolt was 1-3 with one run, one RBI and a homerun.

In the second game, Murphy earned her first victory of the season giving up four hits, two earned runs, and two walks to go along with five strikeouts.

Lieber and Savolt each went 2-3 from the plate to go along with two runs, two RBIs and one double for Savolt and one run, one homerun and three RBIS for Lieber. Siarra Velasquez and Atenza each went 2-4. Velasquez had two runs, two RBIs, one triple and two stolen bases. Atenza had one run, one triple and two stolen bases. Wakefield rounded up the hits for the Knights as she was 1-2 with two runs, one RBI, one walk and two stolen bases.

“We came out ready to play and scored right away which always helps,” said head coach Janelle Higgins. “Our pitchers moved the ball very well to keep their hitters off balanced and our defense stepped up today. Offensively we were aggressive at the plate, we adjusted decently to their pitching staff and got back into making solid connections at the plate and not over striding or swinging.”

“I am very proud of the fight in our team. We are still learning and growing everyday which is always a good thing.”

The Knights have a busy week as they return to action on Monday at home against Williston State College at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Knights and Tetons square off again on Tuesday in another double-header at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The Knights then travel to McCook Community College on Thursday for games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. before returning home for home games against Iowa Western Community College on March 28 and 29.

Nebraska Assistant to Coach South Dakota Men

Craig Smith Nebraska Huskers South Dakota BasketballVERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — The University of South Dakota is hiring Nebraska assistant Craig Smith as its new head men’s basketball coach.

The Coyotes scheduled a Monday news conference to introduce Smith.

Smith has been a longtime assistant for Cornhusker coach Tim Miles. He’s coached with him at Mayville State, North Dakota State and Colorado State.

Smith was the head coach at Mayville State in North Dakota from 2004-07, winning NAIA coach of the year honors after leading the Comets to the NAIA Division II national championship game in 2007.

Smith also has served as an assistant at Northern State in South Dakota and Minot State in North Dakota.

Smith is a native of Stephen, Minn., and a University of North Dakota alum. He’s replacing Dave Boots, who retired last September after 25 years.

Baylor Shuts Down McDermott and Creighton, 85-55

Creighton-Jays-BasketballSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Isaiah Austin and Brady Heslip each scored 17 points and Baylor shut down Creighton’s Doug McDermott with suffocating defense, ending the career of the one of the most prolific scorers in college history with an 85-55 win Sunday night in the NCAA tournament West Regional.

Baylor’s size and speed overwhelmed the third-seeded Bluejays (27-8) and their national scoring leader, earning a third trip to the Sweet 16 since 2010.

McDermott, who averaged 27 points this season, finished with 15 but had just three in the first half as Baylor built a 20-point lead. McDermott ranks fifth on the NCAA career scoring list.

No. 6 seed Baylor (26-11) had five players score in double figures and shot 64 percent in one of the dominant performances of the NCAA tournament.

Faried Helps Nuggets to 105-102 Win

Denver_NuggetsDENVER (AP) — Kenneth Faried had 20 points and Aaron Brooks hit four straight free throws in the final 12 seconds, helping the injury-riddled Denver Nuggets hold off the Washington Wizards 105-102 on Sunday night.

Randy Foye added 17 for a Nuggets team that was missing J.J. Hickson, who suffered torn ligament in his right knee on Friday. Wilson Chandler also didn’t play (strained left hip) and Jan Vesely didn’t return after bruising his rib cage late in the third quarter.

Bradley Beal wound up with 21 points as the Wizards wrapped up a four-game road swing with a 1-3 record. Trevor Ariza scored 15 of his 18 points in the first quarter and John Wall added 15, but also had eight turnovers.

Busy Week Awaits NFL Owners at Spring Meetings

nfl_logo2011-medORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — As further proof the NFL never is far from the headlines, owners could make plenty of news this week at their spring meetings.

They will consider 13 playing rules proposals and seven bylaws. They will discuss expanding the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams, although a vote on such a move is uncertain.

Some changes would seem to be slam dunks: extending the height of the goal posts 5 feet to help determine if kicks are good; eliminating overtime in preseason games; placing fixed TV cameras on the goal lines, end lines and sidelines to help with replay reviews.

Others seem almost sidebars to the real action, such as from where to enforce defensive penalties when they occur behind the line of scrimmage, or extending pass interference calls to within a yard of the line.

Perhaps the juiciest suggestions came from the Patriots. They want to move the line of scrimmage to the 25 for extra points, and to allow coaches to challenge any calls except on scoring plays, which are automatically reviewed.

Passing those proposals would make for a major change in how NFL games are played.

“We discussed a lot of different scenarios that have been raised,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the influential competition committee, said of longer extra-point kicks. “I will point out … last year we had five tries missed (out of 1,267). I think four were blocked, one was missed. It’s still a competitive play.

“We are going to propose … to the membership during one of the preseason weeks that we move the extra point back to the 20-yard line and see how that goes. It’s on our radar.”

New England’s idea on coaches’ challenges in some ways echoes college football, in which every play can be reviewed. Falcons President Rich McKay, the other co-chairman of the competition committee, said reviews or challenges on defensive pass interference calls have been considered before.

“We’ve always shied away, as a committee, from penalties and the review of penalties for the most basic reason,” McKay said. “We didn’t want to put the referee in the position of using his subjective judgment on a play in place of the on-field official. We always thought the intent of replay, when it was put back in in 1998, was to deal with plays where there was an objective standard.”

Washington has proposed making personal foul penalties reviewable.

How replay reviews are conducted overall will be discussed after the committee has proposed allowing the referee to consult with members of the NFL officiating department. The process won’t change, but the command center in New York headed by director of officiating Dean Blandino will already be reviewing the play when the referee gets to the replay monitor.

“At the end of the day, what’s going to happen is we’re going to make sure that every single review is correct and we feel like this will speed up the instant replay process and timing,” Fisher said.

The Redskins want kickoffs moved to the 40 yard-line for “safety and historic consistency,” although doing so might totally eliminate returns. But some coaches hint it could lead to more pooch kicks, which wouldn’t make the kickoff any safer.

Another suggestion is to eliminate stopping the clock on a sack. That no longer is done in the final two minutes of each half, and if passed it will be totally eliminated.

The Redskins also proposed raising the number of active players on game day from 46 to 49 for games on any day but Sunday or Monday — not including opening weekend. Washington seeks an increase in the practice squad limit from eight to 10 players; allowing trades after the Super Bowl until when the league year begins in March; eliminating the first preseason roster cut to 75 and having just one cut to 53 at the end of the preseason; and allowing more than one player to return from injured reserve during the season after six weeks on the list.

Locals Love it as MLB Makes Quick Trip Down Under

mlb bigSYDNEY (AP) — Yasiel Puig and Paul Goldschmidt hadn’t left the stadium before workers began dismantling what was quite an impressive place to play baseball.

For a week, at least.

Home plate was dug up, the pitcher’s mound flattened and the eight-foot-high perimeter home run fence taken down within an hour after Puig’s Los Angeles Dodgers beat Goldschmidt’s Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 Sunday.

It was a two-game Dodgers’ sweep of Major League Baseball’s opening weekend at Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw won the Saturday opener 3-1, sending the Diamondbacks back to the U.S. 0-2 to start the season and with the L.A. team holding a very early two-game lead in the AL West over their Arizona adversaries.

The regular season will resume next weekend for both teams, with a few exhibition games scheduled this week while they recover from jet lag after the 15-hour flights Down Under and back.

The cricket ground, and Australian baseball fans, meanwhile, may never be the same.

Nearly 80,000 fans attended the weekend games at the 162-year-old ground in leafy Moore Park, minutes from downtown Sydney.

Clearly, sports-mad Australia loved having the world’s best baseball players in Sydney. So did their rugby, cricket, soccer and Aussie Rules football stars who took time to mingle with Kershaw and Puig, among others, for photo shoots.

It was a mutual admiration society, with Kershaw posing on his birthday with a kangaroo and kicking around a rugby ball on the eve of his opener. Puig and Goldschmidt even tried their hand at cricket.

Cracker Jack and two-foot-long hotdogs became part of the menu at the SCG snack bars, and MLB commissioner Bud Selig was non-committal about a return to Australia in the near future.

Australian fans might like to see it sooner than later. Never were foul balls into the stands more heartily cheered, because they could keep them. In cricket, where balls are changed only after a predetermined amount of play, they must be returned to the field.

“This event was outstanding, really cool,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “The crowds were great. The preparation from the city of Sydney was outstanding. They treated us well.”

Mattingly says a concern after the teams return to the U.S. will be avoiding complacency. They’ll have a few days off, then three exhibition games before returning to the regular season next Sunday for a three-game series in San Diego.

“My biggest fear is when you start games, games that don’t count are tough to get ready to play,” he said. “And then you get lazy and you get bad habits. That’s what I will try to fight.”

Regardless, Mattingly loved his Australian experience.

“Your team kind of comes together on a trip because you really don’t know anyone else,” he said. “We document how far you’ve got to go, and how it changes our schedule, but at the end of the day you look back on it as a memory you don’t really forget.”

Gamblers Score Four In First, Hold Off Storm

tcstormKEARNEY, Neb. – Four first period goals gave the Green Bay Gamblers (26-22-6) an early lead to knock off the Tri-City Storm (19-33-3) 5-2 at the Viaero Event Center on Saturday night.

Both Storm goals were USHL firsts, as affiliate player Jake Wahlin scored in the opening period and defenseman Grant Hutton was credited with a tally in the second.

Wahlin got Tri-City on the board and secured an early lead, scoring at 4:37 of the first frame. The play was started by Garrett Gamez, who completed a give-and-go play with Cody Milan and found the affiliate forward open in front of the net for a tap-in goal.

Green Bay responded quickly however, as Aaron O’Neill scored his first goal of the season 21 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1.

The Gamblers scored three more times in the first to take a 4-1 lead. Goals were tallied by forwards Dawson Cook, Ryan Lough and Ryan Siroky.

Tri-City pulled within two in the second when Hutton scored his first in his 15th USHL game after he was acquired at the trade deadline.

The Storm outshot Green Bay 27-13 in the final 40 minutes, but couldn’t get any closer.

The final goal was netted by Nick Schmaltz and it secured the 5-2 victory for the Gamblers.

Hayden Lavigne got the start in net for Tri-City and finished with 24 saves, while Cam Hacket picked up the win for Green Bay with 33 stops.

Tri-City will now hit the road for four games over the next two weekends in Fargo, Sioux City and Green Bay. The series with the Force at Scheels Arena starts on Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

The Storm’s final home game is scheduled for April 5 against Lincoln at 7:05 p.m.

Notes: The Storm scratched forwards Nolan Aibel, Drew Mayer, Joey DiBenedetto, Nick Hutchison and Patrick Curry, along with defensemen Cutler Martin, Sean Lang, Fredric Larsson, Tory Dello and goaltender Jacob Johansson…

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

Tri-City – Jake Wahlin (Garrett Gamez, Cody Milan) 4:37
Green Bay – Aaron O’Neill (Jordan Gross) 4:58
Green Bay – Dawson Cook (Matthew Weis, Nick Schmaltz) 6:13

Green Bay – Ryan Lough (Matthew Weis) 13:09

Green Bay – Ryan Siroky (Drew Best) 19:28

2nd Period

Tri-City – Grant Hutton (Garrett Gamez, Cody Milan) 14:20

3rd Period

Green Bay – Nick Schmaltz (power play) (Matthew Weis, Connor Hurley) 11:48

PENALTIES

1st Period

Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 8:54
Tri-City – Jalen Schulz – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 8:54
Tri-City – Dan Labosky – (Interference), 2 min, 14:48
Green Bay – Nick Schmaltz – (Hooking), 2 min, 15:39

2nd Period

Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Checking From Behind), 5 min, 2:36
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Checking From Behind) (Misconduct), 10 min, 2:36
Tri-City – Kyle Eastman – (Fighting), 5 min, 2:36
Green Bay – Jordan Gross – (Fighting), 5 min, 2:36
Green Bay – Jordan Gross – (Fighting) (Instigator), 2 min, 2:36
Green Bay – Jordan Gross – (Fighting) (Instigator) (Game Ejection), 10 min, 2:36
Green Bay – Patrick Polino – (Tripping), 2 min, 8:35
Tri-City – Matthew Freytag – (Head Contact), 2 min, 16:53
Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Cross Checking), 2 min, 18:26
Green Bay – Dawson Cook – (Interference), 2 min, 19:59

3rd Period

Green Bay – Dawson Cook – (Elbowing), 2 min, 9:42
Tri-City – Daniel Fritz – (Interference), 2 min, 11:15
Tri-City – Kevin Kerr – (Checking From Behind), 2 min, 19:00

Power Play

Green Bay –1/7

Tri-City – 0/4

Shots

Green Bay: 16, 9, 4, = Total: 29
Tri-City: 8, 19, 8, = Total: 35

Saves

Green Bay – Cam Hackett – 33/35
Tri-City – Hayden Lavigne – 24/29

 

Nuggets’ Hickson Out for Season with Knee Injury

JJ-Hickson-Denver-NuggetsDENVER (AP) — Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson has a torn ligament in his right knee, general manager Tim Connelly said Saturday.

A date for surgery to repair the ACL hasn’t been set.

Hickson is the fourth Denver player lost for the season to injury. Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee and Nate Robinson have all undergone season-ending operations.

Hickson was injured early in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 122-106 loss at Dallas on Friday night.

The 25-year-old Hickson went down along the baseline, got up and went straight to the locker room with 8:10 remaining in the game. Hickson was leading the Nuggets with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Hickson joined the Nuggets as a free agent last summer. He averaged 11.8 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds in 69 games. He also posted a team-best 26 double-doubles.

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