Sports – Page 687 – North Platte Post Archive

Big Ten Football Players of the Week

Posted on September 16, 2013

Following Big Ten football games on Sept. 14, the offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week and freshman of the week in the Big Ten were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:

Offensive Player of the Week

Kenny Guiton, Ohio State

Sr., QB, Houston, Texas/Eisenhower

· Completed 21 of 32 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs, to lead Ohio State to a road win at California in his first career start
· Gave the Buckeyes a quick 21-0 lead in the first six minutes, throwing three touchdowns, including a 90-yarder to Devin Smith, the longest play from scrimmage in school history
· Also finished with 14 carries for 92 yards, helping Ohio State to 608 yards of total offense, the most under Urban Meyer
· Records his first career weekly honor
· Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: Carlos Hyde (Oct. 8, 2012)

Defensive Player of the Week

Ryan Shazier, Ohio State

Jr., LB, Plantation, Fla./Plantation

· Led the Buckeye defense with 12 tackles, including 10 solo stops, in Ohio State’s road win against California
· Was part of an Ohio State defense that held the California passing offense, which was ranked first in the nation entering the weekend, to 100 yards below its season average
· Also forced a fumble and recorded a sack
· Claims his third career Defensive Player of the Week honor
· Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: John Simon (Nov. 19, 2012)

Special Teams Player of the Week

Justin DuVernois, Illinois

Jr., P, Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas

· Averaged 45.2 yards per punt, totaling 226 yards on five kicks with a long of 57, for the Illini against Washington
· Had three of his punts land inside the 20-yard line, including one at the six-yard line, another at the nine-yard line and one at the 13-yard line
· Wins his first career Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honor
· Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Derek Dimke (Sept. 26, 2011)

Freshman of the Week

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

QB, Palmyra, Va./Fork Union Military Academy

· Completed 21 of 28 passes, a 75 percent completion rate, for 262 yards and a touchdown against UCF
· Brought Penn State to within a field goal with under three minutes to play, connecting with Allen Robinson on a five-yard touchdown pass
· Ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (283.7) after throwing for more than 250 yards in each of his first three starts
· Wins his second career weekly award
· Last Penn State Freshman of the Week: Christian Hackenberg (Sept. 2, 2013)

Nebraska Out of AP Poll; Tide No. 1

Posted on September 15, 2013September 15, 2013

Nebraska has dropped out of The Associated Press college football poll after its latest humbling loss, and the top of the rankings was unchanged after No. 1 Alabama passed its first big test of the season.

The Cornhuskers, No. 23 last week, are unranked the day after UCLA won in Lincoln, Neb., 41-21. The Bruins scored the final 38 points. Since Nebraska’s record streak of 348 consecutive poll appearances ended in September 2002, there have been only two seasons (2010, ’11) in which the Huskers have been ranked every week, starting in the preseason.

The Tide received all but one of 60 first-place votes from the media panel after beating Texas A&M 49-42. The Aggies are 10th. The rest of the top five is Oregon, Clemson, Ohio State and Stanford.

Huskers’ Pelini Tells His Players to Circle Wagons

Posted on September 15, 2013September 15, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The fallout from Nebraska’s latest collapse on the national stage is going to last a while, and coach Bo Pelini knows it.

With FCS South Dakota State coming to Lincoln this week and an open date the following, the Cornhuskers’ fervent fans will have a hard time getting past Saturday’s 41-21 loss to UCLA.

“We can’t worry about what people are saying,” Pelini said. “It’s going to be negative. It’s going to be negative by the fans, by the media, by everybody. In times like these, all we can do is stick together because the only people who can fix it is us.”

Pelini and his staff have quite a repair job waiting for them when they go back to practice Monday. The offense has underperformed in the first three games, and the defense looks no better than it did when it surrendered gargantuan numbers in end-of-the-season losses to Wisconsin and Georgia.

The Huskers (2-1) surrendered 38 points in a row after leading UCLA by 18 points late in the first half.

It was the biggest blown lead in a home game since 1920, the worst non-conference home loss since 1961 and the sixth double-digit loss in 15 games against BCS-level opponents.

Plenty of predictable vitriol was spewed via fan call-in shows and social media.

The most eye-catching reaction came from Tommie Frazier, who quarterbacked Nebraska to national championships in 1994-95. Frazier, who was honored at halftime for his selection to the College Football Hall of Fame, took to Twitter Saturday night and called for the firings of the defensive coaches.

“If this is what is going to happen for the remainder of the season, count me out,” Frazier wrote in an extended tweet.

Frazier did not respond to messages from The Associated Press.

Nebraska managed 135 yards in the second half against the Bruins. Taylor Martinez completed just 10 of 19 passes for 87 yards after halftime and never showed the kind of breakaway threat he can be. He was sacked twice and netted just 2 yards on eight other carries. His longest run was an inconsequential 12-yarder in the second quarter.

Martinez was wearing a walking boot on his left foot after the game. He said the boot was precautionary and that his injury — he said it was minor and occurred before the game — had no effect on him.

Asked about Martinez’s health and if the quarterback is limited, Pelini said, “Taylor’s fine.”

The Huskers’ turnover problem cropped up again, with Ameer Abdullah fumbling inside the UCLA 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Dropped passes were another issue.

Offensive coordinator Tim Beck said his play-calling was too conservative late in the first half, and the Bruins were able to get the ball back with enough time to score a touchdown to trim the Huskers’ lead to 21-10.

After the Huskers scored their final touchdown in the second quarter, they netted more than 19 yards on only two of their last 10 possessions.

“We let the avalanche continue,” Beck said. “We helped the avalanche. We might have started it.”

Nebraska’s defense mostly contained quarterback Brett Hundley in the first half, but he led the Bruins to touchdowns on their first four series of the second half.

UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said the Bruins did nothing different in the second half. The Huskers did, though. They started missing tackles and losing one-on-one battles with receivers. UCLA finished with 504 yards, 298 after half.

“They got momentum and we didn’t respond well,” defensive coordinator John Papuchis said. “To give you a great answer on why we didn’t play better, it’s really hard at this point.”

What confounded Papuchis was how his charges became deflated as UCLA’s surge continued.

“We were up 21-3 and then 21-10 at half, and all of a sudden it’s within a couple minutes (left) in the third quarter and we’re down 10,” Papuchis said. “They were a little bit shell-shocked from that. No excuses for that to happen.”

All the Huskers can do, Papuchis said, is learn from their mistakes and move on — even if the fans won’t.

“The idea that one game, win or lose, is going to dictate your whole season, that’s ludicrous,” he said. “So you go get ready for the next one. That’s just the reality.”

Nebraska Small Bore Rifle Championships Set

Posted on September 15, 2013September 15, 2013

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska High School Small Bore Rifle Silhouette Championships are scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Pressey Wildlife Management Area south of Broken Bow.

The competition is open to all hunter education graduates who are at least 11 years old and have not graduated from high school. Proof of hunter education certification is required.

Team competition is composed of four-member teams in overall, high school, 4-H and open categories.

Call Matthew Haumont at 308-872-2348 to register. Contact Haumont or Mike Streeter at 402-471-6134 for more information.

Huskers Down No. 17 Iowa State

Posted on September 14, 2013September 15, 2013

Lincoln, Neb. – The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team (7-1) used a spirited and gutsy performance to beat the No. 17 Iowa State Cyclones 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 27-25) on Saturday evening.

In front of 8,293 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, the Huskers saw Amber Rolfzen honored as the 2013 Ameritas Players Challenge MVP. Kelsey Robinson and Mary Pollmiller were also selected to the all-tournament team.

Robinson and Kadie Rolfzen led NU on the night with 16 kills each, hitting at a clip of .424 and .312, respectively. Amber Rolfzen recorded a double-double for the Huskers with 10 kills and 19 digs, while Pollmiller handed out 36 assists. Meghan Haggerty and Pollmiller both aided NU at the net as they had four blocks each.

Nebraska hit .293 for the match and held Iowa State to a .139 hitting percentage. NU out-blocked ISU 9-4.5, but was out-dug 41-46.

The Huskers opened the match on fire, going up 7-2 on a double-stuff block by Amber Rolfzen and Meghan Haggerty. A string of runs helped NU to a 19-10 lead, while the Huskers closed out the set on a 3-0 run to take it 25-13.

The Husker left side hitters led NU in the first set with nine total kills, as Kadie Rolfzen had five kills and Roinson notched four. The Huskers hit .240 for the set, while Iowa State hit -.148.

Iowa State took an early lead in the second set, but three-straight hitting errors from the Cyclones tied the set at 7-7. The Huskers couldn’t put together a lead as Iowa State went up 12-9. Amber Rolfzen stepped up for NU with a kill and ace to make it 18-16, Nebraska, and force Iowa State to call a timeout. Nebraska went up 21-18 on a double-block from Pollmiller and Haggerty and held on to win the set 25-22.

Amber and Kadie Rolfzen both had five kills in the set, while Robinson posted four kills. Pollmiller dished out 12 assists as the Huskers hit .234 as a team. Iowa State hit at a clip of .212.

The Huskers trailed Iowa State in the opening points of the third set as a hitting error by NU made it 12-9, Cyclones. ISU kept an edge on the Huskers as they went up 16-14, but Nebraska came back to tie the set at 17-17 on a kill by Ostrander. The Huskers gained a 21-18 advantage on a kill by Kadie Rolfzen, as NU fought off the Cyclones to earn the third set win at 27-25.

Robinson posted eight kills in the final set, while Kadie Rolfzen had six. Nebraska hit .386 in the set, while Iowa State hit .268.

The Huskers hit the road next weekend as they travel to Austin, Texas to face the Texas Longhorns on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team

Amber Rolfzen, Nebraska- MVP
Kelsey Robinson- Nebraska
Mary Pollmiller-Nebraska
Kristen Hahn- Iowa State
Janna Krafka- Dayton
Sarah Reams- Saint Mary’s

No. 11 NPCC Lady Knights Win One, Lose Two to Close Pizza Hut Invitation

Posted on September 14, 2013September 15, 2013

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (10-4) volleyball team won late Friday night then dropped two on Saturday afternoon to close out the Pizza Hut Invitation in Sterling, Colo. Late Friday night the Lady Knights defeated the Barton County Community College Lady Cougars in three sets (25-19, 25-10, 27-25). On Saturday the Lady Knights fell to the Otero Junior College Lady Rattlers in five sets (25-20, 24-26, 23-25, 25-23, 11-15) and the Seward County Community College Lady Saints in four sets (25-22, 18-25, 22-25, 15-25).

In their second game of the night on Friday the Lady Knights came out looking to get back on the winning track against Barton County Community College. The Lady Knights came out strong and won the first set 25-19. The Lady Knights continued their strong play as they defeated the Lady Cougars 25-10 in the second set. The third set was a tight battle before the Lady Knights won the set and game 27-25.

The Lady Knights were led against the Lady Cougars by Samantha Kennedy who finished with 13 kills and two blocks. Shannon Liewer led the Lady Knights with 19 digs and five “ace” serves. Joli Hopping had 20 assists and Laura Beckman had 14.

In the third game of the Pizza Hut Invitation and first of the day Saturday the Lady Knights dropped a hard fought five set battle with the Lady Rattlers. The Lady Knights came out swinging in the first set as they won 25-20. The Lady Rattlers responded with victories of their own in the second and third sets 24-26 and 23-25. The Lady Knights would not go quietly as they answered with a fourth set victory 25-23 to square the match at two sets apiece. In the fifth and deciding set the Lady Rattlers were too much for the Lady Knights as they won 11-15.

Samantha Kennedy again led the Lady Knights in kills as she finished with 16 to go along with five blocks. Sandrina Hallahan was not very far behind as she finished with 15 kills of her own. Joli Hopping led the Lady Knights with 20 assists and Laura Beckman had 22. Shannon Liewer led the Lady Knights with 25 digs.

In the final game of the Pizza Hut Invitation the Lady Knights fell to the Lady Saints in four sets. The Lady Knights started out fast as they claimed a first set victory 25-22. However they were not able to hold onto their moment as they dropped the next three sets to lose the game by scores of 18-25, 22-25 and 15-25.

Sandrina Hallahan led the Lady Knights with nine kills in the final match of the day. Other leaders for the Lady Knights were Samantha Kennedy with five blocks, Shannon Liewer with 28 digs and Joli Hopping with 19 assists.

“We got into a game with Otero that we played not to lose,” said head coach Sally Thalken. “We were the first to eight in set five but just turned safe. Both teams we played today played VERY aggressive. I felt like we were playing defense ALL the time. We came out in the first set of our second game of the back-to-back with some energy. We lost focus, discipline and quickness as the match wore on. We just tried to keep the ball in play; consequently we sent a lot of free balls over and just flat out got beat on Seward’s aggressive play, a lesson that aggressive teams win.”

The Lady Knights return home for a three game home stand starting next week as they face Eastern Wyoming College (5-9) September 17, Central Community College (13-3) September 19 and Hastings College JV September 24.

Huskers Post 3-0 Sweep of Dayton

Posted on September 13, 2013September 14, 2013

Lincoln, Neb. – The No. 12 Nebraska volleyball team improved to 6-1 on the year with its fourth sweep of the season following a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-13) win over Dayton on Friday evening. The Huskers saw Amber Rolfzen and Kelsey Robinson record double-doubles for the second consecutive match in the Nebraska victory.

Robinson led NU offensively with 12 kills, while she notched a match-high 17 digs. Amber Rolfzen had 10 kills on 25 swings for a .320 hitting clip and posted 13 digs. Mary Pollmiller dished out 34 assists on the night, while the Huskers hit .208 as a team. Nebraska held Dayton to a .010 hitting clip, but was out-blocked 6-5.

Back-to-back kills by Robinson gave the Huskers a 6-5 lead early in the first set, while Amber Rolfzen strung together a pair of kills to put NU up 15-12. The Huskers extended their lead to 20-14 on a kill by Kadie Rolfzen, but Dayton came back to make it 20-19, NU. The Huskers pulled away through the final points to take the first set 25-20.

Amber Rolfzen had six kills in the first set, while Mary Pollmiller led the offense with 14 assists. Nebraska hit .217 as a team, while Dayton was held to a .088 hitting percentage.

Dayton opened up the second set with a 5-0 run to take a 7-2 lead on the Huskers. Nebraska slowly edged back, eventually tying the set 12-12 on an error by the Flyers. The two teams exchanged leads and tied seven times before Nebraska went up 21-19 on a kill by Kadie Rolfzen. The Huskers gained the momentum and held on to win the second set 25-21.

Robinson tallied five kills in the second set, while Kadie Rolfzen posted four kills. Pollmiller had 11 assists for NU. Nebraska hit .111, but Dayton recorded a -.023 hitting percentage.

A service ace from Alexa Ethridge gave NU a 5-2 lead to open the third set, while a kill and ace from Robinson made it 9-5, Huskers. A string of runs helped Nebraska to a 16-9 lead following a hitting error by the Flyers, as NU went on to close out the third set on a 6-0 run to take it 25-13.

Robinson posted four kills in the set, while Mary Pollmiller and Kelsey Fien both had three. The Huskers hit at a .345 clip, while Dayton hit -.037.

Nebraska returns to action tomorrow evening as the Huskers host the Iowa State Cyclones at the Devaney Center at 7 p.m.The match will air on NET in Nebraska and will be streamed on the Big Ten Digital Network.

Giants DB Amukamara Hopes to Start vs. Broncos

Posted on September 13, 2013September 14, 2013

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — When New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara was involved in a violent collision with teammate Ryan Mundy in the loss to Dallas Sunday night, it wasn’t the first time he suffered a concussion.

“I was about 10 years old and I ran into a basketball pole,” Amukamara said. “That time, I was only out for about 20 seconds. This time, I saw the lights and everything. It was a great hit. It took both of us out.

“But it was OK, because it was just an accident.”

Amukamara received clearance to return to practice Friday and should start Sunday’s game against the Broncos (1-0). That’ll be a big boost to the Giants (0-1), as they try to contain Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.

No. 11 NPCC Lady Knights Fall in Opener of Pizza Hut Invitation

Posted on September 13, 2013September 13, 2013

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights (9-2) volleyball team fell in the opening game of the Pizza Hut Invitation Friday afternoon to the Trinidad State Junior College Lady Trojans (6-9) in four sets (27-29, 25-20, 20-25, 22-25).

The Lady Knights started off slow and could never recover as they dropped a hard fought opening set 27-29. As they have done all year after losing the first set, the Lady Knights responded and won the second set 25-20. The Lady Trojans answered back as they went on to win the third set 20-25. The Lady Trojans were then able to end the Lady Knights four game winning streak as they won the fourth set 22-25.

The Lady Knights were led by Samantha Byrn with 12 kills and Sabrina Hallahan with 11 kills. Shannon Liewer paced the Lady Knights with 24 digs while Joli Hopping had 18 assists and Laura Beckman had 16.

“We came out flat and never really played with much energy,” said head coach Sally Thalken. We had a hard time getting anything going and never could sustain any runs. It was a very disappointing loss. We need to regroup for a good Barton (Community College) team.”

The No. 11 Lady Knights continue play in the Pizza Hut Invitational tonight at 9 p.m. against Barton County Community College (2-6). Tomorrowthe Lady Knights face undefeated Otero Junior College (10-0) at 2 p.m. and Seward County Community College (6-4) at 4 p.m. A recap of the rest of the Pizza Hut Invitation will be released at the conclusion of all games tomorrow.

The Lady Knights return home for a three game home stand as they face Eastern Wyoming College (5-9) September 17, Central Community College (13-3) September 19 and Hastings College JV September 24.

Mora Says Bruins’ Emotions to be Tested vs Huskers

Posted on September 13, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jim Mora can’t imagine a more difficult situation for his UCLA football team.

Less than week after the death of receiver Nick Pasquale, the 16th-ranked Bruins visit No. 23 Nebraska on Saturday.

Mora says the Bruins must control their emotions and remain poised in a tough environment in Lincoln. He said the game can help his players channel their grief over the death of Pasquale, who was struck by a vehicle Sunday while he was walking in his hometown of San Clemente, Calif.

Both teams should know a lot more about themselves after Saturday, particularly on defense.

UCLA is 1-0 after beating Nevada 58-20 two weeks ago. The Huskers are 2-0 after last week’s 56-13 win over Southern Mississippi.