Friday Morning Sports – Bearcats Begin Playoff Run with Millard South at Home, Loper Women’s Hoops Travel to Hawkeyes, Mickey Joseph Practice Comments, World Series Begins, Ravens Topple Tom Brady, Local Sports Schedule

BEARCATS BEGIN PLAYOFF RUN WITH MILLARD SOUTH AT HOME:

The #5 Kearney Bearcats aim to being a deep playoff run tonight at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium as the Bearcats face #12 Millard South at Foster Field tonight. 

Kearney (7-2) earned their home playoff spot by downing Norfolk in the final week of the regular season, and riding a two game winning streak into the postseason. Millard South (5-4) is led by Lexington native and former Bearcat assistant Ty Wisdom, as well as Team USA Baseball star Camden Kozeal at quarterback. 

Kickoff is set for 7 PM from Foster Field between the Bearcats and Patriots. KGFW’s pregame begins at 6 PM with the High School Football Preview Show at 6 PM and live pregame with Austin Jacobsen and Ford Clark on 1340 KGFW at 6:30 PM. 

LOPER WOMEN’S HOOPS BEGIN SEASON WITH EXHIBITION AT IOWA:

The Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team starts the 2022-23 season with a Halloween Treat as it takes on the sixth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes Friday in Iowa City.

This marks the Lopers 25th exhibition game against a Division I opponent since 2001. UNK has also squared off against Nebraska, Nebraska Omaha, Colorado, Creighton, Drake and Northern Colorado.

This will likely be the largest crowd a UNK women’s basketball team has ever played in front of and also the best team the Lopers have faced. Veteran head coach Lisa Bluder has a squad picked to win the Big 10, challenge for the program’s second-ever Final Four appearance and is led by All-World shooter Caitlin Clark and All-American post Monika Czinano.

UNK counters the high flyin’ ‘Hawks with a grizzled bunch of Antelopes as five fifth-year seniors have combined for 562 games played, nearly 13,000 minutes of action and a bunch of records and honors

HUSKER FOOTBALL PRACTICE COMMENTS – MICKEY JOSEPH:

JOSEPH – NON-STARTERS MUST BE PREPARED:

Interim Head Coach for Nebraska Football Mickey Joseph spoke at his Thursday press conference regarding how he keeps his confidence in his backups and keeps them prepared throughout the week…

Nebraska aims to take down Illinois on Saturday with kickoff set for 2:30 PM from Memorial Stadium.

JOSEPH – COMFORTABLE WITH GIFFORD; OTHER NICKELS BE READY:

Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph was asked about his level of comfort with Isaac Gifford manning the nickelback position… 

Nebraska has had a rotation of nickelbacks since last season, however Gifford has received the highest grades and snap counts so far this season at the spot for the defense. 

JOSEPH – TOMMI HILL GETTING BETTER AT RECEIVER:

Former receivers coach and interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph was asked at his Thursday press conference how much improvement Tommi Hill has made at receiver throughout the bye week… 

Hill transferred from Arizona State, where as a Sun Devil and his start at Nebraska began as a defensive back before switching back to receiver prior to the Rutgers contest. 

JOSEPH – LINEBACKERS MUST BE READY TO PLAY MORE WITH HENRICH OUT:

Mickey Joseph, interim Head Coach for Nebraska Football, addressed the media Thursday and added that he is preparing his linebackers to play more with captain Nick Henrich out for the season…

Nebraska continues their rotation at linebacker, with Chris Kolaverick and Luke Reimer listed as starters against Illinois. 

JOSEPH – OFFENSE MUST EXECUTE THE OFFENSIVE PLAY CALL:

Mickey Joseph, interim Head Coach for Nebraska Football, spoke to the media Thursday and was adamant the offense must follow one simple rule in this Saturday’s matchup…

Nebraska is looking to keep their big play strikes open, as Trey Palmer leads the conference in most statistical receiving categories. 

JOSEPH – HUSKERS BECOMING MORE PHYSICAL:

Mickey Joseph, interim Head Coach for Nebraska Football, ended his Thursday press conference by speaking praise on his team overall, adding the Big Red have a new attribute since he has taken the helm…

Nebraska will face one of the most physical teams in the conference against Illinois on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. 

ASTROS/PHILLIES BEGIN WORLD SERIES TONIGHT:

The upstart Philadelphia Phillies take on the recent juggernaut in the Houston Astros tonight to kick off the World Series.

First pitch of the World Series begins tonight in Houston at 7 PM. Justin Verlander is the expected starter for the Astros on the mound. 

BEARCATS NAMED TO ALL-STATE FALL SPORTS TEAMS:

Many area athletes were added to the 2022 All-State teams voted on by the Nebraska Coaches Association. Football and Volleyball teams have yet to be announced and won’t be determined until the end of the season.

Kearney High’s Asher Saulsbury was named to the Super State Class A Boys Tennis team after his State Runner-Up finish at the state tournament. The Bearcats Sam Rademacher was named to the Class A Second team. Huston Cochran, Eli Bond, Drew Welch, and Fisher Bonk were named honorable mention.

Kearney’s Claire Karjalainen was named to the Super State Class A Top 15 for Nebraska’s Girls Cross Country team. 

JACKSON SHINES IN BALTIMORE WIN OVER BUCS ON THURSDAY NIGHT:

Lamar Jackson threw for 238 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns, and the Ravens rallied Thursday night for a 27-22 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving Baltimore consecutive victories for the first time this season.

Brady, on the other hand, finds himself riding a three-game skid for the first time since 2002 — the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s first year as a full-time starter for the New England Patriots.

The Bucs (3-5) lost for the fifth time in six games following a 2-0 start.

NFL SCORES/SCHEDULES:

THURSDAY:

Baltimore Ravens 27 – 22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • Football: PLAYOFFS v. Millard South @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium – 7 PM
    • #5 Kearney v. #12 Millard South – KGFW Pregame at 6 PM
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • Women’s Swimming: Homecoming Scrimmage – 5 PM
  • Women’s Basketball: @ Iowa (Exhibition) – 6:30 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Kearney High Football PLAYOFFS v. Millard South (6 PM – 10 PM)

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • Volleyball: District Final – 1 PM @ Kearney Catholic High School
    • #7 KCHS v. #10 Ogallala
• UNK:
  • Football: v. Northwest Missouri State @ Ron & Carol Cope Stadium – 2 PM (Homecoming)
  • Volleyball: @ Northwest Missouri State – 3 PM
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • Nebraska Football v. Illinois (10:30 AM – 9:30 PM; KGFW)
  • Nebraska Football v. Illinois (1:45 PM – 7:45 PM; KQKY)

SUNDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a
• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a
• UNK:
  • N/a
• KGFW Sports Schedule:
  • N/a