TOPEKA, Kan. – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.

Basketball -&nbsp;Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.

Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.

Football&nbsp;- As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:

Class 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pm

Class 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Class 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pm

Class 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pm

Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00am

Class 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pm

Class 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pm

Wrestling&nbsp;– Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 - March 1, 2025.

Track and Field&nbsp;– Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.

Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.

Meeting minutes reflecting these actions and others will be posted completed:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/General/BoardMeetingsAndAgendas.cfm" target="_blank">Meetings and Agendas</a>

TOPEKA, Kan. – Changes to postseason formats and championship sites for basketball, football, wrestling and track and field highlight actions approved at the June 12-13 KSHSAA Executive Board Meeting. The postseason formats are set by the KSHSAA Executive Board each year.Basketball -&nbsp;Beginning in March of 2026, the state basketball tournaments will be moving to four total sites. Four facilities will play host to the seven classifications, 14 championships. By honoring the KSHSAA membership voted in the fall of 2023 to qualify eight boys teams and eight girls teams involved at the final site, modifications to the daily schedule will be developed. The schedule and other event details, including classification designations for each site and venue selection will be determined and announced following the 2024-25 basketball season.Another basketball postseason change effective with the 2024-25 season will come at the 3A, 2A, 1A DI and 1A DII classifications. Each class will be divided into four regions and then seeded into two sub-states within the region: Substate A: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16; Substate B: 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15. The winner of each substate will advance to the state basketball tournament. Further format details and dates will be sent to member schools.Football&nbsp;- As announced in January, the state football championships will be moving to three sites with three games being played at each site. The executive board approved the following sites and schedule for 2024:Emporia State University:Class 6A = Friday, November 29 at 2:00pmClass 4A = Saturday, November 30 at 1:00pmClass 5A = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pmHutchinson Community College:Class 2A = Friday, November 29 at 6:00pmClass 3A = Saturday, November 30 at 12:00pmClass 1A = Saturday, November 30 at 5:00pmKiowa County High School, Greensburg:Class 8-player DII = Saturday, November 30 at 11:00amClass 6-Player = Saturday, November 30 at 3:00pmClass 8-Player DI = Saturday, November 30 at 7:00pmWrestling&nbsp;– Girl’s wrestling will now include four classes to mirror the boy’s classification designations. The addition of another class for girl’s wrestling necessitates the addition of another championship site. 6A, 5A, 4A and 3-1A will each have their own site to determine a champion. 3-1A state wrestling will be in Hays and 4A will be in Salina. Park City Arena and one other facility to be named later will house either 6A or 5A. State sites and regional dates will be determined at the September KSHSAA Executive Board meeting. The state wrestling tournament will take place February 28 - March 1, 2025.Track and Field&nbsp;– Qualification for the state meet was adjusted to now be the top 3 plus the next four best regional performance in each event.Two committees will be formed to gather input from membership school leaders. One to discuss the details behind the implementation of Esports prior to the possible adoption as a KSHSAA sanctioned activity. The second committee will review the KSHSAA calendar to consider possible alternatives to dates of postseason activities.Meeting minutes reflecting these actions and others will be posted completed:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshsaa.org/Public/General/BoardMeetingsAndAgendas.cfm" target="_blank">Meetings and Agendas</a>

KSHSAA Executive Board Approves Several Postseason Changes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Maikel Garcia hit a game-ending two run double off Yankees closer Clay Holmes, and the Kansas City Royals recovered after squandering a brilliant start by Alec Marsh to beat New York 4-3 on Thursday and avoid a four-game sweep.

Marsh took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning against the major league-best Yankees (49-22), who had outscored the Royals 25-8 in the first three games of the series. He allowed Juan Soto's leadoff single in that frame and then retired the next three batters to conclude his 96-pitch outing.

New York immediately went to work in the eighth against reliever John Schreiber. Anthony Rizzo homered to get the Yankees within 2-1. An error by second baseman Garrett Hampson set up Anthony Volpe's RBI grounder. Angel Zerpa came in and gave up Soto's go-ahead RBI single.

With one out in the ninth against Holmes (1-2), Drew Waters hit a grounder that went for an infield hit after Holmes and first baseman Rizzo were confused about who would field the ball. After a fielder's-grounder, Kyle Isbel singled to bring up Garcia, who hit a liner down the left-field line to score MJ Melendez from third and Isbel from first.

It was the fourth blown save in 23 chances for Holmes.

James McArthur (3-3) worked a scoreless ninth for Kansas City, which snapped a four-game skid. The Royals finished 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Nestor Cortes gave up two runs in seven innings for New York to lower his road ERA to 5.57 from 6.17. The left-hander's ERA at Yankee Stadium is 1.77.

Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with a fourth-inning single and came in to score on Vinnie Pasquantino's two-run double off the wall in left-center. That gave the Royals their first lead in the series.

The Royals threatened again in the sixth. Witt led off with a single, but was caught stealing on a pickoff throw by Cortes. Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was ejected after arguing that a balk should have been called.

The Royals recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A Omaha and optioned LHP Daniel Lynch to Omaha.

The Yankees travel to Boston Friday to begin a three-game series against the Red Sox. RHP Luis Gil (8-1, 2.04 ERA) will face RHP Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA).

The Royals head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers. LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 3.08 ERA) will get the start for Kansas City against RHP Gavin Stone (7-2, 2.93 ERA).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718313262212.png" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas City Royals" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas City Royals</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Maikel Garcia hit a game-ending two run double off Yankees closer Clay Holmes, and the Kansas City Royals recovered after squandering a brilliant start by Alec Marsh to beat New York 4-3 on Thursday and avoid a four-game sweep.Marsh took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning against the major league-best Yankees (49-22), who had outscored the Royals 25-8 in the first three games of the series. He allowed Juan Soto's leadoff single in that frame and then retired the next three batters to conclude his 96-pitch outing.New York immediately went to work in the eighth against reliever John Schreiber. Anthony Rizzo homered to get the Yankees within 2-1. An error by second baseman Garrett Hampson set up Anthony Volpe's RBI grounder. Angel Zerpa came in and gave up Soto's go-ahead RBI single.With one out in the ninth against Holmes (1-2), Drew Waters hit a grounder that went for an infield hit after Holmes and first baseman Rizzo were confused about who would field the ball. After a fielder's-grounder, Kyle Isbel singled to bring up Garcia, who hit a liner down the left-field line to score MJ Melendez from third and Isbel from first.It was the fourth blown save in 23 chances for Holmes.James McArthur (3-3) worked a scoreless ninth for Kansas City, which snapped a four-game skid. The Royals finished 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.Nestor Cortes gave up two runs in seven innings for New York to lower his road ERA to 5.57 from 6.17. The left-hander's ERA at Yankee Stadium is 1.77.Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games with a fourth-inning single and came in to score on Vinnie Pasquantino's two-run double off the wall in left-center. That gave the Royals their first lead in the series.The Royals threatened again in the sixth. Witt led off with a single, but was caught stealing on a pickoff throw by Cortes. Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was ejected after arguing that a balk should have been called.TRANSACTIONSThe Royals recalled LHP Anthony Veneziano from Triple-A Omaha and optioned LHP Daniel Lynch to Omaha.UP NEXTThe Yankees travel to Boston Friday to begin a three-game series against the Red Sox. RHP Luis Gil (8-1, 2.04 ERA) will face RHP Brayan Bello (6-3, 4.78 ERA).The Royals head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers. LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 3.08 ERA) will get the start for Kansas City against RHP Gavin Stone (7-2, 2.93 ERA).___

⚾ Garcia's game-ending hit gives Royals win over Yankees

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, nice seeing everybody. Good to finish up here on a positive note. The guys ran today and did a nice job with that. They look like they’re - have a good foundation. They’ll come back and have an actual test, a conditioning test when they get back. They sure worked hard this offseason and they finished up again today. It’s been productive in particular for the young guys but also for some of the free agents that we brought in and/or the draft picks. So, they’ve done well. So, with that, and then we’ll take a little break here, coaches and players. Players normally take about a week off and then it’s ramp up time after that, so they’ve got to get themselves ready for training camp. Message is just make sure that you come back ready to go – (the message) to the players. With that, time’s yours.”

Q:&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes and Hollywood Brown seem to really have developed chemistry throughout OTAs. How do you see that learning and developing?

REID:&nbsp;“As a coach you look for the communication part. Are they willing to share what they’re thinking with one another? They’ve got a good connection with that part of it – they’re talking. Once Patrick (Mahomes) knows what Hollywood’s (Brown) thinking and Hollywood kind of knows where Patrick physically can get the ball to, location on the field, not as much depth as location on the field, then that’s a good thing.”

Q:&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes mentioned that you gave him a few lighthearted jabs about not settling for the check-down. Is that a point this year to take those deep shots?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah well really in this camp – and I always explain this to the quarterbacks – is that this is the time to find out what you can get away with in the pass game. So there are going to be interceptions that take place but that’s ok. Right now, you’re testing things and then as you go through camp, as camp goes on then you start refining it and hopefully you have the opportunity to do it on every route. Now is that possible? Probably not but at least the ones that you haven’t done a lot of and so we’re always feeding Patrick (Mahomes) new things and that’s to help challenge him because he likes that, and it also makes us better. So, he gets in there and he’s trying to work with these new routes against all these different coverages that (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags is throwing at you. So, it’s a nice challenge there.”

Q:&nbsp;What are you seeing with the competition for left tackle between Wanya Morris and Kinglsey Suamataia?

REID:&nbsp;“Listen, they’ve both done a nice job. So, (I) like the production we’ve seen from both of them. Both of them are young guys. So, we’ll just see how it all finishes up through camp. It’s good competition. We’re going to end up playing the five best guys and we’ll go from there. We’ll just see how it all plays out.”

Q:&nbsp;With the ring ceremony tonight, how much do you use tonight to say it’s time to move on and focus on next season or do you think they’ve already moved on?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I said that at the first minicamp or first OTA, whatever you want to call them. So, it goes by fast. Once you get through that parade, you’re kind of off and heading in the direction of the new season. It’s a night – I don’t want to slight tonight – because there’s a lot that goes into that and there’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into that and this is kind of the reward for it. But I think the guys know that it’s going to be nice to get the ring, but they’ve moved on.”

Q:&nbsp;What’s the plan for Joe Thuney when you get to training camp?

REID:&nbsp;“Joe’s (Thuney) working his tail off, getting better. We’ll just have to - we’ve got to see exactly how that thing works out. I’m not sure, we’ve got to get clearance from the doctor and that whole process that goes on as we go, but he’s made good progress. He’ll be one of those guys that’s kind of right on the border whether he can go or not go from the healing part of it.”

Q:&nbsp;Is it reasonable to expect that he could be ready to go for the regular season?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, yes. For the regular season, yeah. I think he should be ok unless there’s a setback somewhere.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you expect Xavier Worthy to also be ready to go for training camp?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, he should be able to. He’ll continue to get treatment here. He’s getting better. He’ll get treatment, and we’ll just see how he rehabs through that.”

Q:&nbsp;We’ve also seen Derrick Nnadi and Leo Chenal sitting out. Are they on track?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, elbow and back, yeah. They’re both doing good. Range of motion for (Derrick) Nnadi and then Leo’s (Chenal) close. He’s doing a nice job.”

Q:&nbsp;What exactly is Leo Chenal’s injury?

Q:&nbsp;Patrick Mahomes seems hard wired to go for those deep shots. Do you find that you actually have to reel it in more than in the past?

REID:&nbsp;“No, he’s got a good feel for that. Right now, in the pass camp you’re challenging him to take the difficult throw. All’s we’re doing is throwing the ball, so you can check it down and the defense knows that, so you get deep drops. You can sit there and check it down all day, but you’re not getting work on those tight window throws. (It’s) a great opportunity to work those (tight window throws) here. So, it’s not going to be the guy that’s wide open necessarily. It’s going to be where you got to dot it. Helps you with your accuracy and velocity, timing – all those things.”

Q:&nbsp;It’s not like the mindset at the end of last season where you guys kind of contoured to playing with the defense knowing they could handle it?

REID:&nbsp;“Well we’ll see. You know, we’ll see, just see how it all rounds out. You’ve got a little bit more speed on the outside than maybe we did last year so you know if you can use it, you use it. If it’s available, take it. If not, you can work your progression.”

Q:&nbsp;What will you do for the break? Do you ever wear your Super Bowl rings?

REID:&nbsp;“You know, I don’t (wear my Super Bowl rings). Keep this one sacred (points to wedding ring), right (laughter). Right there. I don’t wear the others. She (Tammy Reid) wears them (laughter). Not sure that’s – but she likes to wear them. But, I’ll take a break here. I’ve got a place out west there. I’ll go veg for a minute but still keep my eye on things.”

Q:&nbsp;What did consume most of your self-scout during the offseason? We’ve seen you work on the deep passing game. Did that take up most of it?

REID:&nbsp;“Really, it’s getting that timing down with the new people and then what do the new people do well? So, let’s see what they can do. Now, with Xavier (Worthy) we weren’t able to do a whole lot of that because of the injury but you bring Mecole (Hardman) back in and then you’ve got Hollywood (Brown), you’ve got two fast guys so you can kind of work some things in there and see what they look like. We kind of know the game between (number) four (Rashee Rice) and (number) 87 (Travis Kelce) and how they work off of each other. I thought we were able to expand that too and give them a little bit more to work on. But I would tell you just how the pieces are going to fit was what we spent most of the time on.”

Q:&nbsp;Travis Kelce has said that Jared Wiley is ahead of where he was in terms of understanding the offense as a rookie. How important is that especially with you potentially backing off Travis’ workload?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I don’t know how much we’re going to back off on his time. He wants to be worn out, and we can help him with that (laughter). Wiley, he’s got a good feel, but he’s also got two good guys there between Noah (Gray) and Trav (Kelce) that he can bounce things off of and (Tight Ends Coach) Tom’s (Melvin) been doing – we’re into the offense more than we were when Trav was coming up. Those guys help share it and Tom does a nice job teaching him and spending extra time with him. He comes from a passing offense, he’s had a couple different ones, but good passing offense. He’s got a nice feel for the game. He’s a big target, good player.”

Q:&nbsp;We were talking to your son Spencer Reid at Super Bowl LVIII. He said generally he will find you in the office writing plays in the offseason. How much time do you really take off?

REID:&nbsp;“I try to take the mornings and/or the evenings and just spend a little time with it every day. I enjoy doing it, but my grandkids occupy some time when I get this break - 13 of them, that’s a lot of juggling, right? So, you want to spend as much time as you can with them and you’re not thinking about football when you’re doing it, you’re thinking about them jumping off the cliff or doing something crazy (laughter) so you’ve got to keep a close eye on them.”

Q:&nbsp;How much does it help to bring back veteran players? How much does it help competition during this time?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think it’s great. They set the tempo on it (OTAs) and they create the competition, I think, that you’re talking about here. You hear them jabbing – I mean you’ve heard it, yesterday. We’re down right by you guys and you hear them challenging each other as much as they can in a non-contact environment here. But there’s good competition on both sides of the ball against each other and I think that’s healthy and important.”

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I appreciate (the) coaches (have) kind of dialed it back from when I first got here so those guys are lucky. It was good and guys - I thought we did a great job and guys were in great shape.”

Q: On the Dallas Maverick’s NBA series.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“They played hard. Obviously it didn’t end the way I wanted it to end. It’s kind of a tough series so far but I think (Dallas Maverick’s Guard/Forward) Luka (Dončić) said it best, ‘It’s not over till it’s over.’ I’m still going to be supporting those guys, it’s been a great season. I’m not going to be able to make game four or anything like that, but I’ll be watching.”

Q: Last year you said that the ring ceremony was the last night to celebrate the season before turning the page. Did you have a similar chat with the guys again today?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, for sure. I mean you’ve seen we’ve enjoyed – I mean guys have traveled around and have been able to do a lot of great things. At the same time I mean every year in this league – first off, I thought we had a great OTAs and minicamp to this point. Then, every year in this league you have to come in with that same mentality, you have to be hungry. It’s hard, you saw last year, you’ve seen it every year that I’ve been here, you have to battle in order to win that Super Bowl. Guys have to have that mentality and I think what (General Manager Brett) Veach and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid do is they bring in a group of guys that are hungry and they fuse them with guys that have been here and it usually comes in with a great mix when you get to training camp.”

Q: Do you even mention the three-peat and what is the team’s approach to this?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There’s nothing you can be scared of but at the same time I mean that’s not – the mentality is it’s a brand-new season. I’ve dealt with it a couple times now and we know every week is going to be a big week. We start off with some great opponents early in the season, so you just have the mentality of getting yourself better. In order to win you have to get better and better every single year, that’s the mentality you have to have.”

Q: What is your schedule going to look like from now till training camp?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’ll be traveling a little bit but a lot of working out. I mean it’s only four and a half weeks, it’s like my shortest second break that I’ve ever had. There’s not going to be a lot of off time, even if I’m on vacation or whatever it is, there’s going to be a lot of working out. I have a good plan that I have with (Trainer) Bobby (Stroupe) so we’ll make sure I come into camp ready to go.”

Q: Do you need to use this time to replenish and restore yourself?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s pretty simple, I’m not trying to do anything crazy. I go to sports games and stuff like that but other than that it’s just spending time with my family, playing golf and working out.”

Q: Is it important though to get some rest in?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I’m kind of one of those guys or people just in general that doesn’t like just sitting still so the golf course is my rest. I like to go out there and hit them and just have a good time out there and spend time with my family and chasing (my) kids around.”

Q: What leads you to say that the team had a good OTAs compared to seasons in the past?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think it’s two things, I think one is just the confidence that the defense has just off the year they had this last year. You see that they’re trying to build on that. Then offensively, obviously, we felt like we didn’t play our best last year and even though we won, we knew we had a lot of places to improve. I think guys had that mentality coming into OTAs and minicamp. That’s something that I think has gotten the best out of everybody is that every single day y’all hear it – we’re talking trash but it’s in a good way then we go off, we talk about it after practice of what we can do better. It’s been a great OTAs and minicamp, one of the best that I think that I’ve ever been a part of.”

Q: How do you think the receiver’s room is shaping up?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think it’s shaping up really well. I thought Hollywood (Brown) did a great coming in and being prepared and learning really fast and being able to go out there and make plays. I thought Rashee (Rice) did a great job, J (Justin) Wat (Watson), Skyy (Moore), all these guys really competed, and I think that’s a good thing to have. I’m excited to get (Xavier) Worthy out there more, I got to throw to him a couple times, but you want to get him out there kind of in some more team-based drills and let him work and learn on the fly. You saw him learning on the side and now it’s just about him getting ready to be at camp and being in shape and ready to roll there.”

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s been great honestly. A great dude and super talented, I think that’s the first thing I saw. I mean you see why he (Carson Wentz) was on pace to win the MVP, the guy can make every throw. He’s very smart, intelligent, asks a lot of great questions and he’s been in similar offenses before so it’s easy for him to pick it up I think. Like I said, he’s super talented, I think that’s the first thing I saw.”

Q: This far into your career, are you still learning new things about your game?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think this is probably the most comfortable I think I’ve felt of just being able to not let something I guess affect me. When you go against (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags, you’re not going to be right 100% of the time and there’s been times where I’ve lost on blitzes and Spags gets me with a new pressure that he’s working on. I think it’s just being able to (say), ‘Alright, let’s just the ball out of my hands, get it to the check-down or whatever that is and then live to play another play.’ I think that’s just something that I’ve felt more comfortable with. I think it’s been cool that we’ve been trying – (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid has gone back to my old days, he’s forcing me to push the ball down the field (and) if I don’t he throws little jabs at me like, ‘Oh, you want to throw the check-down here.’ I’m just like, ‘I got you Coach, we’re going to push it.’ It’s been fun, it’s been a great camp (and) like I said I love the competing, I think that has been the biggest thing, the competing on both sides of the ball, it’s been awesome.”

Q: What is going to be the difference between the performance this year and last year on the field?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“It’s just a mindset. You have to come in knowing that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot, I think we know that. At the same, I think we were a young team last year and we kind of grew up as the season went on. I think this year you have to learn from those mistakes you made last year. I mean it’s just this close (small gesture), that’s how the NFL is. You look back at the season, I think there’s probably three or four games that if we would’ve came out with wins we would have been the one seed from the get-go. You just have to make sure that you capitalize on those opportunities, don’t make those mistakes and try to win those games that we lost last year.”

Q: How much has Hollywood Brown progressed thus far and what is your chemistry like with him?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“He’s (Hollywood Brown) done a great job. It’s hard to learn this offense and I feel like he’s done a great job picking it up very fast. Obviously, you see the ability, he’s – I mean obviously I don’t know how he’s here in our place because of how talented he is. I can just see that it’s going to be a great season for him, just take pressure off of other guys and I think it’s going to help get Trav (Kelce) open, help get Rashee (Rice) open, going to help get all these guys open. You’re going to have that speed threat that can run routes and do all those different things so I’m very excited to get him out there in the regular season.”

Q: Yesterday at camp, you and Hollywood Brown had a play where he just started running long and trusted that you would throw the deep ball to him and you did. How is your guys’ chemistry building going?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think it’s cool because it was very similar to a play that we had ran earlier in OTAs in a practice that y’all (the media) weren’t at where it was kind of a cover zero type blitz and I tried to throw it up early and it wasn’t necessarily the route that how it was supposed to be ran but I was like, ‘Hey if you see the pressure, you have to get over there. I’m going to put it up in the air and let you run underneath it.’ That was the thing, he picked that up in a week – that was probably two or three weeks ago, then he came back and we – same exact type of play, same pressure and he got over there. I threw the ball the same as I threw it last time and he catches it for a touchdown. That’s the stuff that I’m talking about, it’s not only the physical ability that he has but he’s a smart football player and I’m excited to get him out there and have a great training camp going up against (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags. You get to learn everything you can possibly learn and then you get into the regular season and get ready to roll.”

Q: Last year when you got your ring, you tweeted something that was directed at what other players had said. Do you have something planned this time?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I don’t think anyone said anything so I think I’m in the clear. I’ll think of a caption and try to come up with something that could go viral like that.”

Reid & Mahomes Quotes: 6-13-24

Hello and happy Thursday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.

Good news for Kansas City Royals fans, on Wednesday an MRI revealed that Hunter Renfroe's left big toe is not fractured, the team initially announced it was broken by a foul ball.

Renfroe was hurt Monday when he fouled off a pair of pitches against left-hander Carlos Rodón in the third inning. The outfielder got off to a slow start this season but had raised his batting average to .200 with six homers and 26 RBIs.

Kansas City said Renfroe is expected to miss two to three weeks, down from six to eight weeks.

Speaking of the Royals, Jose Trevino, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton all homered last night as part of an 11-5 rout as the Royals dropped the series to the Yankees.

New York now boasts a major league best 49-21 record, the Royals will get one last crack at the pinstripe unit this afternoon at 1:10

And finally, last night also saw game three of this year’s NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, and thanks to a late surge the Celtics were able to pull away to take a 3-0 series lead

Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown scored 31 and 30 respectively to avoid what would have been the biggest collapse in an NBA finals game this century, staving off a 21-point comeback bid. Boston can take the series in game four on Friday

That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to KINA.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8EOpfFMHFY?si=tw8E8DkfnGxA_bPS" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Hello and happy Thursday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here" />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here</figcaption>
 </figure>_________Good news for Kansas City Royals fans, on Wednesday an MRI revealed that Hunter Renfroe's left big toe is not fractured, the team initially announced it was broken by a foul ball.Renfroe was hurt Monday when he fouled off a pair of pitches against left-hander Carlos Rodón in the third inning. The outfielder got off to a slow start this season but had raised his batting average to .200 with six homers and 26 RBIs.Kansas City said Renfroe is expected to miss two to three weeks, down from six to eight weeks._________Speaking of the Royals, Jose Trevino, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton all homered last night as part of an 11-5 rout as the Royals dropped the series to the Yankees.New York now boasts a major league best 49-21 record, the Royals will get one last crack at the pinstripe unit this afternoon at 1:10_________And finally, last night also saw game three of this year’s NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, and thanks to a late surge the Celtics were able to pull away to take a 3-0 series leadJason Tatum and Jalen Brown scored 31 and 30 respectively to avoid what would have been the biggest collapse in an NBA finals game this century, staving off a 21-point comeback bid. Boston can take the series in game four on Friday_________That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to KINA.

910 KINA Sports Headlines — June 13

Q: How can mandatory minicamp help the team get prepared?

JONES:&nbsp;“I think most importantly OTAs are about building continuity with the team, chemistry, that’s a huge part of it. We have a lot of young guys, getting them acclimated to how we practice, the speed of practice and just being able to be around the guys and compete, I think most importantly. We kind of missed that aspect of it, we (have) been off since February the 13th&nbsp;and being able to be here to be competing with my guys every day.”

Q: Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told us about when one of his previous teams had a top defense in the league and the next year they fell to the bottom. What is your takeaway from that chat?

JONES:&nbsp;“Just how easy it is to get complacent. I think that was 2016-2017 New York Giants, if I’m correct. He actually showed us the bulletin this morning on the board (and) how they were ranked second and went to (last). Just the complacency level. It’s so easy to get complacent. It’s so easy to get to, ‘We’ll fix it later,’ you know what I mean. Especially when you come off such a high, so you want to always keep that pressure applied and making sure that you’re challenging each other at the highest level.”

JONES:&nbsp;“It’s a Catch-22 at OTAs because you can’t bull rush, right? And you have no pads, so it’s more so hand work. And it’s also a level of protecting each other. Training camp I think we can open up that talk a little more on where we’re at, where we stand. Either we are getting our butt kicked, or we’re kicking butt. So, talk to me about it in training camp. Y’all have a beautiful day.”

Q: What are your initial thoughts on the wide receiver core, specifically Hollywood Brown?

WATSON: “It’s been great. Good mix of new faces and some guys that have been around here. I think just a lot of new energy. It’s been cool, we always talk about attacking the new season and using this time to improve, starting to figure out who we are. It’s just been cool to see some new additions like Hollywood Brown, getting Nikko Remigio back and then obviously Xavier (Worthy), he’s just dynamic. It’s been really great to add some great guys and dynamic playmakers out there.”

Q: Are you used to being one of the faster guys?

WATSON: “Last year we had a lot of debates and conversations I would say the last two years about who’s the fastest and I would always put my name in that ring. I’m going to defer to one of those two (Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown), those guys can absolutely fly so one of those two are definitely the fastest right now.”

Q: You have won three Super Bowls now, what about those experiences can you rely upon, learn from and teach the other guys about the rare chance to go for three?

WATSON: “I think it’s a (MLB Hall of Famer) Hank Aaron quote that I really like. He said, ‘Yesterday’s homeruns don’t win today’s games.’ That’s always how you have to attack the season. This time of year, nobody cares that you’ve won the Super Bowl last year. It doesn’t earn you anything except you’re getting everybody’s best shot. We’ve just used this time to (say), ‘Hey forget about the Super Bowl.’ We’ve got the Ring Ceremony tomorrow, that will be the last time we talk about or celebrate last season. Really since we’ve gotten here, it’s been the whole train is moving forward, nobody is talking about last year. It’s about what we want to do this year.”

Q: How much does an Andy Reid offense evolve each year?

WATSON: “I’m already excited about what we have going in for early next season. I think our coaching staff is so smart that they see any tendencies that we give, anything the defenses try to throw at us late in the season and we try to figure out a way, ‘How can we complement that? How can we use what they’re overplaying to our advantage?’ I know (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s record in the first month of the season has been good, and I think a lot of that’s been just all the film work, all the studying in the offseason. I mean they watch every single play from the previous season multiple times over so just that level of detail makes us feel really confident and comfortable out there running around.”

Q: How has your connection with Patrick Mahomes improved from when you first met him to now?

BROWN:&nbsp;“It’s been good. From when we first started going back in Dallas to now, it just keeps improving, and he’s trusting me more and more so that’s good.”

Q: Outside of talent, is there a reason why you think this team has been so successful?

BROWN:&nbsp;“Yeah definitely. I feel like everyone is on the same page, everyone has the same goal, same mission. The way we compete out there in practice and then – we teach each other like we help each other, defense talks to offense, offense talks to defense, so I feel like that’s a big part of it.”

Q: What do you think you’re capable of in this offense?

BROWN:&nbsp;“I’m excited to be here. (I’m) trusting (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy and Pat (Mahomes). I’m just excited for the opportunity and what’s ahead.”

Q: Who have you become close with on the team?

BROWN:&nbsp;“I mean obviously Rashee (Rice) but Pat (Mahomes), Trav (Kelce), everyone really. We train together too like outside of here, so the whole receiver corps (is) getting together and just being around each other as much as we can heading into the season.”

DT CHRIS JONESQ: How can mandatory minicamp help the team get prepared?JONES:&nbsp;“I think most importantly OTAs are about building continuity with the team, chemistry, that’s a huge part of it. We have a lot of young guys, getting them acclimated to how we practice, the speed of practice and just being able to be around the guys and compete, I think most importantly. We kind of missed that aspect of it, we (have) been off since February the 13th&nbsp;and being able to be here to be competing with my guys every day.”Q: Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told us about when one of his previous teams had a top defense in the league and the next year they fell to the bottom. What is your takeaway from that chat?JONES:&nbsp;“Just how easy it is to get complacent. I think that was 2016-2017 New York Giants, if I’m correct. He actually showed us the bulletin this morning on the board (and) how they were ranked second and went to (last). Just the complacency level. It’s so easy to get complacent. It’s so easy to get to, ‘We’ll fix it later,’ you know what I mean. Especially when you come off such a high, so you want to always keep that pressure applied and making sure that you’re challenging each other at the highest level.”Q: On Kingsley Suamataia.JONES:&nbsp;“It’s a Catch-22 at OTAs because you can’t bull rush, right? And you have no pads, so it’s more so hand work. And it’s also a level of protecting each other. Training camp I think we can open up that talk a little more on where we’re at, where we stand. Either we are getting our butt kicked, or we’re kicking butt. So, talk to me about it in training camp. Y’all have a beautiful day.”WR JUSTIN WATSONQ: What are your initial thoughts on the wide receiver core, specifically Hollywood Brown?WATSON: “It’s been great. Good mix of new faces and some guys that have been around here. I think just a lot of new energy. It’s been cool, we always talk about attacking the new season and using this time to improve, starting to figure out who we are. It’s just been cool to see some new additions like Hollywood Brown, getting Nikko Remigio back and then obviously Xavier (Worthy), he’s just dynamic. It’s been really great to add some great guys and dynamic playmakers out there.”Q: Are you used to being one of the faster guys?WATSON: “Last year we had a lot of debates and conversations I would say the last two years about who’s the fastest and I would always put my name in that ring. I’m going to defer to one of those two (Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown), those guys can absolutely fly so one of those two are definitely the fastest right now.”Q: You have won three Super Bowls now, what about those experiences can you rely upon, learn from and teach the other guys about the rare chance to go for three?WATSON: “I think it’s a (MLB Hall of Famer) Hank Aaron quote that I really like. He said, ‘Yesterday’s homeruns don’t win today’s games.’ That’s always how you have to attack the season. This time of year, nobody cares that you’ve won the Super Bowl last year. It doesn’t earn you anything except you’re getting everybody’s best shot. We’ve just used this time to (say), ‘Hey forget about the Super Bowl.’ We’ve got the Ring Ceremony tomorrow, that will be the last time we talk about or celebrate last season. Really since we’ve gotten here, it’s been the whole train is moving forward, nobody is talking about last year. It’s about what we want to do this year.”Q: How much does an Andy Reid offense evolve each year?WATSON: “I’m already excited about what we have going in for early next season. I think our coaching staff is so smart that they see any tendencies that we give, anything the defenses try to throw at us late in the season and we try to figure out a way, ‘How can we complement that? How can we use what they’re overplaying to our advantage?’ I know (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid’s record in the first month of the season has been good, and I think a lot of that’s been just all the film work, all the studying in the offseason. I mean they watch every single play from the previous season multiple times over so just that level of detail makes us feel really confident and comfortable out there running around.”WR HOLLYWOOD BROWNQ: How has your connection with Patrick Mahomes improved from when you first met him to now?BROWN:&nbsp;“It’s been good. From when we first started going back in Dallas to now, it just keeps improving, and he’s trusting me more and more so that’s good.”Q: Outside of talent, is there a reason why you think this team has been so successful?BROWN:&nbsp;“Yeah definitely. I feel like everyone is on the same page, everyone has the same goal, same mission. The way we compete out there in practice and then – we teach each other like we help each other, defense talks to offense, offense talks to defense, so I feel like that’s a big part of it.”Q: What do you think you’re capable of in this offense?BROWN:&nbsp;“I’m excited to be here. (I’m) trusting (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Matt) Nagy and Pat (Mahomes). I’m just excited for the opportunity and what’s ahead.”Q: Who have you become close with on the team?BROWN:&nbsp;“I mean obviously Rashee (Rice) but Pat (Mahomes), Trav (Kelce), everyone really. We train together too like outside of here, so the whole receiver corps (is) getting together and just being around each other as much as we can heading into the season.”

Chiefs Player Quotes: 6-12-24

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hunter Renfroe's left big toe is not fractured, the Kansas City Royals said Wednesday, two days after the team initially announced it was broken by a foul ball.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718073233917.png" alt="Hunter Renfroe -photo KC Royela" />
 <figcaption>Hunter Renfroe -photo KC Royela</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hunter Renfroe's left big toe is not fractured, the Kansas City Royals said Wednesday, two days after the team initially announced it was broken by a foul ball.Kansas City said Renfroe is expected to miss two to three weeks, down from six to eight weeks.Renfroe was hurt Monday when he fouled off a pair of pitches against left-hander Carlos Rodón in the third inning. The outfielder got off to a slow start this season but had raised his batting average to .200 with six homers and 26 RBIs.

Royals reverse initial announcement: Hunter Renfroe's left big toe not broken

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Trevino capped a six-run first inning with a three-run homer, Gleyber Torres added a three-run drive in the seventh and the New York Yankees romped over the Kansas City Royals 11-5 Wednesday night for their third straight win in the four-game series.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a 449-foot, two-run homer into shrubbery next to a waterfall beyond left-center, a night after hitting a 446-foot home run over three fences beyond center field.

Stanton has five home runs at Kauffman, two to left field and two to center.

“We got to get right field now, so I got one more game to do it,” Stanton said.

The major league-best Yankees (49-21) have won 12 of their last 15 games and have outscored the Royals 25-8 in the series.

New York has scored 10 runs in the first inning of the three games and leads the major leagues with 57 first-inning runs. The Yankees are 25-3 when scoring in first with a .296 batting average, 20 homers and a .971 OPS.

“A lot of good things, obviously, happened in that first inning,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Everyone putting together really good at-bats and capped off by a no-doubter by Trevvy. ... That’s a good offense, and they're playing well, getting some contributions from everyone.”

New York has won 17 of its first 22 series, moved a season-best 28 games over .500 and improved to 17-1 against the AL Central, winning 15 in a row.

Alex Verdugo put the Yankees ahead with a two-run single and Anthony Rizzo had a sacrifice fly in the first for his first RBI since May 25. In a 1-for-36 slide this month, Rizzo singled in the seventh for his first hit since June 5.

Stanton’s home run was his 17th, and Trevino and Torres have six each.

"Big innings are tough to come back from regardless," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "We’ve done it, and we worked hard to try to get back in it tonight as well. We just couldn’t come through with a big hit a couple of times.”

Juan Soto was in right field for the second straight night after missing three games with left forearm inflammation and went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, raising his batting average to .317.

Backed by an 8-0 lead, Cody Poteet (3-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings.

“It’s just exciting, fun to watch,” Poteet said. “When you see that, you just want to go out there and pound the strike zone because (when) they’re scoring like that early on, you just want to have a shut-down inning.”

AL batting leader Bobby Witt. Jr. doubled in Kansas City’s first run in the sixth, had three hits and lifted his average .326. The Royals have lost four in a row for the first time this season and 11 of 16 following an eight-game winning streak. Kansas City has allowed 19 runs in the first inning over its last six games.

Royals opener Dan Altavilla (0-1) gave up five runs, three hits and one walk while getting one out, raising his ERA to 33.75.

Royals: Kansas City said OF Hunter Renfroe’s left big toe is not fractured as originally thought. Renfroe fouled two balls off his foot three pitches apart Monday. He is projected to miss two-to-three weeks, down from six-to-eight weeks.

LHP Nestor Cortes (3-5, 3.68 ERA) starts Thursday’s series finale for the Yankees and RHP Alec Marsh (5-3, 4.05 ERA) for the Royals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718271789518.jpeg" alt="New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Trevino capped a six-run first inning with a three-run homer, Gleyber Torres added a three-run drive in the seventh and the New York Yankees romped over the Kansas City Royals 11-5 Wednesday night for their third straight win in the four-game series.Giancarlo Stanton hit a 449-foot, two-run homer into shrubbery next to a waterfall beyond left-center, a night after hitting a 446-foot home run over three fences beyond center field.Stanton has five home runs at Kauffman, two to left field and two to center.“We got to get right field now, so I got one more game to do it,” Stanton said.The major league-best Yankees (49-21) have won 12 of their last 15 games and have outscored the Royals 25-8 in the series.New York has scored 10 runs in the first inning of the three games and leads the major leagues with 57 first-inning runs. The Yankees are 25-3 when scoring in first with a .296 batting average, 20 homers and a .971 OPS.“A lot of good things, obviously, happened in that first inning,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Everyone putting together really good at-bats and capped off by a no-doubter by Trevvy. ... That’s a good offense, and they're playing well, getting some contributions from everyone.”New York has won 17 of its first 22 series, moved a season-best 28 games over .500 and improved to 17-1 against the AL Central, winning 15 in a row.Alex Verdugo put the Yankees ahead with a two-run single and Anthony Rizzo had a sacrifice fly in the first for his first RBI since May 25. In a 1-for-36 slide this month, Rizzo singled in the seventh for his first hit since June 5.Stanton’s home run was his 17th, and Trevino and Torres have six each."Big innings are tough to come back from regardless," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "We’ve done it, and we worked hard to try to get back in it tonight as well. We just couldn’t come through with a big hit a couple of times.”Juan Soto was in right field for the second straight night after missing three games with left forearm inflammation and went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, raising his batting average to .317.Backed by an 8-0 lead, Cody Poteet (3-0) allowed two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings.“It’s just exciting, fun to watch,” Poteet said. “When you see that, you just want to go out there and pound the strike zone because (when) they’re scoring like that early on, you just want to have a shut-down inning.”AL batting leader Bobby Witt. Jr. doubled in Kansas City’s first run in the sixth, had three hits and lifted his average .326. The Royals have lost four in a row for the first time this season and 11 of 16 following an eight-game winning streak. Kansas City has allowed 19 runs in the first inning over its last six games.Royals opener Dan Altavilla (0-1) gave up five runs, three hits and one walk while getting one out, raising his ERA to 33.75.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Kansas City said OF Hunter Renfroe’s left big toe is not fractured as originally thought. Renfroe fouled two balls off his foot three pitches apart Monday. He is projected to miss two-to-three weeks, down from six-to-eight weeks.UP NEXTLHP Nestor Cortes (3-5, 3.68 ERA) starts Thursday’s series finale for the Yankees and RHP Alec Marsh (5-3, 4.05 ERA) for the Royals.___

⚾ Stanton, Trevino and Verdugo homer as Yankees beat Royals

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter-Salina Post

Hello and happy Wednesday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.

In case you missed it earlier this week KSHSAA unveiled the official sites for the 2025 state basketball tournaments and many will remain the same across the board.

The 6A tournament will still be hosted at Koch Arena in Wichita, 5A at White Auditorium in Emoporia, 4A at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, 3A at the Hutch Sports Arena, 2A at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan and 1A split between Dodge City and Colby

Speaking of hoops, Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;secured the services of one of the top shot blockers with the signing of elite big man&nbsp;oo-gah-na On-yen-so

A 7-foot, 247-pound center and former consensus top-25 recruit, Onyenso arrives at K-State after spending the last 2 seasons at Kentucky, where he was a part of 45 wins, including 25 in SEC play, and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He played in 40 games in his 2 seasons as a Wildcat, and recently withdrew his name after declaring for the NBA draft

And finally Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run into the fountains last night, as the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 for their 11th win in 14 games.

Game two is set for this evening at 7:10 as the Royals look to even the series in KC

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GXr0Cv8wazw?si=UX8RvpKpscJ-7vrK" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter-Salina PostHello and happy Wednesday everybody, it’s Tyler Henry, back with another KINA Sports Update presented by Salina Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.jpg" />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>_________In case you missed it earlier this week KSHSAA unveiled the official sites for the 2025 state basketball tournaments and many will remain the same across the board.The 6A tournament will still be hosted at Koch Arena in Wichita, 5A at White Auditorium in Emoporia, 4A at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, 3A at the Hutch Sports Arena, 2A at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan and 1A split between Dodge City and Colby_________Speaking of hoops, Kansas State head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;secured the services of one of the top shot blockers with the signing of elite big man&nbsp;oo-gah-na On-yen-soA 7-foot, 247-pound center and former consensus top-25 recruit, Onyenso arrives at K-State after spending the last 2 seasons at Kentucky, where he was a part of 45 wins, including 25 in SEC play, and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He played in 40 games in his 2 seasons as a Wildcat, and recently withdrew his name after declaring for the NBA draft_________And finally Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run into the fountains last night, as the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 for their 11th win in 14 games.Game two is set for this evening at 7:10 as the Royals look to even the series in KC_________That’s your sports update for today, but for even more great area sports content like this, check out Salina Post and stay tuned to KINA.

910 KINA Sports Headlines — June 12

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run with a 436-foot, two-run drive into the fountain behind the center-field seats, and the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 on Tuesday night for their 11th win in 14 games.

Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge in the seventh with a 446-foot shot to center against reliever Nick Anderson for his 16th home run of the season. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer in a four-run fourth off starter Brady Singer.

Back in the lineup after his first game off this season, Judge hit his 21st homer in his last 41 games and also singled in New York’s first run. Judge raised his average to .309 and is hitting .419 with 44 RBIs in his last 35 games after batting .197 through May 2.

“I’m trying not to take that for granted. It’s a lot of fun to witness and to watch what he’s doing on a nightly basis,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s just, obviously — amazing physical talent and tools and ability, but now the experience that thousands of at-bats allow you to have that gets applied with that great talent and this is what you’re seeing.”

Despite lofty stats on the scoreboard each time he steps to the plate, Judge doesn't consider himself a hitter at the level of Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera.

“I try not to look up there. Even when I'm hitting .150, I try not to look up there. I try to look at (Juan) Soto's stats,” Judge said. "They're hitting .330, though, .330, 340, which is — that’s pretty impressive. So I don't know if I'll ever get there but we can work towards it, for sure. Yeah, .330 in November, I might feel locked in.”

AL-best New York (48-21) improved to 39-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including the playoffs, and to 16-1 against the AL Central this season. The Yankees are a season-best 27 games over .500.

Boone got his 557th victory, moving past Billy Martin into sole possession of seventh among Yankees managers.

Marcus Stroman (6-2) allowed four hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, boosting his record to 4-0 in his last six starts. Ron Marinaccio struck out Drew Waters, stranding the bases loaded in the sixth.

Soto played right field for the Yankees and went 0 for 2 with a pair of walks before leaving with New York ahead 10-0 in the seventh. After missing the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of left forearm inflammation, Soto was the designated hitter Monday and went 1 for 3 with a walk.

Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo returned after consecutive days off and went 0 for 4. He is 1 for 33 in June, dropping his average to .221.

“It’s a grind right now and this is what makes you appreciate the sunny days in this game,” Rizzo said, adding he feels “believe it or not, close.”

“It’s tough going through, but this is part of being a baseball player,” Rizzo said.

Anthony Volpe led off with his seventh triple of the season, Soto walked and Judge followed with an RBI single. Alex Verdugo’s groundout advanced the runners and Soto slid home on Stanton’s grounder to third baseman Maikel Garcia, slapping his left hand on the plate ahead of Salvador Perez’s tag.

Singer (4-3) gave up seven runs — six earned — and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.

“I just wish I would have obviously made some better pitches there,” he said.

Kansas City has lost 10 of 15 following an eight-game winning streak.

“I’d be surprised if there’s a team that doesn’t go through this,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “They’re going to keep grinding away.”

Freddy Fermin homered off Marinaccio in the eighth. First baseman/outfielder Nick Pratto made his professional pitching debut with a one-hit ninth for Kansas City in his first big league appearance this season.

Royals: Kansas City did not have an update on OF Hunter Renfroe, who fractured his left big toe in the series opener. Renfroe was placed on the 10-day IL and INF Adam Frazier on the bereavement list. The Royals recalled Pratto and Waters from Triple-A Omaha.

Yankees: OF Jasson Domínguez (Tommy John surgery) was 1 for 5 with an RBI single for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is batting .440 with two homers and three RBIs in six games with the RailRiders.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 25th home run with a 436-foot, two-run drive into the fountain behind the center-field seats, and the New York Yankees routed the Kansas City Royals 10-1 on Tuesday night for their 11th win in 14 games.Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge in the seventh with a 446-foot shot to center against reliever Nick Anderson for his 16th home run of the season. Austin Wells hit a three-run homer in a four-run fourth off starter Brady Singer.Back in the lineup after his first game off this season, Judge hit his 21st homer in his last 41 games and also singled in New York’s first run. Judge raised his average to .309 and is hitting .419 with 44 RBIs in his last 35 games after batting .197 through May 2.“I’m trying not to take that for granted. It’s a lot of fun to witness and to watch what he’s doing on a nightly basis,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s just, obviously — amazing physical talent and tools and ability, but now the experience that thousands of at-bats allow you to have that gets applied with that great talent and this is what you’re seeing.”Despite lofty stats on the scoreboard each time he steps to the plate, Judge doesn't consider himself a hitter at the level of Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera.“I try not to look up there. Even when I'm hitting .150, I try not to look up there. I try to look at (Juan) Soto's stats,” Judge said. "They're hitting .330, though, .330, 340, which is — that’s pretty impressive. So I don't know if I'll ever get there but we can work towards it, for sure. Yeah, .330 in November, I might feel locked in.”AL-best New York (48-21) improved to 39-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including the playoffs, and to 16-1 against the AL Central this season. The Yankees are a season-best 27 games over .500.Boone got his 557th victory, moving past Billy Martin into sole possession of seventh among Yankees managers.Marcus Stroman (6-2) allowed four hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings, boosting his record to 4-0 in his last six starts. Ron Marinaccio struck out Drew Waters, stranding the bases loaded in the sixth.Soto played right field for the Yankees and went 0 for 2 with a pair of walks before leaving with New York ahead 10-0 in the seventh. After missing the weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of left forearm inflammation, Soto was the designated hitter Monday and went 1 for 3 with a walk.Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo returned after consecutive days off and went 0 for 4. He is 1 for 33 in June, dropping his average to .221.“It’s a grind right now and this is what makes you appreciate the sunny days in this game,” Rizzo said, adding he feels “believe it or not, close.”“It’s tough going through, but this is part of being a baseball player,” Rizzo said.Anthony Volpe led off with his seventh triple of the season, Soto walked and Judge followed with an RBI single. Alex Verdugo’s groundout advanced the runners and Soto slid home on Stanton’s grounder to third baseman Maikel Garcia, slapping his left hand on the plate ahead of Salvador Perez’s tag.Singer (4-3) gave up seven runs — six earned — and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.“I just wish I would have obviously made some better pitches there,” he said.Kansas City has lost 10 of 15 following an eight-game winning streak.“I’d be surprised if there’s a team that doesn’t go through this,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “They’re going to keep grinding away.”Freddy Fermin homered off Marinaccio in the eighth. First baseman/outfielder Nick Pratto made his professional pitching debut with a one-hit ninth for Kansas City in his first big league appearance this season.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: Kansas City did not have an update on OF Hunter Renfroe, who fractured his left big toe in the series opener. Renfroe was placed on the 10-day IL and INF Adam Frazier on the bereavement list. The Royals recalled Pratto and Waters from Triple-A Omaha.Yankees: OF Jasson Domínguez (Tommy John surgery) was 1 for 5 with an RBI single for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is batting .440 with two homers and three RBIs in six games with the RailRiders.UP NEXT

⚾ Judge hits MLB-best 25th homer as Yankees rout Royals 

Q: You recently signed a contract extension. What led to you wanting to guarantee that you will be around next season and how many years do you have left?

KELCE:&nbsp;“I can’t put a timeframe on it. I love coming to work every single day. Obviously, I know that there’s opportunities outside of football for me, and I think you have to keep in perspective that I’m still a little kid when I come into this building. I know I’m 34 years old, about to be 35, but I have a love to do this right here in the middle of the heat in June. I love coming to work every single day and doing this. I’m going to do it until the wheels fall off. Hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon, but I can definitely understand that its towards the end of the road than it is the beginning of it. I just have to make sure I’m set up for after football as well.”

Q: What are Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown going to do for you all?

KELCE:&nbsp;“It’s unbelievable that (General Manager Brett) Veach finds ways to bring in – not only guys that have talent, that have unbelievable skill sets but are good people. Just being able to get to know them (Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy) over this offseason, it’s just been cool that Hollywood and X are just – they’re down to earth, humble guys and they love coming to work and they love football. When you bring that kind of mentality into a building that has that culture already set, the sky is the limit for those guys. I’m excited that they’re here.”

Q: Going into year 12, how do you keep your consistency to ensure that your approach to the game doesn’t change?

KELCE:&nbsp;“I only know one way at this point, it’s the (Head Coach) Andy Reid way. You have a certain focus to each day set yourself up to get better and better. Seeing where the team is now, you have to find a way to play your best from this point on all the way till hopefully January and February. The road has started, and I’m excited for it but I only know one way and that’s the only way and that’s the Andy Reid way.”

KELCE:&nbsp;“J Wiley man, I’ll tell you what, he’s got a lot of upside. He’s got a lot of upside. (He’s) very comfortable, smart guy. I would say he’s a lot further along than I was as a rookie in terms of just understanding the offense and really seeing the field. He’s trusting what he’s seeing right now and I’ll tell you what, 15 (Patrick Mahomes), 11 (Carson Wentz), the quarterbacks are on time with him. It’s fun to watch him kind of take off and get more comfortable out there.”

Q: How has this offseason been for you and how do you feel being back at minicamp?

PACHECO: “It’s been fantastic, just soaking all the offseason in as much as I can. No offseason surgeries this year around, so it’s just been about finding ways to get better off of the field.”

Q: You’re known to be an energy guy, how do you keep that going into year three?

PACHECO: “Finding ways to get better every day, just bringing the mindset of being unsatisfied into the room. Just know I’m unsatisfied, people always say there’s a limit. There’s no limit for me, and (I’m) just finding ways to get better.”

Q: This time last year you had the gold non-contact jersey on, what do you think having a full offseason this year will do for you?

PACHECO: “That’s funny, I was just talking about that today, the red and gold (jersey). I’m one of the first to do it as a running back position. It felt special, but I don’t want to go back that route (laughter). I’m just trying to lock in and just be there for my guys that are in those positions right now and that are looking forward to getting healthier.”

Q: Can you talk about the verbal competitiveness in camp, is that fun for you?

PACHECO: “Yes, it’s important to have that competitiveness in this type of camp. We’re just throwing the ball, we’re not running, not that much contact, bodies off the ground. It’s just getting that little edge on the next guy, finding ways to get better every day. Competing is the most important (thing) because (we) can’t have guys on the ground out there so getting in their ear, making them a little bit worried and (then) next play.”

Q: When you first got here last year, was there anything that surprised you?

TRANQUILL:&nbsp;“I don’t know that anything surprised me. There’s a championship culture here and that starts at the top with our ownership all the way down to our players. It’s very apparent. You see guys like Travis (Kelce) who is going into his 12th&nbsp;year and dude just loves the practice. That’s just uncommon, and I think those uncommon characteristics are everywhere in this organization and you pick up on those and it makes you better. Hopefully we can keep that going into this year.”

Q: What can you see from the team’s defense that indicates that you are progressing in the right direction?

TRANQUILL:&nbsp;“I think our ability to just play off one another. A lot of it’s pre-snap communication, that’s dialed in. We’re just advancing and the nuances and the details and being able to do more things within each call. As you evolve as a defense, you’re able to do that and give the quarterback a lot of different looks. Evolving on the scout packages and what not but it’s great being out there with guys who have been in it for so long. It starts in the middle with Nick (Bolton) and goes all around our defense.”

TE TRAVIS KELCEQ: You recently signed a contract extension. What led to you wanting to guarantee that you will be around next season and how many years do you have left?KELCE:&nbsp;“I can’t put a timeframe on it. I love coming to work every single day. Obviously, I know that there’s opportunities outside of football for me, and I think you have to keep in perspective that I’m still a little kid when I come into this building. I know I’m 34 years old, about to be 35, but I have a love to do this right here in the middle of the heat in June. I love coming to work every single day and doing this. I’m going to do it until the wheels fall off. Hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon, but I can definitely understand that its towards the end of the road than it is the beginning of it. I just have to make sure I’m set up for after football as well.”Q: What are Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown going to do for you all?KELCE:&nbsp;“It’s unbelievable that (General Manager Brett) Veach finds ways to bring in – not only guys that have talent, that have unbelievable skill sets but are good people. Just being able to get to know them (Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy) over this offseason, it’s just been cool that Hollywood and X are just – they’re down to earth, humble guys and they love coming to work and they love football. When you bring that kind of mentality into a building that has that culture already set, the sky is the limit for those guys. I’m excited that they’re here.”Q: Going into year 12, how do you keep your consistency to ensure that your approach to the game doesn’t change?KELCE:&nbsp;“I only know one way at this point, it’s the (Head Coach) Andy Reid way. You have a certain focus to each day set yourself up to get better and better. Seeing where the team is now, you have to find a way to play your best from this point on all the way till hopefully January and February. The road has started, and I’m excited for it but I only know one way and that’s the only way and that’s the Andy Reid way.”Q: On Jared Wiley.KELCE:&nbsp;“J Wiley man, I’ll tell you what, he’s got a lot of upside. He’s got a lot of upside. (He’s) very comfortable, smart guy. I would say he’s a lot further along than I was as a rookie in terms of just understanding the offense and really seeing the field. He’s trusting what he’s seeing right now and I’ll tell you what, 15 (Patrick Mahomes), 11 (Carson Wentz), the quarterbacks are on time with him. It’s fun to watch him kind of take off and get more comfortable out there.”RB ISIAH PACHECOQ: How has this offseason been for you and how do you feel being back at minicamp?PACHECO: “It’s been fantastic, just soaking all the offseason in as much as I can. No offseason surgeries this year around, so it’s just been about finding ways to get better off of the field.”Q: You’re known to be an energy guy, how do you keep that going into year three?PACHECO: “Finding ways to get better every day, just bringing the mindset of being unsatisfied into the room. Just know I’m unsatisfied, people always say there’s a limit. There’s no limit for me, and (I’m) just finding ways to get better.”Q: This time last year you had the gold non-contact jersey on, what do you think having a full offseason this year will do for you?PACHECO: “That’s funny, I was just talking about that today, the red and gold (jersey). I’m one of the first to do it as a running back position. It felt special, but I don’t want to go back that route (laughter). I’m just trying to lock in and just be there for my guys that are in those positions right now and that are looking forward to getting healthier.”Q: Can you talk about the verbal competitiveness in camp, is that fun for you?PACHECO: “Yes, it’s important to have that competitiveness in this type of camp. We’re just throwing the ball, we’re not running, not that much contact, bodies off the ground. It’s just getting that little edge on the next guy, finding ways to get better every day. Competing is the most important (thing) because (we) can’t have guys on the ground out there so getting in their ear, making them a little bit worried and (then) next play.”LB DRUE TRANQUILLQ: When you first got here last year, was there anything that surprised you?TRANQUILL:&nbsp;“I don’t know that anything surprised me. There’s a championship culture here and that starts at the top with our ownership all the way down to our players. It’s very apparent. You see guys like Travis (Kelce) who is going into his 12th&nbsp;year and dude just loves the practice. That’s just uncommon, and I think those uncommon characteristics are everywhere in this organization and you pick up on those and it makes you better. Hopefully we can keep that going into this year.”Q: What can you see from the team’s defense that indicates that you are progressing in the right direction?TRANQUILL:&nbsp;“I think our ability to just play off one another. A lot of it’s pre-snap communication, that’s dialed in. We’re just advancing and the nuances and the details and being able to do more things within each call. As you evolve as a defense, you’re able to do that and give the quarterback a lot of different looks. Evolving on the scout packages and what not but it’s great being out there with guys who have been in it for so long. It starts in the middle with Nick (Bolton) and goes all around our defense.”Q: How are you adjusting to learning the playbook this year compared to last year?TRANQUILL:&nbsp;“I think last year obviously having to be thrust into the Mike position for a large stint of the year, I’d call that probably the most difficult position in our defense. At the Will and at the Buck I kind of knew those things and we’re doing those things and kind of cross training. It’s been nice to be able to focus a little bit more on that. I still have to know Mike, but it’s been fun. I’ve been able to kind of focus on some more technique things and developing my game.”Q: What are you anticipating during the Ring Ceremony when you get to see the ring for the first time?TRANQUILL: “I’m looking forward to an awesome date night with my wife out in the great city of Kansas City. I’m sure when I unbox that ring it’s going to be special. There’s going to be a sentimental value attached to that that you can’t necessarily replicate. It’s going to be a fun night with teammates, seeing guys that are no longer here anymore and being able to reunite with those guys. It’s going to be fun.”