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Football
Real, live tackle football creeps ever closer. Before the real games begin, writers are combing rosters for personal interest stories and finding no shortage among the K-State players and coaches.
Kellis Robinett ran a long feature about Skylar Thompson, who has been motivated by the death of his mother when he was only five years old and remembers her every time he leads a touchdown drive.
K-State Sports Extra featured new offensive coordinator Andre Coleman, whose experiences as a college and NFL player provide a “cheat sheet” for current players, both on the field and in life.
Our own BracketCat celebrated 19 days until kickoff with a spotlight on senior defensive back Colby Moore.
Even the national media is not immune to the charms of football in Manhattan, as George Schroeder of USA Today delved into Coach Snyder’s new contract. Of course, as seemingly every columnist has done since the advent of Snyder II, he can’t resist trying to draw a premature curtain over Coach’s tenure. Hey, if they keep predicting the end, someday they’ll be right by default. Unless Bill is eternal. And I’m not saying he’s not.
K-State also named team captains yesterday, with Alex Delton and Dalton Risner serving as the head honchos, Colby Moore serving as honorary special teams captain, and Kendall Adams, Duke Shelley, Trey Dishon, Reggie Walker, Skylar Thomson and Alex Barnes named vice-captains. The athletic department shared the announcement, as did the Capital-Journal.
Finally, in addition to being a vice-captain, Reggie Walker has been named as one of 36 players nationally on the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, which recognizes the best defensive end in college football annually.
Basketball
Bruce Weber and his staff continue to pursue high-value recruits, and after landing the commitment of 4-star wing Montavious Murphy, K-State made the final five for the services of 6-7 forward E.J. Liddell of Belleville, Illinois. Also on his list: Illinois, Missouri, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Steep competition, no doubt. But it’s nice to be in the mix for such coveted talent.
Soccer
K-State defender Abby Rocha has torn her ACL twice. She has not allowed the injury to halt her competitive dreams, and after fighting back from the injury, she brings toughness and determination to the pitch. (Justin Tocano, Mercury)