I’m curious about the Cat that is the Kansas State Wildcat’s Band Director. What was he thinking when he had his marching band do a routine that got interpreted as some kind of obscene gesture towards or about a Kansas Jayhawk?

Here’s the part I don’t get: Why even bring a Jayhawk into their presentation at all? This was on Kansas State’s home field. Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The opponent was South Dakota University. The Kansas Jayhawks had nothing to do with this game, this day, this band . Why bring a Jayhawk into your halftime show?

Kansas State is a terrific university. Bill Snyder is a terrific football coach. Kansas State University puts terrific football teams on the field. Why even bring a Jayhawk into the mix? Whether or not the presentation resembled some kind of male genitalia directed towards a Jayhawk or not, the very idea of having a Jayhawk on the field at halftime of a football game in Manhattan is demeaning to Coach Snyder, his team and the thousands of Wildcat fans UNLESS the opponent were to be those Jayhawks. It was a juvenile thing to do on a day when the Wildcat Nation would want to be putting on a show for the folks from South Dakota.

Perhaps one could dismiss this that the band director simply has a “fixation” about the Jayhawks that just won’t go away but in a year in which Kansas State received a lot of bad publicity for storming the floor after a basketball win against those same Jayhawks and after the University has just announced that they are going to require all students to sign a code of conduct pledge before  they are allowed to pick up their tickets to ball games , well, this just made things worse. Now Kansas State has had to “agree” with sanctions against them out of the Big 12 Commissioners office over this faux pas.

Perhaps they need to make the band director Frank Tracz sign one of those good conduct code pledges instead of the students!
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Not many Great Bend football fans have forgotten the Hays game, just one year ago. Certainly coach Tony Crough and his team haven’t. Former Panther Boss Bo Black brought his Hays High Indians to town and thoroughly spanked Great Bend 49-6. That one stung.

Now, one year later, coach Crough and his team have a chance to make some amends for that game though it is at Hays. Of course football teams don’t focus on just a single game on their schedule but…………………………well, this comes close.

Great Bend showed a toughness last week against Leavenworth after falling behind 14-7 at halftime. The Panthers got stronger as the game went on and behind a solid defense and a bruising running game sent Leavenworth home with a long bus ride.

Meanwhile Hays, on their third head coach in three years, couldn’t handle Olathe Northwest. Look for the Panthers to dominate in the trenches and run the ball while shutting down the Indians’ running game. A premium on blocking and tackling in this one. Great Bend 30, Hays 13.
                                    
CHALK TALK: Look for Larned to “upset” the third-ranked LaCrosse Leopards Friday night. The Indians are better than they looked last week in losing to Hoisington Larned 26, LaCrosse 13. | Kansas has got the offense figured out but OH that defense! Memphis 33, Kansas 24. | No K-State Band director this week but Cats win anyway:  K-State 36, UTSA 10. | Ellinwood runs into a buzz saw: Victoria 55, Ellinwood 14. | Hoisington has its’ way with Nickerson. Cardinals 30, Panthers 7 | Yeah, we’re high on the Chiefs but opening on the road is never easy , especially deep in the Heart of Texas! Texans 33, Kansas City 17.