HUTCHINSON, Kan. — This is alumni weekend at Central Christian School in Hutchinson. Dr. John Walker is encouraged by what happens when alumni return to visit.

"The best part about education is the relationships that are built over time with classmates, with former teachers, former administrators, coaches, that kind of thing," Walker said. "Those relationships don't last just the time that you're there when you're a student or you're a coach or a teacher or administrator. They last for a lifetime, and so it is really a blessing to have people come back onto our campus."

Walker knows that it isn't about the facilities, though those upgrades are nice, it's about those relationships that have been built over time.

"When the alumni come back and they start showing pictures of their kids and their grandkids, and in some cases their great grandkids, it's such a blessing to see those people connect with other people, to share photos, to swap stories, to remember the good old days and the stories from the locker room, the stories from the field, the stories from the court, the stories from the classroom, the extracurricular activities, and how they've connected with each other over the years."

Walker invites anyone from the area to come, whether they've ever been to Central Christian or not.

"Members of the community, if you're interested in checking out CCS and want to come check out the facilities and that kind of thing, we'd invite you to come to the football game on Friday night. Come back Saturday morning for the craft fair, for the chili feed. That all begins at nine o'clock. Chili feed at 11 o'clock. Tours happen at 11 and one.&nbsp; We're located at 1910 East 30th Street here in Hutchinson."

Find out more about Central Christian School at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cougarsccs.com/">https://www.cougarsccs.com/</a>.

Alumni weekend at Central Christian Friday and Saturday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Clinic has set the dates for their fall flu shot clinics.

For more information, go to&nbsp;https://www.hutchclinic.com/.

Hutch Clinic sets flu shot dates

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The unemployment rate in Reno County was lower for the month of August 2024.

According to the Kansas Department of Labor, the jobless rate for the county went down five tenths of a percent to 3.9%. The jobless rate for the same period in 2023 was 3.3%.

There were 1,114 county residents out of work.&nbsp;

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.3% in August. This is an increase from 3.2% in July and an increase from 2.6% in August 2023.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment was unchanged from July. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs decreased by 3,500 over the month, while government increased by 3,500.

“Estimates for nominal hourly earnings in the private sector have increased in Kansas,” said labor economist, Emilie Doerksen. “In August nominal earnings growth exceeded inflation rates, resulting in a 2.6% increase in real hourly earnings compared to last year.”

Since August 2023 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 20,000. This change is due to an increase of 18,500 private sector jobs and an increase of 1,500 government jobs.

Unemployment down in August

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Michaela Schommer with the Hutchinson Animal Shelter is pleased that EAGLE Media is helping again by hosting an Adopt-A-Pet event Saturday starting at 11 a.m. at 825 North Main.

"I think the least amount that we've ever had adopted at one of your events here is four," Schommer said. "Usually, I was thinking about this a couple days ago, our average is about six adoptions at an event."&nbsp;

The plan is to have as many pets out at the event as they can, but that's dependent on how many people volunteer to help.

"We always like to bring at least 10 out but to be honest, as of right now, I only have five volunteers that have committed to being present," Schommer said. "We're still gathering people for the event and then based on that number, we'll choose our dogs coming out. At minimum, we're probably going to at least have seven but like I said, 10 to 12 is our goal usually."

There also will be a special deal that day for adoptions, if you find the pet at EAGLE Media.

"For the dogs at the event, we're doing half price," Schommer said. "An adult dog is $75 and puppies would be $100."

Adopt-A-Pet is Saturday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Friday night is championship night at the Kansas State Fairgrounds for Salt City Racing LLC.

"We'll crown some champions Friday night in the A mods, the B mods, and the stock cars," said Phil Nightingale with Salt City Racing. "It's going to be a fun time, then also the URSS sprint cars, they're going to crown their champion too. It should be some exciting racing because some of the points races are pretty tight. It should be fun and exciting."

Nightingale said a long-term deal to keep the racetrack open is on the table.&nbsp;

"The board does have the new contract that we drafted up for a five-year contract," Nightingale said. "They've got it in their hands. We're going to meet here next month to, I hope, make a nice, easy transition and get a contract signed so we can have a multi-year deal and keep this track alive at Hutchinson."

There definitely seems to be a lot more optimism from the fair board now than there was when Nightingale initially came to them about a year ago.

"A year ago when I came back and met with the board, they were very skeptical and I get it," Nightingale said. "I understand why they were skeptical of that thing, and that's why I told them, I said, let's let me get a proposal together. Let's go for a year and let's see how this works. And I think they all are very excited to move forward."

&nbsp;Attendance figures in the grandstand have averaged over 1600, with over 300 per night on average in the pits heading into Friday's races.

Championship night coming up Friday at Fairgrounds

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Krystal Young with Hutchinson USD 308 told Hutch Post that there have been considerable increases for classified staff in the district in the last few years.

"In 2021, we had an entry level position for Hutchinson Public Schools at $10.88 an hour," Young said. "This year we are really proud that all of our entry level positions start at $15. And so in those few years we have increased that $4.12, which has drastically improved the ability for us to hire and retain our classified staff and they are absolutely essential in keeping our district running in every aspect."

More than half of those employed by the district are classified staff.

"Classified staff makes up about 52% of our district," Young said. "That staff is not contracted for an entire year, but they are an hourly wage employee. They make up our staff that works with students and works in the other areas of our district, maintenance, food service, technology, custodial staff."

The district is going to be able to narrow its focus when hiring classified staff through the rest of the year.

"Because of our wage increase, we have been able to fill a lot of vacancies that we haven't necessarily filled in the past," Young said. "We have fewer openings in our classified staff than we would normally have in September, and so from this point forward, we're starting to post positions based on the actual position and the location. In the past, you might have gone to apply for a position and it just said, Para. And you wouldn't know if you're applying for a Para at Wiley Elementary or Faris Elementary. However, as we move forward, because we have hired so many positions, we're able to post those individually."

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usd308.com/page/hiring">https://www.usd308.com/page/hiring</a>.

USD 308 now wage competitive

MCPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson College jazz band received the highest distinction for a college band in Kansas by being selected to perform at this year’s Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) state convention in February. The milestone is even more significant since the band program has been selected to perform five times in the past eight years.

“Few bands at any level get selected to perform at KMEA,” said McPherson College Director of Bands Kyle Hopkins. “Our five selections in the past eight years really sets us apart from other private institutions. Since 2018, our concert band has been selected three times and our jazz band two, a historic accomplishment for a private Kansas college.”

The McPherson College Jazz Band is among fewer than 50 other college and high school instrumental and vocal ensembles performing at the state conference, which will be held February 27-28 in Wichita at Century II. It is the only private college jazz ensemble selected to perform this year.

Ensembles are selected to perform through a “blind” audition process, and no ensemble can be selected in consecutive years. The MC band program consists of 57 members from many academic programs and includes a concert and a jazz band. The band’s first public performance this academic year will be on September 30.

McPherson College jazz band to perform at KMEA

HAVEN, Kan. — The economic outlook on rural main street is not good, according to a survey released Thursday from Creighton University. 

"This is a September survey of bank CEOs and rural areas of ten states including Kansas," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. "The overall number was down from last month and last month was not good. In fact, the number indexed 50 as growth neutral. This is well below growth neutral. In fact, back to pandemic levels when we were back in May of 2020. The agricultural sector is definitely limping along and that's what we're seeing. Their projections are 40% of the farmers are into negative income territory this year, 2024."

There are major headwinds for the grain markets in particular.

"There is global economic weakness and excess supplies," Goss said. "We've got a lot of supply out there. It's been a good year for yields, but not good in terms of prices. We need to see some of those. We need to see the prices rebound. Corn price is hovering around $4 a bushel. That's below break-even for a lot of farmers out there."

Also, the overall value of land is going down, too.

"We asked the bankers about going forward, and they, on average, expect about a 5.2% reduction in farmland prices predicted over the next year," Goss said. "We even had a high proportion, that would be one-fourth of the bankers, one-fourth expect the farmland prices to come down by 10 to 20%. Hopefully that doesn't hit, but that's pretty negative there when we look at the bankers."

A lot of the collateral for loans made to farmers is predicated on the land value they hold, so reduction in those values can give them less borrowing power.

Rural Mainstreet struggling, survey says

Hutchinson Community Concert Association

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —&nbsp; With the first of the 2024-2025 Hutchinson Community Concerts coming up, here's the list for the year. You can buy a single membership for $50 or a family membership for $110 at the first concert at Memorial Hall.

Thursday, September 26, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. Legendary Ladies of Country

Lisa Brokop celebrates female country music pioneers with heartfelt stories and the hits of Loretta Lynn Dottie West, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Anne Murray, and other favorites.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Thursday, October 31, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. Jared Freiburg and the Vagabonds

This entertaining piano maestro leads you into a time capsule of the golden era of American music with those great hits of the 50’s by unforgettable artists from Sinatra to Elvis!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Sunday, November 17, 2024 – 3:00 p.m. Jason “Floyd” Coleman - Duets with Granddad

Jason brings new life to the country and pop classics made famous by his grandfather while taking you on a keyboard journey through the musical history of Floyd Cramer the highlight of the show is Jason performing video duets with his granddad!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. Jeremy Stoll, “No More Talk of Darkness”

The famous line from Phantom of the Opera aptly describes this veteran phantom performer’s show. His peerless voice and talented team of musicians will delight you with great Broadway songs and insider stories.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Thursday, May 1, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. Sail On - It’ll be Fun, Fun, Fun!

Who doesn't love the music of “America's Band”? Enjoy the enthusiastic recreation of The Beach Boys’ classic hits with the timeless music of surfing, cruising, dancing, and dreaming.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Monday, May 5, 2025 – 7:00 Alliance Brass - The Perfect Blend

They've been referred to as the perfect blend of virtuosity and vitality this exciting ensemble is known for dazzling audiences with the repertoire of great music celebrating both stage and screen.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A season membership entitles each member to attend all six concerts. There are no individual concert tickets.&nbsp;

If you want your tickets in advance, see their webpage at&nbsp;<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hutchinsonconcerts.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2kkFb4PQ1Fed2UE0PUyKSee4Ei-GYFRKlKuEwl7VEdODtcNOupZHLI5Yg_aem_Ad9x96F9GHA4vm8vUTrxRKz3qdEdwLhRqwbDR8vrLanz5sM2bj7Y7dz9YgGbolb5dA9Q2dbK81zsk9L79BO8WOWa&amp;h=AT3mScsANJDeu8KZlH4L7p5--F1JZ8TYZyu_UwROXgL8jquHvsDLetV8rmCpZZSK0Ic5LVt8Aiq3ZnTK7kudfyYLE5BvkEHILL0ZuVyzT_kgPdAhV7-nd6syl6Tl2Xxtvw&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c[0]=AT1MZeq1AO2kWhZTAfilLy4Dr8TEppzVjtB47WRSzPi_di4pPfHI2f6cUGkDjjUoGWjkoDXouGvlbCwq6fSIt0twyfmntAq47YhwViJTlUgyrsNE7AheFbgYsOBvSy75FlTXW3WgzNMgChy5RCk15IXVYMyXHCkQS2cKM4jv56QA7MegexZ-2HququyZV67sJupCgvna5FPAdNBlK19FU4GhX8FuzfkmuVA2" target="_blank">www.hutchinsonconcerts.com</a>

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Community Concerts kick off Thursday

When the final fields are cut, the trucks empty, the bins full and the combines cleaned out, Kansas wheat farmers breathe a quick sigh of relief that harvest season is complete. But for Kathy Brower, lab manager for Grain Craft’s Innovation and Quality Lab, harvest is just the start of her busy season as she takes samples from those farmers and puts them to the test for how that wheat will perform in making a consistently good loaf of bread.&nbsp;

“Grain Craft leads by example through educating their customers about wheat quality while communicating those needs back to wheat farmers and researchers,” said Aaron Harries, Kansas Wheat vice-president of research and operations, who interviewed Brower for an episode of the organization’s “Wheat’s On Your Mind” podcast. “That dialogue supports the advancement of wheat quality for the entire supply chain.”

Grain Craft is the largest independent flour miller in the United States. The company has longstanding relationships with Kansas Wheat and Kansas State University. So when it came time in 2021 to establish a new laboratory focused on varietal research, there was little doubt an ideal location would be inside the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center on K-State’s north campus. Today, Grain Craft has 12 mills in the United States and the lab in Manhattan does the analysis for quite a few of them, especially for hard wheats destined for the bread industry.&nbsp;

And who better to manage the lab than Brower, the daughter of a fifth-generation wheat farmer and K-State food science graduate with the experience needed to connect the dots between the wheat developed by breeding programs, the varieties planted each year and the final end-use quality of those kernels.&nbsp;

“Having us here at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center, we can bring in various tour groups, even famous football coaches like Bill Snyder,” Brower said. “I really love making that connection with people. We’ve even had some of the farmers come in and they’ve got to see their specific variety baked out in our process. It’s a tremendous opportunity to put those connections together.”&nbsp;

While the lab’s work is never truly complete, their new crop testing starts as soon as producers begin wheat harvest. In mid-June, a company courier starts collecting samples from throughout the region, which are brought into the lab and tested. Mills, breeding programs and even individual farmers also send in samples. With kernels in hand, testing begins in the Grain Craft laboratory’s milling facility, where kernels are tempered, cleaned, processed and ground.&nbsp;

The resulting flour moves into the company’s flour analysis lab. Grain samples are run through near infrared imaging (NIR), which measures both protein content and initial moisture ash - a common quality factor requested by millers.&nbsp;

“Ash is the mineral left behind after you’ve burned off all the carbohydrates and all the protein,” Brower said. “If you have that outer layer of the kernel, that outer layer contains a lot of mineral content in it. When we’re putting something through the mill - grinding - that part is always going to be present within the flour itself. If we know our ash content, we can get a good idea of how well we’re grinding.”

After initial testing, it is time to make some bread dough. Using a farinograph - a piece of equipment that looks like a miniature mixing bowl with two paddles inside - the flour is mixed with water. The machine then turns the paddles, and the resulting mixture generates torque against those paddles, which measures water absorption and helps determine peak development time.&nbsp;

If dough breaks down after a certain amount of mixing time, it becomes very sticky and very soft and is virtually impossible to remove from the mixer. As a result, the goal of a baking process is to mix the dough to a nice, developed state where it will still retain gas throughout baking.&nbsp;

“From a baker’s standpoint, the baker is wanting to know - how much water can I potentially put into this flour? And then what is the mixability of it? How strong is it going to be? How long am I going to be able to mix it out?” Brower explained. “The farinograph is one piece of equipment that can allow us to give a heads up to those bakeries as well as in our own test baking scenario as to what the performance of that flour is going to be.”

After flour analysis, a sponge and dough process is used to test how the flour will turn into bread. Lab technicians take about 70 percent of the flour and mix it with yeast and water. The mix is put into a three-and-a-half-hour fermentation process, resulting in the “sponge” that can be tested - is it too soft? A little overhydrated? Underhydrated, dry and shaggy? Or just right?

“If you’re running a fermentation process, it gives you a really good look at that initial stability of a flour,” Brower said. “It also gives us a way to judge if we hit the correct absorption.”&nbsp;

After the sponge is tested, it’s time to add back in the remaining 30 percent of the flour, add shortening, sugar and salt and bring that back as a final dough. Then it is time to make a loaf of bread.&nbsp;

In a commercial bakery, loaves are made in an assembly line, not one at a time like at home. In a commercial setting, after bread leaves the mixing bowl, it must go through a sheeting process - a set of rollers that takes out air pockets and makes a smooth sheet of dough - and then divided and molded into individual loaves. This process puts stress on the dough, meaning it needs to be strong enough to maintain its shape and texture. The dough cannot mix and fall apart, or it messes up everything else down the line before it ever gets into an oven. All this to say, it requires high protein quality, not just content, to provide that strength.&nbsp;

“If you’re bulking up for weight training or something similar, you have to have that protein coming in so you can retain your strength,” Brower said. “And it’s very much the same with flour.”&nbsp;

Using a similar process, albeit on a smaller scale, lab technicians divide, sheet and mold the dough into loaves. From there, the dough is put in a pan, goes through a 60-minute proof time and then placed in the oven. Once the loaves are fully baked, they are cooled overnight and evaluated the next morning.&nbsp;

That evaluation includes measuring loaf volume and then slicing the bread to look at the texture of the crumb - important determinants of flour strength and how well it would perform in a commercial setting.&nbsp;

“We are trying to mimic that process as closely as we can because we want to simulate what they would potentially see in their system,” Brower said.&nbsp;

This whole process is repeated with every sample that comes into the lab - about 1,300 samples last year. The lab shares the results with mills as far away as Los Angeles, the Kansas farmers who sent in samples and university breeding programs - like K-State. The participation of wheat breeders is essential, especially since Grain Craft runs a preferred variety program for farmers.&nbsp;

“We couldn’t run a program like a preferred variety program without the cooperation from the breeders,” Brower said. “It’s so important that we have those samples coming in year after year because varieties are changing constantly. If those breeding programs are willing to work with us, it really does help us make decisions for what can go onto that preferred list.”

“It’s very important that those perform well for the farmers. We want to make sure that they have really good yield, quality, drought tolerance and pest resistance and all those things built in that are going to make it so the farmer can actually profit. But we also want to make sure that the quality is going to work out for our bakers.”

Learn more about Brower, the Grain Craft Innovation and Quality Lab and the importance of protein quality in the featured episode of Wheat’s On Your Mind” podcast at <a href="http://wheatsonyourmind.com">wheatsonyourmind.com</a>.

Quality Control: Grain Craft’s Innovation and Quality Lab puts Kansas wheat to the test

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/category/obituaries">Click&nbsp;to view the most recent obituaries and service times from our funeral home partners</a>.

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Recent obituaries and service times

MAIZE, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawks football team travels to Maize for its first road game of the season with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.&nbsp;at the Maize High School Stadium.

Catch the Salthawk Football Pregame Show sponsored by The Medicine Shoppe at 6:30 p.m. on <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5)</a>.

The award winning EAGLE Media sportscast crew consisting of Glen Grunwald with the play-by-play and color analysts Dan "Coach Nac" Naccarato. Hutch High senior Matt Peterson will provide the NFHS video stream on the Hutch High&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/">NFHS Video Stream</a>&nbsp;Channel.

Game audio is available at kwbwradio.com of click <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">HERE</a>. Download the KWBW Radio app and take the game with you on the road.

The NFHS Network Hutch High Channel is a pay-per-view broadcast this season. Choose either an annual pass or pay month-to-month.

The live broadcast will begin at 6:50 p.m.

🏈🎥🎧 Hutch High takes first road trip to Maize 

Week 3 of the high school football season is upon us in the Sunflower State. See below for the schedule involving area teams.

Week 3 Hutch High at Maize Central
Christian vs. Stafford Trinity
Catholic vs. Remington Buhler at Great Bend Haven vs. Smoky Valley Fairfield vs. Reno County Homeschool Inman vs. Sterling Little River
at Centre Lyons vs. Republic County Nickerson vs. Halstead McPherson at Chanute Pretty
Prairie at Pratt-Skyline Hesston vs. Hillsboro Burrton vs. South Barber Pratt vs. Larned Newton vs. Eisenhower

You can find all of the Hutch Post area football schedules for the entire season <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/8e247860-8dc7-4f3a-86de-3a909aec11d2">here</a>.

🏈 Week 3 area high school schedule

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Already an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-mvp-joel-embiid-76ers-jokic-giannis-a216b687de694125309fb9eed1ad5031">NBA MVP</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-joel-embiid-basketball-4e75e0b08e44ac20310e1e78a47c1114">Olympic gold medalist</a>, All-Star center Joel Embiid now has until the end of the decade to try to win his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.

With another maximum contract secured, Embiid wants to chase that title in Philly — and remain a Sixer for the rest of his career.

“Philadelphia is home,” Embiid wrote on Instagram.

A seven-time NBA All-Star, Embiid and the 76ers agreed to a $193 million extension with a player option for the 2028-29 season, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been announced.

The 30-year-old Embiid, who graduated from a Florida high school and played a season in college at Kansas, broke his own news early Friday morning when he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/joelembiid/p/DAI11U4RBuD/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" target="_blank">posted a photo on Instagram</a>&nbsp;of him signing a contract alongside team owner Josh Harris.

Embiid, who dropped a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-spurs-score-embiid-70-points-84f40e580cbc723134628035f3893fab">franchise-record 70 points</a>&nbsp;last season against San Antonio, signed off with the familiar 76ers hashtag, “#trusttheprocess.”

Embiid — still in the second year of a $196 million extension he signed ahead of the 2021 season — became the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-maxey-george-045816251ab36c6ac2d8fefc9f8b7cee">third cornerstone</a>&nbsp;player this offseason to sign a massive contract with the 76ers. The team hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.

The 76ers enticed Paul George to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and sign a four-year, $212 million contract. The NBA’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-most-improved-player-maxey-054d77eac9c2a3759ff092560d3bb81c">Most Improved Player</a>&nbsp;last season, Tyrese Maxey, was rewarded with a five-year, $204 million extension. The 76ers committed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-nba-paul-george-free-agency-e2f1aaa1f92a6676a80eddcc74bc17de">more than $400 million in salary</a>&nbsp;to two players they believe position them as the top contender to dethrone the NBA champion Boston Celtics.

George and Maxey both congratulated Embiid on the extension on Instagram.

Throw in Embiid’s deal and the Sixers are counting on a Big Three that can contend for the life of their contracts. Embiid, though, has a history of injuries and has yet to lead to the franchise out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Embiid has never played more than 68 games in a season and averaged 34.7 points in just 39 games last season.

Originally selected by the 76ers with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid was named NBA MVP in the 2022-23 season and he won a gold medal with Team USA at this year’s Paris Olympics.

He has five All-NBA Team honors, seven consecutive All-Star selections from 2017-24, three All-Defensive Team nods, and twice has been the NBA scoring champion.

“Joel has cemented himself as one of the greatest Sixers of all time and is well on his way to being one of the best players to ever play the game. We’re ecstatic that this extension keeps him and his family in Philadelphia for years to come,” Harris said. “Joel is a great family man, leader, and person. He is an elite two-way player with a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that this league has rarely – if ever – seen. He is integral to this franchise’s quest for another NBA Championship, and we are honored that he continues to choose this organization as his NBA home.”

In 433 games (all starts) with the franchise, Embiid has averaged 27.9 points on 50.4% shooting, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocked shots across 31.9 minutes per contest. He ranks first in franchise history in scoring average (27.9 points per game), fifth in blocked shots (720), tied for sixth in triple-doubles (seven), and seventh in total points scored (12,071). Embiid also ranks third on the franchise list with eight 50-point games.

“I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a team statement. “Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me.”

A youth soccer player, Embiid didn’t pick up a basketball until he was a teenager in Africa, when a friend informed him that very few 7-footers succeed in soccer.

A few months later, Embiid was lured to a basketball camp in the capital of Yaounde run by NBA veteran Luc Mbah a Moute, one of just two players from Cameroon to have played in the NBA. Mbah a Moute persuaded Embiid’s parents to let him move 6,000 miles to Florida, and helped enroll him at Montverde Academy, one of the best high school programs in the country. He played just 28 games in his lone season at Kansas before leaving for the NBA.

Embiid missed his first two full seasons with injuries before settling in as one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1836083946867597713" target="_blank">top big men</a>&nbsp;— and richest players — of his generation.

🏀 Former Jayhawk Embiid signs massive extension with 76ers

LANGDON, Kan. — Kyle Finder took over the Fairfield High School football program prior to the 2023 season with a bare cupboard. The Falcons had went 0-9 in 2022, and were&nbsp; 6-75 since the 2015 season.

"The kids were tired of losing, and the community was tired of losing," Finder said. "You saw the immediate buy-in. I showed up the first day and the weight room was packed. Just the commitment level the kids have put in has been outstanding."

Finder and the Falcons finished 1-8 in 2023, with it's only win coming in its final game of the season over Hartford, 56-46. The win ended a 17-game losing streak for the Falcons.

"That win summed up our entire season," Fairfield head coach Kyle Finder said. "It was a hard fought game, and our guys really didn't know how to celebrate. We had to take some time to almost teach them how to celebrate with what was going on. The smiles on their face meant everything and it was a great way to end the season."

Fairfield is off to a 2-0 start this year with wins over Hartford (54-26) and Pratt-Skyline (30-12). The two wins were very different from each other, as Hartford was more of an air-raid offense, while Skyline wanted to ground and pound.

"We feel comfortable just going up against different styles," Finder said. "We feel we have a good game plan going into each week, it's just going to come down to the players playing and the coaches coaching, and hopefully we can get things to roll our way."

The Falcons will host Reno County Homeschool tonight at 7 p.m. in Langdon. The Sabres have put up 118 points through the first two weeks in wins over Stafford and Norwich.

"They are very athletic and don't make many mistakes," Finder said. "They are very well coached with coach Smith over there. He was actually my high school coach for two years of high school. He has done a real nice job with that program. They've got a quarterback that can throw the ball on a rope, so it's going to be a real test for us trying to slow down their passing attack, but also their rushing attack as well."

The last winning season for Fairfield High School football came in 2014, a 5-4 finish.&nbsp;

"It's been a long time and these guys know it and the community knows it," Finder said. "I think it's been since 1995 that we have made the playoffs, so we're just going to take it one game at a time, but feel like we can get there this year."

Over the past nine seasons, the Falcons have been outscored 4,188-1,038. During that stretch, Fairfield is averaging 12.8 points, while allowing 51.7 points.

Finder can sense the buy-in and support not only in the school, but also the community after the strong start.

"I feel like we've got a lot of buy-in from the community and the kids," Finder said. "They talk about it being fun to go to practice now, it used to be that they'd go to practice dreading some things. Even last year when we were trying to build the thing, they would go to practice knowing that we're going to get beat on Friday night. That hasn't been the case this year. It's one of those things where guys are looking forward to it, and people are stepping up to help and the community has bought in. It's been a real nice change of pace. There is just a different feel in the hallway this year."

The process of getting the players bought in hasn't been easy for Finder and his staff, especially with most players having to balance summer workouts with working on the farm.

"One of our captains, Chase Combs is getting the feed ready the night before just so he can feed animals before 6 a.m. weights," Finder said. "After he'd get done with that he'd go to basketball practice and then go home to work. There are just a lot of guys that make those sacrifices just so they can be a part of this. Another thing is our school doesn't sit in a community, so everybody has to drive a ways to get to weights, so there is also a financial sacrifice they have to make as far as it goes for gas money and it can just be a challenge, but our guys have been up to the challenge."

Fairfield is led by its rushing attack, which has produced 629 yards through the first two weeks, nearly eight yards per carry. 

The ground game is led by senior quarterback Connor Fowler, who Finder wanted to increase his production, but decrease his workload this year.

"It has been a real joy to watch," Finder said. "He's been over 100 yards rushing in both games on 14-18 carries a game. A lot of that has been thanks to guys like Brodie Snodgrass stepping up, Gage Brown, William McIver, Jalen Busick, a freshman for us, those guys have stepped up for us and have been able to take some carries here and there."

Finder says Snodgrass is off to a strong start with over 100 yards rushing in the first two games, as well.

"We knew Brodie has the athleticism, we just wanted to find the right place for him to be successful," Finder said. "He's scary fast in the open field and is not afraid to run through a guy as well, even though he's one of our smaller backs. He played the second half of the Hartford game on a swollen/sprained ankle and goes for 193 yards and four touchdowns."

The 300-plus yards rushing per game through the first two weeks is due to a lot of big blocks put on by the offensive line.

"We have a very young offensive line, but we have a very experienced offensive line," Finder said. "Most of them were freshmen, sophomores or juniors last year, and even though we have this experience from last season, we still only have one senior on that offensive line this year. These young guys have really taken off, guys like Gavin Foster just playing aggressive all the time, Garrett Lanning, Chase Combs, two guys that we just love being mean up front. Lukas and Layne Schwab have really set the tone for our tight ends and do a really nice job with that. Steven Nisly has been an addition this year that has really helped out, and Dominic Sader is another guy that when he's called upon does a really nice job for us up front."

As Finder continues to try and turn the Falcons' program in the right direction, he looks back at the path that has led the former Kingman County kid back to this area after coaching in far northwest Kansas.

"Going out west was a real blessing, because I was able to get into coaching," Finder said. "I had never really seen an eight-man game, and then we dropped to six-man, which I had never even heard of before. I learned a ton out there, but it got to be kind of old traveling six hours to see my wives family in Kansas City and four hours to see my folks. We just had our first child last summer, so just getting closer to family has been a real blessing. We loved Tribune and the people out there, but it was time to get back closer to home. I was lucky enough Fairfield took a chance on a first-year principal."&nbsp;

Finder appeared on this week's Reno County Coaches Show on KWBW Radio. <a href="https://thehutchpostpodcast.podbean.com/e/reno-county-coaches-show-sept-19-2024/">Click here</a> to listen to the episode. Finder appears with EAGLE Media Sports Director Sean Boston at the 12:30 mark in the episode.

🏈 Finder finding a way to lead Fairfield to its best start since 2013

🎧 LISTEN: ⚾ Royals vs Giants, 🏈 Hutch High Preview vs Maize, 🏈 Buhler travels to Great Bend

Barton County reserve point guard Dre Kindell committed to Wichita State, according to a post on his X/Twitter account.

Kindell spent his freshman year coming off the bench for the NJCAA champs.

🏀 Shockers land Barton guard

AP Sports Summary for September 20th, 2024:

Shohei Ohtani surpasses 50-50 milestone in spectacular fashion with a 3-homer, 2-steal game

MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has become the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did it by going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Ohtani hit is 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first player in big league history to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game. The Japanese superstar reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park.

Rodgers sparkles in his first home start since his injury to lead Jets to 24-3 win over Patriots

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes in a superb homecoming performance, New York's defense was dominant and the Jets rolled to a 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. Rodgers started his first game at MetLife Stadium since leaving just over a year ago with a torn Achilles tendon in New York's opener. He finished 27 of 35 for 281 yards with TD tosses to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard as the Jets ended an eight-game home losing streak against the Patriots. Breece Hall ran for a score for New York. Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in April, made his NFL debut late in the game.

Why does Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 feat resonate so much in baseball?

Among the roughly 23,000 men who played played Major League Baseball over the past century-and-a-half, none had a season with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases — until now. Shohei Ohtani became the first 50-50 player on Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his 50th and 51st home runs and stole his 50th and 51st bases.

Young stars Yamal and Wirtz shine in Champions League but with mixed results

Two of the world's most exciting young players shone on club soccer's biggest stage but with mixed fortunes. Teenager Lamine Yamal's goal couldn't prevent 10-man Barcelona from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco in the Champions League and bringing an end to its perfect start to the season. It took Florian Wirtz less than five minutes to score on his Champions League debut. Wirtz also netted another as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 4-0 win at Feyenoord. Europa League winner Atalanta had a penalty saved in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal. Atlético Madrid beat Leipzig 2-1 and Benfica topped Red Star Belgrade 2-1. Brest's first-ever appearance in European competition ended in a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz.

Guardians pushing unexpected season into postseason, will have chance to end Series title drought

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Guardians are taking an unexpected season into the postseason. Cleveland clinched one of the AL's six playoff spots Thursday with a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Minnesota Twins. It was the team's MLB-leading 42nd comeback victory and second straight in extra innings. Under first-year manager Stephen Vogt, Cleveland has been atop the AL Central since April and become one of the season's biggest surprises. Vogt had never even filled out a lineup card before spring training. But he's brought a young team closer together and the Guardians will head into October looking to end the longest active World Series title drought dating to 1948.

Dodgers clinch 12th straight playoff berth on Shohei Ohtani's historic night

MIAMI (AP) — In what has become a fall custom, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to the playoffs. The Dodgers clinched their 12th consecutive postseason berth Thursday with a 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on the same night that star slugger Shohei Ohtani homered three times and stole two bases to become the first player in major league history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. The magic number for the NL West-leading Dodgers to clinch the NL West dropped to six. They hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in their pursuit of the NL's No. 2 seed.

Diana Taurasi closes out what could be final home game of her 20-year career

PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi tired to address the Phoenix Mercury crowd, but was interrupted. They wanted her to play one more year. Taurasi hasn't announced whether she will or not, marking Thursday night's game against Seattle as the potential final at home of her 20-year career. The Storm spoiled Taurasi's night with an 89-70 win, but did little to diminish what she accomplished during an unparalleled career. If this is the end, Taurasi leaves as a six-time Olympic medalist, three-time WNBA champion and the league's all-time leading scorer. The Mercury's season will continue with a best-of-three playoff series against Minnesota, but there's no guarantee she will return for another home game.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese change the WNBA's landscape, and its future

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The impact of this year's transformational WNBA season can be found anywhere one looks. Sold out arenas became the norm. Television ratings helped expand the fan base. The continual record-breaking quests of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson and others emerged as part of routine conversations. Social media posts spurred sometimes heated debates about everything from basketball to culture. Yes, Year 1 of the Clark &amp; Reese Show has been unlike anything the league has ever seen and with the playoffs looming, the final chapter is still unscripted. It's just what the league needed.

Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says freshman quarterback Arch Manning will get his first career start Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe. Regular starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from a strained muscle in his abdomen. Manning relieved Ewers in last week's win over UTSA and passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. Texas is playing its first game as No. 1 since 2008. The Longhorns start their first SEC schedule Sept. 28 against Mississippi State.

Japan celebrates as Ohtani becomes the first major leaguer to reach 50-50 milestone

TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani's feat of becoming the first major leaguer with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season was met with extra editions of newspapers for fans to read on their way to work. Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone as he hit three homes and stole two bases in a game during the 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday, securing a playoff berth for the Dodgers. The news topped morning headlines, and "Ohtani-san" was the No. 1 trending topic of social media platform X.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

		San Francisco	at	Kansas City	8:10 p.m.	

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Friday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tarik Skubal allowed three hits over five innings for his 17th win and the streaking Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night to move within a half game of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

Riley Greene hit a go-ahead home run as the Tigers (80-73) won their fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games. With the series sweep, Detroit won for the 25th time in 35 games to move within a half game of Minnesota (80-72) for the third AL wild-card spot.

“These guys, first of all we believe, and second we come every day to try to win the game, and we are winning a lot, which is fun to watch these guys learn and grow and compete until the end of the game,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Skubal (17-4), who has won his last five decisions, made his case for the AL Cy Young Award stronger by matching Atlanta’s Chris Sale for the major league lead in wins and lowered his AL-leading earned run average to 2.48. He walked one and struck out seven.

“Really proud of the guys. Last time we came here we were on the other side of the sweep,” Skubal said. “We’ve got a great group, a resilient group. I mean if you just look at the season that we’ve had, I think it shows in this series.”

Skubal had struggled against the Royals in the past, entering Wednesday with a 2-9 record and 5.05 ERA in 12 starts over 14 appearances. After allowing three hits and Yuli Gurriel’s two-out RBI single in the first inning, he threw four hitless innings.

“We put some good at-bats on him early, but once he got the runs, five of the next six hitters were 0-2 counts. He’s coming after us,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Skubal. “But that’s how he pitches. He’s not picking at the corners. He’s got elite stuff and he knows it.”

Skubal screamed after striking out Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez with two on for his final out in the fifth.

“For me it’s always about executing pitches,” Skubal said. “If I can execute pitches at a high clip, I like my chances against anybody, no matter how many times they’ve seen me."

Hinch was happy to see his ace battle through 95 pitches though he wasn’t as sharp as his previous starts.

“It was a big fight for him, but he did a great job,” Hinch said. “Sometimes five is enough, and he did his job by getting the biggest out against his biggest nemesis and showed a ton of emotion. ... If he somehow isn’t able to make pitches to Salvy, who has been good against him, this game’s completely different. He’s our guy. We needed our guy to do his part, and he did."

The Royals (82-71), who lost their fourth straight, were swept for the first time at home this season and the third time overall. They remained 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot and 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/orioles-giants-score-6ec70e02cd2b3f67760e8e2272f1fdaf">The Orioles</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/twins-guardians-score-cb19462f4d0652f6799b22b30297f003">Twins both lost</a>&nbsp;earlier Wednesday.

Skubal struck out major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. twice before hitting him with a pitch in the fifth. Witt, who became the first player in major league history&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/royals-bobby-witt-jr-steals-homers-2f244fb981427ad0622cbc0d73c200df">with multiple seasons of 30 home runs and 30 steals</a>&nbsp;in his first three seasons Tuesday, broke Hal McRae’s 1977 franchise record with his 87th extra-base hit of the season with a bloop double to lead off the eighth.

Perez then drove in Witt with a single off reliever Brenan Hanifee. Sean Guenther preserved the 4-2 lead with a double play and a fly out. Guenther got the first out of the ninth and Will Vest got the final two for his second save.

Royals starter Alec Marsh (8-9), coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts in his last start, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.

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