<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for October 9th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for October 9th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Early Morning Sports for October 9th, 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=2ma3h-16ff471-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 host Yankees for Game 3 of ALDS, ⛳ HutchCC finishes 7th

Reports say Rashee Rice has had surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 NFL season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722969378400.jpeg" alt="Rashee Rice catches a pass during Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph/ Photo by Alexis Starks" />
 <figcaption>Rashee Rice catches a pass during Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph/ Photo by Alexis Starks</figcaption>
 </figure>Reports say Rashee Rice has had surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 NFL season.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sources: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> WR Rashee Rice underwent successful LCL surgery today with Dr. Cooper and will miss the remainder of the regular season. A full recovery is expected. There was also a repair done to Rice’s hamstring tendon, and I’m told there was no structural damage or tears to… <a href="https://t.co/pdGOCPWpT1">pic.twitter.com/pdGOCPWpT1</a>&mdash; Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) <a href="https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1843729265646555595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🏈 Rice surgery complete; will miss rest of season

Tatis homers again as the Padres beat the Dodgers 6-5 for a 2-1 NLDS lead

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr.'s towering two-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to beat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in a tense NL Division Series. The Padres moved within one victory of eliminating the Dodgers in the NLDS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park, which was packed with a loud, rally towel-waving record crowd of 47,744. Tatis' impressive homer gave the Padres a 6-1 lead, but Teoscar Hernández hit a grand slam with one out in the third.

Mets beat Phillies 7-2 behind Alonso and Manaea to take 2-1 lead in NLDS

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched another homer off Aaron Nola, and Sean Manaea took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning as the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. Jesse Winker also went deep and Starling Marte had a pivotal two-run single to help the wild-card Mets, playing their first home game in 16 days, grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is Wednesday at Citi Field, with All-Star Ranger Suárez scheduled to start for Philadelphia against fellow lefty Jose Quintana. With a win, New York advances to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres.

Lynx return to finals with 88-77 win over Sun in Game 5 behind Collier's 27 points, 11 rebounds

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun 88-77 and into the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years. Kayla McBride fueled a strong start with 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter as the Lynx advanced to face the top-seeded New York Liberty. Minnesota finished two games behind New York during the regular season. They have won three of four matchups with New York this year. DiJonai Carrington had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sun.

Jets owner says firing of Saleh will bring 'new energy' to one of franchise's 'most talented teams'

Woody Johnson sensed his struggling New York Jets needed a change and now. So the owner made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire coach Robert Saleh just five games into his fourth season after the team's 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday. Johnson said the current Jets squad is one of the most talented in the franchise's history. Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets. His firing marks the first time in Johnson's 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during the season. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season.

Jürgen Klopp to take on new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull

LONDON (AP) — Jürgen Klopp has moved on from Liverpool in the Premier League and will take on a new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull starting in January. Red Bull said in a statement Wednesday that the 57-year-old German will oversee its international network of soccer clubs. The statement said Klopp "will not be involved in the clubs' day-to-day operations, but will provide strategic vision, supporting individual sporting directors in advancing the Red Bull philosophy." Klopp led Liverpool to seven major trophies in his nearly nine years at Anfield.

MLB will air local games for Guardians, Brewers and Twins next season

Major League Baseball has announced it will produce and distribute local broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins next year. All three teams had contracts with Diamond Sports Group that expired at the end of the regular season. The Texas Rangers, whose deal also expired last month, also announced they will no longer be partnering with Diamond. They are assessing their options for next season. The addition of the Guardians, Brewers and Twins means MLB will be handling the production and distribution of at least six teams going into 2025.

Phillies one defeat from elimination after 7-2 loss to Mets in Game 3 of NLDS

NEW YORK (AP) — Six months of success for the Philadelphia Phillies could be wiped out before the leaves start to turn. With one more loss to the New York Mets, a 95-win regular season would become an afterthought. Tuesday night's 7-2 loss dropped the Phillies into a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-five NL Division Series. Seeking their third World Series title after 1980 and 2008, the Phillies reached Game 6 of the World Series in 2022 before losing to Houston. They took a 3-2 lead over Arizona in last year's NL Championship Series, and then dropped Games 6 and 7 at home.

Luis Tiant, the charismatic Cuban who pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a championship, dies at 83

BOSTON (AP) — Luis Tiant has died at the age of 83. The charismatic Cuban with a horseshoe mustache and mesmerizing windup pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a World Series championship and pitched himself to the doorstep of the Hall of Fame. He was known as "El Tiante." Major League Baseball announced his death in a post on X on Tuesday. The Red Sox confirmed that he died at his home in Maine. Tiant's death comes one week after that of all-time baseball hits leader Pete Rose, whose Cincinnati Reds faced Tiant's Red Sox in the 1975 World Series — still considered one of the greatest matchups in baseball postseason history.

Thieves slipped watch off Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler's wrist, police say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police in California say thieves surrounded Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler last month and stole a pricey watch off his wrist. Police said Tuesday that Buehler was not threatened during the Sept. 28 incident at the Santa Anita Park horse racing track in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia. Police investigated two more watch thefts on the same day. Police say they were all victims of organized groups who steal high-end watches in large crowds during events. It came weeks after another professional athlete in California was the victim of a brazen mugging.

Patriots will go with first-round draft pick Drake Maye and bench QB Jacoby Brissett, AP source says

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision says the New England Patriots are planning to give first-round draft pick Drake Maye his first pro start in the hopes of ending a four-game losing streak under veteran journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the switch. NFL Network first reported Maye's promotion. The Patriots host the Houston Texans on Sunday. Maye made one previous appearance for New England, coming in at the end of a Week 3 loss to the New York Jets and going 4 for 8 with 22 yards. Brissett was 79 for 135 with two touchdowns and one interception in five starts this season.

Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON

WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, October 9th, 2024." />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Wednesday, October 9th, 2024.</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for October 9th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8587041/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>Tatis homers again as the Padres beat the Dodgers 6-5 for a 2-1 NLDS leadSAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr.'s towering two-run home run highlighted a six-run second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to beat Shohei Ohtani and the rival Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in a tense NL Division Series. The Padres moved within one victory of eliminating the Dodgers in the NLDS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Petco Park, which was packed with a loud, rally towel-waving record crowd of 47,744. Tatis' impressive homer gave the Padres a 6-1 lead, but Teoscar Hernández hit a grand slam with one out in the third.Mets beat Phillies 7-2 behind Alonso and Manaea to take 2-1 lead in NLDSNEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso launched another homer off Aaron Nola, and Sean Manaea took a two-hit shutout into the eighth inning as the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 in Game 3 of their NL Division Series. Jesse Winker also went deep and Starling Marte had a pivotal two-run single to help the wild-card Mets, playing their first home game in 16 days, grab a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is Wednesday at Citi Field, with All-Star Ranger Suárez scheduled to start for Philadelphia against fellow lefty Jose Quintana. With a win, New York advances to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres.Lynx return to finals with 88-77 win over Sun in Game 5 behind Collier's 27 points, 11 reboundsMINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 27 points and 11 rebounds and Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun 88-77 and into the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years. Kayla McBride fueled a strong start with 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter as the Lynx advanced to face the top-seeded New York Liberty. Minnesota finished two games behind New York during the regular season. They have won three of four matchups with New York this year. DiJonai Carrington had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sun.Jets owner says firing of Saleh will bring 'new energy' to one of franchise's 'most talented teams'Woody Johnson sensed his struggling New York Jets needed a change and now. So the owner made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire coach Robert Saleh just five games into his fourth season after the team's 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday. Johnson said the current Jets squad is one of the most talented in the franchise's history. Saleh was 20-36 as coach of the Jets. His firing marks the first time in Johnson's 25-year tenure that a head coach has been fired during the season. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season.Jürgen Klopp to take on new role as head of global soccer at Red BullLONDON (AP) — Jürgen Klopp has moved on from Liverpool in the Premier League and will take on a new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull starting in January. Red Bull said in a statement Wednesday that the 57-year-old German will oversee its international network of soccer clubs. The statement said Klopp "will not be involved in the clubs' day-to-day operations, but will provide strategic vision, supporting individual sporting directors in advancing the Red Bull philosophy." Klopp led Liverpool to seven major trophies in his nearly nine years at Anfield.MLB will air local games for Guardians, Brewers and Twins next seasonMajor League Baseball has announced it will produce and distribute local broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins next year. All three teams had contracts with Diamond Sports Group that expired at the end of the regular season. The Texas Rangers, whose deal also expired last month, also announced they will no longer be partnering with Diamond. They are assessing their options for next season. The addition of the Guardians, Brewers and Twins means MLB will be handling the production and distribution of at least six teams going into 2025.Phillies one defeat from elimination after 7-2 loss to Mets in Game 3 of NLDSNEW YORK (AP) — Six months of success for the Philadelphia Phillies could be wiped out before the leaves start to turn. With one more loss to the New York Mets, a 95-win regular season would become an afterthought. Tuesday night's 7-2 loss dropped the Phillies into a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-five NL Division Series. Seeking their third World Series title after 1980 and 2008, the Phillies reached Game 6 of the World Series in 2022 before losing to Houston. They took a 3-2 lead over Arizona in last year's NL Championship Series, and then dropped Games 6 and 7 at home.Luis Tiant, the charismatic Cuban who pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a championship, dies at 83BOSTON (AP) — Luis Tiant has died at the age of 83. The charismatic Cuban with a horseshoe mustache and mesmerizing windup pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a World Series championship and pitched himself to the doorstep of the Hall of Fame. He was known as "El Tiante." Major League Baseball announced his death in a post on X on Tuesday. The Red Sox confirmed that he died at his home in Maine. Tiant's death comes one week after that of all-time baseball hits leader Pete Rose, whose Cincinnati Reds faced Tiant's Red Sox in the 1975 World Series — still considered one of the greatest matchups in baseball postseason history.Thieves slipped watch off Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler's wrist, police sayLOS ANGELES (AP) — Police in California say thieves surrounded Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler last month and stole a pricey watch off his wrist. Police said Tuesday that Buehler was not threatened during the Sept. 28 incident at the Santa Anita Park horse racing track in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia. Police investigated two more watch thefts on the same day. Police say they were all victims of organized groups who steal high-end watches in large crowds during events. It came weeks after another professional athlete in California was the victim of a brazen mugging.Patriots will go with first-round draft pick Drake Maye and bench QB Jacoby Brissett, AP source saysFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the decision says the New England Patriots are planning to give first-round draft pick Drake Maye his first pro start in the hopes of ending a four-game losing streak under veteran journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the switch. NFL Network first reported Maye's promotion. The Patriots host the Houston Texans on Sunday. Maye made one previous appearance for New England, coming in at the end of a Week 3 loss to the New York Jets and going 4 for 8 with 22 yards. Brissett was 79 for 135 with two touchdowns and one interception in five starts this season.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal	N.Y. Mets	7	Philadelphia	2	Final	San Diego	6	L.A. Dodgers	5	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASONFinal	Chicago	116	Cleveland	112	Final	Phoenix	105	Detroit	97	Final	Charlotte	111	Miami	108	Final	Atlanta	131	Indiana	130	Final	L.A. Clippers	115	Brooklyn	106	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUEFinal	St. Louis	3	Seattle	2	Final	Florida	6	Boston	4	Final	Utah	5	Chicago	2	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Minnesota	88	Connecticut	77	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		Cleveland	at	Detroit	3:08 p.m.			N-Y Yankees	at	Kansas City	7:08 p.m.	___NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		Philadelphia	at	N-Y Mets	5:08 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	San Diego	9:08 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON		Washington	at	New York	7:30 p.m.			Houston	at	Oklahoma City	8 p.m.			Orlando	at	San Antonio	8 p.m.			Golden State	at	Sacramento	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Toronto	at	Montreal	7 p.m.			N-Y Rangers	at	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.			Calgary	at	Vancouver	10 p.m.			Colorado	at	Vegas	10 p.m.			Winnipeg	at	Edmonton	10 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Wednesday

 NEWTON, Kan. — Sophomore Charlie Box placed in the individual Top 10 to lead the No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team tie for seventh place at the Grier Jones Shocker Classic on Tuesday at Sand Creek Station.

The Blue Dragon shot a final-round 3-over 291 on Tuesday to tie Central Arkansas for seventh place with a 54-hole total of 873.

The Blue Dragons finished just nine strokes behind team champion Wichita State, which shot a 285 on Tuesday to finish at 864. Second-round leader Incarnate Word shot a 295 in the final round to finish four strokes behind the Shockers at 868.

NJCAA No. 1 Midland moved past the Blue Dragons on Tuesday to finish in a tie for fifth place with Round 1 leader Denver University. The Chaparrals shot a round-low 282 on Tuesday and finished at 870, three strokes ahead of the Blue Dragons.

Box closed the tournament with a 3-under 68 on Tuesday and was the only Blue Dragon golfer to finish in the Top 10, placing sixth at 2-under 214. Box carded six birdies and three bogeys on Tuesday.

Freshman Jaydon Carruthers just missed the Top 10, finishing in a five-way tie for 11th place. For the second-straight round, Carruthers had an eagle on the 525-yard par-5 16th hole. He also had birdies on Nos. 9 and 18 to shoot a 1-under seventh and close at even-par 216 for his best season placing and 54-hole total of the 2024 fall season.

Sophomore Louis Ross tied for 48th at 224 after a final-round 78 on Tuesday. Freshman Jack Northgraves tied for 50th at 225 after a final round 225. Sophomore David Razinskas had a tournament-best 74 on Tuesday and finished tied for 58th at 229.

The Blue Dragons play their fourth fall tournament on Monday and Tuesday at the Herb Wimberly Invitational hosted by New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728425805015.jpeg" alt="Charlie Box-Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information" />
 <figcaption>Charlie Box-Photo Courtesy HutchCC Sports Information</figcaption>
 </figure> NEWTON, Kan. — Sophomore Charlie Box placed in the individual Top 10 to lead the No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s golf team tie for seventh place at the Grier Jones Shocker Classic on Tuesday at Sand Creek Station.The Blue Dragon shot a final-round 3-over 291 on Tuesday to tie Central Arkansas for seventh place with a 54-hole total of 873.The Blue Dragons finished just nine strokes behind team champion Wichita State, which shot a 285 on Tuesday to finish at 864. Second-round leader Incarnate Word shot a 295 in the final round to finish four strokes behind the Shockers at 868.NJCAA No. 1 Midland moved past the Blue Dragons on Tuesday to finish in a tie for fifth place with Round 1 leader Denver University. The Chaparrals shot a round-low 282 on Tuesday and finished at 870, three strokes ahead of the Blue Dragons.Box closed the tournament with a 3-under 68 on Tuesday and was the only Blue Dragon golfer to finish in the Top 10, placing sixth at 2-under 214. Box carded six birdies and three bogeys on Tuesday.Freshman Jaydon Carruthers just missed the Top 10, finishing in a five-way tie for 11th place. For the second-straight round, Carruthers had an eagle on the 525-yard par-5 16th hole. He also had birdies on Nos. 9 and 18 to shoot a 1-under seventh and close at even-par 216 for his best season placing and 54-hole total of the 2024 fall season.Sophomore Louis Ross tied for 48th at 224 after a final-round 78 on Tuesday. Freshman Jack Northgraves tied for 50th at 225 after a final round 225. Sophomore David Razinskas had a tournament-best 74 on Tuesday and finished tied for 58th at 229.The Blue Dragons play their fourth fall tournament on Monday and Tuesday at the Herb Wimberly Invitational hosted by New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

⛳ Dragons tie for 7th at Shocker Classic

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School boys soccer team is off to an 8-1-1 start to the 2024 season, already securing more wins than the Salthawks had the entire 2023 season.

The Salthawks won seven games last year, finishing 7-8-2.

"I wouldn't say it's to be expected, but last year our team was young and we returned a lot of starters from last year," head coach Tyler Lawrence said. "We've got a really good player pool with a lot of talent this year."

The Salthawks will host Maize South (9-1-0) this evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Salthawk Soccer Complex. The Mavericks are the current No. 1 seed in the 5A west regional.

"They're the reigning state champs and right now they're leading the west region in class 5A," Lawrence said.&nbsp;

Lawrence says the Salthawks have the home field advantage with the natural surface.

"We're one of the few grass locations in the state," Lawrence said. "To be honest, I think the guys are mentally prepared and ready to go."

Lawrence, who played at Hutch High was thrilled when he was hired in 2022 to coach the program that he once had played for.

"It's fantastic," Lawrence said. "I have great memories of Hutch High soccer, it was really the highlight of high school for me. I played under a really good coach while I was here, so I'm just trying to return the favor to these guys. I've coached a lot of the guys in the junior and senior class for some of them seven or eight years, so I'm just trying to give them the best experience possible."

The Salthawks have played a challenging schedule thus far, and it is only going to get even more tricky over the next week. Hutchinson will host Maize South tonight, travel to Derby on Thursday and then host Maize next Tuesday.

"Last week was tough simply because we had three games during the week," Lawrence said. "That was a lot physically and mentally on the players. This week and next week are tough just simply because of the competition that we have. We're going to have to be on it for the rest of the year, we've got tough games the next three weeks."

The only blemish on the Salthawks' schedule was a loss to Dodge City on Sept. 4. The Red Demons remain undefeated and atop the class 6A rankings.

"I think the game against Dodge was kind of a wake up call for us," Lawrence said. "Last year, we struggled with confidence in big games and I think that kind of reared up in the Dodge match. I'm glad that happened early in the season, because we've had a few matches since then where the game is close and you can tell the guys are growing and learning from those experiences."

The Salthawks are currently in third place in the 5A west regional standings behind Maize South and Salina South.

"It's nice to see the guys riding high on confidence and enjoying their success," Lawrence said. "I will say, especially when we're talking about regional seeding in 5A west, there is not really a soft spot."

Hutchinson has outscored its opponents 22-18 so far this season, including six games decided by one goal or fewer.

"Offensively we have a lot of good attacking players this year," Lawrence said. "One of our key players up front is Griffin Galyon, he's only a sophomore, but he's extremely talented and naturally gifted, but he also works really hard and has a great attitude. We also have some great upperclassmen in our attack. We have Landon Nusser who's a senior this year, he's a big physical presence, he's a great finisher and scored our first two goals of the season and really set a tone for us as a team. Probably another player in our attack is Hayden Waymire, he's put a lot of work in individually and grown a lot as a player."

The Salthawk defense is the tone setter that makes the team goes.

"We have some depth in our midfield, in the starting positions, Jack Yoder and Cole Bleything provide great leadership and they coordinate well together," Lawrence said. "They're just a great engine for our team and can cover the whole field."

"We also have a really strong senior class," Lawrence said. "We have Lucas Witt, Alex Johnson and Daniel Prichard, they're all great leaders for the team and have big game experience. We also have Jason Prichard, Jair Maciel and Alex Mendez. They're juniors and are getting a great experience this year and really contributing to the team, as well."

Lawrence says he is grateful for the community support his team has received to this point.

"Our parents and fans have been great this year," Lawrence said. "We always have a really good showing at the games and myself and our players really appreciate their support."

<a href="mailto:sean.boston@eaglemedia.com">Click here to submit a sports story suggestion&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728413350589.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Melissa Newton Loepp" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Melissa Newton Loepp</figcaption>
 </figure>SEAN BOSTON Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School boys soccer team is off to an 8-1-1 start to the 2024 season, already securing more wins than the Salthawks had the entire 2023 season.The Salthawks won seven games last year, finishing 7-8-2."I wouldn't say it's to be expected, but last year our team was young and we returned a lot of starters from last year," head coach Tyler Lawrence said. "We've got a really good player pool with a lot of talent this year."The Salthawks will host Maize South (9-1-0) this evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Salthawk Soccer Complex. The Mavericks are the current No. 1 seed in the 5A west regional."They're the reigning state champs and right now they're leading the west region in class 5A," Lawrence said.&nbsp;Lawrence says the Salthawks have the home field advantage with the natural surface."We're one of the few grass locations in the state," Lawrence said. "To be honest, I think the guys are mentally prepared and ready to go."Lawrence, who played at Hutch High was thrilled when he was hired in 2022 to coach the program that he once had played for."It's fantastic," Lawrence said. "I have great memories of Hutch High soccer, it was really the highlight of high school for me. I played under a really good coach while I was here, so I'm just trying to return the favor to these guys. I've coached a lot of the guys in the junior and senior class for some of them seven or eight years, so I'm just trying to give them the best experience possible."The Salthawks have played a challenging schedule thus far, and it is only going to get even more tricky over the next week. Hutchinson will host Maize South tonight, travel to Derby on Thursday and then host Maize next Tuesday."Last week was tough simply because we had three games during the week," Lawrence said. "That was a lot physically and mentally on the players. This week and next week are tough just simply because of the competition that we have. We're going to have to be on it for the rest of the year, we've got tough games the next three weeks."The only blemish on the Salthawks' schedule was a loss to Dodge City on Sept. 4. The Red Demons remain undefeated and atop the class 6A rankings."I think the game against Dodge was kind of a wake up call for us," Lawrence said. "Last year, we struggled with confidence in big games and I think that kind of reared up in the Dodge match. I'm glad that happened early in the season, because we've had a few matches since then where the game is close and you can tell the guys are growing and learning from those experiences."The Salthawks are currently in third place in the 5A west regional standings behind Maize South and Salina South."It's nice to see the guys riding high on confidence and enjoying their success," Lawrence said. "I will say, especially when we're talking about regional seeding in 5A west, there is not really a soft spot."Hutchinson has outscored its opponents 22-18 so far this season, including six games decided by one goal or fewer."Offensively we have a lot of good attacking players this year," Lawrence said. "One of our key players up front is Griffin Galyon, he's only a sophomore, but he's extremely talented and naturally gifted, but he also works really hard and has a great attitude. We also have some great upperclassmen in our attack. We have Landon Nusser who's a senior this year, he's a big physical presence, he's a great finisher and scored our first two goals of the season and really set a tone for us as a team. Probably another player in our attack is Hayden Waymire, he's put a lot of work in individually and grown a lot as a player."The Salthawk defense is the tone setter that makes the team goes."We have some depth in our midfield, in the starting positions, Jack Yoder and Cole Bleything provide great leadership and they coordinate well together," Lawrence said. "They're just a great engine for our team and can cover the whole field.""We also have a really strong senior class," Lawrence said. "We have Lucas Witt, Alex Johnson and Daniel Prichard, they're all great leaders for the team and have big game experience. We also have Jason Prichard, Jair Maciel and Alex Mendez. They're juniors and are getting a great experience this year and really contributing to the team, as well."Lawrence says he is grateful for the community support his team has received to this point."Our parents and fans have been great this year," Lawrence said. "We always have a really good showing at the games and myself and our players really appreciate their support."<a href="mailto:sean.boston@eaglemedia.com">Click here to submit a sports story suggestion&nbsp;</a>

⚽ Hutch High enjoying success on the pitch

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for October 8th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for October 8th, 2024</figcaption>
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🎧 LISTEN: ⚾ Royals even ALDS with win over Yankees,  🏈 Chiefs defeat Saints on MNF

Patrick Mahomes throws for 331 yards, Derek Carr hurt as Chiefs shut down Saints for 26-13 victory

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards, Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Chiefs overcame more red-zone woes to beat the Saints 26-13 on a big night for Kansas City's professional sports teams. Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0, the Royals were beating the Yankees 4-2 in New York to even their AL Division Series at a game apiece. Derek Carr threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and a pick for New Orleans before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.

Royals pitcher Cole Ragans warms up for Yankees by playing catch in Central Park

NEW YORK (AP) — Cole Ragans started his AL Division Series with a walk in the park. On Sunday, the Kansas City Royals left-hander took a 11-minute stroll from the team's hotel in midtown Manhattan and played catch in Central Park on the Heckscher Ballfields, just as so many amateur baseball and softball players do each day. On Monday, he was an 8-mile drive away on the mound at Yankee Stadium and allowed one run over four innings in Kansas City's 4-2 win over the New York Yankees that evened their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Judge and Rodón unable to deliver as Yankees drop Game 2 to Royals in ALDS

NEW YORK (AP) — Two games into this postseason, those big-money deals for Aaron Judge and Carlos Rodón haven't paid any October dividends for the New York Yankees. Judge mustered little at the plate again Monday night and Rodón failed to last four innings in his first playoff start with New York during a 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals that squared their best-of-five AL Division Series at one apiece. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Kansas City. Given a 1-0 lead going into the fourth, Rodón immediately squandered it by serving up a leadoff homer to Salvador Perez on a 2-0 slider that left the $162 million pitcher shaking his head. Judge is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts and no RBIs in the series.

Carpenter's 3-run homer off Clase sends gritty Tigers to 3-0 win over Guardians in Game 2 of ALDS

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Cleveland's All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning as the Detroit Tigers blanked the Guardians 3-0 in Game 2 to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece. Carpenter connected for a 423-foot shot with two outs off Clase, who had not given up a run since Aug. 30 and led the league with 47 saves. Detroit ace Tarik Skubal pitched seven shutout innings. Carpenter's homer was the first runs of the series for the Tigers, who have been finding ways to win for months. They're at it again and will now head home to Comerica Park for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday with a chance to advance.

Spain and Barcelona great Iniesta announces retirement after 22-year career

Andrés Iniesta has announced his retirement from soccer. Iniesta scored Spain's World Cup-winning goal in 2010 and was one of the key players who made Barcelona's tiki-taka thrive for so long. The 40-year-old Iniesta ended a 22-year career that also included two European Championship titles and four Champions Leagues trophies. He had been playing with Vissel Kobe in Japan since leaving Barcelona in 2018, and for the last year with club Emirates in the UAE Pro League.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr leaves with oblique injury in another losing night against the Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Saints quarterback Derek Carr was having another tough time against the Chiefs even before he took a wicked shot from blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner, not only ending his game but also New Orleans' hopes of a comeback. Carr sustained an oblique injury on the hit with 9 1/2 minutes left and did not return to the 26-13 loss. His problems against the Chiefs dating to his days with the Raiders are well known. Carr dropped to 3-15 in 18 career starts, and he has won just once in eight tries since Steve Spagnuolo took over as Chiefs coach Andy Reid's defensive coordinator.

Hurricane Milton forces NFL, NHL and other sporting events to adjust game plans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to relocate to the New Orleans area to prepare for Sunday's game against the Saints with Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall along Florida's west coast this week. The Bucs intend to travel Tuesday and spend the rest of the week out of state instead of practicing as usual at the team's training facility in Tampa. Milton strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and could make landfill in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday. The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning canceled Monday night's scheduled preseason finale against the Nashville Predators.

NCAA's $2.78 billion settlement with colleges to allow athlete payments gets preliminary approval

A judge has given preliminary approval to the $2.78 billion legal settlement that figures to transform college sports. U.S District Judge Claudia Wilken released an order Monday setting a timeline for a deal that would put millions of dollars into the pockets of college athletes, who can begin applying for payment on Oct. 18. A final hearing is set for April 2025. If finalized, the deal would allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million in the first year to distribute money to athletes. Players would still be able to cut name, image and likeness deals with outside groups.

Taylor Swift is back to watch Travis Kelce and the Chiefs with Eras Tour soon to resume

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Taylor Swift has returned to Arrowhead Stadium to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs play the New Orleans Saints. The pop superstar had skipped the Chiefs' previous two games on the road. Swift is in the final days of a break from her record-setting Eras Tour, which resumes with the first of three shows Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The tour's North American leg continues in New Orleans and Indianapolis before heading to Toronto and Vancouver in November and December. The final show is scheduled for Dec. 8.

Woman accusing Vince McMahon of sexual abuse asks WWE to waive confidentiality agreements

A woman who accused former WWE chief Vince McMahon of sexual battery and trafficking in a lawsuit is now asking him and the wrestling company to waive nondisclosure agreements with other current and former employees and contractors. Janel Grant sued WWE, McMahon and another company executive in January. Her lawyer says the goal of the request made late Monday is to allow others to potentially come forward with similar accusations. A spokesperson for McMahon declined to comment. WWE and its parent companies did not immediately return messages. McMahon denies Grant's allegations. He resigned as chairman of WWE's parent company a day after the suit was filed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, October 8th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Tuesday, October 8th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for October 8th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8586179/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>Patrick Mahomes throws for 331 yards, Derek Carr hurt as Chiefs shut down Saints for 26-13 victoryKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards, Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Chiefs overcame more red-zone woes to beat the Saints 26-13 on a big night for Kansas City's professional sports teams. Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0, the Royals were beating the Yankees 4-2 in New York to even their AL Division Series at a game apiece. Derek Carr threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and a pick for New Orleans before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.Royals pitcher Cole Ragans warms up for Yankees by playing catch in Central ParkNEW YORK (AP) — Cole Ragans started his AL Division Series with a walk in the park. On Sunday, the Kansas City Royals left-hander took a 11-minute stroll from the team's hotel in midtown Manhattan and played catch in Central Park on the Heckscher Ballfields, just as so many amateur baseball and softball players do each day. On Monday, he was an 8-mile drive away on the mound at Yankee Stadium and allowed one run over four innings in Kansas City's 4-2 win over the New York Yankees that evened their AL Division Series at one game apiece.Judge and Rodón unable to deliver as Yankees drop Game 2 to Royals in ALDSNEW YORK (AP) — Two games into this postseason, those big-money deals for Aaron Judge and Carlos Rodón haven't paid any October dividends for the New York Yankees. Judge mustered little at the plate again Monday night and Rodón failed to last four innings in his first playoff start with New York during a 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals that squared their best-of-five AL Division Series at one apiece. Game 3 is Wednesday night in Kansas City. Given a 1-0 lead going into the fourth, Rodón immediately squandered it by serving up a leadoff homer to Salvador Perez on a 2-0 slider that left the $162 million pitcher shaking his head. Judge is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts and no RBIs in the series.Carpenter's 3-run homer off Clase sends gritty Tigers to 3-0 win over Guardians in Game 2 of ALDSCLEVELAND (AP) — Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Cleveland's All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning as the Detroit Tigers blanked the Guardians 3-0 in Game 2 to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece. Carpenter connected for a 423-foot shot with two outs off Clase, who had not given up a run since Aug. 30 and led the league with 47 saves. Detroit ace Tarik Skubal pitched seven shutout innings. Carpenter's homer was the first runs of the series for the Tigers, who have been finding ways to win for months. They're at it again and will now head home to Comerica Park for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday with a chance to advance.Spain and Barcelona great Iniesta announces retirement after 22-year careerAndrés Iniesta has announced his retirement from soccer. Iniesta scored Spain's World Cup-winning goal in 2010 and was one of the key players who made Barcelona's tiki-taka thrive for so long. The 40-year-old Iniesta ended a 22-year career that also included two European Championship titles and four Champions Leagues trophies. He had been playing with Vissel Kobe in Japan since leaving Barcelona in 2018, and for the last year with club Emirates in the UAE Pro League.Saints quarterback Derek Carr leaves with oblique injury in another losing night against the ChiefsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Saints quarterback Derek Carr was having another tough time against the Chiefs even before he took a wicked shot from blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner, not only ending his game but also New Orleans' hopes of a comeback. Carr sustained an oblique injury on the hit with 9 1/2 minutes left and did not return to the 26-13 loss. His problems against the Chiefs dating to his days with the Raiders are well known. Carr dropped to 3-15 in 18 career starts, and he has won just once in eight tries since Steve Spagnuolo took over as Chiefs coach Andy Reid's defensive coordinator.Hurricane Milton forces NFL, NHL and other sporting events to adjust game plansThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to relocate to the New Orleans area to prepare for Sunday's game against the Saints with Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall along Florida's west coast this week. The Bucs intend to travel Tuesday and spend the rest of the week out of state instead of practicing as usual at the team's training facility in Tampa. Milton strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and could make landfill in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday. The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning canceled Monday night's scheduled preseason finale against the Nashville Predators.NCAA's $2.78 billion settlement with colleges to allow athlete payments gets preliminary approvalA judge has given preliminary approval to the $2.78 billion legal settlement that figures to transform college sports. U.S District Judge Claudia Wilken released an order Monday setting a timeline for a deal that would put millions of dollars into the pockets of college athletes, who can begin applying for payment on Oct. 18. A final hearing is set for April 2025. If finalized, the deal would allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million in the first year to distribute money to athletes. Players would still be able to cut name, image and likeness deals with outside groups.Taylor Swift is back to watch Travis Kelce and the Chiefs with Eras Tour soon to resumeKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Taylor Swift has returned to Arrowhead Stadium to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs play the New Orleans Saints. The pop superstar had skipped the Chiefs' previous two games on the road. Swift is in the final days of a break from her record-setting Eras Tour, which resumes with the first of three shows Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The tour's North American leg continues in New Orleans and Indianapolis before heading to Toronto and Vancouver in November and December. The final show is scheduled for Dec. 8.Woman accusing Vince McMahon of sexual abuse asks WWE to waive confidentiality agreementsA woman who accused former WWE chief Vince McMahon of sexual battery and trafficking in a lawsuit is now asking him and the wrestling company to waive nondisclosure agreements with other current and former employees and contractors. Janel Grant sued WWE, McMahon and another company executive in January. Her lawyer says the goal of the request made late Monday is to allow others to potentially come forward with similar accusations. A spokesperson for McMahon declined to comment. WWE and its parent companies did not immediately return messages. McMahon denies Grant's allegations. He resigned as chairman of WWE's parent company a day after the suit was filed.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal	Detroit	3	Cleveland	0	Final	Kansas City	4	N.Y. Yankees	2	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASONFinal	New Orleans	106	Orlando	104	Final	Philadelphia	139	New Zealand	84	Final	Oklahoma City	112	San Antonio	107	Final	Memphis	121	Dallas	116	Final	Utah	122	Houston	113	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Kansas City	26	New Orleans	13	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		Philadelphia	at	N-Y Mets	5:08 p.m.			L-A Dodgers	at	San Diego	9:08 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON		Chicago	at	Cleveland	7 p.m.			Miami	at	Charlotte	7 p.m.			Phoenix	at	Detroit	7 p.m.			Indiana	at	Atlanta	7:30 p.m.			Brooklyn	at	L.A. Clippers	10:30 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		St. Louis	at	Seattle	4:30 p.m.			Boston	at	Florida	7 p.m.			Chicago	at	Utah	10 p.m.	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS		Connecticut	at	Minnesota	8 p.m.	___

📢📰🎧 Sports Headlines for Tuesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.

But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”

There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let's go Royals!” throughout the game, and when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-973e1a65ef5ba6bede4b849f3329d924">the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory</a>&nbsp;to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.

“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”

The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.

“I couldn’t do what I needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.

The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.

“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”

The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-kansas-city-kareem-hunt-e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914">derailed by an off-the-field incident</a>; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.

The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.

It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.

Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.

The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau's TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.

But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.

After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left to put away the game.

"It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead Stadium</a>&nbsp;to see Kelce and the Chiefs after missing her boyfriend's previous two road games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday night with the first of three shows in Miami.

Saints: CB Will Harris hurt his hamstring in the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly in the third quarter with a collarbone injury,

Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.

Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728358707794.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let's go Royals!” throughout the game, and when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-playoffs-yankees-royals-973e1a65ef5ba6bede4b849f3329d924">the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory</a>&nbsp;to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.“I couldn’t do what I needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-kansas-city-kareem-hunt-e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914">derailed by an off-the-field incident</a>; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau's TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left to put away the game."It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”<h2>Tay-Tay returns</h2><a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-taylor-swift-travis-kelce-arrowhead-b386bd5deb5b6588f255d62068417cae">Taylor Swift was back at Arrowhead Stadium</a>&nbsp;to see Kelce and the Chiefs after missing her boyfriend's previous two road games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday night with the first of three shows in Miami.<h2>Injuries</h2>Saints: CB Will Harris hurt his hamstring in the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly in the third quarter with a collarbone injury,Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.<h2>Up next</h2>New Orleans hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday.Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.

🏈 Mahomes throws for 331 yards, Derek Carr hurt as Chiefs shut down Saints 

NEW YORK (AP) — Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent Cole Ragans lasted four innings. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.

Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City’s batting order, had four hits.

Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts in the series. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.

All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.

Giancarlo Stanton put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the third, but New York went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is 3 for 19 in the two games.

Ragans allowed just the one run and three hits, striking out five and walking four. Winning pitcher Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber each followed with a hitless inning before Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his third save this postseason.

Erceg gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a two-out single to Jon Berti but retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it with slugger Juan Soto on deck.

Perez, at 34 the only remaining Royals player from their 2015 World Series championship, tied the score when he drove a 2-0 slider into the left-field seats. The nine-time All-Star entered 12 for 26 (.462) with three homers off Rodón, an old AL Central rival when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.

Yuli Gurriel singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pham’s one-out single for a 2-1 lead, prompting cheers from NFL fans at the Kansas City Chiefs’ home game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. Pham stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hampson.

Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single that put the Royals ahead 4-1.

Rodón, lined up to pitch a potential Game 5, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Twenty-four of the 32 home runs he has allowed this season have been solo shots.

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left flexor strain) took a step forward when he played catch Sunday, manager Aaron Boone said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728356322742.png" alt="Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) connects for a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Salvador Perez (13) connects for a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 on Monday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.Four relievers held New York in check after an inconsistent Cole Ragans lasted four innings. Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia singled in runs for the Royals.Garcia, moved up from ninth to first in Kansas City’s batting order, had four hits.Game 3 in the best-of-five playoff is Wednesday night at Kansas City, the Royals’ first postseason home game since the 2015 World Series.Yankees star Aaron Judge went 1 for 3 with an infield single and is 1 for 7 with four strikeouts in the series. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., expected to finish second to Judge in AL MVP voting, was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, dropping to 0 for 10 in the series.All four Division Series opened 1-1 for the first time since the round started in 1995.Giancarlo Stanton put the Yankees ahead with an RBI single in the third, but New York went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is 3 for 19 in the two games.Ragans allowed just the one run and three hits, striking out five and walking four. Winning pitcher Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber each followed with a hitless inning before Kris Bubic threw two scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his third save this postseason.Erceg gave up a leadoff homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a two-out single to Jon Berti but retired Gleyber Torres on a grounder to end it with slugger Juan Soto on deck.Perez, at 34 the only remaining Royals player from their 2015 World Series championship, tied the score when he drove a 2-0 slider into the left-field seats. The nine-time All-Star entered 12 for 26 (.462) with three homers off Rodón, an old AL Central rival when he pitched for the Chicago White Sox.Yuli Gurriel singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Pham’s one-out single for a 2-1 lead, prompting cheers from NFL fans at the Kansas City Chiefs’ home game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. Pham stole second and scored on a two-out single by Hampson.Garcia greeted Ian Hamilton with an RBI single that put the Royals ahead 4-1.Rodón, lined up to pitch a potential Game 5, gave up four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. Twenty-four of the 32 home runs he has allowed this season have been solo shots.<h2>TRAINER’S ROOM</h2>Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left flexor strain) took a step forward when he played catch Sunday, manager Aaron Boone said.<h2>UP NEXT</h2>

⚾ Perez homer helps Royals beat Yankees in Game 2 to tie ALDS

For the fifth-consecutive week, the Hutchinson Community College football team sits atop the NJCAA Division I Football Rankings.

Posting a second-straight shutout after last Saturday's 42-0 victory over No. 14 Dodge City, the Blue Dragons improved to 5-0 for the 11th time in program history and is 1-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons travel to Independence at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL RANKINGS</a>

This is the 40th consecutive poll the Dragons have been ranked, which is the second-longest run in the rankings in program history. The Blue Dragon record for consecutive weeks ranked in the polls is 45, which was set from 2010 to 2013.

This is the sixth time the Blue Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA polls in program history. The Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in 34 of the past 60 polls and have been ranked in the nation's Top 3 for 35 consecutive polls.

The Blue Dragons captured all 12 first-place votes. Iowa Western remained No. 2. Mississippi Gulf Coast moved up to No. 3 and Georgia Military climbed to No. 4. With a loss to No. 2 Iowa Western, Snow fell two spot to No. 5.

Garden City remained No. 6 and Butler moved up to No. 13. Coffeyville entered the Top 15 for the first time this season at No. 14 and Highland fell five spots to No. 15 after a loss to Coffeyville. Dodge City fell out of the rankings, but is still receiving votes.

The Blue Dragons are now 3-0 against nationally ranked opponents, defeating No. 1 Iowa Western, No. 12 Iowa Central and No. 14 Dodge City this season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728340166329.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationFor the fifth-consecutive week, the Hutchinson Community College football team sits atop the NJCAA Division I Football Rankings.Posting a second-straight shutout after last Saturday's 42-0 victory over No. 14 Dodge City, the Blue Dragons improved to 5-0 for the 11th time in program history and is 1-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons travel to Independence at 1 p.m. on Saturday.<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/fball/rankings/DI/index" target="_blank">CLICK FOR COMPLETE NJCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL RANKINGS</a>This is the 40th consecutive poll the Dragons have been ranked, which is the second-longest run in the rankings in program history. The Blue Dragon record for consecutive weeks ranked in the polls is 45, which was set from 2010 to 2013.This is the sixth time the Blue Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA polls in program history. The Dragons have been ranked No. 1 in 34 of the past 60 polls and have been ranked in the nation's Top 3 for 35 consecutive polls.The Blue Dragons captured all 12 first-place votes. Iowa Western remained No. 2. Mississippi Gulf Coast moved up to No. 3 and Georgia Military climbed to No. 4. With a loss to No. 2 Iowa Western, Snow fell two spot to No. 5.Garden City remained No. 6 and Butler moved up to No. 13. Coffeyville entered the Top 15 for the first time this season at No. 14 and Highland fell five spots to No. 15 after a loss to Coffeyville. Dodge City fell out of the rankings, but is still receiving votes.The Blue Dragons are now 3-0 against nationally ranked opponents, defeating No. 1 Iowa Western, No. 12 Iowa Central and No. 14 Dodge City this season.

🏈 HutchCC remains No. 1 in poll for fifth straight week

EAGLE Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the fifth edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 6 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5). Some dates will air at different times due to Royals baseball. Please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar">Broadcast&nbsp;Calendar</a>&nbsp;for accurate times.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1693268716902.png" alt="Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas" />
 <figcaption>Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas</figcaption>
 </figure>EAGLE Media's Rob Dreher visits with HutchCC head football coach Drew Dallas for the fifth edition of "Dragon Talk" of the 2024 football season. Dreher will visit with Dallas every Monday, with episodes airing on Monday at 6 p.m. throughout the football season on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5). Some dates will air at different times due to Royals baseball. Please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/pages/eagle-media-broadcast-calendar">Broadcast&nbsp;Calendar</a>&nbsp;for accurate times.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas (Oct. 7, 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=3u6nq-16fb47e-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: Dragon Talk with Drew Dallas

NEWTON – Three golfers all shot 1-over 73s on Sunday morning to lead the No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's golf team after one round of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational at Sand Creek Station.

The Blue Dragons posted an opening round 6-over 294 to find themselves in fifth place, just four shots off the team lead after Round 1.

BLUE DRAGON MEN'S GOLF Grier Jones Shocker Invitational Course: Sand Creek Station, Newton, KS Round: 2 Tee times: 8:30-9:10 a.m. (Tee 1) Live Scoring:&nbsp;<a href="https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&amp;tid=29314" target="_blank">GolfStat.com</a>

Teeing off on No. 10 at Sand Creek Station, the Blue Dragons got off to a 2-under par start through nine holes, but played the back nine – holes 1 through 9 – in 8 over to finish at 294.

The University of Denver leads the field after a 2-over 290. Wichita State, Incarnate Word and Xavier are tied for second at 293. The Blue Dragons are the highest-placing NJCAA team through one round. Indian Hills is eighth at 300 and Dodge City is 13th after a 307.

The Blue Dragons tee of between 8:30 and 9:10 a.m. on Monday off Tee No. 1 with SIU-Edwardsville, Northern Colorado and Indian Hills.

No Blue Dragon individual players are in the Top 10 after one round. Sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/box_charlie_0808">Charlie Box</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/ross_louis_6g3i">Louis Ross</a>&nbsp;and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/northgraves_jack_mp7b">Jack Northgraves</a>&nbsp;all posted round of 73 on Sunday. Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/razinskas_david_xbtl">David Razinskas</a>&nbsp;is tied for 31st after a 75. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/caruthers_jaydon_5jz1">Jaydon Carruthers</a>&nbsp;is tied for 53rd after a round of 77.

Southern Indiana's Jason Bannister leads the individual race after posting a 4-under 68 on Sunday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728340024613.jpeg" alt="Louis Ross was one of three Blue Dragons to post rounds of 73 on Sunday in Round 1 of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational at Sand Creek Station in Newton." />
 <figcaption>Louis Ross was one of three Blue Dragons to post rounds of 73 on Sunday in Round 1 of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational at Sand Creek Station in Newton.</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationNEWTON – Three golfers all shot 1-over 73s on Sunday morning to lead the No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's golf team after one round of the Grier Jones Shocker Invitational at Sand Creek Station.The Blue Dragons posted an opening round 6-over 294 to find themselves in fifth place, just four shots off the team lead after Round 1.BLUE DRAGON MEN'S GOLF Grier Jones Shocker Invitational Course: Sand Creek Station, Newton, KS Round: 2 Tee times: 8:30-9:10 a.m. (Tee 1) Live Scoring:&nbsp;<a href="https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&amp;tid=29314" target="_blank">GolfStat.com</a>Teeing off on No. 10 at Sand Creek Station, the Blue Dragons got off to a 2-under par start through nine holes, but played the back nine – holes 1 through 9 – in 8 over to finish at 294.The University of Denver leads the field after a 2-over 290. Wichita State, Incarnate Word and Xavier are tied for second at 293. The Blue Dragons are the highest-placing NJCAA team through one round. Indian Hills is eighth at 300 and Dodge City is 13th after a 307.The Blue Dragons tee of between 8:30 and 9:10 a.m. on Monday off Tee No. 1 with SIU-Edwardsville, Northern Colorado and Indian Hills.No Blue Dragon individual players are in the Top 10 after one round. Sophomores&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/box_charlie_0808">Charlie Box</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/ross_louis_6g3i">Louis Ross</a>&nbsp;and freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/northgraves_jack_mp7b">Jack Northgraves</a>&nbsp;all posted round of 73 on Sunday. Sophomore&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/razinskas_david_xbtl">David Razinskas</a>&nbsp;is tied for 31st after a 75. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/mgolf/2024-25/bios/caruthers_jaydon_5jz1">Jaydon Carruthers</a>&nbsp;is tied for 53rd after a round of 77.Southern Indiana's Jason Bannister leads the individual race after posting a 4-under 68 on Sunday.

⛳ Blue Dragons 5th after Day 1 of Shocker Invite

With two strong conference victories pushing its winning streak to three games, the Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team moved up two spots in this week's NJCAA Division I Women's Soccer Rankings.

Victories over Seward County and Dodge City helped the Blue Dragons jump to a season-high No. 16 in the latest rankings released on Monday. The Blue Dragons are now 7-2-3 overall and in fourth place in a very tough Jayhawk Conference with a 6-2-3 record (21 points).

<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/rankings/DI/index">CLICK FOR COMPLETE 2024 NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S SOCCER RANKINGS</a>

Blue Dragon women's soccer established a new program record for consecutive weeks in the national rankings with their 16th-straight appearance in the poll. The previous record was 15 consecutive weeks in the poll in 2009 and 2010.

Hutchinson claimed wins of 3-1 over Seward County and 2-0 over Dodge City last week to match a season-long win streak of three games.

This week, the Blue Dragons play host to No. 8 Butler at 6 p.m. at the Salthawk Sports Complex and travel to Coffeyville on Saturday. Saturday's game time at Coffeyville has been changed from 5 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The previous high in the rankings for the Blue Dragons has been No. 17 this season. It's the highest ranking since climbing to No. 14 last season.

Navarro, Iowa Western and Seminole State remained the top three teams in the latest rankings. Arizona Western and Tyler flip-flopped spots at Nos. 4 and 5.

With Kansas City's one-goal victory over Butler on Saturday, the Blue Dragons are now the highest ranked KJCCC team at No. 7, with the Grizzlies at No. 8. Cowley moved up one spot to No. 11

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1728339951153.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy HutchCC Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>Hutchinson CC Sports InformationWith two strong conference victories pushing its winning streak to three games, the Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team moved up two spots in this week's NJCAA Division I Women's Soccer Rankings.Victories over Seward County and Dodge City helped the Blue Dragons jump to a season-high No. 16 in the latest rankings released on Monday. The Blue Dragons are now 7-2-3 overall and in fourth place in a very tough Jayhawk Conference with a 6-2-3 record (21 points).<a href="https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wsoc/rankings/DI/index">CLICK FOR COMPLETE 2024 NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S SOCCER RANKINGS</a>Blue Dragon women's soccer established a new program record for consecutive weeks in the national rankings with their 16th-straight appearance in the poll. The previous record was 15 consecutive weeks in the poll in 2009 and 2010.Hutchinson claimed wins of 3-1 over Seward County and 2-0 over Dodge City last week to match a season-long win streak of three games.This week, the Blue Dragons play host to No. 8 Butler at 6 p.m. at the Salthawk Sports Complex and travel to Coffeyville on Saturday. Saturday's game time at Coffeyville has been changed from 5 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.The previous high in the rankings for the Blue Dragons has been No. 17 this season. It's the highest ranking since climbing to No. 14 last season.Navarro, Iowa Western and Seminole State remained the top three teams in the latest rankings. Arizona Western and Tyler flip-flopped spots at Nos. 4 and 5.With Kansas City's one-goal victory over Butler on Saturday, the Blue Dragons are now the highest ranked KJCCC team at No. 7, with the Grizzlies at No. 8. Cowley moved up one spot to No. 11

⚽ HutchCC up two spots to No. 16

Monday, Oct. 7 Dragon Talk - 5:30 p.m. (KWBW) Royals at Yankees (ALDS G2) - 6 p.m. pregame, 6:38 p.m. first pitch (KWBW)

Tuesday, Oct. 8 Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)

Wednesday, Oct. 9 Royals vs. Yankees (ALDS G3) - 5:30 p.m. pregame, 6:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW) Chris Klieman Show - 7 p.m. (KHMY)

Thursday, Oct. 10 Reno County Coaches Show - 6 p.m. (KWBW) Royals vs. Yankees (ALDS G4 if necessary) - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW)

Friday, Oct. 11 Hutch High at Campus - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)

Saturday, Oct. 12 HutchCC at Independence - 12:30 p.m. pregame, 1 p.m. kickoff (KHUT, KWBW) Royals at Yankees (ALDS G5 if necessary) - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW) K-State at Colorado - 7 p.m. pregame, 9:15 p.m. kickoff (KHMY)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725282945901.png" alt="EAGLE Media" />
 <figcaption>EAGLE Media</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/ce/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KHMY2">KHMY-FM (93.1)</a> <a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT">KHUT-FM (102.9)</a> <a href="https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KWBW">KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5)</a>Monday, Oct. 7 Dragon Talk - 5:30 p.m. (KWBW) Royals at Yankees (ALDS G2) - 6 p.m. pregame, 6:38 p.m. first pitch (KWBW)Tuesday, Oct. 8 Chiefs Kingdom Show - 7 p.m. (KWBW)Wednesday, Oct. 9 Royals vs. Yankees (ALDS G3) - 5:30 p.m. pregame, 6:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW) Chris Klieman Show - 7 p.m. (KHMY)Thursday, Oct. 10 Reno County Coaches Show - 6 p.m. (KWBW) Royals vs. Yankees (ALDS G4 if necessary) - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW)Friday, Oct. 11 Hutch High at Campus - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff (KWBW)Saturday, Oct. 12 HutchCC at Independence - 12:30 p.m. pregame, 1 p.m. kickoff (KHUT, KWBW) Royals at Yankees (ALDS G5 if necessary) - 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7:08 p.m. first pitch (KWBW) K-State at Colorado - 7 p.m. pregame, 9:15 p.m. kickoff (KHMY)Sunday, Oct. 13

🎧 EAGLE Media Sports Broadcast Calendar (Oct. 7-Oct. 13)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701263164849.png" alt="Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, October 7th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Early Morning Sports with Rob Dreher for Monday, October 7th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Early Morning Sports for October 7th, 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=9vf6h-16fa995-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 versus Yankees in ALDS for game 2,  🏈 Chiefs host Saints for MNF

It was a week of upheaval in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">The Associated Press college football poll</a>, with Texas returning to No. 1 on Sunday after a one-week absence following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-vanderbilt-football-score-upset-ap-poll-a468641fca71fb58f7fc5ed235d48d82">Vanderbilt’s monumental upset</a>&nbsp;of Alabama.

The Commodores’ win as more than three-touchdown underdogs caused the Crimson Tide to drop from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top-ranked team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plunged to No. 11 in 2010 following an October loss to Wisconsin.

Texas, which had an open date, received 52 out of 61 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to bounce in and out of the top spot in a span of three polls. The Longhorns also were just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 after not playing the day before.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-ohio-state-football-score-409814b94bbf203d6cf0281bb22b63dd">Ohio State beat Iowa</a>&nbsp;for its fourth straight easy win, received nine first-place votes and moved up a spot to No. 2.

Oregon and Penn State each rose three spots, with the Ducks up to No. 3 and the Nittany Lions fourth. Georgia remained No. 5.

Miami, which came back from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-cal-score-5bfa791266d2fb182364aaf53e012494">25-point second-half deficit to beat California</a>&nbsp;39-38, rose two spots to No. 6.

Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the highest mark since six of 16 (38%) lost the first week of October 2020.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-poll-upset-vanderbilt-alabama-51130c6ccebf2dd35c62988a3bfcd653">Chaos hits AP Top 25 with 4 teams ranked in the top 11 losing to unranked opponents</a>

The Tide were among four teams in the top 11 to lose to unranked opponents — the first time that’s happened since Nov. 12, 2016, when five teams did it, according to Sportradar.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-arkansas-football-score-17d76844d090750fb34832366d8f2e64">Tennessee lost to Arkansas</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 4 to No. 8.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-washington-score-82fec593a24fb0d0ad22be3e8e4de940">Michigan lost at Washington</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 10 to No. 24.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-minnesota-score-f34d73364d05d8703b1b666527b40ab7">Southern California lost at Minnesota</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 11 to out of the Top 25. The Trojans were first among teams also receiving votes.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-aggies-score-2622684fd53947a294c32b0930dafb0b">Texas A&amp;M soundly beat Missouri</a>&nbsp;at home in the only Top 25 matchup. That earned the Aggies a promotion from a tie for No. 25 to No. 15 and the Tigers a demotion from No. 9 to No. 21.

The Big Ten dominates the top five, but the Southeastern Conference maintains its grip on the top 10. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Penn State are bookended by the SEC’s Texas and Georgia. The SEC also has Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi in the top 10.

Double-digit drops by Missouri, Michigan and USC mark the first time since Nov. 13, 2016, that three teams fell 10 or more spots in the same poll. That week it happened to Auburn (8 to 18), Texas A&amp;M (10 to 23) and North Carolina (15 to receiving votes).

The biggest upward movers were Texas A&amp;M (25 to 15), Clemson (15 to 10) and Iowa State (16 to 11).

SMU (5-1) was rewarded for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/smu-louisville-football-score-6a85090e765e153c44566d3ee287d8e6">knocking off Louisville</a>&nbsp;on the road and enters the rankings at No. 25. The Mustangs have appeared in the Top 25 all but one season (2022) since 2019. Louisville (3-2) has lost two of three and dropped out.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pittsburgh-north-carolina-football-score-f2fcfdbed4097963394b1295b0eb20f1">Pittsburgh won at North Carolina</a>&nbsp;to start 5-0 for the first time since 1991 and enters the rankings at No. 22 for its first appearance in two years.

USC (3-2) has lost two of its first three Big Ten games and is out, as is UNLV, whose first-ever Top 25 appearance was spoiled by an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unlv-rebels-syracuse-orange-score-college-football-71bd62212245610f0c88a5228096828a">overtime home loss to Syracuse.</a>

SEC — 9 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21).

Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24).

— No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma, at Dallas. It’s their first head-to-head SEC meeting, and it’s a Top 25 matchup for the sixth time in eight games. Sooners scored with 15 seconds left last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-longhorns-oklahoma-sooners-red-river-rivalry-e4693ccedcb17bca3a62e8d13ea614e6">hand Texas its only regular-season loss.</a>&nbsp;Both teams are coming off open dates.

— No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon. Entering the season, this was billed as a midseason preview of the Big Ten championship game. It still could be. The Buckeyes have won nine of 10 previous meetings, the only loss coming in the most recent one (2021).

— No. 9 Mississippi at No. 13 LSU. Huge College Football Playoff implications here. Rebels’ Jaxson Dart&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lsu-mississippi-ole-miss-3874265924e7dd59b88fc7f9f3eb8728">prevailed 55-49</a>&nbsp;last year in a dizzying matchup with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723487775830.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>ERIC OLSON AP Sports WriterIt was a week of upheaval in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">The Associated Press college football poll</a>, with Texas returning to No. 1 on Sunday after a one-week absence following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-vanderbilt-football-score-upset-ap-poll-a468641fca71fb58f7fc5ed235d48d82">Vanderbilt’s monumental upset</a>&nbsp;of Alabama.The Commodores’ win as more than three-touchdown underdogs caused the Crimson Tide to drop from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top-ranked team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plunged to No. 11 in 2010 following an October loss to Wisconsin.Texas, which had an open date, received 52 out of 61 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to bounce in and out of the top spot in a span of three polls. The Longhorns also were just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 after not playing the day before.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-ohio-state-football-score-409814b94bbf203d6cf0281bb22b63dd">Ohio State beat Iowa</a>&nbsp;for its fourth straight easy win, received nine first-place votes and moved up a spot to No. 2.Oregon and Penn State each rose three spots, with the Ducks up to No. 3 and the Nittany Lions fourth. Georgia remained No. 5.Miami, which came back from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-cal-score-5bfa791266d2fb182364aaf53e012494">25-point second-half deficit to beat California</a>&nbsp;39-38, rose two spots to No. 6.The mayhem wasn’t limited to Alabama.Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the highest mark since six of 16 (38%) lost the first week of October 2020.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-poll-upset-vanderbilt-alabama-51130c6ccebf2dd35c62988a3bfcd653">Chaos hits AP Top 25 with 4 teams ranked in the top 11 losing to unranked opponents</a>The Tide were among four teams in the top 11 to lose to unranked opponents — the first time that’s happened since Nov. 12, 2016, when five teams did it, according to Sportradar.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-arkansas-football-score-17d76844d090750fb34832366d8f2e64">Tennessee lost to Arkansas</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 4 to No. 8.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-washington-score-82fec593a24fb0d0ad22be3e8e4de940">Michigan lost at Washington</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 10 to No. 24.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usc-minnesota-score-f34d73364d05d8703b1b666527b40ab7">Southern California lost at Minnesota</a>&nbsp;and went from No. 11 to out of the Top 25. The Trojans were first among teams also receiving votes.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-aggies-score-2622684fd53947a294c32b0930dafb0b">Texas A&amp;M soundly beat Missouri</a>&nbsp;at home in the only Top 25 matchup. That earned the Aggies a promotion from a tie for No. 25 to No. 15 and the Tigers a demotion from No. 9 to No. 21.<h2>Poll points</h2>The Big Ten dominates the top five, but the Southeastern Conference maintains its grip on the top 10. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Penn State are bookended by the SEC’s Texas and Georgia. The SEC also has Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi in the top 10.Double-digit drops by Missouri, Michigan and USC mark the first time since Nov. 13, 2016, that three teams fell 10 or more spots in the same poll. That week it happened to Auburn (8 to 18), Texas A&amp;M (10 to 23) and North Carolina (15 to receiving votes).The biggest upward movers were Texas A&amp;M (25 to 15), Clemson (15 to 10) and Iowa State (16 to 11).<h2>In-and-out</h2>SMU (5-1) was rewarded for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/smu-louisville-football-score-6a85090e765e153c44566d3ee287d8e6">knocking off Louisville</a>&nbsp;on the road and enters the rankings at No. 25. The Mustangs have appeared in the Top 25 all but one season (2022) since 2019. Louisville (3-2) has lost two of three and dropped out.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pittsburgh-north-carolina-football-score-f2fcfdbed4097963394b1295b0eb20f1">Pittsburgh won at North Carolina</a>&nbsp;to start 5-0 for the first time since 1991 and enters the rankings at No. 22 for its first appearance in two years.USC (3-2) has lost two of its first three Big Ten games and is out, as is UNLV, whose first-ever Top 25 appearance was spoiled by an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unlv-rebels-syracuse-orange-score-college-football-71bd62212245610f0c88a5228096828a">overtime home loss to Syracuse.</a><h2>Conference call</h2>SEC — 9 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21).Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24).Big 12 — 4 (Nos. T-11, 14, 16, T-18).ACC — 4 (Nos. 6, 10, 22, 25).Mountain West — 1 (No. 17).Independent — 1 (No. 11).<h2>Ranked vs. Ranked</h2>— No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma, at Dallas. It’s their first head-to-head SEC meeting, and it’s a Top 25 matchup for the sixth time in eight games. Sooners scored with 15 seconds left last year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-longhorns-oklahoma-sooners-red-river-rivalry-e4693ccedcb17bca3a62e8d13ea614e6">hand Texas its only regular-season loss.</a>&nbsp;Both teams are coming off open dates.— No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon. Entering the season, this was billed as a midseason preview of the Big Ten championship game. It still could be. The Buckeyes have won nine of 10 previous meetings, the only loss coming in the most recent one (2021).— No. 9 Mississippi at No. 13 LSU. Huge College Football Playoff implications here. Rebels’ Jaxson Dart&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lsu-mississippi-ole-miss-3874265924e7dd59b88fc7f9f3eb8728">prevailed 55-49</a>&nbsp;last year in a dizzying matchup with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.

🏈 Upsets change AP Top 25

Tossed balls from stands, apparently aimed at Profar, interrupts Padres' win in NLDS Game 2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodger Stadium fans tossed baseballs, apparently at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, and then threw trash that caused a 12-minute wait between pitches during the seventh inning of NL Division Series Game 2. Profar had robbed Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning, reaching into the stands behind the low left-field wall. As Betts rounded the bases, Profar hopped up and down for several seconds, back to the plate, before showing he caught the ball. With San Diego leading 4-1 and Yu Darvish warming up for the bottom of the seventh, fans appeared to be yelling at Profar and a ball was thrown.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701494597443.png" alt="Sports Headlines and News for Monday, October 7th, 2024" />
 <figcaption>Sports Headlines and News for Monday, October 7th, 2024</figcaption>
 </figure>AP Sports Summary for October 7th, 2024:<div><iframe width="100%" height="95" src="https://embeds.audioboom.com/posts/8584904/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>Tossed balls from stands, apparently aimed at Profar, interrupts Padres' win in NLDS Game 2LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodger Stadium fans tossed baseballs, apparently at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, and then threw trash that caused a 12-minute wait between pitches during the seventh inning of NL Division Series Game 2. Profar had robbed Mookie Betts of a home run in the first inning, reaching into the stands behind the low left-field wall. As Betts rounded the bases, Profar hopped up and down for several seconds, back to the plate, before showing he caught the ball. With San Diego leading 4-1 and Yu Darvish warming up for the bottom of the seventh, fans appeared to be yelling at Profar and a ball was thrown.LeBron and son Bronny James play together for the first time in a preseason game for the LakersPALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James and his son Bronny made NBA history when they played together for the first time during the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against Phoenix. LeBron and Bronny are the first father and son to play in any NBA game at the same time, let alone on the same team. The James family's remarkable moment coincidentally happened on Bronny's 20th birthday. Bronny James entered the game as a substitute to begin the second quarter, joining his father on the court out of the timeout.. The crowd at Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley cheered at the mention of Bronny's name.Prescott throws TD pass to Tolbert with 20 seconds left to lift Cowboys past Steelers, 20-17PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dak Prescott hit Jalen Tolbert with a 4-yard touchdown with 20 seconds remaining and the Dallas Cowboys slipped past the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17 early Monday The Cowboys (3-2) won their second straight after Prescott overcame a mistake-filled night to lead a 70-yard drive that ended with Prescott finding a lunging Tolbert just across the goal line on fourth down. Prescott threw for 352 yards to go with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. Pittsburgh lost its second straight on a night it mustered just 226 yards of total offense to drop to 3-2. The start was delayed nearly 90 minutes due to severe weather, with the game ending at 12:59 a.m. EDT.Castellanos wins Game 2 for Phillies with 9th-inning single, top Mets 7-6PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos ripped a winning two-out single off Tylor Megill that scored Trea Turner and sent the Philadelphia Phillies to a dizzying 7-6 win over the New York Mets and evened the NL Division Series at one game apiece. Castellanos tossed his helmet and was mobbed by teammates on the infield as a game that seemed to slip away one inning earlier turned into one more comeback for the NL East champions. Game 3 is Tuesday in New York, the Mets' first home game since Sept. 22.AP Top 25: Texas returns to No. 1, Alabama drops to No. 7 after upsets force reshuffling of rankingsIt was a week of upheaval in The Associated Press college football poll. Texas returned to No. 1 after a one-week absence following Vanderbilt's monumental upset of Alabama. The Commodores' win over Alabama on Saturday caused the Crimson Tide to drop from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top-ranked team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plunged to No. 11 in 2010 following an October loss to Wisconsin. Texas, which had an open date, received 52 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to bounce in and out of the top spot in a span of three polls. The Longhorns also were just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 after not playing the day before.Justin Tucker's field goal after Derrick Henry's big run lifts Ravens to a wild 41-38 overtime winCINCINNATI (AP) — Justin Tucker kicked a 24-yard field goal to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a wild 41-38 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. After Evan McPherson missed a 53-yard attempt for Cincinnati on a fumbled snap, Baltimore took over on its own 43. On the next play, Derrick Henry rumbled 51 yards down to the Bengals 6 to set up Tucker's chip-shot kick for the win. Tucker tied it with a 56-yarder with 1:35 left to force overtime. The Ravens and Bengals traded punches on offense the entire day with Lamar Jackson prevailing despite Joe Burrow throwing a career-high five touchdown passes.Kyler Murray rallies the Cardinals past the 49ers, 24-23SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Kyler Murray had a long touchdown run in the first quarter and rallied Arizona with two fourth-quarter scoring drives in the Cardinals' 24-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Murray threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Higgins early in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 23-21 and then set up Chad Ryland's 35-yard field goal with 1:37 to play. Brock Purdy then threw an interception to seal it. This marked the second time this season that San Francisco blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter to a division rival, having done it in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.Texas swaggers into SEC and midseason break undefeated and in best shape in more than a decadeAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has found its swagger again. The Longhorns are undefeated before their rivalry game with Oklahoma. Their SEC debut was a smashing success. They held the No. 1 spot in the AP rankings for two weeks, then returned again on Sunday. That's a long way from the 2021 debut season of coach Steve Sarkisian when the Longhorns went 5-7. And it's not just football. Texas has rolled into the SEC as the top athletic department in the country and athletes are cashing in on name, image and likeness deals. Sarkisian heads onto the recruiting trail for a few days with a lot to sell.Stenhouse snaps 65-race losing streak after late crash at Talladega scrambles playoff pictureTALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. snapped a 65-race losing streak by winning in overtime at Talladega Superspeedway after a late crash collected more than half the field, including eight of the 12 championship contenders. Stenhouse is not in the playoffs and his victory Sunday marked the second consecutive week a driver not competing for the Cup Series title has won. The victory was the first for Stenhouse and his JTG Daugherty Racing team since he won the season-opening Daytona 500 to start 2023. Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs next Sunday on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte. Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe are all below the cutline.Ionescu scores 22 points to lead Liberty to 76-62 win over Aces and into WNBA FinalsLAS VEGAS (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu rebounded from a rare off game to score 22 points. Nearly a year after the Aces ended the Liberty's dream of a championship, New York returned the favor Sunday afternoon by defeating Las Vegas 76-62 to advance to the WNBA Finals. The top-seeded Liberty will have home-court advantage in the championship series and will face either the Connecticut Sun or Minnesota Lynx. This is the Liberty's sixth trip to the finals. But the franchise is still seeking its first title.AP-ScorecardHere are the scores from yesterday's sports events:___NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFSFinal	Philadelphia	7	N.Y. Mets	6	Final	San Diego	10	L.A. Dodgers	2	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASONFinal	Boston	130	Denver	104	Final	New York	111	Charlotte	109	Final	Toronto	125	Washington	98	Final	Detroit	120	Milwaukee	87	Final	Phoenix	118	L.A. Lakers	114	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUEFinal	Minnesota	23	N-Y Jets	17	Final OT	Baltimore	41	Cincinnati	38	Final	Chicago	36	Carolina	10	Final	Houston	23	Buffalo	20	Final	Jacksonville	37	Indianapolis	34	Final	Miami	15	New England	10	Final	Washington	34	Cleveland	13	Final	Arizona	24	San Francisco	23	Final	Denver	34	Las Vegas	18	Final	Green Bay	24	L.A. Rams	19	Final	N-Y Giants	29	Seattle	20	Final	Dallas	20	Pittsburgh	17	___WOMEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	New York	76	Las Vegas	62	Final	Connecticut	92	Minnesota	82	___MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCERFinal	New York City FC	3	Nashville	1	Final tie	FC Dallas	0	Portland	0	___TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE___AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS		Detroit	at	Cleveland	4:08 p.m.			Kansas City	at	N-Y Yankees	7:38 p.m.	___NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PRESEASON		Orlando	at	New Orleans	1:30 p.m.			New Zealand Breakers	at	Philadelphia	7 p.m.			Memphis	at	Dallas	8 p.m.			Oklahoma City	at	San Antonio	8 p.m.			Houston	at	Utah	9 p.m.	___NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE		Nashville	at	Tampa Bay	7 p.m.	___NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE		New Orleans	at	Kansas City	8:15 p.m.	___