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Category: Sports

Chiefs rally past Washington 29-20 to stay unbeaten

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker drilled a 43-yard field goal with 8 seconds left in his first career game, atoning for an earlier miss and helping Kansas City to a 29-20 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday night.

Signed off the Carolina practice squad earlier in the week, Butker missed a 46-yarder in the first half before hitting three attempts in the second. The first tied the score 17-all, the next gave the Chiefs the lead and the last made Kansas City (4-0) the league’s only undefeated team.

The Chiefs put an exclamation point on the win when linebacker Justin Houston picked up a fumble as the Redskins (3-2) were trying to keep the game alive and returned it for a game-ending touchdown.

The last time there was only one unbeaten team through the first four weeks of the season was 2010, when the Chiefs were the final team standing. They went on to win the AFC West.

Alex Smith threw for 293 yards with touchdowns on the ground and through the air, and it was his 37-yard strike to Albert Wilson on a broken play that set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.

Travis Kelce hauled in seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Chiefs rookie Kareem Hunt pounded away 21 times for 101 yards against the Redskins’ stout defensive front.

Kirk Cousins had 220 yards passing and two touchdowns for Washington, but his throw to the end zone with 50 seconds left was dropped by Josh Doctson and forced the Redskins to kick a field goal.

That missed opportunity came back to haunt them less than a minute later.

The Redskins stunned the Chiefs early when Cousins found Terrelle Pryor over star cornerback Marcus Peters for a 44-yard touchdown pass, then drove to the goal line before settling for a field goal.

But the plucky Chiefs slowly fought their way back into the game.

Smith started to find his athletic tight end down the seam, then hit Kelce with a 17-yard TD strike late in the first half. The two connected again on third down shortly after the break, and Smith scored a few plays later when he fooled the defense with a quarterback-keeper.

The Redskins needed fewer than 2 minutes to answer: Cousins’ 69-yard pass to Vernon Davis set up a short throw to Ryan Grant, who also beat Peters, for a touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

It was 17-all after Butker, signed to replace the injured Cairo Santos off Carolina’s practice squad, made his first career field goal. Then, the Chiefs picked apart a Redskins defense down to four healthy defensive backs to set up his 32-yard kick.

After the Redskins tied the game once more, Butker delivered the biggest kick of his life.

PREGAME TRIBUTE

Flags flew at half-staff and there was a moment of silence before the game for victims of the Las Vegas shooting. The Redskins then locked arms for the national anthem, while everyone on the Chiefs side stood with the exception of cornerback Peters and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe.

INJURY WATCH

Redskins cornerback Josh Norman departed in the second quarter with a rib injury , and his backup Quinton Dunbar left early in the fourth. Running back Rob Kelley and safety Deshazor Everett also left with injuries for Washington, while Chiefs right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was sidelined by a left knee injury on their second offensive play.

UP NEXT

Washington gets a bye week before hosting San Francisco on Oct. 13.

Kansas City returns to the road to face Houston on Sunday night.

— Associated Press —

Griffon women’s golf in 4th after day one at Central Oklahoma

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EDMOND, Okla. – The Missouri Western women’s golf team shot a 306 on Monday and is in fourth place after the first round of the UCO RCB Classic at the Golf Club of Edmond.

Shi Qing Ong led Missouri Western with a 1-over-par 72 and is tied for third place after the first round. Chong Yong tied for 16th after she shot a 76 in the round. Tiffanie Yabut carded a 78 to finish inside the top 25. Jenna Kosmatka finished the opening round with an 80 and Katie Irvin scored an 89.

Central Oklahoma leads the team standings with a 293. Chole Thackeray from Southwestern Oklahoma State and Holly Standing from Arkansas Tech lead the individual field with an even-par-71. MWSU tees off the second round on Tuesday at 9 a.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

MWSU’s Doak, Murphy sweep weekly MIAA volleyball awards

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KANSAS CITY – Missouri Western volleyball’s Stephanie Doak and Lauren Murphy have been named MIAA Players of the Week. MWSU swept Northwest Missouri State on Sept. 26 and Southwest Baptist on Sept. 30 and defeated Missouri Southern 3-1 on Sept. 29.

Doak was named Hitter of the Week after she finished with 47 kills, averaged 4.7 kills per set and had a .359 hitting percentage in the three matches. She hit over .429 in two of the three matches as well. Against Missouri Southern, Doak had 22 kills and a .436 hitting percentage. She also had nine digs and four block assists on the week.

Murphy was named Specialist of the Week as she paced the Griffon offense with 140 assists and averaged 14.0 assists per set. She had 41 assists or more in all three of the Missouri Western wins during the week. Murphy had a double-double in a win against Missouri Southern, as she finished with 57 assists and 11 digs. Her weekend also included 16 digs, five kills, two aces and a block assist.

It is the first MIAA Player of the Week honor for both Doak and Murphy in their Missouri Western careers.

— MWSU Athletics —

MIAA hands out weekly football honors

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Kansas City, Mo. – Washburn’s Derrick McGreevy has been named the MIAA Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week while teammate Perry Schmeideler was named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week. Central Oklahoma’s Chas Stallard was named the Offensive Athlete of the Week with Fort Hays State’s Jose Delgado earning the other Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week honor.

MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week
Chas Stallard, QB, Central Oklahoma

Stallard led the Bronchos to a record-setting 53-52 win over Emporia State as UCO trailed by 15 with less than four minutes to play. He passed for two of Central’s three 2-point conversions in the fourth quarter. Stallard finished 32 of 49 with 442 yards and tied the school with six touchdown passes in one game. He broke the school record for most touchdown passes in a career with 40. He also threw for a career-high 442 yards, third-most in one game in school history. Stallard had 478 yards of total offense when adding his 36 rushing yards, which is most ever in one game in school history. The 6-0 senior quarterback is a native of Cleveland, Okla. where he competed at Cleveland High School.

MIAA Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week
Jose Delgado, LB, Fort Hays State

Delgado produced a season-high 14 tackles while adding a sack in the 38-35 win for Fort Hays State at Lindenwood. The junior linebacker had 3.5 tackles for loss and helped the Tigers limit the Lions to just 56 rushing yards. Nine of Delgado’s 14 tackles were on rushes by the Lions. Lindenwood did the majority of its damage through the air with 382 passing yards. The 5-11 junior linebacker is a native of Derby, Kan. where he competed at Derby High School.

MIAA Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week
Derrick McGreevy, LB, Washburn

McGreevy led the Ichabods with 16 tackles with seven solo stops in Washburn’s 35-20 win at Pittsburg State helping a Washburn defense hold the Gorillas to 98 passing yards in the game. The 6-2 junior linebacker is a native of Topeka, Kan. where he competed at Hayden High School.

MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week
Perry Schmeideler, K/P, Washburn

Perry Schmeideler averaged 40.8 yards per punt on six attempts and had five kickoffs for 302 yards averaging 60.4 per kickoff. After Washburn just scored a touchdown to cut the Gorilla lead to 17-14 with 6:01 left in the third quarter, he recovered his own onside kick and one play later Washburn went up for good at 21-17. The 5-11 junior placekicker and punter is a native of Topeka, Kan. where he competed at Washburn Rural High School.

— MIAA Press Release —

K-State’s McCrane named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week

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MANHATTAN, Kan. – With a career-high tying four field goals to help Kansas State earn a 33-20 win over Baylor on Saturday, Wildcat senior place kicker Matthew McCrane has been named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

It is the second weekly conference accolade for McCrane, who also received the honor following the Kansas game in his freshman season of 2014. The Wildcats now have 46 player of the week honors since 2011, the second most in the Big 12, while 25 of those have been of the special teams variety, the most in the Big 12.

A product of Brownwood, Texas, McCrane connected on field goals of 37, 21, 49 and 23 yards on the afternoon, including two in the fourth quarter that secured the win. His 4-for-4 mark was the best perfect game of his career, tied for the second best in school history and tied for the third best in the nation this season. Additionally, his 15 points scored in the game was one shy of setting the single-game school record among kickers.

McCrane improved his career mark to 44-of-50 as his 88.0-percent success rate ranks first in school history and third in the nation. He also ranks first in school history in career extra-point percentage (99.1), second in career field goals made, fourth in career scoring among kickers (234) and eighth overall in scoring.

K-State travels to take on Texas this Saturday at 6 p.m., inside Texas Memorial Stadium.

— KSU Athletics —

No. 24 Missouri Western stays unbeaten in the MIAA with shutout of SBU

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ST. JOSEPH – The 24th-ranked Missouri Western soccer team earned their third consecutive win as they shutout Southwest Baptist 1-0 inside Spratt Stadium Sunday.

The Griffons improve to 9-1 and they’re 3-0 in the MIAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Sydney Cluck scored her fifth goal of the season in the 48th minute. Cluck headed in a Sarah Blakley free-kick from 30 yards out. For Blakley, it is her third assists on the season.

SECOND HALF BLITZ
Missouri Western’s offense when on an attack blitz in the second half. The Griffons fired six shots within the first five minutes of the period. MWSU had six shots on goal in the and outshot SBU 19-3 in the second half alone.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western continues its homestand on Friday as they host Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m. in Spratt Stadium.

— MWSU Athletics —

Royals say farewell to free agents in 14-2 loss to Arizona

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar tipped their caps and likely said goodbye to Kansas City’s fans.

Then the playoff-bound Arizona Diamondbacks ended the regular season with a 14-2 win over the Royals on Sunday.

It didn’t stop the quartet — all pending free agents who have been with Kansas City since 2011 — from going out in memorable fashion.

Manager Ned Yost pulled the group together with one out in the fifth inning. The players hugged behind the pitchers’ mound, then waved their caps to the cheering crowd as they walked off the field. Salvador Perez, who also debuted with Kansas City in 2011, embraced the group on the top step of the dugout.

The foursome keyed the team’s run into consecutive World Series, including a championship in 2015, but now they’re all eligible for free agency.

“The bond we all have, they can never take away from us,” Hosmer said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with these guys the last 10 years of my life, not only that, but growing up with these guys as well.”

The Royals played a video honoring the players after the game, and fans stayed and applauded.

The players also got standing ovations for each of their at-bats. Hosmer homered in the first inning and hugged Moustakas as he crossed the plate.

“I was a wreck all day,” Moustakas said. “After he hit his home run, I had tears in my eyes, and I’m trying to hit. I had no idea what was going on. It was unbelievable. That was one of the coolest moments that I’ve been a part of, watching the fans of Kansas City give an ovation and then going out there and hitting a home run. I couldn’t believe that happened.

“Going into this offseason, we don’t know what’s ahead of us. It’s our first time doing this, so no telling what can happen.”

Before those four players arrived, Kansas City hadn’t been to the postseason since winning the 1985 World Series. The Royals had the worst record in the majors from 2000-09, losing 100 or more games four times.

“They’ve created a legacy for this organization and a standard to try to move forward and uphold,” Yost said before the game. “They’ve turned this organization into a model of consistency. It’s been a great run. It’s all attributed to them.

“But not only did the fortunes of the Kansas City Royals turn around, but the fan base has been wrapped up in this team for years and years with these kids. It’s really kind of transformed the city a little bit too and energized the city in a small part. Their presence here has effected this city in a pretty big way.”

Gregor Blanco had three hits, two walks and three stolen bases for Arizona. Jeremy Hazelbaker hit a three-run homer in the fifth off starter Jason Vargas (18-11), who finished tied for the major league lead in victories.

“I’m very proud of the things we did in the course of the year,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We checked a lot of boxes. We did some things that I asked these guys to do from the first game of the season on. I’m proud of these guys for that, and I’m proud to be their manager. But we still have a few more boxes to check.”

Anthony Banda (2-3) picked up the win in relief. Silvino Brancho struck out five in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

FRESHEN UP

Arizona starter Robbie Ray left after 23 pitches and 1 2/3 innings. Lovullo said he wanted Ray sharp but fresh in case he is needed for the NL wild-card game against Colorado on Wednesday.

“I have no reservations at all,” Ray said of being utilized out of the bullpen in the wild-card game. “I think everybody’s kind of champing at the bit. We’re doing everything we can to prepare for that one game.”

FINAL STANDINGS

The Diamondbacks finished the season 93-69 after going 69-93 in 2016. The Royals dropped to 80-82, one game worse than in 2016.

GOLDSCHMIDT SLUMPING

Arizona slugger Paul Goldschmidt went 0 for 2 and ended his season with a .297 batting average, hitless in his final 17 at-bats. He finished August with a .319 batting average, but hit just .171 the rest of the season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: SS Ketel Marte departed in the fifth inning with left hamstring tightness after legging out an infield single. He is considered day-to-day. “There’s nothing to be totally alarmed about, but we’ll re-evaluate him tomorrow,” Lovullo said. … RHP Jimmie Sherfy, who has not pitched since Sept. 24 because of triceps tightness, will throw a bullpen Monday. Arizona has not yet decided whether he is healthy enough to be on the wild-card roster. … OF Ray Fuentes had upper-back tightness and was held out. … OF David Peralta had a stiff back and did not play. … SS Chris Owings (fractured right middle finger) is scheduled to play in an instructional league game Monday. He could be used as a pinch runner in the postseason.

Royals: RHP Nathan Karns (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery) said he anticipates he will start playing catch in early November after having not picked up a ball since July. He went on the disabled list in late May with a right extensor strain and nerve irritation. “It won’t be an issue in spring training,” he said. “I’m not worried about it.” … Perez (left groin strain) missed the last three games.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke will start the wild-card game. He is 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in five starts against Colorado this season. RHP Jon Gray will be the Rockies starter.

Royals: They open the 2018 season at home against the White Sox.

— Associated Press —

Northwest soccer comes up short against Missouri Southern 1-0

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The Northwest Missouri State University soccer team fell to Missouri Southern, 1-0, on Sunday at Bearcat Pitch in Maryville, Mo.

The Bearcats fall to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play. Missouri Southern improves to 1-6-2 overall and 1-2 in conference action.

Northwest outshot the Lions, 24-9, including a 13-2 advantage in the second half.

Key Northwest Statistics
– The Bearcats were whistled for eight fouls while Missouri Southern had 16 fouls.

– Northwest had 10 corner kicks to the Lions’ six.

– Missouri Southern scored in the sixth minute on a scramble in the box.

– Emily Madden had a match-high five shots with three coming on goal.

– Bri Wawiorka and Kayla Ellis each had four shots. Izzy Romano and Madie Krueger each had three shots with one on goal.

Up Next
– Northwest remains at home for two more matches next weekend starting on Friday, Oct. 6 against Fort Hays State at 3 p.m. at Bearcat Pitch.

— Northwest Athletics —

St. Louis falls to Milwaukee 6-1 in final game of 2017

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers’ season is over, but they took some satisfaction from challenging the Cubs in the NL Central and staying in contention until the final weekend.

For the Cardinals, 2017 fell short of the franchise’s always lofty expectations.

Aaron Wilkerson took a perfect game into the sixth inning, Brett Phillips hit a three-run homer and the Brewers beat St. Louis 6-1 on Sunday, closing out their near-miss of a season with the best record of any team that did not make the playoffs.

Jesus Aguliar added a two-run homer in the eighth for the Brewers, who finished 86-76, 13 games ahead of last year’s pace. They were in first place or tied for the top spot in the NL Central for 65 days, but ultimately they were eliminated from wild-card contention with a loss on Saturday.

“It’s still a season that we’re proud of,” shortstop Eric Sogard said. “We’ll keep our heads held high and we’ll be excited about the future for this team.”

St. Louis finished 83-79, three games worse than last year. The Cardinals failed to make the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2007-2008.

“No matter what happens, if you don’t make the (playoffs) it’s not a good year,” said catcher Yadier Molina, who missed the last six games with concussion-like symptoms.

Herman Perez had hoped to make a different kind of history in the meaningless game by playing all nine positions, just as Andrew Romine did Saturday night for the Tigers, but manager Craig Counsell nixed the idea after a couple innings.

“I rained on the parade,” Counsell said. “I wanted to win the game.”

Perez, known for his utility skills, started the game at third base and moved to shortstop for the second. That’s when Counsell stepped in.

“I respected his decision,” Perez said. “Maybe I can do it another time.”

Perez, who was hoping to become the sixth player in major league history to play every position in a game, would have had a tough time bouncing Wilkerson (1-0) off the mound.

Making his second start of the season, Wilkerson allowed one run on two hits over seven innings. He set down the first 17 hitters before Jose Martinez delivered a pinch-hit single to right with two out in the sixth.

“I just stuck with the game plan,” Wilkerson said. “To have a start like this at the end of the season bodes well going into spring training.”

Counsell was impressed with the rookie.

“The big thing was he just pounded the strike zone,” Counsell said. “He threw a ton of strikes. He was very efficient.”

Phillips, a September call-up, highlighted a four-run first inning with his fourth homer of the season.

“He’s a player that’s made us maybe change the way we think about things this offseason.” Counsell said.

Randal Grichuk homered in the seventh for the Cardinals, who lost four of their last five.

“There are a lot of positives,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “And there are things we’ve got to get better at.”

Jack Flaherty (0-2) gave up five hits and four runs over five innings.

The Cardinals drew 3,447,937 fans, the fifth-highest attendance in franchise history. It was their 14th successive season of 3 million-plus.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday. The recovery time is six weeks, and he expects to be healthy in time for next season. …3B Aledmys Diaz left in the second inning with a hamstring issue.

UP NEXT:

Brewers: Milwaukee opens the 2018 season on March 29 against the Padres in San Diego.

Cardinals: St. Louis’ next game will be March 29 on the road against the Mets.

— Associated Press —

Griffons dominate Northeastern State 65-17

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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Missouri Western football team scored on its first four possessions and never looked back on the way to the most points by a Griffon football team since 2011.

Missouri Western (3-2) won its first road game of the 2017 season 65-17 at Northeastern State Saturday. While the score total was the most since the Griffons put 81 on Lincoln in 2011, it was an impressive bounce-back defensive effort that stuck out Saturday in Oklahoma.

DEFENSE REBOUNDS
Missouri Western shut out Northeastern State in the first half and limited the RiverHawks to 293 yards and 15 first downs in the game. The Griffons picked off two Northeastern State passes, recovered three fumbles and had three sacks on the day. It was a group effort with no Griffon totaling more than four tackles. Markel Fluker had four tackles, all solo stops with a sack, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Cale Cornman also had four tackles with a sack and a forced fumble. Cornman also blocked a field goal attempt, the fourth by the Griffons this year. One of the interceptions went for six as Tyrell Robison returned an interception 29 yards, tight-roping the sideline and hurdling a defender into the end zone.

DON’T NEED YARDS TO SCORE POINTS
The Griffon offense had a modest 470 yards despite scoring 65 points. The defense and special teams helped set up the Griffons with short fields. Still Missouri Western averaged 6.7 yards per play, rushing for 299 yards and passing for 171. Joshua Caldwell just managed his third-straight 100-yard rushing performance with 101 on the ground and one rushing touchdown.

SPREADING THE LOVE
Nine different Griffons registered carries in the game, with five different players scoring rushing touchdowns. Seven different Griffons caught passes, none more than two with Austin Burau and Dijuan Ussery each pulling in receiving touchdowns.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts Lindenwood (2-3) next Saturday, Oct. 7 for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

— MWSU Athletics —

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