<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726759400212.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;2024 Great Bend Panthers 3rd Grade" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;2024 Great Bend Panthers 3rd Grade</figcaption>
 </figure>2	Ethan	Vainer	Eisenhower7	Bryson	Combs	Jefferson8	Landon 	Becker	Lincoln10	Kaeson	Demel	Holy Family11	Gabriel	Ringo	Lincoln12	Kohan	Honomichl Lincoln13	Rhett	Nairn	Jefferson15	Braxton	Pangburn	Lincoln17	Rhett	Zecha	CKCA18	Parker	Schartz	Jefferson20	Mack	Elsen	Lincoln28	Rodrigo	Perales	Eisenhower32	Weston	Herl	Eisenhower33	Grayson	Haltom	Lincoln87	Owen	Hiss	Holy Family99	Ethan	Hiss	Holy FamilyHead Coach Mike RingoAssistant CoachesAlex ElsenTyler NairnAaron SchartzKyle RiggsMatt HissDakota Zecha

2024 Great Bend Panthers 3rd Grade

On behalf of all staff, participants, supporters, ambassadors, sponsors, corporate partners, and nobles across Kansas, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. Board of Directors is proud to announce a donation of $150,000 to benefit Shriners Children’s and the many Kansas children whose lives are greatly impacted by the care received at Shriners Children’s. According to Shriners Children’s, more than 320 children from over 125 different cities in Kansas have received care from Shriners Children’s in the last 10 years. The $150,000 donation, generated by the success of the 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth in Emporia and the inaugural KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals in Wichita, matches the second highest single-year contribution by the organization in its 51-year history. Since 1974, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. has donated just shy of $4.0 million to Shriners Children’s.

In addition to the major financial contribution, as a result of the 2024 KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals and the 51st&nbsp;Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. was able to provide camps and programming for over 500 student-athletes and musicians from across Kansas. These camps provide students the opportunity to learn first-hand the impact their participation has on the lives of the many children served by Shriners Children’s. Through the interaction and activities they participate in during camp with the Shriners Children’s Patient Ambassadors and their families, these students become active participants in helping spread awareness for the outstanding philanthropic work being done by Shriners.

The 2nd&nbsp;Annual KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and the 52nd&nbsp;Annual Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas. To learn more about the many opportunities available to be a part of these events and help make the biggest impact possible for Shriners Children’s, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. Additional event information and history can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.

The Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces annual events and related activities to benefit Shriners Children’s. Donations to the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (EIN 48-0807815). Shriners Children’s is a world-renowned healthcare system with hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers and outreach locations across the globe. Shriners Children’s is dedicated to improving the lives of children every day by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726758237307.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On behalf of all staff, participants, supporters, ambassadors, sponsors, corporate partners, and nobles across Kansas, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. Board of Directors is proud to announce a donation of $150,000 to benefit Shriners Children’s and the many Kansas children whose lives are greatly impacted by the care received at Shriners Children’s. According to Shriners Children’s, more than 320 children from over 125 different cities in Kansas have received care from Shriners Children’s in the last 10 years. The $150,000 donation, generated by the success of the 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth in Emporia and the inaugural KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals in Wichita, matches the second highest single-year contribution by the organization in its 51-year history. Since 1974, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. has donated just shy of $4.0 million to Shriners Children’s.In addition to the major financial contribution, as a result of the 2024 KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals and the 51st&nbsp;Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. was able to provide camps and programming for over 500 student-athletes and musicians from across Kansas. These camps provide students the opportunity to learn first-hand the impact their participation has on the lives of the many children served by Shriners Children’s. Through the interaction and activities they participate in during camp with the Shriners Children’s Patient Ambassadors and their families, these students become active participants in helping spread awareness for the outstanding philanthropic work being done by Shriners.The 2nd&nbsp;Annual KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and the 52nd&nbsp;Annual Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas. To learn more about the many opportunities available to be a part of these events and help make the biggest impact possible for Shriners Children’s, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. Additional event information and history can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.The Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces annual events and related activities to benefit Shriners Children’s. Donations to the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (EIN 48-0807815). Shriners Children’s is a world-renowned healthcare system with hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers and outreach locations across the globe. Shriners Children’s is dedicated to improving the lives of children every day by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Kansas Shrine Bowl announces $150,000 donation

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

A late cherry-on-the-top goal didn't tell the story in Wednesday evening's conference battle in Arkansas City as the 14th ranked Barton Community College men's soccer team fell 2-0 at 4th ranked Cowley College.

The loss drops Barton to 1-3-0 in the KJCCC and 5-3-0 overall while Cowley stays atop the standings at 4-0-1 and 6-0-1 on the year.

Barton looks to end its two-game slide at the hands of the conference leaders this Saturday hosting Garden City Community College in a 1:00 p.m. kick at Cougar Field to begin a five-game homestand stretch.

Cowley's eventual game winner came just under nine minutes into the contest, making the most of a deflected uncleared attempt by sending the loose ball inside far post.

The Cougars' lone corner kick ironically resulted in the cushion net rattler, the missed set piece opportunity turning into a Cowley counterattack ending in the back of the net with sixty-one seconds remaining.

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoA late cherry-on-the-top goal didn't tell the story in Wednesday evening's conference battle in Arkansas City as the 14th ranked Barton Community College men's soccer team fell 2-0 at 4th ranked Cowley College.The loss drops Barton to 1-3-0 in the KJCCC and 5-3-0 overall while Cowley stays atop the standings at 4-0-1 and 6-0-1 on the year.Barton looks to end its two-game slide at the hands of the conference leaders this Saturday hosting Garden City Community College in a 1:00 p.m. kick at Cougar Field to begin a five-game homestand stretch.Cowley's eventual game winner came just under nine minutes into the contest, making the most of a deflected uncleared attempt by sending the loose ball inside far post.The Cougars' lone corner kick ironically resulted in the cushion net rattler, the missed set piece opportunity turning into a Cowley counterattack ending in the back of the net with sixty-one seconds remaining.

Barton men drop battle of nationally ranked teams in Arkansas City

The 5th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team returned to conference play this evening in Liberal with a straight set sweep at Seward County Community College (25-11, 25-14, 27-25).

The Cougars were all over the host Saints in the first two sets, but re-energized home squad made things interesting by racing out to a 4-0 lead in the third. Barton battled back to tie it at 7 and eventually take a 12-11 advantage before the Saints' three straight regained the lead. Appearing the match would be headed to a fourth frame, Barton rallied back from not only a 23-18 deficit but would have to fight off a pair of set points in prevailing for the third straight sweep early in the conference season.

Barton improves to 3-0 in KJCCC play and 16-1 overall while Seward County falls to 2-2 and 5-8 on the year.

Next up is Saturday's 6:00 p.m. hosting of Dodge City Community College to set the stage for the reunion and ring presentation ceremony of the men's basketball 2024 National Championship.

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe 5th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team returned to conference play this evening in Liberal with a straight set sweep at Seward County Community College (25-11, 25-14, 27-25).The Cougars were all over the host Saints in the first two sets, but re-energized home squad made things interesting by racing out to a 4-0 lead in the third. Barton battled back to tie it at 7 and eventually take a 12-11 advantage before the Saints' three straight regained the lead. Appearing the match would be headed to a fourth frame, Barton rallied back from not only a 23-18 deficit but would have to fight off a pair of set points in prevailing for the third straight sweep early in the conference season.Barton improves to 3-0 in KJCCC play and 16-1 overall while Seward County falls to 2-2 and 5-8 on the year.Next up is Saturday's 6:00 p.m. hosting of Dodge City Community College to set the stage for the reunion and ring presentation ceremony of the men's basketball 2024 National Championship.

Fifth-ranked Cougar volleyball team pick up sweep at Seward County

MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4 Wednesday night. Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances. Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers (90-62), who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits. The Dodgers reached 90 victories for the 11th consecutive season of 162 games.

SEATTLE (AP) — A year ago, the New York Yankees were knocked out of playoff contention with a week to go in the regular season, ending a string of six straight postseason appearances. Remembering what that was like made wrapping up a playoff berth with more than a week left this time around feel that much better. “We’ve been through a lot already this year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We understand it’s just a first step — but it’s an important one. We’re in the dance.” After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees secured their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night.

Coco Gauff split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-women-final-live-updates-2f95f716e0336551d27920bc32b3f9bb">one Grand Slam title together</a>, the pair announced Wednesday via separate messages on social media. The end of their partnership comes 2 1/2 weeks after Gauff’s defense of her 2023 championship at the U.S. Open&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-9-1-2024-live-updates-0286357f22f9031f60c1c2b66e6c912c">unraveled amid 19 double-faults</a>&nbsp;during a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-2024-watch-guide-betting-schedule-73f4f2f3ec2811142b4655bbb3f74995">Flushing Meadows</a>. That Sept. 1 loss was the latest in a series of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-preview-coco-gauff-2d33e4f4eeb3fd23f7b80bf0d1789c66">disappointing-for-her results in recent months</a>&nbsp;for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings. It was after a first-round exit at Wimbledon last season that Gauff really took off with the help of the coaching duo of Gilbert and Pere Riba. Riba wasn’t with her this year.

The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon’s biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. They paid $125 million for the franchise. Some 300 invited guests attended a kickoff event at Portland’s Moda Center on Wednesday afternoon with the Bhathals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and other state and local officials. Afterward, there was community-wide event outside the stadium.

WEDNESDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball American League

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707734642080.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4 Wednesday night. Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances. Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers (90-62), who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits. The Dodgers reached 90 victories for the 11th consecutive season of 162 games.SEATTLE (AP) — A year ago, the New York Yankees were knocked out of playoff contention with a week to go in the regular season, ending a string of six straight postseason appearances. Remembering what that was like made wrapping up a playoff berth with more than a week left this time around feel that much better. “We’ve been through a lot already this year,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We understand it’s just a first step — but it’s an important one. We’re in the dance.” After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees secured their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night.Coco Gauff split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-women-final-live-updates-2f95f716e0336551d27920bc32b3f9bb">one Grand Slam title together</a>, the pair announced Wednesday via separate messages on social media. The end of their partnership comes 2 1/2 weeks after Gauff’s defense of her 2023 championship at the U.S. Open&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-9-1-2024-live-updates-0286357f22f9031f60c1c2b66e6c912c">unraveled amid 19 double-faults</a>&nbsp;during a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-2024-watch-guide-betting-schedule-73f4f2f3ec2811142b4655bbb3f74995">Flushing Meadows</a>. That Sept. 1 loss was the latest in a series of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-open-preview-coco-gauff-2d33e4f4eeb3fd23f7b80bf0d1789c66">disappointing-for-her results in recent months</a>&nbsp;for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings. It was after a first-round exit at Wimbledon last season that Gauff really took off with the help of the coaching duo of Gilbert and Pere Riba. Riba wasn’t with her this year.The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon’s biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, who also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League. They paid $125 million for the franchise. Some 300 invited guests attended a kickoff event at Portland’s Moda Center on Wednesday afternoon with the Bhathals, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and other state and local officials. Afterward, there was community-wide event outside the stadium.WEDNESDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball American LeagueLA Angels 4, Chicago White Sox 3Cleveland 5, Minnesota 4Boston 2, Tampa Bay 1Detroit 4, Kansas City 2NY Yankees 2, Seattle 1Texas 2, Toronto 0National LeagueArizona 9, Colorado 4&nbsp;LA Dodgers 8, Miami 4Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 1St. Louis 01, Pittsburgh 5NY Mets 10, Washington 0Milwaukee 2, Philadelphia 1InterleagueOakland 5, Chicago Cubs 3San Francisco 5, Baltimore 3San Diego 4, Houston 0

Thursday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tarik Skubal allowed three hits over five innings for his 17th win and the streaking Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night to move within a half game of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

Riley Greene hit a go-ahead home run as the Tigers (80-73) won their fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games. With the series sweep, Detroit won for the 25th time in 35 games to move within a half game of Minnesota (80-72) for the third AL wild-card spot.

Skubal (17-4), who has won his last five decisions, made his case for the AL Cy Young Award stronger by matching Atlanta’s Chris Sale for the major league lead in wins and lowered his AL-leading earned run average to 2.48. He walked one and struck out seven.

Skubal had struggled against the Royals in the past, entering Wednesday with a 2-9 record and 5.05 ERA in 12 starts over 14 appearances. After allowing three hits and Yuli Gurriel’s two-out RBI single in the first inning, he threw four hitless innings.

The Royals (82-71), who lost their fourth straight, were swept for the first time at home this season and the third time overall. They remained 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot and 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/orioles-giants-score-6ec70e02cd2b3f67760e8e2272f1fdaf">The Orioles</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/twins-guardians-score-cb19462f4d0652f6799b22b30297f003">Twins both lost</a>&nbsp;earlier Wednesday.

Skubal struck out major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. twice before hitting him with a pitch in the fifth. Witt, who became the first player in major league history&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-bobby-witt-jr-steals-homers-2f244fb981427ad0622cbc0d73c200df">with multiple seasons of 30 home runs and 30 steals</a>&nbsp;in his first three seasons Tuesday, broke Hal McRae’s 1977 franchise record with his 87th extra-base hit of the season with a bloop double to lead off the eighth.

Salvador Perez, who finished with two hits, then drove in Witt with a single off reliever Brenan Hanifee. Sean Guenther preserved the 4-2 lead with a double play and a fly out. Guenther got the first out of the ninth and Will Vest got the final two for his second save.

Royals starter Alec Marsh (8-9), coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts in his last start, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.

Greene slugged a 427-foot home run to right, his career-high 24th, to lead off the third. Trey Sweeney made it 4-1 with a two-run double down the right-field line later in the inning.

Perez and Gurriel, who is hitting .385 since the Royals acquired him from Atlanta, each had two hits for the Royals.

UP NEXT Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-7, 3.29) is scheduled to start Friday’s home series opener against San Francisco. Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants and 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season at home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726715949210.png" alt="Detroit Tigers' Jace Jung (17) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to score on a double by Trey Sweeney during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Detroit Tigers' Jace Jung (17) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to score on a double by Trey Sweeney during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tarik Skubal allowed three hits over five innings for his 17th win and the streaking Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night to move within a half game of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining.Riley Greene hit a go-ahead home run as the Tigers (80-73) won their fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games. With the series sweep, Detroit won for the 25th time in 35 games to move within a half game of Minnesota (80-72) for the third AL wild-card spot.Skubal (17-4), who has won his last five decisions, made his case for the AL Cy Young Award stronger by matching Atlanta’s Chris Sale for the major league lead in wins and lowered his AL-leading earned run average to 2.48. He walked one and struck out seven.Skubal had struggled against the Royals in the past, entering Wednesday with a 2-9 record and 5.05 ERA in 12 starts over 14 appearances. After allowing three hits and Yuli Gurriel’s two-out RBI single in the first inning, he threw four hitless innings.The Royals (82-71), who lost their fourth straight, were swept for the first time at home this season and the third time overall. They remained 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot and 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/orioles-giants-score-6ec70e02cd2b3f67760e8e2272f1fdaf">The Orioles</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/twins-guardians-score-cb19462f4d0652f6799b22b30297f003">Twins both lost</a>&nbsp;earlier Wednesday.Skubal struck out major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. twice before hitting him with a pitch in the fifth. Witt, who became the first player in major league history&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-bobby-witt-jr-steals-homers-2f244fb981427ad0622cbc0d73c200df">with multiple seasons of 30 home runs and 30 steals</a>&nbsp;in his first three seasons Tuesday, broke Hal McRae’s 1977 franchise record with his 87th extra-base hit of the season with a bloop double to lead off the eighth.Salvador Perez, who finished with two hits, then drove in Witt with a single off reliever Brenan Hanifee. Sean Guenther preserved the 4-2 lead with a double play and a fly out. Guenther got the first out of the ninth and Will Vest got the final two for his second save.Royals starter Alec Marsh (8-9), coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts in his last start, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.Greene slugged a 427-foot home run to right, his career-high 24th, to lead off the third. Trey Sweeney made it 4-1 with a two-run double down the right-field line later in the inning.Perez and Gurriel, who is hitting .385 since the Royals acquired him from Atlanta, each had two hits for the Royals.UP NEXT Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-7, 3.29) is scheduled to start Friday’s home series opener against San Francisco. Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants and 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season at home.

Tarik Skubal earns 17th win as Tigers beat Royals 4-2

- Great Bend Panther volleyball coach Shelly Duvall

- St. John Tiger football coach Scott Krehbiel

- "Voice of the Fort Hays State Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1pjTDSWIMbg?si=SEUh075T_NGMU9Hl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Great Bend Panther volleyball coach Shelly Duvall- St. John Tiger football coach Scott Krehbiel- "Voice of the Fort Hays State Tigers" Gerard Wellbrock- Wednesday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Wednesday on Sports Day(Watch)

The Lady Panther volleyball team ended the briefest of skids Tuesday night in Manhattan. Great Bend suffered its first loss of the season against No. 4 Clay Center (4A) to close out the Riley County tournament on Saturday. Tuesday, the Lady Panthers dropped their first two sets of a triangular to Manhattan. Great Bend ended the streak by beating Hays to move to 9-2 on the season.

Manhattan took both sets from the Panthers 25-19. Sophomore Kya Behr and senior Kara Feist combined for 13 of the team's 19 kills in the match. Behr had the lone ace, and freshman Micah Ellegood had the lone block. Behr added 10 assists while freshman Mikala Minton finished with four. Junior Ava Kaiser was busy in the back row with 10 digs. Behr and junior Kimberly Hofflinger each added seven digs, and Minton finished with five.

Great Bend battled with Hays for three sets 25-22, 17-25, 25-22.&nbsp;

The Lady Panthers host Junction City on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.

Great Bend Post SportsThe Lady Panther volleyball team ended the briefest of skids Tuesday night in Manhattan. Great Bend suffered its first loss of the season against No. 4 Clay Center (4A) to close out the Riley County tournament on Saturday. Tuesday, the Lady Panthers dropped their first two sets of a triangular to Manhattan. Great Bend ended the streak by beating Hays to move to 9-2 on the season.Manhattan took both sets from the Panthers 25-19. Sophomore Kya Behr and senior Kara Feist combined for 13 of the team's 19 kills in the match. Behr had the lone ace, and freshman Micah Ellegood had the lone block. Behr added 10 assists while freshman Mikala Minton finished with four. Junior Ava Kaiser was busy in the back row with 10 digs. Behr and junior Kimberly Hofflinger each added seven digs, and Minton finished with five.Great Bend battled with Hays for three sets 25-22, 17-25, 25-22.&nbsp;The Lady Panthers host Junction City on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.

Lady Panther volleyball team falls to Manhattan, beats Hays

The Barton Community College men's golf team opened the season by climbing three spots in the final round of the two-day Central Kansas Classic to finish 7th overall of the fourteen team 10th Annual event.

The Cougars carded 303 opening round on Monday and following the afternoon round being canceled due to weather, returned to McPherson's Turkey Creek Golf Course on Tuesday morning in tenth position before firing a 298 in moving up the team placings with a combined 41-over 601 score.

Leading the five-man Barton squad were a pair of sophomores as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>&nbsp;placed 7th in the 73-man field with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>&nbsp;finishing in the 17th position.

Lambert's opening 1-under 69 sat in the third spot after Monday but slipped four spots during final day action with a 4-over 74 in accumulating a 3-over 143 total for the two rounds.

Chevallier made one of the tournaments largest final round charges up the leaderboard following an opening 6-over with a fourteen spot climb behind a 1-over 71 card moving into the top-20 with a 7-over 147.

<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;led the trio of freshman on consistent 8-over and 7-over cards for a two-spot climb to 42nd on a 15-over 155 accumulation.

One stroke behind in 45th was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>, climbing eight spots following an 80 card with a 76 for a 16-over 156, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/reynolds_talon_qxp0">Talon Reynolds</a>&nbsp;rounded out the entries in 52nd at 19-over 159 behind near identical 80 and 79 cards.

The Barton men return to the links next Monday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the two-day Bent Tree Intercollegiate Showcase held at the Bent Tree Golf Course.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726662653438.jpeg" alt="Wintakorn Suwanmuang" />
 <figcaption>Wintakorn Suwanmuang</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College men's golf team opened the season by climbing three spots in the final round of the two-day Central Kansas Classic to finish 7th overall of the fourteen team 10th Annual event.The Cougars carded 303 opening round on Monday and following the afternoon round being canceled due to weather, returned to McPherson's Turkey Creek Golf Course on Tuesday morning in tenth position before firing a 298 in moving up the team placings with a combined 41-over 601 score.Leading the five-man Barton squad were a pair of sophomores as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>&nbsp;placed 7th in the 73-man field with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>&nbsp;finishing in the 17th position.Lambert's opening 1-under 69 sat in the third spot after Monday but slipped four spots during final day action with a 4-over 74 in accumulating a 3-over 143 total for the two rounds.Chevallier made one of the tournaments largest final round charges up the leaderboard following an opening 6-over with a fourteen spot climb behind a 1-over 71 card moving into the top-20 with a 7-over 147.<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;led the trio of freshman on consistent 8-over and 7-over cards for a two-spot climb to 42nd on a 15-over 155 accumulation.One stroke behind in 45th was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>, climbing eight spots following an 80 card with a 76 for a 16-over 156, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/reynolds_talon_qxp0">Talon Reynolds</a>&nbsp;rounded out the entries in 52nd at 19-over 159 behind near identical 80 and 79 cards.The Barton men return to the links next Monday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the two-day Bent Tree Intercollegiate Showcase held at the Bent Tree Golf Course.

Cougar golf climbs in final day of season opening Central Kansas Classic

The Lady Panther tennis team will take a few days off. But first, the squad traveled to Dodge City Tuesday for an 8-team invite that included two Dodge City teams. Garden City scored 61 points to edge out Dodge's A team by a single point. Great Bend's 50 points were 12 more than fourth-place Liberal.

Darcy Feist and Mac Lindberg advanced to the finals in the doubles bracket. The girls opened with a bye, then beat Dodge City 8-4 in the semifinals. The Lady Panthers fell to Garden City 8-6 in the championship battle. Mackenzie LaViolette and Kylie McCormick finished 12th in the same bracket. The girls opened with an 8-2 loss to Meade before rebounding to beat Cimarron 8-2. After an 8-3 loss to Hays, LaViolette and McCormick fell 8-5 to Hays' other team in the 11th-place match.

Paige Stacey also made it to the championship match in the open singles bracket. She defeated Dodge City 8-3, then advanced to the finals with&nbsp; an 8-3 win over Liberal. Stacey was defeated 8-3 by Garden City in the championship match. Clarise Snapp knocked off Cimarron's No. 1 player 8-2 to open her tournament but lost 8-0 to the eventual champion from Garden City in round two. Snapp lost her next match to Meade but edged Hays' No. 1 player 8-7 (6) in the best match of the day to secure seventh place.

After a busy week, the Lady Panthers are off until Sept. 24 when they head to McPherson.

Great Bend Post SportsThe Lady Panther tennis team will take a few days off. But first, the squad traveled to Dodge City Tuesday for an 8-team invite that included two Dodge City teams. Garden City scored 61 points to edge out Dodge's A team by a single point. Great Bend's 50 points were 12 more than fourth-place Liberal.Darcy Feist and Mac Lindberg advanced to the finals in the doubles bracket. The girls opened with a bye, then beat Dodge City 8-4 in the semifinals. The Lady Panthers fell to Garden City 8-6 in the championship battle. Mackenzie LaViolette and Kylie McCormick finished 12th in the same bracket. The girls opened with an 8-2 loss to Meade before rebounding to beat Cimarron 8-2. After an 8-3 loss to Hays, LaViolette and McCormick fell 8-5 to Hays' other team in the 11th-place match.Paige Stacey also made it to the championship match in the open singles bracket. She defeated Dodge City 8-3, then advanced to the finals with&nbsp; an 8-3 win over Liberal. Stacey was defeated 8-3 by Garden City in the championship match. Clarise Snapp knocked off Cimarron's No. 1 player 8-2 to open her tournament but lost 8-0 to the eventual champion from Garden City in round two. Snapp lost her next match to Meade but edged Hays' No. 1 player 8-7 (6) in the best match of the day to secure seventh place.After a busy week, the Lady Panthers are off until Sept. 24 when they head to McPherson.

Lady Panther tennis team finishes third at Dodge City

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years.

Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field.

Tagovailoa was hurt last Thursday night when he collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.

Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline. The Dolphins diagnosed him with a concussion a few minutes later.

Coach Mike McDaniel has since cautioned against speculation on the quarterback’s future, stressing that he’s more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career. Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health amid reports that he has no plans to retire.

Others around the NFL have offered their opinions on Tagovailoa’s future, including Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who suggested he should retire.

“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak on Tua’s career,” McDaniel said Monday. “Reports are reports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career.”

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the team’s practice facility on Monday, greeting teammates and working with trainers.

“He’s doing good, man. Talked to him, he’s in good spirits,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said Monday. “(He’s) got the team in good spirits and everybody praying for him and hoping (for his) health.”

Head injuries have become a familiar, scary occurrence throughout Tagovailoa’s career.

In a September 2022 game against the Bills, he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. He was cleared to return to that game and later said it was a back injury that caused the stumble. He was not diagnosed with a concussion.

Four days later, he got hit again during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati in which he was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken off the field on a stretcher. As he lay on the turf, his fingers appeared to display the “fencing response,” an involuntary motion typically associated with a brain injury. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol.

The NFL and the players’ union made changes to the concussion protocol after those two incidents with Tagovailoa. Players who have problems with balance or stability are now prohibited from returning to a game.

Tagovailoa briefly considered retirement, but instead returned and studied ways to better protect himself on the field, including taking jiu-jitsu classes ahead of the 2023 season.

Tagovailoa has said he spoke to numerous neurologists who told him they did not believe he would be more susceptible to head injuries than any other player moving forward, nor would he be at a higher risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He was also diagnosed with a concussion while in college at Alabama.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years.Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field.Tagovailoa was hurt last Thursday night when he collided with Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline. The Dolphins diagnosed him with a concussion a few minutes later.Coach Mike McDaniel has since cautioned against speculation on the quarterback’s future, stressing that he’s more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career. Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health amid reports that he has no plans to retire.Others around the NFL have offered their opinions on Tagovailoa’s future, including Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who suggested he should retire.“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak on Tua’s career,” McDaniel said Monday. “Reports are reports. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career.”McDaniel said Tagovailoa was at the team’s practice facility on Monday, greeting teammates and working with trainers.“He’s doing good, man. Talked to him, he’s in good spirits,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said Monday. “(He’s) got the team in good spirits and everybody praying for him and hoping (for his) health.”Head injuries have become a familiar, scary occurrence throughout Tagovailoa’s career.In a September 2022 game against the Bills, he took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. He was cleared to return to that game and later said it was a back injury that caused the stumble. He was not diagnosed with a concussion.Four days later, he got hit again during a Thursday night game at Cincinnati in which he was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken off the field on a stretcher. As he lay on the turf, his fingers appeared to display the “fencing response,” an involuntary motion typically associated with a brain injury. That time, he was placed in the concussion protocol.The NFL and the players’ union made changes to the concussion protocol after those two incidents with Tagovailoa. Players who have problems with balance or stability are now prohibited from returning to a game.Tagovailoa briefly considered retirement, but instead returned and studied ways to better protect himself on the field, including taking jiu-jitsu classes ahead of the 2023 season.Tagovailoa has said he spoke to numerous neurologists who told him they did not believe he would be more susceptible to head injuries than any other player moving forward, nor would he be at a higher risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. He was also diagnosed with a concussion while in college at Alabama.

Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion

The Barton Community College women's golf team opened their fall season Monday placing runner-up in the two-day 10th Annual Central Kansas Classic held at McPherson's Turkey Creek Golf Course.

Behind the play of lone sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/medellin_frida_kqko">Frida Medellin</a>&nbsp;finishing 5th overall to earn All-Classic Team honors, the Cougars carded combined rounds of 337 and 342 (103-over) for the runner-up spot 51-strokes behind victor William Penn University who ranks 32nd in the NAIA.

Medellin concluded Monday's round in a fourth place tie with a 7-over 79. falling a spot on Tuesday's card with an 87, but held on to the post-meet honors by one stroke at 22-over 166.

Climbing four spots to land 9th of the 45-competitor field,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/vogt_joellen_lb3k">Joellen Vogt</a>&nbsp;opened with an 86 before shaving off three strokes in the final round for a combined 11-over 169 collegiate debut.

Staying consistent with twin 14-over 86 rounds in climbing two spots, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/laparojkit_chomchanok_9vdo">Chomchanok Laparojkit</a>&nbsp;sat just outside the top ten by two strokes in placing 11th overall at 28-over 172.

A pair of shots behind in 15th was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/nash_kadynce_s9uk">Kadynce Nash</a>&nbsp;on 86 and 88 cards for a two-day 30-over 174 total followed by fellow freshman's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/tabanag_giovanna_f3qh">Giovanna Tabanag</a>&nbsp;in 20th after making the squad's biggest final round improvement of six strokes from a 92 to an 86 for a 34-over 178 in climbing up five spots.

The Cougars next travel to Nebraska City, Nebraska, October 4-5 to participate in the Peru State Invitational at Table Creek Golf Club.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726662542186.jpeg" alt="Frida Medellin" />
 <figcaption>Frida Medellin</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College women's golf team opened their fall season Monday placing runner-up in the two-day 10th Annual Central Kansas Classic held at McPherson's Turkey Creek Golf Course.Behind the play of lone sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/medellin_frida_kqko">Frida Medellin</a>&nbsp;finishing 5th overall to earn All-Classic Team honors, the Cougars carded combined rounds of 337 and 342 (103-over) for the runner-up spot 51-strokes behind victor William Penn University who ranks 32nd in the NAIA.Medellin concluded Monday's round in a fourth place tie with a 7-over 79. falling a spot on Tuesday's card with an 87, but held on to the post-meet honors by one stroke at 22-over 166.Climbing four spots to land 9th of the 45-competitor field,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/vogt_joellen_lb3k">Joellen Vogt</a>&nbsp;opened with an 86 before shaving off three strokes in the final round for a combined 11-over 169 collegiate debut.Staying consistent with twin 14-over 86 rounds in climbing two spots, freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/laparojkit_chomchanok_9vdo">Chomchanok Laparojkit</a>&nbsp;sat just outside the top ten by two strokes in placing 11th overall at 28-over 172.A pair of shots behind in 15th was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/nash_kadynce_s9uk">Kadynce Nash</a>&nbsp;on 86 and 88 cards for a two-day 30-over 174 total followed by fellow freshman's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/tabanag_giovanna_f3qh">Giovanna Tabanag</a>&nbsp;in 20th after making the squad's biggest final round improvement of six strokes from a 92 to an 86 for a 34-over 178 in climbing up five spots.The Cougars next travel to Nebraska City, Nebraska, October 4-5 to participate in the Peru State Invitational at Table Creek Golf Club.

Medellin leads Barton women's golf to runner-up finish at Central Kansas Classic

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is trying to not make too much of his MetLife Stadium homecoming. But the New York Jets quarterback knows all eyes will be on him Thursday night when he faces the New England Patriots. Rodgers has waited more than a year to play in another game in front of the home fans — and further push aside the overwhelming disappointment that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-new-york-jets-2fcf29ffc02a439bbff0914cb1d2abdc">marked his debut</a>&nbsp;in the Big Apple spotlight last year. “I mean, I feel good about it. It’s been a long time since I took the field at JetLife,” Rodgers said, using his nickname for the stadium the Jets share with the Giants. “So, it’ll be a lot of emotions, for sure. But we’re thankfully already into the third game of the season.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Moments after Jose Altuve was ejected for taking off his left cleat and sock trying to prove a point, his replacement, Grae Kessinger scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and then made a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/astros/status/1836269530990907822" target="_blank">sensational play at second base</a>&nbsp;to seal the Houston Astros’ wild 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Altuve grounded out to third for the final out of the ninth but insisted he had fouled the ball off his foot. In a crazy scene, he&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1836263118823133213" target="_blank">took off his cleat and sock</a>, trying to show the umpires where the ball hit, which got him ejected by plate umpire Brennan Miller. Manager Joe Espada was tossed after continuing to argue. “Sometimes you get hit somewhere in the hand and you take your batting glove to show you got hit. I was expecting to do the same thing,” Altuve said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Eric Wagaman homered for the second straight game, Griffin Canning threw six innings of three-hit ball, and the Los Angeles Angels dealt the Chicago White Sox their 116th loss with a 5-0 victory on Tuesday night.&nbsp;The White Sox were trying to equal a season-high, four-game winning streak. Instead, they moved one step closer to the majors’ post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets. Chicago is 36-116 with 10 games left and has the fourth-most losses in a season since 1900. The 2003 Detroit Tigers hold the American League mark with 119 losses. The White Sox were shut out for the 19th time, tied for fourth-most since 2000, and finished with six hits. They had only two runners reach second base.

More than half of the WNBA playoff seeds are set with the New York Liberty clinching the No. 1 seed on Tuesday night. The rest of the postseason matchups will be determined when the regular season closes out on Thursday night. The Liberty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/liberty-mystics-score-8f3ba1283ed5df4816afc6cde5295a4f">topped the Washington Mystics</a>&nbsp;to earn homecourt throughout the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. The Minnesota Lynx&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lynx-sun-score-e1ee2f6574d1754a0767fdb26d6caf1f">clinched the No. 2 seed</a>&nbsp;with their victory over Connecticut. Minnesota is the hottest team right now winning 13 of 14 since the Olympic break. They’ll face Phoenix in the opening round of the playoffs which begin Sunday. The Sun are currently in third with a one-game lead over Las Vegas, which assured itself no worse than the four seed with a victory over Seattle on Tuesday night. The Aces hold the tiebreaker with Connecticut. With the loss the Storm are assured of the fifth seed. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are locked into sixth and will be on the road either in Connecticut or Las Vegas for the opening round.

TUESDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball American League

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714991701059.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is trying to not make too much of his MetLife Stadium homecoming. But the New York Jets quarterback knows all eyes will be on him Thursday night when he faces the New England Patriots. Rodgers has waited more than a year to play in another game in front of the home fans — and further push aside the overwhelming disappointment that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-new-york-jets-2fcf29ffc02a439bbff0914cb1d2abdc">marked his debut</a>&nbsp;in the Big Apple spotlight last year. “I mean, I feel good about it. It’s been a long time since I took the field at JetLife,” Rodgers said, using his nickname for the stadium the Jets share with the Giants. “So, it’ll be a lot of emotions, for sure. But we’re thankfully already into the third game of the season.SAN DIEGO (AP) — Moments after Jose Altuve was ejected for taking off his left cleat and sock trying to prove a point, his replacement, Grae Kessinger scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and then made a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/astros/status/1836269530990907822" target="_blank">sensational play at second base</a>&nbsp;to seal the Houston Astros’ wild 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Altuve grounded out to third for the final out of the ninth but insisted he had fouled the ball off his foot. In a crazy scene, he&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1836263118823133213" target="_blank">took off his cleat and sock</a>, trying to show the umpires where the ball hit, which got him ejected by plate umpire Brennan Miller. Manager Joe Espada was tossed after continuing to argue. “Sometimes you get hit somewhere in the hand and you take your batting glove to show you got hit. I was expecting to do the same thing,” Altuve said.ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Eric Wagaman homered for the second straight game, Griffin Canning threw six innings of three-hit ball, and the Los Angeles Angels dealt the Chicago White Sox their 116th loss with a 5-0 victory on Tuesday night.&nbsp;The White Sox were trying to equal a season-high, four-game winning streak. Instead, they moved one step closer to the majors’ post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets. Chicago is 36-116 with 10 games left and has the fourth-most losses in a season since 1900. The 2003 Detroit Tigers hold the American League mark with 119 losses. The White Sox were shut out for the 19th time, tied for fourth-most since 2000, and finished with six hits. They had only two runners reach second base.More than half of the WNBA playoff seeds are set with the New York Liberty clinching the No. 1 seed on Tuesday night. The rest of the postseason matchups will be determined when the regular season closes out on Thursday night. The Liberty&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/liberty-mystics-score-8f3ba1283ed5df4816afc6cde5295a4f">topped the Washington Mystics</a>&nbsp;to earn homecourt throughout the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. The Minnesota Lynx&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lynx-sun-score-e1ee2f6574d1754a0767fdb26d6caf1f">clinched the No. 2 seed</a>&nbsp;with their victory over Connecticut. Minnesota is the hottest team right now winning 13 of 14 since the Olympic break. They’ll face Phoenix in the opening round of the playoffs which begin Sunday. The Sun are currently in third with a one-game lead over Las Vegas, which assured itself no worse than the four seed with a victory over Seattle on Tuesday night. The Aces hold the tiebreaker with Connecticut. With the loss the Storm are assured of the fifth seed. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are locked into sixth and will be on the road either in Connecticut or Las Vegas for the opening round.TUESDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball American LeagueMinnesota 4, Cleveland 1Tampa Bay 8, Boston 3Detroit 3, Kansas City 1Texas 13, Toronto 8NY Yankees 11, Seattle 2LA Angels 5, Chicago White Sox 0National LeagueCincinnati 6, Atlanta 5Miami 11, LA Dodgers 9NY Mets 10, Washington 1Colorado 8, Arizona 2St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 1Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 1InterleagueSan Francisco 10, Baltimore 0Oakland 4, Chicago Cubs 3Houston 4, San Diego 3

Wednesday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers.

Witt finished with three walks in the game,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tigers-royals-score-9edee0e88ad0d946d01d80cf3ac7cb89">which the Royals lost 3-1 in 10 innings</a>.

“It's pretty special any time you get to be the first,” Witt said, “but yeah, that's over now. We're onto tomorrow.”

The Royals are 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first AL wild-card spot and 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota for the second.

Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season.

The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues. In fact, only six other players have had one within their first three seasons.

“He’s the best player in baseball. He’s incredible,” Royals pitcher Cole Ragans said. "A special talent, a special human being. We’re blessed to be able to watch him each and every day, and how hard he works behind the scenes to make that product on the field be what it is, is incredible. He’s just a special, special player. It’s a joy to get to watch every single day.”

The second overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, Witt signed an 11-year deal with the Royals in the offseason that ultimately will pay him $288,777,777. The biggest deal in franchise history included a $7,777,777 signing bonus, an ode to his No. 7 jersey that has become so popular with Kansas City fans who have packed Kauffman Stadium during their playoff chase.

The Royals are firmly in an AL wild-card spot with an outside chance of catching Cleveland in the division.

Witt has been one of the biggest reasons for their turnaround from a 106-loss season a year ago. He entered Tuesday leading the majors with 200 hits, a .332 average and 112 runs scored. The only players to finish a season leading in all three categories have been Nap Lajoie in 1901, Ty Cobb in 1911 and '15, Stan Musial in 1952 and Rod Carew in 1977.

More than anything else, Witt has brought an infectious enthusiasm to a club sorely in need of it.

The Royals won back-to-back AL Pennants in 2014 and '15 along with their first World Series title in 30 years, but they were unable to sustain the success and quickly returned to mediocrity. Kansas City lost at least 100 games three times in a span of six seasons before turning things around under second-year manager Matt Quatraro this season.

While fans in Kansas City have seen Witt’s stardom blossoming, his coming out party may have come this summer during the Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, not far from where he grew up in Colleyville. Witt reached the finals but lost 14-13 to Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers in a dramatic showdown that came down to the final swings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726632974618.png" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. beats the tag by Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith to steal second during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. beats the tag by Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith to steal second during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers.Witt finished with three walks in the game,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tigers-royals-score-9edee0e88ad0d946d01d80cf3ac7cb89">which the Royals lost 3-1 in 10 innings</a>.“It's pretty special any time you get to be the first,” Witt said, “but yeah, that's over now. We're onto tomorrow.”The Royals are 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first AL wild-card spot and 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota for the second.Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season.The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues. In fact, only six other players have had one within their first three seasons.“He’s the best player in baseball. He’s incredible,” Royals pitcher Cole Ragans said. "A special talent, a special human being. We’re blessed to be able to watch him each and every day, and how hard he works behind the scenes to make that product on the field be what it is, is incredible. He’s just a special, special player. It’s a joy to get to watch every single day.”The second overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, Witt signed an 11-year deal with the Royals in the offseason that ultimately will pay him $288,777,777. The biggest deal in franchise history included a $7,777,777 signing bonus, an ode to his No. 7 jersey that has become so popular with Kansas City fans who have packed Kauffman Stadium during their playoff chase.The Royals are firmly in an AL wild-card spot with an outside chance of catching Cleveland in the division.Witt has been one of the biggest reasons for their turnaround from a 106-loss season a year ago. He entered Tuesday leading the majors with 200 hits, a .332 average and 112 runs scored. The only players to finish a season leading in all three categories have been Nap Lajoie in 1901, Ty Cobb in 1911 and '15, Stan Musial in 1952 and Rod Carew in 1977.More than anything else, Witt has brought an infectious enthusiasm to a club sorely in need of it.The Royals won back-to-back AL Pennants in 2014 and '15 along with their first World Series title in 30 years, but they were unable to sustain the success and quickly returned to mediocrity. Kansas City lost at least 100 games three times in a span of six seasons before turning things around under second-year manager Matt Quatraro this season.While fans in Kansas City have seen Witt’s stardom blossoming, his coming out party may have come this summer during the Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, not far from where he grew up in Colleyville. Witt reached the finals but lost 14-13 to Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers in a dramatic showdown that came down to the final swings.

Bobby Witt Jr. becomes first MLB shortstop with multiple 30/30 seasons

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Parker Meadows hit a broken-bat single in the 10th inning to give Detroit the lead, moments after Trey Sweeney had been given third base because of a balk, and the Tigers went on to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Tyler Holton (7-1) retired all six Royals he faced, striking out a pair in the ninth to force extra innings. Jason Foley took care of the Royals in the 10th, earning the save for the second straight night and 25th time this season.

“Pitching and defense, it goes together, and we hung in there in some really difficult situations,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, whose club has won 24 of its last 34 games, its best stretch of that length in more than a decade.

“It was kind of all hands on deck,” Hinch said, “and they responded.”

Riley Greene added an RBI single off Lucas Erceg (2-6) later in the 10th for the Tigers, helping them to remain 1 1/2 games back of the Twins for the final AL wild-card spot. Minnesota beat the Guardians earlier Tuesday night.

The Royals stayed 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. They are 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota.

“There were some good pitchers on the other side that are trying to keep us from doing things offensively," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That was a classic pitching duel the whole night.”

Cole Ragans allowed one run on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts over seven innings for Kansas City, and Casey Mize allowed one run on six hits and four walks while pitching into the fifth for Detroit.

“We found a way,” Mize said, “and that's obviously the most important thing right now.”

Ragans struggled with his control from the onset, hitting Andy Ibáñez to start the game — Matt Vierling followed with an RBI double — and walking a pair in the fourth inning. But with a combination of groundballs and strikeouts, the hard-throwing left-hander was able to keep the Tigers from capitalizing on his mistakes.

Freddy Fermín also threw out a pair of runners trying to steal second.

Mize allowed plenty of traffic on the bases, too. But it was his defense that kept Kansas City from a big inning. The Tigers turned double plays in the third, fourth and fifth, the last after Mize had walked the bases loaded and Shelby Miller got Michael Massey to ground into the double play on the first pitch he threw.

Miller loaded the bases again in the sixth but got Tommy Pham to pop out and end the inning.

“Shelby bailed me out of a huge spot,” Mize said. “Our team is just resilient and that's what is important.”

WONDERFUL WITT The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning. Witt has 31 home runs this season, including a grand slam in the series opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals and 30 homers last season.

ROSTER MOVES Royals RHP James McArthur went on the injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, though Quatraro believes he could be back for the playoffs. “The hope is it's not a season-ending injury,” Quatraro said. RHP Steven Cruz was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his place in the bullpen.

TRAINER'S ROOM Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain) and LHP Will Smith (lower back spasms) could make the next step in their rehab this weekend when they pitch against each other in live batting practice. There still is no date for their return.

UP NEXT Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (8-8, 4.42) is on the mound against Detroit after striking out a career-best 11 in 5 1/3 innings last Friday night against Pittsburgh. Marsh pitched six innings of three-hit ball against Detroit on May 21.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726632759994.png" alt="Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibanez beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin (34) to score on a double by Matt Vierling during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Detroit Tigers' Andy Ibanez beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin (34) to score on a double by Matt Vierling during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Parker Meadows hit a broken-bat single in the 10th inning to give Detroit the lead, moments after Trey Sweeney had been given third base because of a balk, and the Tigers went on to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Tuesday night.Tyler Holton (7-1) retired all six Royals he faced, striking out a pair in the ninth to force extra innings. Jason Foley took care of the Royals in the 10th, earning the save for the second straight night and 25th time this season.“Pitching and defense, it goes together, and we hung in there in some really difficult situations,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, whose club has won 24 of its last 34 games, its best stretch of that length in more than a decade.“It was kind of all hands on deck,” Hinch said, “and they responded.”Riley Greene added an RBI single off Lucas Erceg (2-6) later in the 10th for the Tigers, helping them to remain 1 1/2 games back of the Twins for the final AL wild-card spot. Minnesota beat the Guardians earlier Tuesday night.The Royals stayed 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. They are 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota.“There were some good pitchers on the other side that are trying to keep us from doing things offensively," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That was a classic pitching duel the whole night.”Cole Ragans allowed one run on four hits and four walks with six strikeouts over seven innings for Kansas City, and Casey Mize allowed one run on six hits and four walks while pitching into the fifth for Detroit.“We found a way,” Mize said, “and that's obviously the most important thing right now.”Ragans struggled with his control from the onset, hitting Andy Ibáñez to start the game — Matt Vierling followed with an RBI double — and walking a pair in the fourth inning. But with a combination of groundballs and strikeouts, the hard-throwing left-hander was able to keep the Tigers from capitalizing on his mistakes.Freddy Fermín also threw out a pair of runners trying to steal second.Mize allowed plenty of traffic on the bases, too. But it was his defense that kept Kansas City from a big inning. The Tigers turned double plays in the third, fourth and fifth, the last after Mize had walked the bases loaded and Shelby Miller got Michael Massey to ground into the double play on the first pitch he threw.Miller loaded the bases again in the sixth but got Tommy Pham to pop out and end the inning.“Shelby bailed me out of a huge spot,” Mize said. “Our team is just resilient and that's what is important.”WONDERFUL WITT The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning. Witt has 31 home runs this season, including a grand slam in the series opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals and 30 homers last season.ROSTER MOVES Royals RHP James McArthur went on the injured list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, though Quatraro believes he could be back for the playoffs. “The hope is it's not a season-ending injury,” Quatraro said. RHP Steven Cruz was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his place in the bullpen.TRAINER'S ROOM Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (left hamstring strain) and LHP Will Smith (lower back spasms) could make the next step in their rehab this weekend when they pitch against each other in live batting practice. There still is no date for their return.UP NEXT Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (8-8, 4.42) is on the mound against Detroit after striking out a career-best 11 in 5 1/3 innings last Friday night against Pittsburgh. Marsh pitched six innings of three-hit ball against Detroit on May 21.

Meadows saves two runs, drives in another; Tigers down Royals 3-1

Ohio State and Kent State, separated by 135 miles in the same state, occupy extreme ends of the spectrum of major college football.

Buckeyes football pulled in $127 million in revenue in 2023. Golden Flashes football has a budget of about $9 million.

Still, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and Kent State AD Randale Richmond share a similar problem for different reasons. Both look at their football schedules this season and see more so-called guarantee games than they would prefer.

Guarantee games are those one-off matchups where a school pays another to come to its stadium, with no return date. For power conference schools such as No. 3 Ohio State that typically means cutting a check of around $1.5 million — give or take a few hundred thousand — to a school such as Kent State.

More often than not, the games are not competitive. Occasionally, the smaller program gets to take home a historic victory along with a big check the way Northern Illinois ($1.4 million) did at No. 17 Notre Dame or Memphis ($1.3 million) did at Florida State earlier this season.

But as the model for compensating athletes evolves and more money needs to be directed to players, all the ways business has traditionally been done in college sports are being evaluated. The guarantee game seems unlikely to go away any time soon, but Bjork and Richmond are unsure if they will be as common as they are now.

“I think we have to put it under review to see what is the future of those kind of games,” Bjork said.

By the numbers This season at least 60 guarantee games will be played matching schools that play in the NCAA’s highest level of Division I, the Football Bowl Subdivision, with total payouts reaching $75 million, according to AP research.

There are also dozens more games matching FBS teams with those in the second-tier Championship Subdivision that follow a similar structure, but with smaller payouts. The most famous guarantee game — Appalachian State’s 34-32 upset at No. 5 Michigan in 2007 — included a $400,000 check for the visitors.

Ohio State’s anomaly For Ohio State, a confluence of events, including conference realignment, left the Buckeyes with a three-game nonconference schedule of guarantee games in 2024. Typically, the Buckeyes have one high-profile game against a power conference opponent that would be one end of a home-and-home series.

Ohio State had a home-and-home against Notre Dame in 2022 and ’23, is set to play Texas in 2025 and ’26, and Alabama the following two seasons.

This year, however, Ohio State is paying $4.05 million for games against Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall. The Buckeyes beat Akron and WMU by a combined 108-6 and are heavily favored against the Thundering Herd on Saturday.

It’s not so much that $4.05 million will break Ohio State athletics, which reported nearly $280 million in revenue in 2022. The school made more than $64 million in ticket sales for eight games at Ohio Stadium (capacity 102,780) in ’22, according to the latest financial records provided to the NCAA.

Games that don’t involve Big Ten or marquee nonconference opponents drag down revenue in areas such as concessions, souvenirs and parking. Ohio State’s gameday revenue for Akron and WMU were almost identical, Bjork said.

“Meaning there’s a ceiling on those those type of games from a revenue standpoint versus when I look at our projections for a Big Ten opponent. Those games can be double, triple, quadruple the amount of revenue that we’re seeing for a guarantee,” he said.

Essentially, Ohio State is bringing in less and paying out more for guarantee games, he said.

Often Ohio State plays two guarantee games in a season to ensure having at least seven home games, but will that even be worth it if the school will soon be setting aside upward of $20 million in revenue per year to pay to its athletes?

The NCAA and power conferences, including Ohio State’s Big Ten, are working toward a settlement of a series of antitrust lawsuits that will cost $2.78 billion in damages and set up a new revenue-sharing system to pay athletes.

“Everything is under evaluation,” Bjork said when it comes to how money is spent and made in big-time college athletics.

Power conference teams also have to consider schedule strength with an eye toward making the playoff and how matchups against lesser opponents impact television partners paying hundreds of millions to broadcast games, Bjork said.

Kent State’s conundrum On the other end is Kent State, which will receive $3.9 million for games at Pitt, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 10 Penn State. The Golden Flashes have lost the first two by a combined 126-24, including Saturday’s 71-0 loss in Knoxville. They play at Penn State on Saturday.

Richmond, who took over at Kent State in 2021, inherited this three-game stretch and said he would prefer no more than two. One or two per year is the norm for lower-budget, non-power conference schools.

“I don’t love the model and at the same time understand the things that we have to do financially to run this athletic department, because we do have a great opportunity to impact the lives of young people,” he said last week. “And we can only do that if we are meeting our budgetary demands and needs.”

Richmond is also well aware that it is a lot to put on his football team and second-year coach Kenni Burns.

“It makes it very difficult to gain momentum when you have three guarantee games. I can’t answer whether it’s fair or not. I can answer that it does make it difficult,” he said.

Kent State also has three guarantee games booked for 2025 (at Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma), but Richmond believes the administration is motivated to explore moving away from these types of schedules.

Dave Brown, whose software and subscription service Gridiron helps schools schedule nonconference games, said guarantee games are increasingly becoming a buyer’s market with more schools moving into FBS recently and the Big Ten no longer discouraging its members from playing FCS games.

If the Southeastern Conference were to move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, which it is considering, that would remove 16 more potential opportunities for guarantee games.

“That’ll really hurt the market,” Brown said.

As with most things in college sports, the wealthiest programs will ultimately determine the direction this goes and how often big schools play the smaller ones. While Richmond would like Kent State to play fewer guarantee games, none is not the goal.

“Being tethered together is always the best thing (for FBS), in my humble opinion,” he said. “I don’t know that Kent State has an option to dictate whether that’s the case or not.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726148269632.jpeg" alt="Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards high-steps into the end zone for a touchdown past Tulane safety Jack Tchienchou, right, during the second half of their game in New Orleans on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards high-steps into the end zone for a touchdown past Tulane safety Jack Tchienchou, right, during the second half of their game in New Orleans on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)</figcaption>
 </figure>Ohio State and Kent State, separated by 135 miles in the same state, occupy extreme ends of the spectrum of major college football.Buckeyes football pulled in $127 million in revenue in 2023. Golden Flashes football has a budget of about $9 million.Still, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and Kent State AD Randale Richmond share a similar problem for different reasons. Both look at their football schedules this season and see more so-called guarantee games than they would prefer.Guarantee games are those one-off matchups where a school pays another to come to its stadium, with no return date. For power conference schools such as No. 3 Ohio State that typically means cutting a check of around $1.5 million — give or take a few hundred thousand — to a school such as Kent State.More often than not, the games are not competitive. Occasionally, the smaller program gets to take home a historic victory along with a big check the way Northern Illinois ($1.4 million) did at No. 17 Notre Dame or Memphis ($1.3 million) did at Florida State earlier this season.But as the model for compensating athletes evolves and more money needs to be directed to players, all the ways business has traditionally been done in college sports are being evaluated. The guarantee game seems unlikely to go away any time soon, but Bjork and Richmond are unsure if they will be as common as they are now.“I think we have to put it under review to see what is the future of those kind of games,” Bjork said.By the numbers This season at least 60 guarantee games will be played matching schools that play in the NCAA’s highest level of Division I, the Football Bowl Subdivision, with total payouts reaching $75 million, according to AP research.There are also dozens more games matching FBS teams with those in the second-tier Championship Subdivision that follow a similar structure, but with smaller payouts. The most famous guarantee game — Appalachian State’s 34-32 upset at No. 5 Michigan in 2007 — included a $400,000 check for the visitors.Ohio State’s anomaly For Ohio State, a confluence of events, including conference realignment, left the Buckeyes with a three-game nonconference schedule of guarantee games in 2024. Typically, the Buckeyes have one high-profile game against a power conference opponent that would be one end of a home-and-home series.Ohio State had a home-and-home against Notre Dame in 2022 and ’23, is set to play Texas in 2025 and ’26, and Alabama the following two seasons.This year, however, Ohio State is paying $4.05 million for games against Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall. The Buckeyes beat Akron and WMU by a combined 108-6 and are heavily favored against the Thundering Herd on Saturday.It’s not so much that $4.05 million will break Ohio State athletics, which reported nearly $280 million in revenue in 2022. The school made more than $64 million in ticket sales for eight games at Ohio Stadium (capacity 102,780) in ’22, according to the latest financial records provided to the NCAA.Games that don’t involve Big Ten or marquee nonconference opponents drag down revenue in areas such as concessions, souvenirs and parking. Ohio State’s gameday revenue for Akron and WMU were almost identical, Bjork said.“Meaning there’s a ceiling on those those type of games from a revenue standpoint versus when I look at our projections for a Big Ten opponent. Those games can be double, triple, quadruple the amount of revenue that we’re seeing for a guarantee,” he said.Essentially, Ohio State is bringing in less and paying out more for guarantee games, he said.Often Ohio State plays two guarantee games in a season to ensure having at least seven home games, but will that even be worth it if the school will soon be setting aside upward of $20 million in revenue per year to pay to its athletes?The NCAA and power conferences, including Ohio State’s Big Ten, are working toward a settlement of a series of antitrust lawsuits that will cost $2.78 billion in damages and set up a new revenue-sharing system to pay athletes.“Everything is under evaluation,” Bjork said when it comes to how money is spent and made in big-time college athletics.Power conference teams also have to consider schedule strength with an eye toward making the playoff and how matchups against lesser opponents impact television partners paying hundreds of millions to broadcast games, Bjork said.Kent State’s conundrum On the other end is Kent State, which will receive $3.9 million for games at Pitt, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 10 Penn State. The Golden Flashes have lost the first two by a combined 126-24, including Saturday’s 71-0 loss in Knoxville. They play at Penn State on Saturday.Richmond, who took over at Kent State in 2021, inherited this three-game stretch and said he would prefer no more than two. One or two per year is the norm for lower-budget, non-power conference schools.“I don’t love the model and at the same time understand the things that we have to do financially to run this athletic department, because we do have a great opportunity to impact the lives of young people,” he said last week. “And we can only do that if we are meeting our budgetary demands and needs.”Richmond is also well aware that it is a lot to put on his football team and second-year coach Kenni Burns.“It makes it very difficult to gain momentum when you have three guarantee games. I can’t answer whether it’s fair or not. I can answer that it does make it difficult,” he said.Kent State also has three guarantee games booked for 2025 (at Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma), but Richmond believes the administration is motivated to explore moving away from these types of schedules.Kent State might not have a choice.Dave Brown, whose software and subscription service Gridiron helps schools schedule nonconference games, said guarantee games are increasingly becoming a buyer’s market with more schools moving into FBS recently and the Big Ten no longer discouraging its members from playing FCS games.If the Southeastern Conference were to move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, which it is considering, that would remove 16 more potential opportunities for guarantee games.“That’ll really hurt the market,” Brown said.As with most things in college sports, the wealthiest programs will ultimately determine the direction this goes and how often big schools play the smaller ones. While Richmond would like Kent State to play fewer guarantee games, none is not the goal.“Being tethered together is always the best thing (for FBS), in my humble opinion,” he said. “I don’t know that Kent State has an option to dictate whether that’s the case or not.”

NCAA guarantee games pay millions but opportunities could shrink

- Barton volleyball coach Megan Besecker and So. outside hitter Naya Danenberg

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4p5LwQD8co0?si=33MosrBi2WWcFXjk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- "Voice of the Cardinals" Cole Reif- Barton volleyball coach Megan Besecker and So. outside hitter Naya Danenberg- "On the Prowl" with Mike Courson- Tuesday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Tuesday on Sports Day(Watch)

In a milestone achievement, Greg Maxwell, head coach of Ellinwood High School’s varsity volleyball team, secured his 200th career victory Tuesday at home. Now in his seventh year coaching the Eagles, Maxwell has transformed the program into a regional powerhouse, guiding his team with passion, intensity, and a championship mindset.



Maxwell’s coaching journey started on the gridiron as a collegiate football player and later as a football coach at Ellinwood. However, after having two daughters who fell in love with volleyball at an early age, his focus shifted to the new sport where he applied his football background, bringing mental toughness and a disciplined coaching style to the court. His players have come to expect—and embrace—the intensity of his approach, developing a competitive edge that has made them consistently a top team in the state. 


In addition to volleyball, Maxwell also coaches Ellinwood High School’s girls' basketball team and golf team. His coaching versatility is exemplified by last year’s success when he guided the golf team to a runner-up finish at the 2A State championship, further showcasing his ability to inspire athletes across multiple sports.



Maxwell’s 200th volleyball win not only marks a significant personal achievement but also reflects his influence and success across Ellinwood’s athletic programs. As USD 355 celebrates this moment, fans and players are eager to see where his leadership will take the Eagles next.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726595572798.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a milestone achievement, Greg Maxwell, head coach of Ellinwood High School’s varsity volleyball team, secured his 200th career victory Tuesday at home. Now in his seventh year coaching the Eagles, Maxwell has transformed the program into a regional powerhouse, guiding his team with passion, intensity, and a championship mindset.

Maxwell’s coaching journey started on the gridiron as a collegiate football player and later as a football coach at Ellinwood. However, after having two daughters who fell in love with volleyball at an early age, his focus shifted to the new sport where he applied his football background, bringing mental toughness and a disciplined coaching style to the court. His players have come to expect—and embrace—the intensity of his approach, developing a competitive edge that has made them consistently a top team in the state. 
In addition to volleyball, Maxwell also coaches Ellinwood High School’s girls' basketball team and golf team. His coaching versatility is exemplified by last year’s success when he guided the golf team to a runner-up finish at the 2A State championship, further showcasing his ability to inspire athletes across multiple sports.

Maxwell’s 200th volleyball win not only marks a significant personal achievement but also reflects his influence and success across Ellinwood’s athletic programs. As USD 355 celebrates this moment, fans and players are eager to see where his leadership will take the Eagles next.

Ellinwood's Maxwell picks up 200th career win on volleyball court

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

With teams like Lenexa's St. James Academy, Overland Park's St. Thomas Aquinas, and Wichita's Bishop Carroll winning 16 of the last 18 Class 5A girls' cross country titles, the state's second-largest classification is notoriously tough. This fall, a pair of individual runners are ensuring the tradition continues. Saturday in Topeka, Topeka Seaman junior Ryin Miller smashed the state 5K record in 16:32.62. Girard's Cailie Logue, a six-time All-American at Iowa State University, set the previous record of 16:46 in 2016.

But Miller is not running alone in Class 5A this year. Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe, who has committed to run at North Carolina next year, set the Lake Barton record during regionals last year in 17:21.18. She reset that record in 17:14.86 at the Great Bend Invite on Sept. 5. Central sophomore Kaylie Shultz ran an 18:05 at the Lake Barton regional last year and improved to 18:02.05 in her first meet of 2024.

Rupe's time on Sept. 5 was the early leader in Kansas this fall until Miller ran a 16:59 two days later in Manhattan. Miller won that race by 75 seconds, and just two girls managed to break 19:21 on the course. After Miller&nbsp; broke the record Saturday in Topeka, Rupe ran a 16:52.70 later that evening in Olathe to win the Twilight meet. Schultz ran second in 17:28.50. No other Kansas girl ran under 18 minutes.

The back-and-forth is hardly new between the trio of top-tier runners. Rupe won last year's Class 5A cross country title at Rim Rock in 17:36.20, followed by Schultz in 17:58.90, and Miller in 18:36.80. Miller gained the upper hand by last spring, beating Rupe by four seconds to win the KU Relays 3200m run in 10:13.97. The next day, Miller beat Rupe by five seconds to win the 1600m run in 4:53.74.

That set the stage for an impressive state track meet in May. Miller, Rupe, and Spring Hill's Marisa January all came in under the previous 5A state record time in the 1600m run with Miller taking the gold by more than three seconds in 4:51.58. Rupe put the pedal down in the 3200m run, smashing a 41-year-old state record by 16 seconds and beating Miller by the same margin.

Class 5A regional sites have not yet been announced but the trio will likely again steal the show at the Class 5A State Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm on Saturday, Nov. 2.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726578326013.jpeg" alt="Topeka Seaman junior Ryin Miller runs ahead of Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe during last year's KU Relays. Miller set a new state cross country record Saturday in Topeka, and Rupe missed the previous state record by just six seconds the same day in Olathe. (photo by Mike Courson)" />
 <figcaption>Topeka Seaman junior Ryin Miller runs ahead of Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe during last year's KU Relays. Miller set a new state cross country record Saturday in Topeka, and Rupe missed the previous state record by just six seconds the same day in Olathe. (photo by Mike Courson)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostWith teams like Lenexa's St. James Academy, Overland Park's St. Thomas Aquinas, and Wichita's Bishop Carroll winning 16 of the last 18 Class 5A girls' cross country titles, the state's second-largest classification is notoriously tough. This fall, a pair of individual runners are ensuring the tradition continues. Saturday in Topeka, Topeka Seaman junior Ryin Miller smashed the state 5K record in 16:32.62. Girard's Cailie Logue, a six-time All-American at Iowa State University, set the previous record of 16:46 in 2016.But Miller is not running alone in Class 5A this year. Salina Central senior Katelyn Rupe, who has committed to run at North Carolina next year, set the Lake Barton record during regionals last year in 17:21.18. She reset that record in 17:14.86 at the Great Bend Invite on Sept. 5. Central sophomore Kaylie Shultz ran an 18:05 at the Lake Barton regional last year and improved to 18:02.05 in her first meet of 2024.Rupe's time on Sept. 5 was the early leader in Kansas this fall until Miller ran a 16:59 two days later in Manhattan. Miller won that race by 75 seconds, and just two girls managed to break 19:21 on the course. After Miller&nbsp; broke the record Saturday in Topeka, Rupe ran a 16:52.70 later that evening in Olathe to win the Twilight meet. Schultz ran second in 17:28.50. No other Kansas girl ran under 18 minutes.The back-and-forth is hardly new between the trio of top-tier runners. Rupe won last year's Class 5A cross country title at Rim Rock in 17:36.20, followed by Schultz in 17:58.90, and Miller in 18:36.80. Miller gained the upper hand by last spring, beating Rupe by four seconds to win the KU Relays 3200m run in 10:13.97. The next day, Miller beat Rupe by five seconds to win the 1600m run in 4:53.74.That set the stage for an impressive state track meet in May. Miller, Rupe, and Spring Hill's Marisa January all came in under the previous 5A state record time in the 1600m run with Miller taking the gold by more than three seconds in 4:51.58. Rupe put the pedal down in the 3200m run, smashing a 41-year-old state record by 16 seconds and beating Miller by the same margin.Class 5A regional sites have not yet been announced but the trio will likely again steal the show at the Class 5A State Cross Country Championships at Rim Rock Farm on Saturday, Nov. 2.

One tough class: State XC record falls as battle of 5A runners heats up

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Oh, so this was what Atlanta expected out of $180 million lavished on Kirk Cousins. Certainly not a shaky effort like the 36-year-old veteran had in the opener, raising concerns in the loss about the quarterback’s return to form from a torn Achilles tendon. Cousins calmed fears down the stretch and made all the clutch throws in Philadelphia his counterpart Jalen Hurts could not — and sent the Falcons home winners. Cousins led&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835886543183180260" target="_blank">a flawless last-minute drive</a>&nbsp;for Atlanta and connected with Drake London&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835878381302493261" target="_blank">for a 7-yard touchdown</a>&nbsp;with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Eagles on Monday night.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers had hoped that Bryce Young would put an end to their ever-churning quarterback carousel when they selected him No. 1 overall last year. But two games into his second season,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryce-young-benched-panthers-45b1100fc5d71bd15ad6dbd667b9f772">Young has been benched</a>&nbsp;and the Panthers are back to another journeyman quarterback. The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will take over the offense on Sunday when the Panthers (0-2) visit the Las Vegas Raiders. “I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Dalton said with a big smile. “When I came here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get another opportunity to start again. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited about what’s ahead. It’s a tough situation. I’ve been on both sides of it and it’s hard for everybody. But for me, I’m looking forward to it.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because Wisconsin hasn’t announced the severity of the injury. Van Dyke&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-alabama-van-dyke-injury-bcd81d91c682e40bb39f1838712672fb">hurt his right knee</a>&nbsp;during Wisconsin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-wisconsin-score-f1353faef116a416ee6e3294fb6d6cee">42-10 loss</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">No. 4</a>&nbsp;Alabama on Saturday. The Wisconsin State Journal first reported that Van Dyke would miss the rest of the season. ESPN first reported that Van Dyke had a torn ACL. After running a third-down keeper on the game’s opening series, Van Dyke clutched his right knee. He was taken into the injury tent on the sideline and was then carted off the field with his head in his hands. He was wearing a brace on his knee and walking with crutches on the sideline during the second half of the game.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout is open to discussing a position change after he has missed 370 games during the past four seasons. The Los Angeles Angels slugger and three-time American League MVP said before Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox that “everything’s on the table” when he meets with the team during the offseason. That includes moving to a corner outfield spot or more games as a designated hitter. “Ultimately, my goal is to be in that batter’s box, in the field every single day,” said Trout, who spoke to reporters for the first time in nearly two months. “Whether that’s moving to a corner or DHing more, that’s something that I’ll leave it up to the front office to come up with a plan. Where I’m at and what’s happened the last few years, I’m definitely going to try to explore every option that can keep me out there.”

MONDAY'S SCORES National Football League Atlanta 22, Philadelphia 21

Major League Baseball American League

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707734642080.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Oh, so this was what Atlanta expected out of $180 million lavished on Kirk Cousins. Certainly not a shaky effort like the 36-year-old veteran had in the opener, raising concerns in the loss about the quarterback’s return to form from a torn Achilles tendon. Cousins calmed fears down the stretch and made all the clutch throws in Philadelphia his counterpart Jalen Hurts could not — and sent the Falcons home winners. Cousins led&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835886543183180260" target="_blank">a flawless last-minute drive</a>&nbsp;for Atlanta and connected with Drake London&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835878381302493261" target="_blank">for a 7-yard touchdown</a>&nbsp;with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Eagles on Monday night.CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers had hoped that Bryce Young would put an end to their ever-churning quarterback carousel when they selected him No. 1 overall last year. But two games into his second season,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryce-young-benched-panthers-45b1100fc5d71bd15ad6dbd667b9f772">Young has been benched</a>&nbsp;and the Panthers are back to another journeyman quarterback. The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will take over the offense on Sunday when the Panthers (0-2) visit the Las Vegas Raiders. “I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Dalton said with a big smile. “When I came here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get another opportunity to start again. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m excited about what’s ahead. It’s a tough situation. I’ve been on both sides of it and it’s hard for everybody. But for me, I’m looking forward to it.”MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because Wisconsin hasn’t announced the severity of the injury. Van Dyke&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-alabama-van-dyke-injury-bcd81d91c682e40bb39f1838712672fb">hurt his right knee</a>&nbsp;during Wisconsin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-wisconsin-score-f1353faef116a416ee6e3294fb6d6cee">42-10 loss</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">No. 4</a>&nbsp;Alabama on Saturday. The Wisconsin State Journal first reported that Van Dyke would miss the rest of the season. ESPN first reported that Van Dyke had a torn ACL. After running a third-down keeper on the game’s opening series, Van Dyke clutched his right knee. He was taken into the injury tent on the sideline and was then carted off the field with his head in his hands. He was wearing a brace on his knee and walking with crutches on the sideline during the second half of the game.ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout is open to discussing a position change after he has missed 370 games during the past four seasons. The Los Angeles Angels slugger and three-time American League MVP said before Monday’s game against the Chicago White Sox that “everything’s on the table” when he meets with the team during the offseason. That includes moving to a corner outfield spot or more games as a designated hitter. “Ultimately, my goal is to be in that batter’s box, in the field every single day,” said Trout, who spoke to reporters for the first time in nearly two months. “Whether that’s moving to a corner or DHing more, that’s something that I’ll leave it up to the front office to come up with a plan. Where I’m at and what’s happened the last few years, I’m definitely going to try to explore every option that can keep me out there.”MONDAY'S SCORES National Football League Atlanta 22, Philadelphia 21Major League Baseball American LeagueCleveland 4, Minnesota 3Detroit 7, Kansas City 6Chicago White Sox 8, LA Angels 4National LeagueNY Mets 2, Washington 1LA Dodgers 9, Atlanta 0Colorado 3, Arizona 2St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 0Milwaukee 6, Philadelphia 2InterleagueChicago Cubs 9, Oakland 2San Diego 3, Houston 1

Tuesday's Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Colt Keith hit a two-run homer, Matt Vierling had three hits while driving in the go-ahead run, and the Detroit Tigers rallied from an early four-run deficit to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Monday night in a crucial game for their playoff hopes.

Pinch-hitter Wenceel Pérez had the tying two-run double for Detroit, which began its final trip of the regular season by moving within 1 1/2 games of Minnesota for the final AL wild-card spot. The Twins lost to Cleveland earlier in the night.

“It was an incredible win because of how we were able to do it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We didn't do much early, although our at-bats were pretty good. Started to chip away a little bit, a couple of really big swings, and then we held on."

Brenan Hanifee (1-1) earned the win in relief for Detroit, allowing one run and three hits over 2 1/3 innings. Jason Foley finished off a solid bullpen performance, working a perfect ninth to earn his 24th save and second in two days.

“The bullpen has been doing it all year for us,” Keith said, “and they did it again tonight.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Colt Keith hit a two-run homer, Matt Vierling had three hits while driving in the go-ahead run, and the Detroit Tigers rallied from an early four-run deficit to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Monday night in a crucial game for their playoff hopes.Pinch-hitter Wenceel Pérez had the tying two-run double for Detroit, which began its final trip of the regular season by moving within 1 1/2 games of Minnesota for the final AL wild-card spot. The Twins lost to Cleveland earlier in the night.“It was an incredible win because of how we were able to do it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We didn't do much early, although our at-bats were pretty good. Started to chip away a little bit, a couple of really big swings, and then we held on."Brenan Hanifee (1-1) earned the win in relief for Detroit, allowing one run and three hits over 2 1/3 innings. Jason Foley finished off a solid bullpen performance, working a perfect ninth to earn his 24th save and second in two days.“The bullpen has been doing it all year for us,” Keith said, “and they did it again tonight.”Bobby Witt Jr. hit a grand slam to stake Kansas City to a 4-0 lead, and he added a bunt single for a five-RBI game. But the Royals otherwise kept squandering chances to score, just as they did in their loss to the Pirates on Sunday.Sam Long (3-2) took the loss for Kansas City, allowing three runs while retiring just two batters in relief of Seth Lugo.“A lot of stuff happened in that game, clearly. It was an intense back-and-forth, both teams putting everything on the line,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You get out to a lead, you feel pretty good. You know they're not going to go away.”Indeed, the Royals started their final homestand by taking advantage of what Detroit could not: the bases loaded.The Tigers packed them in the third before Keith grounded out to second to end the threat. But when Kansas City loaded the bases in the bottom half — a leadoff walk from Adam Frazier, a single by Yuli Gurriel and a bunt single from Kyle Isbel — Witt hit a 1-1 pitch what seemed like a mile high and over the left-field wall for his second grand slam of the season.Reese Olson, making his first start since straining his right shoulder July 20 in Toronto, was lifted one batter later, after Salvador Perez blooped a single to right. He allowed four runs, four hits and a walk while throwing 50 pitches.The Tigers still trailed 5-1 in the fifth when they began their comeback, scoring once on Witt's throwing error and twice more when Keith homered to right. And after Witt delivered an RBI single in the bottom half for his 200th hit of the season, Detroit pushed across three more runs in the sixth off Long and John Schreiber to take a 7-6 lead.“We had trouble putting them away from the very beginning. There weren’t a lot of easy outs,” Quatraro said. "You have got to give them credit the way they battled their at-bats and drove (Seth) Lugo’s pitch count up. Then they continued to put good at-bats up. I thought ours were pretty good, too. We just didn’t get the big hits like they did.”The Royals had two aboard with one out in the seventh, and the first two on base in the eighth, but failed to score both times.“That was one of the best games we've played as a team,” Keith said. “I don't think anybody thought that we were out of it.<h2>Trainer's Room</h2>Royals: RHP Chris Stratton, who went on the injured list Saturday, was diagnosed with a Grade-1 flexor strain and will be shut down for at least a week. ... RHP James McArthur left Monday's game after retiring two batters with right elbow tightness.<h2>Up Next</h2>Kansas City: LHP Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.32) faces the Tigers after striking out 12 against them in an 8-3 win on May 22.