Category: Sports
NPCC softball loses two at Beatrice to SECC
BEATRICE – The North Platte Community College softball team dropped a pair of games to Southeast Community College Sunday losing the first game 13-5 and the second game 9-3.
“We played hard and fought back both games, but just didn’t have the gas to get over the hill we created early,” said North Platte Community College coach Janelle Higgins.
In both games the Storm had at least seven runs before the end of the second inning.
“They got in our heads early and we couldn’t shake them. We had glimpses of playing our game, but we were not consistent today,” Higgins said.
The condition of the field was also a factor in the game according to the coach.
“We did better today fielding fly balls but the field was super soft today, so everything died quickly and we rushed our throws on easy grounders.” Higgins said.
Southeast improves to 8-6 on the year and 2-0 in conference.
North Platte falls to 8-16 on the year and continue a six-game road swing through the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference with a pair of games Monday at Columbus against Central Community College at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The next games are set for April 10 at McCook Community College at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
“We are very proud of our athletes for how they handled themselves today on the field,” Higgins said.
Game 1 – Southeast CC 13, North Platte CC 5: The Storm jumped on the Knights for four runs in the first inning and added six runs in the second.
North Platte cut the gap to 4-2 in the top of the second. Emily Marsden (Papillion) led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Erika McClung (Victoria British Columbia). With two out Marsden scored on a Southeast error and the Knights cut the margin to two runs on a Sienna Pfaff (Salem, Utah) RBI-single.
Southeast took a 10-2 lead in the second and stretched it to 11-2 in the third and 13-2 in the fourth before the Knights added three runs in the fifth. Pfaff, Kayleigh Bucio (Rialto, Calif.) and Mikayla Gibson (West Valley, Utah) singled to load the bases. Hallei Morales (North Platte) had a two-run single and a Marsden ground out provided the final North Platte run.
Marsden started the game in the pitching circle allowing nine runs on six hits in 1.1 innings. Hailey Wilkins (Tyler, Texas) went 2.2 innings and gave up four runs on five hits.
Gibson and Pfaff both had two hits each for the seven-hit North Platte offense.
“We had some solid hits but played most of the day hitting the ball right at them,” Higgins said.
Game 2 – Southeast CC 9, North Platte CC 3: It was another early big-run inning in the second game that North Platte was unable to recover from, giving up seven runs in the second inning.
Hallei Morales singled to lead off the North Platte second, went to second on an error and scored on a two-out Erika McClung single to give the Knights their only lead of the day.
After the Storm took a 7-1 lead in the second, North Platte did fight back to cut the lead to 7-3 in the top of the third. Willow Chitty (North Platte) was hit by a pitch to lead off the third, she stole second, went to third on a Kayleigh Bucio single and scored on a groundout off the bat of Mikayla Gibson. With two outs, Alea Binkley singled in Bucio, but that’s as close as the Knights got as Southeast added runs in the fifth and sixth to close out the game.
Sophomore pitcher Ashlynn Krueger (Littleton, Colo.) took the loss for North Platte she went six innings, allowed two earned runs on 11 hits.
NPCC Softball Team aids flood victims
Members of the North Platte Community College Softball Team spent their spring break helping flood victims in eastern Nebraska.
Fifteen players, two coaches and a bus driver, dedicated almost seven hours to cleaning up a basement belonging to the parents of Emily Marsden. Marsden is one of the players on the team. Her hometown of Papillion suffered significant flood damage from storms earlier this month.
On March 21, Marsden’s teammates joined her in carrying out wet carpet, padding, woodwork and furniture from her family’s home. They also helped push water out of the house and sandbag around the property.
“Those girls were rock stars,” said Cheryl Marsden, Emily’s mother.
Inspired by the players and coaches, the team’s bus driver, Todd Hanneman, made a generous contribution as well. In addition to helping with the cleanup, he drove the team to Papillion for free.
“I figure since the team wanted to donate their time and efforts to help, I can do the same,” said Hanneman.
The cleanup was one of many volunteer projects the team has taken on this year and was part of an overall lesson Head Coach Janelle Higgins hopes to instill in her players.
“I just want them to always do their part,” Higgins said. “Papillion isn’t our community, but it’s home to part of our family, and we take care of our own. Our true goal goes beyond wins on the field. It’s about being pillars in the community and kind and caring people overall.”
NPHS Soccer: GNAC brackets
Bulldog soccer GNAC tournament to be played in North Platte on the 5th and 6th:
Girls Bracket:
Boys Bracket:
Ex-Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hired at struggling Nebraska
Fred Hoiberg, the former NBA player who coached Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls, was hired Saturday to coach a Nebraska team that had big hopes this season but finished with a 19-17 record and out of the NCAA Tournament yet again.
Hoiberg has strong ties to the school, which announced his hiring four days after seventh-year coach Tim Miles was fired.
Hoiberg, dismissed by the Bulls in in December, agreed to a seven-year contract paying a total of $25 million.
The 46-year-old Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and maternal grandfather Jerry Bush was the Cornhuskers coach from 1954 to 1963. His paternal grandfather was a professor at Nebraska and his parents are graduates of the school.
“I can’t express how excited I am to be back on the sidelines and to be coaching at a university that means a lot to my family and me,” Hoiberg said. “Nebraska has always felt like a second home.”
Hoiberg went 115-155 from 2010-15 with the Bulls. Before that, he had a successful five-year run as Iowa State’s coach with an up-tempo, spread-the-floor offense. He went 115-56 and led the Cyclones to four straight NCAA Tournaments and two Big 12 tournament titles.
“When you look at him, you see an individual who has had success as a player and a coach,” athletic director Bill Moos said. “Fred’s background will sell itself on the recruiting trail, and help us bring in the type of student-athletes needed to compete at the highest level. His style of play not only will be appealing to prospective recruits but will also provide our great fans an entertaining brand of basketball.”
Hoiberg takes over a program that has never been able to win consistently. Nebraska’s most recent regular-season conference championship came in 1950. The Huskers remain the only Power Five conference program to have never won an NCAA Tournament game.
As a star player for Iowa State, Hoiberg became known as “The Mayor” because of his popularity in Ames. He competed twice a year against the Huskers from 1991-95 — when Nebraska enjoyed its most sustained success, with four straight NCAA appearances. In the 25 years since, the Huskers have gone to the tournament just twice (1998, 2014).
Nebraska had reason to be encouraged this season. The Huskers started 13-4 and were in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2014. Then the Huskers lost 11 of the next 13 and finished 13th in the Big Ten, the fifth time in seven years they’ve been 10th or worse. A brief run in the Big Ten Tournament wasn’t enough to earn an NCAA bid.
The Huskers will lose seniors James Palmer Jr., Glynn Watson Jr. and Isaac Copeland, and junior Isaiah Roby has said he didn’t know if he would return if there were a coaching change.
Hoiberg had said shortly after his dismissal by the Bulls that he wanted to coach again, but the speculation was that it would be in the NBA.
Nebraska has had a history of hiring hot mid-major coaches — Danny Nee in 1986, Barry Collier in 2000, Doc Sadler in 2006 and Miles in 2012.
The school built a new practice facility in 2011 and a new arena in 2013. With the infrastructure in place, Moos and the university administration were looking to make a splash hire.
“I had the opportunity to coach (an exhibition) at Pinnacle Bank Arena with the Bulls, and I have seen first-hand that the facilities are as nice as any in the country,” Hoiberg said. “When you couple that with a loyal and passionate fan base, you can see there is great potential for the future of Nebraska basketball.”
Knights fall twice on the road at Northeastern Junior College
STERLING, Colo. – The Northeastern Junior College Plainswomen downed the North Platte Community College softball team twice Wednesday by the scores of 11-3 and 14-6.
“Today was a great day for softball, we had great weather and we never stopped fighting,” said North Platte coach Janelle Higgins. “We chalk today up to a tough learning experience but we would rather have these learning moments now and not at the end of April.”
The Knights were up 3-1 in the first game heading to the fifth inning and were out-scored 10-0 in the final two innings. North Platte scored a pair of first-inning runs in the second game but gave up at least three runs in all four defensive innings.
“We are a very competitive team and do not like losing but we always learn more from these tough losses than we do the wins — but we would much rather win.”
North Platte falls to 8-12 on the year and will return home Thursday for a makeup doubleheader with Lamar Community College that was postponed March 7. Games start at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Game 1 – Northeastern JC 11, North Platte CC 3: Willow Chitty (North Platte led off the game with a single went to third on a one-out double from Mikayla Gibson (West Valley, Utah) and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Hallei Morales (North Platte) to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
After NJC tied the game in the bottom of the first, North Platte took a 3-1 lead in the third on a Plainswomen error and a two-run home run from Kayleigh Bucio (Rialto, Calif.).
“We hit the ball well from one to nine in the order, but our defense was very up and down and never leveled out,” Higgins said.
The Knights gave up six unearned runs in the game, committed five errors including three in the final 1.2 innings, walked five hitters and hit a batter in the fifth and sixth innings.
NPCC had seven hits in the game including two by Gibson.
Ashylnn Krueger (Littleton, Colo.) pitched 4.1 innings, Emily Marsden (Papillion) the final 1.1. They allowed nine NJC hits, and five earned runs while walking six.
Game 2 – Northeastern JC 14, North Platte CC 6:
North Platte scored two runs in the first, third and fourth innings but couldn’t keep the Plainswomen off the board as NJC scored five in the first, and three each in the second, third and fourth innings.
The Knights started the games with consecutive singles from Willow Chitty, Kayleigh Bucio, and Mikayla Gibson to make it 1-0. An Emily Marsden sacrifice bunt drove home Gibson to make it 2-0.
Trailing 8-2 in the third inning with two outs, the Knights got back-to-back solo homeruns from Hallei Morales and Emily Marsden. Trailing 11-4 in the fourth, Erika McClung (Victoria British Columbia) delivered a two out single and Chitty followed with a two-run homer for the final Knight runs in the game.
“We started out strong scoring first but then dug ourselves into too deep to climb out in both games,” Higgins said.
North Platte had eight hits in the game with two each from Chitty and Bucio.
A trio of pitchers — Hailey Wilkins (Tyler, Texas), Ashylnn Krueger and Marsden were tagged with 10 earned runs in four innings of work, walked five and allowed 10 hits.
North Platte’s McNair signs on to play volleyball at UNK
North Platte Community College volleyball player Taylin McNair (Imperial) signed a letter Wednesday to continue her volleyball in the Fall at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
“We are so excited that Taylin has earned this opportunity to play at Kearney,” said North Platte Volleyball Coach Alexa McCall. “Taylin is such an awesome young lady on and off the court and comes from a great family.”
The 5-8 setter who played for Chase County High School, played in 36 matches this past season. She had 752 assists, which was second most among all Region IX Division II players and topped the Region with 47 service aces. Her 297 digs, were ninth best in the Region.
“I chose Kearney because of the great atmosphere and also the great people,” McNair said.
She plans to go into UNK’s interior design program.
“I can’t wait to become a Loper.”
Her college coach McCall said McNair was a Knight team captain because she was a great leader and her teammates trusted her. “She always played composed and mentally tough,” McCall said.
As a sophomore she was named to the Region IX All-Tournament Team and received honorable mention by the Omaha World Herald on the all-Nebraska two-year college team.
“She is also a great student and all around good person,” McCall said. “I am proud of the things Taylin has accomplished here at NPCC and excited to see her continue playing at Kearney.”
NPHS names new Activities Director
North Platte – North Platte High School will have a new AD who is pretty familiar with the workings of NPHS.
Posted earlier on NPHS’s official Facebook page:
“North Platte Public Schools is pleased to announce Mr. Jordan Cudney as our new North Platte High School Activities Director for the 2019-2020 school year. He will officially begin his duties in July 2019. Jordan will be working on transition and program development through June with High School Administration. Mr. Cudney is currently the Cozad Activities Director. He has coaching and teaching experience at Ord, Omaha Benson and Crete Public Schools. Jordan has college coaching experience at Morningside College and Midland University. Jordan and his wife Kara (McKeone), NPHS alum, and have two daughters.”
The hire will replace Marc Mrozcek who will be leaving at the end of the school year to take a combination Assistant Principle and Activities Director position with Gothenburg Public Schools.
New NFL rules including P.I. replay
PHOENIX (AP) — NFL owners voted down a proposal to replace the onside kick with one play from scrimmage, and tabled a suggestion to require each team to have one possession in overtime regardless of what happened on the first series of the extra period.
Owners will next take up the overtime topic again at their May meeting.
Team owners are tweaking Pass interference. Whether flagged or not, pass interference can be challenged by coaches and reviewed by officials next season.
NFL team owners voted Tuesday on a one-year trial basis to include those often-controversial penalties in the officiating replay review system. Coaches still will have two challenges per game, and in the final two minutes of a half or fourth quarter or for all of overtime, the replay official can order a review of offensive or defensive pass interference.
The major change — owners traditionally have been highly reluctant to include any penalties in the replay process — stems from an egregious missed call in the NFC championship game that likely led to the Rams making the Super Bowl and the Saints falling short.
The NFL has also awarded nearly a quarter-million dollars to two companies seeking to enhance protection provided by helmets. Windpact, founded by former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs, is receiving $148,820 to tailor its padding technology, called Crash Cloud, for use in Schutt’s helmets. Auxadyne was awarded $86,688 to advance its XPF material, an energy absorber that becomes more dense upon impact. The company will use this unique material, the only commercially available of its kind, to create a football helmet padding system that can reduce the impact to an athlete’s head.
Nebraska fires hoops coach Miles, missed NCAA Tourney again
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has fired seventh-year coach Tim Miles after the Cornhuskers finished 13th in the Big Ten and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year.
Athletic director Bill Moos announced the firing Tuesday, two days after the Huskers finished a 19-17 season with an 88-72 loss to TCU in the second round of the NIT.
Miles was 116-114 overall and 52-76 in Big Ten regular-season games. Nebraska was 10th or lower in the Big Ten in all but two of Miles’ seasons.
The Huskers started this season 13-4 and appeared in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2014. The Huskers lost 11 of 13 games in January and February. Winning two games in the Big Ten Tournament wasn’t enough to get them an NCAA bid.