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Friday night lights are shining bright and dressing up for Halloween
At the mike
At the Mike.jpg

Things are starting to get fun. The playoffs are in full swing for prep football teams with some area schools still making some noise.

Great Bend gets at least one more home game as the higher seed Friday when Kapaun rolls into town. It should be a good one. Both teams are 7-2. Both teams have losses to Northwest and Carroll. Both have wins over Hays and Andover.

Kapaun can run it or throw it. The Crusaders have 19 rushing TDs and 15 passing. In its most recent win, a 48-28 win over Hays, Kapaun ran for 291 yards and 4 TDs.

Great Bend can run it or throw it. In fact the Panthers tally almost 200 yards per game in both categories and have 20 TDs both running and throwing.

So buckle up. It should be a fun ride at Memorial Stadium Friday.

Hoisington will make the two hour trip to Southwest Kansas to take on Cimarron. On the surface, it sounds like a fairly easy win for the Cardinals. After all, in three of the last four years, Hoisington has ended Cimarron’s season in the playoffs. And they haven’t been close. Anywhere from 25 to 57 points.

But don’t sleep on this year’s Bluejays. Greg Koenig is in his second year at the helm and this is the best Cimarron team in any of the last five playoff years. The only loss was a season-opening loss to Elkhart by a touchdown. Elkhart is unbeaten and has beaten all other foes by at least 31 points.

The Cardinals have their work cut out for them. Two smash mouth football teams in early November. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Finally. Central Plains will finally at least get a challenge. Probably. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if the Oilers just went out and put a whoopin’ on Ness City Friday. But it could be a good football game. There is no doubt it is the best test Central Plains has had since a 32-8 win over Victoria back in week two.

Central Plains beat Ness City 30-14 to start the season. That is still the closest game the Oilers have played. Ness made everyone take notice a couple of weeks ago with a 28-26 win over Hodgeman County. But the Eagles followed that up with a harder than expected 44-20 win over Macksville last week.

I still think the first real test is one week away for the Oilers.

Stafford and Otis-Bison both play Friday in 8-Man II. Most of the state is anxiously awaiting a South Barber and Otis-Bison rematch in the sub-state round. Those two clubs finished at 36-all earlier this when weather ended the game at half.

Stafford will do its best to have something to say about that with the Trojans head to South Barber to take on unbeaten Chieftains. Stafford’s two losses this year are to Otis-Bison and Central Christian.

Ironically, that will be the matchup in Otis Friday. Otis-Bison beat Stafford 50-0. Central Christian beat them 72-26. One more comparison for you -- South Barber and Central Christian played three OTs this year with South Barber winning at home, 70-68.


Around Campus

Keep in mind Diane Engle and her efforts as Director of Student Life at the college when updating your wardrobe for the winter. Right now Diane is accepting winter coats and light jackets for men and women in all sizes for students.

If you have any of these, bring them to the Student Union, lower level room 126. If she isn’t in her office, place them at the door. Student do appreciate the items.


Referee House

Much like teams, advancing in the playoffs is fun for officials as well. We generally get at least one playoff game each year as a crew at sometimes two. So we will be suiting up for the playoffs Friday night as well.

You are never sure what the contest will bring in the post-season but we have had some really good ones over the years. The thing about the post-season is the excitement is a notch higher. The intensity is juiced up a bit.

And not just on the field. In the stands as well. There is nothing like a close playoff game into the second with an amped up fan base standing and yelling at the top of their lungs.

November football is special. It can create some lasting, vivid memories.


And Finally

Another Halloween is behind us. That means its a full year until I get to play dress up again. At least without people thinking you might be a bit strange.

I always enjoy dressing up for Halloween. This year Crystal and myself went to the Masquerade Ball in the Shafer Gallery at Barton. She has some paintings hanging in the gallery as part of the Friends and Acquaintances Exhibit.

Since it was masquerade I went as Zorro. A picture in my costume prompted Steve Webster to comment he didn’t remember Zorro being that big. I knew he meant height. Zorro I think was short, right?

I have dressed most Halloweens in my life. One year I went as a flasher. A pair of shorts, a tee shirt, sunglasses and a trench coat. It was actually kind of fun flashing people all night. I really don’t know what that says about me. I don’t think I want to know.

One my favorite outfits was when I dressed as a zoo keeper. My mother had this orangutan looking stuffed puppet thing. It was more monkey size but was orange-ish in color. It could probably pass as a Muppet.

You’re hand went into the head and mouth so you could move it around. It has these big glassy eyes. You Velcro it’s feet and hands so it looks like it is holding on around your waist and neck.

We were walking down Broadway that evening, yes I was a parent that dressed up. I would have it stare and people while I was looking the other direction. Then when people would come up to it, I would bury its head in my chest. He was shy you know.

It was amazing how many people actually came up and talked to it. I think some people even thought it was real.

Anyway, now I must wait some 364 days (or thereabouts) to do it again.