HELD HIRED AS NEXT LOPER FOOTBALL HEAD COACH:
Former Nebraska and North Alabama coach Ryan Held has been hired as head football coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Director of Athletics Marc Bauer announced today.
UNK will formally introduce Held as its 19th coach in team history at an 11 a.m. news conference Jan. 3 at UNK’s Health and Sports Center.
Held, 48, spent the past season as interim head coach and offensive coordinator at NCAA Division I University of North Alabama. Before that, he was an assistant/running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Nebraska (2018-21) and assistant/running backs coach at the University of Central Florida (2016-17). He was twice named one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com while at Nebraska.
A coaching veteran with 13 years of head coaching experience, Held climbed the coaching ladder as a junior college, NCAA Division II and NAIA head coach before joining the Division I ranks. He had head coaching stints at junior colleges Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and Highland Community College, Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Panhandle State, and NAIA Peru State College.
Athletic Director Marc Bauer chose Held following a nationwide search. He replaces Josh Lynn, who was UNK’s head coach the past six seasons.
HUSKER MEN TAKE ON QUEENS AT PBA:
Nebraska finishes non-conference action tonight, as it plays Queens University in Campio’s Battle in the Vault event. The matchup is one of three games at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Nebraska-Queens matchup will tipoff at 6:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the matchup between Drake and No. 17/20 Mississippi State, which will begin at 4 p.m. The day begins with a matchup featuring Concordia against Oklahoma Wesleyan at 1 p.m.
Nebraska (6-6) heads into Tuesday night’s game looking to bounce back following a 71-56 loss to Kansas State in Kansas City on Saturday night.
Queens University comes into Tuesday’s Battle in the Vault with a 9-2 record following an 78-75 win at East Tennessee on Dec. 14.
Following Tuesday’s game, the Huskers will be off until resuming Big Ten play against Iowa on Dec. 29.
LOPERS’ OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR LEAVES KEARNEY FOR ARMY FOOTBALL:
Army is switching to a co-offensive coordinator dynamic with a current member and newcomer to its coaching staff.
Tight ends coach Matt Drinkall will be Army’s co-offensive coordinator. Nebraska-Kearney offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Drew Thatcher will call the plays in his designed system.
Thatcher’s offense rushed for a Nebraska-Kearney record of 4,116 yards in his first season in 2019. Nebraska-Kearney averaged 450 rushing yards per game in 2021 under Thatcher. The Division II school scored 32.8 points per game this season.
Thatcher will also take over play-calling duties for the Black Knights after transforming the Lopers ground game into one of the best in the country, led by two-time Harlon Hill Finalist TJ Davis.
HUNTER THE PUNTER EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN FOR LOPERS:
Nebraska Kearney redshirt senior punter and co-captain Hunter Kraus has been named to the 2022 Academic All-American team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Kraus becomes just the eighth Loper to win this award and the first in six years. He earns second-team honors and is one of six MIAA players on the squad.
Student-athletes that have a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, been at their current school one full-year and play in half their teams events qualify for Academic All-District honors
On the field, Kraus earned third-team All-MIAA honors this fall after averaging 42.5 yards a boot. He had seven punts that traveled over 50 yards, had 37% of his attempts fair caught and 34% land inside the opponents 20-yard line. Kraus is slated to be a super senior in 2023.
THOMPSON RETURNS FOR BIG RED:
The 2022 starter behind center for the Big Red intends to return and earn back his starting position, confirmed from an interview done by Casey Thompson’s father, Charles Thompson.
Thompson, who’ll be a sixth-year senior in 2023, recently underwent a procedure on his throwing shoulder that likely will sideline him during spring ball, Nebraska’s first spring season under new head coach Matt Rhule and new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.
The elder Thompson noted that Casey Thompson waited until the end of last spring to have a procedure on the thumb of his (right) throwing hand. Conversely, Casey decided to go ahead with a procedure on his shoulder soon after the 2022 regular season because his rehabilitation will be done in time for summer workouts.
Thompson already began the process of learning Satterfield’s playbook.
As it stands, Thompson could be one of six scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for spring ball. Another will be Jeff Sims, the former Georgia Tech starter who announced Sunday that he’ll transfer to Nebraska.
VOKOLEK DECLARES FOR DRAFT:
Nebraska tight end Travis Vokolek announced Monday that he has declared for the NFL draft.
Vokolek played 10 games last season, picking up 240 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The Missouri native missed two games after suffering an injury during Nebraska’s infamous game against Northwestern in Ireland.
Teammates Caleb Tannor, Trey Palmer and Ochaun Mathis have also declared for the draft since the Huskers’ last game.
HAC TOURNAMENT BRACKETS ANNOUNCED; KHS GIRLS & BOYS SET #6, FACES FREMONT:
The Heartland Athletic Conference brackets have been announced for the upcoming holiday tournament from Wednesday Dec. 28 through Saturday Dec. 31.
The Bearcat boys and girls basketball teams were each seeded #6 on their respective side despite their opening season records – 6-1 for the Boys and 4-2 for the girls.
Both Kearney squads will face #11 Fremont in their HAC Opening contests on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at Kearney High School. The girls contest is set for a 2 PM start with the boys beginning at 3:45 PM.
Hear both games on KGFW with Austin Jacobsen on the call.
MARKOWSKI EARNS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK WITH WYOMING DOUBLE-DOUBLE:
Alexis Markowski earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career after producing 22 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high-matching three blocks in the Nebraska women’s basketball team’s 66-39 win over Wyoming on Sunday.
Markowski, who scored the game’s first seven points to put Nebraska in the driver’s seat from start to finish against Wyoming, was the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an eight-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week last season.
Markowski and the Huskers close non-conference play at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday by battling No. 20 Kansas. Tip-off between the Huskers and Jayhawks is set for 6 p.m.
NFL SCORES/SCHEDULES:
MONDAY:
Green Bay Packers 24-12 Los Angeles Rams
NCAA BOWL GAMES SCORES/SCHEDULE
MONDAY:
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Marshall 28-14 UConn
TUESDAY:
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan v. San Jose State – 3:30 PM
Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty v. Toledo – 7:30 PM
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
TUESDAY:
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Girls Basketball: @ Boone Central – 5:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ Boone Central – 7:30 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Men’s Basketball v. Queens University (5:30 PM – 9:15 PM)
WEDNESDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Women’s Basketball v. Kansas (5:45 PM – 9 PM)
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- N/a
SUNDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- N/a
