The Missouri Western football team piled up 506 yards of offense, including 310 on the ground, and the Griffons fended off Missouri Southern in a 31-27 victory at Spratt Stadium in the Rogers Pharmacy Hall of Fame game Saturday.

The Griffons (4-5) ran 79 plays on offense - 34 more than Missouri Southern. Western also controlled time of possession, holding the ball for 31:20 compared to 19:12 by the Lions.

"It was a beautiful day," Missouri Western coach Matt Williamson said. "There's nothing better than fall weather like this and getting out there and running around and tackle people, hit people and score touchdowns. So, I was pretty proud of it."

Missouri Western scored a touchdown on its opening series, as Jared Scott capped a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a one yard run to the end zone, putting the Griffons up 7-0 with 10:46 left in the first quarter.

Missouri Southern (4-5) had the answer early, scoring on back-to-back touchdown drives to take a 13-7 lead with 1:46 left in the first. Missouri Western's Taylor Williams blocked a point-after to keep the score at 13-7.

The Griffons got back to work on offense early in the second, putting together a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Titus McCoy finished this one off with a four-yard touchdown run, his third of the season, and a Cody Watson point-after made it 14-13 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

After Missouri Southern's first punt of the day, Western took over at their own seven-yard line, and methodically marched 93 yards on seven plays. The drive ended with a 22-yard touchdown run from quarterback Reagan Jones, his sixth of the season, to put the Griffons up 21-13 with 52 seconds left before halftime.

Jones finished with 274 all-purpose yards, 78 rushing and 196 passing, on a 16-of-21 completion rate through the air.

Missouri Southern got the ball to start the second half and scored in just three plays. Receiver Dwyane Lawson, lining up under center in a wildcat formation, took off around the left side and broke tackles on his way to an 80-yard touchdown.

A successful pass on a two-point conversion tied the game at 21-21 with 13:29 left in the third.

The Griffons answered right back, scoring on a 29-yard field goal from Cody Watson on their first series of the second half to go up 24-21 with 8:24 remaining in the third.

Missouri Southern would be held to just one first down on their next two possessions combined, forcing the Lions to punt it back to the Griffons on back-to-back drives.

Western took advantage. The Griffons gobbled up the entire back half of the third quarter and the early part of the fourth on a 16-play, 91-yard drive that took 7:51 off the clock. That drive ended with a 22-yard touchdown run from Scott, giving the Griffons a 31-21 edge with 13:52 remaining.

"I was really proud of the way our team came out and played in the second half and put ourselves in the win category," Williamson said.&nbsp;

Playing on his birthday Saturday, Scott finished with 63 yards rushing on 10 carries and two touchdowns.

Missouri Southern got one more score late. After a fumble by Western's Jones was recovered by Southern's Shadon Shannon, the Lions scored on the very next play.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Sampson, making his first career start in place of the injured Dawson Herl, fired a 34-yard touchdown pass to Ezekiel Lang, but the point-after try missed off the left upright, leaving the score at 31-27 with 7:57 left.

Nick Williams, an all-MIAA place kicker for Missouri Southern, missed field goals in the first half of 32 and 48 yards. He also missed on a couple of point-after tries after going 19-for-19 on PATs through the first eight games this season.

Western got the ball back on their own 25 with 7:57 left, and the Griffons ran out all of the remaining time, keeping the ball on the ground and moving 63 yards on 15 plays.

"Man it was great," Williamson said. "When you can take the game over like that, it's pretty much keep away. You kind of take the soul out of the defense a little bit. They kept lining up in the same thing, and we just kept running."&nbsp;

"That last drive was just awesome, you know? Just to watch our kids continue to be physical, push people around and just run it and run it and run it."

Sophomore running back Jonas Bennett got the majority of the carries late, and he finished with 21 carries for 128 yards - both figures were team-highs and new career-highs as well.

All while playing in front of the 2012 Missouri Western football team and the entire 2022 Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame Class - all of whom were honored on the field at halftime.

"They set the standard for what Griffon football really is," Bennett said of the 2012 squad that went 12-2 and won an MIAA title outright. "Being able to play and win in front of them is an honor."

Missouri Western is back on the road next Saturday to face Central Missouri. The Mules (3-6) beat Lincoln 61-14 in Warrensburg Saturday.

"I mean, we just need to focus on what we need to fix personally," Bennett said. "A win going into next week is just huge."

Saturday's game starts at 1 p.m. Coverage starts at noon on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).

Matt Williamson, Jonas Bennett interviews

You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667086578554.jpeg" alt="Missouri Western's Jonas Bennett (23) rings the bell after a career-high 128 yards rushing in the Griffons' 31-27 win over Missouri Southern at Spratt Stadium Saturday. Photo by Arianne Boma." />
 <figcaption>Missouri Western's Jonas Bennett (23) rings the bell after a career-high 128 yards rushing in the Griffons' 31-27 win over Missouri Southern at Spratt Stadium Saturday. Photo by Arianne Boma.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostThe Missouri Western football team piled up 506 yards of offense, including 310 on the ground, and the Griffons fended off Missouri Southern in a 31-27 victory at Spratt Stadium in the Rogers Pharmacy Hall of Fame game Saturday.The Griffons (4-5) ran 79 plays on offense - 34 more than Missouri Southern. Western also controlled time of possession, holding the ball for 31:20 compared to 19:12 by the Lions."It was a beautiful day," Missouri Western coach Matt Williamson said. "There's nothing better than fall weather like this and getting out there and running around and tackle people, hit people and score touchdowns. So, I was pretty proud of it."Missouri Western scored a touchdown on its opening series, as Jared Scott capped a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive with a one yard run to the end zone, putting the Griffons up 7-0 with 10:46 left in the first quarter.Missouri Southern (4-5) had the answer early, scoring on back-to-back touchdown drives to take a 13-7 lead with 1:46 left in the first. Missouri Western's Taylor Williams blocked a point-after to keep the score at 13-7.The Griffons got back to work on offense early in the second, putting together a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Titus McCoy finished this one off with a four-yard touchdown run, his third of the season, and a Cody Watson point-after made it 14-13 with six minutes left in the second quarter.The Griffons never trailed after that.After Missouri Southern's first punt of the day, Western took over at their own seven-yard line, and methodically marched 93 yards on seven plays. The drive ended with a 22-yard touchdown run from quarterback Reagan Jones, his sixth of the season, to put the Griffons up 21-13 with 52 seconds left before halftime.Jones finished with 274 all-purpose yards, 78 rushing and 196 passing, on a 16-of-21 completion rate through the air.Missouri Southern got the ball to start the second half and scored in just three plays. Receiver Dwyane Lawson, lining up under center in a wildcat formation, took off around the left side and broke tackles on his way to an 80-yard touchdown.A successful pass on a two-point conversion tied the game at 21-21 with 13:29 left in the third.The Griffons answered right back, scoring on a 29-yard field goal from Cody Watson on their first series of the second half to go up 24-21 with 8:24 remaining in the third.Missouri Southern would be held to just one first down on their next two possessions combined, forcing the Lions to punt it back to the Griffons on back-to-back drives.Western took advantage. The Griffons gobbled up the entire back half of the third quarter and the early part of the fourth on a 16-play, 91-yard drive that took 7:51 off the clock. That drive ended with a 22-yard touchdown run from Scott, giving the Griffons a 31-21 edge with 13:52 remaining."I was really proud of the way our team came out and played in the second half and put ourselves in the win category," Williamson said.&nbsp;Playing on his birthday Saturday, Scott finished with 63 yards rushing on 10 carries and two touchdowns.Missouri Southern got one more score late. After a fumble by Western's Jones was recovered by Southern's Shadon Shannon, the Lions scored on the very next play.Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke Sampson, making his first career start in place of the injured Dawson Herl, fired a 34-yard touchdown pass to Ezekiel Lang, but the point-after try missed off the left upright, leaving the score at 31-27 with 7:57 left.Nick Williams, an all-MIAA place kicker for Missouri Southern, missed field goals in the first half of 32 and 48 yards. He also missed on a couple of point-after tries after going 19-for-19 on PATs through the first eight games this season.Western got the ball back on their own 25 with 7:57 left, and the Griffons ran out all of the remaining time, keeping the ball on the ground and moving 63 yards on 15 plays."Man it was great," Williamson said. "When you can take the game over like that, it's pretty much keep away. You kind of take the soul out of the defense a little bit. They kept lining up in the same thing, and we just kept running."&nbsp;"That last drive was just awesome, you know? Just to watch our kids continue to be physical, push people around and just run it and run it and run it."Sophomore running back Jonas Bennett got the majority of the carries late, and he finished with 21 carries for 128 yards - both figures were team-highs and new career-highs as well.All while playing in front of the 2012 Missouri Western football team and the entire 2022 Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame Class - all of whom were honored on the field at halftime."They set the standard for what Griffon football really is," Bennett said of the 2012 squad that went 12-2 and won an MIAA title outright. "Being able to play and win in front of them is an honor." Missouri Western is back on the road next Saturday to face Central Missouri. The Mules (3-6) beat Lincoln 61-14 in Warrensburg Saturday."I mean, we just need to focus on what we need to fix personally," Bennett said. "A win going into next week is just huge."Saturday's game starts at 1 p.m. Coverage starts at noon on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3).Matt Williamson, Jonas Bennett interviews<div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Matt-Williamson--Jonas-Bennett---Missouri-Southern-postgame-e1puvt4" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Missouri Western piles up over 500 yards, tops Missouri Southern in St. Joseph Saturday

By JAMES WALKER <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-televised-world-series-spurred-americas-television-boom-75-years-ago-193006">The Conversation</a>

Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WRi6iZAl-I">desperately waving at his home run to stay in play</a>. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzGkoXlaTM">pumping his arms</a>
 as he hobbles around second base after muscling a home run off Dennis 
Eckersley, the Oakland A’s dominant closer. The ground ball hit by New 
York Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyJjecJnuI">skipping through the legs</a> of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner.

Some of the most dramatic images in World Series history are 
ingrained in the minds of baseball fans thanks to television coverage. 
This year’s World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston 
Astros will surely bring another timeless highlight to the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/03/2021-world-series-ratings-braves-astros-game-6-draws-14point3-million.html">12 million or so viewers</a> expected to watch.

Yet the first 43 World Series weren’t televised at all. It wasn’t 
until the 1947 series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers –
 75 years ago – that fans could watch their favorite players duke it out
 on screen. 

As I detail in my book “<a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/bison-original/9780803248250/">Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television</a>,”
 which I co-authored with Robert Bellamy, the telecasts became a 
sensation. They drew millions of Americans to a new medium at a time 
when there were no national networks, only a handful of stations and 
somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 TVs in the entire country.

In August 1947, the television industry anticipated a possible 
all-New York World Series: The Yankees had a huge lead in the American 
League, while the Dodgers also held a substantial one in the National 
League.  

If the two teams met in October, New York’s three television stations – run by NBC ABC, and the now-extinct <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/DuMont-Television-Network">DuMont</a> – decided they wanted to cover the games.

But the rights to televise the games were held by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mutual-Broadcasting-System">Mutual Broadcasting System</a>,
 a radio network that had no television division. Thus, Mutual would 
need to farm out the coverage to one or more New York stations.

Although no national television network existed at the time, NBC, 
DuMont and CBS did have the means to link stations on the Eastern 
Seaboard through a combination of coaxial cable, microwave and 
over-the-air broadcast transmissions, expanding the potential audience 
for the World Series. The Series would air on eight stations in four 
markets: New York City, Philadelphia, Washington and Schenectady, New 
York.

While the Yankees-Dodgers series materialized, the televising of the Series almost didn’t. 

The predictable stumbling block was money. Baseball commissioner <a href="https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/chandler-happy">Albert B. “Happy” Chandler</a>
 wanted $100,000 for the television rights to the Series. Gillette, the 
sponsor of the radio coverage on the Mutual Broadcasting System, balked 
at the steep price given television’s limited penetration – only 50,000 
to 60,000 U.S. households owned TVs at the time. The radio rights to 
reach the nation’s 29 million homes with radios had cost Mutual only 
$175,000.

Initial negotiations produced an offer of $60,000 from two sponsors: Gillette and the Ford Motor Company. New York’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Liebmann">Liebmann Breweries</a>
 offered to meet Chandler’s $100,000 demand, but the commissioner 
refused because he did not want beer ads when youngsters would be 
prominent members of the audience.

Even before a coverage deal had been finalized, bars, restaurants, 
television dealers, department stores, automobile dealerships and movie 
theaters started advertising the event, urging customers to come by to 
watch the World Series on television. And in the days and weeks leading 
up to the Fall Classic, the demand for television sets spiked. 

The excitement pressured Chandler and the sponsors to reach a compromise.   

Finally, on Sept. 26, just four days before Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, Chandler, Gillette and Ford <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1947/1947-10-06-BC.pdf">agreed to $65,000 for the rights to televise the World Series</a>.
 Production costs added another $35,000 to the sponsors’ bill. Mutual, 
Gillette and Ford also agreed to allow all three New York TV stations 
and those connected to them to broadcast the game, providing the widest 
possible exposure.

Initial industry estimates had the Series reaching between 600,000 
and 700,000 viewers, many of them located in the bars and restaurants 
where a substantial number of the nation’s first television receivers 
were located.  

But that forecast ended up being conservative. Although home viewing for the seven games was substantial – 450,000 in a <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/40s/1947/BB-1947-10-18.pdf">Hooper rating survey commissioned by Billboard</a>
 – the out-of-home viewing numbers were extraordinary: Another 3.5 
million were estimated to have viewed the World Series in public 
locales.

Hooper’s survey found that an average of 82 customers showed up at 
each of these public locations to watch at least some of the World 
Series. Variety reported that bar owners saw a 500% increase in patrons 
during the Series, with some offering reservations to their regulars for
 a choice location near the TV set.

What viewers from those choice seats saw was primitive by today’s 
standards. The screen was usually small – 12 diagonal inches or less. 
The low-definition images were black and white and came from just a few 
cameras. No extreme close-ups were possible. There was no instant 
replay, so fans had to pay attention or the moment was lost. 

But for the first time, they were seeing the World Series live, and for free.

The audience liked what they saw. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/40s/1947/BB-1947-10-11.pdf">Billboard</a>,
 quoting The Newark Evening News, reported that TV “audiences hung on 
every turn of the video cameras and the ‘oohs and aahs’ at a slide or 
strikeout were something radio broadcasters would give their eye teeth 
to hear.”

It didn’t hurt that <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1947_WS.shtml">the 1947 World Series</a> ended up being so dramatic. The Yankees prevailed in seven games, but Brooklyn owned the two greatest moments.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, Dodgers pitch hitter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWjpOAy5zCM">Cookie Lavagetto ended Yankee starter Bill Biven’s no-hit bid</a> with a two-out hit, driving in two runs and sending the Dodgers to a 3-2 win. Then, in Game 6, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SrtxVs8uMI">Al Gionfriddo’s stunning catch of Joe DiMaggio’s deep drive to left field</a> helped preserve an 8-6 Dodgers victory, leading legendary Dodgers broadcaster <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Red_Barber.html?id=lWhgEAAAQBAJ">Red Barber</a> to exclaim, “Oh, Doctor!”

The Washington broadcasts even reached the White House, where 
President Harry S. Truman, his staff and the D.C. press corps watched 
some of the contests. The <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Televiser/Televiser-1947-09-10.pdf">industry magazine Televiser</a>
 reported an enthusiastic response from the White House viewers: “If TV 
can do as good a job as that on perhaps the most difficult of all 
subjects to televise, then it really has arrived.”

The public’s embrace of the World Series on television, along with 
the generous coverage of the telecasts by the press, provided an 
important boost to the nascent television industry. The Sporting News 
reported that the first televised World Series increased sales for new 
receivers in New York to levels not seen since the early days of radio. 
Similar reports came from dealers in Washington and Philadelphia.

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sarnoff">David Sarnoff</a>,
 chairman of RCA – which owed NBC and was a leading manufacturer of 
receivers – regarded television’s coverage of baseball and its crowning 
event, the World Series, as one of the most important factors in 
triggering the growth of the new medium.

Television makers, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Center_Field_Shot.html?id=6kPQhpS-X8YC">he concluded</a>,
 “had to have baseball games and if [baseball owners] had demanded 
millions for the rights, we would have had to give it to them.”

The television industry eventually did pay millions and then billions for those rights. <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/11/15/Media/MLB-Fox.aspx">Fox’s latest seven-year contract</a>, including rights to the World Series, pays Major League Baseball $5.1 billion.

Happy Chandler’s 1947 demand for a $100,000 seems like quite a bargain today.

James Walker is
 Emeritus Professor of Communication at Saint Xavier University.

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oWjpOAy5zCM"></iframe>
 <figcaption>An estimated 3.5 million Americans viewed the first televised World Series at bars, restaurants and storefronts.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES WALKER <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-televised-world-series-spurred-americas-television-boom-75-years-ago-193006">The Conversation</a>Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WRi6iZAl-I">desperately waving at his home run to stay in play</a>. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZzGkoXlaTM">pumping his arms</a>
 as he hobbles around second base after muscling a home run off Dennis 
Eckersley, the Oakland A’s dominant closer. The ground ball hit by New 
York Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpyJjecJnuI">skipping through the legs</a> of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. Some of the most dramatic images in World Series history are 
ingrained in the minds of baseball fans thanks to television coverage. 
This year’s World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston 
Astros will surely bring another timeless highlight to the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/03/2021-world-series-ratings-braves-astros-game-6-draws-14point3-million.html">12 million or so viewers</a> expected to watch. Yet the first 43 World Series weren’t televised at all. It wasn’t 
until the 1947 series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers –
 75 years ago – that fans could watch their favorite players duke it out
 on screen. As I detail in my book “<a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/bison-original/9780803248250/">Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television</a>,”
 which I co-authored with Robert Bellamy, the telecasts became a 
sensation. They drew millions of Americans to a new medium at a time 
when there were no national networks, only a handful of stations and 
somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 TVs in the entire country.<h2>Negotiations go down to the wire</h2>In August 1947, the television industry anticipated a possible 
all-New York World Series: The Yankees had a huge lead in the American 
League, while the Dodgers also held a substantial one in the National 
League. If the two teams met in October, New York’s three television stations – run by NBC ABC, and the now-extinct <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/DuMont-Television-Network">DuMont</a> – decided they wanted to cover the games.But the rights to televise the games were held by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mutual-Broadcasting-System">Mutual Broadcasting System</a>,
 a radio network that had no television division. Thus, Mutual would 
need to farm out the coverage to one or more New York stations. Although no national television network existed at the time, NBC, 
DuMont and CBS did have the means to link stations on the Eastern 
Seaboard through a combination of coaxial cable, microwave and 
over-the-air broadcast transmissions, expanding the potential audience 
for the World Series. The Series would air on eight stations in four 
markets: New York City, Philadelphia, Washington and Schenectady, New 
York.While the Yankees-Dodgers series materialized, the televising of the Series almost didn’t. The predictable stumbling block was money. Baseball commissioner <a href="https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/chandler-happy">Albert B. “Happy” Chandler</a>
 wanted $100,000 for the television rights to the Series. Gillette, the 
sponsor of the radio coverage on the Mutual Broadcasting System, balked 
at the steep price given television’s limited penetration – only 50,000 
to 60,000 U.S. households owned TVs at the time. The radio rights to 
reach the nation’s 29 million homes with radios had cost Mutual only 
$175,000. Initial negotiations produced an offer of $60,000 from two sponsors: Gillette and the Ford Motor Company. New York’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Liebmann">Liebmann Breweries</a>
 offered to meet Chandler’s $100,000 demand, but the commissioner 
refused because he did not want beer ads when youngsters would be 
prominent members of the audience.Even before a coverage deal had been finalized, bars, restaurants, 
television dealers, department stores, automobile dealerships and movie 
theaters started advertising the event, urging customers to come by to 
watch the World Series on television. And in the days and weeks leading 
up to the Fall Classic, the demand for television sets spiked. The excitement pressured Chandler and the sponsors to reach a compromise. Finally, on Sept. 26, just four days before Game 1 at Yankee Stadium, Chandler, Gillette and Ford <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1947/1947-10-06-BC.pdf">agreed to $65,000 for the rights to televise the World Series</a>.
 Production costs added another $35,000 to the sponsors’ bill. Mutual, 
Gillette and Ford also agreed to allow all three New York TV stations 
and those connected to them to broadcast the game, providing the widest 
possible exposure.<h2>An unexpectedly strong response</h2>Initial industry estimates had the Series reaching between 600,000 
and 700,000 viewers, many of them located in the bars and restaurants 
where a substantial number of the nation’s first television receivers 
were located. But that forecast ended up being conservative. Although home viewing for the seven games was substantial – 450,000 in a <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/40s/1947/BB-1947-10-18.pdf">Hooper rating survey commissioned by Billboard</a>
 – the out-of-home viewing numbers were extraordinary: Another 3.5 
million were estimated to have viewed the World Series in public 
locales. Hooper’s survey found that an average of 82 customers showed up at 
each of these public locations to watch at least some of the World 
Series. Variety reported that bar owners saw a 500% increase in patrons 
during the Series, with some offering reservations to their regulars for
 a choice location near the TV set.What viewers from those choice seats saw was primitive by today’s 
standards. The screen was usually small – 12 diagonal inches or less. 
The low-definition images were black and white and came from just a few 
cameras. No extreme close-ups were possible. There was no instant 
replay, so fans had to pay attention or the moment was lost. But for the first time, they were seeing the World Series live, and for free.<h2>The TV industry’s World Series bump</h2>The audience liked what they saw. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/40s/1947/BB-1947-10-11.pdf">Billboard</a>,
 quoting The Newark Evening News, reported that TV “audiences hung on 
every turn of the video cameras and the ‘oohs and aahs’ at a slide or 
strikeout were something radio broadcasters would give their eye teeth 
to hear.” It didn’t hurt that <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1947_WS.shtml">the 1947 World Series</a> ended up being so dramatic. The Yankees prevailed in seven games, but Brooklyn owned the two greatest moments.In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4, Dodgers pitch hitter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWjpOAy5zCM">Cookie Lavagetto ended Yankee starter Bill Biven’s no-hit bid</a> with a two-out hit, driving in two runs and sending the Dodgers to a 3-2 win. Then, in Game 6, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SrtxVs8uMI">Al Gionfriddo’s stunning catch of Joe DiMaggio’s deep drive to left field</a> helped preserve an 8-6 Dodgers victory, leading legendary Dodgers broadcaster <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Red_Barber.html?id=lWhgEAAAQBAJ">Red Barber</a> to exclaim, “Oh, Doctor!”<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oWjpOAy5zCM"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Washington broadcasts even reached the White House, where 
President Harry S. Truman, his staff and the D.C. press corps watched 
some of the contests. The <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Televiser/Televiser-1947-09-10.pdf">industry magazine Televiser</a>
 reported an enthusiastic response from the White House viewers: “If TV 
can do as good a job as that on perhaps the most difficult of all 
subjects to televise, then it really has arrived.” The public’s embrace of the World Series on television, along with 
the generous coverage of the telecasts by the press, provided an 
important boost to the nascent television industry. The Sporting News 
reported that the first televised World Series increased sales for new 
receivers in New York to levels not seen since the early days of radio. 
Similar reports came from dealers in Washington and Philadelphia.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sarnoff">David Sarnoff</a>,
 chairman of RCA – which owed NBC and was a leading manufacturer of 
receivers – regarded television’s coverage of baseball and its crowning 
event, the World Series, as one of the most important factors in 
triggering the growth of the new medium. Television makers, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Center_Field_Shot.html?id=6kPQhpS-X8YC">he concluded</a>,
 “had to have baseball games and if [baseball owners] had demanded 
millions for the rights, we would have had to give it to them.” The television industry eventually did pay millions and then billions for those rights. <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2018/11/15/Media/MLB-Fox.aspx">Fox’s latest seven-year contract</a>, including rights to the World Series, pays Major League Baseball $5.1 billion. Happy Chandler’s 1947 demand for a $100,000 seems like quite a bargain today.James Walker is
 Emeritus Professor of Communication at Saint Xavier University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193006/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 First televised World Series game sparked America's TV boom

We have reached the first week of postseason high school football in both Missouri and Kansas!

Below is a look at all of the area scores from the first week of playoff action.

Missouri 8-man District 3 DeKalb 50 (2-8)&nbsp;Southwest Livingston 22 (0-10) - FINAL - DeKalb goes to Orrick (9-0) for district quarterfinals next week.

Missouri 8-man District 4 Stanberry 70 (4-5)&nbsp;Nodaway Valley 34 (3-7) - FINAL Stanberry goes to North Andrew (9-0) in quarterfinals next week.

South Holt 56 (6-4)&nbsp;Mound City 6 (2-8) - FINAL - South Holt faces Platte Valley (8-1) on the road next week.

Class 1 District 7 Milan 22 (6-4)&nbsp;Maysville 20 (4-6) - FINAL 2 OT

Class 1 District 8 Mid-Buchanan 35 (9-1) Polo 18 (2-8) FINAL Thursday -The Dragons will host North Platte next Friday. The Panthers (6-4) beat Carrollton Friday, 46-14.

East Buchanan 68 (9-1)&nbsp;Plattsburg 0 (0-10) - FINAL

Hamilton/Penney 20 (4-6)&nbsp;West Platte 15 (3-7) - FINAL - Hamilton heads to East Buchanan next week.

Class 2 District 8 Macon 35 (9-1)&nbsp;Lathrop 8 (2-8) - FINAL

Class 3 District 8 Savannah 64 (9-1)&nbsp;Lafayette 20 (0-10) - FINAL. <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/2b1df62a-5e89-4a72-91f7-93592d5f716a">Full coverage here</a>. - The Savages beat the Irish 69-0 in week 4.

Chillicothe 40 (6-4)&nbsp;Benton 26 (3-7) - FINAL - Chillicothe is at Savannah next week

St. Pius X 49 (7-3)&nbsp;Cameron 6 (4-6) - FINAL - Pius goes to #1 seed Maryville next week.

Class 5 District 8 North Kansas City 34 (6-4)&nbsp;St. Joseph Central&nbsp; 28 (5-4) - FINAL OT

Kansas Class 4A first round Atchison 48 (9-0)&nbsp;Fort Scott 12 (2-7) - FINAL

Kansas Class 1A first round Troy 59 (8-1)&nbsp;Mission Valley 14 (3-6) - FINAL

Jefferson County North 64 (6-3) Riverside 22 (3-6) - FINAL Thursday

Non-bracket Kansas play Maur Hill (2-6) @ Horton (1-7) - missing

Trinity Academy 70 (2-7) Hiawatha 8 (2-7) - FINAL

Doniphan West 70 (2-7) MDCV 32 (0-9) - FINAL Thursday

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667020749337.jpeg" alt="Photo by Harry Loomis." />
 <figcaption>Photo by Harry Loomis.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostWe have reached the first week of postseason high school football in both Missouri and Kansas!Below is a look at all of the area scores from the first week of playoff action.Missouri 8-man District 3 DeKalb 50 (2-8)&nbsp;Southwest Livingston 22 (0-10) - FINAL - DeKalb goes to Orrick (9-0) for district quarterfinals next week.Missouri 8-man District 4 Stanberry 70 (4-5)&nbsp;Nodaway Valley 34 (3-7) - FINAL Stanberry goes to North Andrew (9-0) in quarterfinals next week.South Holt 56 (6-4)&nbsp;Mound City 6 (2-8) - FINAL - South Holt faces Platte Valley (8-1) on the road next week.Class 1 District 7 Milan 22 (6-4)&nbsp;Maysville 20 (4-6) - FINAL 2 OTClass 1 District 8 Mid-Buchanan 35 (9-1) Polo 18 (2-8) FINAL Thursday -The Dragons will host North Platte next Friday. The Panthers (6-4) beat Carrollton Friday, 46-14.East Buchanan 68 (9-1)&nbsp;Plattsburg 0 (0-10) - FINALHamilton/Penney 20 (4-6)&nbsp;West Platte 15 (3-7) - FINAL - Hamilton heads to East Buchanan next week.Class 2 District 8 Macon 35 (9-1)&nbsp;Lathrop 8 (2-8) - FINALLawson 21 (7-3) Trenton 14 (8-2) - FINALClass 3 District 8 Savannah 64 (9-1)&nbsp;Lafayette 20 (0-10) - FINAL. <a href="https://stjosephpost.com/posts/2b1df62a-5e89-4a72-91f7-93592d5f716a">Full coverage here</a>. - The Savages beat the Irish 69-0 in week 4.Chillicothe 40 (6-4)&nbsp;Benton 26 (3-7) - FINAL - Chillicothe is at Savannah next weekSt. Pius X 49 (7-3)&nbsp;Cameron 6 (4-6) - FINAL - Pius goes to #1 seed Maryville next week.Class 5 District 8 North Kansas City 34 (6-4)&nbsp;St. Joseph Central&nbsp; 28 (5-4) - FINAL OT Kansas Class 4A first round Atchison 48 (9-0)&nbsp;Fort Scott 12 (2-7) - FINALKansas Class 1A first round Troy 59 (8-1)&nbsp;Mission Valley 14 (3-6) - FINALJefferson County North 64 (6-3) Riverside 22 (3-6) - FINAL ThursdayNon-bracket Kansas play Maur Hill (2-6) @ Horton (1-7) - missingTrinity Academy 70 (2-7) Hiawatha 8 (2-7) - FINALDoniphan West 70 (2-7) MDCV 32 (0-9) - FINAL Thursday

KFEQ/St. Joseph Post area high school football scoreboard - October 28, 2022

SAVANNAH - The Savannah football team scored 30 points in the second quarter and turned three first half turnovers by Lafayette into touchdowns, as the Savages (9-1) scored a 64-20 win over the Irish on Friday night in a Class 3 District 8 quarterfinal at Savannah High School.

Lafayette (0-10) got the ball to start the game and scored on just four plays. Sparked by a 32-yard rush from sophomore Tate Crabb, sophomore quarterback Antonio Williams found senior receiver Melik Reed on a 10-yard touchdown pass, putting the Irish ahead 7-0 with 10:19 left in the first.

Savannah struck back on its first series, marching 79 yards on nine rushing plays. Senior Alex Hopper finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 7-7 with 6:31 left in the first.

"I thought we really settled in after that first drive and really took over the game," Savannah coach Anthony Hays said. "Honestly right now, it's just about winning and moving on."

Lafayette's offense had trouble moving the ball after that, with their next four drives ending in punt.

Savannah, in turn, put together a couple of touchdown drives late in the first quarter, thanks in part to short fields. Junior Cade Chappell gave Savannah its first lead with a 50-yard touchdown run, putting the Savages up 14-7 with 3:06 left in the first.

Before the first quarter ended, senior quarterback Ethan Dudeck took a deep shot and found junior receiver Zayden Snapp on a 45-yard touchdown reception. The Savages then successfully converted a two-point try, leading 22-7 at the end of one.

Lafayette junior Lucas Michel came up with an interception early in the second quarter, hoping to give the Irish a spark. Two plays later, Williams fumbled and Savannah sophomore Landon Noland returned the fumble roughly 40 yards, giving the Savages first-and-goal at the seven.

Two plays later, Hopper found the end zone for a second time on a nine-yard run, putting Savannah up 30-7 with 9:21 left in the second.

After another Lafayette punt, the Savages got another short field after Hopper returned a punt 49 yards, setting Savannah up at the Irish 32.

Just two plays later, Dudeck threw a quick slant to senior Bryce Stanley. Stanley weaved through traffic and scored from 27 yards out. The Savages led 37-7 with 6:52 left in the second.

Lafayette punted again and Savannah scored again. Freshman Aiden Knechtenhofer relieved Dudeck at quarterback and engineered a five-play, 59 yard drive. Knechtenhofer finished the drive himself with a seven-yard touchdown run, making the score 44-7 Savannah with 2:38 left until halftime.

Things got worse for the Irish. After achieving a pair of first downs, Williams threw an interception, which sophomore Cooper Swan returned the other way 64 yards for a pick-six, making it 51-7 with 1:16 remaining until halftime.

Savannah wasn't done. Lafayette lost another fumble, which was recovered by Savannah senior Jayce Brushwood.

Starting the drive at the Irish 25, the Savages scored three plays later. Junior Dom Kimler scored on a seven-yard touchdown run, putting Savannah ahead 58-7 at halftime.

The starters for Savannah rested in the second half, but the Savages added a touchdown with 5:56 left in the game. Sophomore Jackson Sigrist scored on a 30-yard run, putting Savannah's final tally to 64 points.

Dudeck didn't have to do much as Savannah's starting quarterback Friday. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

Chappell rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Hopper toted the rock six times for 45 yards and two scores. Knechtenhofer rushed for 81 yards on nine carries and a touchdown himself. Kimler added five carries for 49 yards and a score, too.

"The O-line up front, they don't get enough credit," Hopper said. "They do a lot. All of the playmakers and them, really special."

Lafayette scored on each of their last two offensive possessions. Williams completed a pair of touchdown passes to Ty Nance - one from 30 yards out in the third quarter and another from 16 yards out in the fourth.

Williams was 15-of-29 through the air for Lafayette, passing for 234 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Nance finished 58 yards receiving on three catches and the two scores.

Reed, in his final game for Lafayette, caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Savannah stays home next Friday to host Chillicothe in district semifinals. That game will start at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3). Chillicothe beat Benton Friday, 40-26.

That will mark the fifth home game in the last six weeks for Savannah.

"It's great to be here," Hopper said of his team's home field. "Our fans come out every game. They love supporting us. Just to play another one next week here, it's going to be rocking again."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667017949735.jpeg" alt="Alex Hopper scores a first half touchdown for Savannah. Photo by Harry Loomis." />
 <figcaption>Alex Hopper scores a first half touchdown for Savannah. Photo by Harry Loomis.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostSAVANNAH - The Savannah football team scored 30 points in the second quarter and turned three first half turnovers by Lafayette into touchdowns, as the Savages (9-1) scored a 64-20 win over the Irish on Friday night in a Class 3 District 8 quarterfinal at Savannah High School.Lafayette (0-10) got the ball to start the game and scored on just four plays. Sparked by a 32-yard rush from sophomore Tate Crabb, sophomore quarterback Antonio Williams found senior receiver Melik Reed on a 10-yard touchdown pass, putting the Irish ahead 7-0 with 10:19 left in the first.Savannah struck back on its first series, marching 79 yards on nine rushing plays. Senior Alex Hopper finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, knotting the game at 7-7 with 6:31 left in the first."I thought we really settled in after that first drive and really took over the game," Savannah coach Anthony Hays said. "Honestly right now, it's just about winning and moving on."Lafayette's offense had trouble moving the ball after that, with their next four drives ending in punt.Savannah, in turn, put together a couple of touchdown drives late in the first quarter, thanks in part to short fields. Junior Cade Chappell gave Savannah its first lead with a 50-yard touchdown run, putting the Savages up 14-7 with 3:06 left in the first.Before the first quarter ended, senior quarterback Ethan Dudeck took a deep shot and found junior receiver Zayden Snapp on a 45-yard touchdown reception. The Savages then successfully converted a two-point try, leading 22-7 at the end of one.Lafayette junior Lucas Michel came up with an interception early in the second quarter, hoping to give the Irish a spark. Two plays later, Williams fumbled and Savannah sophomore Landon Noland returned the fumble roughly 40 yards, giving the Savages first-and-goal at the seven.Two plays later, Hopper found the end zone for a second time on a nine-yard run, putting Savannah up 30-7 with 9:21 left in the second.After another Lafayette punt, the Savages got another short field after Hopper returned a punt 49 yards, setting Savannah up at the Irish 32.Just two plays later, Dudeck threw a quick slant to senior Bryce Stanley. Stanley weaved through traffic and scored from 27 yards out. The Savages led 37-7 with 6:52 left in the second.Lafayette punted again and Savannah scored again. Freshman Aiden Knechtenhofer relieved Dudeck at quarterback and engineered a five-play, 59 yard drive. Knechtenhofer finished the drive himself with a seven-yard touchdown run, making the score 44-7 Savannah with 2:38 left until halftime.Things got worse for the Irish. After achieving a pair of first downs, Williams threw an interception, which sophomore Cooper Swan returned the other way 64 yards for a pick-six, making it 51-7 with 1:16 remaining until halftime.Savannah wasn't done. Lafayette lost another fumble, which was recovered by Savannah senior Jayce Brushwood.Starting the drive at the Irish 25, the Savages scored three plays later. Junior Dom Kimler scored on a seven-yard touchdown run, putting Savannah ahead 58-7 at halftime.The starters for Savannah rested in the second half, but the Savages added a touchdown with 5:56 left in the game. Sophomore Jackson Sigrist scored on a 30-yard run, putting Savannah's final tally to 64 points.Dudeck didn't have to do much as Savannah's starting quarterback Friday. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.Chappell rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Hopper toted the rock six times for 45 yards and two scores. Knechtenhofer rushed for 81 yards on nine carries and a touchdown himself. Kimler added five carries for 49 yards and a score, too."The O-line up front, they don't get enough credit," Hopper said. "They do a lot. All of the playmakers and them, really special."Lafayette scored on each of their last two offensive possessions. Williams completed a pair of touchdown passes to Ty Nance - one from 30 yards out in the third quarter and another from 16 yards out in the fourth.Williams was 15-of-29 through the air for Lafayette, passing for 234 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Nance finished 58 yards receiving on three catches and the two scores.Reed, in his final game for Lafayette, caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.Savannah stays home next Friday to host Chillicothe in district semifinals. That game will start at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3). Chillicothe beat Benton Friday, 40-26.That will mark the fifth home game in the last six weeks for Savannah."It's great to be here," Hopper said of his team's home field. "Our fans come out every game. They love supporting us. Just to play another one next week here, it's going to be rocking again."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667020283714.jpeg" alt="Aiden Knechtenhofer gets up after scoring a touchdown." />
 <figcaption>Aiden Knechtenhofer gets up after scoring a touchdown.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667020309342.jpeg" alt="Cooper Swan takes an interception back the other way." />
 <figcaption>Cooper Swan takes an interception back the other way.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667020340992.jpeg" alt="Dom Kimler and Brighton Kurre celebrate a touchdown late in the first half." />
 <figcaption>Dom Kimler and Brighton Kurre celebrate a touchdown late in the first half.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1667020381576.jpeg" alt="The Savannah cheerleaders got into the Halloween spirit Friday." />
 <figcaption>The Savannah cheerleaders got into the Halloween spirit Friday.</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Savannah scores 30 in the second quarter, blows out Lafayette in district play Friday

Yes, the Missouri Western men’s basketball team has already played an exhibition. No, they don’t have an official game until November 11. But, it was announced 25 days ago that the Griffons will play a high level exhibition at one of the greatest college basketball venues.

At Rupp Arena. In Lexington, Kentucky. Against No. 4 Kentucky. On Sunday at 7 p.m. central.

It’s been well documented by now that Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Will Martin was a team manager at Kentucky for all four years of his undergrad - one year for Billy Gillespie and three years for Hall of Fame coach John Calipari.

In those three years, Martin was the head manager for a program that went to three Elite Eights, two Final Fours and a team that won the 2012 national championship. There’s one player from that championship team who’s now a second-year assistant at Missouri Western - Jon Hood - who says going against Coach Cal will be a unique experience.

"It's going to feel weird," he said. "But, very quickly we're going to try to make it another game. Just the next game. That's what our goal is. We'll see if it actually happens, though."

Another Missouri Western men's basketball assistant is Perry Stevenson, who worked with Martin for two seasons and played one season for Coach Cal during his playing career at Kentucky from 2006-2010.

A Lafayette, Louisiana native and former high school coach, Stevenson couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Will Martin again.

"I want to say it's been, what, almost 15 years now that I've known him," Stevenson said of Martin. "I've literally seen him grow up. We've seen each other grow up. I'm a little older than him, but we're around the same age. He's got that magnetic personality and he's one of those people you have to have in your life."

These coaches aren’t the only ones at Missouri Western with Kentucky history. Morehead State transfer and junior guard Julius Dixon has played Kentucky at Rupp Arena before - November 25, 2020 in the BlueGrass Showcase.

Morehead State lost 81-45, but Dixon led his team that day with 11 points and two made threes. Having gone to school just 65 miles away, Dixon knows well enough the history and prowess of Kentucky basketball.

"It was good," he said. "Good vibes, good atmosphere. I mean, everyone wants to play in Rupp Arena, Coach Cal. It was a good experience and I can't wait to go back."

There are story lines abound here. The Missouri Western head coach, a former Kentucky team manager, and two of his assistants, both former Kentucky players, going back to Rupp Arena to play a game against Coach Cal and a Wildcat team that’s perennially one of the best in the nation.

 Coach Martin insists that this game Sunday is not about him, or Jon Hood, or Perry Stevenson. Or even Coach Cal. But, it's hard to ignore the magnitude of the opportunity and the unique story.

"This game is about our players," Martin said. "It's about our administration and Missouri Western. But, there's definitely going to be some cool story lines and it'll be a great opportunity to get back there."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666982124068.jpeg" alt="Former Kentucky men's basketball player and second-year Missouri Western assistant Jon Hood looks on during a practice at the Looney Indoor Sports Complex in St. Joseph. Photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Former Kentucky men's basketball player and second-year Missouri Western assistant Jon Hood looks on during a practice at the Looney Indoor Sports Complex in St. Joseph. Photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostThe day is nearly here.Yes, the Missouri Western men’s basketball team has already played an exhibition. No, they don’t have an official game until November 11. But, it was announced 25 days ago that the Griffons will play a high level exhibition at one of the greatest college basketball venues.At Rupp Arena. In Lexington, Kentucky. Against No. 4 Kentucky. On Sunday at 7 p.m. central.It’s been well documented by now that Missouri Western men’s basketball coach Will Martin was a team manager at Kentucky for all four years of his undergrad - one year for Billy Gillespie and three years for Hall of Fame coach John Calipari.In those three years, Martin was the head manager for a program that went to three Elite Eights, two Final Fours and a team that won the 2012 national championship. There’s one player from that championship team who’s now a second-year assistant at Missouri Western - Jon Hood - who says going against Coach Cal will be a unique experience."It's going to feel weird," he said. "But, very quickly we're going to try to make it another game. Just the next game. That's what our goal is. We'll see if it actually happens, though."Another Missouri Western men's basketball assistant is Perry Stevenson, who worked with Martin for two seasons and played one season for Coach Cal during his playing career at Kentucky from 2006-2010.A Lafayette, Louisiana native and former high school coach, Stevenson couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Will Martin again."I want to say it's been, what, almost 15 years now that I've known him," Stevenson said of Martin. "I've literally seen him grow up. We've seen each other grow up. I'm a little older than him, but we're around the same age. He's got that magnetic personality and he's one of those people you have to have in your life."These coaches aren’t the only ones at Missouri Western with Kentucky history. Morehead State transfer and junior guard Julius Dixon has played Kentucky at Rupp Arena before - November 25, 2020 in the BlueGrass Showcase.Morehead State lost 81-45, but Dixon led his team that day with 11 points and two made threes. Having gone to school just 65 miles away, Dixon knows well enough the history and prowess of Kentucky basketball."It was good," he said. "Good vibes, good atmosphere. I mean, everyone wants to play in Rupp Arena, Coach Cal. It was a good experience and I can't wait to go back."There are story lines abound here. The Missouri Western head coach, a former Kentucky team manager, and two of his assistants, both former Kentucky players, going back to Rupp Arena to play a game against Coach Cal and a Wildcat team that’s perennially one of the best in the nation. Coach Martin insists that this game Sunday is not about him, or Jon Hood, or Perry Stevenson. Or even Coach Cal. But, it's hard to ignore the magnitude of the opportunity and the unique story."This game is about our players," Martin said. "It's about our administration and Missouri Western. But, there's definitely going to be some cool story lines and it'll be a great opportunity to get back there."Audio story<div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/MWSU-mens-basketball-coaches-Martin--Hood--Stevenson-ready-for-unique-Kentucky-homecoming-e1ptdbn" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666982214899.jpeg" alt="Perry Stevenson." />
 <figcaption>Perry Stevenson.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666982289762.jpeg" alt="Will Martin." />
 <figcaption>Will Martin.</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

MWSU exhibition at Kentucky will be special homecoming for Martin, Hood, Stevenson

GOWER - East Buchanan had to scratch and claw to win the first set of Tuesday's district championship match over West Platte, 25-23.

In the second, the Blue Jays got off to a 7-2 start. These two had played a five-setter in Gower on September 15. It looked like that could happen again.

The Bulldogs, however, reeled off a 23-7 run to end set two, and never trailed in set three, as East Buchanan went on to sweep West Platte 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-19) in the Class 2 District 16 championship at East Buchanan High School Tuesday.

After getting down 7-2 early in set two, things changed for East Buchanan after a quick timeout.

"It was just refocusing," East Buchanan coach Ryan Horn said. "When we played them earlier in the year, we never won back-to-back sets. It was a weird deal. We just tried to get everybody calmed down and know their jobs. Be back on our toes. I feel like we kind of came off the high for a second."

"We didn't really change anything defensively at that time. Just asked them to play a little bit harder and they did. I think we were able to set a tone in the second set and carry it through for the rest of the evening."

The Bulldogs got off to a strong start, leading 10-6 in set one. West Platte (15-12-4) rallied to tie it at 19-19 and then they led 22-21, but East Buchanan scored two straight to get the lead back and close out set one, 25-23.

Six service errors in the first set didn't help the Blue Jays.

After a sluggish start in the second, East Buchanan found its rhythm and went up 13-11, forcing a West Platte timeout.

It was never close after that, as the Bulldogs dominated the second and won 25-14. Senior Maya Watkins had three kills and two blocks in the second frame alone.

"We knew we just really wanted it," Watkins said. "We knew it wasn't an option to do anything else besides bring our energy up. We couldn't let any ball drop. We knew we had to get to every single ball possible. So, I think just the fact the whole team was ready to work together and we knew we had to get this done made it so much easier."

East Buchanan (29-5-1) got off to an 11-5 start in the third and never looked back. West Platte made a late push, making it 23-18, forcing a Bulldog timeout. The match was over shortly thereafter.

Sophomore Rilyn Sherwood and junior Holly Caylor each led East Buchanan offensively with seven kills. Watkins had six kills and three blocks total.

"Playing with them is just amazing," Caylor said of her teammates, particularly the four seniors on the roster. "They have such great attitudes and it's so fun to play with them."

Senior Brooklyn Adams had three kills and two blocks. Juniors Zora Whitt and Kylie Clark had two aces.

Senior Libby Vandel led West Platte with 11 kills, two blocks and an ace. Junior Klaira Groom had six kills and two blocks. Sophomore Arianna Nower had six kills for the Blue Jays as well.

This marks East Buchanan's third district title in the last four years, and their 29 wins is the most they've had in the modern era - the most since a 24-win mark in 2019 at least.

"I think this one pry means the most to me," Horn said, looking back on the titles in 2019 and 2020. "This senior group is just a special group. I didn't want them to go out and not have that third one. For them to get that tonight, that was a big deal for me personally. And it's huge for our program."

The Bulldogs will stay home Thursday to host Lafayette County (20-10) at 6:30 in state sectionals.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666748230432.jpeg" alt="Photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostGOWER - East Buchanan had to scratch and claw to win the first set of Tuesday's district championship match over West Platte, 25-23.In the second, the Blue Jays got off to a 7-2 start. These two had played a five-setter in Gower on September 15. It looked like that could happen again.The Bulldogs, however, reeled off a 23-7 run to end set two, and never trailed in set three, as East Buchanan went on to sweep West Platte 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-19) in the Class 2 District 16 championship at East Buchanan High School Tuesday.After getting down 7-2 early in set two, things changed for East Buchanan after a quick timeout."It was just refocusing," East Buchanan coach Ryan Horn said. "When we played them earlier in the year, we never won back-to-back sets. It was a weird deal. We just tried to get everybody calmed down and know their jobs. Be back on our toes. I feel like we kind of came off the high for a second.""We didn't really change anything defensively at that time. Just asked them to play a little bit harder and they did. I think we were able to set a tone in the second set and carry it through for the rest of the evening."The Bulldogs got off to a strong start, leading 10-6 in set one. West Platte (15-12-4) rallied to tie it at 19-19 and then they led 22-21, but East Buchanan scored two straight to get the lead back and close out set one, 25-23.Six service errors in the first set didn't help the Blue Jays.After a sluggish start in the second, East Buchanan found its rhythm and went up 13-11, forcing a West Platte timeout.It was never close after that, as the Bulldogs dominated the second and won 25-14. Senior Maya Watkins had three kills and two blocks in the second frame alone."We knew we just really wanted it," Watkins said. "We knew it wasn't an option to do anything else besides bring our energy up. We couldn't let any ball drop. We knew we had to get to every single ball possible. So, I think just the fact the whole team was ready to work together and we knew we had to get this done made it so much easier."East Buchanan (29-5-1) got off to an 11-5 start in the third and never looked back. West Platte made a late push, making it 23-18, forcing a Bulldog timeout. The match was over shortly thereafter.Sophomore Rilyn Sherwood and junior Holly Caylor each led East Buchanan offensively with seven kills. Watkins had six kills and three blocks total."Playing with them is just amazing," Caylor said of her teammates, particularly the four seniors on the roster. "They have such great attitudes and it's so fun to play with them."Senior Brooklyn Adams had three kills and two blocks. Juniors Zora Whitt and Kylie Clark had two aces.Senior Libby Vandel led West Platte with 11 kills, two blocks and an ace. Junior Klaira Groom had six kills and two blocks. Sophomore Arianna Nower had six kills for the Blue Jays as well.This marks East Buchanan's third district title in the last four years, and their 29 wins is the most they've had in the modern era - the most since a 24-win mark in 2019 at least."I think this one pry means the most to me," Horn said, looking back on the titles in 2019 and 2020. "This senior group is just a special group. I didn't want them to go out and not have that third one. For them to get that tonight, that was a big deal for me personally. And it's huge for our program."The Bulldogs will stay home Thursday to host Lafayette County (20-10) at 6:30 in state sectionals.<div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Ryan-Horn-e1pov6e" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Holly-Caylor-e1pov90" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Maya-Watkins-e1povab" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666749833592.jpeg" alt="Gracie Kelsey (21)." />
 <figcaption>Gracie Kelsey (21).</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666749852473.jpeg" alt="Holly Caylor (11)." />
 <figcaption>Holly Caylor (11).</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666749937322.jpeg" alt="Klaira Groom (14) and Kylie Clark (23) battle on the front row." />
 <figcaption>Klaira Groom (14) and Kylie Clark (23) battle on the front row.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666749960705.jpeg" alt="Maya Watkins sets the ball." />
 <figcaption>Maya Watkins sets the ball.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666749988845.jpeg" alt="Zora Whitt." />
 <figcaption>Zora Whitt.</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

East Buchanan dominates late, sweeps West Platte for district title Tuesday

The NFL has suspended Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark for two games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. &nbsp;

The news was first reported from NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero on Tuesday.

The suspension for Clark, who recorded a sack and a half along with a safety in Sunday's win over the 49ers, stems from his no contest plea in September to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon in separate incidents in 2021. &nbsp;

Clark was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service for the no contest plea. &nbsp;

The Chiefs have a bye week in Week 8, meaning Clark will be absent when they come back on November 6th against the Tennessee Titans as well as the November 13th matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. &nbsp;

Clark will be eligible to return when the Chiefs travel to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for an AFC West rivalry matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666734225271.jpeg" alt="Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Chris Jones during Chiefs Training Camp.&nbsp; Clark has been suspended two games by the NFL/ Photo by Tommy Rezac" />
 <figcaption>Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark and defensive tackle Chris Jones during Chiefs Training Camp.&nbsp; Clark has been suspended two games by the NFL/ Photo by Tommy Rezac</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe NFL has suspended Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark for two games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. &nbsp;The news was first reported from NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero on Tuesday.The suspension for Clark, who recorded a sack and a half along with a safety in Sunday's win over the 49ers, stems from his no contest plea in September to two counts of misdemeanor possession of an assault weapon in separate incidents in 2021. &nbsp;Clark was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service for the no contest plea. &nbsp;The Chiefs have a bye week in Week 8, meaning Clark will be absent when they come back on November 6th against the Tennessee Titans as well as the November 13th matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. &nbsp;Clark will be eligible to return when the Chiefs travel to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for an AFC West rivalry matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.&nbsp;

Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark suspended two games by NFL

SAVANNAH - Benton has been hard to count out in 2022.

The Cardinals (24-9-1) have played 11 matches this season that have gone four sets or longer. Two of them against Maryville. One of those two was Monday.

Benton was down by seven points in set one, four points in set two and seven points in set four.

Yet, the Cardinals stormed back in each of those and overcame a sluggish third set to beat Maryville 3-1 in the Class 3 District 16 championship at Savannah High School Monday.

It marks the first district title for Benton volleyball since 2017.

"It feels so good," Benton coach Lauryn Doolan said after leading her alma mater to a district championship in just her second season at the helm.

"These girls have worked so hard all year and fought through a lot of stuff. We have just one senior, so a lot of people would look at this as a rebuild year for us, losing four (seniors) last year, but they have just completely turned it around at the end of the season and just dominated. So proud."

Maryville (19-16-2) raced out to a 6-1 lead early and then a 15-8 lead in set one. The Cardinals swung at a high percentage early though, knocking down 16 kills in the first set and coming back to win it 25-23.

Set two started similarly. Maryville led 10-6, but the Cardinals reeled off a 7-2 run to grab the lead. The Spoofhounds responded out of a timeout, going on a 7-3 spurt to lead 19-16 in the second.

Yet again, Benton could not be counted out. Sophomore Andrea Simmons had three critical kills late in the second and Benton took it 25-23 to go up 2-0 in the match.

Maryville, again, grabbed an early lead in set three and this time did not relinquish it. The Spoofhounds built a 19-11 lead out of a Benton timeout and dominated the third frame 25-14.

Set four started much the same. Maryville again raced out to a lead. This time, a 14-7 advantage. It seemed like a fifth set might be inevitable.

Then suddenly, Benton found a 5-1 run, thanks to a couple of momentum changing kills from junior Hollie Peters. Up 15-12 in the fourth, Maryville called timeout.

Benton found itself, and just kept coming. Behind seven kills in the fourth by Peters, the Cardinals eked out a 24-22 lead and then Peters fired the final shot on the front row to send Benton to a district championship.

"We got down as a team and on each other, but we really pulled it together," Peters said of her team's rally. "We came together and we came to play for sure. I'm honestly just so proud of our team. I am so proud."

Peters finished with 23 kills and three blocks unofficially. Simmons had 10 kills, while Cammie Peters had seven.

"Everyone was ready to hit today," Peters noted. "Everyone was ready to play and we really just got everywhere and I'm so happy about that."

Senior Rylee Vierthaler ended her varsity volleyball career with a team-high 22 kills, including eight in the third set. Sophomore Addison Weldon had eight kills and two blocks. Senior Anastyn Pettlon had four kills and two aces.

Benton will be back home on Thursday to host either Odessa or Excelsior Springs in a Class 3 sectional match at 6:30.

A state tournament match at Springer Gymnasium is sure to be a raucous environment. Though, both fan bases had Savannah's gym bursting at the seams for most of Monday evening.

"Whenever you have a south end district championship, everyone shows up and is ready to play," Doolan said. "Half of them are my family over there. So, they know how to cheer and celebrate in the south end for sure. It was awesome. We have great fans, so (Thursday) will be an exciting night for us."

An exciting week for Benton volleyball that could be the start of an exciting run long-term. The Cardinals will say goodbye to senior libero Berlin Smith at the end of the year, but every other player on the roster is set to come back.

"I am amazed we have come this far as a team," Peters said. "I am so glad we'll have this team next year. We're losing Berlin and I am so sad about that, but I am glad that we have close to the same team that we can bring in next year."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664779235.jpeg" alt="Benton volleyball - 2022 Class 3 District 16 champions. Photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Benton volleyball - 2022 Class 3 District 16 champions. Photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOMMY REZACSt. Joseph PostSAVANNAH - Benton has been hard to count out in 2022.The Cardinals (24-9-1) have played 11 matches this season that have gone four sets or longer. Two of them against Maryville. One of those two was Monday.Benton was down by seven points in set one, four points in set two and seven points in set four.Yet, the Cardinals stormed back in each of those and overcame a sluggish third set to beat Maryville 3-1 in the Class 3 District 16 championship at Savannah High School Monday.It marks the first district title for Benton volleyball since 2017."It feels so good," Benton coach Lauryn Doolan said after leading her alma mater to a district championship in just her second season at the helm."These girls have worked so hard all year and fought through a lot of stuff. We have just one senior, so a lot of people would look at this as a rebuild year for us, losing four (seniors) last year, but they have just completely turned it around at the end of the season and just dominated. So proud."Maryville (19-16-2) raced out to a 6-1 lead early and then a 15-8 lead in set one. The Cardinals swung at a high percentage early though, knocking down 16 kills in the first set and coming back to win it 25-23.Set two started similarly. Maryville led 10-6, but the Cardinals reeled off a 7-2 run to grab the lead. The Spoofhounds responded out of a timeout, going on a 7-3 spurt to lead 19-16 in the second.Yet again, Benton could not be counted out. Sophomore Andrea Simmons had three critical kills late in the second and Benton took it 25-23 to go up 2-0 in the match.Maryville, again, grabbed an early lead in set three and this time did not relinquish it. The Spoofhounds built a 19-11 lead out of a Benton timeout and dominated the third frame 25-14.Set four started much the same. Maryville again raced out to a lead. This time, a 14-7 advantage. It seemed like a fifth set might be inevitable.Then suddenly, Benton found a 5-1 run, thanks to a couple of momentum changing kills from junior Hollie Peters. Up 15-12 in the fourth, Maryville called timeout.Benton found itself, and just kept coming. Behind seven kills in the fourth by Peters, the Cardinals eked out a 24-22 lead and then Peters fired the final shot on the front row to send Benton to a district championship."We got down as a team and on each other, but we really pulled it together," Peters said of her team's rally. "We came together and we came to play for sure. I'm honestly just so proud of our team. I am so proud."Peters finished with 23 kills and three blocks unofficially. Simmons had 10 kills, while Cammie Peters had seven."Everyone was ready to hit today," Peters noted. "Everyone was ready to play and we really just got everywhere and I'm so happy about that."Senior Rylee Vierthaler ended her varsity volleyball career with a team-high 22 kills, including eight in the third set. Sophomore Addison Weldon had eight kills and two blocks. Senior Anastyn Pettlon had four kills and two aces.Benton will be back home on Thursday to host either Odessa or Excelsior Springs in a Class 3 sectional match at 6:30.A state tournament match at Springer Gymnasium is sure to be a raucous environment. Though, both fan bases had Savannah's gym bursting at the seams for most of Monday evening."Whenever you have a south end district championship, everyone shows up and is ready to play," Doolan said. "Half of them are my family over there. So, they know how to cheer and celebrate in the south end for sure. It was awesome. We have great fans, so (Thursday) will be an exciting night for us."An exciting week for Benton volleyball that could be the start of an exciting run long-term. The Cardinals will say goodbye to senior libero Berlin Smith at the end of the year, but every other player on the roster is set to come back."I am amazed we have come this far as a team," Peters said. "I am so glad we'll have this team next year. We're losing Berlin and I am so sad about that, but I am glad that we have close to the same team that we can bring in next year."<div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Benton-coach-Lauryn-Doolan-e1pncr8" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://anchor.fm/tommy-rezac/embed/episodes/Benton-junior-Hollie-Peters-e1pncsk" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664800678.jpeg" alt="Andrea Simmons." />
 <figcaption>Andrea Simmons.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664820936.jpeg" alt="Avery Morlock." />
 <figcaption>Avery Morlock.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664854646.jpeg" alt="Hollie Peters (12) tries to tip a ball over Maryville's front row." />
 <figcaption>Hollie Peters (12) tries to tip a ball over Maryville's front row.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664917617.jpeg" alt="Lauryn Doolan." />
 <figcaption>Lauryn Doolan.</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666664968216.jpeg" alt="Benton hoists the district championship plaque. Senior libero Berlin Smith got to hold it." />
 <figcaption>Benton hoists the district championship plaque. Senior libero Berlin Smith got to hold it.</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.

Benton battles back, holds off Maryville in intense district title match Monday

The Kansas City Current have continued their impressive 2022 season after going into Seattle and defeating the OL Reign 2-0 to advance to the NWSL Championships where they will face off with Portland Thorns FC.&nbsp;

Kansas City is now just one step away from completing a journey that has never been done before, winning a championship just one year after finishing at the bottom of the league in the previous season.

The Current saw goals from midfielder Alexis Loera and&nbsp;forward Kristen Hamilton in the win.&nbsp; Loera's goal came just four minutes into the match, which broke the Current's record previously held for fastest goal in an NWSL Playoff match.&nbsp;

The current would follow up the opening goal by attacking early and often, finding a few chances getting the ball into the penalty box, but failing shot on goal attempts.&nbsp; The best follow up opportunity came in the 25th minute when Hamilton held up play inside the box and laid the ball off to Loera just outside the penalty area. Loera’s shot would ultimately land wide of the near post and the chance went missing

The Reign put pressure on all through the first half&nbsp;pressing the visitors’ goal with forward Jordyn Huitema missing on a similar effort as she failed to beat Kansas City goalkeeper Adrianna Franch at her near post.

Minutes later, Franch was forced into a save in the 31st minute on a point-blank headed effort from Huitema that kept the visitors on their respective toes. Down the left side of the field, Reign attacker Megan Rapinoe took Kansas City defender Kate Del Fava one-on-one and eventually lifted a cross in toward Huitema. Rushing to meet the pass, Huitema got plenty of power on her header but not enough direction as Franch got big to keep the ball out and preserve her side’s slender lead.&nbsp;

Not clear of the danger just yet as halftime approached, the Reign made sure to test Franch twice more and put their stamp on the match. First, right on the stroke of the end of regular time and second into the second minute of added time, Franch ultimately blocking both shot on goal attempts.&nbsp;

The deciding goal would come&nbsp;just after the hour mark and against the run of play, as Hamilton would put the Current in an extremely advantageous position with a clinical finish from just inside the box to go two up. Weaving her way through the Reign defense, Hamilton broke into the box and preventing a defender from getting in front of her as she cut onto her right foot and fired a low effort to the bottom left corner.

Kansas City will now face Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL Championship on Saturday, October 29 at Audi Field with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666578575361.jpeg" alt="Players from the KC Current celebrate a 2-0 win over Seattle to advance to the NWSL Championship, just one year after KC finished at the bottom of the league/ Photo courtesy of KC Current Twitter" />
 <figcaption>Players from the KC Current celebrate a 2-0 win over Seattle to advance to the NWSL Championship, just one year after KC finished at the bottom of the league/ Photo courtesy of KC Current Twitter</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Current have continued their impressive 2022 season after going into Seattle and defeating the OL Reign 2-0 to advance to the NWSL Championships where they will face off with Portland Thorns FC.&nbsp;Kansas City is now just one step away from completing a journey that has never been done before, winning a championship just one year after finishing at the bottom of the league in the previous season.The Current saw goals from midfielder Alexis Loera and&nbsp;forward Kristen Hamilton in the win.&nbsp; Loera's goal came just four minutes into the match, which broke the Current's record previously held for fastest goal in an NWSL Playoff match.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">KANSAS CITY SCORE WITHIN FOUR MINUTES. 😱 Phallon Tullis-Joyce nearly saves it but Alexis Loera&#39;s strike sneaks in. 👀 <a href="https://t.co/mK4NVIPDOt">pic.twitter.com/mK4NVIPDOt</a>&mdash; Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) <a href="https://twitter.com/AttackingThird/status/1584330196546916353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The current would follow up the opening goal by attacking early and often, finding a few chances getting the ball into the penalty box, but failing shot on goal attempts.&nbsp; The best follow up opportunity came in the 25th minute when Hamilton held up play inside the box and laid the ball off to Loera just outside the penalty area. Loera’s shot would ultimately land wide of the near post and the chance went missingThe Reign put pressure on all through the first half&nbsp;pressing the visitors’ goal with forward Jordyn Huitema missing on a similar effort as she failed to beat Kansas City goalkeeper Adrianna Franch at her near post.Minutes later, Franch was forced into a save in the 31st minute on a point-blank headed effort from Huitema that kept the visitors on their respective toes. Down the left side of the field, Reign attacker Megan Rapinoe took Kansas City defender Kate Del Fava one-on-one and eventually lifted a cross in toward Huitema. Rushing to meet the pass, Huitema got plenty of power on her header but not enough direction as Franch got big to keep the ball out and preserve her side’s slender lead.&nbsp;Not clear of the danger just yet as halftime approached, the Reign made sure to test Franch twice more and put their stamp on the match. First, right on the stroke of the end of regular time and second into the second minute of added time, Franch ultimately blocking both shot on goal attempts.&nbsp;The deciding goal would come&nbsp;just after the hour mark and against the run of play, as Hamilton would put the Current in an extremely advantageous position with a clinical finish from just inside the box to go two up. Weaving her way through the Reign defense, Hamilton broke into the box and preventing a defender from getting in front of her as she cut onto her right foot and fired a low effort to the bottom left corner.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">KRISTEN HAMILTON EXTENDS KANSAS CITY&#39;S LEAD WITH A WONDERFUL STRIKE. 💥 <a href="https://t.co/7hncuL2Zp7">pic.twitter.com/7hncuL2Zp7</a>&mdash; Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) <a href="https://twitter.com/AttackingThird/status/1584349673938046977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kansas City will now face Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL Championship on Saturday, October 29 at Audi Field with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

KC Current advance to NWSL Championship with win over Seattle's OL Reign

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and&nbsp;three touchdowns&nbsp;to rally Kansas City back from another double-digit deficit in the Chiefs' 44-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Mahomes got off to a rough start in this Super Bowl rematch with&nbsp;his early interception&nbsp;putting Kansas City (5-2) in a 10-0 hole, but that once again proved to be no problem as he led the Chiefs to touchdowns on six of the next seven drives.

Mecole Hardman scored on two TD runs and&nbsp;an 8-yard catch, Justin Watson caught a 4-yard TD and JuJu Smith-Schuster finished it off with a 45 yard catch and run. Clyde Edwards-Helaire also scored on a 16-yard run.

The comeback improved Kansas City to 13-9 with Mahomes when falling behind by at least 10 points with the most memorable coming in a Super Bowl win over the 49ers (3-4) following the 2019 season.

The Chiefs took control with back-to-back touchdown drives to start the second half. They started the opening drive of the third quarter at the San Francisco 33 following a 48-yard kick return by Isiah Pacheco and a personal foul on Jauan Jennings. Edwards-Helaire scored three players later to make it 21-13.

Kansas City made it 28-13 when Mahomes found Watson for the TD one play after Jerick McKinnon gained 34 yards on a third-and-20 screen pass.

Mahomes then answered a TD pass from Garoppolo to George Kittle by hitting Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 57-yard pass on third-and-11 to set up Hardman's second TD run.

Mahomes found Smith-Schuster on another third down play for the final TD.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665970268595.jpeg" alt="Stock photo by Tommy Rezac." />
 <figcaption>Stock photo by Tommy Rezac.</figcaption>
 </figure>St. Joseph PostSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and&nbsp;three touchdowns&nbsp;to rally Kansas City back from another double-digit deficit in the Chiefs' 44-23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.Mahomes got off to a rough start in this Super Bowl rematch with&nbsp;his early interception&nbsp;putting Kansas City (5-2) in a 10-0 hole, but that once again proved to be no problem as he led the Chiefs to touchdowns on six of the next seven drives.Mecole Hardman scored on two TD runs and&nbsp;an 8-yard catch, Justin Watson caught a 4-yard TD and JuJu Smith-Schuster finished it off with a 45 yard catch and run. Clyde Edwards-Helaire also scored on a 16-yard run.The comeback improved Kansas City to 13-9 with Mahomes when falling behind by at least 10 points with the most memorable coming in a Super Bowl win over the 49ers (3-4) following the 2019 season.The Chiefs took control with back-to-back touchdown drives to start the second half. They started the opening drive of the third quarter at the San Francisco 33 following a 48-yard kick return by Isiah Pacheco and a personal foul on Jauan Jennings. Edwards-Helaire scored three players later to make it 21-13.Kansas City made it 28-13 when Mahomes found Watson for the TD one play after Jerick McKinnon gained 34 yards on a third-and-20 screen pass.Mahomes then answered a TD pass from Garoppolo to George Kittle by hitting Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 57-yard pass on third-and-11 to set up Hardman's second TD run.Mahomes found Smith-Schuster on another third down play for the final TD.MISSED CHANCESBoth teams blew some scoring chances in the final two minutes of the first half. Jaylon Moore was called for a false start for San Francisco on a field goal attempt, leading the Niners to punt.But Skyy Moore muffed the punt and San Francisco recovered at the 12-yard line, only to give the ball right back when Garoppolo was intercepted by rookie Joshua Williams.The Chiefs drove inside the 10 but had a touchdown negated by a chop block and then Harrison Butker missed a 39-yard field goal try. Kansas City led 14-13 at the break.The Chiefs have a bye next week, but return home to host Tennessee on Nov. 6. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3) and Q Country 92.7 FM in St. Joseph.