Piper High School advances to the sectional game this Friday with Paola. (Piper photo)
Last year, Piper High School lost a close sectional title to Paola, by 6 points. Piper will have another chance this year in a rematch contest against Paola for the sectional football title on Friday.
Piper, 9-1, defeated Spring Hill 33-0 last Friday to win the regional championship in Class 4A, Division 1.
The Pirates move on to the sectional championship in a game at 7 p.m. Friday at Paola.
Doug Key, Piper activities director, said this will be a rematch, as Piper lost by 6 points to Paola in last year’s sectional championship.
The winner of the sectional contest will move up to the substate game at 7 p.m. Nov. 21. The winner of substate goes to the state championship.
Matt Besler
Sporting Kansas City captain Matt Besler was named to the United States 25-player roster on Monday for the national team’s final two matches of the year.
The U.S. will face Colombia at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, at Craven Cottage in London (ESPN, UniMas) before taking on the Republic of Ireland at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin (ESPN2).
“I’m excited to join the U.S. Men’s National Team for these upcoming friendlies in Europe,” Besler said. “Colombia and Ireland are tough opponents and will provide us strong tests as we look to close out 2014 on a high note.”
Besler has made 22 international appearances for the United States since his debut in 2013. The 27-year-old central defender started all four games for the U.S. MNT at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and leads the team with 10 games started this year.
An Overland Park, Kan., native, Besler has made 161 appearances in MLS competition (including postseason) over six seasons since being selected in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Notre Dame. He is a three-time MLS All-Star (2011, 2013, 2014) and has twice been named to the MLS Best XI (2012, 2013) to go along with an MLS Defender of the Year honor in 2012.
Besler anchors a Sporting KC backline that has conceded the fewest shots and shots on target among MLS teams in each of the past three years. Since 2011, he ranks first among all MLS defenders with 4,756 successful passes and he is second among defenders with 8,200 touches and 906 clearances over that same span.
The United States is 6-3-4 in 2014 and reached the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, finishing runners-up in Group G behind eventual champions Germany. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has led the U.S. MNT to a 33-13-11 record since his hiring in 2011 and is on the 10-man shortlist for FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2014.
Colombia – ranked No. 3 in the world – reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup behind Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez with six goals and two assists. Rodriguez is a FIFA Ballon d’Or finalist and has six goals and five assists since joining Real Madrid in Spain’s La Liga. Colombia captain Radamel Falcao has returned from a knee injury to feature with Manchester United in the English Premier League.
The Republic of Ireland currently sits atop Group D in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying after a 1-1 draw with World Cup champions Germany last month. The side is led by captain Robbie Keane, who has 60 goals and 38 assists for the LA Galaxy in the past four MLS seasons (including playoffs). – Story from Sporting KC
by Alan Hoskins
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s promising women’s basketball team passed its first road test Saturday, overcoming a rash of early fouls for an 86-62 win over North Central Missouri University in Trenton.
With four starters on the bench much of the first half with two fouls each, the Lady Blue Devils led just 32-26 before putting up 54 second half points.
“We had a big second half,” said KCKCC coach Valerie Stambersky. “Cierra Gaines took control with13 of her 16 points in the second half; Rashaun Casey and Ky’Ana French hit back-to-back three-pointers; and Julia Garrard did a very good job on the boards. It wasn’t all pretty but it was a good road win.”
Casey led the Blue Devils with 17 points while Gaines added 16, Erin Anderson 13, Cassidy Harbert 11 and French 9. Harbert also had seven assists and six steals and Janai Mitchell four steals as the Blue Devils had 24 steals while forcing 33 turnovers. Garrard led the rebounding with seven.
Now 2-0, the Blue Devils are back home this week for their biggest early season tests when they play host to the annual Keith Lindsey Classic.
KCKCC will play Ellsworth Friday at 6 p.m. and Penn Valley Saturday at 4 p.m. In the other half of women’s play, Fort Scott will play Penn Valley Friday at 2 p.m. and Ellsworth Saturday at noon. In men’s play, KCKCC will play On Point Academy Friday at 8 p.m. and the St. Louis Archers Saturday at 6 p.m. while Highland will play St. Louis Friday at 4 p.m. and On Point Saturday at 2 p.m. Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.
