By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Excitement is building for the upcoming Great Bend High School Panther football and basketball seasons. A trio of veterans are returning to the booth to bring that action to radio listeners on B 104.3 The Point. Eagle Media recently announced that Mike Hesher will take on play-by-play duties for the Panther football team this fall with former Panther quarterback Shawn Behr returning as his color man. Steve Webster will handle play-by-play for the Panther basketball teams this winter. Behr is excited to be back in the booth after working alongside Randy Goering for six years.
"I had a long spell where I didn't do it and I listened," Behr said. "Jason Perry was the color guy and did a great job. Now, it's really screaming at me because, honestly, I get to call the games for the kids that my daughter runs around with. There's a lot of knowledge of the players on a personal level."
Hesher has several years of television and radio experience, most recently calling Hoisington Cardinal basketball games and hosting 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's daily "Trading Post" program.
"I'm excited for a number of reasons," said Hesher. "Number one, there is a lot of excitement for GBHS football, with several outstanding upperclassmen returning from the playoff team of one year ago. Second is the chance to work with Shawn Behr in the broadcast booth. He brings instant credibility to the booth, and I'm expecting it will be a football seminar every Friday night."
Behr, a 1991 GBHS graduate, was a standout football and basketball player at the school. He was recently inducted into the Fort Hays State University Tiger Hall of Fame after quarterbacking the football team to an 8-2-2 record in 1995. He later played professional football in Helsinki, Finland. He said the experience helps him see the game in its entirety.
"Tunnel vision lets you see one little thing," he said, "but actually, when you are able to see a lot of things going on at once, it helps you give a better picture or draw a better understanding of the play or the game itself."
Webster has several years of experience calling basketball games for the Kansas State University women and Fort Hays State University. He also called games for the Wichita Wranglers in 2006, and was inducted into the FHSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. In recent years, he has called games for Hoisington High School and Great Bend High School, and is now the host of KVGB's "Sports Day" and "AM Great Bend Show."
Coming off a summer hiatus, "Sports Day" returns to the airwaves Aug. 19 on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM daily from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Webster, Hesher, and Mike Courson will again discuss all the latest sports headlines and speak with the area athletes and coaches making those headlines.