Reno County Coaches Show airs Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) and on KWBWradio.com. Sean Boston, Glen Grunwald and Rob Dreher visit with area coaches and student-athletes throughout the school year for this weekly 30-minute show.

Glen Grunwald w/ Josie Armstrong (Hutch High School volleyball coach)

Sean Boston w/ Kyle Finder (Fairfield High School football coach

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601052662830.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Reno County Coaches Show airs Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) and on KWBWradio.com. Sean Boston, Glen Grunwald and Rob Dreher visit with area coaches and student-athletes throughout the school year for this weekly 30-minute show.Glen Grunwald w/ Josie Armstrong (Hutch High School volleyball coach)Sean Boston w/ Kyle Finder (Fairfield High School football coach<div><iframe title="Reno County Coaches Show (Sept. 19, 2024)" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=7zis2-16da929-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: Reno County Coaches Show

Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Dunning, Jr., announced today the appointment of Richard Konzem as executive director of the organization.

Konzem will assume his duties immediately.

Konzem has a long history with the hall of fame, recently serving on the board of directors for the second time. His first stint was 1999-2007, during which time he held the office of vice-president from 2003-05.

“Richard is eminently qualified to lead the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame,” Dunning said. “His knowledge of the organization, experience in sports, relationships with key constituents and track record of success made his selection an easy one. Speaking on behalf of the board, we are excited to have him as the executive director and look forward to working with him.”

A native of Salina, Konzem has extensive experience professionally and as a volunteer in the sports industry. He began his career serving in various capacities in the University of Kansas athletics department, his last title as senior associate athletic director (1981-2003). He was the athletic director at Benedictine (Kan.) College in 2006-07 and followed in the same capacity at Rockhurst (Mo.) University, 2007-11.&nbsp;

“I’m honored and humbled to be selected to serve the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame,” Konzem said. “I have always admired the organization and have a deep appreciation for the men and women who have achieved excellence in representing the state of Kansas. I look forward to working with the board to advance the organization.”

He concluded his career in college athletics as the Rockhurst men’s and women’s golf coach and served as an adjunct professor in sports management. He retired from those duties in 2022. Konzem also manages his own consulting business, where he has assisted collegiate athletics departments in strategic planning. He has worked in golf event management supporting the PGA Tour and staffed numerous NCAA championship events.&nbsp;

Additionally, Konzem has organizational leadership experience as the chief operating officer for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and as the deputy director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. His local and state volunteer activities include the Sunflower State Games board of directors, Leadership Kansas, Junior Achievement, Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Douglas County United Way, and Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;

He remains active as a volunteer golf rules official in the state and Midwest region, working events for Central Links/Kansas Golf Association, the Big 12 Conference and the United States Golf Association.&nbsp;

Konzem earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Kansas in 1980 and a Master of Arts in athletic administration and physical education from the University of Southern California in 1984. He and his wife, Debbie Vignatelli, reside in Lawrence.

The 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be October 13 in Topeka at the Hotel Topeka. The reception begins at 5 p.m. with the program to follow. Tickets are available online at <a target="_blank" href="https://shoutout.wix.com/so/c6P88AS7x/c?w=rgZhjJIsZr6bWOAGJD12rSHJZQHRQwWsBytZbhGYoqg.eyJ1IjoiaHR0cDovL3d3dy5rc2hvZi5vcmciLCJyIjoiMWVjZjU0NjctZWE4NC00YTc3LWE4ZWItNGJiM2RkNGNhMTQ1IiwibSI6Im1haWwiLCJjIjoiNWY3YzIzOTgtZjY4YS00YTAzLWIyNDEtYmVhYWY4NmJkYmM4In0">www.kshof.org</a>.

The KSHOF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, (EIN is: 41-2060659), and donors are eligible for tax benefits for their donation. Money raised from the donations will go towards programming and serving the community by educating our youth and community about Kansas athletes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656358576685.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy KSHOF" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy KSHOF</figcaption>
 </figure>KSHOFKansas Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Dunning, Jr., announced today the appointment of Richard Konzem as executive director of the organization.Konzem will assume his duties immediately.Konzem has a long history with the hall of fame, recently serving on the board of directors for the second time. His first stint was 1999-2007, during which time he held the office of vice-president from 2003-05.“Richard is eminently qualified to lead the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame,” Dunning said. “His knowledge of the organization, experience in sports, relationships with key constituents and track record of success made his selection an easy one. Speaking on behalf of the board, we are excited to have him as the executive director and look forward to working with him.”A native of Salina, Konzem has extensive experience professionally and as a volunteer in the sports industry. He began his career serving in various capacities in the University of Kansas athletics department, his last title as senior associate athletic director (1981-2003). He was the athletic director at Benedictine (Kan.) College in 2006-07 and followed in the same capacity at Rockhurst (Mo.) University, 2007-11.&nbsp;“I’m honored and humbled to be selected to serve the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame,” Konzem said. “I have always admired the organization and have a deep appreciation for the men and women who have achieved excellence in representing the state of Kansas. I look forward to working with the board to advance the organization.”He concluded his career in college athletics as the Rockhurst men’s and women’s golf coach and served as an adjunct professor in sports management. He retired from those duties in 2022. Konzem also manages his own consulting business, where he has assisted collegiate athletics departments in strategic planning. He has worked in golf event management supporting the PGA Tour and staffed numerous NCAA championship events.&nbsp;Additionally, Konzem has organizational leadership experience as the chief operating officer for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and as the deputy director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics. His local and state volunteer activities include the Sunflower State Games board of directors, Leadership Kansas, Junior Achievement, Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Douglas County United Way, and Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;He remains active as a volunteer golf rules official in the state and Midwest region, working events for Central Links/Kansas Golf Association, the Big 12 Conference and the United States Golf Association.&nbsp;Konzem earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Kansas in 1980 and a Master of Arts in athletic administration and physical education from the University of Southern California in 1984. He and his wife, Debbie Vignatelli, reside in Lawrence.The 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be October 13 in Topeka at the Hotel Topeka. The reception begins at 5 p.m. with the program to follow. Tickets are available online at <a target="_blank" href="https://shoutout.wix.com/so/c6P88AS7x/c?w=rgZhjJIsZr6bWOAGJD12rSHJZQHRQwWsBytZbhGYoqg.eyJ1IjoiaHR0cDovL3d3dy5rc2hvZi5vcmciLCJyIjoiMWVjZjU0NjctZWE4NC00YTc3LWE4ZWItNGJiM2RkNGNhMTQ1IiwibSI6Im1haWwiLCJjIjoiNWY3YzIzOTgtZjY4YS00YTAzLWIyNDEtYmVhYWY4NmJkYmM4In0">www.kshof.org</a>.The KSHOF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, (EIN is: 41-2060659), and donors are eligible for tax benefits for their donation. Money raised from the donations will go towards programming and serving the community by educating our youth and community about Kansas athletes.

KSHOF names new executive director

KANSAS-&nbsp;On behalf of all staff, participants, supporters, ambassadors, sponsors, corporate partners, and nobles across Kansas, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. Board of Directors is proud to announce a donation of $150,000 to benefit Shriners Children’s and the many Kansas children whose lives are greatly impacted by the care received at Shriners Children’s. According to Shriners Children’s, more than 320 children from over 125 different cities in Kansas have received care from Shriners Children’s in the last 10 years. The $150,000 donation, generated by the success of the 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth in Emporia and the inaugural KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals in Wichita, matches the second highest single-year contribution by the organization in its 51-year history. Since 1974, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. has donated just shy of $4.0 million to Shriners Children’s.

In addition to the major financial contribution, as a result of the 2024 KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals and the 51st&nbsp;Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. was able to provide camps and programming for over 500 student-athletes and musicians from across Kansas. These camps provide students the opportunity to learn first-hand the impact their participation has on the lives of the many children served by Shriners Children’s. Through the interaction and activities they participate in during camp with the Shriners Children’s Patient Ambassadors and their families, these students become active participants in helping spread awareness for the outstanding philanthropic work being done by Shriners.

The 2nd&nbsp;Annual KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and the 52nd&nbsp;Annual Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas. To learn more about the many opportunities available to be a part of these events and help make the biggest impact possible for Shriners Children’s, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. Additional event information and history can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.

The Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces annual events and related activities to benefit Shriners Children’s. Donations to the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (EIN 48-0807815). Shriners Children’s is a world-renowned healthcare system with hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers and outreach locations across the globe. Shriners Children’s is dedicated to improving the lives of children every day by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715785398923.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Shrine Bowl" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Shrine Bowl</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas Shrine BowlKANSAS-&nbsp;On behalf of all staff, participants, supporters, ambassadors, sponsors, corporate partners, and nobles across Kansas, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. Board of Directors is proud to announce a donation of $150,000 to benefit Shriners Children’s and the many Kansas children whose lives are greatly impacted by the care received at Shriners Children’s. According to Shriners Children’s, more than 320 children from over 125 different cities in Kansas have received care from Shriners Children’s in the last 10 years. The $150,000 donation, generated by the success of the 2024 Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth in Emporia and the inaugural KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals in Wichita, matches the second highest single-year contribution by the organization in its 51-year history. Since 1974, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. has donated just shy of $4.0 million to Shriners Children’s.In addition to the major financial contribution, as a result of the 2024 KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals and the 51st&nbsp;Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth, the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. was able to provide camps and programming for over 500 student-athletes and musicians from across Kansas. These camps provide students the opportunity to learn first-hand the impact their participation has on the lives of the many children served by Shriners Children’s. Through the interaction and activities they participate in during camp with the Shriners Children’s Patient Ambassadors and their families, these students become active participants in helping spread awareness for the outstanding philanthropic work being done by Shriners.The 2nd&nbsp;Annual KWCA Kansas Shrine Duals is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and the 52nd&nbsp;Annual Kansas Shrine Bowl presented by Mammoth is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas. To learn more about the many opportunities available to be a part of these events and help make the biggest impact possible for Shriners Children’s, please contact the Kansas Shrine Bowl office at 913-602-8656 or by email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:events@KansasShrineBowl.com">events@KansasShrineBowl.com</a>. Additional event information and history can be found at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kansasshrinebowl.com/">www.KansasShrineBowl.com</a>.The Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces annual events and related activities to benefit Shriners Children’s. Donations to the Shrine Bowl of Kansas Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (EIN 48-0807815). Shriners Children’s is a world-renowned healthcare system with hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care centers and outreach locations across the globe. Shriners Children’s is dedicated to improving the lives of children every day by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to the age of 18 are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

🏈 Kansas Shrine Bowl announces $150,000 donation

TOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp;– The KSHSAA Board of Directors voted Wednesday to allow high school basketball teams to play 23 games during the regular season starting with the 2025-26 season.

A proposal initiated by the Kansas Coaches Association and advanced to the Board of Directors agenda by the KSHSAA Executive Board, changes the allowable games a student may participate in from 20 to 23, not counting the postseason. The item was passed with a 36-25 vote.

Other items passed by the KSHSAA Board of Directors:

Rule 22, Outside Competition, Section 1 Article 1&nbsp;- Tennis athletes will now be permitted to participate in one outside competition during the school season. Those events must be approved in advance with a request to the KSHSAA initiated by the member school.&nbsp; Those outside competitions must meet certain criteria with detailed information available on kshsaa.org and in direct communications to member schools participating in tennis. The change is effective upon publication of the Board of Directors meeting minutes.&nbsp;

Rule 32 Baseball and Rule 39 Softball -&nbsp;A student may now participate in 32 total games during the regular season. Each varsity squad may schedule 26 games and sub-varsity may schedule 20 games. The student may participate in no more than 32 games. This is effective for the spring season this school year.

Rule 44, Wrestling (Girls and Boys) -&nbsp;Girls and boys events may now participate in no more than four (4) events, (any combination of double dual, quad (triple dual) and/or one-day tournament) that begin before 3:00 p.m. for each gender. This is effective this school year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598357043542.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy KSHSAA" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy KSHSAA</figcaption>
 </figure>KSHSAATOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp;– The KSHSAA Board of Directors voted Wednesday to allow high school basketball teams to play 23 games during the regular season starting with the 2025-26 season.A proposal initiated by the Kansas Coaches Association and advanced to the Board of Directors agenda by the KSHSAA Executive Board, changes the allowable games a student may participate in from 20 to 23, not counting the postseason. The item was passed with a 36-25 vote.Other items passed by the KSHSAA Board of Directors:Rule 22, Outside Competition, Section 1 Article 1&nbsp;- Tennis athletes will now be permitted to participate in one outside competition during the school season. Those events must be approved in advance with a request to the KSHSAA initiated by the member school.&nbsp; Those outside competitions must meet certain criteria with detailed information available on kshsaa.org and in direct communications to member schools participating in tennis. The change is effective upon publication of the Board of Directors meeting minutes.&nbsp;Rule 32 Baseball and Rule 39 Softball -&nbsp;A student may now participate in 32 total games during the regular season. Each varsity squad may schedule 26 games and sub-varsity may schedule 20 games. The student may participate in no more than 32 games. This is effective for the spring season this school year.Rule 44, Wrestling (Girls and Boys) -&nbsp;Girls and boys events may now participate in no more than four (4) events, (any combination of double dual, quad (triple dual) and/or one-day tournament) that begin before 3:00 p.m. for each gender. This is effective this school year.

🏀 KSHSAA approves more games in 2025-26

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726764631741.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas State Athletics
 
MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;&ndash; K-State&apos;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/aliyah-carter/11942" rel="smarttag">Aliyah Carter</a>&nbsp;was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Player of the Year Award Watch List, as the organization released the second group of its inaugural list Thursday morning. A decorated veteran of K-State volleyball, Carter was one of 36 student-athletes from 21 different schools and one of only three players from the Big 12 Conference featured on the watch list. Carter, a 2023 AVCA All-American Honorable Mention selection, became the fifth player in program history to achieve 1,500 career kills on Sunday, while posting her 18th&nbsp;consecutive match with 10 or more kills. The three-time unanimous All-Big 12 and AVCA All-Midwest Region First Team honoree is only second to former Wildcat Kaitlynn Pelger in total career kills during the rally-scoring era. With 1,501 career kills, Carter is 11 away from breaking the rally-scoring era record, which would move her to fourth all-time in school history. She currently stands alone atop of the rally-scoring career kills average leaderboard with 3.83, as she owns three of Wildcats&apos; top 10 single-season averages, along with a program record 19 matches with 20-plus kills. The Watch List will be narrowed down in November, while names of the finalists will be released prior to the annual AVCA Convention. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, KY, during the AVCA Convention. K-State concludes its 2024 non-conference schedule this weekend, as the Wildcats host the annual K-State Invitational, starting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against UC Santa Barbara at Morgan Family Arena. The Wildcats will round out the tournament Sunday, when they face former Big 12 competitor Oklahoma at 4 p.m., which will be televised on ESPNU. Single match tickets are available through the K-State Athletics ticket office at 1-800-221-CATS and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/tickets" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/tickets</a>, starting at just $10 when purchased in advance.&nbsp;</div>

🏐 K-State's Carter tabbed to AVCA Player of the Year Award watch list

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Thursday, September 19th." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Thursday, September 19th.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Early Morning Sports for September 19th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=3uypp-16da107-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: Royals slump continues, 🏈 HutchCC players of the week now receive NJCAA honors

AP Sports Summary for September 19th, 2024:

Yankees clinch playoff berth by beating Mariners 2-1 in 10 innings

SEATTLE (AP) — Following a one-year absence, the New York Yankees are back in the playoffs. After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees wrapped up their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night. New York has the best record in the American League at 89-63 and leads second-place Baltimore by five games in the AL East with 10 to play. The latest victory ensured the Yankees at least a wild card. It's the 59th postseason appearance in franchise history, but the Yankees are still trying to end a World Series drought that dates to 2009, when New York celebrated its 27th title.

Ohtani steals 49th base in Dodgers' 8-4 win over Marlins

MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4. Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances. Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits for the Dodgers.

Brewers outperform preseason expectations again to win 3rd NL Central title in 4 years

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers became the first major league team to clinch a playoff spot when they sealed their third NL Central title in the last four years. The Chicago Cubs' 5-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics enabled the Brewers to wrap up the division crown. This marks the Brewers' seventh postseason berth in the last eight years, the franchise's longest run of sustained success. But this run to the playoffs has been a little different. Manager Craig Counsell left for the rival Cubs last offseason. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, was traded. All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich and pitchers Wade Miley and Robert Gasser went down with season-ending injuries. Yet the Brewers took over first place for good at the end of April and never looked back.

A flying bat and a baserunning mistake cost Mariners chance to make up ground in playoff race

SEATTLE (AP) — With their playoff chances slipping away, the Seattle Mariners found a painful new way to lose. The Mariners fell to the New York Yankees 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday night, but it was how the bottom of the 10th played out that will be remembered in Mariners lore as another chapter in a season that has gone awry. Julio Rodríguez was picked off third base for a bizarre double play after dodging a flying bat that slipped out of the hands of Randy Arozarena when he struck out swinging. The Mariners missed a chance to make up needed ground in the AL West and wild-card races after both Houston and Minnesota lost.

Man City and Inter Milan draw 0-0 in goal-shy Champions League. PSG scores late to beat Girona

GENEVA (AP) — Where did all the goals go? The 0-0 draws between Manchester City and Inter Milan in their rematch of the 2023 final, after Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk also could not find a goal, capped an untypically goal-shy evening for the Champions League on Wednesday. Just 13 were scored in six games one day after 28 were fired in Tuesday. There were only four 0-0 draws in the 96-game group stage last season. Paris Saint-Germain got a stoppage-time goal to beat Girona 1-0. Borussia Dortmund scored three late goals to win 3-0 at Club Brugge.

Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk opens up about the death of his friend Johnny Gaudreau

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk estimates that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau's exploits, both the on-ice and off-ice variety, to somebody at least once a week. And he's not going to stop, either. Tkachuk spoke Wednesday about the death of his longtime friend and former teammate, calling Gaudreau "the most offensively talented player I've ever seen." Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey. Tkachuk spoke at the Panthers' media day, the first formal event of the new NHL season.

Coco Gauff splits with coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title together

Coco Gauff has split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title together. The pair announced the news via separate messages on social media on Wednesday. The end of their partnership comes 2 1/2 weeks after Gauff's defense of her 2023 championship at the U.S. Open unraveled amid 19 double-faults during a three-set loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. That was the latest in a series of disappointing-for-her results in recent months for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings.

WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026

The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon's biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. They paid $125 million for the franchise. The Bhathals started having conversations with the WNBA late last year after a separate bid to bring a team to Portland fell through. It's the third expansion franchise the league will add over the next two years, with Golden State and Toronto getting the other two. The Golden State Valkyries will begin play next season and Toronto in 2026.

Jaromir Jagr opens 37th professional season in his Kladno Knights team's Czech league loss

Jaromir Jagr has opened his 37th professional season. In what is expected to be his last season, the 52-year-old winger set up a power play goal for hometown team Kladno Knights in a 5-1 away loss to Pardubice in the Czech league. It was the first time Jagr had played a season's opener since the Calgary Flames released the NHL's second-highest points scorer in 2018. He returned six years ago to Kladno, the team where he made his debut as a teenager and which he owns.

Derek Carr and the Saints buck the NFL trend of early season offensive struggles

The worst start to an NFL season for passing offenses in years hasn't hit the New Orleans Saints. While quarterbacks and offenses around the league have struggled to get going, Derek Carr and the Saints are clicking with an early efficiency that might not ever have been reached before in the NFL. The Saints followed up a 47-point outburst in the season opener against Carolina by beating the Dallas Cowboys 44-19 on Sunday, becoming the fifth team to score at least 44 points in each of the first two games of a season.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, September 19th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Thursday, September 19th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for September 19th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8573465/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Yankees clinch playoff berth by beating Mariners 2-1 in 10 inningsSEATTLE (AP) — Following a one-year absence, the New York Yankees are back in the playoffs. After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees wrapped up their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night. New York has the best record in the American League at 89-63 and leads second-place Baltimore by five games in the AL East with 10 to play. The latest victory ensured the Yankees at least a wild card. It's the 59th postseason appearance in franchise history, but the Yankees are still trying to end a World Series drought that dates to 2009, when New York celebrated its 27th title.Ohtani steals 49th base in Dodgers' 8-4 win over MarlinsMIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base and moved closer to becoming the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 8-4. Ohtani, who began the day two shy of each mark, singled to lead off the game then swiped second. He flew out to left, struck out, lined out to right and struck out in his next four plate appearances. Tommy Edman hit his sixth homer in the last eight games for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who remained 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Diego. Enrique Hernández and Will Smith also went deep and Freddie Freeman had three hits for the Dodgers.Brewers outperform preseason expectations again to win 3rd NL Central title in 4 yearsMILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers became the first major league team to clinch a playoff spot when they sealed their third NL Central title in the last four years. The Chicago Cubs' 5-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics enabled the Brewers to wrap up the division crown. This marks the Brewers' seventh postseason berth in the last eight years, the franchise's longest run of sustained success. But this run to the playoffs has been a little different. Manager Craig Counsell left for the rival Cubs last offseason. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, was traded. All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich and pitchers Wade Miley and Robert Gasser went down with season-ending injuries. Yet the Brewers took over first place for good at the end of April and never looked back.A flying bat and a baserunning mistake cost Mariners chance to make up ground in playoff raceSEATTLE (AP) — With their playoff chances slipping away, the Seattle Mariners found a painful new way to lose. The Mariners fell to the New York Yankees 2-1 in 10 innings on Wednesday night, but it was how the bottom of the 10th played out that will be remembered in Mariners lore as another chapter in a season that has gone awry. Julio Rodríguez was picked off third base for a bizarre double play after dodging a flying bat that slipped out of the hands of Randy Arozarena when he struck out swinging. The Mariners missed a chance to make up needed ground in the AL West and wild-card races after both Houston and Minnesota lost.Man City and Inter Milan draw 0-0 in goal-shy Champions League. PSG scores late to beat GironaGENEVA (AP) — Where did all the goals go? The 0-0 draws between Manchester City and Inter Milan in their rematch of the 2023 final, after Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk also could not find a goal, capped an untypically goal-shy evening for the Champions League on Wednesday. Just 13 were scored in six games one day after 28 were fired in Tuesday. There were only four 0-0 draws in the 96-game group stage last season. Paris Saint-Germain got a stoppage-time goal to beat Girona 1-0. Borussia Dortmund scored three late goals to win 3-0 at Club Brugge.Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk opens up about the death of his friend Johnny GaudreauFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk estimates that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau's exploits, both the on-ice and off-ice variety, to somebody at least once a week. And he's not going to stop, either. Tkachuk spoke Wednesday about the death of his longtime friend and former teammate, calling Gaudreau "the most offensively talented player I've ever seen." Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey. Tkachuk spoke at the Panthers' media day, the first formal event of the new NHL season.Coco Gauff splits with coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title togetherCoco Gauff has split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title together. The pair announced the news via separate messages on social media on Wednesday. The end of their partnership comes 2 1/2 weeks after Gauff's defense of her 2023 championship at the U.S. Open unraveled amid 19 double-faults during a three-set loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. That was the latest in a series of disappointing-for-her results in recent months for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings.WNBA awards Portland an expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026The WNBA is headed back to Portland, with Oregon's biggest city getting an expansion team that will begin play in 2026. The team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. They paid $125 million for the franchise. The Bhathals started having conversations with the WNBA late last year after a separate bid to bring a team to Portland fell through. It's the third expansion franchise the league will add over the next two years, with Golden State and Toronto getting the other two. The Golden State Valkyries will begin play next season and Toronto in 2026.Jaromir Jagr opens 37th professional season in his Kladno Knights team's Czech league lossJaromir Jagr has opened his 37th professional season. In what is expected to be his last season, the 52-year-old winger set up a power play goal for hometown team Kladno Knights in a 5-1 away loss to Pardubice in the Czech league. It was the first time Jagr had played a season's opener since the Calgary Flames released the NHL's second-highest points scorer in 2018. He returned six years ago to Kladno, the team where he made his debut as a teenager and which he owns.Derek Carr and the Saints buck the NFL trend of early season offensive strugglesThe worst start to an NFL season for passing offenses in years hasn't hit the New Orleans Saints. While quarterbacks and offenses around the league have struggled to get going, Derek Carr and the Saints are clicking with an early efficiency that might not ever have been reached before in the NFL. The Saints followed up a 47-point outburst in the season opener against Carolina by beating the Dallas Cowboys 44-19 on Sunday, becoming the fifth team to score at least 44 points in each of the first two games of a season.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	Oakland	5	Chicago Cubs	3	Final	San Diego	4	Houston	0	Final	San Francisco	5	Baltimore	3	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	L.A. Angels	4	Chicago White Sox	3	Final	Boston	2	Tampa Bay	1	Final	Cleveland	5	Minnesota	4	Final	Texas	2	Toronto	0	Final	Detroit	4	Kansas City	2	Final	N.Y. Yankees	2	Seattle	1	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Arizona	9	Colorado	4	Final	Atlanta	7	Cincinnati	1	Final	L.A. Dodgers	8	Miami	4	Final	N.Y. Mets	10	Washington	0	Final	Milwaukee	2	Philadelphia	1	Final	St. Louis	10	Pittsburgh	5	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERFinal tie	Miami	2	Atlanta	2	Final	Philadelphia	5	New York City FC	1	Final tie	CF Montréal	2	New England	2	Final	Columbus	2	Toronto FC	0	Final	Orlando City	2	Charlotte FC	0	Final tie	Vancouver	1	Houston	1	Final	Sporting Kansas City	4	Colorado	1	Final	Cincinnati	2	Minnesota	1	Final	Nashville	1	Chicago	0	Final	Real Salt Lake	3	FC Dallas	2	Final tie	Austin FC	1	Los Angeles FC	1	Final	Portland	4	LA Galaxy	2	Final tie	San Jose	2	Seattle	2	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		San Francisco	at	Baltimore	1:05 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Minnesota	at	Cleveland	1:10 p.m.			Toronto	at	Texas	2:35 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Seattle	4:10 p.m.			Boston	at	Tampa Bay	6:50 p.m.			L-A Angels	at	Houston	8:10 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Atlanta	at	Cincinnati	1:10 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	Miami	4:40 p.m.			Arizona	at	Milwaukee	7:15 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	N-Y Mets	7:15 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	St. Louis	7:15 p.m.			Washington	at	Chi Cubs	7:40 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		New England	at	N-Y Jets	8:15 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION		Atlanta	at	New York	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Connecticut	7 p.m.			Indiana	at	Washington	7 p.m.			Los Angeles	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.			Dallas	at	Las Vegas	10 p.m.			Seattle	at	Phoenix	10 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Thursday

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Finally playing at home after 15 games on the road to open the 2024 season, the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team hit better than .400 in its first two sets back at the Sports Arena Wednesday night against Cloud County.

The Blue Dragons cooled off in the latter stages of the match and earned a 3-1 KJCCC victory over the Thunderbirds, winning 25-8, 25-13, 24-26, 25-16.

Hutchinson improved to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons will play McCook, Iowa Western, Missouri State-West Plains and Labette this weekend in the Blue Dragon Volleyball Classic at the Sports Arena. Cloud County is now 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the KJCCC.

The Blue Dragons dominated early, out-hitting Cloud County .462 to a minus .154 in the first set and .400 to a minus .031 in the second set. Hutchinson cooled off in the third and fourth sets and wound up out-hitting the Thunderbirds for the match .236 to a minus .008. The Dragons held Cloud County to negative hitting percentages in three of the four sets.

Freshman Atlyn Proctor led the Blue Dragons with 17 kills, hitting .433 on 30 attacks. Proctor had four digs and three block assists.

Sophomore Tiana Simmons had 14 kills on .111 hitting. She had a season-high eight digs with two service aces and two assists.

Freshman Viktoria Graf also reached double figures in kills with 10 kills on .200 hitting. She had six digs and three block assists.

Sophomore middle McKenzie Murphy had a season-high nine kills on .471 hitting. She added five total blocks, including one solo block.

The Blue Dragons out-blocked Cloud County 9-7 and out-dug the Thunderbirds 52-41. The Dragons also racked up a season-high 10 service aces.

Freshman setter Ellie Suber earned her first career double-double with 39 set assists and 10 digs.

Freshman libero Addy Foster had a team-high 14 digs.

Freshman Beatriz Carvalho had season highs of four service aces, five set assists and four digs.

SET 1 – The Blue Dragons were balanced offensively in the opening set with five kills from Murphy and four each from Proctor and Graf. Tied at 3-3, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead after a Simmons kills. A Murphy kill extended the run to 13-2 for a 16-5 Hutchinson lead. Back-to-back kills from Proctor extended the run to 16-3 and a 19-6 Dragon lead. Hutchison closed the set on a 6-1 run, getting a Simmons kill on set point for a 25-8 victory.

SET 2 – Hutchinson had an 8-5 lead and broke open the set with a 7-0 run on Graf’s serve. A Murphy kill capped the run and the Dragons led 15-5. A Graf kill upped the Dragon advantage to 19-10. The Dragons scored five unanswered points with a kill from Graf and a Graf/Murphy double block. Simmons had an ace to give the Dragons a 24-12 lead. Graf finished off the set with a kill. The Dragons had 13 kills and four blocks in the second set.

SET 3 – The third set was much tighter with six lead changes and 13 ties. After Cloud jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Hutchinson answered with a 5-0 run and led 5-3 after a Proctor kill. Tied at 20, a Proctor kill, a Proctor/Kierny Follmer double block and an Angela Reupena service ace gave the Dragons a 23-20 lead. The teams traded points to 24-21. Cloud County fought off three match points and scored the final five points of the set for a 26-24 win. Cloud County out-hit the Dragons in the third set .207-.103.

SET 4 – Trailing 3-1 early, the Blue Dragons went on a nine-point service run on Carvalho’s serve. Carvalho had four aces in that run, the fourth giving Hutchinson a 10-3 lead. The Dragons built a 16-4 lead on Foster’s serve. The longest scoring run from that point was three, by the Dragons. Hutchinson hit only .091 in the fourth set, getting a set-high four kills from Simmons.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726746479778.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information</figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC Sports InformationHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Finally playing at home after 15 games on the road to open the 2024 season, the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team hit better than .400 in its first two sets back at the Sports Arena Wednesday night against Cloud County.The Blue Dragons cooled off in the latter stages of the match and earned a 3-1 KJCCC victory over the Thunderbirds, winning 25-8, 25-13, 24-26, 25-16.Hutchinson improved to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons will play McCook, Iowa Western, Missouri State-West Plains and Labette this weekend in the Blue Dragon Volleyball Classic at the Sports Arena. Cloud County is now 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the KJCCC.The Blue Dragons dominated early, out-hitting Cloud County .462 to a minus .154 in the first set and .400 to a minus .031 in the second set. Hutchinson cooled off in the third and fourth sets and wound up out-hitting the Thunderbirds for the match .236 to a minus .008. The Dragons held Cloud County to negative hitting percentages in three of the four sets.Freshman Atlyn Proctor led the Blue Dragons with 17 kills, hitting .433 on 30 attacks. Proctor had four digs and three block assists.Sophomore Tiana Simmons had 14 kills on .111 hitting. She had a season-high eight digs with two service aces and two assists.Freshman Viktoria Graf also reached double figures in kills with 10 kills on .200 hitting. She had six digs and three block assists.Sophomore middle McKenzie Murphy had a season-high nine kills on .471 hitting. She added five total blocks, including one solo block.The Blue Dragons out-blocked Cloud County 9-7 and out-dug the Thunderbirds 52-41. The Dragons also racked up a season-high 10 service aces.Freshman setter Ellie Suber earned her first career double-double with 39 set assists and 10 digs.Freshman libero Addy Foster had a team-high 14 digs.Freshman Beatriz Carvalho had season highs of four service aces, five set assists and four digs.SET 1 – The Blue Dragons were balanced offensively in the opening set with five kills from Murphy and four each from Proctor and Graf. Tied at 3-3, the Dragons went on a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead after a Simmons kills. A Murphy kill extended the run to 13-2 for a 16-5 Hutchinson lead. Back-to-back kills from Proctor extended the run to 16-3 and a 19-6 Dragon lead. Hutchison closed the set on a 6-1 run, getting a Simmons kill on set point for a 25-8 victory.SET 2 – Hutchinson had an 8-5 lead and broke open the set with a 7-0 run on Graf’s serve. A Murphy kill capped the run and the Dragons led 15-5. A Graf kill upped the Dragon advantage to 19-10. The Dragons scored five unanswered points with a kill from Graf and a Graf/Murphy double block. Simmons had an ace to give the Dragons a 24-12 lead. Graf finished off the set with a kill. The Dragons had 13 kills and four blocks in the second set.SET 3 – The third set was much tighter with six lead changes and 13 ties. After Cloud jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Hutchinson answered with a 5-0 run and led 5-3 after a Proctor kill. Tied at 20, a Proctor kill, a Proctor/Kierny Follmer double block and an Angela Reupena service ace gave the Dragons a 23-20 lead. The teams traded points to 24-21. Cloud County fought off three match points and scored the final five points of the set for a 26-24 win. Cloud County out-hit the Dragons in the third set .207-.103.SET 4 – Trailing 3-1 early, the Blue Dragons went on a nine-point service run on Carvalho’s serve. Carvalho had four aces in that run, the fourth giving Hutchinson a 10-3 lead. The Dragons built a 16-4 lead on Foster’s serve. The longest scoring run from that point was three, by the Dragons. Hutchinson hit only .091 in the fourth set, getting a set-high four kills from Simmons.

🏐 Finally at home, Dragons down Cloud in 4

After being stunned early after a goal against in the third minute on Wednesday’s NJCAA Top 20 battle, the Hutchinson Community College Women’s Soccer team stayed the course and earned another key KJCCC league point.

Sophomore Katharina Marx scored the equalizer in the 50th minute and the No. 17 Blue Dragons battled to a 1-1 draw with the ninth-ranked Kansas City Blue Devils on Wednesday at the Salthawk Sports Complex.

The Blue Dragons are now 4-1-3 overall and 3-1-3 (12 points) in the KJCCC. Kansas City remained unbeaten at 6-0-2 overall and 4-0-2 (14 points) in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons are off on Saturday and will return to action next Wednesday at No. 14 Cowley.

Kansas City took an early 1-0 lead just 2:35 into the game when Cora Ellerman scored on a Jaycee Schumann assist. The Blue Devils kept that one-goal lead into halftime.

The Dragons started to sustain some offensive pressure in the second half.

Winning a couple of 50-50 balls in the offensive zone, sophomore midfielder Kaitlyn Edwards slid a pass to a wide-open Marx, who scored her fifth goal of the season to tie the game with 40:35 to play in the second half.

Statistically, the game was played at an even pace. Kansas City out-shot the Blue Dragons 15-13, but were 9-9 in the second half. The Devils had three corner kicks to Hutchinson’s two.

Blue Dragon sophomore goalkeeper Karsyn Slothower (3-1-2) made eight saves against the Blue Devils. Slothower now has 129 career saves, third most in Blue Dragon history.

Kansas City goalkeeper Maria Heuman made five saves.

The Blue Dragons lead the all-time series with the Blue Devils 6-1-3.

With their third draw of the 2024 season, the Blue Dragons tie a season record for ties in a season, matching the 2020/21 and 2023 Hutchinson teams.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726744507970.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information</figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC Sports InformationAfter being stunned early after a goal against in the third minute on Wednesday’s NJCAA Top 20 battle, the Hutchinson Community College Women’s Soccer team stayed the course and earned another key KJCCC league point.Sophomore Katharina Marx scored the equalizer in the 50th minute and the No. 17 Blue Dragons battled to a 1-1 draw with the ninth-ranked Kansas City Blue Devils on Wednesday at the Salthawk Sports Complex.The Blue Dragons are now 4-1-3 overall and 3-1-3 (12 points) in the KJCCC. Kansas City remained unbeaten at 6-0-2 overall and 4-0-2 (14 points) in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons are off on Saturday and will return to action next Wednesday at No. 14 Cowley.Kansas City took an early 1-0 lead just 2:35 into the game when Cora Ellerman scored on a Jaycee Schumann assist. The Blue Devils kept that one-goal lead into halftime.The Dragons started to sustain some offensive pressure in the second half.Winning a couple of 50-50 balls in the offensive zone, sophomore midfielder Kaitlyn Edwards slid a pass to a wide-open Marx, who scored her fifth goal of the season to tie the game with 40:35 to play in the second half.Statistically, the game was played at an even pace. Kansas City out-shot the Blue Dragons 15-13, but were 9-9 in the second half. The Devils had three corner kicks to Hutchinson’s two.Blue Dragon sophomore goalkeeper Karsyn Slothower (3-1-2) made eight saves against the Blue Devils. Slothower now has 129 career saves, third most in Blue Dragon history.Kansas City goalkeeper Maria Heuman made five saves.The Blue Dragons lead the all-time series with the Blue Devils 6-1-3.With their third draw of the 2024 season, the Blue Dragons tie a season record for ties in a season, matching the 2020/21 and 2023 Hutchinson teams.

⚽ Dragons draw in Top 20 matchup

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.

Perez and Gurriel, who is hitting .385 since the Royals acquired him from Atlanta, each had two hits for the Royals.

Tigers: Rookie 3B Colt Keith is day to day after reinjuring his right shoulder in Tuesday’s game on a diving attempt in the field. He has had a right shoulder problem in three straight seasons. He did not play Wednesday, but Hinch said he would hit in the batting cage during the game. “It could have been much worse,” Hinch said.

Tigers: Detroit has not announced a starter for Friday’s series opener at Baltimore.

Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-7, 3.29) is scheduled to start Friday’s home series opener against San Francisco. Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants and 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season at home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726715949210.png" alt="Detroit Tigers' Jace Jung (17) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to score on a double by Trey Sweeney during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Detroit Tigers' Jace Jung (17) beats the tag by Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez to score on a double by Trey Sweeney during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KARL ZINKE Associated PressKANSAS 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.Perez and Gurriel, who is hitting .385 since the Royals acquired him from Atlanta, each had two hits for the Royals.TRAINER’S ROOMTigers: Rookie 3B Colt Keith is day to day after reinjuring his right shoulder in Tuesday’s game on a diving attempt in the field. He has had a right shoulder problem in three straight seasons. He did not play Wednesday, but Hinch said he would hit in the batting cage during the game. “It could have been much worse,” Hinch said.UP NEXTTigers: Detroit has not announced a starter for Friday’s series opener at Baltimore.Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (13-7, 3.29) is scheduled to start Friday’s home series opener against San Francisco. Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine career starts against the Giants and 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA this season at home.

⚾ Tigers beat Royals Wednesday

Saturday's come-from-behind 33-30 overtime victory by the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team over No. 12 Iowa Central continues to reap rewards.

One day after both players earned Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week honors, Blue Dragon quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2024-25/bios/collier_samari_f7ro">Samari Collier</a>&nbsp;was named the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week and kicker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2024-25/bios/burger_nestus_ljhj">Nestus Burger</a>&nbsp;was named the national Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday.

Collier won his second NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Week award after the sophomore from DeSoto, Texas threw for a career high 300 yards and two touchdowns in the final 6:19 to force overtime against the Tritons. Collier also won the award on November 8, 2023

Burger also won his second national Special Teams Award. The kicker from Perth Australia also won on October 11, 2023.

On Saturday, the Blue Dragons trailed Iowa Central 30-16 in the fourth quarter.

Collier was 23 of 40 passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Tritons. He also added 89 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Collier threw two touchdown passes in the final 4:12 of the fourth quarter to force overtime.

In overtime, Burger kicked a walk-off 36-yard field goal to complete a 14-point comeback over Iowa Central.

Burger was 2 for 2 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra-points in the Blue Dragon victory. He also had four touchbacks on 6 kickoffs vs. the Tritons.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726686927791.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy&nbsp; HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy&nbsp; HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationSaturday's come-from-behind 33-30 overtime victory by the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team over No. 12 Iowa Central continues to reap rewards.One day after both players earned Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week honors, Blue Dragon quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2024-25/bios/collier_samari_f7ro">Samari Collier</a>&nbsp;was named the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week and kicker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2024-25/bios/burger_nestus_ljhj">Nestus Burger</a>&nbsp;was named the national Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday.Collier won his second NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Week award after the sophomore from DeSoto, Texas threw for a career high 300 yards and two touchdowns in the final 6:19 to force overtime against the Tritons. Collier also won the award on November 8, 2023Burger also won his second national Special Teams Award. The kicker from Perth Australia also won on October 11, 2023.On Saturday, the Blue Dragons trailed Iowa Central 30-16 in the fourth quarter.Collier was 23 of 40 passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Tritons. He also added 89 rushing yards on 14 carries.Collier threw two touchdown passes in the final 4:12 of the fourth quarter to force overtime.In overtime, Burger kicked a walk-off 36-yard field goal to complete a 14-point comeback over Iowa Central.Burger was 2 for 2 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra-points in the Blue Dragon victory. He also had four touchbacks on 6 kickoffs vs. the Tritons.

🏈 Blue Dragons double up on NJCAA Player of the Week honors

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726684587823.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;&ndash; Kansas men&apos;s basketball will play a charity fundraising exhibition game at Arkansas on Friday, Oct. 25. The contest will be played at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. &nbsp; Start time and broadcast information will be announced soon. Ticket-wise, Kansas will hold a donor sale for its small allotment for the game with that information to come later. General public ticket sales will begin Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. CT through the Arkansas ticket office. &nbsp; The Kansas at Arkansas contest is part of a series exhibition games sponsored by CareSource in which proceeds from ticket sales will benefit mental health providers and charities within each school&apos;s footprint. Kansas will donate proceeds from the game to the Kansas City based Fore The Kids Foundation (forethekidskc.org). Arkansas will donate proceeds from the charity game to Arkansas Children&apos;s Hospitals. &quot;We are excited to be able to go play at Arkansas in an exhibition game and help raise money for a great cause, as the proceeds will go to mental health charities,&quot; Kansas head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/bill-self/727" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Bill Self</a>&nbsp;said. &quot;This game will give us a good idea to see where our team is before the season starts. We wanted to play on the road to give us an opportunity to experience what our first road contest will be like as opposed to experiencing it for the first time in the regular season.&quot; This will be the third charity exhibition game Kansas will have participated over the last seven seasons. In October 2017, Kansas played Missouri in Kansas City, Missouri which raised money for Hurricane Katrina relief. Last season, in October 2023, Kansas played at Illinois to provide financial resources for rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires in Maui. Kansas leads the overall series with Arkansas, 8-6, and the two teams last met in the 2023 NCAA Tournament second round in Des Moines, Iowa, with Arkansas claiming a 72-71 win. The 14-game series dates back to 1946 and the Oct. 25 contest will be the first exhibition meeting between the two schools. The KU-Arkansas contest will pit Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coaches with&nbsp;<a href="https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/bill-self/727" rel="smarttag" style="color: rgb(0, 81, 186);">Bill Self</a>, who enters his 22nd&nbsp;season at Kansas, and Arkansas first-year coach John Calipari. &nbsp; In 21 seasons at Kansas with a 588-143 record, Self is three wins from becoming the winningest coach in Kansas basketball history. He will pass Dr. F.C. &quot;Phog&quot; Allen who was 590-219 in 39 seasons at KU (1907-09; 1919-56). Additionally, Self has a career record of 795-248 in 31 seasons and is five wins from becoming the third active NCAA D1 head coach to amass 800 all-time wins. Calipari is first at 813-260 entering his 34th season, while Tennessee&apos;s Rick Barnes is next at 806-415 entering his 38th career season.</div>

🏀 MBB: KU to play at Arkansas in exhibition game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.

Witt finished with three walks in the game,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tigers-royals-score-9edee0e88ad0d946d01d80cf3ac7cb89">which the Royals lost 3-1 in 10 innings</a>.

“It’s pretty special any time you get to be the first,” Witt said, “but yeah, that’s over now. We’re onto tomorrow.”

The Royals are 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first AL wild-card spot and 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota for the second.

Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season.

The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues. In fact, only six other players have had one within their first three seasons.

“He’s the best player in baseball. He’s incredible,” Royals pitcher Cole Ragans said. “A special talent, a special human being. We’re blessed to be able to watch him each and every day, and how hard he works behind the scenes to make that product on the field be what it is, is incredible. He’s just a special, special player. It’s a joy to get to watch every single day.”

The second overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, Witt signed an 11-year deal with the Royals in the offseason that ultimately will pay him $288,777,777. The biggest deal in franchise history included a $7,777,777 signing bonus, an ode to his No. 7 jersey that has become so popular with Kansas City fans who have packed Kauffman Stadium during their playoff chase.

The Royals are firmly in an AL wild-card spot with an outside chance of catching Cleveland in the division.

Witt has been one of the biggest reasons for their turnaround from a 106-loss season a year ago. He entered Tuesday leading the majors with 200 hits, a .332 average and 112 runs scored. The only players to finish a season leading in all three categories have been Nap Lajoie in 1901, Ty Cobb in 1911 and ’15, Stan Musial in 1952 and Rod Carew in 1977.

More than anything else, Witt has brought an infectious enthusiasm to a club sorely in need of it.

The Royals won back-to-back AL Pennants in 2014 and ’15 along with their first World Series title in 30 years, but they were unable to sustain the success and quickly returned to mediocrity. Kansas City lost at least 100 games three times in a span of six seasons before turning things around under second-year manager Matt Quatraro this season.

While fans in Kansas City have seen Witt’s stardom blossoming, his coming out party may have come this summer during the Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, not far from where he grew up in Colleyville. Witt reached the finals but lost 14-13 to Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers in a dramatic showdown that came down to the final swings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691287799360.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. dives back to first base after a fly out by Michael Massey during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. dives back to first base after a fly out by Michael Massey during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers.Witt finished with three walks in the game,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tigers-royals-score-9edee0e88ad0d946d01d80cf3ac7cb89">which the Royals lost 3-1 in 10 innings</a>.“It’s pretty special any time you get to be the first,” Witt said, “but yeah, that’s over now. We’re onto tomorrow.”The Royals are 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first AL wild-card spot and 1 1/2 ahead of Minnesota for the second.Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season.The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues. In fact, only six other players have had one within their first three seasons.“He’s the best player in baseball. He’s incredible,” Royals pitcher Cole Ragans said. “A special talent, a special human being. We’re blessed to be able to watch him each and every day, and how hard he works behind the scenes to make that product on the field be what it is, is incredible. He’s just a special, special player. It’s a joy to get to watch every single day.”The second overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, Witt signed an 11-year deal with the Royals in the offseason that ultimately will pay him $288,777,777. The biggest deal in franchise history included a $7,777,777 signing bonus, an ode to his No. 7 jersey that has become so popular with Kansas City fans who have packed Kauffman Stadium during their playoff chase.The Royals are firmly in an AL wild-card spot with an outside chance of catching Cleveland in the division.Witt has been one of the biggest reasons for their turnaround from a 106-loss season a year ago. He entered Tuesday leading the majors with 200 hits, a .332 average and 112 runs scored. The only players to finish a season leading in all three categories have been Nap Lajoie in 1901, Ty Cobb in 1911 and ’15, Stan Musial in 1952 and Rod Carew in 1977.More than anything else, Witt has brought an infectious enthusiasm to a club sorely in need of it.The Royals won back-to-back AL Pennants in 2014 and ’15 along with their first World Series title in 30 years, but they were unable to sustain the success and quickly returned to mediocrity. Kansas City lost at least 100 games three times in a span of six seasons before turning things around under second-year manager Matt Quatraro this season.While fans in Kansas City have seen Witt’s stardom blossoming, his coming out party may have come this summer during the Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, not far from where he grew up in Colleyville. Witt reached the finals but lost 14-13 to Teoscar Hernández of the Dodgers in a dramatic showdown that came down to the final swings.

⚾ Witt Jr. becomes first SS with multiple seasons of 30 homers and 30 steals

Week 4 of the college football season is upon us in the Sunflower State. See below for the schedule involving state teams.

KJCCC 11 a.m. - Ellsworth at Garden City 1 p.m. - Dodge City at Highland 7 p.m. - Coffeyville at Butler

KCAC 1 p.m. - Sterling at Bethany&nbsp; 6 p.m. - Avila at Bethel 6 p.m. - Ottawa at McPherson 6 p.m. - Kansas Wesleyan at Friends 6 p.m. - Saint Mary at Evangel 7 p.m. - Tabor at Southwestern

MIAA 11 a.m. - Central Missouri at Davenport (Mich.) 1 p.m. - Missouri Western at Emporia St. 1 p.m. - Pittsburg St. at Washburn 2 p.m. - NW Missouri St. at Missouri Southern 7 p.m. - Northeastern St. at Fort Hays St. 7 p.m. - Central Oklahoma at Nebraska Kearney

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719520416153.png" alt="EAGLE Media College Football Scoreboard" />
 <figcaption>EAGLE Media College Football Scoreboard</figcaption>
 </figure>Week 4 of the college football season is upon us in the Sunflower State. See below for the schedule involving state teams.KJCCC 11 a.m. - Ellsworth at Garden City 1 p.m. - Dodge City at Highland 7 p.m. - Coffeyville at ButlerKCAC 1 p.m. - Sterling at Bethany&nbsp; 6 p.m. - Avila at Bethel 6 p.m. - Ottawa at McPherson 6 p.m. - Kansas Wesleyan at Friends 6 p.m. - Saint Mary at Evangel 7 p.m. - Tabor at SouthwesternMIAA 11 a.m. - Central Missouri at Davenport (Mich.) 1 p.m. - Missouri Western at Emporia St. 1 p.m. - Pittsburg St. at Washburn 2 p.m. - NW Missouri St. at Missouri Southern 7 p.m. - Northeastern St. at Fort Hays St. 7 p.m. - Central Oklahoma at Nebraska Kearney

🏈 Week 4 KJCCC, KCAC, MIAA schedule 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Wednesday, September 18th." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Wednesday, September 18th.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Early Morning Sports for September 18th, 2024" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=zne7f-16d88e1-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 LISTEN: Royals slump continues, 🏈 Chiefs sign Hunt to practice squad, 🏈 HutchCC remains No. 1

AP Sports Summary for September 18th, 2024:

Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussion

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL's concussion protocol before he can return to the field. Coach Mike McDaniel has cautioned against speculation on the quarterback's future, stressing that he's more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career.

New Champions League format makes its debut with same old winners: Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern, Juve

ROME (AP) — The revamped Champions League made its debut with some familiar clubs claiming victories on opening night. Kylian Mbappé scored for Real Madrid but the 15-time champion needed late goals from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick to beat Stuttgart 3-1. Six-time champion Liverpool came back from a goal down for a 3-1 win at seven-time champion AC Milan. Harry Kane scored four in Bayern Munich's 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb. Two-time champion Juventus dispatched PSV Eindhoven 3-1. During the new league phase all 36 teams are ranked from top to bottom in a single standings that finishes in January. Aston Villa and Sporting Lisbon also won.

Harry Kane scores 4 goals in Bayern's 9-2 rout of Zagreb and breaks a record that Wayne Rooney held

MUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane has scored four goals as he broke a record set by Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in the Champions League. It was one of several records broken as Bayern Munich routed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. Kane scored his 30th goal from the penalty spot in the 19th minute to give Bayern the lead and draw level with Rooney and his 31st on a rebound in the 57th. He scored two more penalties after that.

ACC eyes revenue distribution models that could quell disputes with FSU, Clemson, AP sources say

Atlantic Coast Conference leaders are discussing new ways of divvying up media rights revenue that could potentially resolve legal disputes with Florida State and Clemson. That's according to two people familiar with the league's internal talks who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there is no fully formed proposal and a resolution is far from imminent. The discussions internally and with Florida State are an extension of a court-ordered mediation session last month between the conference and the school. FSU's board of trustees sued the ACC in December, looking for an affordable potential way out of the conference.

Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. becomes first shortstop with multiple seasons of 30 homers and 30 steals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers. Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season. The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues.

Jesús Sánchez leads Marlins in 11-9 win over Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani hits 48th homer of the season

MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez doubled twice and drove in three runs, and the Miami Marlins beat Shohei Ohtani and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Tuesday night. Ohtani struck out three times but hit his 48th home run as he tries to become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did not steal a base for the fifth straight game and remains at 48. Sánchez went 5 for 5, while Otto Lopez and Jake Burger homered for the Marlins.

Salvatore 'Totò' Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at 1990 World Cup, dies at 59

ROME (AP) — Salvatore "Totò" Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup that his country hosted, has died. He was 59. The Palermo Civico hospital says in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago. Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup, earning the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament's top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career. Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.

Juan Soto hits 40th homer, Aaron Judge drives in 4 runs as Yankees thump Mariners 11-2

SEATTLE (AP) — Aaron Judge drove in four runs in his first two at-bats, Juan Soto hit his 40th homer of the season and 200th of his career, and the New York Yankees moved to the cusp of clinching a playoff berth with an 11-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees can clinch at worst a wild-card spot in the American League with a victory over Seattle on Wednesday. The win in the opener of New York's six-game road trip pushed the Yankees lead in the AL East to four games over Baltimore — their largest lead since holding a 4 1/2-game lead when play started on June 7.

Overlooked champ Dubois says 'my time' for stardom in heavyweight bout against Joshua at Wembley

LONDON (AP) — Daniel Dubois didn't have to dethrone anyone to become a world heavyweight champion. So he has something to prove when he makes his first title defense before one of the biggest crowds in British boxing history. If he successfully defends his IBF belt on Saturday by beating fellow Briton Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Dubois might just transform himself into boxing's next big thing. Dubois tells the AP, "I'm getting used to the idea that I'm the world champion but I think I need to legitimize it by beating AJ." The 27-year-old Dubois was awarded the belt in late June after then-undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine relinquished it.

Tennessee is adding a 10% fee on football game tickets next season to pay players

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has announced a price hike for football tickets starting in 2025 with most of the increase going specifically to help pay players. The increase announced Tuesday morning in an email to season-ticket holders notes a new 10% talent fee to help pay the proposed revenue share for athletes. Athletic director Danny White explains in a video the price hike at Neyland Stadium will help Tennessee continue attracting and keeping the best athletes. Tennessee has been working to be at the front of the changing landscape supporting athletes since the NCAA changed its rules in 2021 allowing athletes to cash in on their success.

		Philadelphia	at	New York City FC	7:30 p.m.	

		Charlotte FC	at	Orlando City	8:15 p.m.	

		Colorado	at	Sporting Kansas City	8:30 p.m.	

		Austin FC	at	Los Angeles FC	10:30 p.m.	

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, September 18th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, September 18th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for September 18th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8572860/embed?v=202301" style="background-color: transparent; display: block; padding: 0; width: 100%" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no" title="Audioboom player" allow="autoplay" sandbox="allow-downloads allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></div>Dolphins place Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after latest concussionMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL's concussion protocol before he can return to the field. Coach Mike McDaniel has cautioned against speculation on the quarterback's future, stressing that he's more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career.New Champions League format makes its debut with same old winners: Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern, JuveROME (AP) — The revamped Champions League made its debut with some familiar clubs claiming victories on opening night. Kylian Mbappé scored for Real Madrid but the 15-time champion needed late goals from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick to beat Stuttgart 3-1. Six-time champion Liverpool came back from a goal down for a 3-1 win at seven-time champion AC Milan. Harry Kane scored four in Bayern Munich's 9-2 rout of Dinamo Zagreb. Two-time champion Juventus dispatched PSV Eindhoven 3-1. During the new league phase all 36 teams are ranked from top to bottom in a single standings that finishes in January. Aston Villa and Sporting Lisbon also won.Harry Kane scores 4 goals in Bayern's 9-2 rout of Zagreb and breaks a record that Wayne Rooney heldMUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane has scored four goals as he broke a record set by Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in the Champions League. It was one of several records broken as Bayern Munich routed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. Kane scored his 30th goal from the penalty spot in the 19th minute to give Bayern the lead and draw level with Rooney and his 31st on a rebound in the 57th. He scored two more penalties after that.ACC eyes revenue distribution models that could quell disputes with FSU, Clemson, AP sources sayAtlantic Coast Conference leaders are discussing new ways of divvying up media rights revenue that could potentially resolve legal disputes with Florida State and Clemson. That's according to two people familiar with the league's internal talks who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there is no fully formed proposal and a resolution is far from imminent. The discussions internally and with Florida State are an extension of a court-ordered mediation session last month between the conference and the school. FSU's board of trustees sued the ACC in December, looking for an affordable potential way out of the conference.Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. becomes first shortstop with multiple seasons of 30 homers and 30 stealsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. became the first shortstop in major league history with multiple seasons of at least 30 homers and 30 steals when the All-Star swiped second base in the first inning of Tuesday night's game against the Detroit Tigers. Witt has 31 homers this season, including a grand slam in the series-opener Monday night, to go with 30 steals. The 24-year-old superstar had 49 steals last season, when he hit the homer he needed to reach 30 with three games left in the season. The son of longtime big league pitcher Bobby Witt also became the first player with multiple 30-30 seasons in his first three years in the big leagues.Jesús Sánchez leads Marlins in 11-9 win over Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani hits 48th homer of the seasonMIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez doubled twice and drove in three runs, and the Miami Marlins beat Shohei Ohtani and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Tuesday night. Ohtani struck out three times but hit his 48th home run as he tries to become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He did not steal a base for the fifth straight game and remains at 48. Sánchez went 5 for 5, while Otto Lopez and Jake Burger homered for the Marlins.Salvatore 'Totò' Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at 1990 World Cup, dies at 59ROME (AP) — Salvatore "Totò" Schillaci, the Italy striker who was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup that his country hosted, has died. He was 59. The Palermo Civico hospital says in a statement that Schillacci died on Wednesday morning after being admitted 11 days ago. Schillaci scored six goals for Italy during the 1990 World Cup, earning the Golden Boot awarded to the tournament's top scorer. He only scored one other goal for Italy in his career. Schillaci played for Messina, Juventus, Inter Milan and Japanese team Jubilo Iwata during his club career.Juan Soto hits 40th homer, Aaron Judge drives in 4 runs as Yankees thump Mariners 11-2SEATTLE (AP) — Aaron Judge drove in four runs in his first two at-bats, Juan Soto hit his 40th homer of the season and 200th of his career, and the New York Yankees moved to the cusp of clinching a playoff berth with an 11-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees can clinch at worst a wild-card spot in the American League with a victory over Seattle on Wednesday. The win in the opener of New York's six-game road trip pushed the Yankees lead in the AL East to four games over Baltimore — their largest lead since holding a 4 1/2-game lead when play started on June 7.Overlooked champ Dubois says 'my time' for stardom in heavyweight bout against Joshua at WembleyLONDON (AP) — Daniel Dubois didn't have to dethrone anyone to become a world heavyweight champion. So he has something to prove when he makes his first title defense before one of the biggest crowds in British boxing history. If he successfully defends his IBF belt on Saturday by beating fellow Briton Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Dubois might just transform himself into boxing's next big thing. Dubois tells the AP, "I'm getting used to the idea that I'm the world champion but I think I need to legitimize it by beating AJ." The 27-year-old Dubois was awarded the belt in late June after then-undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine relinquished it.Tennessee is adding a 10% fee on football game tickets next season to pay playersKNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has announced a price hike for football tickets starting in 2025 with most of the increase going specifically to help pay players. The increase announced Tuesday morning in an email to season-ticket holders notes a new 10% talent fee to help pay the proposed revenue share for athletes. Athletic director Danny White explains in a video the price hike at Neyland Stadium will help Tennessee continue attracting and keeping the best athletes. Tennessee has been working to be at the front of the changing landscape supporting athletes since the NCAA changed its rules in 2021 allowing athletes to cash in on their success.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___INTERLEAGUEFinal	San Francisco	10	Baltimore	0	Final	Oakland	4	Chicago Cubs	3	Final	Houston	4	San Diego	3	___AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Minnesota	4	Cleveland	1	Final	Tampa Bay	8	Boston	3	Final	Detroit	3	Kansas City	1	Final	Texas	13	Toronto	8	Final	L.A. Angels	5	Chicago White Sox	0	Final	N.Y. Yankees	11	Seattle	2	___NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Miami	11	L.A. Dodgers	9	Final	Cincinnati	6	Atlanta	5	Final	N.Y. Mets	10	Washington	1	Final	St. Louis	3	Pittsburgh	1	Final	Philadelphia	5	Milwaukee	1	Final	Colorado	8	Arizona	2	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATIONFinal	Minnesota	78	Connecticut	76	Final	New York	87	Washington	71	Final	Atlanta	86	Chicago	70	Final	Las Vegas	85	Seattle	72	Final	Phoenix	85	Los Angeles	81	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___INTERLEAGUE		Oakland	at	Chi Cubs	2:20 p.m.			San Francisco	at	Baltimore	6:35 p.m.			Houston	at	San Diego	6:40 p.m.	___AMERICAN LEAGUE		Chi White Sox	at	L-A Angels	4:07 p.m.			Minnesota	at	Cleveland	6:40 p.m.			Boston	at	Tampa Bay	6:50 p.m.			Detroit	at	Kansas City	7:40 p.m.			Toronto	at	Texas	8:05 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Seattle	9:40 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE		Arizona	at	Colorado	3:10 p.m.			Atlanta	at	Cincinnati	6:40 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	Miami	6:40 p.m.			Washington	at	N-Y Mets	7:10 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	Milwaukee	7:40 p.m.			Pittsburgh	at	St. Louis	7:45 p.m.	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER		Miami	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.			Philadelphia	at	New York City FC	7:30 p.m.			CF Montréal	at	New England	7:30 p.m.			Columbus	at	Toronto FC	7:30 p.m.			Charlotte FC	at	Orlando City	8:15 p.m.			Vancouver	at	Houston	8:30 p.m.			Colorado	at	Sporting Kansas City	8:30 p.m.			Cincinnati	at	Minnesota	8:30 p.m.			Chicago	at	Nashville	8:30 p.m.			FC Dallas	at	Real Salt Lake	9:30 p.m.			Austin FC	at	Los Angeles FC	10:30 p.m.			LA Galaxy	at	Portland	10:30 p.m.			San Jose	at	Seattle	10:30 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

PUEBLO, Colo. —&nbsp; Sophomore Charlie Box tied the Hutchinson Community College men’s golf individual record for 54 holes and cruised to his second collegiate victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Box fired a 5-under-par 67 on Tuesday to win the Samuel Proal Classic at Walking Stick Country Club.

The No. 5-ranked Blue Dragons had three golfers finish in the Top 10 to finish second to tournament host Colorado State University-Pueblo by one stroke.

Box had rounds of 67, 69 and 67 to finish the 54-hole tournament at 13-under 203. Box tied the Blue Dragon individual record for a 54-hole score on a Par-72 course, matching the 2020 mark of Ben Partridge, who posted his 13-under 203 at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas at the 2020 NJCAA National Preview.

Box started his round on Tuesday with five birdies in the first six holes. Over the three rounds on holes one through six, Box played those holes in 10-under par with 12 total birdies. 

Box’s 67 on Tuesday matched his collegiate career low of 67 set in Round 1 on Monday.

Box won the individual title by five strokes over Garden City’s Jack Dyer. Box and Dyer started Tuesday tied for the individual lead at 8-under park. Dyer shot a 72 on Tuesday.

The Blue Dragons tied the best-ever 54-hole team score they shot at the Samuel Proal Classic, matching the 2020 mark at 17-under 847. The Dragons entered the day three strokes off the lead and shot a 281 on Tuesday. CSU-Pueblo shot 283 in the final round.

Sophomore David Razinskas finished tied for third, shooting 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday. Razinskas had an eagle on the Par-5 15th hole to close at 5-under 211.

Freshman Jaydon Carruthers also had an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole to help post a round of 1-under 71. Carruthers tied for ninth at 1-under 215.

Jack Northgraves tied for 13th at 218 after a one-over 73 on Tuesday.

Sophomore Louis Ross tied for 22nd at 222. Ross closed with a 75 on Tuesday.

The Blue Dragons’ individual players  tied for 20th and 29th in the season-opening tournament for the fall 2024 season. Tyler Walker shot a final-round 76 on Tuesday and placed 20th with a 222. Cal Schultz carded an 84 on Tuesday and was 29th at 234.

Hutchinson plays at the Iowa Western Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, IA.

5. Lubbock Christian – 286-298-297 – 881

T9. Jaydon Carruthers – 71-73-71 – 215

T13. Jack Northgraves – 73-72-73 – 218

T20. Tyler Walker (I) – 74-72-76 – 222

T25. Cal Schultz (I) – 78-72-84 – 234

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726651792402.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information</figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC Sports InformationPUEBLO, Colo. —&nbsp; Sophomore Charlie Box tied the Hutchinson Community College men’s golf individual record for 54 holes and cruised to his second collegiate victory on Tuesday afternoon.Box fired a 5-under-par 67 on Tuesday to win the Samuel Proal Classic at Walking Stick Country Club.The No. 5-ranked Blue Dragons had three golfers finish in the Top 10 to finish second to tournament host Colorado State University-Pueblo by one stroke.Box had rounds of 67, 69 and 67 to finish the 54-hole tournament at 13-under 203. Box tied the Blue Dragon individual record for a 54-hole score on a Par-72 course, matching the 2020 mark of Ben Partridge, who posted his 13-under 203 at The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas at the 2020 NJCAA National Preview.Box started his round on Tuesday with five birdies in the first six holes. Over the three rounds on holes one through six, Box played those holes in 10-under par with 12 total birdies. Box’s 67 on Tuesday matched his collegiate career low of 67 set in Round 1 on Monday.Box won the individual title by five strokes over Garden City’s Jack Dyer. Box and Dyer started Tuesday tied for the individual lead at 8-under park. Dyer shot a 72 on Tuesday.The Blue Dragons tied the best-ever 54-hole team score they shot at the Samuel Proal Classic, matching the 2020 mark at 17-under 847. The Dragons entered the day three strokes off the lead and shot a 281 on Tuesday. CSU-Pueblo shot 283 in the final round.Sophomore David Razinskas finished tied for third, shooting 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday. Razinskas had an eagle on the Par-5 15th hole to close at 5-under 211.Freshman Jaydon Carruthers also had an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole to help post a round of 1-under 71. Carruthers tied for ninth at 1-under 215.Jack Northgraves tied for 13th at 218 after a one-over 73 on Tuesday.Sophomore Louis Ross tied for 22nd at 222. Ross closed with a 75 on Tuesday.The Blue Dragons’ individual players tied for 20th and 29th in the season-opening tournament for the fall 2024 season. Tyler Walker shot a final-round 76 on Tuesday and placed 20th with a 222. Cal Schultz carded an 84 on Tuesday and was 29th at 234.Hutchinson plays at the Iowa Western Invitational on Monday and Tuesday at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs, IA.SAMUEL PROAL CLASSIC FINAL TEAM SCORES1. CSU-Pueblo – 284-279-283 – 8462. Hutchinson – 282-284-281 – 8473. Dodge City – 283-289-298 – 8704. Garden City – 287-291-298 – 8765. Lubbock Christian – 286-298-297 – 8816. Otero – 293-300-297 – 917BLUE DRAGON SCORES1. Charlie Box – 67-69-67 – 2033. David Razinskas – 71-70-70 – 211T9. Jaydon Carruthers – 71-73-71 – 215T13. Jack Northgraves – 73-72-73 – 218T20. Louis Ross – 74-73-75 – 222T20. Tyler Walker (I) – 74-72-76 – 222T25. Cal Schultz (I) – 78-72-84 – 234

⛳ Box ties HutchCC record; wins in Pueblo, Colorado Tuesday

Both quarterback Samari Collier and kicker Nestus Burger played significant roles in the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team’s come-from-behind 33-30 overtime win over No. 12 Iowa Central on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

Both Collier and Burger earned KJCCC Weekly Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.

Collier was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week after a career-best game against the Tritons. Burger kicked the game-winning field-goal in overtime to earn KJCCC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Collier is the third-straight Blue Dragon to won KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Running back Waymond Jordan Jr. was the league’s offensive winner in Weeks 1 and 2.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724431961058.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HutchCC Sports InformationBoth quarterback Samari Collier and kicker Nestus Burger played significant roles in the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team’s come-from-behind 33-30 overtime win over No. 12 Iowa Central on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.Both Collier and Burger earned KJCCC Weekly Player of the Week honors on Tuesday.Collier was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week after a career-best game against the Tritons. Burger kicked the game-winning field-goal in overtime to earn KJCCC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.Collier is the third-straight Blue Dragon to won KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Running back Waymond Jordan Jr. was the league’s offensive winner in Weeks 1 and 2.The sophomore quarterback from DeSoto, Texas, threw for his first career 300-yard game and led the No. 1 Blue Dragons back from 14 points down with 6:19 remaining in the fourth quarter in a 33-30 overtime victory over No. 12 Iowa Central.Collier was 23 of 40 passing for 300 yards and three touchdowns vs. the Tritons. He also added 89 rushing yards on 14 carries. Collier threw two touchdown passes in the final 4:12 of the fourth quarter to force overtime.This is the third time Collier was won KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week honors. He won the award twice in his freshman season in 2023.Burger, a sophomore from Perth, Australia, kicked a walk-off 36-yard field goal in overtime to cap a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback for No. 1-ranked Hutchinson a 33-30 OT win over No. 12 Iowa Central. Burger was 2 for 2 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra-points in the Blue Dragon victory from 14 points down with 6:19 to play in the fourth quarter. He also had four touchbacks on 6 kickoffs vs. the Tritons.BLUE DRAGON KJCCC PLAYERS OF THE WEEKWeek 1 – Offense: Waymond Jordan Jr.Week 2 – Offense: Waymond Jordan Jr.Week 3 – Offense: Samari CollierWeek 3 – Special Teams: Nestus Burger