Friday Morning Sports – Bearcats Aim to Remain Undefeated Against Bulldogs, Huskers’ Coaching Reports Not Accurate, Memorial Stadium Renovations Coming, Sellout Streak in Jeopardy, Details on New Multimedia Rights Deal, Local Sports Recap/Schedule

KEARNEY FOOTBALL AIMS TO CONTINUE WINNING STREAK:

The Kearney High Bearcats sit at 4-0 on the season as one of four remaining undefeated teams across Class A after their earth shattering upset over Bellevue West last week. Kearney returns home for a short homestand, battling district foe and Central Nebraska rival North Platte tonight at Foster Field. 

North Platte enters at 2-2 on the season after falling to Papillion-LaVista South and Grand Island in their opening contests. The Bulldogs earned a gritty win on the road in Scottsbluff before taking down Columbus last week. 

High school football coverage begins tonight on KGFW at 6 PM with the High School Football Preview Show, followed by live pregame coverage from Ron and Carol Cope Stadium at 6:30, and kickoff set for 7 PM. Austin Jacobsen and Ford Clark will be on the call. 

Tune into the contest on 1340 KGFW, 96.1 FM, on the free KGFW mobile app, and online at KGFW.com.

ALBERTS: REPORTS ON COACHING SEARCH NOT ACCURATE:

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said on Thursday that reports he’s seen on Twitter aren’t accurate.

Quote, “I don’t know that I’ve seen anything that’s accurate,” Alberts said. “I’m serious. I have not yet read anything that I would say is accurate.”

Nebraska has hired Collegiate Sports Associates to help with the search. CSA is run by Todd Turner, an athletic director at four different schools, including NC State and Washington. Former Virginia athletic director and college basketball coach Craig Littlepage is one of CSA’s senior consultants.

A firm helps research and connect prospective candidates to administrators with open jobs. Alberts predicted the job would be connected to several names and it has been; according to The Athletic, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, Kansas coach Lance Leipold and Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien are high on the Huskers list.

SELLOUT STREAK IS “WEEK-TO-WEEK” ACCORDING TO HUSKER AD:

Nebraska’s home sellout streak currently sits at 385 games. The future of the streak for the Huskers’ final four home games of the season remains in jeopardy.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts said the status of the streak that dates back to 1962 will be a week-to-week thing for home games remaining with Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The sellout streak is the one thing with Nebraska football that connects the Bob Devaney era to today. A lot has changed since then, but NU’s sellout streak remains intact. Alberts said Nebraska likely will not be able to announce that tickets are sold out for the remainder of the season.

MEMORIAL STADIUM TO UNDERGO MORE RENOVATIONS:

Nebraska will start one part of its Memorial Stadium renovation right after the season: The East balcony — sandwiched in between the lower level and the 600-level seats in East Stadium — will receive seat backs.

Athletic Director Trev Alberts added that the seat backs will reduce capacity by 617 seats.

NEBRASKA ANNOUNCES RECORD-BREAKING MULTIMEDIA RIGHTS DEAL:

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will be asked to approve a massive multimedia rights contract at its next meeting — a deal that would make Nebraska athletics among the top tickets in multimedia rights. 

In documents released by the University System, Nebraska intends to enter into a 15-year, $300 million contract with Playfly Sports for its multimedia rights. The deal would include $273.6 million of guaranteed payments, starting with $13 million in 2023-24 and increasing to $23.2 million by the final year of the deal. 

Playfly will also include $7.5 million in signing bonuses, $6.5 million in estimated royalties, $6 million in capital investments, and $2.25 million in NIL funding. 

The contract stipulates that operations will be transitioned over during a nine-month period from Oct. 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. 

STORM WIN SEASON OPENER OVER CAPITOLS:

The Tri-City Storm opened the 2022-2023 regular season with a 4-1 victory over the Madison Capitols Thursday evening at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. 

The game was the Storm’s opening game of the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic. Sebastian Törnqvist and Nick Roukounakis each netted their first career USHL goals in the win for Tri-City. Graham Gamache and Kieran Cebrian also notched goals in the victory for the Storm. 

Sebastian Wraneschitz collected the win in net after stopping 29 of Madison’s 30 shots on goal. 

Tri-City will face Muskegon tomorrow evening before returning home to host the Omaha Lancers for the 2022 Home Opener at the Viaero Center on Friday, September 30th.

UNK FOOTBALL BEGINS HOMESTAND WITH FORMER COACH: 

The 25th/21st-ranked Nebraska Kearney football team starts a rare two-game home stand when Central Missouri comes to Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field this Saturday. The game kicks off at 1 p.m.

This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Lopers and Mules (0-3). UCM holds a 9-3 series advantage and is 5-1 all-time in Kearney. UNK’s lone home win in the series came back in 1973.

Last year in Warrensburg, quarterback TJ Davis (Colorado Springs) scored with 22 seconds left, capping a 70-yard drive, to help the Lopers post a 31-28 victory. Davis was limited to 45 rushing yards on 21 carries; he had 43 yards on 23 attempts in a 2019 home loss to UCM.

The Mules have a strong defense as they gave up just 21 points in the opener at No. 14/#6 Pittsburg State and 24 last week at No. 2/3 Northwest Missouri State. Central Missouri also has had the toughest schedule to date as its first four opponents are currently a combined 10-1 and all nationally ranked.

Former Loper head coach Josh Lamberson makes his return to Foster Field after leading the Lopers from 2014-2016 and a 1-21 overall mark. 

LOPER SOFTBALL FALLS TO TALENTED HUSKER BATS:

The Nebraska softball team claimed a 10-0 victory over Nebraska-Kearney Thursday night. The Huskers tallied 10 hits including three home runs while holding the Lopers to only one hit. 

Talia Tokheim, Sydney Gray and Mya Felder all recorded home runs in NU’s first fall softball game at Bowlin Stadium. Kaylin Kinney combined with newcomers Sarah Harness and Kendall Mangel to hold UNK to one hit and only four base runners. 

Nebraska returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 29 for the final scarlet and cream scrimmage of the fall season. The game will start at 3:30 p.m. and admission is free. The Lopers battle Doane on October 2 at Kearney’s Patriot Park.

CELTICS HEAD COACH SUSPENDED FOR SEASON BY THE ORGANIZATION:

The Boston Celtics have suspended Ime Udoka for a full year, banning the coach who led them to the NBA Finals last spring for the entire 2022-23 season over what two people with knowledge of the matter said was an improper relationship with a member of the organization.

In a statement issued Thursday night after a full day of wrangling over the terms of the punishment, the Celtics said Udoka violated team policies and left open the possibility that a longer separation could follow.

Assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will take over as interim coach. In a statement published by ESPN, Udoka apologized “to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down.”

NFL SCORES/SCHEDULES:

Thursday:

Cleveland Browns 29-17 Pittsburgh Steelers

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Boys Tennis: Dual v. Alliance @ Harmon Park
    • KHS 9-0
  • Softball: @ GISH (Doubleheader)
    • GAME 1: GISH 7-6
    • GAME 2: GISH 14-6 (5 innings)
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Softball: v. Lexington
    • KCHS 10-2
  • Volleyball: @ Northwest (GI) Triangular
    • GAME 1: KCHS 2-0 Lexington
    • GAME 2: KCHS 2-1 GINW
• UNK:
  • Softball: @ Nebraska-Lincoln (Huskers)
    • UNL 10-0

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Football: v. North Platte – 7 PM @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium
    • Pregame at 6:30 PM, Kickoff at 7 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Boys Tennis: @ GICC Invite – 9 AM
  • Football: v. Amherst – 7 PM @ Kearney Catholic High School
• UNK:
  • Women’s Tennis: @ ITA Central Regional – @ Edmond, OK
  • Volleyball: @ Missouri Western – 6 PM
  • Women’s Soccer: @ Missouri Western, 7 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • High School Football Preview Show (6 PM – 6:30 PM)
  • Kearney High Football v. North Platte (6:30 PM – 10 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Softball: Lincoln SE Invite – 8:30 AM @ Doris Bair Softball Complex
  • Volleyball: @ Seaman Invite – 8:30 AM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Girls Golf: @ Centennial Conference Meet
  • Volleyball: @ Aurora Invite – 9 AM
  • Softball: @ Adams Central Invite – 10 AM
• UNK:
  • Women’s Tennis: @ ITA Central Regional – @ Edmond, OK
  • Women’s Swim: v. Sam Freas Invite – @ Edmond, OK
  • Football: v. Central Missouri – 1 PM @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium
  • Volleyball: @ Central Missouri – 2 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Volleyball v. Ohio State (6:30 PM – 9:45 PM)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Women’s Tennis: @ ITA Central Regional – @ Edmond, OK
  • Women’s Soccer: @ Northwest Missouri State – 1 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • N/a