KEARNEY BEARCAT FOOTBALL BEGINS SEASON ON THE ROAD AT LINCOLN EAST:
The 2022 High School Football officially gets underway tonight with the opening kickoff for several contests across the state of Nebraska.
Kearney High travels to Lincoln East to battle the Spartans at Seacrest Field after both teams made the playoffs in 2021 but have big question marks on both rosters entering the new season The Bearcats only return one starter on both sides of the ball while East aims to replace the most prolific passer of the past decade in Gatorade Player of the Year quarterback Noah Walters.
However, East boasts the ultra-talented Malachi Coleman who looks to make his first big splash of his senior season tonight.
Join KGFW at 6 PM to start your high school football coverage with the KGFW High School Football Preview Show with Austin Jacobsen, Ford Clark, and Jake Scheideler. At 6:30 PM, Austin and Ford get ready for Bearcat Football in the pregame show from Seacrest Field with kickoff set for 7 PM.
HUSKER PRACTICE COMMENTS – COORDINATORS:
WHIPPLE – THOMPSON’S LEADERSHIP HELPED WITH STARTER CHOICE:
Offensive Coordinator for the Huskers Mark Whipple spoke to the media after the Huskers first full practice in Ireland and was asked what Casey Thompson showed in fall camp to take the number one spot behind center…
Thompson will lead the Big Red as they take on Northwestern in Ireland on Saturday with kickoff at 11:30 AM CST.
WHIPPLE – NO QUARTERBACK POLITICS WITH HUSKERS:
Mark Whipple, offensive coordinator for Nebraska, was asked if there was any issues amongst the team with the decision to pick Casey Thompson as the top quarterback heading into Week Zero…
The Huskers chose Thompson due to his leadership and his collegiate experience after starting double-digit contests with Texas before transferring from the Longhorns in January.
WHIPPLE – TRAVEL HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR HUSKERS SO FAR:
Offensive Coordinator for Nebraska Mark Whipple addressed the media after Wednesday’s practice and said the team has had some trouble adjusting to the travel differences in Ireland…
The Huskers have not traveled internationally since the Big Red played in Japan in 1992. Nebraska battles Big Ten foe Northwestern on Saturday with kickoff at 11:30 AM.
CHINANDER – BLACKSHIRTS WERE GIVEN IN IRELAND:
Defensive Coordinator for the Huskers Erik Chinander was asked after Wednesday’s practice how the Blackshirts were distributed for the defensive stars who earned the coveted practice jerseys…
Nebraska gave the decorated Blackshirts to Caleb Tannor, Ty Robinson, Marques Buford, Quinton Newsom, Luke Reimer, Garrett Nelson, Nick Henrich, Myles Farmer, and Colton Feist.
CHINANDER – FIRST PRACTICE WENT GREAT:
Blackshirts coordinator Erik Chinander addressed the media after Wednesday’s practice and added he was happy with the first full practice Nebraska had after traveling overseas…
Chinander added that he feels his defense has been playing well through fall camp and kept that same energy throughout practice so far in Ireland.
CHINANDER – READY TO SEE HOW DEFENSE OPERATES AGAINST OPPONENT:
Defensive Coordinator for the Huskers Erik Chinander was asked what he’s most excited to see from his Blackshirts in the opening contest on Saturday…
New faces will dot the Huskers defense this season with transfers Ochaun Mathis, Tommi Hill, Stephon Wynn, Devin Drew, among others ready to make a splash.
CHIEFS LEGEND LEN DAWSON DIES AT 87:
Whether it was in the huddle during the early days of the AFL or behind the microphone as the NFL grew into the behemoth it is today, Len Dawson carried himself with an unmistakable swagger and self-assurance that earned him the well-worn nickname “Lenny the Cool.”
Dawson’s family announced his death Wednesday at the age of 87.
He was a Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl championship, then a Hall of Fame broadcaster who brought football into the homes of millions on the iconic HBO show “Inside the NFL.”
THOMPSON NAMED TO UNITAS AWARD WATCH LIST:
Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson was named to the watch list for the 2022 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award annually recognizes the nation’s top senior or upperclassmen quarterback. The 2021 winner was Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, who flourished under the direction of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple, now with the Huskers.
Thompson is also in his first season at Nebraska after transferring from Texas. He played in 19 games with 10 starts as a Longhorn and was Texas’ starting quarterback last season. In 2021, Thompson started the final 10 games and completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,113 yards and 24 touchdowns despite battling a hand injury.
TOP PGA PLAYERS COMMIT TO 20 EVENT MONEY SLATE COMPETITION:
The PGA Tour made its boldest response yet to the rival Saudi-funded league Wednesday with a plan for the best players to commit to a 20-tournament schedule in which they will compete against one another up to 17 times for average purses of $20 million.
The tour also is doubling the bonus pool of its Player Impact Program to $100 million spread across 20 players, and it’s changing the criteria so it’s geared more toward media exposure.
Players starting out their careers will get $500,000 at the start of the year that will count against their earnings until the number is surpassed.
HUSKER VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON WITH AMERITAS PLAYERS CHALLENGE:
The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team officially starts the 2022 season by hosting the Ameritas Players Challenge this weekend at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska will play three times this weekend. The Huskers open the season on Friday at 11 a.m. against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, an NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2021. Nebraska faces Tulsa on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The Huskers cap the weekend against Pepperdine, another 2021 NCAA Tournament team, at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Hear both Friday contests on KGFW with pregame a half hour before the start of each contest.
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
WEDNESDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Softball: v. Lincoln Northeast (Doubleheader)
- GAME 1: Kearney 6 – 2 Lincoln NE
- GAME 2: Kearney 10 – 9 Lincoln NE
- Softball: v. Lincoln Northeast (Doubleheader)
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Softball: @ Fremont – 5 PM
- Volleyball: @ Lincoln North Star – 6:30 PM
- Football: @ Lincoln East – 7 PM
- KGFW Preview Show @ 6 PM; KGFW Pregame @ 6:30 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Girls Golf: Kearney Catholic Invite – 9 AM
- Boys Tennis: @ GICC – 4 PM
- Softball: v. Hershey (Doubleheader) – 5 PM
- Volleyball: v. Columbus Scotus – 5:30 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- High School Football Preview Show (6 – 6:30 PM)
- Kearney High Football @ Lincoln East (6:30 PM – 10 PM)
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Girls Golf: KHS Invite @ Meadowlark – 9:30 AM
- Boys Tennis: KHS Quad (v. KCHS, Holdrege, McCook) – 1:30 PM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Boys Tennis: Kearney High Quad (v. KHS, Holdrege, McCook) – 1:30 PM
- Football: @ Doniphan-Trumbull – 7 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Volleyball v. Texas A&M Corpus Christi (10:30 AM – 1:45 PM)
- Nebraska Volleyball v. Tulsa (6 PM – 9:15 PM)
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- Softball: LPS Softball Classic Invite – 9 AM
- Volleyball: Norfolk Invite – 9 AM
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- Boys Tennis: @ GICC Invite – 9 AM
- Softball: @ Holdrege Invite – 9 AM
- Volleyball: Kearney Catholic Triangular v. Aquinas & Hastings St. Cecilia – 1 PM
- KGFW Sports Schedule:
- Nebraska Cornhuskers Football v. Northwestern (7:30 AM – 6:30 PM)
SUNDAY:
- N/a
