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  • 2015 Nebraska Class B State Tournament: Raiders-'Cats rivalry heats up

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 9, 2015

    In 1926, the Orin J. Weymouth-led Sidney High School football team needed a win over Scottsbluff on a field frozen with ice and snow to win a Western Conference championship. The 7-7 tie that resulted that afternoon ultimately cost the Raiders a title. On a Saturday night about 85 years later in the Scottsbluff gym, unranked Sidney knocked off the top-ranked Class B boys' basketball team in the state, 56-54. That game is still one of senior Lane Harvey's favorite basketball memories from his...

  • 2015 Colorado Class 1A State Tournament: Peetz pulls stunning upset

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 9, 2015

    BRUSH, Colo. – Only in first believing, was victory even possible. By opening their quest for a state championship berth with the simple notion that a supreme effort could win the day, the sixth-seeded Peetz High boys' basketball team scrapped, hustled, dove, crashed into walls, sank critical free throws and shot their way to a 70-63 win over the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Arickaree/Woodlin Indians (21-1) in the Class 1A Region 2, Bracket 1 final at Brush High School on Saturday. Amid s...

  • Red Raiders gear up for state tourney

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 6, 2015

    The Sidney High Red Raiders were hard at work Thursday afternoon in the middle school gym preparing for its first-round game in the upcoming NSAA Class B Boys' State Basketball Championship. While the third-seeded Raiders will need to win three games against some of the premier Class B teams in the state to win a title, Sidney is clearly focused on one game at a time. First up for the Raiders is a battle with longtime District B-6 foe Scottsbluff. The Raiders will meet the Bearcats on Thursday...

  • Talking Sports: Kudos to Sidney, Peetz for efforts

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 5, 2015

    Congratulations to the Sidney High School boys’ basketball players and coaches. They’re going to the show. The Peetz Bulldogs boys’ are also alive. They’ve made it to regionals and are two wins away from earning a berth in the Colorado dance scheduled for the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland next week. First the Raiders. They go in as the third seed with three games standing between them and a state championship. First up is sixth-seeded Scottsbluff at the Pinnacle Bank Arena one week from today at 9:45 a.m. Nebraska Panhandle Time. I know....

  • Raiders' indoor preparations

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 5, 2015

    The Sidney High School boys' and girls' track teams held an indoor workout on Wednesday afternoon as they prepare for the upcoming season.... Full story

  • 2015 Boys' State Basketball Championships: Familiar foe awaits Red Raiders

    Stephen McKay|Mar 4, 2015

    The Sidney Red Raiders have qualified for the 2015 Class B NSAA Boys' State Basketball Championships. While the Raiders and their fans were on pins and needles for a little more than 24 hours after an early exit from the Class B-6 District Tournament on Monday night, Sidney's inclusion as a wild-card into the eight-team tournament became official Tuesday night. Needing a win by either Beatrice or Gretna to qualify, Sidney got both. "The first thing is, I want to take some time to enjoy it and I...

  • Spring sports practice begins

    Stephen McKay|Mar 4, 2015

    Practice for springs sports started on Monday across the state. At Creek Valley High School on Tuesday, track and field practice was held in the gymnasium.... Full story

  • Let the waiting game begin

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Mar 3, 2015

    For the Sidney High boys' basketball team, it's now a waiting game. After the top-seeded Red Raiders' 56-50 loss to the No. 4 Alliance Bulldogs in the semifinals of the District B-6 tournament at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Monday night, the fate of Sidney's state tournament hopes rests in the hands of the mathematicians – and a few other teams. In the second game of the Class B-6 semifinal doubleheader in Sidney, No. 2 Scottsbluff eliminated No. 3 Gering, 51-39. Scottsbluff will host A...

  • Lady Raiders' state bid derailed by Scottsbluff

    Stephen McKay|Mar 2, 2015

    With just more than five minutes left in the girls District B-6 Championship game, the Sidney High Lady Raiders held the biggest lead of the night for either team at six points. But in a contest where the margin was often razor thin, no advantage ever seemed comfortable. In front of a packed house at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Friday night, the Scottsbluff Lady Bearcats finished the game on a 13-3 run to post a 40-36 victory and secure the district title. Scottsbluff (10-12) now moves on...

  • CLASS B, DISTRICT 6 TOURNAMENT: Lady Raiders move into title game

    Stephen McKay|Feb 27, 2015

    McCOOK, Neb. – While the main event for Sidney Lady Raiders' fans was their team's District B-6 semifinal against Gering on Thursday at McCook Community College, there was a small side story too. Though "it was ugly," said Raiders head coach Tyler Shaw afterward, once the top-seeded Raiders (17-7) secured their spot in the finals with a 26-19 win, who and where they would play became the next big question. With Friday's venue dependent upon the outcome of the second semifinal game, the R...

  • Talking Sports: Honoring 'Ol Pete' 128 years later

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 26, 2015

    Grover Cleveland Alexander was born, raised and died in Nebraska. If you’re a baseball fan with just a rudimentary knowledge of the game’s history, you’ve heard of Alexander. In honor of today being the 128th anniversary of Alexander’s birth, this space revisits the great Nebraskan right-hander. He is rated third by the Omaha World Herald on its “Nebraska’s Top 100 Athletes” list. Only great’s Bob Gibson and Gayle Sayers are ahead of him. While there are lots of other great athletes on the list, maybe none were so gritty or tortured as Ale...

  • Peetz girls ousted from district tourney

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 26, 2015

    STERLING, Colo. – For much of the first half, the fifth-seeded Peetz Lady Bulldogs (8-12) stayed within growling distance of the No. 4 Briggsdale Lady Falcons 15-5). But then the Falcons' Darian Hale caught fire. With 23 points, all scored in the second half, Hale led the Falcons to a 53-33 win over the Bulldogs at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling in a quarterfinal game of the Colorado 1A District 4 playoffs Wednesday night. In the other quarterfinal games, No. 2 Fleming had little t...

  • Peetz hangs on to win playoff opener

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 25, 2015

    STERLING, Colo. – After allowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead dissolve into a one-point deficit with just under three seconds left in the game, Peetz's Cody Wilson tried on the hero's cape and found it a snug fit. After receiving an inbounds pass from Bradey Holtz with 2.6 seconds left, Wilson pump faked, stepped around his defender and put up the winning shot while being fouled as the No. 4 Bulldogs slipped past the fifth seeded Pawnee Coyotes 52-50 in a quarterfinal game of the 1A North C...

  • Leyton tops Garden Co., earns spot in title game

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 25, 2015

    As the Leyton Warriors' Cody McKay, Zach Hellie and Kenny Ernest ruled the inside throughout much of the game, it started out as though the team from Dalton was in for an easy stroll through the Cabela's Athletic Facility in Sidney on Tuesday night. But then the Garden County shooters showed up. Despite some timely 3-pointers and periods of hot shooting, however, the No. 3 Garden County Eagles (7-10) couldn't keep up with the depth of second-seeded Leyton (12-9), which dominated the final...

  • Storm marches on

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 24, 2015

    OGALLALA – The Creek Valley Storm boys' basketball team just may be peaking at the perfect time. After a convincing win over a solid Wallace team last Friday night, the fifth-seeded Storm (6-12) carried their momentum into its opening subdistrict game and eliminated the Morrill Lions (8-14) 45-37 Monday evening at the Auditorium in Ogallala. The Storm have little time to celebrate, however, as it earned a date with top-seeded Dundy County-Stratton (14-9) in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. T...

  • Sidney's Rosenbaum signs to high jump at Hastings

    Stephen McKay|Feb 24, 2015

    As a starter on the top-seeded girls' basketball team at the upcoming B-6 district tournament, Savanna Rosenbaum still has a few more high bar's to clear before she can start thinking about track. Still, Rosenbaum managed to take time out of her busy schedule last week to sign with the Hastings College Broncos, where she will study biology with an eye toward becoming a physician assistant and participate in track. Rosenbaum, an honor student and three-sport standout at Sidney High School, will...

  • Robb brings first state title home to Sidney since 1999

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 23, 2015

    OMAHA – When Derek Robb was in the second grade, a flyer from the Sidney Wrestling Federation arrived at the family home. Young Derek liked the idea of wrestling so much he asked his father, Chuck, if he could join. As the worn-out old cliche goes, the rest is history – or more accurately – history in the making. At precisely 3:43 p.m. CST on Saturday, in front of a live television audience and 11,133 boisterous fans who paid their way into the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Robb became the first...

  • 2015 STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Robb advances to semifinals

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 20, 2015

    "He came right after you, didn't he," said Sidney High School wrestling' head coach John Ganser to freshman Kaden Vowers after his opening round win. "He really did," replied the young, 106-pound Red Raider wrestler after his state debut. "They all come after you here," said Ganser concluding the lesson. OMAHA – With two wins on the opening day of the 2015 Nebraska State Wrestling Championships, Sidney High's Derek Robb is halfway to a state championship. But it only gets tougher from here. W...

  • Talking Sports: Time for gladiators to take mat

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 19, 2015

    It’s Wednesday night in Omaha. There are less than 24 hours left before all of the 896 qualifiers for 2015 NSAA Wrestling Championships will have already had their first bout. With the temperatures about 35 degrees colder here than in Sidney, the heat is on full blast. It’s freezing cold with temps somewhere in the teens. The high Thursday was predicted for 23 degrees with single digits in the morning. In Sidney, the mercury is expected to rise to 58. It snowed some last year. I hope it doesn’t snow this year. On the tube, AMC is running “Glad...

  • Raider wrestlers take aim at state

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 18, 2015

    While the four Sidney Red Raiders’ qualifiers for the 2015 NSAA State Wrestling Championships have already completed a season of high achievement, there is still more they hope to accomplish. The 2015 state tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday with 896 qualifiers from around the Nebraska. The tournament will run through Saturday at the Century Link Center in Omaha. The action in Class B will be whistled into action at 3:30 p.m. MST on Thursday and 11:30 on Friday. Should any of the Raiders reach the consolation semifinals on S...

  • Lady Warriors advance to D2-11 championship game

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 18, 2015

    For the top-seeded Leyton Lady Warriors, it was mission accomplished in their first postseason game of 2015. The Warriors (10-11) found little resistance in their 40-21 win over the No. 4 Banner County Wildcats (3-17) in the semifinals of the D2-11 subdistrict tournament at the Cabela's Athletic Facility in Sidney on Tuesday night. Leyton moves on to the championship game on Thursday to face the South Platte Lady Knights at 6 p.m. The No. 3 Knights (3-14) eliminated No. 2 Garden County (3-14)...

  • Mitchell fulfills lifelong dream

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 17, 2015

    Ever since the sixth grade, Stefanie Mitchell has had a love affair with volleyball. Now she gets to keep playing. A versatile player with an ability to play several positions well, Mitchell signed last week to study and play volleyball at McCook Community College. Though where on the court the Creek Valley senior will play is a decision McCook head coach Scott Weston has yet to determine. "I had her playing out of her element a bit and out of position on the floor," said Weston of Mitchell's...

  • Sidney's Anglin, Sager selected to Shrine Bowl

    Stephen McKay|Feb 17, 2015

    The Shrine Bowl committe announced this morning that Jake Sager and Chance Anglin of Sidney High School have been named to the 57th Annual Shrine Bowl of Nebraska football game. The annual contest, which has been held every year since 1958, raises money to benefit Shriner's Hospitals for Children and Shrine Hospital transportation funds. The game is an all-star event in which two teams are divided geographically between north and south. Anglin and Sager will play for the North team. This year th...

  • Creek Valley girls fall to Morrill, 48-40

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 17, 2015

    OGALLALA – Though Creek Valley didn't go down without a fight, the Lady Storm's season came to an end after dropping a 48-40 decision Monday night to the Morrill Lady Lions in the opening round of the NSAA D1 District 12 Subdistrict Tournament at the Auditorium. No. 4 Morrill (11-11) now advances into the semifinal round at Ogallala to face top seeded Dundy County-Stratton (23-0) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. In the other semifinal, second-seeded Potter-Dix takes on Sutherland following the c...

  • Four Sidney wrestlers advance

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 16, 2015

    Sidney Red Raiders' Derek Robb gets a big hug from sister Kali after winning the district wrestling championship at 138 pounds at Chadron State College on Saturday. Robb, who went 41-0 this season, will travel to Omaha on Wednesday with three of his teammates to compete at the state tournament. See more coverage on page 10A.... Full story

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