JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers will examine the economic costs and benefits of having an NFL team in the state.
Missouri House Speaker John Diehl said Wednesday he’s asked the Government Oversight and Accountability committee to analyze the past and future benefits the state gets from having the Rams based in Missouri, and the costs, as well as the cost of the stadium, if the team leaves.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke is part of a joint venture building a stadium near St. Louis, and the Rams in January went year-to-year on the lease of the Edward Jones Dome.
Diehl says hypotheticals about the costs of the stadium if the Rams should leave and possible state or local incentives to keep the team in St. Louis cannot be answered until more information is gathered.
Category: Sports
Griffons lose heart breaker at home to Northwest Missouri State 59-58
A chance for a rivalry sweep on Wednesday for the Griffons came up seconds short as the Missouri Western men basketball team dropped a heart breaker in the MWSU Fieldhouse, 59-58, to Northwest Missouri State.
Trailing by one with seven seconds remaining, Cortrez Colbert’s attempt to drive was stopped short when Matt Wallace stripped the ball from Colbert, ending the game. Northwest had a chance to go up by three on the prior possession but Connor Crooker’s layup came up short. Colbert pulled down the rebound before Brett Weiberg called a timeout to draw up the Griffons final play.
The Griffons had their chances leading up to the turnover. Aaron Emmanuel missed a free throw with the Griffons trailing by one and 53 seconds left on the clock. The ball stayed with Missouri Western but Hans Thun would miss a three-point attempt with 50 seconds left.
Northwest outscored Missouri Western by five in the second half after a red hot first frame for MWSU. The Griffons went to halftime with a 32-28 lead on 68 percent shooting from the field, a perfect 100 percent from three and 75 percent from the free throw line. Missouri Western shot 52 percent in the second half but missed all three of their three-point attempts, while Northwest used the three to climb back into the game. The Bearcats went 5-6 from three in the second half.
Cortrez Colbert led all scorers with 20 points. Colbert game MWSU a chance in the second half, making two straight buckets to erase a four-point Northwest lead with 7:35 to go. Another layup from Colbert gave the Griffons a 52-50 lead, then Colbert stretched the MWSU lead to four with his fourth-straight basket, scoring eight straight for the Griffons. Hans Thun scored 10 and Kevin Thomas had eight points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. Emmanuel scored eight points and Dareon Jones finished with seven points and five rebounds that included two free throws with less than two minutes left that pulled the Griffons within one.
With the loss, Missouri Western falls to 9-11 overall and 5-8 in MIAA play. The face Lindenwood for the second time in seven days, hosting the Lions on Feb. 7. Saturday night’s game is also Military Appreciation along with Youth Basketball Night and Boy Scout Night.
— MWSU Sports Information —
Mizzou’s losing streak reaches eight as they fall at Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Retin Obasohan grabbed a rebound to start a fast break, then delivered a behind-the-back pass to Levi Randolph for a dunk with eight minutes left.
The Crimson Tide didn’t score another field goal, or need one. Randolph scored 20 points and Obasohan did a little bit of everything in Alabama’s 62-49 victory over Missouri on Wednesday night, including setting up that emphatic final basket.
“I saw Levi trailing the whole time and I knew he was going to be open,” Obasohan said.
The Tide (14-8, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from two straight losses to hand the Tigers (7-15, 1-8) their eighth consecutive defeat.
Obasohan scored 12 points and Shannon Hale had 10 for Alabama. Randolph, whose career high of 33 points came in the last meeting with Missouri, made 3 of 6 3-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws.
Keanau Post was the Tigers’ only double-digit scorer, finishing with 11 points. Leading scorer Johnathan Williams III had only one of his seven points in the second half.
Keith Shamburger had assists on 11 of Missouri’s 18 baskets.
“It was a close game until the last three or four or five minutes,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “We just haven’t been able to hit the big shot.
“We had two airballs and missed a wide-open layup. When you’re a young team that’s struggling those things tend to pile up on you, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Obasohan, making just his third start of the season in relief of No. 2 scorer Ricky Tarrant, also had eight rebounds and four steals for the Tide.
“Defensively he made some unbelievable hustle plays to ignite our team,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said.
Tarrant missed his second straight game with a lower right leg injury.
Missouri took the lead briefly on Namon Wright’s 3-pointer to open the second half but shortly after that Alabama scored six straight points to take control back. The Tigers couldn’t put together any kind of run after that, failing to reach 50 points for just the second time this season.
“I thought we missed some good shots,” Anderson said. “That’s something that’s bugged us, especially lately, especially depending too much on 3-point shots and not getting to the free-throw line.”
Alabama built a 39-30 on Randolph’s 3-pointer with 13:25 left. Wes Clark responded with a 3 for the Tigers and Post added a basket and foul shot.
Randolph pushed the lead to double digits on a 3-pointer and the final dunk with 8:00 left. The Tide did the rest of its scoring from the free throw line but the final margin was still the biggest.
SOLID SUB
Retin Obasohan also had 11 points against No. 1 Kentucky after being held scoreless and playing a total of 12 minutes in the previous three games.
POOR SHOOTING
Missouri starters Wes Clark (2 of 13) and Namon Wright (2 of 10) both struggled from the floor. Each scored six points.
TIP-INS
Missouri: Made 18 of 56 shots (32.1 percent) and 4 of 23 3-pointers (17.4 percent). The Tigers committed just 10 turnovers.
Alabama: Has won all three meetings with Missouri at Coleman Coliseum. The Tide made 24 of 34 free throws.
UP NEXT
Alabama visits LSU on Saturday.
Missouri hosts Texas A&M on Saturday.
— Associated Press —
Missouri Western women use big first half to rout Bearcats
The Missouri Western women’s basketball team won its third straight home game and second straight overall in impressive fashion, defeating Northwest Missouri State 58-37 Wednesday night in the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Northwest Missouri State failed to match the Griffon first half point total for the entire game. MWSU took a 42-14 lead to halftime on 39 percent shooting from the field, including a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Sarafina Handy had 19 of her career-high 22 points in the first half as the Griffons jumped on the Bearcats early and didn’t let up.
A lower scoring second half saw the Griffons outscored by seven but it still wasn’t enough to close the gap created in the first half. MWSU finished shooting 33 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line. They forced 19 Northwest turnovers which were converted into 29 of Missouri Western’s points.
Handy led all scorers with 22 and added five steals and five rebounds. Tiara Hall had nine with eight rebounds and Ariana Novak finished with seven points and six boards. With the win, Missouri Western moved to 10-9 on the year and 5-8 in MIAA play.
Missouri Western will look for their fourth straight home win and third overall when Lindenwood comes to the fieldhouse on Feb. 7. The Griffons downed Lindenwood, 87-59 on Jan. 31 in St. Charles. Saturday night’s game is also Military Appreciation along with Youth Basketball Night and Boy Scout Night.
— MWSU Sports Information —
K-State’s struggles continue with loss at Texas Tech
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The duo of Toddrick Gotcher and Devaugntah Williams is key for Texas Tech’s offense.
“They’re both wing players,” Red Raiders coach Tubby Smith said. “They’re both shooting guards. That’s their job: to knock down open shots.”
Williams and Gotcher — who combined for 25 of Texas Tech’s 30 second-half points — scored 22 and 15 points, respectively, to lead the Red Raiders to a 64-47 win against Kansas State on Wednesday night.
Both offenses struggled to open the second half, which the Red Raiders (12-11, 2-8 Big 12) entered leading 34-26. The Wildcats (12-11, 5-5 Big 12) scored just two points over the first 5-plus minutes of the second half, and the Red Raiders needed 3:50 to make their first field goal of the half.
But then the Wildcats heated up, trimming the deficit to one point, 45-44, with 7:50 remaining.
The Red Raiders responded with a 14-0 run over 2:46 to build a 59-44 lead with 2:28 left to ice the game. The Wildcats shot 0 of 5 as part of a 5:06 scoring drought that covered part of that period.
“You have one chance to win the game when you come back like that,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said. “I thought they were getting a little tentative, a little stagnant, but we couldn’t get over the hump. It’s disappointing. We just got to go back and keep battling.”
The Red Raiders closed the game on a 19-3 run over the final 5:11 and made 6 of their final 7 field goals. The Wildcats struggled to finish the game, hitting just one of their last nine shots.
Kansas State struggled without sophomore Marcus Foster, the team’s leading scorer (14 points per game) who was suspended for the game due to a violation of team rules. Weber said Foster’s suspension could continue beyond Wednesday.
“Our whole team, we’ve been plagued from the start of the season by immaturity, by lack of discipline and by lack of consistency, on and off the court the whole year,” Weber said. “I feared because we had so many young guys that we wouldn’t have much maturity as a team. Plus, they had too much hype.”
Thomas Gipson scored 13 points to lead the Wildcats in Foster’s absence. Just three other Wildcats scored more than seven points and five players didn’t score.
The Red Raiders improved to 10-0 this season when leading at halftime.
—
TIP-INS
Kansas State: In addition to Foster’s suspension, the Wildcats also suspended freshman Malek Harris for Wednesday’s game against Texas Tech due to a violation of team rules. He entered with an average of 2.2 points and 13.6 minutes per game. As with Foster, Weber isn’t certain when Harris will return.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders dismissed junior forward Justin Jamison from the team Wednesday due to a violation of team rules. In his first season with the team, the junior college transfer appeared in nine games and averaged 2.7 points and 2 rebounds. He was suspended for Texas Tech’s first two games this season. Sophomore Stan Mays also served the second game of an indefinite suspension Wednesday.
STAR POWER
Kansas State’s Nino Williams continued to struggle with a left knee injury that left him, according to Weber, at “60, 65 percent.” Williams shot 2 of 8 and scored four points in 24 minutes before fouling out.
UP NEXT
Kansas State plays host to Texas on Saturday.
Texas Tech travels to Iowa State on Saturday.
— Associated Press —
Griffon football releases 2015 recruiting class
Missouri Western football coach Jerry Partridge has announced the signing of 23 student-athletes to the 2015 team.
The 2015 signing class includes players from six states. Seven players are expected to play on the offensive side of the ball with nine signing to play defense. Another three players could play either way, and the Griffons added three specialists. The class went heavy on big men, with nine of this year’s class expected to play on the offensive or defensive lines.
Partridge’s team is coming off its 10th consecutive winning season, going 7-4 in 2014.
DiJuan Ussery
5-11, 165, Wide Receiver
Rockhill, South Carolina/Coffeyville Community College
“A true boom!” Partridge said. “He’s a big time play maker and will make an impact immediately. Has the highest level of speed.”
Offensive player of the year and MVP at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina…holds state record in 200 m.
Payton Craig
6-2, 205, Quarterback
Oologah, Oklahoma/Oologah H.S.
“I love coach’s kids,” Partridge said. “He was very productive in high school. He has great athleticism, size, arm, strength and knowledge.”
Four-year letter winner…went 227-436 and threw for 3,902 yards with 34 passing touchdowns in his high school career…rushed 315 times for 1,164 yards and 26 touchdowns…was an All-State and All-Conference player at Oologah HS.
Dominic Jamerson
6-0, 180, Running Back
Wardsville, Missouri/Blair Oaks H.S.
“He is one of our very best signees,” Partridge said. “He is a tremendous athlete and person and can play any skill spot on either side of ball.”
Four-year letter winner at Blair Oaks…first team All-State running back as a senior…also lettered four years as a track athlete.
Randy Rouse Jr.
6-3, 260, Offensive Line
Omaha, Nebraska/Benson H.S.
“Shawn is very heady player and extremely athletic,” Partridge said. “It’s great to have a Bunny become a Griff.”
Three-year letter winner…first team All-State (Huskerland Preps) and All-Conference Academic Team…named team’s lineman of the year and scholar athlete of the year.
Colten Hedrick
6-3, 240, Defensive Line
El Dorado Springs, Missouri/El Dorado Springs H.S.
“A Griffon son becomes a Griffon, that’s the way it should be,” Partridge said. “He’s very aggressive and physical and another coach’s kid.”
First team All-SWMO defensive end and offensive line…first team All-District defensive end and second team offensive line…also played basketball and competed in track and field all four years.
Matthew Vincent
5-10, 180, Punter
Lyons, Kansas/Fort Scott Community College
“He has great pop in that leg,” Partridge said. “He wants to get better and will here. He was coached by a Griff at Fort Scott.”
NJCAA Player of the Week…first team All-Jayhawk Conference punter…All-Region Six…two-year captain and an all-league honorable mention punter at Lyons H.S.
Joshua Riggs
6-5, 250, Defensive Line
Maysville, Missouri/Maysville H.S.
“Coached by a Griffon, he has great height and frame,” Partridge said. “His weight is down because of wrestling. He has a lot of desire and upside.”
Two-time All-State state and four-time All-Conference selection…Totaled 40 tackles and 9.5 sacks his senior year…was a two-time All-News-Press selection…is a three-time wrestling state medalist…qualified for state shot put.
Hayden Eatinger
6-3, 275, Offensive Line
Peculiar, Missouri/Ray-Pec H.S.
“I loved him at our camp,” Partridge said. “He’s a learner, an athlete and a cornerstone type of guy with captain potential.”
First team All-Conference two years and voted team offensive lineman of the year…Also named All-District.
Trevor Belmont
6-4, 230, Tight End
Omaha, Nebraska/Omaha Northwest H.S.
“He had a great year in Omaha,” Partridge said. “Trevor has an extremely high ceiling and can be a big time receiving tight end with great hands and a huge frame.”
Finished the 2014 season with 22 catches for 373 yards and two touchdowns…also had 44 total tackles on defense…All-Metro honorable mention as a senior.
Sean Galey
5-10, 180, Kicker
Roeland Park, Kansas/Bishop Miege H.S.
“He’s a very good kicker that will only get better under the coaching we have here,” Partridge said. “He will compete for the job.”
2014 State Champion at Bishop Miege…was first team All-Conference and honorable mention All-State.
Brinden Ewing
6-3, 275, Offensive/Defensive Line
St. Joseph, Missouri/Central H.S.
“We’re very excited about Brinden,” Partridge said. “He has the feet and size and to be very good. I love when St. Joe kids want to be Griffs.”
Three-time All-Conference lineman at Central High School in St. Joseph.
Tanner Pettet
5-9, 180, Kicker
Pleasant Hill, Missouri/Pleasant Hill H.S.
“He has a powerful leg,” Partridge said. “He can kick some sky scrapers; we’re loaded with specialists once again.”
First team All-Conference and All-District as a kicker and punter in 2014…was first team All-Conference and All-District as a kicker in 2013.
Robert Richmond Jr.
5-11, 185, Defensive Back
Willard, Missouri/Willard H.S.
“Man can he tackle,” Partridge said. “He’s fast and physical and is another great get out of the southwest Missouri area.”
First team All-District and All-Area in 2014…was also a second team All-State selection.
Rashon Anderson
6-3, 230, Defensive Line
St. Louis, Missouri/Parkway North H.S.
“Rashon is a reckless and athletic player off the edge,” Partridge said. ” Hi is going to make a lot of plays.”
First team All-Conference and All-District as a defensive end in 2014…was an honorable mention All-Conference pick as a junior.
Connor Haynes
6-1, 230, Defensive Line
St. Joseph, Missouri/Bishop LeBlond H.S.
“Connor is another guy with Griffon lineage who wanted to wear black and gold.” Partridge said. “He’s strong and will work his way onto the field.”
Four year letter winner…second team All-State as a senior…first team All-MEC, All-District and All-News-Press…had 10.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2014.
Blake Burau
6-3, 212, Tight End
Lee’s Summit, Missouri/Lee’s Summit West H.S.
“Another Burau and Titan,” Partridge said. “He will be a tenacious blocker with good hands.”
Won a state championship as a junior…was an honorable mention All-Conference pick as a fullback/tight end…caught eight touchdowns with more than 400 receiving yards over two seasons.
LeAaron Hicks
6-1, 275, Linebacker
Plattsburg, Missouri/Plattsburg H.S.
“He’s another signee with huge upside,” Partridge said. “He’s a big kid with great agility and was an offensive weapon in high school. He’ll move to defense here at Missouri Western.”
All-State, All-KCI and All-District defensive end and running back.
Joseph Boettcher
6-3, 280, Defensive Line
Columbia, Missouri/Rock Bridge H.S.
“Joe Boettcher is going to be a good one,” Partridge said. “He was very active inside in high school and he will thrive at this level.”
A two-year letter winner…was an All-Region player and defensive MVP of his team.
Quendarius Bass
6-2, 260, Defensive Line
St. Joseph, Missouri/Lafayette H.S.
“Quendarius is another St. Joe guy who wants to play for the hometown team,” Partridge said. “Has a very good motor and will be a nice piece to our defensive line.”
Was a an All-State and All-Conference player at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph…had 65 solo tackles, three sacks and 12 tackles for loss his senior season.
Quintin Mueller
5-11, 180, Defensive Back/Wide Receiver
Smithville, Missouri/Smithville H.S.
“Quintin is a great get from Smithville,” Partridge said. “He can play either side of the ball. He’s a very good player and even better human.”
Thomas Bump
6-2, 205 Linebacker
Washington, Iowa/Washington H.S.
“He has the perfect name for a linebacker and he lives up to it.,” Partridge said. “He bumps into things violently and things happen when he’s around.”
Romello Cotman
6-2, 190, Defensive Back
Wichita, Kansas/Wichita Northwest
“Cotman has great length and leaping ability,” Partridge said. “He was one of our early targets out of talent rich Wichita.”
Preston Martin
5-11, 180, Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
St. Joseph, Missouri/Lafayette H.S.
“Another good St. Joe kid,” Coach Partridge said. “He’s a competitor with great athletic ability. A good receiver with good tackling ability.”
— MWSU Sports Information —
Missouri State’s rally comes up short against Loyola
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Earl Peterson and Ben Richardson scored 12 points apiece as Loyola of Chicago held on in the face of a second-half rally to beat Missouri State 53-50 on Wednesday night, snapping a five-game slide.
Montel James added 10 points and led with six rebounds for the Ramblers (14-9, 4-7 Missouri Valley Conference) who hit 20 of 50 (40 percent) from the field overall and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Loyola of Chicago dominated the first period and led 31-19 at the break. But Missouri State rallied in the second half, outscoring the Ramblers 31-22 in the period before ultimately falling short. The Bears (9-14, 3-8) finished 22 of 51 from the field overall including just 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.
Gavin Thurman led Missouri State with 15 points. Camyn Boone added 13 points and seven rebounds.
— Associated Press —
Benedictine football announces huge 2015 recruiting class
Benedictine College football coach Larry Wilcox released his initial list of 2015 signings on Wednesday.
The group of incoming athletes come from 12 states with one international signing.
“The Benedictine College football staff is pleased to announce the freshman class of 2015,” Coach Wilcox said. “These young men have had great high school careers, and we project that they will be an important factor in the future success of our program and sustaining the tradition of Raven football.
“We look forward to their time on our campus as students, athletes and leaders.”
This year’s group of incoming freshman are:
Levi Baker (OL/6’5/300/Atchison, KS/Atchison Community H.S.)
John Becker (QB/6’1/195/Haysville, KS/Wichita Campus)
Andrew Beckman (OL/6’0/250/Ventura, CA/Ventura H.S.)
Calieb Bennett (WR/6’1/200/Odessa, MO/Odessa H.S.)
Mitchell Capra (LB/5’11/200/Nixa, MO/Nixa H.S.)
Dalton Cole (FB/5’11/215/Azle, TX/Azle H.S.)
Devin Cott (RB/5’10/180/Marshall, MO/Marshall H.S.)
Drew Cottrill (LB/SS/6’0/198/Albany, MO/Albany High School)
Michael Crosby (LB/6’0/195/Osage Beach, MO/School of the Osage)
Austin Deeds (K/6’1/195/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Rafael Diaz (K/6’0/180/Atchison, KS/Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Camryn Dozier (WR/6’2/165/Houston, TX/Northland Christian H.S.)
Matt Durnford (FB/5’11/190/Northglenn, CO/Holy Family H.S.)
Tryston Ellison (DB/5’11/175/Republic, MO/Republic H.S.)
Blake Fanning (OLB/6’2/190/Springfield, MO/Republic H.S.)
Kameron Flournoy (FB/LB/5’10/210/Houston, TX/Northland Christian H.S.)
Brighton Gibbs (CB/KR/5’11/170/Keystone Heights,FL/Keystone Heights H.S.)
Matt Golenzer (OL/6’3/270/Littleton, CO/Mullen H.S.)
Zack Hammond (QB/ATH/6’0/182/Monett, MO/Monett H.S.)
Maquel Harbin (DB/6’1/160/Webb City, MO/Webb City H.S.)
Donovan Harns (OL/5’10/290/Joplin, MO/Joplin H.S.)
Logan Harris (WR/6’1/195/Marshall, MO/Marshall H.S.)
Tim Harris (RB/5’7/181/Mountain House, CA/Livermore H.S.)
Nate Hays (WR/6’0/150/Kansas City, KS/Piper H.S.)
Haden Heatherley (OL/6’1/270/Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian H.S.)
Carl Hecht (QB/6’5/210/McLouth, KS/Tonganoxie H.S.)
Brad Hines (TE/6’1/205/Lebanon, OH/Fenwick H.S.)
Charlie Holguin (OL/6’0/270/El Paso, TX/East Lake High School)
Tyler Jenkins (FS/6’3/190/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley H.S.)
Terrell Johnson (DL/6’1/280/Aurora, CO/Mullen H.S.)
Sharod Jones (DB/6’0/170/Greenville, FL/Madison County H.S.)
Kyle Jordan (LB/6’1/210/Naperville, IL/Marmion Academy)
Max Kasap (RB/5’9/180/Earlham, IA/Dowling Catholic H.S.)
Josh MacKay (LB/6’2/218/Georgetown, TX/St. Dominic Savio)
Tanner McClaran (WR/TE/6’1/200/Kansas City, MO/Park Hill South H.S.)
Stephen McClernon (QB/5’11/175/Edmond, OK/Edmond North H.S.)
Ryley Meye, (OL/6’3/280/Morrowville, KS/Washington County H.S.)
Chase Miller (QB/6’3/190/Olathe, KS/Olathe East H.S.)
Matt Miller (WR/KR/5’11/175/Dallas, TX/Dallas Jesuit H.S.)
Devyn Molett (CB/6’0/175/Kirkwood, MO/St. John Vianney H.S.)
Samuel Moller (OL/DL/6’1/270/Upsalla, Sweden/Celsiusskolan Uppsala H.S.)
Benjamin Noel (OL/6’2/240/Marshfield, MO/Marshfield H.S.)
Trent Parra (WR/5’10/160/Webb City, MO/Webb City H.S.)
Spencer Peterson (LB/5’10/225/St. Louis, MO/St. John Vianney H.S.)
Zach Philipp (QB/6’3/215/Petersburg, MI/Summerfield H.S.)
Matthew Piper (LB/6’1/195/Cedar Park, TX/Vista Ridge H.S.)
Wyatt Porter (OLB/6’1/190/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Austin Riley (QB/5’11/160/Lake Ozark, MO/School of the Osage)
DJ Robinson (OL/6’4/275/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest H.S.)
Alexander Rolfes (FS/6’0/180/Arlington, TX/Arlington H.S.)
Reece Rutledge (DE/6’0/205/Stockton, MO/Stockton H.S.)
Collin Samuelson (WR/6’3/185/Lake Ozark, MO/School of the Osage)
Tucker Schlesener (DE/6’1/240/Harrisonville, MO/Harrisonville H.S.)
Shaefer Schuetz (QB/6’0/200/Kansas City, MO/Park Hill South H.S.)
Andrew Scott (WR/6’2/180/Joplin, MO/Carthage H.S.)
Tyler Shephard (LB/6’0/210/Chicago, IL/Hales Franciscan)
Cody Sisson (LB/6’0/210/Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley H.S.)
Jake Smith (QB/6’0/185/Republic, MO/Republic H.S.)
Jared Sommers (OLB/SS/5’11/180/Tonganoxie, KS/Tonganoxie H.S.)
Jack Springer (OL/6’2/275/Tacoma, WA/Woodrow Wilson H.S.)
Vince Stephenson (FS/5’11/185/Roeland Park, KS/Bishop Miege H.S.)
Jake Thies (OL/6’2/260/Lenexa, KS/St. James Academy)
Micah Tinsman (ATH/6’1/235/Ozark, MO/Ozark H.S.)
Kyle Tomc (TE/LB/6’2/200/Kansas City, MO/Liberty H.S.)
Jake Ulmer (WR/6’2/205/Osage Beach, MO/School of the Osage)
Jacob Wise (CB/5’10/170/Camdenton, MO/Camdenton R-III H.S.)
Luke Wozny (LB/6’0/220/Carrollton, MO/Carrollton H.S.)
Andrew Zubia (K/6’0/170/El Paso, TX/Franklin H.S.)
Benedictine finished in a tie for third in the Heart of America Athletic Conference during the fall of 2014 while finishing at No. 25 in the final NAIA Top 25 Football Coaches’ Poll.
They open the 2015 season at home on Aug. 29 against Evangel University at 1 p.m. on O’Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium on the Benedictine campus.
— BC Sports Information —
Nebraska 2015 recruiting class
Lincoln, NEB. – Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley introduced his first Husker recruiting class on Wednesday. The 2015 signing class includes 20 scholarship players that hail from 13 states.
Riley was hired at Nebraska on Dec. 4 and he and his staff quickly put together a class that includes seven offensive players, 12 on the defensive side and one specialist.
Riley said selling the University of Nebraska to recruits was a rewarding experience for him and his staff.
”I think kids also, and especially parents who have input, look at the big picture of going to college and what does this university have to offer. This is where Nebraska is off the charts. The resources for young men here, academic support, life skills, nutrition, just go down the line in all of those things and it is at a high, high level. So they’re joining a place that really knows what it is talking about when it is talking about student athletes and what you can accomplish here. That part of it, that is pretty easy.”
Name Pos. Ht. WT. Hometown High School
Lavan Alston WR 6-0 175 Oxnard, Calif. St. Bonaventure
Avery Anderson* DB 6-0 175 Colorado Springs, Colo. Pine Creek HS
Jalin Barnett OL 6-4 310 Lawton, Okla. Lawton HS
Mohamed Barry LB 6-1 215 Grayson, Ga. Grayson HS
Alex Davis DE 6-5 230 Riviera Beach, Fla. Dwyer HS
Carlos Davis DT 6-2 265 Blue Springs, Mo. Blue Springs HS
Khalil Davis DT 6-2 265 Blue Springs, Mo. Blue Springs HS
Michael Decker OL 6-4 285 Omaha, Neb. North HS
Tyrin Ferguson LB 6-2 200 New Orleans, La. Edna Karr HS
Christian Gaylord OL 6-6 275 Baldwin City, Kan. Baldwin HS
Eric Lee Jr.* DB 6-0 180 Highlands Ranch, Colo. Baldwin HS
Stanley Morgan WR 6-0 185 New Orleans, La. St. Augustine HS
DaiShon Neal DE 6-7 250 Omaha, Neb. Central HS
Jordan Ober LS 6-1 200 Las Vegas, Nev. St. Augustine HS
Devine Ozigbo RB 5-11 225 Saachse, Texas Sachse HS
Antonio Reed DB 6-2 200 Memphis, Tenn. Southaven (Miss.) HS
Matt Snyder TE 6-5 245 San Ramon, Calif. California HS
Adrienne Talan LB 6-1 200 Davie, Fla. Flanagan HS
Aaron Williams* DB 5-11 185 Atlanta, Ga. Carver HS
Dedrick Young* LB 6-1 220 Peoria, Ariz. Centennial HS
The Class Breakdown:
By State: Nebraska (2): Decker (Omaha), Neal (Omaha); California (2): Alston (Oxnard), Snyder (San Ramon); Colorado (2): Anderson (Colorado Springs), Lee (Highlands Ranch); Florida (2): Davis (Riviera Beach), Talan (Davie); Georgia (2):Barry (Grayson), Williams (Atlanta); Louisiana (2): Ferguson, Morgan (New Orleans); Missouri (2): C. Davis, K. Davis (Blue Springs); Arizona (1): Young (Peoria); Kansas (1): Gaylord (Baldwin City); Nevada (1): Ober (Las Vegas); Oklahoma (1): Barnett (Lawton); Tennessee (1): Reed (Memphis); Texas (1): Ozigbo (Sachse).
By Position (First Position Listed):
Offense (7): RB-Ozigbo; WR-Alston, Morgan; TE-Snyder; OL-Barnett, Decker, Gaylord. Defense (12): DL-A. Davis, C. Davis, K. Davis, Neal; LB-Barry, Ferguson, Talan, Young; DB-Anderson, Lee, Reed, Williams
Specialist (1): LS-Ober
— NU Sports Information —
Missouri signs 23 to 2015 football recruiting class
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With back-to-back SEC East Championships and 23 wins over the last two seasons, the Mizzou football program has carried that momentum to the recruiting trail, signing a talented group of student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday (Feb. 4). The 2015 class assembled by Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff, includes 23 prospects, covering 10 states, with eight from Missouri and 17 in all from states within the Southeastern Conference. Included in Mizzou’s talent haul are the top-ranked players in the states of Missouri (QB Drew Lock – Lee’s Summit), Illinois (DL Terry Beckner, Jr. – East St. Louis) and Kansas (OL A.J. Harris – Stilwell).
“We are very excited about this newest group of Tigers,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “This class addresses some very important areas for us on the field, and the group as a whole is made up of a bunch of competitors who are really high-character young men. I’m really proud of my staff for all the work they did to make this happen, and want to say thank-you to everyone who has helped us along the way. We’re looking forward to getting all of them in our MizzouMade program and to continuing to build on the success we’ve had,” he said.
As always, a big emphasis in recruiting is keeping the best players in the state home, and Mizzou has done that in 2015, adding eight Missourians to the roster. Additionally, Mizzou has signed student-athletes from Georgia (3), Kansas (3), Tennessee (3), California (1), Florida (1), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Mississippi (1), and Oregon (1).
Two of the signees are early enrollees at Mizzou, taking classes and gearing up to participate in spring practices with the team. Joining Mizzou for the spring semester are Malik Cuellar (Fortuna, Calif./City College of San Francisco) and Tanner Owen (Kearney, Mo./Kearney High School). They will be on hand for spring practices as the team prepares for the annual Black & Gold Game on April 18 (4 p.m. central time).
As the Mizzou coaches were on the recruiting trail this year, they certainly had a lot of highlights to tout. Mizzou ranks tied for fifth nationally among teams from power conferences in wins since 2007 with 76 in that span. Additionally, Mizzou is tied for the most SEC wins over the last two seasons as well. Gary Pinkel’s team is also one of only three teams from power five conferences to win five conference division championships since 2007.
Sticking with the #MizzouMade brand, Pinkel and his staff have also produced the fifth-most NFL First-Round Draft Picks nationally since 2009 and have led their conference in Academic Progress Rates in each of the last three reports.
Below is a look at all 23 Mizzou signees, arranged alphabetically. For all the latest on Mizzou football, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and GaryPinkel.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouFootball or @mutigersdotcom.
. . . # M I Z Z O U M A D E . . .
2015 MIZZOU FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Prev. School)
Chase Abbington TB 6-2 215 St. Louis, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South HS/Hutchinson CC)
Franklin Agbasimere LB 6-2 220 Lagos, Nigeria (Montverde Academy)
Terry Beckner, Jr. DL 6-4 300 East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis HS)
Malik Cuellar ** OL 6-5 300 Fortuna, Calif. (Fortuna HS/CC of San Francisco)
Marquise Doherty ATH 6-1 205 Kansas City, Mo. (Winnetonka HS)
Corey Fatony P/PK 5-11 185 Franklin, Tenn. (Franklin HS)
Richaud Floyd WR 5-11 175 Gulfport, Miss. (Gulfport HS)
Marcell Frazier DL 6-5 265 Portland, Ore. (Douglas HS/College of Siskiyous)
Emanuel Hall WR 6-3 200 Franklin, Tenn. (Centennial HS)
Terez Hall LB 6-2 215 Lithonia, Ga. (King HS)
A.J. Harris OL 6-4 285 Stilwell, Kan. (Blue Valley HS)
Cam Hilton DB 6-0 180 St. Louis, Mo. (Webster Groves HS)
Nate Howard DL 6-4 235 St. Louis, Mo. (Ladue HS)
Tyler Howell OL 6-8 300 Olathe, Kan. (Bonner Springs HS/Butler County CC)
Tyrell Jacobs DL 6-4 265 Kenner, La. (Rummel HS)
Johnathon Johnson ATH 5-10 175 Memphis, Tenn. (Melrose HS)
Drew Lock QB 6-4 205 Lee’s Summit, Mo. (Lee’s Summit HS)
Josh Moore DL 6-5 260 Olathe, Kan. (Olathe North HS)
Tanner Owen ** OL 6-5 275 Kearney, Mo. (Kearney HS)
Ronnell Perkins ATH 6-0 185 St. Louis, Mo. (University City HS)
Justin Smith WR 6-7 200 Dublin, Ga. (West Laurens HS)
T.J. Warren DB 5-11 190 Conyers, Ga. (Rockdale County HS)
Ryan Williams TB 6-0 180 Lee’s Summit, Mo. (Lee’s Summit West HS)
— MU Sports Information —