Football – Page 48 – North Platte Post Archive

Nebraska AP High School Football Rankings

Posted on September 30, 2014

Here are the Associated Press Nebraska high school football rankings in Classes A through D-2. Listings include name of school, season record, previous week’s ranking, previous week’s result and this week’s opponent (NR-not ranked). The rankings are based on a formula that includes ratings from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star plus experts for each class. Class A: Dale Miller, Grand Island Independent. Class B: Jeff Fielder, Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Class C1: Tom Behmer, Norfolk Daily News. Class C2: Brent Wasinius, Fremont Tribune. Class D1: Andrew Bottrell, North Platte Telegraph. Class D2: Nick Blasnitz, Hastings Tribune.

CLASS A

1. Omaha North (5-0), 1, def. Creighton Preparatory School 47-14, at Omaha Central.

2. Millard North (5-0), 2, def. Lincoln North Star 38-3, at Omaha Northwest.

3. Bellevue West (4-1), 5, def. Bellevue East 69-30, at South Sioux City.

4. Papillion-La Vista South (4-1), 6, def. Lincoln Southwest 33-24, at Lincoln North Star.

5. Omaha Creighton Prep (4-1), 4, lost to Omaha North 47-14, at Bellevue East.

6. Millard West (3-2), 8, def. Millard South 44-24, Norfolk.

7. Omaha Central (4-1), 7, def. Omaha South 44-6, Omaha North.

8. Omaha Westside (3-2), 10, def. Grand Island 27-24, at Omaha Burke.

9. Grand Island (4-1), 3, lost to Omaha Westside 27-24, at Fremont.

10. Kearney (4-1), 9, def. Lincoln Southeast 42-6, at Lincoln East.

Others receiving votes: None.

CLASS B

1. Elkhorn (5-0), 4, def. Nebraska City 41-7, Omaha Roncalli Catholic.

2. Gretna (5-0), 3, def. Platteview 44-20, at Plattsmouth.

3. Elkhorn South (5-0), 5, def. Ralston 21-14, at Mount Michael Benedictine.

4. Omaha Skutt Catholic (4-1), 1, lost to Blair 45-28, Lincoln Pius X.

5. Aurora (4-1), 7, def. McCook 20-19, Scottsbluff.

6. McCook (4-1), 2, lost to Aurora 20-19, Gering.

7. Sidney (4-1), 8, def. Lexington 36-13, at Northwest.

8. Scottsbluff (4-1), 9, def. Northwest 45-40, at Aurora.

9. Seward (4-1), NR, def. Schuyler 59-7, at Norris.

10. Beatrice (3-2), 10, def. Mount Michael Benedictine 54-0, Omaha Gross Catholic.

Others receiving votes: Blair.

CLASS C1

1. Boone Central/Newman Grove (5-0), 1, def. West Point-Beemer 30-6, Pierce.

2. Norfolk Catholic (5-0), 2, def. Madison 55-0, at West Point-Beemer.

3. Ashland-Greenwood (5-0), 3, def. Arlington 48-7, at Fort Calhoun.

4. Kearney Catholic (5-0), 4, def. St. Paul 44-12, at Central City.

5. Columbus Scotus (4-1), 5, def. David City 47-0, Bishop Neumann.

6. Wilber-Clatonia (5-0), 6, def. Lincoln Lutheran 65-14, Raymond Central.

7. Pierce (4-1), 7, def. Wayne 56-13, at Boone Central/Newman Grove.

8. Cozad (4-1), 8, def. Gothenburg 27-24, at Ord.

9. Chadron (4-1), 10, def. Ogallala 26-6, at Mitchell.

10. Syracuse (3-2), NR, def. Johnson County Central 42-0, at Conestoga.

Others receiving votes: Fort Calhoun.

CLASS C2

1. Battle Creek (5-0), 1, def. Crofton 43-0, Hartington Cedar Catholic.

2. Hastings St. Cecilia (5-0), 2, def. Doniphan-Trumbull 21-0, at Southern Valley.

3. North Platte St. Patrick’s (5-0), 3, def. Hershey 50-28, at Bridgeport.

4. Aquinas Catholic (4-1), 4, def. Yutan 38-0, Omaha Brownell-Talbot.

5. Hartington Cedar Catholic (4-1), 5, def. West Holt 42-7, at Battle Creek.

6. Archbishop Bergan (4-1), 6, def. Tekamah-Herman 46-6, at Logan View.

7. Sutton (5-0), 7, def. Sandy Creek 32-0, at Doniphan-Trumbull.

8. Lutheran High Northeast (4-1), 8, def. Ainsworth 51-0, Crofton.

9. Malcolm (5-0), 9, def. Tri County 49-6, at Centennial.

10. Oakland-Craig (4-1), 10, def. Ponca 44-8, Stanton.

Others receiving votes: Stanton.

CLASS D1

1. Hemingford (4-0), 1, def. Perkins County 78-6, Morrill.

2. Creighton (4-0), 2, def. Bloomfield 60-14, at Plainview.

3. Guardian Angels Central Catholic (4-0), 3, def. Plainview 74-6, at Scribner-Snyder.

4. Heartland (4-0), 4, def. High Plains Community 82-36, at Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family.

5. BDS (4-0), 5, bye, Diller-Odell.

6. Elm Creek (4-0), 6, def. Shelton 54-24, at Arapahoe.

7. Amherst (3-0), 7, def. Central Valley 45-12, South Loup.

8. Howells-Dodge (3-1), 8, def. Clarkson/Leigh 54-32, Nebraska Christian.

9. Diller-Odell (4-0), 9, def. Pawnee City 58-16, at BDS.

10. Scribner-Snyder (4-0), 10, def. Omaha Nation 62-6, Guardian Angels Central Catholic.

Others receiving votes: Friend.

CLASS D2

1. Falls City Sacred Heart (3-1), 1, def. Johnson-Brock 66-14, at Lewiston.

2. Stuart (4-0), 2, def. Wausa 66-6, CWC.

3. Exeter-Milligan (4-0), 3, def. Giltner 76-62, at Lawrence-Nelson.

4. Humphrey St. Francis (4-0), 4, def. Palmer 76-6, at Hampton.

5. Anselmo-Merna (4-0), 6, def. Pleasanton 90-36, at Sandhills/Thedford.

6. Kenesaw (3-1), 7, def. Alma 64-6, at Parkview Christian.

7. Giltner (2-2), 5, lost to Exeter-Milligan 76-62, Meridian.

8. St. Mary’s (4-0), 9, def. Osmond 28-7, at Randolph.

9. Elwood (3-1), NR, def. Loomis 64-42, Bertrand.

10. Randolph (3-1), NR, def. CWC 52-26, St. Mary’s.

Others receiving votes: Emerson-Hubbard.

Chiefs Offense Hums in 41-14 Rout of Patriots

Posted on September 30, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Perhaps the Kansas City Chiefs gave their neighbors across the parking lot a little bit of inspiration with their impassioned performance against New England.

Jamaal Charles returned from an ankle injury to score three touchdowns, Alex Smith threw for 248 yards and three scores, and the Chiefs routed the Patriots 41-14 on Monday night, getting the sports week off to a smashing start in Kansas City with the Royals preparing to open the baseball playoffs on Tuesday.

“To have back-to-back events like this, Monday night football and a home playoff game, yeah, it’s special,” Smith said. “Right next door to each other.”

Arrowhead Stadium, which was packed to the brim in red-clad Chiefs fans, is just a short walk from Kauffman Stadium, which will surely be packed with blue when the Royals end a 29-year playoff drought against the Oakland Athletics in the AL wild-card game.

Several members of the Royals even showed up for the Chiefs-Patriots game, including starting pitcher James Shields, drawing huge roars when they were shown on the big screens. And some of the Chiefs said they were thinking about returning the favor, including wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Regardless, the Chiefs will be able to spend Tuesday in a celebratory mood.

They held the Patriots’ Tom Brady to 159 yards passing and a touchdown, picking him off twice and returning one for a touchdown. Brady was also strip-sacked by Tamba Hali to set up a Chiefs field goal, capping off a miserable night for the two-time NFL MVP.

“It was just a bad performance by everybody,” Brady said. “We need to make sure we never have this feeling again. We’ve got to figure out what we have to do better.”

The Chiefs forced the Patriots to air it out by stuffing Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley. And when Brady dropped back, their front seven ran roughshod over New England’s suspect offensive line.

It hardly helped the Patriots offense that it was trying to operate on the same night Chiefs fans were trying to reclaim the record for loudest outdoor sports venue. The record was set in the first half, when Guinness World Records noted a noise level of 142.2 decibels — breaking the mark of 137.6 that Seattle Seahawks fans set last season.

“My ears are still ringing,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said with a smile.

Kansas City had 303 yards of offense by halftime, the most against any Belichick-coached team in the first half of a game. That includes his years coaching in Cleveland.

“We just never got anything going. Nothing,” Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. “They just executed. They executed perfectly. We were always out of the game, it seemed.”

Here are a few of the reasons why the Patriots were thumped so soundly:

RUN, RUN, RUN: Charles looked just fine on his sprained right ankle, running for 92 yards. He was spelled by Knile Davis, who added 107 yards on 16 carries. “We kept each other fresh,” Davis said. “When he went in, he did his thing. When I went in, I did my thing.”

TENSE MOMENT: Charles briefly went to the locker room after stumbling into the end zone on his third touchdown of the game. He appeared to grab his hamstring, and Reid said that he received an IV, indicating that he might have been cramping. “I feel sore,” Charles admitted afterward.

BRADY’S STRUGGLES: Brady is completing just 59 percent of his passes through his first four games, his worst rate since becoming the Patriots’ starter in 2001. He is also averaging less than 200 yards passing per game. “I wouldn’t say we’ve had a very productive four games to start, but hopefully we can learn from it and understand the things that we’re doing wrong,” he said. “There’s nobody going to dig us out of the hole. We’ve kind of created it for ourselves and we’re going to have to look each other in the eye and see what kind of commitment we’re willing to make.”

KELCE STARS: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is quickly becoming one of Smith’s favorite targets, had eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. “We know what we can do on our offense and our defense,” Kelce said. “Our defense got a lot of turnovers today, and that was awesome to see.”

GAROPPOLO PLAYS: Rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo got into the game in the fourth quarter for New England, when the outcome was already decided. He was 6 of 7 for 70 yards with a touchdown. “I am a relief pitcher, pretty much,” he said, “so that is my job.”

Chiefs Break Seahawks’ Guinness Noise Record

Posted on September 30, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arrowhead Stadium is once again the loudest outdoor venue in sports.

After claiming the record last season, and then losing it to the Seattle Seahawks, the fans of the Kansas City Chiefs reclaimed the mark with a reading of 142.2 decibels in the first half of their game against the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Guinness World Records was on hand to record the noise level. The record had been 137.6.

To put that in perspective, a jet engine at 100 feet is about 140 decibels, which means the sustained noise in the stadium was enough to jeopardize the hearing of the fans.

Among them were several members of the Kansas City Royals, who will play the Oakland A’s in an AL wild-card game across the parking lot at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.

Autopsy Shows Chiefs LB Belcher Had Brain Damage

Posted on September 29, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An autopsy performed a year after Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his baby’s mother and himself found the 25-year-old sustained the same kind of brain damage that has turned up in other NFL players.

Belcher fatally shot 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins on Dec. 1, 2012, in the couple’s Kansas City home before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself in front of the team’s general manager and head coach.

Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, sued the team, claiming the Chiefs failed to care for her son after he was subjected to repetitive head trauma.

The autopsy found signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease found in athletes and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries. Attorneys for Shepherd and other plaintiffs suing the team released the findings.

Huskers Looking to Dent Michigan St. Defense Again

Posted on September 29, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Michigan State has had one of the nation’s top defenses in recent seasons, and no team has moved the ball better against it than Nebraska.

The 19th-ranked Cornhuskers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) hope the trend continues Saturday night when they meet the No. 10 Spartans (3-1) in East Lansing, Michigan.

In 2012, the Huskers ran for 313 yards in a 28-24 victory, with Ameer Abdullah going for 110. Nebraska’s 473 total yards were 90 more than any other team gained against the Spartans.

In 2013, Nebraska totaled 392 yards against what would end up as the nation’s No. 2 defense. Abdullah had 123 of the Huskers’ 182 rushing yards. The Huskers committed five turnovers and the Spartans won 41-28.

Abdullah Runs Away with Big Ten Honor

Posted on September 29, 2014

For the third time in five weeks, Nebraska I-back Ameer Abdullah earned a Big Ten weekly honor, as the senior was chosen as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday.

Abdullah, who leads the nation in rushing yards and is second in yards per game, rushed for 208 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Saturday’s 45-14 win over Illinois. He totaled 196 yards and all three scores in the first half, as the Huskers raced to a 31-14 lead.

The 208-yard performance marked Abdullah’s third 200-yard effort of the 2014 season and fourth of his collegiate career. His three 200-yard games in 2014 are one shy of the school mark set by Mike Rozier in 1983. Abdullah also climbed into second place on NU’s career lists for 100-yard games (21), career 200-yard games (four) and yards from scrimmage (4,339) while he also pulled within 70 yards of second place on the Huskers’ all-time rushing list. Abdullah had 212 all-purpose yards in the game, increasing his career total to 5,974 yards and moving him within 26 yards of becoming just the seventh player in Big Ten history with 6,000 career all-purpose yards.

The Big Ten honor was one of three awards Abdullah received Monday, as he was also named the Athlon Sports Big Ten Player of the Week and the College Football Performance Awards Running Back of the Week.

The Huskers, who are 5-0 and ranked 19th in the country, take on No. 10 Michigan State this Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. (central) on ABC.

AP Top 25: Huskers Move up Two Spots

Posted on September 29, 2014

The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 27, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

	Record	Pts	Pv
1. Florida St. (27)	4-0	1,416	1
2. Oregon (13)	4-0	1,405	2
3. Alabama (13)	4-0	1,387	3
4. Oklahoma (7)	4-0	1,357	4
5. Auburn	4-0	1,272	5
6. Texas A&M	5-0	1,206	6
7. Baylor	4-0	1,149	7
8. UCLA	4-0	975	11
9. Notre Dame	4-0	972	8
10. Michigan St.	3-1	944	9
11. Mississippi	4-0	906	10
12. Mississippi St.	4-0	848	14
13. Georgia	3-1	788	12
14. Stanford	3-1	643	16
15. LSU	4-1	636	17
16. Southern Cal	3-1	560	18
17. Wisconsin	3-1	502	19
18. BYU	4-0	450	20
19. Nebraska	5-0	445	21
20. Ohio St.	3-1	298	22
21. Oklahoma St.	3-1	246	24
22. East Carolina	3-1	237	23
23. Kansas St.	3-1	216	25
24. Missouri	4-1	145	NR
25. TCU	3-0	109	NR

Others receiving votes: Arizona St. 97, South Carolina 61, Clemson 52, Arizona 43, Marshall 40, Georgia Tech 37, West Virginia 24, Arkansas 18, Maryland 5, Louisville 4, N. Dakota St. 3, Washington 2, NC State 1, Virginia 1.

Abdullah, No. 21 Nebraska Run over Illinois 45-14

Posted on September 28, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Ameer Abdullah ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns, Imani Cross added a career-high 109 yards and a TD, and No. 21 Nebraska beat Illinois 45-14 on Saturday night.

The Cornhuskers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) are off to their best start since 2010 heading into next week’s game at No. 9 Michigan State.

Wearing all-red alternate uniforms on homecoming, the Huskers rushed for 458 of their 624 total yards.

Illinois (3-2, 0-1) started Reilly O’Toole at quarterback in place of Wes Lunt. O’Toole was 17 for 38 for 261 yards and two touchdowns and was intercepted three times, twice by Daniel Davie.

Ex-Buckeyes Linebacker Makes Stop of Fan on Field (Video)

Posted on September 27, 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State staffer Anthony Schlegel, a former linebacker for the Buckeyes, made his first tackle at Ohio Stadium since 2005 when he slammed a fan to the turf late in the first half of his alma mater’s game against Cincinnati on Saturday night.

Schlegel, who is a conditioning coach at Ohio State, intercepted the fan who ran on the field. As the fan was running away from security personnel, Schlegel wrapped his arms around him and threw him to the turf.

A record crowd of 108,362 roared its approval.

The fan was led off the field as Buckeyes players and team personnel congratulated Schlegel on the sideline not far from where he made the tackle.

NFL Commissioner Visits Domestic Violence Hotline

Posted on September 27, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is in Texas visiting the headquarters of the National Domestic Violence hotline.

Goodell and several league officials walked into the Austin office about 7:15 p.m. Saturday for what was expected to be a private two-hour meeting. He and the league have been heavily criticized for how they handled the recent suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who punched his then-fiancee in the face.

Asked for comment, Goodell only said he’s “doing the work, as they say” and that he was invited to visit the hotline.

The hotline was founded in 1996 and is housed in an unmarked building.

Goodell met with 11 former players earlier this week and was told the league must act immediately when someone is accused of domestic violence.