By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Deshaun Watson led Cleveland on back-to-back touchdown drives, capping one with a toss to tight end David Njoku, before the Kansas City Chiefs' backups overcame two pick-6s from their quarterbacks and rallied for a 33-32 victory over the Browns on Saturday in the exhibition finale for both teams.

Browns kicker Cade York, whose job could be on the line after a tough preseason, gave them the lead with a 40-yard field goal with 4:23 to go. But the Chiefs quickly drove the other way, and Harrison Butker hit from 44 yards to regain the lead.

York had another chance with less than a minute left, but his 43-yard attempt was partially blocked and never had a chance.

Watson played sparingly in the Browns' first three preseason games, so coach Kevin Stefanski gave him the entire first quarter against Kansas City (2-1). There were plenty of miscues, including a pair of fumbled handoffs, but the $230 million quarterback also provided some highlights once he settled into the game.

Watson, who was disappointing in six starts after serving an 11-game suspension last season, was 5 of 10 for 92 yards on Saturday. But after his first two drives ended with a lost fumble and a three-and-out, the next two made the end zone, including an eight-play, 80-yard drive that Watson highlighted with a 53-yard toss to Amari Cooper on a broken play.

Juan Thornhill picked off Chiefs backup Shane Buechele and returned it 34 yards for a score against his former team, then Caleb Biggers added a 27-yard interception return off Blaine Gabbert as Cleveland (1-2-1) built a 29-16 lead by halftime.

Both teams rested many of their stars — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce did not play for Kansas City, and Myles Garrett sat out for Cleveland — leaving a collection of backups to decide the outcome.

Despite the precautions, the game proved costly for Cleveland on the injury front.

Jakeem Grant Sr., who had returned after tearing his Achilles tendon last summer, was carted off with a knee injury on the opening kickoff. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott hurt his hip, linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk his knee and fellow linebacker Tony Fields II was evaluated for a concussion but cleared to return to the game.

Buechele, who has been in a tight competition with Gabbert for the Chiefs' backup QB job, was just 8 of 17 for 89 yards with two picks and a touchdown.

Gabbert fared marginally better, going 10 of 18 for 169 yards with two TD passes and an interception.

Justyn Ross and Ihmir Smith-Marsette had touchdown catches for Kansas City. La'Mical Perine was another other bright spot, potentially locking up a backup job by running for 32 yards while catching three passes for 44 yards and a score.

Browns: Garrett did not suit up for any of the Browns' preseason games. RB Nick Chubb, who had a career-best 1,525 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns last season, and All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio also sat our Saturday.

Chiefs: Mahomes was 12 of 17 for 120 yards with a TD pass during his preseason work. Other starters joining the league MVP and Kelce on the sideline included linebacker Nick Bolton, who had 180 tackles in a breakout season a year ago.

Browns: RT Jack Conklin (concussion) did not play despite returning to practice this week. RB Jerome Ford (hamstring), SS Grant Delpit (arm) and WRs Marquise Goodwin (illness) and Anthony Schwartz (hamstring) also did not play.

Chiefs: LB Leo Chenal left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and WR Kadarius Toney (knee) and CB L'Jarius Sneed (knee) did not play. RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) made his preseason debut, running once for no gain.

Browns: Open the season against AFC North rival Cincinnati on Sept. 10.

Chiefs: Play the Lions on Sept. 7 in the NFL's regular-season opener.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686767718163.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Deshaun Watson led Cleveland on back-to-back touchdown drives, capping one with a toss to tight end David Njoku, before the Kansas City Chiefs' backups overcame two pick-6s from their quarterbacks and rallied for a 33-32 victory over the Browns on Saturday in the exhibition finale for both teams.Browns kicker Cade York, whose job could be on the line after a tough preseason, gave them the lead with a 40-yard field goal with 4:23 to go. But the Chiefs quickly drove the other way, and Harrison Butker hit from 44 yards to regain the lead.York had another chance with less than a minute left, but his 43-yard attempt was partially blocked and never had a chance.Watson played sparingly in the Browns' first three preseason games, so coach Kevin Stefanski gave him the entire first quarter against Kansas City (2-1). There were plenty of miscues, including a pair of fumbled handoffs, but the $230 million quarterback also provided some highlights once he settled into the game.Watson, who was disappointing in six starts after serving an 11-game suspension last season, was 5 of 10 for 92 yards on Saturday. But after his first two drives ended with a lost fumble and a three-and-out, the next two made the end zone, including an eight-play, 80-yard drive that Watson highlighted with a 53-yard toss to Amari Cooper on a broken play.Juan Thornhill picked off Chiefs backup Shane Buechele and returned it 34 yards for a score against his former team, then Caleb Biggers added a 27-yard interception return off Blaine Gabbert as Cleveland (1-2-1) built a 29-16 lead by halftime.Both teams rested many of their stars — Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce did not play for Kansas City, and Myles Garrett sat out for Cleveland — leaving a collection of backups to decide the outcome.Despite the precautions, the game proved costly for Cleveland on the injury front.Jakeem Grant Sr., who had returned after tearing his Achilles tendon last summer, was carted off with a knee injury on the opening kickoff. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott hurt his hip, linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk his knee and fellow linebacker Tony Fields II was evaluated for a concussion but cleared to return to the game.Buechele, who has been in a tight competition with Gabbert for the Chiefs' backup QB job, was just 8 of 17 for 89 yards with two picks and a touchdown.Gabbert fared marginally better, going 10 of 18 for 169 yards with two TD passes and an interception.Justyn Ross and Ihmir Smith-Marsette had touchdown catches for Kansas City. La'Mical Perine was another other bright spot, potentially locking up a backup job by running for 32 yards while catching three passes for 44 yards and a score.SITTING STARSBrowns: Garrett did not suit up for any of the Browns' preseason games. RB Nick Chubb, who had a career-best 1,525 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns last season, and All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio also sat our Saturday.Chiefs: Mahomes was 12 of 17 for 120 yards with a TD pass during his preseason work. Other starters joining the league MVP and Kelce on the sideline included linebacker Nick Bolton, who had 180 tackles in a breakout season a year ago.INJURIESBrowns: RT Jack Conklin (concussion) did not play despite returning to practice this week. RB Jerome Ford (hamstring), SS Grant Delpit (arm) and WRs Marquise Goodwin (illness) and Anthony Schwartz (hamstring) also did not play.Chiefs: LB Leo Chenal left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and WR Kadarius Toney (knee) and CB L'Jarius Sneed (knee) did not play. RB Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) made his preseason debut, running once for no gain.UP NEXTBrowns: Open the season against AFC North rival Cincinnati on Sept. 10.Chiefs: Play the Lions on Sept. 7 in the NFL's regular-season opener.

🏈 Chiefs rally late to beat Browns in final preseason game

🎧 Chiefs Training Camp Reports with Mitch Holthus

Submitted by Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School

Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is proud and excited to announce the partnership with Salina Post for area coverage of fall and winter athletics through audio and video broadcasts during the 2023-2024 school year. This coverage will include live play by play of varsity football games, varsity boys basketball games, varsity girls basketball games and tournament games. These live broadcasts will be aired on SalinaPost.com. Video streaming along with audio will be provided. This partnership will include athletic and academic events along with important updates from the school.

“We are extremely excited for this partnership with Salina Post. We have heard from the community that the coverage of Sacred Heart fall and winter athletics have been incredibly missed and we are looking forward to a solution! Salina Post will be a reputable source for all things Sacred Heart including academic and athletic events and we couldn’t be more eager to reach the community.” - Mike Shaw, Athletic Director, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School

“Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is excited to be able to partner with Salina Post to bring live and up to date coverage of our fall and winter athletics as well as promoting our events and happenings in our building. We value the opportunity to support and showcase our students performances while keeping the community informed.” – John Krajicek, Principal, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School 

“Eagle Communications is a 100% employee owned company and our company motto is "Our Community Connected". That being said, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is a very important piece of our community. We are looking forward to helping Sacred Heart advance to the next level of media coverage&nbsp;and public relations utilizing Salina Post and our radio stations.” – Devin Hanney, Sports Director at Eagle Communications&nbsp;

If you and your business is interested in sponsoring the Sacred Heart Sports Network, email Devin Hanney at&nbsp;devin.hanney@eagleradio.net

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692978564223.png" alt="Sacred Heart Knights Logo" />
 <figcaption>Sacred Heart Knights Logo</figcaption>
 </figure>Submitted by Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High SchoolSacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is proud and excited to announce the partnership with Salina Post for area coverage of fall and winter athletics through audio and video broadcasts during the 2023-2024 school year. This coverage will include live play by play of varsity football games, varsity boys basketball games, varsity girls basketball games and tournament games. These live broadcasts will be aired on SalinaPost.com. Video streaming along with audio will be provided. This partnership will include athletic and academic events along with important updates from the school.“We are extremely excited for this partnership with Salina Post. We have heard from the community that the coverage of Sacred Heart fall and winter athletics have been incredibly missed and we are looking forward to a solution! Salina Post will be a reputable source for all things Sacred Heart including academic and athletic events and we couldn’t be more eager to reach the community.” - Mike Shaw, Athletic Director, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School“Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is excited to be able to partner with Salina Post to bring live and up to date coverage of our fall and winter athletics as well as promoting our events and happenings in our building. We value the opportunity to support and showcase our students performances while keeping the community informed.” – John Krajicek, Principal, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School “Eagle Communications is a 100% employee owned company and our company motto is "Our Community Connected". That being said, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is a very important piece of our community. We are looking forward to helping Sacred Heart advance to the next level of media coverage&nbsp;and public relations utilizing Salina Post and our radio stations.” – Devin Hanney, Sports Director at Eagle Communications&nbsp;If you and your business is interested in sponsoring the Sacred Heart Sports Network, email Devin Hanney at&nbsp;devin.hanney@eagleradio.net

Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School to partner with Salina Post

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Four-time Grammy Nominee and 42-time Platinum selling artist, Flo Rida will headline the 39th edition of Late Night in the Phog presented by HyVee. This year’s event is set for Friday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m., inside historic Allen Fieldhouse.

In addition to being a Grammy Nominated artist, Flo Rida has recorded 12 chart-topping songs and numerous other hits as a featured artist. He has more than 80 million sold combined albums and singles and is one of the most popular musicians on social media with more than 15 million followers on Facebook, 4.7 million on Twitter (X) and has received more than two billion views on YouTube.

Not only will the night feature an incredible performance from Flo Rida, KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks will take the floor in a scrimmage format and multiple activities that will show the personalities of returning and new members of the team. Under head coach Brandon Schneider, KU’s 2023 WNIT Champions women’s basketball team will be featured in a scrimmage and other engaging activities.

In addition to HyVee, the production of Late Night in the Phog is supported by Jayhawk Sports Properties corporate partners – Wendy’s, Crown Automotive, LMH Health, Raising Cane’s and adidas.

Late Night will continue to be a free event for fans, however, like last year, tickets will need to be claimed online in advance. All seating outside of the student section will be reserved. Williams Education Fund members will have preferred access to a limited number of reserved seats based on priority within the Williams Education Fund. All other inventory and unclaimed Williams Education Fund inventory will be made accessible to the public. Students will also have to claim a ticket online. Sports Combo holders will have access first for three days, and then general students will have a chance to claim tickets, based on availability.

Students will have two options during the claim process.

Option 1: Sit in the normal general admission student section and receive access to the court for the Flo Rida concert.Option 2: Sit in the normal general admission student section.

Option 1 will be limited and claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Student gates will open at 5:15 p.m. General public gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the event. The below details the timeline for event communications regarding claiming tickets for Late Night.

Ticket Reservation Timeline: Please note: Availability is not guaranteed at any level, as a limited number of seats are being held for Williams Education Fund donors. Ticket Reservation Timeline: Hall of Fame Donors and Student Combo Pass Holders: Wednesday, September 13th Champion Donors: Thursday, September 14th Olympian to Legend Donors: Friday, September 15th MVP to Outland Donors, Faculty/Staff and General Student Body: Monday, September 18th General Public: Tuesday, September 19th

Hall of Fame and Champion Donors may request up to 6 tickets, Olympian and All-American donors up to 4 and Outland to Legend level donors up to 2, all based on ticket availability.

ADA seating will be on the east side of the court for the event and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited mobility patrons will be able to sit in sections 9 and 14 and hearing-impaired patrons in sections F and G, both on a first-come, first-served basis. Those needing ADA, limited mobility or hearing-impaired seating should all enter through Gate 11.

As a continuation from last year, fans can also expect to see a new look stage which will feature team introductions and the concert, fan interactive activities, appearances by a DJ and live hosts, routines from KU’s spirit squads and pep bands, video features and more.

Fans are once again encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, which Kansas Athletics will donate to Just Food of Douglas County. Non-perishable food and monetary donations supporting Just Food will be accepted throughout the day.

Free parking will be available in Lot 90, east and south of Allen Fieldhouse across Naismith Drive, beginning at 2 p.m. Fans may also park in in the parking garage just north of Allen Fieldhouse with hourly rates until 4 p.m., at which time garage parking will be $5 per car. Lower levels of the parking garage will be reserved. All other normal campus parking rules apply.

Kansas Athletics will also host Phog Fest on the front lawn of Allen Fieldhouse before Late Night, with activities starting at 2:30 p.m. It will have activities for all fans to enjoy leading up to Late Night, including the Hawk Zone with inflatable games, music and much more. Phog Fest will also include food trucks, giveaways from a variety of sponsors, interactive displays and more.

In accordance with the&nbsp;<a href="https://policy.ku.edu/chancellor/public-health-safety-requirements">University of Kansas</a>, KU’s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/2017/5/3/clear-bag-policy.aspx">clear-bag policy</a>&nbsp;and walk-through metal detectors will be enforced for those entering Allen Fieldhouse.

Continuing a fan-favorite Late Night in the Phog tradition, two individuals will have the opportunity to win $10,000 from Self by making a half-court shot at Late Night.

Season tickets for men’s and women’s basketball are still available for the 2023-24 season. To become a season ticket holder, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=KU&amp;linkID=kansas&amp;shopperContext=&amp;caller=&amp;appCode=">here</a>&nbsp;or call the Kansas Athletics Ticket Office at 800-324-HAWKS. The link will take you to a seat map where you can select your seats in Allen Fieldhouse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692967994423.jpeg" alt="Late Night at The Phog Image Courtesy KU Athletics&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Late Night at The Phog Image Courtesy KU Athletics&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– Four-time Grammy Nominee and 42-time Platinum selling artist, Flo Rida will headline the 39th edition of Late Night in the Phog presented by HyVee. This year’s event is set for Friday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m., inside historic Allen Fieldhouse.In addition to being a Grammy Nominated artist, Flo Rida has recorded 12 chart-topping songs and numerous other hits as a featured artist. He has more than 80 million sold combined albums and singles and is one of the most popular musicians on social media with more than 15 million followers on Facebook, 4.7 million on Twitter (X) and has received more than two billion views on YouTube.Not only will the night feature an incredible performance from Flo Rida, KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks will take the floor in a scrimmage format and multiple activities that will show the personalities of returning and new members of the team. Under head coach Brandon Schneider, KU’s 2023 WNIT Champions women’s basketball team will be featured in a scrimmage and other engaging activities.In addition to HyVee, the production of Late Night in the Phog is supported by Jayhawk Sports Properties corporate partners – Wendy’s, Crown Automotive, LMH Health, Raising Cane’s and adidas.Late Night will continue to be a free event for fans, however, like last year, tickets will need to be claimed online in advance. All seating outside of the student section will be reserved. Williams Education Fund members will have preferred access to a limited number of reserved seats based on priority within the Williams Education Fund. All other inventory and unclaimed Williams Education Fund inventory will be made accessible to the public. Students will also have to claim a ticket online. Sports Combo holders will have access first for three days, and then general students will have a chance to claim tickets, based on availability.Students will have two options during the claim process.Option 1: Sit in the normal general admission student section and receive access to the court for the Flo Rida concert.Option 2: Sit in the normal general admission student section.Option 1 will be limited and claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Student gates will open at 5:15 p.m. General public gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the event. The below details the timeline for event communications regarding claiming tickets for Late Night.Ticket Reservation Timeline: Please note: Availability is not guaranteed at any level, as a limited number of seats are being held for Williams Education Fund donors. Ticket Reservation Timeline: Hall of Fame Donors and Student Combo Pass Holders: Wednesday, September 13th Champion Donors: Thursday, September 14th Olympian to Legend Donors: Friday, September 15th MVP to Outland Donors, Faculty/Staff and General Student Body: Monday, September 18th General Public: Tuesday, September 19thHall of Fame and Champion Donors may request up to 6 tickets, Olympian and All-American donors up to 4 and Outland to Legend level donors up to 2, all based on ticket availability.ADA seating will be on the east side of the court for the event and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited mobility patrons will be able to sit in sections 9 and 14 and hearing-impaired patrons in sections F and G, both on a first-come, first-served basis. Those needing ADA, limited mobility or hearing-impaired seating should all enter through Gate 11.As a continuation from last year, fans can also expect to see a new look stage which will feature team introductions and the concert, fan interactive activities, appearances by a DJ and live hosts, routines from KU’s spirit squads and pep bands, video features and more.Fans are once again encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, which Kansas Athletics will donate to Just Food of Douglas County. Non-perishable food and monetary donations supporting Just Food will be accepted throughout the day.Free parking will be available in Lot 90, east and south of Allen Fieldhouse across Naismith Drive, beginning at 2 p.m. Fans may also park in in the parking garage just north of Allen Fieldhouse with hourly rates until 4 p.m., at which time garage parking will be $5 per car. Lower levels of the parking garage will be reserved. All other normal campus parking rules apply.Kansas Athletics will also host Phog Fest on the front lawn of Allen Fieldhouse before Late Night, with activities starting at 2:30 p.m. It will have activities for all fans to enjoy leading up to Late Night, including the Hawk Zone with inflatable games, music and much more. Phog Fest will also include food trucks, giveaways from a variety of sponsors, interactive displays and more.In accordance with the&nbsp;<a href="https://policy.ku.edu/chancellor/public-health-safety-requirements">University of Kansas</a>, KU’s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kuathletics.com/sports/2017/5/3/clear-bag-policy.aspx">clear-bag policy</a>&nbsp;and walk-through metal detectors will be enforced for those entering Allen Fieldhouse.Continuing a fan-favorite Late Night in the Phog tradition, two individuals will have the opportunity to win $10,000 from Self by making a half-court shot at Late Night.Season tickets for men’s and women’s basketball are still available for the 2023-24 season. To become a season ticket holder, please click&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=KU&amp;linkID=kansas&amp;shopperContext=&amp;caller=&amp;appCode=">here</a>&nbsp;or call the Kansas Athletics Ticket Office at 800-324-HAWKS. The link will take you to a seat map where you can select your seats in Allen Fieldhouse.

🏀 Details for 39th Annual Late Night in the Phog on October 6

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;announced&nbsp;on Thursday afternoon(August 24) the additions of walk-ons&nbsp;Taymont Lindsey&nbsp;(Kerens, Texas/Kerens/Manhattan Christian College)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mack Martin&nbsp;(Overland Park, Kan./IMG Academy)&nbsp;to his program for the 2023-24 season.

Lindsey will be a senior with one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Martin will be a true freshman with the traditional five-year window to play four seasons of college basketball.

Following in the footsteps of former teammate and current graduate assistant&nbsp;Nate Awbrey, the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Lindsey arrives at K-State after spending the last four seasons (2019-23) at Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kan., where he helped the Thunder to an 86-40 record and consecutive NCCAA Final Four appearances in 2022 and 2023, including the national championship game in 2023.

As a traditional senior in 2022-23, Lindsey helped MCC to a 25-10 record, along with Midwest Christian College Conference regular-season and conference tournament championships, en route to NCCAA Division II Championship game. He played in 33 games with 28 starts, ranking second on the team in assists (97) and fourth in scoring (12.3 ppg.). For the season, he averaged 12.3 points on 47.3 percent (151-of-319) shooting with 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.

All told, Lindsey scored 1,068 points on 49.3 percent shooting to go along with 397 rebounds, 233 assists and 106 steals in his Thunder career. He is the 29th&nbsp;player in MCC history to eclipse 1,000 career points.

A 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, Martin arrives at K-State after playing a postgraduate season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in 2022-23. He helped win a pair of Class 4A State Championships (2021, 2022) while at Bishop Miege in Overland Park, Kan., where he played alongside current Wildcat&nbsp;Taj Manning.&nbsp;

Momentum continues to build for the Wildcats under second-year head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang, who led the team to a 26-10 overall record and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23.&nbsp;

K-State returns three starters in rising seniors&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin&nbsp;and&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;and junior&nbsp;Cam Carter, along with three other returners (Dorian Finister,&nbsp;Taj Manning&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jerrell Colbert) in 2023-24. The program also added one of the top transfer classes with graduate transfers&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ques Glover&nbsp;and junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;to go with a Top-30 freshman classes of&nbsp;Dai Dai Ames,&nbsp;R.J. Jonesand&nbsp;Macaleab Rich. They recently completed a historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., where the Wildcats posted a 2-1 record.

Season tickets for the 2023-24 are a hot commodity and continue to be on sale through the Athletic Ticket Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692967721755.jpeg" alt="Mac Martin" />
 <figcaption>Mac Martin</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692967744722.jpeg" alt="Taymont Lindsey Images Courtesy K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Taymont Lindsey Images Courtesy K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;announced&nbsp;on Thursday afternoon(August 24) the additions of walk-ons&nbsp;Taymont Lindsey&nbsp;(Kerens, Texas/Kerens/Manhattan Christian College)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mack Martin&nbsp;(Overland Park, Kan./IMG Academy)&nbsp;to his program for the 2023-24 season. Lindsey will be a senior with one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Martin will be a true freshman with the traditional five-year window to play four seasons of college basketball. Following in the footsteps of former teammate and current graduate assistant&nbsp;Nate Awbrey, the 5-foot-8, 170-pound Lindsey arrives at K-State after spending the last four seasons (2019-23) at Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kan., where he helped the Thunder to an 86-40 record and consecutive NCCAA Final Four appearances in 2022 and 2023, including the national championship game in 2023.As a traditional senior in 2022-23, Lindsey helped MCC to a 25-10 record, along with Midwest Christian College Conference regular-season and conference tournament championships, en route to NCCAA Division II Championship game. He played in 33 games with 28 starts, ranking second on the team in assists (97) and fourth in scoring (12.3 ppg.). For the season, he averaged 12.3 points on 47.3 percent (151-of-319) shooting with 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.8 minutes per game.All told, Lindsey scored 1,068 points on 49.3 percent shooting to go along with 397 rebounds, 233 assists and 106 steals in his Thunder career. He is the 29th&nbsp;player in MCC history to eclipse 1,000 career points.A 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward, Martin arrives at K-State after playing a postgraduate season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in 2022-23. He helped win a pair of Class 4A State Championships (2021, 2022) while at Bishop Miege in Overland Park, Kan., where he played alongside current Wildcat&nbsp;Taj Manning.&nbsp;Momentum continues to build for the Wildcats under second-year head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang, who led the team to a 26-10 overall record and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23.&nbsp;K-State returns three starters in rising seniors&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin&nbsp;and&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;and junior&nbsp;Cam Carter, along with three other returners (Dorian Finister,&nbsp;Taj Manning&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jerrell Colbert) in 2023-24. The program also added one of the top transfer classes with graduate transfers&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ques Glover&nbsp;and junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;to go with a Top-30 freshman classes of&nbsp;Dai Dai Ames,&nbsp;R.J. Jonesand&nbsp;Macaleab Rich. They recently completed a historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., where the Wildcats posted a 2-1 record.Season tickets for the 2023-24 are a hot commodity and continue to be on sale through the Athletic Ticket Office.

Lindsey, Martin Added as Walk-ons

Kansas Wesleyan Women's Soccer opened its season on Wednesday night against the Concordia Bulldogs. Concordia scored twice in each half to come away with a 4-1 win over the Coyotes at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex. Concordia scored quickly on its first goal of the match in the fourth minute as Savannah Andrews converted after a defensive miscue by the Coyotes allowed her shot to an open net. The Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the 16th minute as Elena Ruiz finished off a set piece on a corner kick thanks to assists from Hannah Haas and Grace Soenksen. The Coyotes got their first goal of the season less than 30 seconds later. After a foul by Concordia,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/yissel-navarro/8515">Yissel Navarro</a>&nbsp;played the ball over the top of the back line defense of Concordia and found&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/graciela-lopez/8511">Graciela Lopez</a>&nbsp;who one-timed it in for the goal. In the 30th minute, it appeared the Coyotes had scored an equalizer goal. After a Concordia foul,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/leoni-enzlmuller/8410">Leoni Enzlmuller</a>&nbsp;took the free kick sending it into the box. The ball bounced off a Concordia defender and to the goal line, but it was ruled the ball did not completely cross the line and was saved, resulting in a KWU corner. The 2-1 score carried over to the half time break. In the second half, Concordia added two more goals, in the 61st minute, a second of the match by Andrews, and then another in the 63rd minute by Kierstynn Garner who found the net after a series of saves by Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/allison-blumenthal/8403">Allison Blumenthal</a>&nbsp;on other shots, the ball just getting away enough for Garner to be able to convert. Concordia outshot the Coyotes 12-6 in the match. Four of KWU's six shots were on frame.&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/grace-conner/8510">Grace Conner</a>&nbsp;led the way with two shots. Blumenthal had five saves in goal for the Coyotes in 72 minutes, before giving way to&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/isabella-galvan/8412">Isabella Galvan</a>. KWU is back in action again on Monday, hosting Oklahoma Panhandle State University at 5 p.m. at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.

Kansas Wesleyan Women's Soccer opened its season on Wednesday night against the Concordia Bulldogs. Concordia scored twice in each half to come away with a 4-1 win over the Coyotes at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex. Concordia scored quickly on its first goal of the match in the fourth minute as Savannah Andrews converted after a defensive miscue by the Coyotes allowed her shot to an open net. The Bulldogs made it 2-0 in the 16th minute as Elena Ruiz finished off a set piece on a corner kick thanks to assists from Hannah Haas and Grace Soenksen. The Coyotes got their first goal of the season less than 30 seconds later. After a foul by Concordia,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/yissel-navarro/8515">Yissel Navarro</a>&nbsp;played the ball over the top of the back line defense of Concordia and found&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/graciela-lopez/8511">Graciela Lopez</a>&nbsp;who one-timed it in for the goal. In the 30th minute, it appeared the Coyotes had scored an equalizer goal. After a Concordia foul,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/leoni-enzlmuller/8410">Leoni Enzlmuller</a>&nbsp;took the free kick sending it into the box. The ball bounced off a Concordia defender and to the goal line, but it was ruled the ball did not completely cross the line and was saved, resulting in a KWU corner. The 2-1 score carried over to the half time break. In the second half, Concordia added two more goals, in the 61st minute, a second of the match by Andrews, and then another in the 63rd minute by Kierstynn Garner who found the net after a series of saves by Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/allison-blumenthal/8403">Allison Blumenthal</a>&nbsp;on other shots, the ball just getting away enough for Garner to be able to convert. Concordia outshot the Coyotes 12-6 in the match. Four of KWU's six shots were on frame.&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/grace-conner/8510">Grace Conner</a>&nbsp;led the way with two shots. Blumenthal had five saves in goal for the Coyotes in 72 minutes, before giving way to&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/isabella-galvan/8412">Isabella Galvan</a>. KWU is back in action again on Monday, hosting Oklahoma Panhandle State University at 5 p.m. at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.

Women’s Soccer falls in opener 4-1 to Concordia

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Ragans (5-4) limited the A’s to two singles, improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked 10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals.

“I just tried to attack today, go at the guys, No walks was, I think, the biggest thing for me. I didn’t give up any free baserunners. I made them earn their thing and trust my defense behind me and go from there,” Ragans said.

“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound," Oakland manager Mark Kotsay added. "You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day. We really didn’t get any good swings off today.”

Dairon Blanco hit his first career homer off A's starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning to put Kansas City ahead.

“I’m really happy for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He really got into that ball, a slider. That guy is tough on righties, too. For him to get that, I really feel good for him.”

Martínez (0-2) allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.

Drew Waters added to the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth. Maikel Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Witt homered in the fifth. He also singled and walked to help the Royals snap a four-game losing streak.

Oakland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Hernández retired Seth Brown and Zack Gelof to maintain the shutout.

“Bases loaded, there’s no room for error,” Quatraro said. “He continued to execute good pitches. His fastball was lively today, and he mixed his curveball and slider in, so they had to respect all three.”

Hernández also pitched the ninth inning to record his third save in six opportunities.

Gelof went 0 for 4, ending a 19-game on-base streak. The A’s were seeking their third series sweep of the season.

“Any time you win a game, you feel good for the guys,” Quatraro said. “We were in all three of these games and we were able to come out with this one. It’s better to go into an off-day feeling that way than getting swept, for sure.”

The Athletics selected LHP Sean Newcomb from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned LHP Hogan Harris. Newcomb was acquired from the Giants on Tuesday for minor league OF Trenton Brooks and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Oakland transferred LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.

Royals: Following an off-day, RHP Brady Singer (8-9, 5.04 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday opposite Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (8-4, 3.78).

Athletics: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 5.91) opens a four-game road series against the White Sox on Thursday. Chicago counters with RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 3.79).

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.Ragans (5-4) limited the A’s to two singles, improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked 10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals.“I just tried to attack today, go at the guys, No walks was, I think, the biggest thing for me. I didn’t give up any free baserunners. I made them earn their thing and trust my defense behind me and go from there,” Ragans said.“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound," Oakland manager Mark Kotsay added. "You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day. We really didn’t get any good swings off today.”Dairon Blanco hit his first career homer off A's starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning to put Kansas City ahead.“I’m really happy for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He really got into that ball, a slider. That guy is tough on righties, too. For him to get that, I really feel good for him.”Martínez (0-2) allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.Drew Waters added to the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth. Maikel Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.Witt homered in the fifth. He also singled and walked to help the Royals snap a four-game losing streak.Oakland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Hernández retired Seth Brown and Zack Gelof to maintain the shutout.“Bases loaded, there’s no room for error,” Quatraro said. “He continued to execute good pitches. His fastball was lively today, and he mixed his curveball and slider in, so they had to respect all three.”Hernández also pitched the ninth inning to record his third save in six opportunities.Gelof went 0 for 4, ending a 19-game on-base streak. The A’s were seeking their third series sweep of the season.“Any time you win a game, you feel good for the guys,” Quatraro said. “We were in all three of these games and we were able to come out with this one. It’s better to go into an off-day feeling that way than getting swept, for sure.”ROSTER MOVESThe Athletics selected LHP Sean Newcomb from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned LHP Hogan Harris. Newcomb was acquired from the Giants on Tuesday for minor league OF Trenton Brooks and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Oakland transferred LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.UP NEXTRoyals: Following an off-day, RHP Brady Singer (8-9, 5.04 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday opposite Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (8-4, 3.78).Athletics: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 5.91) opens a four-game road series against the White Sox on Thursday. Chicago counters with RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 3.79).

⚾ Witt homers and Cole Ragans strikes out 11 as Royals blank A’s

Head Coach Andy Reid OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, I think really the only new one on here is George (Karlaftis).&nbsp;He has some stomach issues that he’s working through, but we’ll get him back out there relatively&nbsp;quick&nbsp;I think. All in all, good practice today. We did our normal Friday workout, (we) had to do a little bit earlier with the heat, but normal Friday workout. (We had a)&nbsp;good special&nbsp;teams&nbsp;period to start with and then finishing with some heavy red zone,&nbsp;knocking that out and then review on the&nbsp;other situations. Anyways, with that, time&nbsp;is&nbsp;yours.”

Q:&nbsp;Chris Jones tweeted that he may&nbsp;be willing to miss a few games. Do you expect to start the season without him?

REID:&nbsp;“There’s been no&nbsp;communication,&nbsp;so I don’t know what’s going to go there but whatever happens, happens. I mean if he’s not there,&nbsp;the game goes on, right? So that’s how it works.”

Q:&nbsp;You said that you don’t like to get involved in the personnel decisions, but is there a way for you to get involved with the Chris Jones’ stuff?

REID:&nbsp;“No, not right now there’s not. They&nbsp;have tocommunicate and do their thing, and there has just been no communication.”

Q:&nbsp;There is a lot of competition in the wide receiver room, how tough is it going to be to&nbsp;make a decision?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;it’ll&nbsp;be a tough decision at that&nbsp;spot, the guys are playing well. We just&nbsp;have to&nbsp;see – we talked to them about special teams, it ends up being a big part of it. You might be a good receiver but if you can’t&nbsp;help out&nbsp;on special teams you got a problem there, so that ends up being a part of the thing (the decision).”

Q:&nbsp;What are the expectations of the ones, twos, and threes for playing time in this last preseason game?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;so the ones might get a little bit of time.&nbsp;I’m still working through that. The ones will probably get a little bit of time and then the twos and threes will take it from there.”

Q:&nbsp;What’s your message to the players who are just trying to make the team?

REID:&nbsp;“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to get yourself on tape, everybody can’t make it here, we know that. They were told that when they first got in, but make it a tough decision for (General Manager) Brett (Veach)&nbsp;and&nbsp;myself&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;personnel guys and coaches. Then, if you don’t make it here, we’re&nbsp;going to&nbsp;give&nbsp;you an opportunity to&nbsp;be on tape. We’re not holding you back,&nbsp;so you get out there, you perform and perform well,&nbsp;so if you can’t&nbsp;make it here, maybe you make it somewhere else.”

Q:&nbsp;The ones playing a little bit does not include&nbsp;Patrick&nbsp;Mahomes&nbsp;does it?

Q:&nbsp;With the quarterback position would you keep three on the roster?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, possibly. Right now, were juggling the whole thing, there’s competition for that two spot and the guys are&nbsp;competing,&nbsp;so we haven’t finalized anything yet on that numbers wise. The bottom of the roster thing, you kind of&nbsp;have to&nbsp;work through and see how it all&nbsp;works out and then you can’t forget to include special teams in there too, and how we work with that.”

Q:&nbsp;Is Isiah Pacheco going to play in this preseason game?

REID:&nbsp;“There’s a chance,&nbsp;yeah. Yeah,&nbsp;there’s a chance. I’m just kind of spotting him here and seeing what he is comfortable with. We got the yellow jersey&nbsp;off of&nbsp;him, and he’s full throttle but we’ll see how he does here in a couple days.”

Q:&nbsp;Shane&nbsp;Buechele&nbsp;is getting comfortable, what growth have you seen from him?

REID:&nbsp;“Well he looks more&nbsp;comfortable,&nbsp;and I think in a crazy way, Blaine (Gabbert) has been good for him and bringing out the best in him, you know, the competition. Blaine is competing like crazy&nbsp;too,&nbsp;so it’s been a good challenge there for him but he’s doing a nice job, more time coming up here, so we’ll see how&nbsp;both of them&nbsp;do.”

Q:&nbsp;How do you feel about your defensive line stepping up without Chris Jones?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, they’re working their tails off,&nbsp;and I appreciate that. You know, it’s similar (to) if someone gets hurt. If someone gets hurt, you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;go play and that’s the approach they’ve&nbsp;taken, ‘Chris (Jones) isn’t here, opportunity for us to play’ and they’ve worked their tails&nbsp;off there, it’s been impressive watching.”

Q:&nbsp;Is there a specific guy from the defensive line that has stepped up?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah so, when Mike (Danna) got back,&nbsp;I think&nbsp;he’s done a nice job. He got some play&nbsp;time,&nbsp;and it showed in that game, so I think that that’s good.&nbsp;Then, I think George (Karlaftis) is a lot stronger than he was last year, so that’s a positive thing.”

Q:&nbsp;Tershawn&nbsp;Wharton got some reps&nbsp;today, how is he looking?

REID:&nbsp;“He’s&nbsp;(Tershawn&nbsp;Wharton)&nbsp;doing alright, he’s doing alright.&nbsp;He’s lucky he’s got a&nbsp;good&nbsp;foundation, he’s got big legs, strong legs, and so I think&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;moving around well, quick.”

Q:&nbsp;Is he going to play against the Cleveland Browns?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;there’s&nbsp;a chance.&nbsp;(It’s)&nbsp;Kind of the same&nbsp;thing with (Isiah) Pacheco, we’ll see where we go with this thing in the next couple of days. We have&nbsp;a&nbsp;–&nbsp;tomorrow&nbsp;is&nbsp;not&nbsp;a normal&nbsp;walk-through&nbsp;day, it’s an 8-8 period,&nbsp;so we have one more day there.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you tell the rookies about playing at GEHA field at Arrowhead Stadium?

REID:&nbsp;“They’ve heard it all, you know, they’ve&nbsp;heard it. Most of them have seen it on TV,&nbsp;but it’s a special place to play, we’ve talked to them about that and&nbsp;there’s&nbsp;nothing like it.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you ever shuffle&nbsp;the lineups and play a one with a threeor vice versa?

REID: “Yeah, I&nbsp;mean&nbsp;we&nbsp;evaluate&nbsp;the guys&nbsp;every day&nbsp;and so if we think somebody has&nbsp;something that shows,&nbsp;we go ahead and give them an opportunity to&nbsp;move in there.&nbsp;A little bit like&nbsp;what&nbsp;we’ve done with the receivers,&nbsp;some of those guys are guys&nbsp;thatwe’re trying to look at&nbsp;and see what they’ve got.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you want to get out of Saturday’s preseason game if you get any playing time?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just keep – I call it stacking – keep progressing, keep getting better and better. I mean obviously you want to hit the regular season rolling. We have a great football team (The Detroit Lions) we’re playing that first game. We did better than the first (preseason) game in (the) second (preseason) game,&nbsp;and let’s keep building and getting better and better and get the momentum going into the year.”

Q:&nbsp;You mentioned that you haven’t taken a hit yet, are you still looking to get that out of the way before the season starts?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“If it happens,&nbsp;it happens.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;it’s kind of a good thing because the offensive line is protecting&nbsp;really really well,&nbsp;so it might be the regular season hopefully. I go in with the mindset&nbsp;that I’m going to take a hit here and&nbsp;there,&nbsp;but the offensive line goes in with the mindset that they don’t want me getting touched,&nbsp;so it’s hard to&nbsp;tell them to let someone through. It’s not like&nbsp;“Remember the Titans”&nbsp;or anything like that&nbsp;(laughter)&nbsp;so if it happens it happens.”

Q:&nbsp;Are you expecting to start the season without Chris Jones?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“No, not necessarily. I know that contract stuff is hard to talk about because everyone&nbsp;wants to make money for their entire family and everything like that,&nbsp;but I know how much&nbsp;Chris (Jones) loves the Chiefs, he loves being a part of this organization,&nbsp;so I just try to stay out of it and tell Chris how much we love him and that whenever he does come back he’ll be welcomed with&nbsp;open arms. We know he is preparing himself,so that whenever he does get&nbsp;back,&nbsp;he can be that dominantplayer&nbsp;that he always has been.”

Q:&nbsp;With that said has he been gone longer than you anticipated?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;I don’t think anyone expected him not to be here now,&nbsp;but that’s part of the contract negotiation stuff so I’m not looking down on him or anything like that. He has stuff that he’s trying to get done&nbsp;that he feels like he needs to get done right now. I respect his decision and then when he gets back, like I said, we&nbsp;will&nbsp;(welcome)&nbsp;him with open arms. He’s a vital part of this organization,&nbsp;so I’m glad that he’s on my team.”

Q:&nbsp;Does&nbsp;it&nbsp;put more pressure on the offense&nbsp;if he’s not out there?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Not&nbsp;necessarily, you have to trust everybody.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;Chris (Jones) is a once&nbsp;in a lifetime type of player to be that big at the defensive tackle&nbsp;spot and being able to get sacks&nbsp;and stuff like&nbsp;that,&nbsp;but you have to trust the entire defense just like&nbsp;they have to trust the entire offense. Whenever I’m not in the game they trust the guy that comes in is going to&nbsp;go out there and make an impact, you’ve seen that with&nbsp;(former Chiefs Quarterback)&nbsp;Chad&nbsp;(Henne) over the last few years and the game that Travis (Kelce) wasn’t in a couple years ago&nbsp;other guys stepped up. That’s how great football teams work is you’ve got to have depth everywhere and you’ve got to have guys that will step up&nbsp;whenever their number is called.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;you want to have these great players like Chris, but everyone has to step up whenever their number is called.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you seen from the defensive line throughout campwithout Chris Jones, what’s your confidence level in what they can do?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’m very confident.&nbsp;They have a lot of great players, a lot of depth, a lot of guys that are coming in and working hard.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;there’s young guys like&nbsp;George&nbsp;(Karlaftis) and&nbsp;Felix&nbsp;(Anudike-Uzomah) and stuff like that but they play hard every single play and they get after it; that’s what you want.&nbsp;It’s hard to replace Chris (Jones)&nbsp;because Chris, like I said, is a once in a lifetime type of player. But I think with&nbsp;the&nbsp;group of guys&nbsp;they are doing a great job of just working hard and continuing to push to try to make themselves better.”

Q:&nbsp;When is the last time you talked to Chris Jones and what are his spirits like?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;we stay in contact with him all the time. He’s in good spirits. He’s a guy that loves football – like I said he loves playing for the Chiefs&nbsp;–&nbsp;so&nbsp;this is a&nbsp;hard time for all players I think when this stuff comes up because you want to play, you&nbsp;want to be out there but at the same time you want to take care of your family,&nbsp;so it’s finding that right spot&nbsp;of where you think you need to be at that time. It doesn’t hurt his relationship with any of us, we respect his decision, at the same time when he comes&nbsp;back,&nbsp;we’ll welcome him with open arms and know that he can be a pivotal&nbsp;teammate to helps try to make another run at the Super Bowl again.”

Q:&nbsp;Is playing in this final preseason game something you feel like you want or need?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I just prepare myself every week. I prepare myself to play, I get the reps in there and then I follow (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s&nbsp;lead. He’s done this for a long time he knows what’s needed every single year to be able to go in and play&nbsp;well at&nbsp;the very beginning of the year,&nbsp;that’s why his record is so good at the beginning of the season. I’ll prepare myself to play and if I get that&nbsp;call,&nbsp;I’ll go out there and play and try to execute at a high level and just try to prepare myself for that week one&nbsp;of the regular season.”

Q:&nbsp;You’ve seen&nbsp;Shane Buechele&nbsp;for a few years now. How have you seen him develop and how proud of him are you?&nbsp;

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just the entire QB room we push each other&nbsp;to be great. We want that QB room,&nbsp;no matter who steps in,&nbsp;to be able to go out there and have success&nbsp;and I think you’ve seen that over the years with (former Chiefs Quarterback) Chad&nbsp;(Henne), you’ve seen it with&nbsp;(former Chiefs Quarterback) Matt&nbsp;Moore&nbsp;and now you see it with&nbsp;Shane&nbsp;(Buechele),&nbsp;he’s getting better and better every single year. Then you’ve seen guys like&nbsp;Blaine&nbsp;(Gabbert) who’s learning a new system and he’s already having success early&nbsp;in the preseason as well&nbsp;and then&nbsp;Chris&nbsp;(Oladokun)&nbsp;– we try to take pride&nbsp;in that QB room that no matter who steps in the game there’s no drop off and we can all go out there and have success. I’m proud of all those guys,&nbsp;but Shane being here for two years just to stay grinding and grinding and preparing for his moment and he’s done great this preseason to far.”

Q:&nbsp;How closely will you follow cut down day next week?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s hard, I don’t like to follow it too closely.&nbsp;I’m rooting for everybody. It’s hard to sit there and&nbsp;– you don’t want to promote for one guy to make it over another because this is&nbsp;people’s&nbsp;livelihoods, this is people’s lives. I let those guys,(General Manager)&nbsp;Brett Veach&nbsp;and (Head) Coach (Andy)&nbsp;Reid handle&nbsp;that,&nbsp;(Chairman &amp; CEO)&nbsp;Clark Hunt&nbsp;everyone like that. They do a good job of finding the best players to put in position to have success. I don’t follow that too&nbsp;closely – it’s hard for me I like all the guys in the locker room, it’s hard to see guys, even if it’s (just) for a moment,&nbsp;their dreams kind of get cut right there so it definitely is a hard day for everybody in this league.”

Q:&nbsp;Where do you feel like you made the biggest leap from last season to this season?

BUECHELE:&nbsp;“I think just my knowledge of the offense and my comfort in the offense. This is really the first time that I’ve had an offense for three straight years dating back all the way to college. My comfort in this offense has grown a ton,&nbsp;and I feel a whole lot better being out on that field with my knowledge of the offense. That’s the number one thing and then just being with these guys and taking reps and getting more reps in practice has been a huge thing,&nbsp;too,&nbsp;just getting on the same page with everybody.”

Q:&nbsp;Is there a play or moment that stands out to you, and you thought ‘okay I’m starting to piece things together’?

BUECHELE:&nbsp;“Just&nbsp;throughout training camp, really in OTA’s too. Just the start of my third year, it’s just progressively gotten better and better and as we continue to gameplan for teams, we can&nbsp;home in&nbsp;on a gameplan and go out and execute. It’s been really good for myself as well as the team just to come together and try to go win a ball game.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you learned from Patrick Mahomes being with him for three years? We don’t expect you to throw a behind the back pass but how has he helped you in your career?

BUECHELE: “Yeah, you’re exactly right, I mean it’s tough – it’s not tough being in that room but you kind of have to take what Pat (Patrick Mahomes) does and kind of put a little bit to your game but also let him do what he does because he’s the best in the league at what he does. Definitely his leadership style I think that gets kind of caught up in all of the behind the back passes and the deep throws, (the) scramble drills. The way he leads a football team is special and so I see that – and then just different ways in (pass) protections, he’s super smart I think that’s another thing that gets overlooked. His knowledge of the offense and the way he carries himself and carries this team is definitely something that I’ve taken from him as the older brother I’d say in the room.”

Q:&nbsp;Yesterday&nbsp;Offensive Coordinator&nbsp;Matt Nagy mention how hard you’ve worked behind the scenes to put yourself in this position, now that you’re in the mix for that second string spot how rewarding does that feel?

BUECHELE:&nbsp;“It’s just what we do at the quarterback position. We put in a lot of work and when the times comes it comes to fruition. It’s our job to be as prepared as possible for any type of thing that happens in the game, in practice, whatever it is,&nbsp;we have to be prepared and we never know when it’s going to be,that’s the tough part about being a backup quarterback is you never know when something is going to happen. You have to prepare like you’re the starter and be ready for any moment.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691529941375.png" alt="Chiefs Logo no cut off" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs Logo no cut off</figcaption>
 </figure> Head Coach Andy Reid OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, I think really the only new one on here is George (Karlaftis).&nbsp;He has some stomach issues that he’s working through, but we’ll get him back out there relatively&nbsp;quick&nbsp;I think. All in all, good practice today. We did our normal Friday workout, (we) had to do a little bit earlier with the heat, but normal Friday workout. (We had a)&nbsp;good special&nbsp;teams&nbsp;period to start with and then finishing with some heavy red zone,&nbsp;knocking that out and then review on the&nbsp;other situations. Anyways, with that, time&nbsp;is&nbsp;yours.”Q:&nbsp;Chris Jones tweeted that he may&nbsp;be willing to miss a few games. Do you expect to start the season without him?REID:&nbsp;“There’s been no&nbsp;communication,&nbsp;so I don’t know what’s going to go there but whatever happens, happens. I mean if he’s not there,&nbsp;the game goes on, right? So that’s how it works.”Q:&nbsp;You said that you don’t like to get involved in the personnel decisions, but is there a way for you to get involved with the Chris Jones’ stuff?REID:&nbsp;“No, not right now there’s not. They&nbsp;have tocommunicate and do their thing, and there has just been no communication.”Q:&nbsp;There is a lot of competition in the wide receiver room, how tough is it going to be to&nbsp;make a decision?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;it’ll&nbsp;be a tough decision at that&nbsp;spot, the guys are playing well. We just&nbsp;have to&nbsp;see – we talked to them about special teams, it ends up being a big part of it. You might be a good receiver but if you can’t&nbsp;help out&nbsp;on special teams you got a problem there, so that ends up being a part of the thing (the decision).”Q:&nbsp;What are the expectations of the ones, twos, and threes for playing time in this last preseason game?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;so the ones might get a little bit of time.&nbsp;I’m still working through that. The ones will probably get a little bit of time and then the twos and threes will take it from there.”Q:&nbsp;What’s your message to the players who are just trying to make the team?REID:&nbsp;“It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great opportunity to get yourself on tape, everybody can’t make it here, we know that. They were told that when they first got in, but make it a tough decision for (General Manager) Brett (Veach)&nbsp;and&nbsp;myself&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;personnel guys and coaches. Then, if you don’t make it here, we’re&nbsp;going to&nbsp;give&nbsp;you an opportunity to&nbsp;be on tape. We’re not holding you back,&nbsp;so you get out there, you perform and perform well,&nbsp;so if you can’t&nbsp;make it here, maybe you make it somewhere else.”Q:&nbsp;The ones playing a little bit does not include&nbsp;Patrick&nbsp;Mahomes&nbsp;does it?REID:&nbsp;“We’ll see (laughter).”Q:&nbsp;With the quarterback position would you keep three on the roster?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, possibly. Right now, were juggling the whole thing, there’s competition for that two spot and the guys are&nbsp;competing,&nbsp;so we haven’t finalized anything yet on that numbers wise. The bottom of the roster thing, you kind of&nbsp;have to&nbsp;work through and see how it all&nbsp;works out and then you can’t forget to include special teams in there too, and how we work with that.”Q:&nbsp;Is Isiah Pacheco going to play in this preseason game?REID:&nbsp;“There’s a chance,&nbsp;yeah. Yeah,&nbsp;there’s a chance. I’m just kind of spotting him here and seeing what he is comfortable with. We got the yellow jersey&nbsp;off of&nbsp;him, and he’s full throttle but we’ll see how he does here in a couple days.”Q:&nbsp;Shane&nbsp;Buechele&nbsp;is getting comfortable, what growth have you seen from him?REID:&nbsp;“Well he looks more&nbsp;comfortable,&nbsp;and I think in a crazy way, Blaine (Gabbert) has been good for him and bringing out the best in him, you know, the competition. Blaine is competing like crazy&nbsp;too,&nbsp;so it’s been a good challenge there for him but he’s doing a nice job, more time coming up here, so we’ll see how&nbsp;both of them&nbsp;do.”Q:&nbsp;How do you feel about your defensive line stepping up without Chris Jones?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, they’re working their tails off,&nbsp;and I appreciate that. You know, it’s similar (to) if someone gets hurt. If someone gets hurt, you&nbsp;have to&nbsp;go play and that’s the approach they’ve&nbsp;taken, ‘Chris (Jones) isn’t here, opportunity for us to play’ and they’ve worked their tails&nbsp;off there, it’s been impressive watching.”Q:&nbsp;Is there a specific guy from the defensive line that has stepped up?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah so, when Mike (Danna) got back,&nbsp;I think&nbsp;he’s done a nice job. He got some play&nbsp;time,&nbsp;and it showed in that game, so I think that that’s good.&nbsp;Then, I think George (Karlaftis) is a lot stronger than he was last year, so that’s a positive thing.”Q:&nbsp;Tershawn&nbsp;Wharton got some reps&nbsp;today, how is he looking?REID:&nbsp;“He’s&nbsp;(Tershawn&nbsp;Wharton)&nbsp;doing alright, he’s doing alright.&nbsp;He’s lucky he’s got a&nbsp;good&nbsp;foundation, he’s got big legs, strong legs, and so I think&nbsp;he’s&nbsp;moving around well, quick.”Q:&nbsp;Is he going to play against the Cleveland Browns?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;there’s&nbsp;a chance.&nbsp;(It’s)&nbsp;Kind of the same&nbsp;thing with (Isiah) Pacheco, we’ll see where we go with this thing in the next couple of days. We have&nbsp;a&nbsp;–&nbsp;tomorrow&nbsp;is&nbsp;not&nbsp;a normal&nbsp;walk-through&nbsp;day, it’s an 8-8 period,&nbsp;so we have one more day there.”Q:&nbsp;What do you tell the rookies about playing at GEHA field at Arrowhead Stadium?REID:&nbsp;“They’ve heard it all, you know, they’ve&nbsp;heard it. Most of them have seen it on TV,&nbsp;but it’s a special place to play, we’ve talked to them about that and&nbsp;there’s&nbsp;nothing like it.”Q:&nbsp;Do you ever shuffle&nbsp;the lineups and play a one with a threeor vice versa?REID: “Yeah, I&nbsp;mean&nbsp;we&nbsp;evaluate&nbsp;the guys&nbsp;every day&nbsp;and so if we think somebody has&nbsp;something that shows,&nbsp;we go ahead and give them an opportunity to&nbsp;move in there.&nbsp;A little bit like&nbsp;what&nbsp;we’ve done with the receivers,&nbsp;some of those guys are guys&nbsp;thatwe’re trying to look at&nbsp;and see what they’ve got.”QB&nbsp;PATRICK MAHOMESQ:&nbsp;What do you want to get out of Saturday’s preseason game if you get any playing time?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just keep – I call it stacking – keep progressing, keep getting better and better. I mean obviously you want to hit the regular season rolling. We have a great football team (The Detroit Lions) we’re playing that first game. We did better than the first (preseason) game in (the) second (preseason) game,&nbsp;and let’s keep building and getting better and better and get the momentum going into the year.”Q:&nbsp;You mentioned that you haven’t taken a hit yet, are you still looking to get that out of the way before the season starts?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“If it happens,&nbsp;it happens.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;it’s kind of a good thing because the offensive line is protecting&nbsp;really really well,&nbsp;so it might be the regular season hopefully. I go in with the mindset&nbsp;that I’m going to take a hit here and&nbsp;there,&nbsp;but the offensive line goes in with the mindset that they don’t want me getting touched,&nbsp;so it’s hard to&nbsp;tell them to let someone through. It’s not like&nbsp;“Remember the Titans”&nbsp;or anything like that&nbsp;(laughter)&nbsp;so if it happens it happens.”Q:&nbsp;Are you expecting to start the season without Chris Jones?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“No, not necessarily. I know that contract stuff is hard to talk about because everyone&nbsp;wants to make money for their entire family and everything like that,&nbsp;but I know how much&nbsp;Chris (Jones) loves the Chiefs, he loves being a part of this organization,&nbsp;so I just try to stay out of it and tell Chris how much we love him and that whenever he does come back he’ll be welcomed with&nbsp;open arms. We know he is preparing himself,so that whenever he does get&nbsp;back,&nbsp;he can be that dominantplayer&nbsp;that he always has been.”Q:&nbsp;With that said has he been gone longer than you anticipated?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;I don’t think anyone expected him not to be here now,&nbsp;but that’s part of the contract negotiation stuff so I’m not looking down on him or anything like that. He has stuff that he’s trying to get done&nbsp;that he feels like he needs to get done right now. I respect his decision and then when he gets back, like I said, we&nbsp;will&nbsp;(welcome)&nbsp;him with open arms. He’s a vital part of this organization,&nbsp;so I’m glad that he’s on my team.”Q:&nbsp;Does&nbsp;it&nbsp;put more pressure on the offense&nbsp;if he’s not out there?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Not&nbsp;necessarily, you have to trust everybody.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;Chris (Jones) is a once&nbsp;in a lifetime type of player to be that big at the defensive tackle&nbsp;spot and being able to get sacks&nbsp;and stuff like&nbsp;that,&nbsp;but you have to trust the entire defense just like&nbsp;they have to trust the entire offense. Whenever I’m not in the game they trust the guy that comes in is going to&nbsp;go out there and make an impact, you’ve seen that with&nbsp;(former Chiefs Quarterback)&nbsp;Chad&nbsp;(Henne) over the last few years and the game that Travis (Kelce) wasn’t in a couple years ago&nbsp;other guys stepped up. That’s how great football teams work is you’ve got to have depth everywhere and you’ve got to have guys that will step up&nbsp;whenever their number is called.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;you want to have these great players like Chris, but everyone has to step up whenever their number is called.”Q:&nbsp;What have you seen from the defensive line throughout campwithout Chris Jones, what’s your confidence level in what they can do?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’m very confident.&nbsp;They have a lot of great players, a lot of depth, a lot of guys that are coming in and working hard.&nbsp;Obviously,&nbsp;there’s young guys like&nbsp;George&nbsp;(Karlaftis) and&nbsp;Felix&nbsp;(Anudike-Uzomah) and stuff like that but they play hard every single play and they get after it; that’s what you want.&nbsp;It’s hard to replace Chris (Jones)&nbsp;because Chris, like I said, is a once in a lifetime type of player. But I think with&nbsp;the&nbsp;group of guys&nbsp;they are doing a great job of just working hard and continuing to push to try to make themselves better.”Q:&nbsp;When is the last time you talked to Chris Jones and what are his spirits like?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah,&nbsp;we stay in contact with him all the time. He’s in good spirits. He’s a guy that loves football – like I said he loves playing for the Chiefs&nbsp;–&nbsp;so&nbsp;this is a&nbsp;hard time for all players I think when this stuff comes up because you want to play, you&nbsp;want to be out there but at the same time you want to take care of your family,&nbsp;so it’s finding that right spot&nbsp;of where you think you need to be at that time. It doesn’t hurt his relationship with any of us, we respect his decision, at the same time when he comes&nbsp;back,&nbsp;we’ll welcome him with open arms and know that he can be a pivotal&nbsp;teammate to helps try to make another run at the Super Bowl again.”Q:&nbsp;Is playing in this final preseason game something you feel like you want or need?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I just prepare myself every week. I prepare myself to play, I get the reps in there and then I follow (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s&nbsp;lead. He’s done this for a long time he knows what’s needed every single year to be able to go in and play&nbsp;well at&nbsp;the very beginning of the year,&nbsp;that’s why his record is so good at the beginning of the season. I’ll prepare myself to play and if I get that&nbsp;call,&nbsp;I’ll go out there and play and try to execute at a high level and just try to prepare myself for that week one&nbsp;of the regular season.”Q:&nbsp;You’ve seen&nbsp;Shane Buechele&nbsp;for a few years now. How have you seen him develop and how proud of him are you?&nbsp;MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just the entire QB room we push each other&nbsp;to be great. We want that QB room,&nbsp;no matter who steps in,&nbsp;to be able to go out there and have success&nbsp;and I think you’ve seen that over the years with (former Chiefs Quarterback) Chad&nbsp;(Henne), you’ve seen it with&nbsp;(former Chiefs Quarterback) Matt&nbsp;Moore&nbsp;and now you see it with&nbsp;Shane&nbsp;(Buechele),&nbsp;he’s getting better and better every single year. Then you’ve seen guys like&nbsp;Blaine&nbsp;(Gabbert) who’s learning a new system and he’s already having success early&nbsp;in the preseason as well&nbsp;and then&nbsp;Chris&nbsp;(Oladokun)&nbsp;– we try to take pride&nbsp;in that QB room that no matter who steps in the game there’s no drop off and we can all go out there and have success. I’m proud of all those guys,&nbsp;but Shane being here for two years just to stay grinding and grinding and preparing for his moment and he’s done great this preseason to far.”Q:&nbsp;How closely will you follow cut down day next week?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s hard, I don’t like to follow it too closely.&nbsp;I’m rooting for everybody. It’s hard to sit there and&nbsp;– you don’t want to promote for one guy to make it over another because this is&nbsp;people’s&nbsp;livelihoods, this is people’s lives. I let those guys,(General Manager)&nbsp;Brett Veach&nbsp;and (Head) Coach (Andy)&nbsp;Reid handle&nbsp;that,&nbsp;(Chairman &amp; CEO)&nbsp;Clark Hunt&nbsp;everyone like that. They do a good job of finding the best players to put in position to have success. I don’t follow that too&nbsp;closely – it’s hard for me I like all the guys in the locker room, it’s hard to see guys, even if it’s (just) for a moment,&nbsp;their dreams kind of get cut right there so it definitely is a hard day for everybody in this league.”QB SHANE BUECHELE&nbsp;Q:&nbsp;Where do you feel like you made the biggest leap from last season to this season?BUECHELE:&nbsp;“I think just my knowledge of the offense and my comfort in the offense. This is really the first time that I’ve had an offense for three straight years dating back all the way to college. My comfort in this offense has grown a ton,&nbsp;and I feel a whole lot better being out on that field with my knowledge of the offense. That’s the number one thing and then just being with these guys and taking reps and getting more reps in practice has been a huge thing,&nbsp;too,&nbsp;just getting on the same page with everybody.”Q:&nbsp;Is there a play or moment that stands out to you, and you thought ‘okay I’m starting to piece things together’?BUECHELE:&nbsp;“Just&nbsp;throughout training camp, really in OTA’s too. Just the start of my third year, it’s just progressively gotten better and better and as we continue to gameplan for teams, we can&nbsp;home in&nbsp;on a gameplan and go out and execute. It’s been really good for myself as well as the team just to come together and try to go win a ball game.”Q:&nbsp;What have you learned from Patrick Mahomes being with him for three years? We don’t expect you to throw a behind the back pass but how has he helped you in your career?BUECHELE: “Yeah, you’re exactly right, I mean it’s tough – it’s not tough being in that room but you kind of have to take what Pat (Patrick Mahomes) does and kind of put a little bit to your game but also let him do what he does because he’s the best in the league at what he does. Definitely his leadership style I think that gets kind of caught up in all of the behind the back passes and the deep throws, (the) scramble drills. The way he leads a football team is special and so I see that – and then just different ways in (pass) protections, he’s super smart I think that’s another thing that gets overlooked. His knowledge of the offense and the way he carries himself and carries this team is definitely something that I’ve taken from him as the older brother I’d say in the room.”Q:&nbsp;Yesterday&nbsp;Offensive Coordinator&nbsp;Matt Nagy mention how hard you’ve worked behind the scenes to put yourself in this position, now that you’re in the mix for that second string spot how rewarding does that feel?BUECHELE:&nbsp;“It’s just what we do at the quarterback position. We put in a lot of work and when the times comes it comes to fruition. It’s our job to be as prepared as possible for any type of thing that happens in the game, in practice, whatever it is,&nbsp;we have to be prepared and we never know when it’s going to be,that’s the tough part about being a backup quarterback is you never know when something is going to happen. You have to prepare like you’re the starter and be ready for any moment.”

Chiefs Quotes, Aug 23

Due to inclement heat concerns, Friday's football jamboree in Abilene has been moved later into the evening and will now begin at 8:00.

Teams will warm up and stretch at 8, with the game between SES and Abilene kicking off at 8:30 on the north field.&nbsp;

The game between SES and Smoky Valley will now be played at 9:30 on the south field.

Due to inclement heat concerns, Friday's football jamboree in Abilene has been moved later into the evening and will now begin at 8:00.Teams will warm up and stretch at 8, with the game between SES and Abilene kicking off at 8:30 on the north field.&nbsp;The game between SES and Smoky Valley will now be played at 9:30 on the south field.

Abilene Football Jamboree Moved to 8pm on Friday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for two dramatically different locations for a replacement to the aging Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, calling them on equal footing even as the team-issued date for a decision looms next month.

The first location, called the East Village, would consist of a ballpark anchoring a 27-acre development just blocks away from the thriving Power &amp; Light District, where T-Mobile Center already exists. The second location is a 90-acre tract across the Missouri River in Clay County, where the Royals would have more ability to develop commercial and residential properties.

Both plans were produced by Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture giant, which has been responsible for renovation or construction of more than 20 stadiums currently in use across Major League Baseball.

“We knew we were engaged in a generational decision. The K has been the home to the Royals for 50-plus years — been a great home — but it's time for a new one,” said Brooks Sherman, the Royals' president of business operations. “It's actually incredible that we have these two locations to even consider as a future home and sustain ourselves as a Major League city.”

The Royals announced plans to leave Kauffman Stadium about two years ago. But progress has been slow in deciding on a path forward, given the myriad factors involved in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-stadium-kansas-missouri-ddd25487770de16bcb48595a0eea550d">the proposed $2 billion-plus ballpark and entertainment district</a>.

The Royals have long shared with the Kansas City Chiefs sales tax revenue from Jackson County for the upkeep of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, both of which reside in the Truman Sports Complex. But while the Royals intend to build elsewhere, the preference of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is to remain at Arrowhead Stadium and renovate the existing NFL venue.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the Royals and Chiefs are both tied to a lease with Jackson County that does not expire until 2031. If the Royals decide on the downtown location, they would remain in Jackson County and the teams could seek to extend the lease; if they move to Clay County, some tricky politicking and negotiation would be necessary.

Regardless of the site, Sherman reiterated that the Royals are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-owner-mlb-stadium-acea912fb6286f7ae928c9eab40d82fe">prepared to spend about $1 billion in private funds on the project</a>, and they intend to move into their new stadium for opening day of the 2028 season.

“That's part of the equation is to ensure we're negotiating properly and having the proper back and forth with each set of governing bodies — the elected leaders — and we're doing that with both Clay County and Jackson County,” Sherman said.

The downtown site, which has long been viewed as the frontrunner, would lean into commercial and business possibilities to help drive the revenue that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-mlb-baseball-stadium-7047da4fe44b5425b61c74c0a7bec8e4">MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said is necessary</a>&nbsp;for a small-market club to compete.

The proposed stadium, which Populous founder Earl Santee warned is not a final design, features swooping roof lines that are reminiscent of Kauffman Stadium. There is a homage to the fountains for which the existing park is known in right-center field and what Santee called “one of the most intimate seating bowls in all of baseball.”

Yet the stadium comes with drawbacks. Ingress and egress is already a challenge in the downtown corridor, and parking could be difficult, particularly for day games when existing parking is already taken up by those working in the area.

The location in North Kansas City would continue the revitalization of what was once a rundown industrial neighborhood.

The ballpark is meant to feel more “gritty,” Santee said, to better fit within the existing area. But a large number of buildings would be razed to make room for hotels and conference centers, residential buildings and parking pavilions, and a large park and lake that could serve as a year-round gathering space. There is even a proposed 4,000-seat performance venue.

Imran Aukhil with the economic advisory firm HR&amp;A said both projects would have about a $320 million impact on the region, not including the construction itself, which would spur at least 20,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in total economic output.

As the late-September date for a decision nears, the Royals are continuing to negotiate with political and business leaders involved with both proposed locations. They also are soliciting feedback from fans, many of whom have been lukewarm about the prospect of building a new ballpark for a team that is once again on pace to lose more than 100 games.

“We've got work to do on a number of fronts," Sherman said, “to get to our decision on this.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692787120337.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for two dramatically different locations for a replacement to the aging Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, calling them on equal footing even as the team-issued date for a decision looms next month.The first location, called the East Village, would consist of a ballpark anchoring a 27-acre development just blocks away from the thriving Power &amp; Light District, where T-Mobile Center already exists. The second location is a 90-acre tract across the Missouri River in Clay County, where the Royals would have more ability to develop commercial and residential properties.Both plans were produced by Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture giant, which has been responsible for renovation or construction of more than 20 stadiums currently in use across Major League Baseball.“We knew we were engaged in a generational decision. The K has been the home to the Royals for 50-plus years — been a great home — but it's time for a new one,” said Brooks Sherman, the Royals' president of business operations. “It's actually incredible that we have these two locations to even consider as a future home and sustain ourselves as a Major League city.”The Royals announced plans to leave Kauffman Stadium about two years ago. But progress has been slow in deciding on a path forward, given the myriad factors involved in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-stadium-kansas-missouri-ddd25487770de16bcb48595a0eea550d">the proposed $2 billion-plus ballpark and entertainment district</a>.The Royals have long shared with the Kansas City Chiefs sales tax revenue from Jackson County for the upkeep of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, both of which reside in the Truman Sports Complex. But while the Royals intend to build elsewhere, the preference of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is to remain at Arrowhead Stadium and renovate the existing NFL venue.Further complicating matters is the fact that the Royals and Chiefs are both tied to a lease with Jackson County that does not expire until 2031. If the Royals decide on the downtown location, they would remain in Jackson County and the teams could seek to extend the lease; if they move to Clay County, some tricky politicking and negotiation would be necessary.Regardless of the site, Sherman reiterated that the Royals are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-owner-mlb-stadium-acea912fb6286f7ae928c9eab40d82fe">prepared to spend about $1 billion in private funds on the project</a>, and they intend to move into their new stadium for opening day of the 2028 season.“That's part of the equation is to ensure we're negotiating properly and having the proper back and forth with each set of governing bodies — the elected leaders — and we're doing that with both Clay County and Jackson County,” Sherman said.The downtown site, which has long been viewed as the frontrunner, would lean into commercial and business possibilities to help drive the revenue that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-mlb-baseball-stadium-7047da4fe44b5425b61c74c0a7bec8e4">MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said is necessary</a>&nbsp;for a small-market club to compete.The proposed stadium, which Populous founder Earl Santee warned is not a final design, features swooping roof lines that are reminiscent of Kauffman Stadium. There is a homage to the fountains for which the existing park is known in right-center field and what Santee called “one of the most intimate seating bowls in all of baseball.”Yet the stadium comes with drawbacks. Ingress and egress is already a challenge in the downtown corridor, and parking could be difficult, particularly for day games when existing parking is already taken up by those working in the area.The location in North Kansas City would continue the revitalization of what was once a rundown industrial neighborhood.The ballpark is meant to feel more “gritty,” Santee said, to better fit within the existing area. But a large number of buildings would be razed to make room for hotels and conference centers, residential buildings and parking pavilions, and a large park and lake that could serve as a year-round gathering space. There is even a proposed 4,000-seat performance venue.Imran Aukhil with the economic advisory firm HR&amp;A said both projects would have about a $320 million impact on the region, not including the construction itself, which would spur at least 20,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in total economic output.As the late-September date for a decision nears, the Royals are continuing to negotiate with political and business leaders involved with both proposed locations. They also are soliciting feedback from fans, many of whom have been lukewarm about the prospect of building a new ballpark for a team that is once again on pace to lose more than 100 games.“We've got work to do on a number of fronts," Sherman said, “to get to our decision on this.”

⚾ Royals unveil proposed ballpark and entertainment district plans for 2 locations

<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=22617&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-august-22-2023/4813" target="_blank">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-august-22-2023/4814" target="_blank">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a>

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Tuesday as the Wildcats are in their final week of preseason practices prior to the first game week of the 2023 season. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – in addition to audio from player breakout interviews are above, while a transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.

“Good afternoon, everyone. We are into a simulated game week, getting a lot of stuff done for our first game against SEMO. We are also doing a lot of evaluation still with some of our younger players as well as on special teams, because we know that we've got to continue to push some of the younger players that are going to have to help us throughout the year. So, we're not doing exclusive scout team stuff, but we're doing a little bit of that, and then quite a bit of K-State versus K-State still,&nbsp; just because we need to continue to evaluate players. Then, next week, we'll pour all of our attention into SEMO.

“But, we finished up fall camp really good. We had a lot of bumps and bruises like a lot of teams do. I don't think we lost anybody for a significant time. There will be some guys that will be gametime decisions, but for the most part, we had a pretty successful fall camp as far as the injury bug is concerned. We're excited about where we are with our team. We know where our strengths are at certain positions. We know where our depth is. We have to continue to push some younger players. That’s part of the reason why we're having the schedule like we are this week, but a lot of work still to be done here before we get into game week.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692737623424.jpeg" alt="k-State head football coach" />
 <figcaption>k-State head football coach</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/watch/?Archive=22617&amp;type=Archive" target="_blank">Watch Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/chris-klieman-press-conference-august-22-2023/4813" target="_blank">Listen to Coach Klieman’s Press Conference</a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/podcasts/player-breakout-interviews-august-22-2023/4814" target="_blank">Listen to Player Breakout Interviews</a> MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Chris Klieman&nbsp;and select players met with members of the media on Tuesday as the Wildcats are in their final week of preseason practices prior to the first game week of the 2023 season. Links to video and audio of Klieman’s press conference – which was streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ – in addition to audio from player breakout interviews are above, while a transcript of Klieman’s opening statement is below.CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACHOpening Statement…“Good afternoon, everyone. We are into a simulated game week, getting a lot of stuff done for our first game against SEMO. We are also doing a lot of evaluation still with some of our younger players as well as on special teams, because we know that we've got to continue to push some of the younger players that are going to have to help us throughout the year. So, we're not doing exclusive scout team stuff, but we're doing a little bit of that, and then quite a bit of K-State versus K-State still,&nbsp; just because we need to continue to evaluate players. Then, next week, we'll pour all of our attention into SEMO.“But, we finished up fall camp really good. We had a lot of bumps and bruises like a lot of teams do. I don't think we lost anybody for a significant time. There will be some guys that will be gametime decisions, but for the most part, we had a pretty successful fall camp as far as the injury bug is concerned. We're excited about where we are with our team. We know where our strengths are at certain positions. We know where our depth is. We have to continue to push some younger players. That’s part of the reason why we're having the schedule like we are this week, but a lot of work still to be done here before we get into game week.”

K-State Discusses Final Week of Preseason Practice at Weekly Press Conference

OPENING STATEMENT: “It was nice and toasty out there. It was good to get outside and get on the grass because you guys know yesterday, we were inside of course. With that I’ll just open it up.”

Q: What have you seen lately from Chamarri Conner?

SPAGNUOLO: “We’re kind of force feeding him a lot of things. You’ve probably noticed he’s in a lot of spots there, he’s kind of earned it and deserved it the way he’s played in training camp. I think the veterans have some confidence in him. We’ll see how he progresses, (we’re) trying to get some other guys healthy and back then we’ll see where all the moving parts go. For now – listen he’s played safety, played some nickel, played some dime and that’s good to see from a young guy.”

Q: With the cuts being all at once after the preseason, what are you looking for in this last preseason game?

SPAGNUOLO: “Listen I’m hopeful for all the guys. I’ll talk about the guys we don’t keep (we want them to) play well enough that something happens for them later on down the road. This is a real business it’s real life for these guys and it’s a job, right? Nobody wants to lose their job. Hopefully the guys that don’t make it – because you can’t keep everybody – have an opportunity somewhere else that’s always the hope. We’ve got some really good guys here, some good football players that maybe just numbers wise we can’t keep. For the guys that are going to be here number one be healthy, number two do the fundamental things right we’ve got to continue to do that. I think the tackling has been okay I’d like things to get faster and more violent as we get closer to a real game. We’ve got a heck of a challenge coming in here September seventh and we need to be ready for that, so we’ll use this game to get ready for that opener.”

Q: Is there anyone on the defensive line that has taken a step forward during camp you didn’t expect?

SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, I honestly can’t say that. The one – Danny Shelton sticks out because I know what he did with his weight and how prepared he got himself, but that’s back at the beginning of training camp. But all those guys have kind of been in there grinding away (they’ve) made some good plays and some not so good plays and somewhere down the road we’ll have to make a decision on that crew.”

Q: What specifically have you seen from Danny Shelton?

SPAGNUOLO: “Well I guess when I was saying that – because I really can’t – all those guys are about right in the middle there. I did like the fact – Danny (Shelton) is an intelligent football player – what you probably don’t see is he’s also a really good leader, he’s into everything. He’ll be over there pushing teammates during special teams when he’s not involved in the special teams. That’s a good quality to have. Loved having him around last year even though he was on the practice squad. All those things we like, just the play has got to show up and somebody’s got to surface for us to decide which way we’re going to go.”

Q: Shane Buechele is starting to get some more opportunities, what strides have you seen from him so far this preseason?

NAGY: “Yeah, you know what for me it’s been really neat watching him grow coming in last year and not knowing him. Just seeing where he’s been as a player as a person; learning this offense has certainly helped being in that room with Pat (Patrick Mahomes). Now I mean the offseason the preseason games is all about opportunities. (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) has a great way of going through those type of battles, at all positions, and I think the competition brings out the best in everybody and you see that with Shane (Buechele). He gets a chance last week to do that and goes in and plays well. You love being able to see guys have success when behind the scenes they put it in all this work and they do all the stuff behind the scenes in practice, all last couple years and now to get an opportunity, he’s played well.”

Q: At times during training camp, it looked like Deneric Prince was getting reps with the first team offense but now it looks like he has not gotten as many reps there, did something happen or something you saw that stood out?

NAGY: “No nothing’s happened, I think early on you want to be able to see – especially in OTA’s you get guys that come in and there’s no pads and its more passing so you want to be able to see what you can do in the pass game. Now naturally you get back into – whether it’s the start of training camp till now, there’s movement throughout, there’s different guys in all different positions that get opportunities. As a rookie the volume starts to hit you a little bit and it can slow you down and I think for him that’s not the case as much as it is just the fact that we have a great room of running backs; there’s great competition. We’re trying to give all the guy’s opportunity in different spots which Deneric (Prince) is doing a really good job of learning this offense and just continuing to grow.”

Q: What have you seen from Justin Watson?

NAGY: “Same thing that we’ve seen since the day he’s gotten here last year. Somebody that knows where to be at every play. (He) is always going to play fast, he’s in the right spots at the right time. Now again for him its just a matter of continuing to grow with the timing with Pat (Patrick Mahomes), certain routes, making sure that Pat (Patrick Mahomes) and him are seeing things the same way. All those guys are a little bit different, and I think that’s what makes that room so special is they’re not all the same, they’re all very different and he brings a great element of speed, knowledge, and experience to our offense.”

Q: You guys have some tough decisions to make with receivers five through eight. What role will you play in that process when talking to Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach?

NAGY: “I’ll give my honest opinion on all of those guys when the time comes. I think it’s been a really good camp for those guys, there’s some guys that have come in and shown that they’ve been able to take the playbook on right away (and) not make the same mistakes twice. That’s one of the things that I mentioned before is we look for that, who keeps making the same mistakes. Who has the ability – do you see the ceiling with them where their at talent wise or do they have the ability to grow and develop but one thing they’ve certainly done and it’s a credit to (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) and (General Manager Brett) Veach is (they) brought in a lot of really good guys that in the end I wish everybody could make this team, I do. That’s your goal as a Coach is to develop them so that if they don’t make this team, it’s a small fraternity and they’re able to go somewhere and help somebody else out and be thankful for their opportunity here.”

Q: What does it feel like to not have the no contact jersey on, do you feel like you’re back-back?

PACHECO: “I don’t feel like I’m back-back. I was back out there when I was out there in St. Joe, and I felt like I was comfortable breaking with the guys just being able to get as much out of it as I can.”

Q: Do you appreciate the fact that the staff has taken it slow having you come back even if you always want to play hard?

PACHECO: “Absolutely. I wasn’t cleared and I couldn’t just get out there in the fire, but whatever I could do to maintain that shape and to keep up to tempo I was going to do it. (The) coaches allowed me to do that. I’m thankful for them.”

Q: What did you learn about what it takes to play a full NFL season as a running back having 20 games plus preseason last season?

PACHECO: “It takes the mental toughness and to be able to find a routine to maintain the shape of your body. For me, I’m just finding older guys to ask them questions (and) pick their brains about how to take care of your body. For me that’s what I love doing because I love talking about the game and taking care of myself. The guys, they always look out for me and they hook me up with somebody and if there is nobody, then just going to the hot tub and getting that routine.”

Q: What do you want to do to be better this year?

PACHECO: “Be more flexible. For me that’s the word I want to use because taking care of my body, as I said before, being able to stretch a lot more. Just finding ways to be looser so I can be more explosive out there.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691529941375.png" alt="Chiefs&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Chiefs Coordinator Quotes</h2>DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLOOPENING STATEMENT: “It was nice and toasty out there. It was good to get outside and get on the grass because you guys know yesterday, we were inside of course. With that I’ll just open it up.”Q: What have you seen lately from Chamarri Conner?SPAGNUOLO: “We’re kind of force feeding him a lot of things. You’ve probably noticed he’s in a lot of spots there, he’s kind of earned it and deserved it the way he’s played in training camp. I think the veterans have some confidence in him. We’ll see how he progresses, (we’re) trying to get some other guys healthy and back then we’ll see where all the moving parts go. For now – listen he’s played safety, played some nickel, played some dime and that’s good to see from a young guy.”Q: With the cuts being all at once after the preseason, what are you looking for in this last preseason game?SPAGNUOLO: “Listen I’m hopeful for all the guys. I’ll talk about the guys we don’t keep (we want them to) play well enough that something happens for them later on down the road. This is a real business it’s real life for these guys and it’s a job, right? Nobody wants to lose their job. Hopefully the guys that don’t make it – because you can’t keep everybody – have an opportunity somewhere else that’s always the hope. We’ve got some really good guys here, some good football players that maybe just numbers wise we can’t keep. For the guys that are going to be here number one be healthy, number two do the fundamental things right we’ve got to continue to do that. I think the tackling has been okay I’d like things to get faster and more violent as we get closer to a real game. We’ve got a heck of a challenge coming in here September seventh and we need to be ready for that, so we’ll use this game to get ready for that opener.”Q: Is there anyone on the defensive line that has taken a step forward during camp you didn’t expect?SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, I honestly can’t say that. The one – Danny Shelton sticks out because I know what he did with his weight and how prepared he got himself, but that’s back at the beginning of training camp. But all those guys have kind of been in there grinding away (they’ve) made some good plays and some not so good plays and somewhere down the road we’ll have to make a decision on that crew.”Q: What specifically have you seen from Danny Shelton?SPAGNUOLO: “Well I guess when I was saying that – because I really can’t – all those guys are about right in the middle there. I did like the fact – Danny (Shelton) is an intelligent football player – what you probably don’t see is he’s also a really good leader, he’s into everything. He’ll be over there pushing teammates during special teams when he’s not involved in the special teams. That’s a good quality to have. Loved having him around last year even though he was on the practice squad. All those things we like, just the play has got to show up and somebody’s got to surface for us to decide which way we’re going to go.”OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGYQ: Shane Buechele is starting to get some more opportunities, what strides have you seen from him so far this preseason?NAGY: “Yeah, you know what for me it’s been really neat watching him grow coming in last year and not knowing him. Just seeing where he’s been as a player as a person; learning this offense has certainly helped being in that room with Pat (Patrick Mahomes). Now I mean the offseason the preseason games is all about opportunities. (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) has a great way of going through those type of battles, at all positions, and I think the competition brings out the best in everybody and you see that with Shane (Buechele). He gets a chance last week to do that and goes in and plays well. You love being able to see guys have success when behind the scenes they put it in all this work and they do all the stuff behind the scenes in practice, all last couple years and now to get an opportunity, he’s played well.”Q: At times during training camp, it looked like Deneric Prince was getting reps with the first team offense but now it looks like he has not gotten as many reps there, did something happen or something you saw that stood out?NAGY: “No nothing’s happened, I think early on you want to be able to see – especially in OTA’s you get guys that come in and there’s no pads and its more passing so you want to be able to see what you can do in the pass game. Now naturally you get back into – whether it’s the start of training camp till now, there’s movement throughout, there’s different guys in all different positions that get opportunities. As a rookie the volume starts to hit you a little bit and it can slow you down and I think for him that’s not the case as much as it is just the fact that we have a great room of running backs; there’s great competition. We’re trying to give all the guy’s opportunity in different spots which Deneric (Prince) is doing a really good job of learning this offense and just continuing to grow.”Q: What have you seen from Justin Watson?NAGY: “Same thing that we’ve seen since the day he’s gotten here last year. Somebody that knows where to be at every play. (He) is always going to play fast, he’s in the right spots at the right time. Now again for him its just a matter of continuing to grow with the timing with Pat (Patrick Mahomes), certain routes, making sure that Pat (Patrick Mahomes) and him are seeing things the same way. All those guys are a little bit different, and I think that’s what makes that room so special is they’re not all the same, they’re all very different and he brings a great element of speed, knowledge, and experience to our offense.”Q: You guys have some tough decisions to make with receivers five through eight. What role will you play in that process when talking to Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager Brett Veach?NAGY: “I’ll give my honest opinion on all of those guys when the time comes. I think it’s been a really good camp for those guys, there’s some guys that have come in and shown that they’ve been able to take the playbook on right away (and) not make the same mistakes twice. That’s one of the things that I mentioned before is we look for that, who keeps making the same mistakes. Who has the ability – do you see the ceiling with them where their at talent wise or do they have the ability to grow and develop but one thing they’ve certainly done and it’s a credit to (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) and (General Manager Brett) Veach is (they) brought in a lot of really good guys that in the end I wish everybody could make this team, I do. That’s your goal as a Coach is to develop them so that if they don’t make this team, it’s a small fraternity and they’re able to go somewhere and help somebody else out and be thankful for their opportunity here.”<h2>Chiefs Player Quotes&nbsp;</h2>RB ISIAH PACHECOQ: What does it feel like to not have the no contact jersey on, do you feel like you’re back-back?PACHECO: “I don’t feel like I’m back-back. I was back out there when I was out there in St. Joe, and I felt like I was comfortable breaking with the guys just being able to get as much out of it as I can.”Q: Do you appreciate the fact that the staff has taken it slow having you come back even if you always want to play hard?PACHECO: “Absolutely. I wasn’t cleared and I couldn’t just get out there in the fire, but whatever I could do to maintain that shape and to keep up to tempo I was going to do it. (The) coaches allowed me to do that. I’m thankful for them.”Q: What did you learn about what it takes to play a full NFL season as a running back having 20 games plus preseason last season?PACHECO: “It takes the mental toughness and to be able to find a routine to maintain the shape of your body. For me, I’m just finding older guys to ask them questions (and) pick their brains about how to take care of your body. For me that’s what I love doing because I love talking about the game and taking care of myself. The guys, they always look out for me and they hook me up with somebody and if there is nobody, then just going to the hot tub and getting that routine.”Q: What do you want to do to be better this year?PACHECO: “Be more flexible. For me that’s the word I want to use because taking care of my body, as I said before, being able to stretch a lot more. Just finding ways to be looser so I can be more explosive out there.”

Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Coordinator and Player Quotes, Aug. 22

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas Wesleyan University is ranked No. 20 in the preseason NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches preseason poll as released by the NAIA National Office on Monday. The Coyotes are coming off an 8-3 season in 2022, and were picked to win the newly formed Bissell Division in the KCAC Preseason Poll conducted earlier this month. The Coyotes open the season on Saturday at Evangel. Reigning NAIA National Champions Northwestern (Iowa) leads the pack in the preseason&nbsp;NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 presented by FirstDown PlayBook, receiving 17 first-place votes. Last year's runner-up Keiser (Fla.) takes the final vote and sits second, followed by Grand View (Iowa), Morningside (Iowa), and Indiana Wesleyan.&nbsp; Ranking Methodology The ranking was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league or division. The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list. The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.&nbsp;–&nbsp;Kansas Wesleyan University is ranked No. 20 in the preseason NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches preseason poll as released by the NAIA National Office on Monday. The Coyotes are coming off an 8-3 season in 2022, and were picked to win the newly formed Bissell Division in the KCAC Preseason Poll conducted earlier this month. The Coyotes open the season on Saturday at Evangel. Reigning NAIA National Champions Northwestern (Iowa) leads the pack in the preseason&nbsp;NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 presented by FirstDown PlayBook, receiving 17 first-place votes. Last year's runner-up Keiser (Fla.) takes the final vote and sits second, followed by Grand View (Iowa), Morningside (Iowa), and Indiana Wesleyan.&nbsp; Ranking Methodology The ranking was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league or division. The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list. The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.