KEARNEY BASKETBALL PREPARES FOR RIVALRY WEEK MATCHUP WITH BULLDOGS:
The Kearney basketball squads had their rivalry matchups set back a day beginning the week with a doubleheader against North Platte tonight.
The contests were originally scheduled for Tuesday night but due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions the games were reset to Wednesday night at Kearney High School.
Pregame coverage begins at 5 PM with tip-off set for 5:15 PM with the Kearney Girls taking on North Platte to start the contests.
Tune in to the broadcast on 1340 KGFW, 96.1 FM, on the free KGFW mobile app, and online at KGFW.com with Austin Jacobsen on the call.
LOPER VOLLEYBALL BRINGS HOME SAMANTHA HAMMOND FOR ASSISTANT POSITION:
UNK head volleyball coach Rick Squiers announced Wednesday that Samantha Hammond is the Lopers new top assistant coach.
The Taylor native and former UNK All-American right side takes over for Steph Brand who recently left the program for a job in the private sector. Brand served as the Lopers top assistant for five years and after being a graduate assistant and player for UNK.
Hammond spent the past fall as UNK’s second assistant coach, helping the team go 28-6, reach a 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament and finish 15th in the final Top 25 poll.
She previously was head volleyball coach, Athletic Facility and Special Events Coordinator at the College of Saint Mary (2010-17), head volleyball coach at Lexington High School (2008-10 & 2017-22) and a UNK grad assistant (2007).
HAMLIN RECOVERY CONTINUING IN RIGHT DIRECTION:
Damar Hamlin’s recovery is moving in “a positive direction” two days after the Buffalo Bills safety collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a game against Cincinnati, the player’s marketing representative said Wednesday.
The Bills said Wednesday that Hamlin remained hospitalized in critical condition but displayed signs of improvement on Tuesday and overnight. They said he was expected to remain in intensive care as his medical team continued to monitor and treat him.
Rooney said Hamlin’s family was staying positive and buoyed by the outpouring of worldwide support the second-year Bills player has received since his heart stopped and he was resuscitated on the field before being loaded into an ambulance and transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
HUSKER MEN’S HOOPS FALLS AT MICHIGAN STATE:
Michigan State used a strong first-half finish to pull away from Nebraska en route to a 74-56 victory Tuesday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
The game was tied at 11 before Michigan State outscored Nebraska 28-6 over the final 12 minutes of the first half. The Spartans turned a three-point lead into a 13-point advantage with a 10-0 run. Michigan State then closed the half on a 13-0 run, stretching a nine-point lead into a 22-point halftime advantage.
Derrick Walker paced Nebraska with 15 points, while Sam Griesel and Wilhelm Breidenbach added 10 points apiece. Walker also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and he and Griesel each dished out three assists.
Nebraska is on the road for the second straight game on Saturday, when the Huskers travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.
LOPER FOOTBALL – RYAN HELD PRESS CONFERENCE COMMENTS:
HELD – EXCITED TO PLAY IN MIAA:
New Loper Head Football Coach Ryan Held spoke to the media and Kearney faithful during his introductory press conference on Tuesday morning. Held was asked his thoughts on the rough and tough MIAA Conference…
UNK has yet to win the MIAA since joining the league in 2012.
HELD – SUPPORT IS THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE:
Newly minted Head Football Coach for Loper Football Ryan Held addressed the Kearney crowd at his introductory press conference on Tuesday morning. He spoke that the most important aspect of his program’s are the support from internal sources…
UNK hired the former Huskers’ running backs coach a week after the departure of former Coach Josh Lynn, who resigned to take the helm at West Texas A&M.
HELD – NEW ASSISTANT COACHING STAFF COMING:
Ryan Held, the new Head Coach for Loper Football, spoke on the incoming coaching staff arriving with him during his press conference on Tuesday. Held was asked how much of the staff would have Kearney ties or previous experience in Division 2…
Assistants and the rest of the coaching staff will be announced at a later date. Held did not specify if any of the former Loper staff would be retained.
HELD – PHONE CALL FROM BAUER:
Ryan Held, the new Head Coach for Loper Football, shed some light on how the hiring process began for his new gig with UNK…
Held formerly coached as an assistant at North Alabama as an offensive coordinator and was the Huskers’ running backs coach under Scott Frost.
NEBRASKA GETS TWO SIGNS FROM ALL-AMERICAN BOWL:
It was a big day at the Under Armour All-American Bowl for the Nebraska Football team, inking two signs that aided Matt Rhule’s first staff recruitment numbers.
Just two days after naming a top three EDGE Cameron Lenhardt originally from Staten Island who plays for IMG Academy has committed to Nebraska. The Huskers won out for the talented edge rusher over Michigan State and Penn State.
He is the second EDGE in the class joining Husker legacy Maverick Noonan from Elkhorn South.
Three-star cornerback Ethan Nation out of Roswell, Georgia, announced just before kickoff at the Under Armour All-America Game on Tuesday that he’s coming to Nebraska.
Nation enjoyed his official visit to Lincoln on December 16. He’s already signed his letter of intent to Nebraska but kept his decision silent until Tuesday.
FORMER HUSKER BETTS HITS TRANSFER PORTAL:
Former Nebraska wide receiver Zavier Betts, who left the program last spring, has entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday
In 2021, Betts appeared in 12 games and made five starts. That season, Betts caught 20 passes for 286 yards and added three carries for 109 yards and one touchdown. He ranked fourth on the team in receptions and receiving yards.
Betts went through the first few practices of spring ball with Nebraska last year, but left the team after spring break midway through spring.
A former four-star recruit, Betts totaled more than 3,300 receiving yards at Bellevue West and caught a Class A record 46 touchdown receptions during his prep career.
FORMER NORTHWEST VIKING ADDED TO HUSKER ANALYST STAFF:
Grand Island native Christian Ellsworth’s coaching career has taken off fairly quickly. He’ll now have a chance to aid his former home-state team.
The former Northern Iowa quarterback spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as an offensive graduate assistant at Kansas State under Chris Klieman. This past season he worked as an offensive GA under new Nebraska offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield at South Carolina, and now he’ll follow him back to Nebraska.
Ellsworth has officially moved up from graduate assistant to now an offensive analyst. His announcement comes on the same day that current Husker analyst Steve Cooper took the offensive coordinator job at FCS Maine.
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
WEDNESDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Girls Basketball: v. North Platte @ Kearney High School – 5:15 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. North Platte @ Kearney High School – 7 PM
- KGFW Pregame after KHS GBB
- Girls Basketball: v. North Platte @ Kearney High School – 5:15 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Girls Basketball: v. Minden – 5:30 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney High Girls Basketball v. North Platte (5 PM – 7 PM)
- Kearney High Boys Basketball v. North Platte (7 PM – 9 PM)
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Wrestling: Lincoln East Dual @ Kearney High School (CHaT/Auditorium) – 5:30 PM
- Girls Basketball: v. Grand Island @ Kearney High School – 6 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 5:45 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. Grand Island @ Kearney High School – 8 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 7:45 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- Women’s Basketball: v. Pittsburg State @ Health & Sports Center – 5:30 PM
- Men’s Basketball: v. Pittsburg State @ Health & Sports Center – 7:30 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Kearney High Girls Basketball v. Grand Island (5:45 PM – 7:45 PM)
- Kearney High Boys Basketball v. Grand Island (7:45 PM – 9:45 PM)
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Swimming/Diving: v. Kearney High Invite – 12 PM (Diving Only)
- Wrestling: @ Lincoln North Star Invite – 3 PM
- Swimming/Diving: v. Kearney High Invite Triangular – 4:30 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Wrestling: @ High Plains Invite
- Girls Basketball: v. GICC – 4:30 PM
- Boys Basketball: v. GICC – 6:30 PM
- UNK:
- Wrestling: v. NWCA National Duals @ Louisville, KY – 10 AM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Sports Nightly (6 PM – 8 PM)
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Swimming/Diving: v. Kearney High Invite – 10 AM (Swimming Only)
- Girls Basketball: v. Elkhorn North @ Kearney High School (Girls Basketball Showcase) – 8:30 PM
- KGFW Pregame at 8:15 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Wrestling: @ High Plains Invite
- Swimming/Diving: v. Kearney High Invite – 9 AM
- Girls Basketball: @ North Platte – 2 PM
- Boys Basketball: @ North Platte – 4 PM
- UNK:
- Wrestling: @ Hastings Open – 9 AM (Non-Varsity)
- Women’s Basketball: v. Missouri Southern @ Health & Sports Center – 2 PM
- Men’s Basketball: v. Missouri Southern @ Health & Sports Center – 4 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Men’s Basketball @ Minnesota (10 AM – 1:45 PM)
- Kearney High Girls Basketball v. Elkhorn North (8:15 PM – 10:15 PM)
SUNDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- N/a
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- N/a
