BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Kansas State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deion-sanders-colorado-bf8fda5ec574d183a368f6cebf0af771">is looking for</a>&nbsp;ways to limit the impact of Colorado's top receiver. Same with the Buffaloes' top cornerback.

That it just so happens to be the same person only impresses Wildcats coach Chris Klieman all the more.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-hunter-colorado-deion-2d7637e9a080ddb48eb1d5fd8d8930b4">Travis Hunter is the</a>&nbsp;rare two-way athlete who's on the field for 93% of the plays from scrimmage this season.

“He's doing this at such a high level, on both sides of the ball, and playing fast on both sides of the ball,” said Klieman, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-state-kansas-state-football-score-6377d5636a50703e4e6fea6906eaf4e2">18th-ranked Wildcats</a>&nbsp;(4-1, 1-1 Big 12) make their first trek to Folsom Field since 2010 on Saturday night to face the surging Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0). “It’s really impressive to watch, because he’s making plays in both phases — and big-time plays.”

Hunter leads the team in receptions (46), yards receiving (561) and TDs (6). On defense, he has two interceptions despite being rarely targeted, including zero times against Baylor.

“Travis Hunter is one of the Heisman favorites for a reason,” Kansas State dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson said. “He’s a really talented player, and what he does on both sides of the ball is really special, and doesn’t get enough credit.”

Just don't compare him to Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who was a multidimensional threat over his Hall of Fame NFL career. Sanders wants Hunter to have the spotlight all to himself.

“I've had my turn. I’m that old boxing coach in the corner that says, ‘Left, right, left, right. Hit him right here. All right, come over to the corner,'" Sanders cracked. “That’s who I am right now. I’ve had my turn. It’s not me against him.”

Both teams will be well-rested after coming off a bye week. It's a late kickoff, too, with the game starting around 10:15 p.m. ET. This is a big conference game for the Wildcats, who've dropped one league contest at BYU. The Buffaloes began their return to Big 12 league play with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-colorado-deion-sanders-98fba794868800261a38cdaa70cafa49">overtime victory over</a>&nbsp;Baylor, followed by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-ucf-football-score-d86d8e8865d311ef3fdb22368ebdb704">win at Central Florida</a>.

“We are on our way to where we’re headed,” Sanders said. “I love the direction.”

A year ago, highly touted recruit Dylan Edwards was in the Buffaloes backfield. A transfer later and he's now part of a powerful ground game for the Wildcats. Kansas State is averaging 6.93 yards per carry, trailing only Boise State (8.18). Sanders turned playful when asked about facing off against Edwards.

“They changed their name to Dylan Edwards? That's what the team is called now — the Dylan Edwards'?" Sanders quipped. "We ain’t playing against Dylan Edwards. We're playing against a darn good football team, man. Dylan happens to be on their team. I love the young man.”

Through five games, Shedeur Sanders is just behind his pace of last season when he broke the Colorado single-season yards passing mark. But he also sat out the last game of the year due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deion-shedeur-sanders-colorado-87d73956da669f0fb8161bfe28ad8106">fracture in his back</a>. Behind a new offensive line, Sanders has thrown for 1,630 yards with 14 TDs. He’s been sacked 17 times this season. Through five games last season, he’d been sacked 25 times.

“I think Sanders will be the first quarterback picked off the board" in the NFL draft, Klieman said. “He should be in the film that I’ve seen of a lot of the top guys.”

The Wildcats are a sure bet to put points on the board — they've scored 28 or more in 12 of their last 13 games. Colorado's defense will be at full strength with the return of safety Shilo Sanders, who missed the last three games because of a forearm injury that required surgery.

“I can’t wait to see him back there,” his father/coach said.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Kansas State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deion-sanders-colorado-bf8fda5ec574d183a368f6cebf0af771">is looking for</a>&nbsp;ways to limit the impact of Colorado's top receiver. Same with the Buffaloes' top cornerback.That it just so happens to be the same person only impresses Wildcats coach Chris Klieman all the more.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-hunter-colorado-deion-2d7637e9a080ddb48eb1d5fd8d8930b4">Travis Hunter is the</a>&nbsp;rare two-way athlete who's on the field for 93% of the plays from scrimmage this season.Ironman football, indeed.“He's doing this at such a high level, on both sides of the ball, and playing fast on both sides of the ball,” said Klieman, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-state-kansas-state-football-score-6377d5636a50703e4e6fea6906eaf4e2">18th-ranked Wildcats</a>&nbsp;(4-1, 1-1 Big 12) make their first trek to Folsom Field since 2010 on Saturday night to face the surging Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0). “It’s really impressive to watch, because he’s making plays in both phases — and big-time plays.”Hunter leads the team in receptions (46), yards receiving (561) and TDs (6). On defense, he has two interceptions despite being rarely targeted, including zero times against Baylor.“Travis Hunter is one of the Heisman favorites for a reason,” Kansas State dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson said. “He’s a really talented player, and what he does on both sides of the ball is really special, and doesn’t get enough credit.”Just don't compare him to Colorado coach Deion Sanders, who was a multidimensional threat over his Hall of Fame NFL career. Sanders wants Hunter to have the spotlight all to himself.“I've had my turn. I’m that old boxing coach in the corner that says, ‘Left, right, left, right. Hit him right here. All right, come over to the corner,'" Sanders cracked. “That’s who I am right now. I’ve had my turn. It’s not me against him.”<h2>Late night show</h2>Both teams will be well-rested after coming off a bye week. It's a late kickoff, too, with the game starting around 10:15 p.m. ET. This is a big conference game for the Wildcats, who've dropped one league contest at BYU. The Buffaloes began their return to Big 12 league play with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/baylor-colorado-deion-sanders-98fba794868800261a38cdaa70cafa49">overtime victory over</a>&nbsp;Baylor, followed by a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-ucf-football-score-d86d8e8865d311ef3fdb22368ebdb704">win at Central Florida</a>.“We are on our way to where we’re headed,” Sanders said. “I love the direction.”<h2>The Dylan Edwards Wildcats?</h2>A year ago, highly touted recruit Dylan Edwards was in the Buffaloes backfield. A transfer later and he's now part of a powerful ground game for the Wildcats. Kansas State is averaging 6.93 yards per carry, trailing only Boise State (8.18). Sanders turned playful when asked about facing off against Edwards.“They changed their name to Dylan Edwards? That's what the team is called now — the Dylan Edwards'?" Sanders quipped. "We ain’t playing against Dylan Edwards. We're playing against a darn good football team, man. Dylan happens to be on their team. I love the young man.”<h2>Slowing Shedeur</h2>Through five games, Shedeur Sanders is just behind his pace of last season when he broke the Colorado single-season yards passing mark. But he also sat out the last game of the year due to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deion-shedeur-sanders-colorado-87d73956da669f0fb8161bfe28ad8106">fracture in his back</a>. Behind a new offensive line, Sanders has thrown for 1,630 yards with 14 TDs. He’s been sacked 17 times this season. Through five games last season, he’d been sacked 25 times.“I think Sanders will be the first quarterback picked off the board" in the NFL draft, Klieman said. “He should be in the film that I’ve seen of a lot of the top guys.”<h2>Slowing the Wildcats</h2>The Wildcats are a sure bet to put points on the board — they've scored 28 or more in 12 of their last 13 games. Colorado's defense will be at full strength with the return of safety Shilo Sanders, who missed the last three games because of a forearm injury that required surgery.“I can’t wait to see him back there,” his father/coach said.<h2>Slowing Avery &amp; Co.</h2>

K-State faces tough task of containing Colorado 2-way standout Hunter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — As the Yankees were celebrating their win over his Royals to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-238cb93d771ddb975e59f58dfee11839">clinch their AL Division Series</a>&nbsp;on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, Bobby Witt Jr. snuck back to the home dugout to watch. He was the only one there, hanging over the railing, taking in the revelry that he thought should have belonged to him.

It left the Royals'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bobby-witt-jr">budding superstar</a>&nbsp;with a burning desire to not just return to the playoffs next year but go much farther.

“It's motivation. That's really all there is to it,” said Witt, whose exceptional year landed him in the All-Star Game and will likely land him second behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in MVP voting. “Because now that you get a taste of the postseason, you want to keep doing it. It's going to make everyone in this clubhouse work even harder.”

Unlike most offseasons — including the last one, when Kansas City had just finished a 106-loss campaign that ranked among the worst in franchise history — the Royals are headed into this one with momentum for the first time in years.

Behind a rebuilt starting rotation, improved bullpen and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-royals-yankees-4bef8446e83d4cd098172bb9bc87571b">breakout performances</a>&nbsp;by the likes of Witt and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals contended for the AL Central until the final week of the season. Then, in the wild-card round, they won two straight in Baltimore to advance to the divisional round and meet the AL East champion Yankees.

They had New York on the ropes, too, splitting the first two games at Yankee Stadium. But the Royals were unable to take care of business at home, where they had been so good most of the year, losing a pair of nail-biters to end their season.

The three games they lost to the Yankees in their best-of-five series were decided by four runs total.

“I'm happy for the city. I'm happy for the organization that we did what we did this year,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said, "but it doesn't matter what other people thought we were able to accomplish this year. Our guys had bigger expectations for themselves, and that's how you should approach this game. You don't come here thinking, ‘Oh, I hope we get a little better.’ That is not how this works at the big-league level."

Yet the Royals got much better this season, engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in major league history.

When it ended with a 3-1 loss to the Yankees on Thursday night, it left Witt and the rest of the Royals wanting more, especially given how close they came to returning to the American League Championship Series.

“That's not even the goal. That's really who we are. That's what Royals baseball is,” Witt said. “We're going to keep getting better, each and every day. That's what we're going to work on in the offseason. This feels like a letdown, so there's a lot of bad tastes in peoples' mouths, so it's just going to be more motivation for a lot of time to come.”

All-Star picks Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans along with Brady Singer will be back to anchor the rotation next season. Michael Wacha could return, though he is likely to decline his player option. Kyle Wright could fill one of the open spots after he spent the season recovering from shoulder surgery, while Alec Marsh and others will compete for a starting role.

The Royals rebuilt their relief corps last offseason, and it was vastly improved despite dismal seasons from veterans such as Will Smith. They landed a bona fide closer in Lucas Erceg at the trade deadline, though, and also traded for Hunter Harvey, who threw for just 5 2/3 innings for them because of an injury but should be ready for a full 2025 season.

Hunter Renfroe holds a player option for next season and could be back, and Kyle Isbel played well in center field despite some modest numbers at the plate. But left fielder MJ Melendez was a black hole in the lineup and Nelson Velázquez hit so poorly that he was relegated to the minors. The Royals will be looking for more pop from the outfield in the offseason.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — As the Yankees were celebrating their win over his Royals to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-238cb93d771ddb975e59f58dfee11839">clinch their AL Division Series</a>&nbsp;on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, Bobby Witt Jr. snuck back to the home dugout to watch. He was the only one there, hanging over the railing, taking in the revelry that he thought should have belonged to him.It left the Royals'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bobby-witt-jr">budding superstar</a>&nbsp;with a burning desire to not just return to the playoffs next year but go much farther.“It's motivation. That's really all there is to it,” said Witt, whose exceptional year landed him in the All-Star Game and will likely land him second behind Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in MVP voting. “Because now that you get a taste of the postseason, you want to keep doing it. It's going to make everyone in this clubhouse work even harder.”Unlike most offseasons — including the last one, when Kansas City had just finished a 106-loss campaign that ranked among the worst in franchise history — the Royals are headed into this one with momentum for the first time in years.Behind a rebuilt starting rotation, improved bullpen and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-royals-yankees-4bef8446e83d4cd098172bb9bc87571b">breakout performances</a>&nbsp;by the likes of Witt and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals contended for the AL Central until the final week of the season. Then, in the wild-card round, they won two straight in Baltimore to advance to the divisional round and meet the AL East champion Yankees.They had New York on the ropes, too, splitting the first two games at Yankee Stadium. But the Royals were unable to take care of business at home, where they had been so good most of the year, losing a pair of nail-biters to end their season.The three games they lost to the Yankees in their best-of-five series were decided by four runs total.“I'm happy for the city. I'm happy for the organization that we did what we did this year,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said, "but it doesn't matter what other people thought we were able to accomplish this year. Our guys had bigger expectations for themselves, and that's how you should approach this game. You don't come here thinking, ‘Oh, I hope we get a little better.’ That is not how this works at the big-league level."Yet the Royals got much better this season, engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in major league history.When it ended with a 3-1 loss to the Yankees on Thursday night, it left Witt and the rest of the Royals wanting more, especially given how close they came to returning to the American League Championship Series.“That's not even the goal. That's really who we are. That's what Royals baseball is,” Witt said. “We're going to keep getting better, each and every day. That's what we're going to work on in the offseason. This feels like a letdown, so there's a lot of bad tastes in peoples' mouths, so it's just going to be more motivation for a lot of time to come.”<h2>Rotation situation</h2>All-Star picks Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans along with Brady Singer will be back to anchor the rotation next season. Michael Wacha could return, though he is likely to decline his player option. Kyle Wright could fill one of the open spots after he spent the season recovering from shoulder surgery, while Alec Marsh and others will compete for a starting role.<h2>Bullish on the bullpen</h2>The Royals rebuilt their relief corps last offseason, and it was vastly improved despite dismal seasons from veterans such as Will Smith. They landed a bona fide closer in Lucas Erceg at the trade deadline, though, and also traded for Hunter Harvey, who threw for just 5 2/3 innings for them because of an injury but should be ready for a full 2025 season.<h2>Offense from the outfield</h2>Hunter Renfroe holds a player option for next season and could be back, and Kyle Isbel played well in center field despite some modest numbers at the plate. But left fielder MJ Melendez was a black hole in the lineup and Nelson Velázquez hit so poorly that he was relegated to the minors. The Royals will be looking for more pop from the outfield in the offseason.<h2>Infield stability</h2>

From 106 losses to the playoffs, Royals already are aiming for more next season

The Lady Panther varsity squad took last Thursday off but the boys picked up some extra experience at the Sterling Golf Course. The Panthers scored 95 points as a team to finish third behind Hutchinson Trinity (46) and Buhler (82).

Trinity junior Jacob Lindstrom won the race by 12 seconds in 15:54. Panther junior Ismael Ramirez finished third in 16:06.9, just three seconds behind the silver. Junior Tavon Stroup rounded out the top five in 16:19.1. The final three Panther scorers packed up, led by senior Diego Pasos in 31st in 17:55.3. Freshman Isaac Aldana finished less than a second later in 17:56.1, and freshman Brogan Lashley placed 33rd in 17:58.2. Sophomore Anthony Lawrence finished 36th in 18:05.0, and sophomore Parker Coleman ran 47th in 18:52.2.

Great Bend Post SportsThe Lady Panther varsity squad took last Thursday off but the boys picked up some extra experience at the Sterling Golf Course. The Panthers scored 95 points as a team to finish third behind Hutchinson Trinity (46) and Buhler (82).Trinity junior Jacob Lindstrom won the race by 12 seconds in 15:54. Panther junior Ismael Ramirez finished third in 16:06.9, just three seconds behind the silver. Junior Tavon Stroup rounded out the top five in 16:19.1. The final three Panther scorers packed up, led by senior Diego Pasos in 31st in 17:55.3. Freshman Isaac Aldana finished less than a second later in 17:56.1, and freshman Brogan Lashley placed 33rd in 17:58.2. Sophomore Anthony Lawrence finished 36th in 18:05.0, and sophomore Parker Coleman ran 47th in 18:52.2.&nbsp;

Panther boys run third at Sterling Invitational

Western Athletic Conference Great Bend 14, Liberal 7 Hays 26, Dodge City 0 Garden City 48, Wichita Southeast 0 Central Kansas League Hoisington 48, Lakin 31 Larned 14, Southwestern Heights 7 Pratt 49, Phillipsburg 20 Halstead 31, Ellsworth 13 Nickerson 26, Lyons 21 Andale 54, Smoky Valley 0 Hesston 55, Wichita Trinity 14 Haven 49, Belle Plaine 7 Southeast of Saline 36, Hillsboro 8 Other 11-Man Games Hutch-Trinity 26, Ellinwood 15 Norton 42, Russell 22 TMP 28, Oakley 20 Conway Springs 41, Sterling 14 Area 8-Man Games Central Plains 46, Canton-Galva 0 Hodgeman County 46, Macksville 0 Wichita County 70, La Crosse 6 Minneola 52, St. John 6 Victoria 72, Stafford 14 Kinsley 30, Meade 14 Oxford 84, Kiowa County 58 Ell-Saline 38, Little River 36 Area 6-Man Games Tescott 27, Otis-Bison 20 Pawnee Heights 66, Moscow 20 Cunningham 1, Chase 0

Western Athletic Conference Great Bend 14, Liberal 7 Hays 26, Dodge City 0 Garden City 48, Wichita Southeast 0 Central Kansas League Hoisington 48, Lakin 31 Larned 14, Southwestern Heights 7 Pratt 49, Phillipsburg 20 Halstead 31, Ellsworth 13 Nickerson 26, Lyons 21 Andale 54, Smoky Valley 0 Hesston 55, Wichita Trinity 14 Haven 49, Belle Plaine 7 Southeast of Saline 36, Hillsboro 8 Other 11-Man Games Hutch-Trinity 26, Ellinwood 15 Norton 42, Russell 22 TMP 28, Oakley 20 Conway Springs 41, Sterling 14 Area 8-Man Games Central Plains 46, Canton-Galva 0 Hodgeman County 46, Macksville 0 Wichita County 70, La Crosse 6 Minneola 52, St. John 6 Victoria 72, Stafford 14 Kinsley 30, Meade 14 Oxford 84, Kiowa County 58 Ell-Saline 38, Little River 36 Area 6-Man Games Tescott 27, Otis-Bison 20 Pawnee Heights 66, Moscow 20 Cunningham 1, Chase 0

Area high school football scores - Week 6

1.Hoisington Sports on 100.7 Eagle Country sponsored  by...USD #431 Hoisington, Ehler Chevrolet, Cardinal Pharmacy, Equity Bank, Donald E Reif Jr. Attorney at Law, Town &amp; Country Supermarket, Superior Essex, First Kansas Bank, Innovative Livestock Services, Mpire Realty Jessy Kirmer/Nikki Henderson, Clara Barton Medical Center, Hoisington Veterinary Hospital, Rosenberg Family Denistry, Hoisington Recreation Commission, Central Chiropractic, Dr. Tyler Schremmer, Bobcat Backhoe Service, and Barton Community College.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581739911992.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hoisington 48 Lakin 31<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/yjjgl231/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>1.Hoisington Sports on 100.7 Eagle Country sponsored by...USD #431 Hoisington, Ehler Chevrolet, Cardinal Pharmacy, Equity Bank, Donald E Reif Jr. Attorney at Law, Town &amp; Country Supermarket, Superior Essex, First Kansas Bank, Innovative Livestock Services, Mpire Realty Jessy Kirmer/Nikki Henderson, Clara Barton Medical Center, Hoisington Veterinary Hospital, Rosenberg Family Denistry, Hoisington Recreation Commission, Central Chiropractic, Dr. Tyler Schremmer, Bobcat Backhoe Service, and Barton Community College.

Hoisington 48 Lakin 31

1. Larned Sports on 106.9 brought to you in part by USD #495, Beckwith Mortuary, Equity Bank, Smith Dental, Eakin Concrete, Santa Fe Liquor Mart, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust in Larned, Farm Bureau Financial Services Leigh Anne Seeman, Clock Realty &amp; Insurance, Pawnee Plaza, Innovative Livestock Services, Titan Building Systems, Pawnee County COOP, Progressive Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Frick Veterinary, Services, H&amp;H Roofing, Rosenberg Family Dentistry, Fusion Bank, Doerr's Ace Hardware, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned Veterinary Clinic, Heart of Kansas Family Health, Barton Community College, and Off Broadway Boutique.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695238768373.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Larned 14 Southwestern Heights 7<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/bhj510lg/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>1. Larned Sports on 106.9 brought to you in part by USD #495, Beckwith Mortuary, Equity Bank, Smith Dental, Eakin Concrete, Santa Fe Liquor Mart, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust in Larned, Farm Bureau Financial Services Leigh Anne Seeman, Clock Realty &amp; Insurance, Pawnee Plaza, Innovative Livestock Services, Titan Building Systems, Pawnee County COOP, Progressive Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, Frick Veterinary, Services, H&amp;H Roofing, Rosenberg Family Dentistry, Fusion Bank, Doerr's Ace Hardware, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned Veterinary Clinic, Heart of Kansas Family Health, Barton Community College, and Off Broadway Boutique.

Larned 14 Southwestern Heights 7

1. Great Bend Sports on 104 3 the Point sponsored by USD #428, Keller Real Estate &amp; Insurance Agency, Equity Bank, The 10th Street Eyecare Center, People's Bank and Trust, Comfort Pro, Delgado's Mexican Restaurant, Great Bend Rec, Edward Jones, Damm Pipe Testing, University of Kansas Health System, The Fieldhouse, Scott's Welding Service, American Plains COOP, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust, Innovative Livestock Services, Marmie Auto Group, Mpire Realty, Advanced Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, GB Tarp Company, Freedom Claims Management, Coldwell Banker - Megan Wells, Advanced Truck &amp; Diesel, Nextech, Stone Sand Company/Stone Waste Management, Rosenberg Family Denistry, Sutherlands, Great Bend Redi Mix, Kern Floor Service, Magna Dry Cleaning Services, Shelter Insurance - Chris Ramsey, and Mitchell K Haney and Associates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886602159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend 14 Liberal 7<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/0y1wrcu3/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>1. Great Bend Sports on 104 3 the Point sponsored by USD #428, Keller Real Estate &amp; Insurance Agency, Equity Bank, The 10th Street Eyecare Center, People's Bank and Trust, Comfort Pro, Delgado's Mexican Restaurant, Great Bend Rec, Edward Jones, Damm Pipe Testing, University of Kansas Health System, The Fieldhouse, Scott's Welding Service, American Plains COOP, Farmer's Bank &amp; Trust, Innovative Livestock Services, Marmie Auto Group, Mpire Realty, Advanced Therapy &amp; Sports Medicine, GB Tarp Company, Freedom Claims Management, Coldwell Banker - Megan Wells, Advanced Truck &amp; Diesel, Nextech, Stone Sand Company/Stone Waste Management, Rosenberg Family Denistry, Sutherlands, Great Bend Redi Mix, Kern Floor Service, Magna Dry Cleaning Services, Shelter Insurance - Chris Ramsey, and Mitchell K Haney and Associates.

Great Bend 14 Liberal 7

- Sunflower Sports Solutions Conor Nicholl is back to preview week 6 of the High School Football season. Conor will also have the latest prep volleyball news and a preview of Friday's Regional tennis.

- Complete recap of game 4 of the ALDS between the Royals and Yankees

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" for Panther sports

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Friday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Friday 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/hetwpHFUFu4?si=j8ia7ZHRJR4q7Crb" 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>- Sunflower Sports Solutions Conor Nicholl is back to preview week 6 of the High School Football season. Conor will also have the latest prep volleyball news and a preview of Friday's Regional tennis.- Complete recap of game 4 of the ALDS between the Royals and Yankees- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" for Panther sports- Friday Sports Headlines- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Friday on Sports Day(Watch)

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

The Barton Community College men's golf team put together three solid rounds led by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>'s program record and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>'s additional impact to capture their own Barton Invitational held at Junction City's Rolling Meadow Golf Course.

Lambert posted a trio of sub-par rounds for the first time in program history leading the team to a 32-stroke victory over Hesston College. The Cougars carded twin 301 rounds on Monday before concluding Tuesday's action with a season best 292 for a combined 30-over, 894 score.

Hesston finished at 64-over, 928 for the runner-up spot with Barton's "B" team in third at 103-over, 967 with Coffeyville Community College rounding out the field at 142-over, 1006.

Posting a 4-under 68 in Monday's morning round, Lambert finished the day with a 2-under card before returning Tuesday to fire a 5-under 67 becoming the first Cougar to record all sub-par rounds in a tournament.

Lambert's 11-under 205 also set a program best to better the 20-man field by six strokes over Hesston College's Mark Neely as the Lark freshman closed with a tournament low 6-under 66 round.

Three strokes behind in third place, Chevallier became just the eighth Cougar to finish sub-par after three rounds with a 2-under 214. Opening Monday morning's round with an even-par 72, Chevallier added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon before shooting a 3-under 69 on Tuesday leaving the top three golfers of the field sixteen strokes ahead of the rest of the field.

The duo were among six Cougars on the top ten leaderboard as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>&nbsp;was next in 5th place following his twin 79 cards with a final round 1-over 73 in climbing four spots for a combined 15-over 231.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;led Barton's "B" team entries at 19-over 235 (76-78-81) to grab the 7th overall position with fellow second wave teammates&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lucke_cooper_z9a3">Cooper Lucke</a>&nbsp;in 9th at 23-over and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/gamblin_grayden_u7kc">Grayden Gamblin</a>&nbsp;in the 10th spot at 27-over 243 (81-79-83).

The Cougars will have a couple weeks from competition before heading to Newton's Sand Creek Station Golf Course on Thursday, October 24, for the two-day NJCAA National Preview to conclude the fall schedule.

Complete Barton Entries: 1st&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>&nbsp;-11, 205 (68-70-67) 3rd&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>&nbsp;-2, 214 (72-73-69) 5th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>&nbsp;+15, 231 (79-79-73) 7th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;+19, 235 (76-78-81) 9th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lucke_cooper_z9a3">Cooper Lucke</a>&nbsp;+23, 239 (76-81-82) 10th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/gamblin_grayden_u7kc">Grayden Gamblin</a>&nbsp;+27, 243 (81-79-83) 11th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/moore_mason_l7zd">Mason Moore</a>&nbsp;+31, 247 (83-79-85) 12th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/reynolds_talon_qxp0">Talon Reynolds</a>&nbsp;+32, 248 (82-83-83) 14th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/fitzpatrick_easton_zdyq">Easton Fitzpatrick</a>&nbsp;+38, 254 (83-84-87) 20th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chela_kevin_sxd8">Kevin Chela</a>&nbsp;+55, 271 (88-100-83)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728650676382.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoThe Barton Community College men's golf team put together three solid rounds led by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>'s program record and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>'s additional impact to capture their own Barton Invitational held at Junction City's Rolling Meadow Golf Course.Lambert posted a trio of sub-par rounds for the first time in program history leading the team to a 32-stroke victory over Hesston College. The Cougars carded twin 301 rounds on Monday before concluding Tuesday's action with a season best 292 for a combined 30-over, 894 score.Hesston finished at 64-over, 928 for the runner-up spot with Barton's "B" team in third at 103-over, 967 with Coffeyville Community College rounding out the field at 142-over, 1006.Posting a 4-under 68 in Monday's morning round, Lambert finished the day with a 2-under card before returning Tuesday to fire a 5-under 67 becoming the first Cougar to record all sub-par rounds in a tournament.Lambert's 11-under 205 also set a program best to better the 20-man field by six strokes over Hesston College's Mark Neely as the Lark freshman closed with a tournament low 6-under 66 round.Three strokes behind in third place, Chevallier became just the eighth Cougar to finish sub-par after three rounds with a 2-under 214. Opening Monday morning's round with an even-par 72, Chevallier added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon before shooting a 3-under 69 on Tuesday leaving the top three golfers of the field sixteen strokes ahead of the rest of the field.The duo were among six Cougars on the top ten leaderboard as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>&nbsp;was next in 5th place following his twin 79 cards with a final round 1-over 73 in climbing four spots for a combined 15-over 231.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;led Barton's "B" team entries at 19-over 235 (76-78-81) to grab the 7th overall position with fellow second wave teammates&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lucke_cooper_z9a3">Cooper Lucke</a>&nbsp;in 9th at 23-over and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/gamblin_grayden_u7kc">Grayden Gamblin</a>&nbsp;in the 10th spot at 27-over 243 (81-79-83).The Cougars will have a couple weeks from competition before heading to Newton's Sand Creek Station Golf Course on Thursday, October 24, for the two-day NJCAA National Preview to conclude the fall schedule.Complete Barton Entries: 1st&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lambert_kaleb_aib9">Kaleb Lambert</a>&nbsp;-11, 205 (68-70-67) 3rd&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chevallier_martin_dyh2">Martin Chevallier</a>&nbsp;-2, 214 (72-73-69) 5th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/cauvin-piacentini_matteu_qskk">Matteu Cauvin-Piacentini</a>&nbsp;+15, 231 (79-79-73) 7th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/suwanmuang_wintakorn_ndsr">Wintakorn Suwanmuang</a>&nbsp;+19, 235 (76-78-81) 9th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/lucke_cooper_z9a3">Cooper Lucke</a>&nbsp;+23, 239 (76-81-82) 10th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/gamblin_grayden_u7kc">Grayden Gamblin</a>&nbsp;+27, 243 (81-79-83) 11th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/moore_mason_l7zd">Mason Moore</a>&nbsp;+31, 247 (83-79-85) 12th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/reynolds_talon_qxp0">Talon Reynolds</a>&nbsp;+32, 248 (82-83-83) 14th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/fitzpatrick_easton_zdyq">Easton Fitzpatrick</a>&nbsp;+38, 254 (83-84-87) 20th&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/chela_kevin_sxd8">Kevin Chela</a>&nbsp;+55, 271 (88-100-83)

Lambert sets program record leading Cougars to Barton Invitational title

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

Cowley College has had success in recent years with Great Bend High School graduates on the roster. The Tigers will keep the tradition going next season as Lady Panther senior Cassie Ellegood has committed to play in Arkansas City. Ellegood was part of Great Bend's team that set a school record with 31 wins last season, and she'll be joining a Cowley team that just collected its school-record 61st consecutive win.

"My dad raised me to work for what I want or I will never get it, so having that feeling in a program is really important for me," said Ellegood. "Along with the athletics, Cowley is really academically sound. They have great teachers, resources, and buildings. That played a big role in my choice.

Former Lady Panther Sydney Unruh played at Cowley from 2021-23, and Valarie Luna helped the Lady Tigers win a national title last year. Ellegood looks to carry on the tradition of winning at both schools. 

"I chose Cowley because they reminded me of Great Bend in a way," she  said. "I feel that Great Bend Athletics really has a memo and mentality. 'Work to Win' and 'Embrace the Battle.' It is a program that makes you work hard and doesn’t give you easy off days, and I believe that helped me become the athlete I am. After visiting a couple of schools, Cowley is the only program I felt that from."

This season, Ellegood has helped the Lady Panthers to a 22-2 start and the No. 9 ranking in Class 5A. She leads the team in kills (152) and kill percentage (45.6), and is second on the team with 34 blocks. A powerful server, Ellegood has aced 38 serves in 46 sets played this year. That pace will likely move her into the school's top-five list for aces in a season. 

Ellegood also won a state medal in the high jump last spring. She closes out her volleyball career at GBHS by playing alongside freshman sister, Micah. The girls are the daughters of Myron and Sarah Ellegood.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728658338136.jpeg" alt="Great Bend High School's Cassie Ellegood was one of four seniors celebrated during Senior Night Thursday at GBHS. Ellegood has verbally committed to play at reigning national champion Cowley College next year." />
 <figcaption>Great Bend High School's Cassie Ellegood was one of four seniors celebrated during Senior Night Thursday at GBHS. Ellegood has verbally committed to play at reigning national champion Cowley College next year.</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostCowley College has had success in recent years with Great Bend High School graduates on the roster. The Tigers will keep the tradition going next season as Lady Panther senior Cassie Ellegood has committed to play in Arkansas City. Ellegood was part of Great Bend's team that set a school record with 31 wins last season, and she'll be joining a Cowley team that just collected its school-record 61st consecutive win."My dad raised me to work for what I want or I will never get it, so having that feeling in a program is really important for me," said Ellegood. "Along with the athletics, Cowley is really academically sound. They have great teachers, resources, and buildings. That played a big role in my choice.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728658257566.jpeg" alt="Ellegood and freshman Mikala Minton (33) team up for a block against Dodge City." />
 <figcaption>Ellegood and freshman Mikala Minton (33) team up for a block against Dodge City.</figcaption>
 </figure>Former Lady Panther Sydney Unruh played at Cowley from 2021-23, and Valarie Luna helped the Lady Tigers win a national title last year. Ellegood looks to carry on the tradition of winning at both schools. "I chose Cowley because they reminded me of Great Bend in a way," she said. "I feel that Great Bend Athletics really has a memo and mentality. 'Work to Win' and 'Embrace the Battle.' It is a program that makes you work hard and doesn’t give you easy off days, and I believe that helped me become the athlete I am. After visiting a couple of schools, Cowley is the only program I felt that from."This season, Ellegood has helped the Lady Panthers to a 22-2 start and the No. 9 ranking in Class 5A. She leads the team in kills (152) and kill percentage (45.6), and is second on the team with 34 blocks. A powerful server, Ellegood has aced 38 serves in 46 sets played this year. That pace will likely move her into the school's top-five list for aces in a season. Ellegood also won a state medal in the high jump last spring. She closes out her volleyball career at GBHS by playing alongside freshman sister, Micah. The girls are the daughters of Myron and Sarah Ellegood.

Great Bend's Ellegood commits to play volleyball at Cowley College

Even with a 20-2 record, the Lady Panther volleyball team sat stuck in the No. 9 position in the latest Class 5A rankings from the Kansas Volleyball Association released Wednesday. Thursday night, Great Bend celebrated its four seniors on the roster with a pair of straight-set wins, including a 25-18, 25-13 performance against two-time defending Class 2A champion and fourth-ranked Hillsboro to close out Senior Night.

"It's amazing," said Lady Panther senior Kara Feist. "It's a good feeling to be able to win on our home court on Senior Night. It's a lot of fun and our crowd was amazing tonight."

Hillsboro, playing under longtime coach Sandy Arnold and her 650-plus career wins, entered Thursday's finale coming off a 3-set win against Emporia.  Seniors Feist and Cassie Ellegood stopped that momentum with a pair of quick points in the first set against the Trojans. Even with a pair of services out of bounds, the Lady Panthers still pulled ahead 6-4.

The Trojans hung around at 10-9 before sophomore Alex Mayers put down a kill and Ellegood used all of her reach to get a hit over the net for a 15-10 advantage. Feist and Ellegood each added two more kills for a 22-17 score, and Ellegood and sophomore Kya Behr finished off the first set with hits 25-18.

The Lady Panthers dominated the second set. Mayers put down a pair of early balls and junior Ava Kaiser added an ace as Great Bend jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Kaiser added a big dig that resulted in a point, and hits from Ellegood and Behr pushed the gap to 11-3. The Lady Panthers led by as many as 11 points late on hits from Behr, Ellegood, and Feist. Ellegood provided the exclamation point on the evening with a kill for the 25-13 set.

Ellegood finished with 11 kills in the win, followed by seven from Mayers and six each from Feist and Behr. Ellegood and Behr also combined for five blocks. Mayers was also busy in the back row with eight digs, followed by seven apiece from Behr and freshman Mikala Minton. Celebrating her 1,000th career assist over the weekend, Behr added 25 to her total against Hillsboro.

Great Bend def. Emporia 25-19, 25-17

Great Bend also picked up a quality win against an Emporia team that entered the evening with 18 wins on the season. The Lady Spartan roster featured two players over six foot tall and another at 5-11. That contributed to an early 9-5 Panther deficit.

Feist and Minton put down kills to jumpstart a comeback, and a block from Feist and tip from Behr leveled the score at 10. Feist and Behr again scored to give Great Bend its first lead of the night at 13-12. Emporia tied the score at 13 and again at 16. The Panthers led 21-18 when Ellegood aced a serve and followed that point with a kill. Feist added a late hit to secure the set 25-19.

The second set remained competitive until the 10-8 mark. Ellegood put down a kill before teaming up with little sister Micah Ellegood for a block. An ace from Kaiser bumped the Panther lead to 14-8. Still leading 16-10, Behr provided a highlight set backwards over the net for a point. A hit from Mayers set up match point, and Cassie Ellegood's block ended the match at 25-17.

Behr and Ellegood each finished with seven kills, followed by four from Feist. Both Ellegoods, Feist, and Behr all had a big night of blocking. Behr led the back row with nine digs, followed by eight from Kaiser and seven from Mayers. Behr finished the match with 17 assists.

Great Bend celebrated seniors Feist, Cassie Ellegood, Josephine Mazouch, and Addy Irwin. The Lady Panthers take a 22-2 record to the El Dorado tournament this weekend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728656663693.jpeg" alt="Lady Panther junior Kimmie Hofflinger (10) and sophomore Alex Mayers (23) watch a pass from junior Ava Kaiser during Thursday's win against Emporia." />
 <figcaption>Lady Panther junior Kimmie Hofflinger (10) and sophomore Alex Mayers (23) watch a pass from junior Ava Kaiser during Thursday's win against Emporia.</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostEven with a 20-2 record, the Lady Panther volleyball team sat stuck in the No. 9 position in the latest Class 5A rankings from the Kansas Volleyball Association released Wednesday. Thursday night, Great Bend celebrated its four seniors on the roster with a pair of straight-set wins, including a 25-18, 25-13 performance against two-time defending Class 2A champion and fourth-ranked Hillsboro to close out Senior Night."It's amazing," said Lady Panther senior Kara Feist. "It's a good feeling to be able to win on our home court on Senior Night. It's a lot of fun and our crowd was amazing tonight."Hillsboro, playing under longtime coach Sandy Arnold and her 650-plus career wins, entered Thursday's finale coming off a 3-set win against Emporia. Seniors Feist and Cassie Ellegood stopped that momentum with a pair of quick points in the first set against the Trojans. Even with a pair of services out of bounds, the Lady Panthers still pulled ahead 6-4.The Trojans hung around at 10-9 before sophomore Alex Mayers put down a kill and Ellegood used all of her reach to get a hit over the net for a 15-10 advantage. Feist and Ellegood each added two more kills for a 22-17 score, and Ellegood and sophomore Kya Behr finished off the first set with hits 25-18.The Lady Panthers dominated the second set. Mayers put down a pair of early balls and junior Ava Kaiser added an ace as Great Bend jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Kaiser added a big dig that resulted in a point, and hits from Ellegood and Behr pushed the gap to 11-3. The Lady Panthers led by as many as 11 points late on hits from Behr, Ellegood, and Feist. Ellegood provided the exclamation point on the evening with a kill for the 25-13 set.Ellegood finished with 11 kills in the win, followed by seven from Mayers and six each from Feist and Behr. Ellegood and Behr also combined for five blocks. Mayers was also busy in the back row with eight digs, followed by seven apiece from Behr and freshman Mikala Minton. Celebrating her 1,000th career assist over the weekend, Behr added 25 to her total against Hillsboro.Great Bend def. Emporia 25-19, 25-17Great Bend also picked up a quality win against an Emporia team that entered the evening with 18 wins on the season. The Lady Spartan roster featured two players over six foot tall and another at 5-11. That contributed to an early 9-5 Panther deficit.Feist and Minton put down kills to jumpstart a comeback, and a block from Feist and tip from Behr leveled the score at 10. Feist and Behr again scored to give Great Bend its first lead of the night at 13-12. Emporia tied the score at 13 and again at 16. The Panthers led 21-18 when Ellegood aced a serve and followed that point with a kill. Feist added a late hit to secure the set 25-19.The second set remained competitive until the 10-8 mark. Ellegood put down a kill before teaming up with little sister Micah Ellegood for a block. An ace from Kaiser bumped the Panther lead to 14-8. Still leading 16-10, Behr provided a highlight set backwards over the net for a point. A hit from Mayers set up match point, and Cassie Ellegood's block ended the match at 25-17.Behr and Ellegood each finished with seven kills, followed by four from Feist. Both Ellegoods, Feist, and Behr all had a big night of blocking. Behr led the back row with nine digs, followed by eight from Kaiser and seven from Mayers. Behr finished the match with 17 assists.Great Bend celebrated seniors Feist, Cassie Ellegood, Josephine Mazouch, and Addy Irwin. The Lady Panthers take a 22-2 record to the El Dorado tournament this weekend.

No. 9 Lady Panthers move to 22-2 with quality wins on Senior Night

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. accused the Royals' Maikel Garcia of intentionally trying to hurt Anthony Volpe while sliding into second base during Game 4 of a tense AL Division Series&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-238cb93d771ddb975e59f58dfee11839">that New York clinched with a 3-1 victory Thursday night.</a>

Garcia had led off the sixth inning with a single and Michael Massey had followed with a chopper to first base, where Jon Berti fielded the ball and stepped on the bag. He then fired to Volpe covering second for the double play, and Garcia slid hard into the base — and Volpe likewise delivered a hard tag on the Kansas City third baseman.

Tempers immediately flared and both teams flooded the field, though no punches were thrown and nobody was tossed.

“I just felt like he tried to go in and injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser. You know what I mean?” Chisholm said. “He was talking a ton on Instagram and Twitter and stuff. I do the same thing but I'm not going to injure somebody if they're winning a game. I didn't like that. I told him we don't do that on this side and I'm going to stick up for my guys.”

Chisholm had already become the villain of the series when he said the Royals were “lucky” to win Game 2. He was was reminded of the comment during every at-bat, too, getting a steady stream of boos from a crowd starved for postseason ball.

The Yankees jokingly booed him during a postgame celebration in the visiting clubhouse Thursday night, as they looked ahead to a matchup with the Guardians or Tigers with Game 1 of the AL Championship Series on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees and Royals have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yankees-royals-rivalry-213cf4b358d61ab7b878f4be44eca2b7">come to loathe each other</a>&nbsp;over the years, long before this playoff matchup. In fact, the angst can be traced back to the 1970s, when players such as George Brett of the Royals and the Yankees' Graig Nettles would get into all-out fist-fights during games that often decided who would be representing the American League in the World Series.

It looked a little like like those days when the benches emptied Thursday night.

“Yeah, it was like if there was some kind of upset over the slide or whatever, we just go back and show a little Hal McRae and Willie Randolph and we’ll all laugh at ourselves,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said jokingly.

The near-fracas wasn't funny to anyone at the time. Chisholm was chirping at the Royals while running into the middle of the scrum, and Yankees starter Gerrit Cole — who allowed a lone run over seven innings of precise pitching — had to be held back by several of his teammates as tensions ran high at Kauffman Stadium.

“I was holding my emotions in all night,” Cole admitted, “and let them out on the way to the dugout.”

It took Aaron Judge, among others, to keep the teams from coming to blows then they met near second base. And while order was restored and the game soon resumed, there was an underlying tension the rest of the way.

“I have no idea (what happened). Honestly,” Boone said. “It was like we were out there and then it was right back into we’re at the end of a playoff game. So I haven’t even let the dust settle and talk to the guys involved.”

When asked what happened from his perspective, Royals manager Matt Quatraro was matter-of-fact: “Volpe had the ball, blocked the bag, Maikel probably didn’t care for that too much, and it got a little chippy.”

It happens in postseason baseball, especially when the Yankees and Royals are involved.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728650896483.png" alt="Umpire Roberto Ortiz holds back Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia (11) after being tagged out by New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe as the benches empty after a double play during the sixth inning in Game 4 of an American League Division baseball playoff series Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Umpire Roberto Ortiz holds back Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia (11) after being tagged out by New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe as the benches empty after a double play during the sixth inning in Game 4 of an American League Division baseball playoff series Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. accused the Royals' Maikel Garcia of intentionally trying to hurt Anthony Volpe while sliding into second base during Game 4 of a tense AL Division Series&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-238cb93d771ddb975e59f58dfee11839">that New York clinched with a 3-1 victory Thursday night.</a>Garcia had led off the sixth inning with a single and Michael Massey had followed with a chopper to first base, where Jon Berti fielded the ball and stepped on the bag. He then fired to Volpe covering second for the double play, and Garcia slid hard into the base — and Volpe likewise delivered a hard tag on the Kansas City third baseman.Tempers immediately flared and both teams flooded the field, though no punches were thrown and nobody was tossed.“I just felt like he tried to go in and injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser. You know what I mean?” Chisholm said. “He was talking a ton on Instagram and Twitter and stuff. I do the same thing but I'm not going to injure somebody if they're winning a game. I didn't like that. I told him we don't do that on this side and I'm going to stick up for my guys.”Chisholm had already become the villain of the series when he said the Royals were “lucky” to win Game 2. He was was reminded of the comment during every at-bat, too, getting a steady stream of boos from a crowd starved for postseason ball.The Yankees jokingly booed him during a postgame celebration in the visiting clubhouse Thursday night, as they looked ahead to a matchup with the Guardians or Tigers with Game 1 of the AL Championship Series on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.The Yankees and Royals have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yankees-royals-rivalry-213cf4b358d61ab7b878f4be44eca2b7">come to loathe each other</a>&nbsp;over the years, long before this playoff matchup. In fact, the angst can be traced back to the 1970s, when players such as George Brett of the Royals and the Yankees' Graig Nettles would get into all-out fist-fights during games that often decided who would be representing the American League in the World Series.It looked a little like like those days when the benches emptied Thursday night.“Yeah, it was like if there was some kind of upset over the slide or whatever, we just go back and show a little Hal McRae and Willie Randolph and we’ll all laugh at ourselves,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said jokingly.The near-fracas wasn't funny to anyone at the time. Chisholm was chirping at the Royals while running into the middle of the scrum, and Yankees starter Gerrit Cole — who allowed a lone run over seven innings of precise pitching — had to be held back by several of his teammates as tensions ran high at Kauffman Stadium.“I was holding my emotions in all night,” Cole admitted, “and let them out on the way to the dugout.”It took Aaron Judge, among others, to keep the teams from coming to blows then they met near second base. And while order was restored and the game soon resumed, there was an underlying tension the rest of the way.“I have no idea (what happened). Honestly,” Boone said. “It was like we were out there and then it was right back into we’re at the end of a playoff game. So I haven’t even let the dust settle and talk to the guys involved.”When asked what happened from his perspective, Royals manager Matt Quatraro was matter-of-fact: “Volpe had the ball, blocked the bag, Maikel probably didn’t care for that too much, and it got a little chippy.”It happens in postseason baseball, especially when the Yankees and Royals are involved.

Yankees' Chisholm accuses Royals' Garcia of intentionally trying to hurt teammate

DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-guardians-david-fry-e1d7b9602c0567fdc2014727b059eb5d">Pinch-hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer</a>&nbsp;in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Cleveland Guardians force a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their AL Division Series with a 5-4 victory on Thursday night. “David Fry is one of the best baseball players in this league,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. Cleveland ended a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games dating to Game 6 of 1997 World Series after Emmanuel Clase retired got five outs for his third multi-inning save of the year. “It’s win or go home,” Vogt said. “You want your best pitchers out there as long as possible.” AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal will start Game 5 for the Tigers on Saturday night in Cleveland.

SEATTLE (AP) — Deebo Samuel didn’t hesitate when he was asked what was working for the San Francisco 49ers. “Brock Purdy,” Samuel said. Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the Niners never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.&nbsp;Samuel had&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1844541750930702445" target="_blank">a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown</a>&nbsp;and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the defending NFC champions (3-3), who moved into a tie with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after an uneven start to the season. George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who beat the Seahawks for a sixth straight time. Kyle Juszczyk had a late TD run, and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1844573445042102678" target="_blank">by leaping into the stands</a>&nbsp;to embrace their wives, who were sitting together in the first row. Matthew Wright, who joined San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, had a trio of first half-field goals from 25, 41 and 35 yards.

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has seen a lot in her incredible career that has included four WNBA championships. The historic rally by the Lynx to beat New York 95-93 in a wild Game 1 of the WNBA Finals ranks right up there as one of the best moments. “We’re the first team in WNBA playoff history to be down 15 (in the final 5 minutes) and come back and win the game,” Reeve said. “So that ranks really high. I think it defines our team. Getting through difficult times. That’s what we’ve been talking about. You have to be mentally tough, resilient. ... Thrilled that we could hang in there.” Minnesota rallied from 18 points down in the first half and Napheesa Collier’s&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/espn/status/1844567963346567177" target="_blank">turnaround jumper</a>&nbsp;with 8.8 seconds left in overtime lifted the team to the win over the New York Liberty on Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Rays said it may take weeks to fully assess how much&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WFLA/status/1844373253307105678" target="_blank">damage was done to Tropicana Field,</a>&nbsp;which saw its roof ripped to shreds by the force of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93">Hurricane Milton</a>&nbsp;as the deadly storm barreled across much of Florida. The team said no one was injured when the St. Petersburg ballpark was struck by the storm on Wednesday night. A handful of “essential personnel” were inside&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ABC/status/1844216774092259808" target="_blank">Tropicana Field</a>&nbsp;as the roof panels were blown apart, much of the debris falling on the field and seats below. “Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” the Rays said Thursday. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building. We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms.”

THURSDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball playoffs

NY Yankees 3, Kansas City 1&nbsp; &nbsp;(Yankees win best-of-five series 3-1)

Cleveland 5, Detroit 4&nbsp; (series tied 2-2)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701258411232.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-guardians-david-fry-e1d7b9602c0567fdc2014727b059eb5d">Pinch-hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer</a>&nbsp;in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Cleveland Guardians force a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their AL Division Series with a 5-4 victory on Thursday night. “David Fry is one of the best baseball players in this league,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. Cleveland ended a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games dating to Game 6 of 1997 World Series after Emmanuel Clase retired got five outs for his third multi-inning save of the year. “It’s win or go home,” Vogt said. “You want your best pitchers out there as long as possible.” AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal will start Game 5 for the Tigers on Saturday night in Cleveland.SEATTLE (AP) — Deebo Samuel didn’t hesitate when he was asked what was working for the San Francisco 49ers. “Brock Purdy,” Samuel said. Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the Niners never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.&nbsp;Samuel had&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1844541750930702445" target="_blank">a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown</a>&nbsp;and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the defending NFC champions (3-3), who moved into a tie with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after an uneven start to the season. George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who beat the Seahawks for a sixth straight time. Kyle Juszczyk had a late TD run, and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1844573445042102678" target="_blank">by leaping into the stands</a>&nbsp;to embrace their wives, who were sitting together in the first row. Matthew Wright, who joined San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, had a trio of first half-field goals from 25, 41 and 35 yards.NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has seen a lot in her incredible career that has included four WNBA championships. The historic rally by the Lynx to beat New York 95-93 in a wild Game 1 of the WNBA Finals ranks right up there as one of the best moments. “We’re the first team in WNBA playoff history to be down 15 (in the final 5 minutes) and come back and win the game,” Reeve said. “So that ranks really high. I think it defines our team. Getting through difficult times. That’s what we’ve been talking about. You have to be mentally tough, resilient. ... Thrilled that we could hang in there.” Minnesota rallied from 18 points down in the first half and Napheesa Collier’s&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/espn/status/1844567963346567177" target="_blank">turnaround jumper</a>&nbsp;with 8.8 seconds left in overtime lifted the team to the win over the New York Liberty on Thursday night.The Tampa Bay Rays said it may take weeks to fully assess how much&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WFLA/status/1844373253307105678" target="_blank">damage was done to Tropicana Field,</a>&nbsp;which saw its roof ripped to shreds by the force of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-milton-tampa-florida-08bde4b9c29460f471d43c6512821c93">Hurricane Milton</a>&nbsp;as the deadly storm barreled across much of Florida. The team said no one was injured when the St. Petersburg ballpark was struck by the storm on Wednesday night. A handful of “essential personnel” were inside&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ABC/status/1844216774092259808" target="_blank">Tropicana Field</a>&nbsp;as the roof panels were blown apart, much of the debris falling on the field and seats below. “Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” the Rays said Thursday. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building. We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms.”THURSDAY'S SCORES Major League Baseball playoffsNY Yankees 3, Kansas City 1&nbsp; &nbsp;(Yankees win best-of-five series 3-1)Cleveland 5, Detroit 4&nbsp; (series tied 2-2)National Football LeagueSan Francisco 36, Seattle 24

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched like a postseason ace Thursday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single run over seven innings and sending the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory that put them back in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">the American League Championship Series</a>.

The six-time All-Star scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-8bad4d90f6891eda52d67b0aa4e4c44d">a tense AL Division Series</a>. Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this postseason.

New York will play Cleveland or Detroit of the ALCS starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-e5552ac80a6c03f893b1da38a804f8bf">Game 3 star Giancarlo Stanton</a>&nbsp;drove in runs for the Yankees, who fittingly clinched a spot in their fourth ALCS in eight years on the road. They won 50 games away from home in the regular season, their most in 21 years.

Michael Wacha&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-417218832d775dd13038728c98244dd4">failed to get through five innings</a>&nbsp;for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn't get much help from a long-scuffling offense that managed just five runs total over the final three games of the series.

Still, it was a remarkable turnaround for a club that went from 106-loss laughingstock a year ago to making its first postseason appearance since winning the 2015 World Series. And with young stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. signed to long-term deals, there is hope in Kansas City that this was a beginning rather than an ending.

New York set the tone from the start, pouncing on Wacha like it did in the series opener. Torres hit the veteran right-hander's first pitch of the game for a double, and Soto followed with an RBI single on just the third pitch of the night.

Anthony Volpe kept on the pressure with his single in the fifth. And after Alex Verdugo grounded into a forceout and Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners, Torres lined a two-out single to make it 2-0 and put an end to Wacha's night.

Meanwhile, Cole only seemed to get stronger as he clicked off innings.

The reigning Cy Young Award winner retired his first six batters, worked around a leadoff single in the third and retired eight more before Tommy Pham's single in the fifth. Cole promptly struck out Kyle Isbel on three pitches to end that inning.

Stanton, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning in Game 3, extended the lead to 3-0 with his single in the sixth.

Tensions that had simmered all night — and all series, after Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. called the Royals' Game 2 win “lucky” — finally boiled over in the sixth. Volpe slapped a hard tag on Maikel Garcia at second base to complete a double play, and the Royals third baseman took umbrage with it. Players spilled out of both dugouts before order was restored.

The near-fracas nearly ignited Kansas City, too. Witt, who had been 1 for 15 in the series, followed with a base hit and Vinnie Pasquantino — who'd been 0 for 14 — had an RBI double. But with the sellout crowd of 39,012 in Kauffman Stadium whipped into a sudden frenzy, Cole got Salvador Perez to pop out lazily to second base to end the inning.

Cole's night ended after he got Isbel to fly out to the warning track with a runner aboard to end the seventh, a deep shot to right field that would have been a tying homer had it been hit to that part of Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees are headed to the ALCS for the 19th time to face the Guardians or Tigers, who play the decisive game of their AL Division Series on Saturday night in Cleveland.

The Royals head into the offseason with some momentum. Most of their key players are signed for next season or under club control, though a couple of decisions loom. Wacha could opt out of his deal after a strong season while 2B Adam Frazier has a mutual option and OF Hunter Renfroe a player option for 2025.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched like a postseason ace Thursday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single run over seven innings and sending the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory that put them back in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">the American League Championship Series</a>.The six-time All-Star scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-8bad4d90f6891eda52d67b0aa4e4c44d">a tense AL Division Series</a>. Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this postseason.New York will play Cleveland or Detroit of the ALCS starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-soto-royals-new-york-0e67745813372aaca6bc33b027b4c669">Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-e5552ac80a6c03f893b1da38a804f8bf">Game 3 star Giancarlo Stanton</a>&nbsp;drove in runs for the Yankees, who fittingly clinched a spot in their fourth ALCS in eight years on the road. They won 50 games away from home in the regular season, their most in 21 years.Michael Wacha&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-new-york-kansas-city-417218832d775dd13038728c98244dd4">failed to get through five innings</a>&nbsp;for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn't get much help from a long-scuffling offense that managed just five runs total over the final three games of the series.Still, it was a remarkable turnaround for a club that went from 106-loss laughingstock a year ago to making its first postseason appearance since winning the 2015 World Series. And with young stars such as Bobby Witt Jr. signed to long-term deals, there is hope in Kansas City that this was a beginning rather than an ending.New York set the tone from the start, pouncing on Wacha like it did in the series opener. Torres hit the veteran right-hander's first pitch of the game for a double, and Soto followed with an RBI single on just the third pitch of the night.Anthony Volpe kept on the pressure with his single in the fifth. And after Alex Verdugo grounded into a forceout and Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners, Torres lined a two-out single to make it 2-0 and put an end to Wacha's night.Meanwhile, Cole only seemed to get stronger as he clicked off innings.The reigning Cy Young Award winner retired his first six batters, worked around a leadoff single in the third and retired eight more before Tommy Pham's single in the fifth. Cole promptly struck out Kyle Isbel on three pitches to end that inning.Stanton, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning in Game 3, extended the lead to 3-0 with his single in the sixth.Tensions that had simmered all night — and all series, after Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. called the Royals' Game 2 win “lucky” — finally boiled over in the sixth. Volpe slapped a hard tag on Maikel Garcia at second base to complete a double play, and the Royals third baseman took umbrage with it. Players spilled out of both dugouts before order was restored.The near-fracas nearly ignited Kansas City, too. Witt, who had been 1 for 15 in the series, followed with a base hit and Vinnie Pasquantino — who'd been 0 for 14 — had an RBI double. But with the sellout crowd of 39,012 in Kauffman Stadium whipped into a sudden frenzy, Cole got Salvador Perez to pop out lazily to second base to end the inning.Cole's night ended after he got Isbel to fly out to the warning track with a runner aboard to end the seventh, a deep shot to right field that would have been a tying homer had it been hit to that part of Yankee Stadium.New York's bullpen did the rest.UP NEXTThe Yankees are headed to the ALCS for the 19th time to face the Guardians or Tigers, who play the decisive game of their AL Division Series on Saturday night in Cleveland.The Royals head into the offseason with some momentum. Most of their key players are signed for next season or under club control, though a couple of decisions loom. Wacha could opt out of his deal after a strong season while 2B Adam Frazier has a mutual option and OF Hunter Renfroe a player option for 2025.

Cole tosses playoff gem, Royals bounce-back season comes to close

For the third time in as many fall tournaments, the Barton Community College women's golf team finished runner-up with the latest coming Tuesday in hosting their own Barton Invitational held at Rolling Meadows Golf Course in Junction City, Kansas.

Back on the course a day removed from their previous tournament in Nebraska, Barton opened first round action Monday with a 349 (+61) before carding a final round of 331 (+43) on Tuesday finishing behind victor Iowa Western Community College. The Reivers compiled rounds of 311 (+23) and 321 (+33) for the48-stroke title. Garden City Community College also competed in the event, carding a final round of 333 after not scoring on Monday due to a player's illness.

<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/laparojkit_chomchanok_9vdo">Chomchanok Laparojkit</a>&nbsp;again led the Barton entries with a 3rd place finish in the 18-competitor field at 17-under, 161 tying the spot with Garden City's Fernanda Rodriguez. Laparojkit stayed consistent with 81 and 80 rounds as Rodriguez climbed three spots into the tie following an 82 with a final round tournament second best 79.

Iowa Western took the top two spots amongst their six in the top ten, Olivia Holyoak-Church winning by five strokes (79-72) over teammate Jennifer Cho (76-80).

<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/medellin_frida_kqko">Frida Medellin</a>&nbsp;placed 7th at 170 (84-86) as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/crosby_alayna_19gf">Alayna Crosby</a>&nbsp;made a three spot climb behind a final round team third best card to place 9th with a 174 accumulation (91-83).

Also bouncing back from a rough day one,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/vogt_joellen_lb3k">Joellen Vogt</a>&nbsp;posted the Cougars' second best score of 82 on Tuesday in moving into 12th overall at 177 (95-82).

Additional Barton scores and placings: 14th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/nash_kadynce_s9uk">Kadynce Nash</a>&nbsp;(93-92, 185) 15th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/petersilie_lexus_zooy">Lexus Petersilie</a>&nbsp;(98-92, 190) 16th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/tabanag_giovanna_f3qh">Giovanna Tabanag</a>&nbsp;(98-97, 195)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728564939903.jpeg" alt="Alayna Crosby" />
 <figcaption>Alayna Crosby</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoFor the third time in as many fall tournaments, the Barton Community College women's golf team finished runner-up with the latest coming Tuesday in hosting their own Barton Invitational held at Rolling Meadows Golf Course in Junction City, Kansas.Back on the course a day removed from their previous tournament in Nebraska, Barton opened first round action Monday with a 349 (+61) before carding a final round of 331 (+43) on Tuesday finishing behind victor Iowa Western Community College. The Reivers compiled rounds of 311 (+23) and 321 (+33) for the48-stroke title. Garden City Community College also competed in the event, carding a final round of 333 after not scoring on Monday due to a player's illness.<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/laparojkit_chomchanok_9vdo">Chomchanok Laparojkit</a>&nbsp;again led the Barton entries with a 3rd place finish in the 18-competitor field at 17-under, 161 tying the spot with Garden City's Fernanda Rodriguez. Laparojkit stayed consistent with 81 and 80 rounds as Rodriguez climbed three spots into the tie following an 82 with a final round tournament second best 79.Iowa Western took the top two spots amongst their six in the top ten, Olivia Holyoak-Church winning by five strokes (79-72) over teammate Jennifer Cho (76-80).<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/medellin_frida_kqko">Frida Medellin</a>&nbsp;placed 7th at 170 (84-86) as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/crosby_alayna_19gf">Alayna Crosby</a>&nbsp;made a three spot climb behind a final round team third best card to place 9th with a 174 accumulation (91-83).Also bouncing back from a rough day one,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/vogt_joellen_lb3k">Joellen Vogt</a>&nbsp;posted the Cougars' second best score of 82 on Tuesday in moving into 12th overall at 177 (95-82).Additional Barton scores and placings: 14th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/nash_kadynce_s9uk">Kadynce Nash</a>&nbsp;(93-92, 185) 15th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/petersilie_lexus_zooy">Lexus Petersilie</a>&nbsp;(98-92, 190) 16th&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wgolf/2024-25/bios/tabanag_giovanna_f3qh">Giovanna Tabanag</a>&nbsp;(98-97, 195)

Barton women's golf finishes second at Barton Invitational 

- Great Bend football coach Erin Beck will be in the Mayo Money Management studio to preview Friday's WAC game at Liberal. He'll be joined by Junior's Karter Brown and Blaine Ensley.

- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" with Great Bend Lady Panther Tennis. He'll be talking with players&nbsp;Darcy Feist, Mackenzie Lindberg, Clarise Snapp, and Makenzie LaViolette.

- Thursday Sports Headlines including reaction to game 3 between the Royals and Yankees in the American League Division Series.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693997740304.jpeg" alt="Thursday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Thursday 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/Qk4EvyhDKUc?si=ZKXGAtEleqdLJBYh" 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 football coach Erin Beck will be in the Mayo Money Management studio to preview Friday's WAC game at Liberal. He'll be joined by Junior's Karter Brown and Blaine Ensley.- Mike Courson goes "On the Prowl" with Great Bend Lady Panther Tennis. He'll be talking with players&nbsp;Darcy Feist, Mackenzie Lindberg, Clarise Snapp, and Makenzie LaViolette.- Barton soccer coach Rafael Simmons- Thursday Sports Headlines including reaction to game 3 between the Royals and Yankees in the American League Division Series.- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Thursday on Sports Day (Watch)

Below are the top five teams in each classification according to the latest rankings at kpreps.com.

Class 6A 1. Derby (5-0) vs Valley Center (1-4) 2. Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) vs. No. 1 Mill Valley (5A) (4-1) 3. Manhattan (5-0) vs 4. Wichita Northwest (5-0) 4. Wichita Northwest (5-0) at No. 3 Manhattan (5-0) 5. Blue Valley West (4-1) at Blue Valley Southwest (2-3)

Class 5A 1. Mill Valley (4-1) at No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton (6A) (5-0) 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (5-0) at Rockhurst, Mo. (5-1) 3. Blue Valley (4-1) at Blue Valley Northwest (4-1) 4. Goddard-Eisenhower (5-0) at Arkansas City (1-4) 5. Great Bend (5-0) at Liberal (4-1)

Class 4A 1. Louisburg (5-0) at Wichita West (2-3) 2. Andover Central (4-1) at Salina Central (3-2) 3. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4-1) at Bishop Carroll (2-3) 4. Wamego (4-1) at Chapman (1-4) 5. Wellington (3-2) vs Winfield (4-1)

Class 3A 1. Andale (5-0) at Smoky Valley (1-4) 2. Cheney (5-0) vs Chaparral (1-4) 3. Marysville (5-0) vs Rock Creek (4-1) 4. Topeka Hayden (4-1) at Holton (3-2) 5. Scott City (4-1) at Holcomb (4-1)

Class 2A 1. Southeast of Saline (5-0) at Hillsboro (2-3) 2. Norton (5-0) vs Russell (2-3) 3. Nemaha Central (4-1) at Sabetha (4-1) 4. Silver Lake (4-1) vs Riley County (4-1) 5. Osage City (5-0) at St. Marys (3-2)

Class 1A 1. Conway Springs (5-0) at Sterling (3-2) 2. Sedgwick (5-0) vs Inman (3-2) 3. Jackson Heights (5-0) at Onaga (2-3) 4. Moundridge (4-0) at Marion (4-1) 5. Rossville (2-3) vs Cair Paravel (1-4)

8-Man, Div. I 1. Hoxie (5-0) vs Hill City (3-2) 2. Little River (5-0) vs Ell-Saline (4-1) 3. Wichita County (3-1) vs La Crosse (1-4) 4. South Central (5-0) at Udall (0-5) 5. West Elk (5-0) at Sedan (2-3)

8-Man, Div. II 1. Axtell (5-0) vs St. Paul (2-3) 2. Victoria (5-0) at Stafford (1-4) 3. Hanover (5-0) vs Wakefield (2-3) 4. Frankfort (4-1) vs Blue Valley-Randolph (3-2) 5. Burlingame (5-0) at Hartford (0-5)

6-Man 1. Cunningham (5-0) vs Chase (1-4) 2. Ingalls (5-0) at South Barber (4-1) 3. Weskan (5-0) vs Golden Plains (4-1) 4. South Barber (4-1) vs Ingalls (5-0) 5. Peabody-Burns (3-1) at Southern Coffey (0-5)

Below are the top five teams in each classification according to the latest rankings at kpreps.com.Class 6A 1. Derby (5-0) vs Valley Center (1-4) 2. Gardner-Edgerton (5-0) vs. No. 1 Mill Valley (5A) (4-1) 3. Manhattan (5-0) vs 4. Wichita Northwest (5-0) 4. Wichita Northwest (5-0) at No. 3 Manhattan (5-0) 5. Blue Valley West (4-1) at Blue Valley Southwest (2-3)Class 5A 1. Mill Valley (4-1) at No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton (6A) (5-0) 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (5-0) at Rockhurst, Mo. (5-1) 3. Blue Valley (4-1) at Blue Valley Northwest (4-1) 4. Goddard-Eisenhower (5-0) at Arkansas City (1-4) 5. Great Bend (5-0) at Liberal (4-1)Class 4A 1. Louisburg (5-0) at Wichita West (2-3) 2. Andover Central (4-1) at Salina Central (3-2) 3. Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4-1) at Bishop Carroll (2-3) 4. Wamego (4-1) at Chapman (1-4) 5. Wellington (3-2) vs Winfield (4-1)Class 3A 1. Andale (5-0) at Smoky Valley (1-4) 2. Cheney (5-0) vs Chaparral (1-4) 3. Marysville (5-0) vs Rock Creek (4-1) 4. Topeka Hayden (4-1) at Holton (3-2) 5. Scott City (4-1) at Holcomb (4-1)Class 2A 1. Southeast of Saline (5-0) at Hillsboro (2-3) 2. Norton (5-0) vs Russell (2-3) 3. Nemaha Central (4-1) at Sabetha (4-1) 4. Silver Lake (4-1) vs Riley County (4-1) 5. Osage City (5-0) at St. Marys (3-2)Class 1A 1. Conway Springs (5-0) at Sterling (3-2) 2. Sedgwick (5-0) vs Inman (3-2) 3. Jackson Heights (5-0) at Onaga (2-3) 4. Moundridge (4-0) at Marion (4-1) 5. Rossville (2-3) vs Cair Paravel (1-4)8-Man, Div. I 1. Hoxie (5-0) vs Hill City (3-2) 2. Little River (5-0) vs Ell-Saline (4-1) 3. Wichita County (3-1) vs La Crosse (1-4) 4. South Central (5-0) at Udall (0-5) 5. West Elk (5-0) at Sedan (2-3)8-Man, Div. II 1. Axtell (5-0) vs St. Paul (2-3) 2. Victoria (5-0) at Stafford (1-4) 3. Hanover (5-0) vs Wakefield (2-3) 4. Frankfort (4-1) vs Blue Valley-Randolph (3-2) 5. Burlingame (5-0) at Hartford (0-5)6-Man 1. Cunningham (5-0) vs Chase (1-4) 2. Ingalls (5-0) at South Barber (4-1) 3. Weskan (5-0) vs Golden Plains (4-1) 4. South Barber (4-1) vs Ingalls (5-0) 5. Peabody-Burns (3-1) at Southern Coffey (0-5)

Kansas high school football rankings and opponents (week 6)

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/tanaka_mio_fiw7">Mio Tanaka</a>&nbsp;of the Barton Community College women's soccer team has been named not only the KJCCC, but the national NJCAA Division I Goalkeeper of the Week for week seven of the season.

Tanaka was solid in goal with 15 saves in Barton pair of games last week. On Wednesday, surrendering a wind-aided 25-yard free kick and a point-blank deflected shot, Tanaka held firm in goal posting a career-high 13 saves keeping Barton within striking distance of the eventual 2-1 loss to 6th ranked Butler. On Saturday, Tanaka had two saves for her third shutout of the season helping the Cougars keep pace in the upper half of the standings behind a 2-0 victory at Coffeyville.

A KJCCC honorable mention selection last year, the week seven conference honor is her first of the season and second overall while the national distinction is the sophomore's first in 34 games tending net for the Cougars.

The week's results moved Barton into a second place tie at 5-4-2 in league play and 7-4-2 overall headed into its second trip through a tough three-game stretch against ranked opponents.

Following the week away from competition, the Cougars are back on the pitch Saturday hosting 9th ranked Kansas City Kansas Community College for a 3:00 p.m. kick, followed by a Wednesday road trip to No. 18 Hutchinson Community College before 12th ranked Cowley College comes to town on Saturday, October 19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728564611507.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info<a target="_blank" href="http://www.bartonsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/bios/tanaka_mio_fiw7">Mio Tanaka</a>&nbsp;of the Barton Community College women's soccer team has been named not only the KJCCC, but the national NJCAA Division I Goalkeeper of the Week for week seven of the season.Tanaka was solid in goal with 15 saves in Barton pair of games last week. On Wednesday, surrendering a wind-aided 25-yard free kick and a point-blank deflected shot, Tanaka held firm in goal posting a career-high 13 saves keeping Barton within striking distance of the eventual 2-1 loss to 6th ranked Butler. On Saturday, Tanaka had two saves for her third shutout of the season helping the Cougars keep pace in the upper half of the standings behind a 2-0 victory at Coffeyville.A KJCCC honorable mention selection last year, the week seven conference honor is her first of the season and second overall while the national distinction is the sophomore's first in 34 games tending net for the Cougars.The week's results moved Barton into a second place tie at 5-4-2 in league play and 7-4-2 overall headed into its second trip through a tough three-game stretch against ranked opponents.Following the week away from competition, the Cougars are back on the pitch Saturday hosting 9th ranked Kansas City Kansas Community College for a 3:00 p.m. kick, followed by a Wednesday road trip to No. 18 Hutchinson Community College before 12th ranked Cowley College comes to town on Saturday, October 19.

Barton's Tanaka earns NJCAA and KJCCC Goalkeeper of the Week honor

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at age 38, he announced in a video message Thursday, after winning 22 Grand Slam titles — 14 at the French Open — during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-us-open-tennis-championships-serena-williams-sports-cc27a8144fb58a8927d24b1726a368cb">an unprecedented era</a>&nbsp;he shared with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-tennis-roger-federer-e8917dc7256f195bf406d1830184ffee">rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic</a>.

Nadal has competed infrequently the past two seasons because of injuries and said next month’s Davis Cup finals will mark his farewell to the sport. He had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-surgery-hip-french-open-b04d688d5db6424e117e93cf2a0b2cc8">hip surgery in 2023</a>&nbsp;and entered just two of the past eight major tournaments.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two, especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” Nadal said. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”

Nadal’s unrelenting, physical style of play — every point pursued as though it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand — made him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nadal-french-open-withdraws-career-timeline-1a4819eb851e9cde446db56f3c569f4b">one of the greats of the game</a>&nbsp;and the unquestioned King of Clay, the slow, red surface on which he dominated.

His record 14 French Open championships are more than anyone, man or woman, won at any one of the sport’s four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands near the main entrance to the grounds of Roland Garros and in the shadow of its main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.

In a result that symbolized where things stood for his body, and career, he exited in the French Open’s first round this year, a straight-set loss to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.

Nadal returned to that site in southwest Paris for the Summer Olympics, where he lost to old rival Djokovic in the second round of singles and reached the quarterfinals of men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal hasn’t played since. His goodbye will also come while representing Spain, at Malaga in the Davis Cup.

In addition to his French Open triumphs, he won four trophies at the U.S. Open and two apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, giving him a career Grand Slam.

“I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” Nadal said.

His last pair of major titles arrived in 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/australian-open-daniil-medvedev-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-entertainment-999a4f1f61cb81f3066552369ecef387">at Melbourne in January</a>&nbsp;and at Paris in June, pushing him ahead of Federer, who held the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles when he announced his retirement at age 41. Federer bid adieu in late 2022 by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-tennis-roger-federer-6831f796e9dc839c6e7d0392bbdd77b4">teaming with Nadal in a doubles match at the Laver Cup</a>.

Both have since been surpassed by Djokovic, 37, who is up to 24 majors.

So much of Nadal’s success was seen, fairly or not, through the prism of his encounters with Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and plenty outside of it, were consumed with the debate over which was most deserving of the “GOAT” — “Greatest Of All-Time” — moniker. The world, tennis or otherwise, was fascinated by their matchups, their differing styles and personalities.

Who among those who witnessed it could possibly forget Nadal vs. Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/french-open-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-sloane-stephens-8983708f1cc21f6163479ccd270c93aa">2022 French Open quarterfinals</a>? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final? And so on.

Nadal played Djokovic 60 times, a record for two men in the Open era; Djokovic leads 31-29 overall, while Nadal leads 5-4 in Slam finals. Nadal met Federer 40 times; Nadal leads 24-16 overall, including 6-3 in Slam finals.

“Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love,” Federer told Nadal via social media.

It’s certainly apt that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/french-open-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-paris-cc06de2a02fa187162431ebee0e8db3a">Nadal’s last major title came at the French Open</a>&nbsp;(beating Djokovic along the way) two years ago, and while getting painkilling injections for chronic pain in his left foot. He repeatedly dealt with, and frequently overcame, various injury issues over the years, and his 2023 and 2024 seasons were both limited because of hip and abdominal muscle problems.

Nadal hurt his hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023, and wound up missing the rest of the year; there was an operation for that in June.

After briefly making a comeback this January during a tuneup event for the Australian Open, he had to pull out of the year’s first major with a torn hip muscle, then was sidelined again until a return on his beloved clay at the Barcelona Open in April.

Dating to late in 2022, when he was beaten in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows by Frances Tiafoe, Nadal is just 14-14, including 12-7 this year.

But his overall resume is unimpeachable: a total of 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings and nearly 18 years’ worth of consecutive weeks in the Top 10; 92 singles titles; 1,080-227 win-loss record; just shy of $135 million in prize money.

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at age 38, he announced in a video message Thursday, after winning 22 Grand Slam titles — 14 at the French Open — during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-us-open-tennis-championships-serena-williams-sports-cc27a8144fb58a8927d24b1726a368cb">an unprecedented era</a>&nbsp;he shared with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-tennis-roger-federer-e8917dc7256f195bf406d1830184ffee">rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic</a>.Nadal has competed infrequently the past two seasons because of injuries and said next month’s Davis Cup finals will mark his farewell to the sport. He had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-surgery-hip-french-open-b04d688d5db6424e117e93cf2a0b2cc8">hip surgery in 2023</a>&nbsp;and entered just two of the past eight major tournaments.“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two, especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations,” Nadal said. “It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”Nadal’s unrelenting, physical style of play — every point pursued as though it were his last, sprinting and sliding into place for that high-bouncing bullwhip of a lefty forehand — made him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nadal-french-open-withdraws-career-timeline-1a4819eb851e9cde446db56f3c569f4b">one of the greats of the game</a>&nbsp;and the unquestioned King of Clay, the slow, red surface on which he dominated.His record 14 French Open championships are more than anyone, man or woman, won at any one of the sport’s four major tournaments, a dominance celebrated by a statue of Nadal that stands near the main entrance to the grounds of Roland Garros and in the shadow of its main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier.In a result that symbolized where things stood for his body, and career, he exited in the French Open’s first round this year, a straight-set loss to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.Nadal returned to that site in southwest Paris for the Summer Olympics, where he lost to old rival Djokovic in the second round of singles and reached the quarterfinals of men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.Nadal hasn’t played since. His goodbye will also come while representing Spain, at Malaga in the Davis Cup.In addition to his French Open triumphs, he won four trophies at the U.S. Open and two apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, giving him a career Grand Slam.“I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” Nadal said.His last pair of major titles arrived in 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/australian-open-daniil-medvedev-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-entertainment-999a4f1f61cb81f3066552369ecef387">at Melbourne in January</a>&nbsp;and at Paris in June, pushing him ahead of Federer, who held the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles when he announced his retirement at age 41. Federer bid adieu in late 2022 by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-tennis-roger-federer-6831f796e9dc839c6e7d0392bbdd77b4">teaming with Nadal in a doubles match at the Laver Cup</a>.Both have since been surpassed by Djokovic, 37, who is up to 24 majors.So much of Nadal’s success was seen, fairly or not, through the prism of his encounters with Federer and Djokovic. The tennis world, and plenty outside of it, were consumed with the debate over which was most deserving of the “GOAT” — “Greatest Of All-Time” — moniker. The world, tennis or otherwise, was fascinated by their matchups, their differing styles and personalities.Who among those who witnessed it could possibly forget Nadal vs. Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/french-open-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-sloane-stephens-8983708f1cc21f6163479ccd270c93aa">2022 French Open quarterfinals</a>? Or Nadal vs. Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final? And so on.Nadal played Djokovic 60 times, a record for two men in the Open era; Djokovic leads 31-29 overall, while Nadal leads 5-4 in Slam finals. Nadal met Federer 40 times; Nadal leads 24-16 overall, including 6-3 in Slam finals.“Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love,” Federer told Nadal via social media.It’s certainly apt that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/french-open-rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-sports-paris-cc06de2a02fa187162431ebee0e8db3a">Nadal’s last major title came at the French Open</a>&nbsp;(beating Djokovic along the way) two years ago, and while getting painkilling injections for chronic pain in his left foot. He repeatedly dealt with, and frequently overcame, various injury issues over the years, and his 2023 and 2024 seasons were both limited because of hip and abdominal muscle problems.Nadal hurt his hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023, and wound up missing the rest of the year; there was an operation for that in June.After briefly making a comeback this January during a tuneup event for the Australian Open, he had to pull out of the year’s first major with a torn hip muscle, then was sidelined again until a return on his beloved clay at the Barcelona Open in April.Dating to late in 2022, when he was beaten in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows by Frances Tiafoe, Nadal is just 14-14, including 12-7 this year.But his overall resume is unimpeachable: a total of 209 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings and nearly 18 years’ worth of consecutive weeks in the Top 10; 92 singles titles; 1,080-227 win-loss record; just shy of $135 million in prize money.

Rafael Nadal will retire from tennis after next month's Davis Cup finals

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/travis-kelce">Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;plays a flirty nurse with swagger on FX's series “Grotesquerie," landed a cameo in "Happy Gilmore 2”, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-kelce-smarter-than-a-celebrity-edacd6f3504d892d64772f0d2268f3d4">hosts a new game show.</a>&nbsp;If Hollywood's calling, he'll take the meeting — with one caveat. Football comes first.

“I still love coming in to work, getting after it, and chasing championships,” said the Kansas City Chiefs tight end over Zoom. “That’s what I’ve always dreamt of doing. But in the off-season, I do like to dabble around."

He wants to see where he's most comfortable adding, “I think you'll see me continue to find my lane."

On Oct. 16, Kelce debuts as the host of “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?" on Prime Video. Adult contestants answer elementary-level questions as celebrities like comedians Ron Funches and Nikki Glaser,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lala-kent-vanderpump-rules-scandoval-c5c0a41e76149d091ef5f94854a20f3a">“Vanderpump Rules” cast member Lala Kent,</a>&nbsp;or former football player Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson help with the answer. The final question is from the 6th grade and worth $100,000.

Growing up, Kelce would regularly watch game shows with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jason-kelce-eagles-swift-67e41b316db7e34305559bf4c331d124">his older brother Jason,</a>&nbsp;a former center for the Philadelphia Eagles. They were big fans of Nickelodeon's “Double Dare” and “Legends of the Hidden Temple" plus classics like “Family Feud” and “Price is Right." “When it was time for ”Jeopardy!", he says their dad, Ed, "stole the remote and took over the room."

In an interview, Kelce spoke more about the show, his first love of football — but sorry Swifties, didn't&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">discuss his relationship with Taylor Swift.</a>&nbsp;Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

AP: What was the hardest part about hosting a game show?

KELCE: Taking control of the atmosphere was probably the biggest challenge. You have to make sure that everybody understands the rules and where they're at in the game.

AP: You're used to playing high-energy football. There is a lot of waiting on sets and repetitive takes. Was the change of pace a challenge?

KELCE: It’s a completely different world, 100%. I had to pick and choose when I had caffeine. Typically, I just drink it in the morning and I keep it going but I had to space it out throughout the day so I had the same energy all day long.

AP: Have you watched any of the episodes yet? If so, what did you think?

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728564334558.jpeg" alt="This image, released by Prime Video, shows Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on the set of a new game show "Are you Smarter Than a Celebrity." (Adam Rose/Prime Video via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image, released by Prime Video, shows Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on the set of a new game show "Are you Smarter Than a Celebrity." (Adam Rose/Prime Video via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/travis-kelce">Travis Kelce</a>&nbsp;plays a flirty nurse with swagger on FX's series “Grotesquerie," landed a cameo in "Happy Gilmore 2”, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travis-kelce-smarter-than-a-celebrity-edacd6f3504d892d64772f0d2268f3d4">hosts a new game show.</a>&nbsp;If Hollywood's calling, he'll take the meeting — with one caveat. Football comes first.“I still love coming in to work, getting after it, and chasing championships,” said the Kansas City Chiefs tight end over Zoom. “That’s what I’ve always dreamt of doing. But in the off-season, I do like to dabble around."He wants to see where he's most comfortable adding, “I think you'll see me continue to find my lane."On Oct. 16, Kelce debuts as the host of “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?" on Prime Video. Adult contestants answer elementary-level questions as celebrities like comedians Ron Funches and Nikki Glaser,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lala-kent-vanderpump-rules-scandoval-c5c0a41e76149d091ef5f94854a20f3a">“Vanderpump Rules” cast member Lala Kent,</a>&nbsp;or former football player Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson help with the answer. The final question is from the 6th grade and worth $100,000.Growing up, Kelce would regularly watch game shows with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jason-kelce-eagles-swift-67e41b316db7e34305559bf4c331d124">his older brother Jason,</a>&nbsp;a former center for the Philadelphia Eagles. They were big fans of Nickelodeon's “Double Dare” and “Legends of the Hidden Temple" plus classics like “Family Feud” and “Price is Right." “When it was time for ”Jeopardy!", he says their dad, Ed, "stole the remote and took over the room."In an interview, Kelce spoke more about the show, his first love of football — but sorry Swifties, didn't&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">discuss his relationship with Taylor Swift.</a>&nbsp;Answers have been edited for clarity and length.<h2>AP: What was the hardest part about hosting a game show?</h2>KELCE: Taking control of the atmosphere was probably the biggest challenge. You have to make sure that everybody understands the rules and where they're at in the game.<h2>AP: You're used to playing high-energy football. There is a lot of waiting on sets and repetitive takes. Was the change of pace a challenge?</h2>KELCE: It’s a completely different world, 100%. I had to pick and choose when I had caffeine. Typically, I just drink it in the morning and I keep it going but I had to space it out throughout the day so I had the same energy all day long.<h2>AP: Have you watched any of the episodes yet? If so, what did you think?</h2>KELCE: I'll definitely watch but I’m actually terrified of watching myself in situations like this but I’ll turn it on to critique myself. I'm my own worst critic. I can only see the bad that I do in anything, even on the football field.<h2>AP: Which subject on the show would you have the hardest time with?</h2>KELCE: There’s an astronomy category. I didn’t know anything about that and I still don't. On top of that, I didn’t even know that was taught in elementary school.<h2>AP: You co-host a popular podcast with your brother. Has that success given you more confidence as a personality, so-to-speak?</h2>KELCE: I’ve always been genuinely myself. I think I get that from my parents and my upbringing. Just be confident in who you are, knowing that you live by good ethics, good morals, good judgment and things like that. I also had a whole lot of fun hosting “SNL” a few years ago and I think that kind of catapulted me into where I am.<h2>AP: Who is a celebrity you’d like to see on “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?”</h2>KELCE: My brother Jason would absolutely kill it on this show. Without a doubt if there’s one person I would recommend for it, it’s definitely Jason. He would have fun and have some creative answers even if he didn’t know the real answer.<h2>AP: Football question. Did you ever want to play another position other than tight end?</h2>KELCE: I’m a quarterback at heart. I can’t throw anymore but I loved having the ball in my hands every single play. Over the course of my career, I’ve found that tight end just kind of suits my athleticism and my mentality better. I’m not a guy that likes to live by a lot of rules or have a lot of parameters and you need that to be a quarterback.