ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB

Q: It seemed like the Bills were trying to get you to return a kickoff, why didn’t you?

TOUB: “Like I said before, during the week, they were probably the best kickoff team that I’ve seen. They take pride in pinning people deep. They have a lot of players. We just felt gameplan wise it felt like if we return four of them and two of them were inside the 20 then it’s not worth it for our offense. So, we just took the ball at the 25.”

Q: So the decision to fair catch was predetermined?

TOUB: “Yeah, we decided it before. There were certain kicks that if obviously if we would have got them we would have took them out but they just kept giving us the same type of kick and it just was not something we wanted to do in that game.”

Q: When do your returners identify when to fair catch versus when to return it?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

TOUB: “It’s really hangtime and placement. You know where it’s going to be, what we have called, you know you don’t want to return a ball that’s away from your call, that type of stuff without getting too detailed of it.”

Q: Chamarri Conner is getting more defensive reps, does this mean he’ll have less reps on special teams?

TOUB: “I hope I get him (Chamarri Conner) for the rest of the season. I hope that’s the case. He’s a good football player. He’s going to get more and more on defense. In fact, he got 62 plays last game if you add up everything because I have to look at that all the time, how much is a guy getting, he was the most. If that continues, I’m going to have to pull him back because right now he’s a four-phase guy. He plays on everything right now for me, and that may be something I have to do.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO

Q:&nbsp;What do you see in Patriots QB Bailey Zappe?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“I tell you what, I see a really good, efficient football player that can move the ball. I was watching one of the TV games – sometimes I put the TV games on to hear the – he’s won football games for them; I think they’re doing the right things with him. To me when they’ve got either of those running backs going, I think their quarterback becomes really pretty good. I know they’ve had injuries at wide out, but those two tight ends now that they are both healthy, I think they can be a little bit of a stress on us, we’ve got to be cautious of that. We probably haven’t played – I’d have to think back to teams we’ve played – but these two tight ends as pass catchers are as good of a twosome as I think we’ve faced.”

Q:&nbsp;The Patriots play old school physical football, is that different for you to prepare for?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well it’s not a difference in emphasis because I’m always talking about that. When teams can be two dimensional it makes it tough on us. We’re always talking about killing the engine. The engine to us is the running back. We’ve got to make sure they don’t get him going. They won’t give up on trying to do that, we understand that. (Patriots Head) Coach (Bill) Belichick, best in the business, he understands it. Their defense is terrific – I told the guys the other day that we need to match or be better than their defense, to help our team win. A lot of that is early in the game because we just don’t want Patrick (Mahomes) having to go out in the middle of the second quarter down 14 points. That’s tough on any offense. They’re challenging because they play as a team, they win as a team, they find ways to win. You’re onto something, if we don’t bow up and play a physical game to match their physicality, they will make it tough.”

Q:&nbsp;How rare is it to have two corners as good as Trent McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed with the versatility they give you?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Pretty unique, that’s a credit to both of those guys. We haven’t had to play LJ (L'Jarius Sneed) inside as much – and you guys all know he can do that. As a matter of fact, he just walked through a couple of snaps with him in there just in case you get an injury situation. Trent (McDuffie) gives us a lot of flexibility, and you saw it last week, Chamarri Conner is coming on. We knew it was going to be a little bit of a slow process, but anytime we’re able to put him in there and keep those two guys outside is great for us. We don’t always do it because we like to get the other guys out there too. Having versatility, in any group but especially in the secondary is big.”

Q:&nbsp;What did you see on the play where Chamarri Conner got the interception?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“He was in man and one of the other defenders cut his man and he came off it, he was supposed to play with eyes, which he did, he found an available hole. I don’t think (Bills QB) Josh Allen saw him because he was coming from the back side. It was a really good play. It was where he was supposed to be eventually. At first it looked a little shaky but then he got there.”

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR&nbsp;MATT NAGY

Q: There were a few plays where it seemed like some miscommunication occurred at the line of scrimmage. What happened there?

NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah, you definitely want to get up to the line of scrimmage and play as fast as you can. You have those – sometimes when things happen in a game whether it’s over the course of time or you look back at different, you have different guys coming in at different times. You want to reduce those to a minimum or to nothing so we had a few of those. I think the biggest thing is making sure that we understand, ‘Ok listen if we’re going to have different guys coming in and out of the huddle each play, we want to make sure that we as coaches practice that as much as possible and those guys are doing it then on gameday.’ So, when we get up to the line of scrimmage, it’s clean, it’s sharp, there’s not confusion. You have that – being completely clear – you have that all the time, more than probably you think but you just don’t want to have the ones where you’re crossing the ball or you’re communicating and just the clock is ticking down and now you feel like you’re fast on the play. We had a few of those that we want to make sure and that’s my job is to make sure, ‘Hey whatever is going on communication wise, during the week in practice and then on gameday that that’s clean.’ We have to learn through that.”

Q:&nbsp;Are you stressing the details of lining up this week?

NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah it was early on, and he (Kadarius Toney) knows it continues. I think it’s a good teaching moment for all of us, for me as a coordinator, for all of us as coaches, for KT. Obviously none of it was intentional. I think that’s the frustrating part for all of us is in a moment like that, you know KT didn’t do that maliciously or intentionally. It’s a big moment in the game, but it is what it is, and we’ve got to learn from that. If we don’t use this lesson to make us better – and it doesn't have to just be offsides on offense – it’s just in general the rules of the game and making sure we lock in on that and making sure we understand it and use it to our benefit. At the same point in time when the guys got back in the next day and we talked about it as a group and unit we’re in this together – this isn’t about one person winning and losing a game. I think that’s probably the biggest message is that when we have an opportunity to win a game – whether it’s in the first quarter or whether it’s in the fourth quarter to finish it. Whether it’s the four-minute or the two-minute, behind or winning. We need to do that; we need to finish it. We can get caught up in being offsides and the play that was taken back, but let’s not get caught up on second-and-15, third-and-15, and fourth-and-15. We have a chance with a 1:12, with two timeouts down three, we’re going to at worst tie the game we need to go down and win the game. We didn’t do that, that’s the thing we have to take from this. If we want to be a championship, Super Bowl level team there’s got to be a mindset of finishing. It’s not a criticism, it’s just where we’re at. We’ve been through this where we start fast, we get leads – (against the) Jets, Dolphins and then we don’t finish. Or we get behind – the last three weeks 14-0, 14-3, 14-0 we get behind and we don’t start fast, we had a chance to finish and we didn’t do it. Let’s dig into that, and let’s understand now that when we don’t have penalties, when we don’t have turnovers, when we execute like we did at the end of the first half and the start of the third quarter last week we’re a pretty good team offensively, we help our defense and special teams out. Let’s take that first part of the year, that second part where we’re at now. Let’s put it all together these next four games starting with New England and let’s get a win, everything else will take care of itself. We need to be hard on ourselves as coaches, players need to do it, this is where I think real leaders step up. This is where it’s about us, it’s not about anyone else. If you can’t be a professional about this as a coach or as a player you shouldn’t be in this profession.”

Q:&nbsp;The last three games having to play from behind, does that change your play calling?

NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah, you’re down 14 to nothing in the first quarter last week – I think more than anything we keep going back to reducing penalties, reducing turnovers and watch what happens if you just do that. We had four penalties and a turnover in the first half last week. When we didn’t have a penalty, when we didn’t turn the ball over, we were pretty effective in the redzone, good things happened. We scored, we crept back in the game to the moment we talked about when we first started in here, to have a chance to finish. Are we starting games, are we finishing? We’ve been doing both. Let’s put it together like we did against the Chargers. Let’s put it together like we did against the Bears, and let’s see what happens when we do that. Complement it with the defense, complement it with special teams. The beauty is we are 8-5, we’ve built an opportunity for us to worry about New England right now and get back on the winning track. They are one great great defense; we haven’t even talked about them. This is a really really good defense; their numbers speak for themselves. We’ve got to lock in on that. I know we’re back here talking about all the KT (Kadarius Toney) stuff, but we have to teach that and move on. That’s where we’re at.”

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUBQ: It seemed like the Bills were trying to get you to return a kickoff, why didn’t you?TOUB: “Like I said before, during the week, they were probably the best kickoff team that I’ve seen. They take pride in pinning people deep. They have a lot of players. We just felt gameplan wise it felt like if we return four of them and two of them were inside the 20 then it’s not worth it for our offense. So, we just took the ball at the 25.”Q: So the decision to fair catch was predetermined?TOUB: “Yeah, we decided it before. There were certain kicks that if obviously if we would have got them we would have took them out but they just kept giving us the same type of kick and it just was not something we wanted to do in that game.”Q: When do your returners identify when to fair catch versus when to return it?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;TOUB: “It’s really hangtime and placement. You know where it’s going to be, what we have called, you know you don’t want to return a ball that’s away from your call, that type of stuff without getting too detailed of it.”Q: Chamarri Conner is getting more defensive reps, does this mean he’ll have less reps on special teams?TOUB: “I hope I get him (Chamarri Conner) for the rest of the season. I hope that’s the case. He’s a good football player. He’s going to get more and more on defense. In fact, he got 62 plays last game if you add up everything because I have to look at that all the time, how much is a guy getting, he was the most. If that continues, I’m going to have to pull him back because right now he’s a four-phase guy. He plays on everything right now for me, and that may be something I have to do.”DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLOQ:&nbsp;What do you see in Patriots QB Bailey Zappe?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“I tell you what, I see a really good, efficient football player that can move the ball. I was watching one of the TV games – sometimes I put the TV games on to hear the – he’s won football games for them; I think they’re doing the right things with him. To me when they’ve got either of those running backs going, I think their quarterback becomes really pretty good. I know they’ve had injuries at wide out, but those two tight ends now that they are both healthy, I think they can be a little bit of a stress on us, we’ve got to be cautious of that. We probably haven’t played – I’d have to think back to teams we’ve played – but these two tight ends as pass catchers are as good of a twosome as I think we’ve faced.”Q:&nbsp;The Patriots play old school physical football, is that different for you to prepare for?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well it’s not a difference in emphasis because I’m always talking about that. When teams can be two dimensional it makes it tough on us. We’re always talking about killing the engine. The engine to us is the running back. We’ve got to make sure they don’t get him going. They won’t give up on trying to do that, we understand that. (Patriots Head) Coach (Bill) Belichick, best in the business, he understands it. Their defense is terrific – I told the guys the other day that we need to match or be better than their defense, to help our team win. A lot of that is early in the game because we just don’t want Patrick (Mahomes) having to go out in the middle of the second quarter down 14 points. That’s tough on any offense. They’re challenging because they play as a team, they win as a team, they find ways to win. You’re onto something, if we don’t bow up and play a physical game to match their physicality, they will make it tough.”Q:&nbsp;How rare is it to have two corners as good as Trent McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed with the versatility they give you?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Pretty unique, that’s a credit to both of those guys. We haven’t had to play LJ (L'Jarius Sneed) inside as much – and you guys all know he can do that. As a matter of fact, he just walked through a couple of snaps with him in there just in case you get an injury situation. Trent (McDuffie) gives us a lot of flexibility, and you saw it last week, Chamarri Conner is coming on. We knew it was going to be a little bit of a slow process, but anytime we’re able to put him in there and keep those two guys outside is great for us. We don’t always do it because we like to get the other guys out there too. Having versatility, in any group but especially in the secondary is big.”Q:&nbsp;What did you see on the play where Chamarri Conner got the interception?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“He was in man and one of the other defenders cut his man and he came off it, he was supposed to play with eyes, which he did, he found an available hole. I don’t think (Bills QB) Josh Allen saw him because he was coming from the back side. It was a really good play. It was where he was supposed to be eventually. At first it looked a little shaky but then he got there.”OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR&nbsp;MATT NAGYQ: There were a few plays where it seemed like some miscommunication occurred at the line of scrimmage. What happened there?NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah, you definitely want to get up to the line of scrimmage and play as fast as you can. You have those – sometimes when things happen in a game whether it’s over the course of time or you look back at different, you have different guys coming in at different times. You want to reduce those to a minimum or to nothing so we had a few of those. I think the biggest thing is making sure that we understand, ‘Ok listen if we’re going to have different guys coming in and out of the huddle each play, we want to make sure that we as coaches practice that as much as possible and those guys are doing it then on gameday.’ So, when we get up to the line of scrimmage, it’s clean, it’s sharp, there’s not confusion. You have that – being completely clear – you have that all the time, more than probably you think but you just don’t want to have the ones where you’re crossing the ball or you’re communicating and just the clock is ticking down and now you feel like you’re fast on the play. We had a few of those that we want to make sure and that’s my job is to make sure, ‘Hey whatever is going on communication wise, during the week in practice and then on gameday that that’s clean.’ We have to learn through that.”Q:&nbsp;Are you stressing the details of lining up this week?NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah it was early on, and he (Kadarius Toney) knows it continues. I think it’s a good teaching moment for all of us, for me as a coordinator, for all of us as coaches, for KT. Obviously none of it was intentional. I think that’s the frustrating part for all of us is in a moment like that, you know KT didn’t do that maliciously or intentionally. It’s a big moment in the game, but it is what it is, and we’ve got to learn from that. If we don’t use this lesson to make us better – and it doesn't have to just be offsides on offense – it’s just in general the rules of the game and making sure we lock in on that and making sure we understand it and use it to our benefit. At the same point in time when the guys got back in the next day and we talked about it as a group and unit we’re in this together – this isn’t about one person winning and losing a game. I think that’s probably the biggest message is that when we have an opportunity to win a game – whether it’s in the first quarter or whether it’s in the fourth quarter to finish it. Whether it’s the four-minute or the two-minute, behind or winning. We need to do that; we need to finish it. We can get caught up in being offsides and the play that was taken back, but let’s not get caught up on second-and-15, third-and-15, and fourth-and-15. We have a chance with a 1:12, with two timeouts down three, we’re going to at worst tie the game we need to go down and win the game. We didn’t do that, that’s the thing we have to take from this. If we want to be a championship, Super Bowl level team there’s got to be a mindset of finishing. It’s not a criticism, it’s just where we’re at. We’ve been through this where we start fast, we get leads – (against the) Jets, Dolphins and then we don’t finish. Or we get behind – the last three weeks 14-0, 14-3, 14-0 we get behind and we don’t start fast, we had a chance to finish and we didn’t do it. Let’s dig into that, and let’s understand now that when we don’t have penalties, when we don’t have turnovers, when we execute like we did at the end of the first half and the start of the third quarter last week we’re a pretty good team offensively, we help our defense and special teams out. Let’s take that first part of the year, that second part where we’re at now. Let’s put it all together these next four games starting with New England and let’s get a win, everything else will take care of itself. We need to be hard on ourselves as coaches, players need to do it, this is where I think real leaders step up. This is where it’s about us, it’s not about anyone else. If you can’t be a professional about this as a coach or as a player you shouldn’t be in this profession.”Q:&nbsp;The last three games having to play from behind, does that change your play calling?NAGY:&nbsp;“Yeah, you’re down 14 to nothing in the first quarter last week – I think more than anything we keep going back to reducing penalties, reducing turnovers and watch what happens if you just do that. We had four penalties and a turnover in the first half last week. When we didn’t have a penalty, when we didn’t turn the ball over, we were pretty effective in the redzone, good things happened. We scored, we crept back in the game to the moment we talked about when we first started in here, to have a chance to finish. Are we starting games, are we finishing? We’ve been doing both. Let’s put it together like we did against the Chargers. Let’s put it together like we did against the Bears, and let’s see what happens when we do that. Complement it with the defense, complement it with special teams. The beauty is we are 8-5, we’ve built an opportunity for us to worry about New England right now and get back on the winning track. They are one great great defense; we haven’t even talked about them. This is a really really good defense; their numbers speak for themselves. We’ve got to lock in on that. I know we’re back here talking about all the KT (Kadarius Toney) stuff, but we have to teach that and move on. That’s where we’re at.”

Chiefs Coordinator Quotes: 12-14-23

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–</a>&nbsp;Kansas State senior left guard&nbsp;Cooper Beebe&nbsp;made history on Thursday, as he became the first offensive lineman in school history to earn Consensus All-America status by being named a First Team All-American by the Football Coaches Association of America (AFCA).

Beebe is the 12th Wildcat all-time to become a Consensus All-American, while it was the 14th time in school history a K-State player earned the honor. It is the third-straight season a Wildcat has been a Consensus All-American (Deuce Vaughn in 2021 and 2022), marking the first time K-State had a Consensus All-American in three-straight years since going five-straight seasons from 1995-99.

A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Beebe is also the first Wildcat to earn unanimous Consensus All-America honors by being honored by the five organizations that comprise the team – the Associated Press, AFCA, Football Writers Association of America,&nbsp;Sporting News&nbsp;and Walter Camp Foundation – since cornerback Terence Newman in 2002.

In addition to the five All-America teams above, Beebe has also been named a First Team All-American by CBS Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports, Pro Football Focus,&nbsp;Sports Illustrated&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Athletic.

K-State’s first ever two-time honoree for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award, Beebe was also the first Wildcat ever to be named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, was one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award and one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.

A career 47-game starter, Beebe has played in 50 games as a Wildcat, having seen action on 3,056 career offensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Beebe has allowed only five sacks among his 1,450 career pass blocking snaps with four of those coming in his redshirt freshman season of 2020, and he has surrendered only one sack in his last 41 games.

Beebe spearheads a 2023 K-State offensive line that has helped the Wildcats enter bowl season ranking 13th nationally in rushing offense (199.7 yards per game), tied for 15th rushing touchdowns (30) and eighth in third-down conversions (49.4%), the latter of which includes a 62.2% mark (61-of-98) when needing 1-6 yards. K-State also ranks 23rd&nbsp;nationally in red-zone offense (90.2%), while the Cats are tops in red-zone touchdown percentage (78.69%).

No. 25 Kansas State will face 18th-ranked NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Thursday, December 28, inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game, which will be shown nationally on ESPN, kicks off at 4:45 p.m. (CT).

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;–</a>&nbsp;Kansas State senior left guard&nbsp;Cooper Beebe&nbsp;made history on Thursday, as he became the first offensive lineman in school history to earn Consensus All-America status by being named a First Team All-American by the Football Coaches Association of America (AFCA).Beebe is the 12th Wildcat all-time to become a Consensus All-American, while it was the 14th time in school history a K-State player earned the honor. It is the third-straight season a Wildcat has been a Consensus All-American (Deuce Vaughn in 2021 and 2022), marking the first time K-State had a Consensus All-American in three-straight years since going five-straight seasons from 1995-99.A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Beebe is also the first Wildcat to earn unanimous Consensus All-America honors by being honored by the five organizations that comprise the team – the Associated Press, AFCA, Football Writers Association of America,&nbsp;Sporting News&nbsp;and Walter Camp Foundation – since cornerback Terence Newman in 2002.In addition to the five All-America teams above, Beebe has also been named a First Team All-American by CBS Sports, ESPN, FOX Sports, Pro Football Focus,&nbsp;Sports Illustrated&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Athletic.K-State’s first ever two-time honoree for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award, Beebe was also the first Wildcat ever to be named a finalist for the Outland Trophy, was one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award and one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.A career 47-game starter, Beebe has played in 50 games as a Wildcat, having seen action on 3,056 career offensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Beebe has allowed only five sacks among his 1,450 career pass blocking snaps with four of those coming in his redshirt freshman season of 2020, and he has surrendered only one sack in his last 41 games.Beebe spearheads a 2023 K-State offensive line that has helped the Wildcats enter bowl season ranking 13th nationally in rushing offense (199.7 yards per game), tied for 15th rushing touchdowns (30) and eighth in third-down conversions (49.4%), the latter of which includes a 62.2% mark (61-of-98) when needing 1-6 yards. K-State also ranks 23rd&nbsp;nationally in red-zone offense (90.2%), while the Cats are tops in red-zone touchdown percentage (78.69%).No. 25 Kansas State will face 18th-ranked NC State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Thursday, December 28, inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game, which will be shown nationally on ESPN, kicks off at 4:45 p.m. (CT).

K-State’s Beebe Earns Consensus All-America Status

TAMPA&nbsp;- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that Reagan Cooper and Camryn Turner of Kansas Volleyball have been named 2023 All-Americans.

Turner was named Honorable Mention, while Cooper secured Third Team honors. This is the first time in both of their careers that they've garnered All-American accolades.

Turner, the Big 12 Setter of the Year and First Team All-Big 12 selection, led the conference in assists per set for the majority of the season, ending at the top with a 10.67 average. The Topeka, Kansas native was AVCA All-Region, as well as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in September and the lone Preseason All-Big 12 selection for the Jayhawks. Turner also posted the second most digs per set on the team with 2.95 and recorded 84 kills and 58 total blocks for a well-rounded season stat line.

Turner currently holds the eighth most career assists in Kansas program history, with 2,811 total assists at the conclusion of her junior season.

Although only a Jayhawk for one season, Cooper made quite the impact during her time. The Texas Tech transfer was recognized various times on a national scale, as she was named AVCA Midwest All-Region, as well as the Division I National Player of the Week back on Nov. 21, making her the first Kansas player to earn that award since Kelsie Payne (2016).

The graduate out of Rowlett, Texas was also named All-Big 12 First Team after leading the Jayhawks with 3.86 kills and 4.17 points per set while hitting an impressive .346 on the year. Cooper tied the program record for most kills in a single match when she knocked down 29 against Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the fifth time she surpassed 20-plus kills in a match this season.

Cooper was most recently drafted in the second round of the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation draft, making her the 14th overall pick and a member of the Columbus Fury. Cooper was one of seven Big 12 players to be selected in this year’s draft, and she is joined by fellow All-Big 12 First Team member Texas middle blocker Asjia O’Neal, who was the overall No. 1 pick.

The last Jayhawk to be named All-American was Caroline Bien back in 2021, as she garnered Honorable Mention accolades during her freshman season.

TAMPA&nbsp;- The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that Reagan Cooper and Camryn Turner of Kansas Volleyball have been named 2023 All-Americans.Turner was named Honorable Mention, while Cooper secured Third Team honors. This is the first time in both of their careers that they've garnered All-American accolades.Turner, the Big 12 Setter of the Year and First Team All-Big 12 selection, led the conference in assists per set for the majority of the season, ending at the top with a 10.67 average. The Topeka, Kansas native was AVCA All-Region, as well as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in September and the lone Preseason All-Big 12 selection for the Jayhawks. Turner also posted the second most digs per set on the team with 2.95 and recorded 84 kills and 58 total blocks for a well-rounded season stat line.Turner currently holds the eighth most career assists in Kansas program history, with 2,811 total assists at the conclusion of her junior season.Although only a Jayhawk for one season, Cooper made quite the impact during her time. The Texas Tech transfer was recognized various times on a national scale, as she was named AVCA Midwest All-Region, as well as the Division I National Player of the Week back on Nov. 21, making her the first Kansas player to earn that award since Kelsie Payne (2016).The graduate out of Rowlett, Texas was also named All-Big 12 First Team after leading the Jayhawks with 3.86 kills and 4.17 points per set while hitting an impressive .346 on the year. Cooper tied the program record for most kills in a single match when she knocked down 29 against Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, marking the fifth time she surpassed 20-plus kills in a match this season.Cooper was most recently drafted in the second round of the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation draft, making her the 14th overall pick and a member of the Columbus Fury. Cooper was one of seven Big 12 players to be selected in this year’s draft, and she is joined by fellow All-Big 12 First Team member Texas middle blocker Asjia O’Neal, who was the overall No. 1 pick.The last Jayhawk to be named All-American was Caroline Bien back in 2021, as she garnered Honorable Mention accolades during her freshman season.

Cooper, Turner Named AVCA All-Americans

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697036292966.png" alt="Gridiron Glory" />
 <figcaption>Gridiron Glory</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTKurt Lange from Salina is Gridiron Glory's Week 14 winner! He won $100 courtesy of the Salina Pain Clinic. Antoine Blue from Wichita was our Week 15 winner. Blue won tickets to the Chiefs vs. Raiders game scheduled for Christmas Day.You still have time to win!<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/6457a6fe-ce1b-48df-a651-5d8582b478f7?contestid=3#registration/login">Sign up today</a>&nbsp;to make your picks for a chance to win great weekly prizes, including cash,&nbsp;gift cards, concert tickets, and Chiefs tickets.&nbsp;If you pick well, you'll also be in the running for the local season prize of $1,000 and a national season prize of a trip to Hawaii!Don't miss out on the state's best pro football pick'em contest!

Gridiron Glory Week 14 and 15 winners announced

6A Girls 1. OP-Blue Valley North 2. Shawnee Mission South 3. Wichita South 4. Olathe West 5. Wichita Heights 6. OP-Blue Valley Northwest 7. Topeka- Washburn Rural 8. OP-Blue Valley 9. Wichita Southeast 10. Garden City

5A Girls 1. Andover 2. OP-St. Thomas Aquinas 3. Topeka - Seaman 4. Wichita - Bishop Carroll 5. Emporia 6. Maize South 7. Topeka-Highland Park 8. Lenexa-St. James Academy 9. OP-Blue Valley Southwest 10. Hutchinson

4A Girls 1. Roeland Park-Bishop Miege 2. Wamego 3. McPherson 4. Clay Center 5. Wellington 6. Fort Scott 7. Eudora 8. Altamont- Labette County 9. Towanda - Circle 10. Parsons

3A Girls 1. Silver Lake 2. Topeka - Hayden 3. Hesston 4. Rossville 5. Carbondale - Santa Fe Trail 6. Cheney 7. Goodland 8. Halstead 9. St. Mary's 10. Seneca-Nemaha Central

2A Girls 1. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 2. Wathena - Riverside 3. Hoxie 4. Hillsboro 5. Leoti-Wichita County 6. Elbing-Berean Academy 7. Wichita-The Independent 8. Smith Center 9. Remington 10. Valley Heights

1A-Div 1-Girls 1. Little River 2. Frankfort 3. Clyde - Clifton-Clyde 4. Montezuma-South Gray 5. Highland - Doniphan West 6. St. John - Hudson 7. Olpe 8. Centralia 9. Norwich 10. Claflin-Central Plains

6A Boys 1. Wichita Heights 2. OP-Blue Valley Northwest 3. Shawnee Mission Northwest 4. Shawnee-Mill Valley 5. Olathe West 6. Olathe North 7. Junction City 8. Olathe South 9. Shawnee Mission East 10. Haysville-Campus

5A Boys 1. Maize South 2. Wichita- Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3. Topeka - Highland Park 4. De Soto 5. Topeka - Seaman 6. OP-Blue Valley Southwest 7. Topeka- West 8. Andover 9. Pittsburg 10. Hutchinson

4A Boys 1. McPherson 2. Hugoton 3. Atchison 4. Towanda-Circle 5. Baldwin 6. Roeland Park-Bishop Miege 7. Fort Scott 8. Abilene 9. Chanute 10. Ottawa

3A Boys 1. Hesston 2. Wichita-Collegiate 3. Beloit 4. Marysville 5. Girard 6. Goodland 7. Topeka-Hayden 8. Wellsville 9. St. Mary's 10. Humboldt

2A Boys 1. Wichita- The Independent 2. Moundridge 3. Bennington 4. Pittsburgh-St. Mary's Colgan 5. Lyndon 6. Oxford 7. Sterling 8. Wichita- Classical School 9. Remington 10. Meade

1A-Div 1-Boys 1. Montezuma-South Gray 2. Coldwater-South Central 3. Olpe 4. Osborne 5. Macksville 6. Clyde - Clifton-Clyde 7. LaCrosse 8. Jetmore-Hodgeman County 9. Frankfort 10. Sylvan-Lucas

GIRLS RANKINGS6A Girls 1. OP-Blue Valley North 2. Shawnee Mission South 3. Wichita South 4. Olathe West 5. Wichita Heights 6. OP-Blue Valley Northwest 7. Topeka- Washburn Rural 8. OP-Blue Valley 9. Wichita Southeast 10. Garden City5A Girls 1. Andover 2. OP-St. Thomas Aquinas 3. Topeka - Seaman 4. Wichita - Bishop Carroll 5. Emporia 6. Maize South 7. Topeka-Highland Park 8. Lenexa-St. James Academy 9. OP-Blue Valley Southwest 10. Hutchinson4A Girls 1. Roeland Park-Bishop Miege 2. Wamego 3. McPherson 4. Clay Center 5. Wellington 6. Fort Scott 7. Eudora 8. Altamont- Labette County 9. Towanda - Circle 10. Parsons 3A Girls 1. Silver Lake 2. Topeka - Hayden 3. Hesston 4. Rossville 5. Carbondale - Santa Fe Trail 6. Cheney 7. Goodland 8. Halstead 9. St. Mary's 10. Seneca-Nemaha Central2A Girls 1. Pittsburg-St. Mary's Colgan 2. Wathena - Riverside 3. Hoxie 4. Hillsboro 5. Leoti-Wichita County 6. Elbing-Berean Academy 7. Wichita-The Independent 8. Smith Center 9. Remington 10. Valley Heights1A-Div 1-Girls 1. Little River 2. Frankfort 3. Clyde - Clifton-Clyde 4. Montezuma-South Gray 5. Highland - Doniphan West 6. St. John - Hudson 7. Olpe 8. Centralia 9. Norwich 10. Claflin-Central PlainsBOYS RANKINGS6A Boys 1. Wichita Heights 2. OP-Blue Valley Northwest 3. Shawnee Mission Northwest 4. Shawnee-Mill Valley 5. Olathe West 6. Olathe North 7. Junction City 8. Olathe South 9. Shawnee Mission East 10. Haysville-Campus 5A Boys 1. Maize South 2. Wichita- Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3. Topeka - Highland Park 4. De Soto 5. Topeka - Seaman 6. OP-Blue Valley Southwest 7. Topeka- West 8. Andover 9. Pittsburg 10. Hutchinson4A Boys 1. McPherson 2. Hugoton 3. Atchison 4. Towanda-Circle 5. Baldwin 6. Roeland Park-Bishop Miege 7. Fort Scott 8. Abilene 9. Chanute 10. Ottawa3A Boys 1. Hesston 2. Wichita-Collegiate 3. Beloit 4. Marysville 5. Girard 6. Goodland 7. Topeka-Hayden 8. Wellsville 9. St. Mary's 10. Humboldt2A Boys 1. Wichita- The Independent 2. Moundridge 3. Bennington 4. Pittsburgh-St. Mary's Colgan 5. Lyndon 6. Oxford 7. Sterling 8. Wichita- Classical School 9. Remington 10. Meade 1A-Div 1-Boys 1. Montezuma-South Gray 2. Coldwater-South Central 3. Olpe 4. Osborne 5. Macksville 6. Clyde - Clifton-Clyde 7. LaCrosse 8. Jetmore-Hodgeman County 9. Frankfort 10. Sylvan-Lucas

KBCA Rankings: 12-12-23

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

In yet another all-area matchup, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams traveled to Abilene on Tuesday to square off with the Cowboys and Cowgirls.

The two teams split the series with the Southeast girls coming out on top to continue their dominance over the Cowgirls, and the Abilene boys exacting their revenge on the Trojans.

Girls Game: SE of Saline 42, Abilene 22

Southeast got off to a hot-shooting start in the girl's game, closing the first quarter on a big run to take a 20-5 lead into the second quarter.

“We got out and ran the ball the way we’ve talked about doing and we were pushing them for some easy buckets,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “Once they settled in though, those didn’t come as easy.”

Abilene made several key adjustments in the second half, surrendering fewer points in transition defensively and activating Claira Dannefer offensively, who scored seven in the second to trim the Lady Trojan lead.

From there however, the SES defense tightened the screws, allowing just five more points in the third quarter, and just one in the fourth to secure the victory.

“I thought everybody did a good job on defense,” Smith said. “We gave them some buckets in the second quarter but we didn’t let up much in the second half.”

The Lady Trojans were led in scoring by Maddie Harris (13), Lexi Jacobson (10), and Brielle Ptacek (8), while Abilene got the lions share of their points from Dannafer (12).

With this win, Southeast moves to 3-1 while Abilene falls to 0-4.

Boys Game: Abilene 64, SE of Saline 53

The 8th-ranked Cowboys came in as the favorites in the boy’s matchup and flexed their muscle early with five different players scoring in each of the first two quarters.

Brax Fisher led the way at the half as the only scorer in double digits for either side in a game that saw Abilene ahead 30-24.

The Trojans battled down the stretch, closing the gap to single digits a few times, but the Cowboys simply had too much firepower, pulling away late to put the game out of reach.

“We were there for the majority of the night but we got dominated on the glass and we didn’t finish a lot of shots at the rim,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “We can draw stuff up but it all comes down to getting stops and getting buckets, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Fisher put on a masterclass, scoring 26 points, and receiving help from six different teammates, most notably a 10-point performance from Stocton Timbrook.

Meanwhile, in the losing effort, the Trojans got 18 points from Gannon Jacobson, and 14 from Brenton Leeds.

With this result, Abilene remains undefeated at 4-0 while Southeast falls to 1-3.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>In yet another all-area matchup, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams traveled to Abilene on Tuesday to square off with the Cowboys and Cowgirls.The two teams split the series with the Southeast girls coming out on top to continue their dominance over the Cowgirls, and the Abilene boys exacting their revenge on the Trojans.Girls Game: SE of Saline 42, Abilene 22Southeast got off to a hot-shooting start in the girl's game, closing the first quarter on a big run to take a 20-5 lead into the second quarter.“We got out and ran the ball the way we’ve talked about doing and we were pushing them for some easy buckets,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “Once they settled in though, those didn’t come as easy.”Abilene made several key adjustments in the second half, surrendering fewer points in transition defensively and activating Claira Dannefer offensively, who scored seven in the second to trim the Lady Trojan lead.From there however, the SES defense tightened the screws, allowing just five more points in the third quarter, and just one in the fourth to secure the victory.“I thought everybody did a good job on defense,” Smith said. “We gave them some buckets in the second quarter but we didn’t let up much in the second half.”The Lady Trojans were led in scoring by Maddie Harris (13), Lexi Jacobson (10), and Brielle Ptacek (8), while Abilene got the lions share of their points from Dannafer (12).With this win, Southeast moves to 3-1 while Abilene falls to 0-4.Boys Game: Abilene 64, SE of Saline 53The 8th-ranked Cowboys came in as the favorites in the boy’s matchup and flexed their muscle early with five different players scoring in each of the first two quarters.Brax Fisher led the way at the half as the only scorer in double digits for either side in a game that saw Abilene ahead 30-24.The Trojans battled down the stretch, closing the gap to single digits a few times, but the Cowboys simply had too much firepower, pulling away late to put the game out of reach.“We were there for the majority of the night but we got dominated on the glass and we didn’t finish a lot of shots at the rim,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “We can draw stuff up but it all comes down to getting stops and getting buckets, and we didn’t do that tonight.”Fisher put on a masterclass, scoring 26 points, and receiving help from six different teammates, most notably a 10-point performance from Stocton Timbrook.Meanwhile, in the losing effort, the Trojans got 18 points from Gannon Jacobson, and 14 from Brenton Leeds.With this result, Abilene remains undefeated at 4-0 while Southeast falls to 1-3.

SES, Abilene, Play to Split on Tuesday Night

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor

Sacred Heart was on the road Tuesday for their fifth straight games away from Salina. By the time the night was over, the Knights had swept a doubleheader at Berean Academy.

Sacred Heart girls 45, #6 Berean Academy 36

The girl's game began with a back-and-forth opening quarter. Four different times, Berean scored and Sacred Heart would answer to tie the game. The Lady Warriors held a slim 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Sacred Heart came back to take a two-point lead of its own at halftime 18-16, but trailed 31-25 heading into the fourth quarter.

Then, the Lady Knights blew open what had been a close game. Skylar Douglas scored 11 fourth-quarter points and Katie Weiss added seven more in the final period as Sacred Heart outscored Berean 20-5 en route to a 45-36 upset win.

The Sacred Heart girls improve to 3-2 while Berean falls to 4-1.

Sacred Heart boys 47, Berean Academy 37

The boy's game also started slowly with Sacred Heart on top 11-9 after the opening quarter. 

Will Tuttle came off the bench to tally 11 second-quarter points as the Knights extended their advantage to 30-17 at halftime and 43-25 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sacred Heart led by as many as 20, but Berean refused to quit and cut the deficit to as few as 10 points. In the end, though, Sacred Heart was victorious by that same margin and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 47-37 final score.

Sacred Heart improves its record to 5-0 while Berean falls to 2-3.

The Knights are off the rest of this week and travel to league and county rival Southeast of Saline on Monday night before taking a break for the holidays.

Pregame is scheduled for 5:40 pm with the girls tipoff at 6 pm and the boys to follow and can be seen and heard on&nbsp;<a href="http://salinapost.com/" target="_blank">salinapost.com</a>.&nbsp;

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Sacred Heart was on the road Tuesday for their fifth straight games away from Salina. By the time the night was over, the Knights had swept a doubleheader at Berean Academy.Sacred Heart girls 45, #6 Berean Academy 36The girl's game began with a back-and-forth opening quarter. Four different times, Berean scored and Sacred Heart would answer to tie the game. The Lady Warriors held a slim 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.Sacred Heart came back to take a two-point lead of its own at halftime 18-16, but trailed 31-25 heading into the fourth quarter.Then, the Lady Knights blew open what had been a close game. Skylar Douglas scored 11 fourth-quarter points and Katie Weiss added seven more in the final period as Sacred Heart outscored Berean 20-5 en route to a 45-36 upset win.The Sacred Heart girls improve to 3-2 while Berean falls to 4-1.Sacred Heart boys 47, Berean Academy 37The boy's game also started slowly with Sacred Heart on top 11-9 after the opening quarter. Will Tuttle came off the bench to tally 11 second-quarter points as the Knights extended their advantage to 30-17 at halftime and 43-25 heading into the fourth quarter.Sacred Heart led by as many as 20, but Berean refused to quit and cut the deficit to as few as 10 points. In the end, though, Sacred Heart was victorious by that same margin and completed the doubleheader sweep with a 47-37 final score.Sacred Heart improves its record to 5-0 while Berean falls to 2-3.The Knights are off the rest of this week and travel to league and county rival Southeast of Saline on Monday night before taking a break for the holidays.Pregame is scheduled for 5:40 pm with the girls tipoff at 6 pm and the boys to follow and can be seen and heard on&nbsp;<a href="http://salinapost.com/" target="_blank">salinapost.com</a>.&nbsp;

Sacred Heart Girls Upset Berean Academy, Boys Remain Unbeaten

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;continued to earn accolades for his impressive play in wins over Villanova and LSU last week, as he was chosen as one of five national Division I Player of the Week by the U.S Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the Oscar Robertson Trophy on Tuesday (December 12).

Kaluma, who was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday (December 11), was honored by the USBWA alongside St. Bonaventure’s&nbsp;Mika Adams-Woods, Akron’s&nbsp;Enrique Freeman, Memphis’&nbsp;David Jones&nbsp;and Marquette’s&nbsp;Tyler Kolek&nbsp;for games ending December 10.

Kaluma is the third Wildcat to earn the USBWA’s National Player of the Week honors, along with&nbsp;Denis Clemente&nbsp;on February 9, 2010, and&nbsp;Markquis Nowell&nbsp;on January 9, 2023. It is Kaluma’s first national player of the week distinction after twice earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors while at Creighton.

Kaluma averaged a double-double in helping K-State (8-2) to a home overtime win over Villanova and a road victory over LSU last week, as he averaged 21.5 points on 76.2 percent (16-of-21) shooting, including 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.6 minutes per game.

Kaluma scored a game and season-high 26 points in the win over Villanova on December 5, knocking down 10-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a season-best 44 minutes. The 26 points were one shy of his career-high of 27 he had against BYU while playing at Creighton in 2022. It was his seventh career 20-point game, including his third this season.

Kaluma continued his impressive play in the road win at LSU, recording his fifth career double-double, including his second as a Wildcat, with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 48 career games, including eight this season.

A 6-foot-7, 225-pound wing from Glendale, Ariz., Kaluma is currently averaging 16.6 points on 47.6 percent (49-of-103) from the field, including 38.9 percent (14-of-36) from 3-point range, and 82.2 percent (37-of-45) from the free throw line to go along with 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He is one of just two players to rank in the Big 12’s top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks 10th&nbsp;in scoring and fourth in rebounding.

K-State, winners of 5 in a row, will not play midweek due to semester exams and will return to the court on Sunday, December 17 when the Wildcats play host to former conference rival Nebraska (8-2) at 2 p.m., CT. The game is already a sellout, but fans can check third-party ticket provider Seat Geek for tickets&nbsp;<a href="https://seatgeek.com/kansas-state-wildcats-mens-basketball-tickets/ncaa-basketball/2023-12-17-2-pm/6094290?aid=16040&amp;pid=sell_out_page" target="_blank">here</a>.

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;continued to earn accolades for his impressive play in wins over Villanova and LSU last week, as he was chosen as one of five national Division I Player of the Week by the U.S Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the Oscar Robertson Trophy on Tuesday (December 12).Kaluma, who was selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday (December 11), was honored by the USBWA alongside St. Bonaventure’s&nbsp;Mika Adams-Woods, Akron’s&nbsp;Enrique Freeman, Memphis’&nbsp;David Jones&nbsp;and Marquette’s&nbsp;Tyler Kolek&nbsp;for games ending December 10.Kaluma is the third Wildcat to earn the USBWA’s National Player of the Week honors, along with&nbsp;Denis Clemente&nbsp;on February 9, 2010, and&nbsp;Markquis Nowell&nbsp;on January 9, 2023. It is Kaluma’s first national player of the week distinction after twice earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors while at Creighton.Kaluma averaged a double-double in helping K-State (8-2) to a home overtime win over Villanova and a road victory over LSU last week, as he averaged 21.5 points on 76.2 percent (16-of-21) shooting, including 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.6 minutes per game.Kaluma scored a game and season-high 26 points in the win over Villanova on December 5, knocking down 10-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a season-best 44 minutes. The 26 points were one shy of his career-high of 27 he had against BYU while playing at Creighton in 2022. It was his seventh career 20-point game, including his third this season.Kaluma continued his impressive play in the road win at LSU, recording his fifth career double-double, including his second as a Wildcat, with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 48 career games, including eight this season.A 6-foot-7, 225-pound wing from Glendale, Ariz., Kaluma is currently averaging 16.6 points on 47.6 percent (49-of-103) from the field, including 38.9 percent (14-of-36) from 3-point range, and 82.2 percent (37-of-45) from the free throw line to go along with 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 34.8 minutes per game. He is one of just two players to rank in the Big 12’s top-10 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks 10th&nbsp;in scoring and fourth in rebounding.K-State, winners of 5 in a row, will not play midweek due to semester exams and will return to the court on Sunday, December 17 when the Wildcats play host to former conference rival Nebraska (8-2) at 2 p.m., CT. The game is already a sellout, but fans can check third-party ticket provider Seat Geek for tickets&nbsp;<a href="https://seatgeek.com/kansas-state-wildcats-mens-basketball-tickets/ncaa-basketball/2023-12-17-2-pm/6094290?aid=16040&amp;pid=sell_out_page" target="_blank">here</a>.

Kaluma Named USBWA/Oscar Robertson Trophy National Player of the Week

After splitting their matchups against the rival Trojans from Beloit last Friday, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams will be back on the road tonight as they travel up the road to take on Abilene.

These games will close the book on a grueling stretch that sees SES play three of their first four games on the road, as Southeast will play their final two games of the calendar year in Gypsum.

Girls Game: SE of Saline (2-1) vs. Abilene (0-3)

After stumbling against a state-ranked Hesston squad, the Lady Trojans seem to have found their footing, defeating Smoky Valley and Beloit in convincing fashion last week.

Now, the Southeast will look to turn back-to-back wins into a streak against a struggling Abilene program, still in search of their first win on the year.

The Lady Trojans have dominated this series as of late, winning each matchup over the last three years.

Despite their early-season struggles, the Cowgirls are still building themselves into the team they want to be down the stretch, and have seen some real progress through the first couple of weeks.

“Our effort has been outstanding and we have taken much better care of the basketball in the last two games,” Cowgirl head coach Shawn Herrman said. “We still need to be patient on offense and run through our offense. SES is super aggressive on defense and they move the ball well so we will have to slow them down and guard the perimeter well.”

Meanwhile, to continue their recent run of dominance, the Lady Trojans will have to overcome Claira Dannefer and her ability to create mismatches in the paint.

“Everyone improves when they get a year older and stronger and that’s what we’re seeing with Abilene,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “They have a real challenge for us in Dannefer inside so we’ll need to keep the tempo of the game up and spread the floor a little more.”

Tip-off between the Lady Trojans and Cowgirls is scheduled for 6:00 at Abilene High School.

Boys Game: SE of Saline (1-2) vs. Abilene (3-0)

After knocking off Smoky Valley to get into the win column, SES found themselves outmatched by a larger Beloit team on Friday, and battled hard but ultimately fell 44-40.

Things won’t get easier for the Trojans tonight, as they shift their focus to an undefeated Abilene team eager to repay them for a 77-59 drubbing from a season ago.

This area matchup has provided some excellent basketball over the last three years, with Southeast taking two of the three meetings between the two.

Abilene knows that in order to knock off the Trojans, they will need a full team effort, and will have to contain the playmaking ability of Southeast’s leaders on the floor.

“Owen Bailey is the guy who has been shooting the ball so well, and we have to pay attention to him at all times,” Cowboy head coach Erik Graefe said. “But the kid who “stirs the drink” as they say, is Kejr. He has been starting for a lot of years, through a lot of wins, and his poise and ability to create are a real problem. This will be a great test for us, SES is a really good team.”

While Abilene isn’t taking the Trojans likely, many around the state see the Cowboys as strong favorites ahead of this matchup, and Southeast will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night.

“Abilene plays fast and they want to speed you up,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “It’s almost like watching our team from last year where they can get up on you in a hurry. They create a lot of turnovers and you don’t average 75 a game without good scorers. This will be a challenge for us.”

The boy’s game will begin 20 minutes after the conclusion of the girls game tonight.

Broadcast Information - Location: Abilene High School - Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM) - Live Stream Video: Link Below - Pregame: 5:30 PM

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>After splitting their matchups against the rival Trojans from Beloit last Friday, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams will be back on the road tonight as they travel up the road to take on Abilene.These games will close the book on a grueling stretch that sees SES play three of their first four games on the road, as Southeast will play their final two games of the calendar year in Gypsum.Girls Game: SE of Saline (2-1) vs. Abilene (0-3)After stumbling against a state-ranked Hesston squad, the Lady Trojans seem to have found their footing, defeating Smoky Valley and Beloit in convincing fashion last week.Now, the Southeast will look to turn back-to-back wins into a streak against a struggling Abilene program, still in search of their first win on the year.The Lady Trojans have dominated this series as of late, winning each matchup over the last three years.Despite their early-season struggles, the Cowgirls are still building themselves into the team they want to be down the stretch, and have seen some real progress through the first couple of weeks.“Our effort has been outstanding and we have taken much better care of the basketball in the last two games,” Cowgirl head coach Shawn Herrman said. “We still need to be patient on offense and run through our offense. SES is super aggressive on defense and they move the ball well so we will have to slow them down and guard the perimeter well.”Meanwhile, to continue their recent run of dominance, the Lady Trojans will have to overcome Claira Dannefer and her ability to create mismatches in the paint.“Everyone improves when they get a year older and stronger and that’s what we’re seeing with Abilene,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said. “They have a real challenge for us in Dannefer inside so we’ll need to keep the tempo of the game up and spread the floor a little more.”Tip-off between the Lady Trojans and Cowgirls is scheduled for 6:00 at Abilene High School.Boys Game: SE of Saline (1-2) vs. Abilene (3-0)After knocking off Smoky Valley to get into the win column, SES found themselves outmatched by a larger Beloit team on Friday, and battled hard but ultimately fell 44-40.Things won’t get easier for the Trojans tonight, as they shift their focus to an undefeated Abilene team eager to repay them for a 77-59 drubbing from a season ago.This area matchup has provided some excellent basketball over the last three years, with Southeast taking two of the three meetings between the two.Abilene knows that in order to knock off the Trojans, they will need a full team effort, and will have to contain the playmaking ability of Southeast’s leaders on the floor.“Owen Bailey is the guy who has been shooting the ball so well, and we have to pay attention to him at all times,” Cowboy head coach Erik Graefe said. “But the kid who “stirs the drink” as they say, is Kejr. He has been starting for a lot of years, through a lot of wins, and his poise and ability to create are a real problem. This will be a great test for us, SES is a really good team.”While Abilene isn’t taking the Trojans likely, many around the state see the Cowboys as strong favorites ahead of this matchup, and Southeast will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night.“Abilene plays fast and they want to speed you up,” SES head coach Bryson Flax said. “It’s almost like watching our team from last year where they can get up on you in a hurry. They create a lot of turnovers and you don’t average 75 a game without good scorers. This will be a challenge for us.”The boy’s game will begin 20 minutes after the conclusion of the girls game tonight.Broadcast Information - Location: Abilene High School - Radio: KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM) - Live Stream Video: Link Below - Pregame: 5:30 PM<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pjqxnoA2OeY"></iframe>
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 </figure>

SES Makes Trek to Abilene for Showdown with Cowboys and Cowgirls

WICHITA, Kan... Kansas Wesleyan University sits atop the 2023-24 KCAC Commissioner's Cup standings following the Fall 2023 season, the conference office announced Tuesday. 

The KCAC Commissioner's Cup is awarded annually as a symbol of excellence in athletics representing 21 championships. Member institutions can earn points for their finish of each varsity team in those 21 officially recognized conference sports. The KCAC Commissioner's Cup is presented by&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b63aa230-d824-4fb1-baf1-e7a3d75f4a7b?elinkdata=3308" target="_blank">McCownGordon Construction</a>.

It was a strong showing across the board in the fall season for the Coyotes, helping the Coyotes earn 67 points in the Commissioner's Cup standings. 

The Kansas Wesleyan women's volleyball team split the regular-season conference title, while the Coyotes' men's and women's cross country teams finished second and third, respectively, at the KCAC Cross Country Championships. 

The KWU men's soccer team finished third in the regular season standings, and the Coyote football team was tied for the third-best conference record in the KCAC. 

The Kansas Wesleyan women's soccer program finished sixth in the regular-season standings.

Rounding out the Top Five in the Commissioner's Cup standings following the Fall 2023 season are the University of Saint Mary (57 points), Friends University (52.5 points), Tabor College (52 points), and Bethel College (50.5 points).

WICHITA, Kan... Kansas Wesleyan University sits atop the 2023-24 KCAC Commissioner's Cup standings following the Fall 2023 season, the conference office announced Tuesday. The KCAC Commissioner's Cup is awarded annually as a symbol of excellence in athletics representing 21 championships. Member institutions can earn points for their finish of each varsity team in those 21 officially recognized conference sports. The KCAC Commissioner's Cup is presented by&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/b63aa230-d824-4fb1-baf1-e7a3d75f4a7b?elinkdata=3308" target="_blank">McCownGordon Construction</a>.It was a strong showing across the board in the fall season for the Coyotes, helping the Coyotes earn 67 points in the Commissioner's Cup standings. The Kansas Wesleyan women's volleyball team split the regular-season conference title, while the Coyotes' men's and women's cross country teams finished second and third, respectively, at the KCAC Cross Country Championships. The KWU men's soccer team finished third in the regular season standings, and the Coyote football team was tied for the third-best conference record in the KCAC. The Kansas Wesleyan women's soccer program finished sixth in the regular-season standings.Rounding out the Top Five in the Commissioner's Cup standings following the Fall 2023 season are the University of Saint Mary (57 points), Friends University (52.5 points), Tabor College (52 points), and Bethel College (50.5 points).

Kansas Wesleyan holds lead in Fall KCAC Commissioner's Cup standings

Girl's game: Sacred Heart (2-2) vs. 2A #8 Berean Academy

The Sacred Heart Lady Knights are coming off a successful 2-1 record at the Irish Classic tournament in Chapman last week, but now travel to Berean Academy Tuesday night.

The Lady Warriors are the defending 2A state champions and are once again a top-10 team in the latest state rankings.

Tip-off for the girl’s game is set for 6:00 pm from Elbing.

Boy's game: Sacred Heart (4-0) vs. Berean Academy (2-2)

After going 3-0 at the Irish Classic tournament in Chapman last week, the Sacred Heart boys are still unbeaten. Now they hit the road again to take on Berean Academy.

The Warriors are 2-2, but those losses have come to perennial championship contender Central Plains and 2A #2 ranked Wichita Independent.

Tip-off for the boy’s game is set for 7:30 pm from Elbing.Broadcast Information- Live Stream: Salina Post- Pregame: 5:40 PM

BY ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697215856555.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Girl's game: Sacred Heart (2-2) vs. 2A #8 Berean AcademyThe Sacred Heart Lady Knights are coming off a successful 2-1 record at the Irish Classic tournament in Chapman last week, but now travel to Berean Academy Tuesday night.The Lady Warriors are the defending 2A state champions and are once again a top-10 team in the latest state rankings.Tip-off for the girl’s game is set for 6:00 pm from Elbing.Boy's game: Sacred Heart (4-0) vs. Berean Academy (2-2)After going 3-0 at the Irish Classic tournament in Chapman last week, the Sacred Heart boys are still unbeaten. Now they hit the road again to take on Berean Academy.The Warriors are 2-2, but those losses have come to perennial championship contender Central Plains and 2A #2 ranked Wichita Independent.Tip-off for the boy’s game is set for 7:30 pm from Elbing.Broadcast Information- Live Stream: Salina Post- Pregame: 5:40 PM

Sacred Heart Prepares for Tough Road Games at Berean Academy

Kansas-&nbsp;The Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors is excited to announce the addition of a new East vs. West senior all-star wrestling event in conjunction with the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. The KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 17th, 2024 at Fugate Gymnasium on the campus of Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. The event will feature around 60 of the state’s top wrestlers, both girls and boys, competing in an East vs. West team dual format. All net proceeds from the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will benefit Shriners Children’s, previously known as Shriners Hospitals for Children.

“We’re thrilled for this opportunity to partner with the KWCA to showcase some of the best athletes in Kansas and increase the impact our organization can have for Shriners Children’s,” said Brice Kesler of the Kansas Shrine Bowl. “The opportunity to share the reasons behind our cause with the outstanding wrestling community throughout Kansas is going to be a great benefit for everyone involved.”

The KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will continue the traditions of East vs. West all-star competition that has led to 50 years of success with the Kansas Shrine Bowl, generating more than $3.8M in donations to Shriners Children’s. The partnership with the KWCA will help bring a new philanthropic aspect to the KWCA’s mission of promoting and recognizing outstanding contributions and accomplishments in wrestling throughout the state of Kansas. The athletes who are selected to participate in the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will have the opportunity, through fundraising initiatives and competition, to make a lasting impact on the lives of children while displaying their talents on a premier all-star stage.

“The KWCA is excited to partner with the Shriners to bring back the Senior All-Star Classic,” said Nathan Broeckelman, KWCA President. “This event will be a great showcase for our senior athletes across the state for one last go representing their respective high schools.”

Additional event details, along with complete qualification criteria for wrestlers, and more will be coming soon. Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasshrineduals.com/" target="_blank">www.KansasShrineDuals.com</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansaswrestling.org/" target="_blank">www.KansasWrestling.org</a>&nbsp;to stay up to date on the latest news and updates regarding the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals.

All Kansas Shrine All-Star Events are produced and presented to benefit Shriners Children’s. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that produces annual events and related activities, with net proceeds benefiting Shriners Children’s. Shriners Children’s is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.

Kansas-&nbsp;The Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors is excited to announce the addition of a new East vs. West senior all-star wrestling event in conjunction with the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. The KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 17th, 2024 at Fugate Gymnasium on the campus of Newman University in Wichita, Kansas. The event will feature around 60 of the state’s top wrestlers, both girls and boys, competing in an East vs. West team dual format. All net proceeds from the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will benefit Shriners Children’s, previously known as Shriners Hospitals for Children.“We’re thrilled for this opportunity to partner with the KWCA to showcase some of the best athletes in Kansas and increase the impact our organization can have for Shriners Children’s,” said Brice Kesler of the Kansas Shrine Bowl. “The opportunity to share the reasons behind our cause with the outstanding wrestling community throughout Kansas is going to be a great benefit for everyone involved.”The KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will continue the traditions of East vs. West all-star competition that has led to 50 years of success with the Kansas Shrine Bowl, generating more than $3.8M in donations to Shriners Children’s. The partnership with the KWCA will help bring a new philanthropic aspect to the KWCA’s mission of promoting and recognizing outstanding contributions and accomplishments in wrestling throughout the state of Kansas. The athletes who are selected to participate in the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals will have the opportunity, through fundraising initiatives and competition, to make a lasting impact on the lives of children while displaying their talents on a premier all-star stage.“The KWCA is excited to partner with the Shriners to bring back the Senior All-Star Classic,” said Nathan Broeckelman, KWCA President. “This event will be a great showcase for our senior athletes across the state for one last go representing their respective high schools.”Additional event details, along with complete qualification criteria for wrestlers, and more will be coming soon. Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasshrineduals.com/" target="_blank">www.KansasShrineDuals.com</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansaswrestling.org/" target="_blank">www.KansasWrestling.org</a>&nbsp;to stay up to date on the latest news and updates regarding the KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals.All Kansas Shrine All-Star Events are produced and presented to benefit Shriners Children’s. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that produces annual events and related activities, with net proceeds benefiting Shriners Children’s. Shriners Children’s is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients' ability to pay.

Kansas Shrine Bowl and KWCA Announce New Joint All-Star Wrestling Event

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“I don’t have any injuries for you, the guys are coming in now. I had a chance to go back through the tape and evaluate it. Like I mentioned to the team, there’s some good things in there that are going to help us. We’re getting better in some spots, but we’ve got to clean up some things, the penalties, the drops offensively, and then obviously the scores early on the defensive side. We’ve got to take care of that, so we’re not playing from behind there. Some of that was also turnovers on the offensive side, and that added up to it. With that, I know what I said about the officials yesterday or – insinuated about the officials. Listen, there are no excuses for this thing, that’s not what I’m saying. I’ve always had a good working relationship with these guys, and that’s the important part. They know when they tell me something with a guy that I’m going to address the guy, like right now, and make sure that it gets changed – when you’re talking about inches you know those types of things. Those happen in the game. I mean, I’ve been doing this a long time, so this isn’t an excuse or a blame on the officials for blowing the game. That’s not what it is, but it’s that working relationship. That part is so important in this thing because you can see it on both sides. Whether it’s a defensive end been lining up in the neutral zone at times or that, just you give the head coach a heads up and then in our case, we tell them. Then if they get called, listen, that’s – you were warned, so that’s how it’s worked over the years. That’s what I was really trying to get across, and I take a lot of pride in taking what the officials give me and going to our players and telling them – like immediately telling them and giving them that and telling them, ‘Hey listen they’re giving you a warning, if you don’t do it that’s on your plate.’ That’s the important part that I was trying to get across, but probably not very well after the game. Anyways, with that we’ve got to do better just all the way around. That’s what we’re striving for, but at the same time, we’re getting better and it’s so close it’s crazy and I think the guys understand what we’ve got to get done. With that, time’s yours.”

Q: It looked like there were some positive offensive signs later on in the game. What offensive breakthroughs did you see?

REID:&nbsp;“I thought we had a good blend of things going, that’s what I thought. Of the run, the screen, the quick screens, the pass, we were presenting a lot out there for a defense to have to defend. We were doing that with accuracy for the most part. Listen, there were a couple that we’ve got to work on, you come out of every game like that, but you know we had a lot of yards and that was a positive thing. I thought the guys came out with the right intent. They were playing their tail off, aggressive, hard football, both sides of the ball and on special teams. We’ve just, we’ve got to clean up some of these self-destructive things, and whether it’s the penalties, whether it’s the drops, whether it’s the turnovers, we’ve got to clean that up and we’ll be ok. We have to be consistent with it.”

Q: With Justyn Ross coming back, what is your expectation for Justyn Ross?

REID:&nbsp;“We’ll just see kind of where he’s (Justyn Ross) at physically and – it’s hard to be gone that long and just kind of jump right back in. We’ll just have to see where he’s at.”

Q: Regarding the offsides call on Kadarius Toney, how do you address this with him?

REID:&nbsp;“Listen, normally he (Kadarius Toney) looks over to the sideline and just gets an okay and on that one he just happened not to, so that would be the coaching point. Make sure you check with the guy on the side just to see if you’re aligned. He’s not lining up offsides on purpose. Listen he was two inches away from or an inch away from being legal so you can always – like I said, you can argue both sides for both teams. There were things that happened where people – it happens like that. I guess the league is trying to clean that up from what I heard by one of the broadcasters last nights but whatever.”

Q: Are you getting to a point where you think Kadarius Toney needs a little more coaching before he gets more playing time?

REID:&nbsp;“Well, the thing I know is he (Kadarius Toney) makes plays. He makes plays when the ball is in his hands, and that’s the important part. He’s a young guy. I mean, he’s not coming to us with a ton of experience, but I think he’s getting better every week. This is one of those things. I don’t see that as being a negative. I look at the things he produced on too.”

Q:&nbsp;Have you heard through any other avenues that offensive offsides is a point of emphasis for the officials this season?

REID:&nbsp;“I guess maybe they mentioned it to us somewhere – this was one of the officials saying it on the broadcast. I’m sure that they probably mentioned it somewhere.”

Q:&nbsp;Was offensive offsides not a point you got in training camp and went over with the team?

REID:&nbsp;“The officials give us everything. Everything has been covered.”

Q:&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes was frustrated after the game, how much of that frustration do you think is carry over from how the team has played in the past several weeks?

REID:&nbsp;“I think what he said was pretty accurate – and you know this – we put so much time and effort into it, both physical and mental effort. You don’t want it to come down to that. That ends up being the frustration. It’s not what happened before, you know what you’ve heard before and you put that in the memory bank on how things are normally handled. When something changes like that in that type of situation with two really good football teams playing against each other and you’re down to a minute and a half or a minute and 50 seconds, all of a sudden, you’re right there and have a big play. I think anyone would say that’s a little bit frustrating. You just spent a whole week in preparation for an hour game, you put hours into this thing for it to come down to that inch. Do we need to line up right? Yeah, we do, yeah we do. We’ve got to take care of that and not put it in the officials’ hands, that part we have to do. The frustration comes in with the other part that you spend so much time doing that thing. I don’t see it as a thing that has happened in the past and this or that. It has been the past couple of weeks but it’s one of those things. I don’t think that’s where the frustration was at that time though.”

Q:&nbsp;How is the mood of the locker room?

REID:&nbsp;“It’s week-to-week in the league. I think our players understand that. They’re together, if that’s what you’re asking. They know what they need to do. We just have to get it done. We know we are playing a good opponent this week; we talked about that after the game. They know they have to be focused in and ready to go. In this league it’s a matter of getting those things straightened out, and when you do, and you’re in a good position health wise, you giddy up and you go. That’s how I think they’re thinking.”

Q:&nbsp;How frustrating is it that it’s minor things that are hurting you and how do you fix those things?

REID:&nbsp;“We’ve got to take care of that business there of the penalties and the detailed things. It’s getting done 90% of the time, but you have to keep it right the whole time at this level. That’s what we’re working on. I get paid to teach, so I’m going to continue to teach, the players are going to continue to work and we have to get ourselves ready to go up and play in New England.”

Q:&nbsp;With your post-game comments did you feel you needed to send a message to the team or anyone else?

REID:&nbsp;“I was just speaking what I thought was the truth. My intention was – I’ve been doing this a long time, I think I have a good relationship with the officials, and I had no communication, that’s all. That’s really where I was coming from, I was disappointed in that part. I know again how much time and effort goes into it. I know how much I have to sit in front of the media. I know how much our players have to sit in front of the media and answer these questions. We try to make it the right way, try to do it the right way. That’s where I was with it, I was just speaking what I thought was the truth.”

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“I don’t have any injuries for you, the guys are coming in now. I had a chance to go back through the tape and evaluate it. Like I mentioned to the team, there’s some good things in there that are going to help us. We’re getting better in some spots, but we’ve got to clean up some things, the penalties, the drops offensively, and then obviously the scores early on the defensive side. We’ve got to take care of that, so we’re not playing from behind there. Some of that was also turnovers on the offensive side, and that added up to it. With that, I know what I said about the officials yesterday or – insinuated about the officials. Listen, there are no excuses for this thing, that’s not what I’m saying. I’ve always had a good working relationship with these guys, and that’s the important part. They know when they tell me something with a guy that I’m going to address the guy, like right now, and make sure that it gets changed – when you’re talking about inches you know those types of things. Those happen in the game. I mean, I’ve been doing this a long time, so this isn’t an excuse or a blame on the officials for blowing the game. That’s not what it is, but it’s that working relationship. That part is so important in this thing because you can see it on both sides. Whether it’s a defensive end been lining up in the neutral zone at times or that, just you give the head coach a heads up and then in our case, we tell them. Then if they get called, listen, that’s – you were warned, so that’s how it’s worked over the years. That’s what I was really trying to get across, and I take a lot of pride in taking what the officials give me and going to our players and telling them – like immediately telling them and giving them that and telling them, ‘Hey listen they’re giving you a warning, if you don’t do it that’s on your plate.’ That’s the important part that I was trying to get across, but probably not very well after the game. Anyways, with that we’ve got to do better just all the way around. That’s what we’re striving for, but at the same time, we’re getting better and it’s so close it’s crazy and I think the guys understand what we’ve got to get done. With that, time’s yours.”Q: It looked like there were some positive offensive signs later on in the game. What offensive breakthroughs did you see?REID:&nbsp;“I thought we had a good blend of things going, that’s what I thought. Of the run, the screen, the quick screens, the pass, we were presenting a lot out there for a defense to have to defend. We were doing that with accuracy for the most part. Listen, there were a couple that we’ve got to work on, you come out of every game like that, but you know we had a lot of yards and that was a positive thing. I thought the guys came out with the right intent. They were playing their tail off, aggressive, hard football, both sides of the ball and on special teams. We’ve just, we’ve got to clean up some of these self-destructive things, and whether it’s the penalties, whether it’s the drops, whether it’s the turnovers, we’ve got to clean that up and we’ll be ok. We have to be consistent with it.”Q: With Justyn Ross coming back, what is your expectation for Justyn Ross?REID:&nbsp;“We’ll just see kind of where he’s (Justyn Ross) at physically and – it’s hard to be gone that long and just kind of jump right back in. We’ll just have to see where he’s at.”Q: Regarding the offsides call on Kadarius Toney, how do you address this with him?REID:&nbsp;“Listen, normally he (Kadarius Toney) looks over to the sideline and just gets an okay and on that one he just happened not to, so that would be the coaching point. Make sure you check with the guy on the side just to see if you’re aligned. He’s not lining up offsides on purpose. Listen he was two inches away from or an inch away from being legal so you can always – like I said, you can argue both sides for both teams. There were things that happened where people – it happens like that. I guess the league is trying to clean that up from what I heard by one of the broadcasters last nights but whatever.”Q: Are you getting to a point where you think Kadarius Toney needs a little more coaching before he gets more playing time?REID:&nbsp;“Well, the thing I know is he (Kadarius Toney) makes plays. He makes plays when the ball is in his hands, and that’s the important part. He’s a young guy. I mean, he’s not coming to us with a ton of experience, but I think he’s getting better every week. This is one of those things. I don’t see that as being a negative. I look at the things he produced on too.”Q:&nbsp;Have you heard through any other avenues that offensive offsides is a point of emphasis for the officials this season?REID:&nbsp;“I guess maybe they mentioned it to us somewhere – this was one of the officials saying it on the broadcast. I’m sure that they probably mentioned it somewhere.”Q:&nbsp;Was offensive offsides not a point you got in training camp and went over with the team?REID:&nbsp;“The officials give us everything. Everything has been covered.”Q:&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes was frustrated after the game, how much of that frustration do you think is carry over from how the team has played in the past several weeks?REID:&nbsp;“I think what he said was pretty accurate – and you know this – we put so much time and effort into it, both physical and mental effort. You don’t want it to come down to that. That ends up being the frustration. It’s not what happened before, you know what you’ve heard before and you put that in the memory bank on how things are normally handled. When something changes like that in that type of situation with two really good football teams playing against each other and you’re down to a minute and a half or a minute and 50 seconds, all of a sudden, you’re right there and have a big play. I think anyone would say that’s a little bit frustrating. You just spent a whole week in preparation for an hour game, you put hours into this thing for it to come down to that inch. Do we need to line up right? Yeah, we do, yeah we do. We’ve got to take care of that and not put it in the officials’ hands, that part we have to do. The frustration comes in with the other part that you spend so much time doing that thing. I don’t see it as a thing that has happened in the past and this or that. It has been the past couple of weeks but it’s one of those things. I don’t think that’s where the frustration was at that time though.”Q:&nbsp;How is the mood of the locker room?REID:&nbsp;“It’s week-to-week in the league. I think our players understand that. They’re together, if that’s what you’re asking. They know what they need to do. We just have to get it done. We know we are playing a good opponent this week; we talked about that after the game. They know they have to be focused in and ready to go. In this league it’s a matter of getting those things straightened out, and when you do, and you’re in a good position health wise, you giddy up and you go. That’s how I think they’re thinking.”Q:&nbsp;How frustrating is it that it’s minor things that are hurting you and how do you fix those things?REID:&nbsp;“We’ve got to take care of that business there of the penalties and the detailed things. It’s getting done 90% of the time, but you have to keep it right the whole time at this level. That’s what we’re working on. I get paid to teach, so I’m going to continue to teach, the players are going to continue to work and we have to get ourselves ready to go up and play in New England.”Q:&nbsp;With your post-game comments did you feel you needed to send a message to the team or anyone else?REID:&nbsp;“I was just speaking what I thought was the truth. My intention was – I’ve been doing this a long time, I think I have a good relationship with the officials, and I had no communication, that’s all. That’s really where I was coming from, I was disappointed in that part. I know again how much time and effort goes into it. I know how much I have to sit in front of the media. I know how much our players have to sit in front of the media and answer these questions. We try to make it the right way, try to do it the right way. That’s where I was with it, I was just speaking what I thought was the truth.”

Chiefs Quotes: Andy Reid (12-11-23)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Will Smith&nbsp;to a one-year Major League contract. In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Collin Snider&nbsp;was designated for assignment and&nbsp;Kansas City’s Major League Reserve List remains at 40.

Smith, 34, posted a 4.40 ERA (28 ER in 57.1 IP) across 60 appearances for the World Series champion Texas Rangers in 2023, striking out 55 batters and walking just 17 batters (4 intentionally). A veteran of 11 Major League seasons, the southpaw has amassed 33 wins and 113 saves over 573 appearances.

Smith is rejoining the Royals after starting his career with Kansas City in 2012-13, during which he went 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA (65 ER in 123.0 IP) over 35 games (17 starts) before he was dealt to Milwaukee on Dec. 5, 2013 for outfielder&nbsp;Nori Aoki.

Smith has famously been a part of each of the last three World Series champion rosters, with Texas (2023), Houston (2022) and Atlanta (2021), becoming the first player in MLB history to win three consecutive titles with three different franchises. Named an All-Star in 2019, he owns a lifetime 2.91 ERA (7 ER in 21.2 IP) across 25 postseason outings, including 4 victories and 6 saves. He has pitched to a 3.38 ERA (2 ER in 5.1 IP) in 6 World Series games.

Originally selected by Tampa Bay in the 40th&nbsp;round of the 2007 Draft out of Northgate High School (Ga.), he pursued his education at Gulf Coast State College (Fla.) and was selected in the 7th&nbsp;round of the Draft by the Los Angeles Angels in 2008. He was acquired by Kansas City on July 22, 2010 with right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Sean O’Sullivan&nbsp;for infielder&nbsp;Alberto Callaspo.

Snider, 28, has appeared in 62 games over the last two seasons for the Royals, combining to go 4-2 with a 5.93 ERA (36 ER in 54.2 IP), including 20 games in 2023.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed left-handed pitcher&nbsp;Will Smith&nbsp;to a one-year Major League contract. In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Collin Snider&nbsp;was designated for assignment and&nbsp;Kansas City’s Major League Reserve List remains at 40.Smith, 34, posted a 4.40 ERA (28 ER in 57.1 IP) across 60 appearances for the World Series champion Texas Rangers in 2023, striking out 55 batters and walking just 17 batters (4 intentionally). A veteran of 11 Major League seasons, the southpaw has amassed 33 wins and 113 saves over 573 appearances.Smith is rejoining the Royals after starting his career with Kansas City in 2012-13, during which he went 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA (65 ER in 123.0 IP) over 35 games (17 starts) before he was dealt to Milwaukee on Dec. 5, 2013 for outfielder&nbsp;Nori Aoki.Smith has famously been a part of each of the last three World Series champion rosters, with Texas (2023), Houston (2022) and Atlanta (2021), becoming the first player in MLB history to win three consecutive titles with three different franchises. Named an All-Star in 2019, he owns a lifetime 2.91 ERA (7 ER in 21.2 IP) across 25 postseason outings, including 4 victories and 6 saves. He has pitched to a 3.38 ERA (2 ER in 5.1 IP) in 6 World Series games.Originally selected by Tampa Bay in the 40th&nbsp;round of the 2007 Draft out of Northgate High School (Ga.), he pursued his education at Gulf Coast State College (Fla.) and was selected in the 7th&nbsp;round of the Draft by the Los Angeles Angels in 2008. He was acquired by Kansas City on July 22, 2010 with right-handed pitcher&nbsp;Sean O’Sullivan&nbsp;for infielder&nbsp;Alberto Callaspo.Snider, 28, has appeared in 62 games over the last two seasons for the Royals, combining to go 4-2 with a 5.93 ERA (36 ER in 54.2 IP), including 20 games in 2023.

Royals Sign LHP Will Smith to One Year MLB Contract

WICHITA, Kan. -&nbsp;Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/5ecefbeb-f370-497c-afbb-a577da98dc99?elinkdata=3286" target="_blank">Thurbil Bile</a>&nbsp;has been named as the KCAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts for the Coyotes in a pair of games last week.

Bile's selection is based on performances from Dec. 4-10 by a vote of conference sports information directors. All KCAC Player of the Week honors are presented by Equity Bank.

Bile was again a defensive asset for the Coyotes. He was big in limiting Ottawa's scoring chances and was a huge presence inside. 

He had three blocks in both games that helped the Coyotes get the wins this week. In both games, KWU held opponents below their season average (Ottawa -17, USM -5), and Bile's play was a big part of that.For the week, Bile averaged 7.5 points and 11 rebounds per game in two victories for the Coyotes.

He also averaged 3.0 blocks per week.KWU is off until January 3, when the Coyotes head to Winfield to take on No. 11 ranked Southwestern.

WICHITA, Kan. -&nbsp;Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="http://kwucoyotes.com/services/go.ashx/5ecefbeb-f370-497c-afbb-a577da98dc99?elinkdata=3286" target="_blank">Thurbil Bile</a>&nbsp;has been named as the KCAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts for the Coyotes in a pair of games last week. Bile's selection is based on performances from Dec. 4-10 by a vote of conference sports information directors. All KCAC Player of the Week honors are presented by Equity Bank.Bile was again a defensive asset for the Coyotes. He was big in limiting Ottawa's scoring chances and was a huge presence inside. He had three blocks in both games that helped the Coyotes get the wins this week. In both games, KWU held opponents below their season average (Ottawa -17, USM -5), and Bile's play was a big part of that.For the week, Bile averaged 7.5 points and 11 rebounds per game in two victories for the Coyotes.He also averaged 3.0 blocks per week.KWU is off until January 3, when the Coyotes head to Winfield to take on No. 11 ranked Southwestern.