November 07, 2009
Rick Dunaway - Sports Reporter
Technology helps local teams deal with dangers associated with concussions
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009
Friday, Oct. 23, 2009
Monday, Oct. 19, 2009
Monday, Oct. 19, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009
Bearcat volleyball player returns to team more focused
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009
Monday, Oct. 12, 2009
Monday, Oct. 12, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Western thrilled with logistics of record-setting weekend
Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
Bearcats' defense shows its strength
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
McGhee returns spark Western
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Monday, Sept. 14, 2009
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
He may have known where he was, but Myles Burnsides wasn’t about to see the field in the second half of a recent Northwest Missouri State football game.
The headache-producing impact was bad enough, but the senior safety could blame ImPACT for shutting him down for a couple of days.
New research has drastically changed the way athletic trainers manage players who have sustained concussions, as they try to prevent long-term effects from those head injuries.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The conference title isn’t on the line Saturday, but No. 15 Northwest Missouri State football players look to claim something just as special.
When Northwest lines up at 1 p.m. against Central Missouri on the Bearcat Stadium turf, it will try to keep its seniors unbeaten in conference play for their entire careers.
And few may deserve it more than senior captains Sean Paddock, Abe Qaoud, Myles Burnsides and LaRon Council, who have seen more close calls in this marathon of winning than they’d care to remember.
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
Opponents have scored 30 or more points on them for four straight games earlier this season and five times overall. In fact, their fourth-quarter collapse nearly cost them a game in Pittsburg, Kan.,
But those numbers are misleading, because almost unnoticed the Missouri Western’s much-maligned defense has risen to the No. 2 spot in the conference rankings.
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
It’s the all-important Week 11 of the NCAA Division II football season, and Missouri Western coach Jerry Partridge’s feelings are much like those of the late comedian Minnie Pearl.
He’s just glad to be here.
“When the season started, I thought that if we could get to Week 11 with a chance to beat UNO and make the playoffs, I’d be happy,” Partridge aid Monday. “And here we are.”
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009
Don’t blame Missouri Western’s offense for the Griffons’ heartbreaking loss to Missouri Southern on Saturday. With 518 yards of total offense and a positive turnover ratio, that couldn’t be the problem.
Northwest needs overtime to slip past WashburnSunday, Oct. 25, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — A sense of responsibility, as much as a desire to win, carried LaRon Council over the goal line on Saturday.
Northwest running back Council makes most of senior yearFriday, Oct. 23, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — LaRon Council remembers that scary October Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg, Mo., when he crumpled to the turf around the Central Missouri 15-yard line, his left leg shattered.
He remembers being placed on a gurney and being whisked away for medical care, his 2006 season abruptly ended and his entire playing career in jeopardy.
He also remembers the next year, taking a helmet on that same leg and having a second consecutive season shortened by injury.
Monday, Oct. 19, 2009
While Drew Newhart’s four touchdown passes captured the headlines, it was the running of Thomas Hodges and Michael Hill behind an efficient offensive line that propelled Missouri Western’s offensive engine on Saturday in a 36-21 victory against then-No. 14 Central Missouri.
Hodges rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries, and Hill rumbled for 92 yards on 17 packs as the Griffons chewed up the clock and kept Central Missouri’s offense off the field.
“We ran the ball well. I think that was the telling stat of the game,” coach Jerry Partridge said. “We rushed for 223 yards, and Central Missouri ran for 71. That’s one of the reasons the time of possession was skewed so violently in our direction.”
Monday, Oct. 19, 2009
It’s been a friendly rivalry, but fortunately for Missouri Western the past three seasons and for Cameron High School two seasons before that, it was a lopsided one.
Saturday’s quarterback shootout between the Griffons and Central Missouri simply put another feather in Western quarterback Drew Newhart’s cap.
Newhart met Mules quarterback Eric Czerniewski back when the latter was a high school quarterback at Montgomery City, and on Saturday, Newhart made it four victories in a row against his friend, as the Griffons defeated the Mules 36-21 at Spratt Stadium.
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
OK, so Drew Newhart wasn’t Homecoming King, placing second to Luke Akers on Saturday.
No big deal.
Newhart instead ruled the field during Missouri Western’s homecoming game, throwing for four touchdowns and running for another in a 36-21 victory against No. 14 Central Missouri.
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009
Now is not the time to be looking back, according to Allison Rogers, the newly named interim head coach of Northwest Missouri State’s volleyball team.
Not with a big match against geographic rival Missouri Western looming tonight.
Rogers was promoted from her assistant coaching position on Tuesday upon the resignation of Anna Tool. Tool, in her fourth season, learned last week her contract wouldn’t be renewed for 2010.
Bearcat volleyball player returns to team more focused
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009
The road of life took a sharp and unexpected turn two years ago for Northwest Missouri State volleyball player Ashley Mitchell.
But with diligence, dedication and perhaps a little lost sleep, Mitchell is reaching her destination.
Recruited as a freshman in 2005 by former coach Lori Slight, Mitchell took a redshirt year. Then as a freshman in 2006, she saw action on the court, recording as many as 11 kills in a match against Alabama-Huntsville.
Monday, Oct. 12, 2009
MINK League officials said goodbye to two members on Sunday, then welcomed two new franchises into the fold during the annual meeting in St. Joseph.
Western football prepares for another top 25 tiltMonday, Oct. 12, 2009
When Missouri Western hosts Central Missouri on Saturday at Spratt Stadium, it will be another battle of nationally ranked teams.
And if the AFC wants to rank the Mules a bit higher than his Griffons, that’s just fine with coach Jerry Partridge.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
No. 16 Missouri Western (5-1, 2-1) at Truman State (1-4, 1-2)
Northwest scouting reportSaturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Missouri Southern (1-4, 1-3) at No. 6 Northwest Missouri (5-1, 4-0)
Wiseman's flexibility gives Northwest options on offensive lineSaturday, Oct. 10, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State tackle Jason Wiseman wasn’t “right” last Saturday against Missouri Western.
Northwest won't renew volleyball coach's contractWednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State volleyball coach Anna Tool’s contract won’t be renewed for 2010, the university announced Wednesday.
Tool will continue to coach through the end of this season, with her affiliation with the university ending upon the Dec. 31 expiration of her contract.
Tool told the team privately about the decision just prior to practice Tuesday. Athletic director Dr. Bob Boerigter then followed up with his own meeting with the team.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
The Topeka Golden Giants are leaving the MINK League.
Brett Cowdin, president of the college summer team that is a North Division stable mate of the St. Joseph Mustangs, made the announcement Monday in a statement to other members of the league.
“After much thought and discussion, we have decided for the long-term growth of our team that this is the right time to move on,” Cowdin wrote.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Bart Tatum gave his former head coach the early scouting report on Missouri Southern. Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma has to figure out the rest on his own.
And what Tjeerdsma has discovered by looking at film is that Southern has the potential to be a stubborn opponent on Saturday when the Lions invade Bearcat Stadium for their 1 p.m. MIAA tussle.
Tatum, Southern’s head coach for the past three years and a Tjeerdsma protege, told the Northwest coach earlier this year that the Lions have lost four or five starters on defense to injuries.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
The turnovers were terminal, and the big plays were brutal for Missouri Western on Saturday when the Griffons lost a 49-35 decision to Northwest Missouri State at Spratt Stadium.
The Griffons coughed up the ball seven times — Western coach Jerry Partridge calls them “giveaways,” while Northwest Missouri State coach Mel Tjeerdsma prefers to call them “takeaways” in accordance with their own team perspectives — in the loss.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Brien Dawson of St. Joseph is back in form, with a trophy to prove it.
Dawson, a St. Joseph bodybuilder, overcame about 80 other competitors on Saturday night in the Kansas State Bodybuilding Championships in Topeka, Kan., to earn the title of Mr. Kansas 2009 in the American Bodybuilders Association-sanctioned event.
Western thrilled with logistics of record-setting weekend
Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
Huge game. Huge crowd. Few problems.
While the final score of the game wasn’t to Missouri Western’s liking, the game day management was.
With 10,129 fans attending Saturday’s geographic rivalry game between the Griffons and Northwest Missouri State, campus officials prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Jake Soy entered this season feeling like the Rodney Dangerfield of Northwest Missouri State’s receiving corps.
As an unproven sophomore, the Durant, Iowa, product just wanted to get a little respect.
After Saturday’s performance in a 49-35 victory against Missouri Western, he’ll get plenty.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Six minutes isn’t much time, but it was enough to silence more than half of the fans in a record crowd at Spratt Stadium on
Saturday.
Northwest Missouri State scored two touchdowns that quickly in the third quarter, blowing open a tie game and cruising to a 49-35 victory against Missouri Western.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
In today’s stare-down between Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State one blink could mean the difference, because in a flash, Griffons senior Cedric Houston could be in the end zone.
“Don’t blink when Cedric’s out there, because you’re going to miss something,” Western coach Jerry Partridge said after Houston caught three touchdown passes against the Pittsburg State last Saturday in Western’s fifth straight victory leading up to today’s battle of first-place MIAA teams.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Everyone knows Tyler Shaw can burn up the track. Football fans are finding out he can burn pass and kickoff coverages, too.
Shaw, Northwest Missouri State’s redshirt freshman wide receiver, is the team’s pass-catching leader through five games. But his worth to the Bearcats, as they head into today’s game against Missouri Western, is much more than that.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009
Sean Paddock, meet Drew Newhart.
Paddock, the senior defensive end at Northwest Missouri State, hopes to
become very familiar with Missouri
Western’s quarterback today when the two teams meet at Spratt Stadium in a clash between the two top teams in the MIAA.
“If we don’t, it could be a long day,”
Paddock said.
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
With an average attendance of 1,853 fans per game, the St. Joseph Mustangs ranked No. 9 nationally in summer collegiate baseball attendance, according to the web site www.ballparkbiz.com
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Here’s the plot: Undefeated conference records and national rankings are at stake.
But here is the cast of characters: Missouri Western’s Griffons and Northwest Missouri State’s Bearcats. That’s what really fuels the drama that will be played out Saturday at Spratt Stadium when the two MIAA teams meet in a 1:30 p.m. matchup.
This will be only the second time ever that the two geographic rivals — both 3-0 in MIAA play — enter the game nationally ranked.
Bearcats' defense shows its strength
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009
Northwest Missouri State roared back from a disappointing outing in a record-setting way.
The Bearcats (4-1, 3-0 MIAA) allowed only 92 yards in total offense to Truman State in Saturday’s 70-0 rout of the Bulldogs. That defensive performance shattered a record of 118 yards allowed against Missouri Southern in 2002.
Along the way, the Bearcats sacked Truman’s quarterback eight times — the most in coach Mel Tjeerdsma’s 16-year tenure — boosting their total of a Division II-best 24 sacks.
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
Saturday’s MIAA showdown between Missouri Western and Pittsburg State pits the team with the best passing efficiency rating in the conference against the team with the best passing efficiency defense. But Missouri Western coach Jerry Partridge isn’t so sure his focus should be on what happens when Western quarterback Drew Newhart throws the football.
Instead, he’s concerned about Northwest’s offense and quarterback Blake Bolles.
“You look at the stats, and they’re up there in everything,” Partridge said of the Bearcats (4-1, 3-0 MIAA), who will invade Spratt Stadium on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. matchup of the only two teams still undefeated in MIAA play. “It’s like playing the 1985 Chicago Bears, except Bolles runs better than Jim McMahon.”
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
Missouri Western is doing what it can to alleviate long lines and parking bottlenecks when it hosts what is expected to be the biggest crowd of the football season on Saturday.
Assistant athletic director Brett Esely said the ticket office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday, with fans able to purchase by phone at (816) 271-4481 or (816) 271-5904 using Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Esely said the university is experiencing a high volume of calls, so he is encouraging fans to be patient.
McGhee returns spark Western
Monday, Sept. 28, 2009
After sitting out two weeks with an MCL sprain, Missouri Western senior wide receiver Ferrell McGhee made a triumphant return to the football field on Saturday at Pittsburg State.
While he caught only two passes for 20 yards — his long being an 11-yarder — McGhee’s impact came on special teams.
McGhee had two kickoff returns, including a 31-yarder, and was named the Griffons’ special teams most valuable player for the game.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Special teams proved special for Missouri Western on Saturday, helping stake the Griffons’ to a quick 10-point lead in a 45-40 victory at Pittsburg State.
The victory propels Western to 5-0 for the first time since 1981 under Rob Hicklin, when Western was an NAIA institution. It also sets up a huge regional MIAA showdown at Spratt Stadium this Saturday against Northwest Missouri State, which also is 3-0 in the conference after a 70-0 pasting of Truman State on Saturday.
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009
Depth over adversity — Missouri Western’s receiving corps should print that motto on T-shirts this season.
Everyone knew going into this season that Missouri Western quarterback Drew Newhart could throw the football. But keeping healthy the players who can catch it has been a problem.
The Griffons entered preseason camp loaded at wide receiver and with significant experience at tight end. Few could argue that the senior trio of Andrew Mead, Ferrell McGhee and Cedric Houston weren’t among the MIAA’s best. And tight end Billy Babcock had the size and experience — starting every game the past two seasons — to be a fourth impact player.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State was fortunate its football test against Nebraska-Omaha last Saturday was of the pass-fail variety.
If coach Mel Tjeerdsma gave a grade, the Bearcats’ gridiron GPA would have dropped.
Tjeerdsma’s annual lesson plan is to improve each game. Despite a 37-27 victory against the Mavericks at Bearcat Stadium, that didn’t happen.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009
As long as Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma has coached, he’s never seen this before. A “Hail Mary” pass — on an untimed down — found its mark, giving the Bearcats a huge boost going into halftime.
For a few giddy moments in the heat of an MIAA battle last Saturday against Nebraska-Omaha, football was pure, joyful fun.
“It was almost like playing a video game,” quarterback Blake Bolles said. “You don’t really expect that to happen.”
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009
This time, Missouri Western was able to make all those yards count.
The Griffons amassed 541 yards of total offense — 288 in the first half alone — yet they never led Washburn in Saturday night’s showdown of MIAA unbeatens until quarterback Drew Newhart’s 12-yard keeper put the Griffons up 34-27 with 2 minutes, 15 seconds remaining.
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009
Washburn’s two-minute drill was impressive on Saturday night, but Missouri Western’s 21-second drill was even better, thanks to the strong right leg of Brad Beckwith.
Beckwith nailed a record-breaking 53-yard field goal with just 0.5 seconds remaining as the Griffons defeated the Ichabods 37-34 at Spratt Stadium.
Washburn, down by a touchdown with 2 minutes, 14 seconds left, drove 65 yards in nine plays, with quarterback Dane Simoneau tying the game at 34-34 with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brad Cole with 27 seconds left.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Northwest’s soccer fans have had to wait a long time to see what Heidi Sobota could do.
The transfer from Briar Cliff College already sat out a year because of NCAA transfer rules, when she took the pitch in Northwest’s 2008 season opener.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Tyler Roach will play Saturday with a chip on his shoulder.
He hasn’t forgotten his feelings in the fall of 2005, as an Elkhorn High School senior playing practically in the shadow of the University of Nebraska-Omaha campus, when his hopes of getting a call from the Mavericks faded.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009
Missouri Western football coach Jerry Partridge called it a “stroke of genius,” the way he and his coaching staff prepared the defense for Saturday’s game at Fort Hays State.
Of course, Partridge’s tongue was firmly implanted in his cheek.
Monday, Sept. 14, 2009
KANSAS CITY — It was hard-fought, it was well-played and, as always, it was emotional. But the Fall Classic VIII at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday between Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State had another characteristic not often found in games of this magnitude.
It was clean.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009
The timing is lousy. But the game is huge, just the same.
Not even Chuck Broyles is crazy about the earliest date ever for the Fall Classic at Arrowhead between his Pittsburg State Gorillas and the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009
Former University of Missouri quarterback Blaine Dalton recently visited Northwest Missouri State’s campus, but whether the Bearcats will intensely pursue the troubled freshman is another matter entirely.
Northwest coach Mel Tjeerdsma confirmed that Dalton spent some time around the team recently, but he said Dalton has yet to determine his next move.
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009
KANSAS CITY — When the coaches and athletic directors of Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State got together Tuesday to promote this weekend’s Fall Classic VIII at Arrowhead Stadium, the subject of Fall Classic IX was bound to come up.
Don’t worry, fans. Saturday’s 5 p.m. showdown at Arrhowhead Stadium isn’t likely to be the schools’ last.
The desire to continue this neutral-site series hasn’t abated, even though the process has been delayed because of changes in leadership at both universities and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
The former cellar-dweller of the MIAA may be a more formidable opponent tonight as an independent.
Scouting Report: Northwest vs. Southwest BaptistThursday, Sept. 3, 2009
No. 8 Northwest (0-1) at Southwest Baptist (0-1)
Western football already past season-opening winTuesday, Sept. 1, 2009
The speed with which Missouri Western’s starting units dispatched Northern State on Thursday in the season opener for both football teams brought about the inevitable questions: Is Missouri Western really that good? Is Northern State really that bad?
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