Wish I could also be in Canton tonight

Some Friday hot takes…

CLASSIC IN CANTON – This is one of those nights I wish I could be in two places at one time.

Of course I’ll be at McPherson Stadium along with about 2,000 others for McPherson High’s football playoff game with Arkansas City, a repeat of last year’s state quarterfinal matchup won 62-28 by MHS.

It will be the second straight week the Bullpups play an AVCTL Division II team with a losing record, but again the Bulldogs’ schedule is far superior than the Bullpups’.

It’s going to be another bruising, physical game for the undefeated Bullpups, who survived a slam-bang, hammer-and-tongfest last week with Goddard. Bullpup coach Jace Pavlovich says Ark City is similar to Goddard in terms of physicality, which is hard to imagine because I thought the Lions were as physical a team as I’ve seen in the last couple of years.

But I’d also like to be in Canton for the 8-Man Division I playoff game between Canton-Galva and South Central, one that some who are in the know are saying could be the championship game even though they’re meeting in the quarterfinals. There’s a sense these are the two-best teams in the state.

Like the MHS game, this is a repeat of last year’s memorable third-round game when Canton-Galva was a 54-52 overtime winner. The Eagles did not have a single senior, while South Central had only two, so tonight virtually the same cast of characters will take the field.

The Eagles have not played into the fourth quarter all season, but C-G coach Shelby Hoppes is preparing his team for a 48-minute game. It will be interesting to see how both teams respond since neither has had to break a sweat through 10 games.

I’m guessing the line at C-G will be among the longest it’s ever been tonight. Wish I could be in it.

ALREADY WILD IN THE KCAC – Just one night into the KCAC men’s basketball race and we already have all sorts of hullabaloo.

Oklahoma Wesleyan and Southwestern, the teams thought by most to be the top two heading into the season, both opened conference play on Wednesday with losses.

Oklahoma Wesleyan went into the Concrete Jungle at Ottawa and was defeated, 89-87. Meanwhile, Southwestern played at North Newton and suffered a 78-73 loss to Bethel.

To be fair, both OW and SW suffered big graduation losses, but both also had big recruiting years.

Bethel’s win doesn’t come as that much of a surprise to me after seeing the Threshers in the McPherson College Classic. They piled up 114 points in both games they played and are loaded with tremendous athletes.

There was nearly another upset when Avila went to York and put a scare into the Panthers, who won 72-71. The Eagles are thought to be a candidate for the cellar. And Bethany, my pick for the Top 3, was tied with McPherson College with 4 minutes left before winning by 8 at home.

Remember, it was just one game out of 24 in conference play on Wednesday. We have light-years to go.

GARRETT IN BIG TROUBLE – The Cleveland Browns’ talented defensive end Myles Garrett lost his mind on Thursday near the end of their important 21-7 victory over division rival Pittsburgh.

In one of the ugliest scenes in recent NFL history, Garrett ripped the helmet off Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph and started clubbing him over the head. Rudolph, if you will remember, already suffered a concussion earlier this season that kept him out of action.

From all reports, this was an out-of-character move for Garrett. But just as the Browns were scoring what was a key victory as they are trying to get back in the division race, it was overshadowed by Garrett’s act of violence.

Because of the length of the incident, the punishment will be more than a wrist slap or knuckle rap. My guess is Roger Goodell is going to come down hard and probably end Garrett’s season. Clubbing a helmetless player could have caused irreparable damage and he should be admonished with a severe penalty.

McPherson Hospital announces Hess Scholarship recipients

The Evaline Hess Health Education and Scholarship Trust has awarded 19 scholarships for local students who are pursuing education in the health care industry. Each year, a local trustee board selects from a pool of both new applicants and previous candidates and recipients. The trustees share control of the trust with the McPherson Hospital Board of Trustees and the McPherson Hospital Volunteers in McPherson.

George and Evaline Hess had an interest in advancing health education. The original trust set forth by Evaline Hess has been awarding scholarships since 1980, helping generations of students achieve their educational goals.

There are three major categories in which the trust provides financial awards for recipients: initial entry into health care, career advancement in health care, or update of technical training.

The recipients are as follows: 

-Michaela Bowers

-Travis Bunk

-Jaycee Burghart

-Kari Ellet

-Gracy Feil

-Addie Fitzmorris

-Ashley Gant

-Makenzie Goering

-Jeremy Gonsalves

-Katherine Hemenway

-Mya Kretzer

-Michelle Loder 

-Sydney Peitz

-Connor Sivils

-Ashtyn Schieferecke

-Kyle Stucky

-Tyler Wheat

-Brittanee White

-McKenzie Becker

-Michelle Carrillo

-Hannah Funk

-Olivia Hansen

-Lauren Hein

-Rachel Ivers

-Emily Smith

-Chelsea Stoppel

-Paige Unruh

Robertson's 22 not enough for Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. – McPherson’s Taylor Robertson was on fire for the Oklahoma women’s basketball team on Thursday as she poured in 22 points, but the Sooners came up short in a 96-90 loss to Missouri State.

Robertson, a sophomore guard, played 37 minutes and drained 7 of 11 shots, 6 of 10 from 3-point. She was 2 of the 3 at the line and also came up with 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

She is averaging 19.7 points a game as OU is 2-1. She is shooting 54 percent from the field, 52 from 3-point.