Stories from Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. Less than five weeks after pushing football and other fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday and said it plans to begin its season the Oct. 23-24 weekend. Each team will have an eight-game schedule...

HAYES CENTER, Neb. — Senior Jaycee Widener jolted Hitchcock County with a season-high 22 kills and five ace serves in unbeaten Maywood-Hayes Center's 25-14, 25-15, 25-16 volleyball victory Tuesday evening. The Wolves (11-0 record) roared out of Saturday's Hitchcock tournament championship. Sophomore Ashlin Broz and Olivia Hansen served two more aces each as Hansen totaled a team-best 13 service points...

BARTLEY, Neb. — The surging Southwest Roughriders pertained a five-set home win over Wauneta-Palisade Tuesday evening. Sophomore Caylin Barnett clobbered 22 kills while classmate and "old" friend Bailey Truksa blasted another 20. Setter Brynn Lampe fueled the attack with 25 assists for the 25-20, 21-25, 22-25,25-14, 19-17 victory...

HERSHEY, Neb. — The Hershey Panthers added McCook to an early-season volleyball victory list Tuesday night that includes Cozad, Broken Bow, Southern Valley and Holdrege in 2020. Hershey (6-4 record) sizzled past the Bison for 25-11, 25-16 and 25-18 wins. McCook's JV and C teams did win three-set matches that started Tuesday's action...

McCOOK, Neb. — McCook's tying run was in the on-deck circle when Class B No. 2 Hastings finally finished a 5-2 varsity softball victory Tuesday evening at McCook's Jaycees Complex. The Bison (7-11 record) rallied from 5-0 down after sophomore Abbie Johnson worked a walk from pitcher Faith Molina...

A former Colorado State basketball player with NCAA tournament experience, has joined the McCook Community College coaching staff. Dwight Smith, an Omaha Ralston graduate, was a sophomore guard on Coach Tim Miles' 2012 team that went 20-12 and earned the 11th seed of the opening round before losing to sixth-seeded Murray State at Louisville, Kent. Smith started eight games and averaged 5.1 points per game for the Rams that season...