Sports News-Febuary 7, 2013
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Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini has announced a 26-player recruiting class that analysts consider more talented than the one he signed in 2012 and perhaps the best of the six he's assembled for the Cornhuskers. ESPN recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree says Nebraska is adding depth at linebacker and running back and have their quarterback of the future in Johnny Stanton of California. The Huskers yesterday signed twelve players on offense, 13 on defense and a long snapper. Scout.com has NU’s class ranked eleventh in the nation after listing them 50th a year ago. Rivals.com ranked Nebraska 17th and ESPN.com and 247sports.com each have the Huskers 23rd. NU is a consensus third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan. Walking on for the Huskers will be Norfolk Catholic standouts Connor Ketter & Jordan Bellar. Ketter, who will play tight end, caught 18 passes last year for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Bellar, who will be a punter, punted 30 times for a 45.1 yard average.
Running back Braylon Heard and defensive tackle Chase Rome have left the Nebraska football program. Coach Bo Pelini announced the players' departures yesterday at his signing-day news conference. Pelini said both players plan to transfer after finishing the spring semester at Nebraska. Heard appeared in twelve games as a sophomore backup to Ameer Abdullah. He rushed 52 times for 348 yards and three touchdowns. Rome started three of eleven games as a sophomore and made 19 tackles. Rome quit the team for a week in September, with Pelini saying at the time that Rome's "personal goals and personal perception of where he should be on this football team doesn't match the team goals."
Jake Odum scored 22 points, topping the 1,000-point mark for his career and leading Indiana State past 16th ranked Creighton 76-57 last night. It was a huge night for the Sycamores, who earned the 1,400th win in school history and beat a ranked team at home for the first time since December 2006. For the Bluejays, it was a dismal night. Doug McDermott finished with just eight points, all in the first half, and the nation's top shooting team was held to just 42% from the field as its three-game winning streak ended. Will Artino led Creighton with 13 points. Indiana State took control late in the first half using runs of 12-2 and 7-2 to build a 35-24 halftime lead. It blew open the game with a 13-3 run to start the second half, which made it 48-27. Creighton couldn't get closer than 17 the rest of the way. The Sycamores improve to 15-8 overall and 8-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference while the Bluejays drop to 20-4 overall and 9-3 in the conference.
Wayne State head football coach Dan McLaughlin announced yesterday that 26 student athletes have signed national letters of intent at Wayne State. The 2013 recruiting class includes 26 high school recruits. Twelve of the 26 signees are from Nebraska, six from Iowa, seven from Washington and one from California. Ten of the 26 recruits are on the offensive side of the ball and 16 are defensive recruits. Offensively, Wayne State signed five wide receivers, three running backs, one tight end and one offensive lineman. Defensively, they brought in six defensive backs, five defensive linemen and five linebackers. Among the signees are wide receiver Hunter Henry of Boone Central/Newman Grove, linebacker Travis Wright of Battle Creek, and linebacker Justin Saunders of Laurel/Concord/Coleridge. Wayne State finished the 2012 season with a 6-5 overall record. Other football athletes moving on are Columbus’ Thomas Ernst to Nebraska-Kearney. Concordia signed O’Neill’s Michael Hedlund, Battle Creek’s Casey Johnson, and Boone Central/Newman Grove’s Hallick Lehmann. Doane landed Aaron Hanlin, Lucas Osborn, and Nate Meier from Pierce along with Boone Central/Newman Grove’s Tanner Mazour. Nathan Bazata of Howells/Dodge will attend the University of Iowa.
Wayne State head track and field coach Marlon Brink announced that four student athletes have signed national letters of intent and will compete next year. Signing with the Wildcats today were Michaela Dendinger of Coleridge, Andrea DeSimone of Plattsmouth, and Derek Lahm and Joseph Warth of Columbus. Dendinger is a thrower from Hartington High School. DeSimone is a distance runner from Plattsmouth High School who will compete in cross country and track and field at Wayne State. Lahm is a three sport standout at Columbus Scotus High School where he is a three year starter in football, basketball and track and field. In track and field, Lahm is a standout triple jumper where he has placed at state the last two seasons. Warth is a thrower from Columbus Scotus High School.
Wayne State head women’s soccer coach Molly Grisham announced the signing of seven recruits (six freshmen, one transfer) to the 2013 recruiting class. Joining the Wildcat program are Kylie Comba, Heather Gunderson, Erin Slattery and Hailey Smith of Omaha. Also signing were Kelsey Engstrom and Valerie Hernandez of Lincoln and Ashley Surface of California. The Wildcats finished the 2012 season with an overall record of 3-14-1.
The National Junior College Athletic Association updated their women’s college basketball rankings today. The Northeast Hawks moved up from 15th to 13th in Division I. They are 23-2 on the season and winners of twelve games in a row and 13 of their last 14 after road wins in the last week over North Platte Community College 79-43 on Saturday and Southeast Community College 83-53 on Tuesday.
KJ Bluford of the Northeast Hawks men’s basketball team has given a verbal pledge to Iowa State for next season. Bluford is a 6’2 shooting guard where he leads the Hawks in scoring at 18.2 points. He is also shooing 39% from three-point range by making 104-269. Bluford was also recruited by Creighton, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Wichita State, Murray State, Purdue, Rhode Island, Arkansas State, Alabama State, and others.
Local Schedule: Nfk Cath at Crofton (GBB-8:00); Nebraska-Omaha at Western Illinois at Macomb, IL (MBB-7:00).
Saturday Morning: Sportstalk on 106 KIX & 106KIX.com from 9:00-10:00 AM from Hy-Vee East. Get the lowdown with the coaches.
Saturday Evening: The Norfolk Catholic boys basketball team takes part in the Heartland Hoops Classic at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island as they play Boys Town at 7:00. Pregame coverage at approximately 6:40 on Newstalk WJAG 105.9 FM & WJAG.com.
Local Scores: Indiana St. 76 (16) Creighton 57 (MBB).
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 99 Toronto 95
Final Cleveland 122 Charlotte 95
Final Indiana 88 Philadelphia 69
Final L-A Clippers 86 Orlando 76
Final Washington 106 New York 96
Final Brooklyn 93 Detroit 90
Final Miami 114 Houston 108
Final Atlanta 103 Memphis 92
Final Oklahoma City 119 Golden State 98
Final New Orleans 93 Phoenix 84
Final Dallas 105 Portland 99
Final Utah 100 Milwaukee 86
Final San Antonio 104 Minnesota 94
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 2 Montreal 1
Final Anaheim 3 Colorado 0
Final OT Dallas 3 Edmonton 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final TCU 62 ( 5) Kansas 55
Final ( 7) Arizona 73 Stanford 66
Final (11) Louisville 68 Rutgers 48
Final (12) Michigan St. 61 (18) Minnesota 50
Final (14) Butler 77 St. Bonaventure 58
Final (15) New Mexico 81 Air Force 58
Final Indiana St. 76 (16) Creighton 57
Final Providence 54 (17) Cincinnati 50
Final OT (22) Oklahoma St. 69 Baylor 67
Final (24) Marquette 70 South Florida 47
TOP-25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final ( 1) Baylor 86 Kansas 45
Final (23) Oklahoma 74 Kansas St. 68
Final (25) Iowa St. 67 Texas 48
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