This should be the last mention of Northwestern Oklahoma State on this blog, pending any further developments. But I did think that this situation, with the Rangers being forced to forfeit a first-round win over Friends, merits some discussion and exposes some serious weaknesses in the NAIA.
And in the last week of dealing with this, I’ve actually learned a few things.
CHASE KEAR (MIDDLE)
Here’s the link to the story that The Eagle’s Travis Heying wrote on Andale product and Hutchinson Community College pole vaulter Chase Kear and his near-death experience after a pole-vaulting accident:
http://www.kansas.com/news/story/612079.html
Props to Travis — this is really good stuff. And best to Chase in his continued recovery.
-TA (in the mountains)
This just in off the AP wire. Just got back from a press conference at Friends, so check tomorrow’s edition of the Eagle to get reaction from the Falcons. Friends will finish season 11-0 and Carroll College gets a bye into the quarterfinals. If this had happened 24 hours earlier, Friends probably would have made the trek to Helena, Mont., to take on the five-time national champs … but the NAIA decided it was too much packed into too little of a timespan;
Here’s the AP story, followed by the full statement from the NAIA:
FRIENDS DB LEVI READY ON SATURDAY
What happened to Friends was that the Falcons ran into a better team. That wasn’t altogether surprising. This is the NAIA playoffs and every team is good, every team should be worthy of being there. What was surprising to me was the way that Northwestern Oklahoma manhandled Friends physically. On paper, yes, the two teams were comparable, and if anything it would have appeared that Friends had a slim advantage on size. But from the first snap the Rangers were moving at an entirely different speed. Even at that … i don’t know that that was the main reason they lost. The Falcons played tight for the first time all year. Maybe, and this is just theory, they got overwhelmed by their surroundings and the pressure. And then they cracked.
The All-KCAC football teams are in, and in a shock to absolutely NOBODY Friends cleaned up.
And they should have. If you win the conference title and are undefeated, you deserve the postseason accolades that go with it.
Friends QB Alex Melugin was the KCAC MVP and the offensive player of the year, Friends coach Monty Lewis was the coach of the year and defensive end Jordan Highley completed the sweep with co-defensive player of the year honors, sharing them with James McCartney of Bethel.
I’ll be at the game tomorrow and so will Eagle columnist Bob Lutz, who gave the NAIA a little love today on the radio show he co-hosts, Sports Daily — I listen to the last hour every morning only because I never wake up before 10 AM. Unless I have an early tee time. Not a bad life.
Here’s the complete list, compliments of Penny:
There’s lots of stuff going on with our state colleges and jucos — thought I’d catch up with everybody in a Lutzian-style quick hits form. Had a couple of days off (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and filled it up with a WSU basketball game (thanks Carol and Charlie), the new Bond movie, lots of laundry and a round of golf. Not a bad mid-week weekend. I call it the I Am Legend shift.
Let’s roll it:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always To be blest.
-Alexander Pope
Emporia State clinched its first-ever MIAA title in high fashion tonight, defeating No. 10 Washburn in front of a record crowd at William Allen White Auditorium. Props to the Hornets, because this league is no joke and there are a couple of teams who have had a stranglehold on the title in the past. The MIAA had at least four teams in the Top 25 all season long so to win it … is pretty incredible. And of course there’s Eagle Karma involved, because we did a feature on ESU All-American Arica Shepard just over a month ago.
ESU 2008 MIAA VB CHAMPS (ESU PHOTO)
Here’s the release from ESU sports info director Donald Weast:
I’ve got the All-MIAA and All-Jayhawk football teams in … so let me get this out of the way right now:
The KCAC will announce its all-league football teams sometime in the next couple of weeks, and, undoubtedly, the award for offensive player of the year is going to go to a quarterback or a running back. I’d say its even money on Ottawa quarterback Ethan Haller, who has had a tremendous season, to pick up the hardware. But it’s just … he’s not the best player in the KCAC. The best player in the KCAC, in my opinion, is Friends offensive lineman Jacob Bruster, who should be either the KCAC player of the year or the offensive player of the year. Or both. Without him, the Falcons just don’t run right, from leadership to dominating games. But this type of award never goes to an offensive lineman because they have no real stats to show, unless you count undefeated records and national rankings. Now I feel like Howard Beale. So excuse me as I step down off of my soap box. And discuss amongst yourselves.
Let’s break this down:
At Galen Blackmore Field in El Dorado, you could hear a pin drop for about three hours on Sunday afternoon.
Coincidentally, that was about the same time the No. 3 Grizzlies were getting the scare of their lives from Garden City.