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  • Indiana St. made Sager feel at home

    Stephen McKay|Feb 10, 2015

    It was merely by chance that Indiana State University defensive line coach Jeff Mills heard about Jake Sager. But the more he got to know the Sidney High School senior, the more he wanted him to play football for the Sycamores. After a process that lasted less than a month, Sager signed last Thursday to play football and study at Indiana State in Terre Haute. Sager is expected to compete at either defensive end or tackle. "It was a pretty exciting process," said Jake's father Ken Sager, who...

  • Happy birthday from the Red Raiders

    Stephen McKay|Feb 9, 2015

    The Sidney Red Raiders' Jake Heeren poses with Dion Turner after several Raiders' players presented him with a signed basketball for his 11th birthday....

  • Red Raiders survive battle with Gering, 54-42

    Stephen McKay|Feb 9, 2015

    While the Sidney High boys' team took advantage of a technical foul call late in the game at Gering on Jan. 9 to eek out a two-point victory, the Red Raiders gave themselves more room for error the second time around. Though Gering made it interesting in the third quarter, the Raiders pulled away in the fourth to earn a 54-42 win over the Bulldogs at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Friday night in a Class B District-6 matchup. The win marked the Raiders 12th straight – a school record. After t...

  • Lady Raiders post pair of wins

    Stephen McKay|Feb 9, 2015

    While Scottsbluff put a stop to Sidney's five-game winning streak back on Jan. 23, the Lady Raiders responded with the perfect solution – start another five-game winning streak. Rather than being the terminus of an unbeaten streak, the Lady Bearcats (6-9, 6-1) were this time around the continuation of one. The Raiders (14-6, 5-1) earned their fifth consecutive win by avenging their only district loss of the season with a 47-27 win over Scottsbluff at the Cabela's Athletic Facility Saturday n...

  • Sidney girls shrug off slow start, down Gering

    Stephen McKay|Feb 9, 2015

    If there was any doubt that a pair of late first-half field goals by Sidney Lady Raiders' Annalise Lecher and Emily Mahr on Friday night were the enough to put the locals ahead for good, Maddie Stafford made sure when the second half opened. Powered by an 18-4 run that spanned two halves, the Raiders went on to post a 37-27 win over district rival Gering at the Cabela's Athletic Facility to earn their fourth consecutive victory. The win advanced the Raiders record to 13-6 on the eve of their...

  • Sidney's Sager signs with Sycamores

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 6, 2015

    Sidney High defensive lineman Jake Sager, center, signed a letter of intent to attend and play football next fall at Indiana State University. With him are his mother, Becky, and father, Ken. Sager, who is listed at 6-4 and 255 pounds, was an All-State, All-Conference and All-District selection this year. He had 47 tackles – including 26 solo – and four quarterback sacks....

  • Talking Sports - Old ticket stubs: Links to my past

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 5, 2015

    There are certain dates when everybody could tell you where they were. If you were alive on Sept. 11, 2001, you could remember what you were doing and where you heard the dreadful news of that day. Same with the hour Kennedy was shot or the morning Pearl Harbor was attacked. There are probably other days you might remember what you were doing if they had some particular meaning to you personally. Your wedding day or the birth of your children. My parents told me I was born during a blizzard 15 minutes after my mother’s arrival at the h...

  • Red Raiders cruise to another easy victory

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 4, 2015

    Once Tyler Wintholz opened Tuesday night’s game against Perkins County on a personal six-point run, the Sidney Red Raiders boys’ basketball team never looked back on its way to an 11th straight victory. The Raiders advanced their record to 16-2 with a 78-26 whitewash of the Plainsmen (8-9) at the Cabela’s Athletic Facility. It was the second straight game Sidney finished a game against a Class C2 opponent with a running clock. By Nebraska rule, the clock doesn’t stop once the differential reaches 40 points. The Raiders are now in the midst of a...

  • Sidney girls cruise

    Stephen McKay|Feb 4, 2015

    The beat went on for the Sidney Lady Raiders as they won for the eighth game in their last nine tries. The latest victim for the Raiders were the Perkins County Lady Plainsmen in a 50-12 blowout at Cabela's Athletic Facility last night. The Raiders' third-straight win has come in a span of just five days. But Sidney will have little time to rest as two district opponents roll into Sidney this weekend. Gering is the opponent on Friday while District B-6 leading Scottsbluff is on the bill for Satu...

  • Sidney freshmen avenge only loss

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 3, 2015

    Though never easy and seldom was their much breathing room, the freshmen Sidney Lady Raiders avenged their only loss of the season, 40-38, over the Scottsbluff Lady Bearcats at Cabela's Athletic Facility on Monday. While the Raiders (9-1) were stunned by the Bearcats in a 30-point loss at Scottsbluff earlier this season, Sidney came out with the intention of scuffing up their guests' perfect record. Though there were many blows landed in the contest, Sidney was the first to strike with a 7-0...

  • Raider freshmen whip Bearcats, stay unbeaten

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 3, 2015

    For any Sidney Red Raiders' team, it's always good to beat Scottsbluff. But seldom is it very easy. But on the occasion of the Raiders vs. Bearcats freshmen boys' basketball game Monday night at Cabela's Athletic Facility, a rare blowout occurred. Sidney turned back its archrivals 60-20 with a wire-to-wire victory to advance their season record to 10-0. Raiders' point guard Jon Smith wasted little time in putting the Raiders ahead to stay. Five seconds after Tyler Bergstrom controlled the...

  • Lady Raiders post sweep against Chadron, Hershey

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Feb 2, 2015

    CHADRON – After having their five-game winning streak snapped at Scottsbluff last week, the Sidney High Lady Raiders planted the seeds of another positive run by winning two games over the weekend despite having to travel nearly 500 miles. With a fourth-quarter surge, the Raiders (11-6) opened their weekend by taking out a solid Chadron Cardinals' team, 44-32. While the Cardinals sport an impressive 12-4 record, Sidney has handed them two of their losses. The Raiders concluded their weekend a...

  • Sidney boys up season record to 15-2

    Stephen McKay|Feb 2, 2015

    CHADRON – When Jake Heeren swished a jumper midway through the fourth quarter to give the Sidney Red Raiders a 41-point lead at Hershey on Saturday, the ensuing running clock was an indicator that the boys' hoop squad had successfully completed the first portion of a nine-day grind. After two, long road trips the Raiders came home with two more victories and upped their season mark to 15-2. Sidney handed the Chadron Cardinals (12-4) their first home loss of the season, 59-49, at the Birdcage o...

  • Community Center youth basketball clinic

    Stephen McKay|Jan 30, 2015

  • Talking Sports: Let's look ahead to the district playoffs

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 29, 2015

    Just a few more days and the calendar gets turned over to February. It may be too early to start thinking about spring, even though the mercury climbed past 70 earlier this week. But February reminds us that the winter sports season is fast heading towards it's dramatic conclusion. There are just 15 days until the competition begins at district wrestling in Chadron. Three days later the girls of class D basketball get started with subdistricts and the boys a week later. Before President's Day...

  • Potter-Dix girls run out of steam vs. Hornets

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 28, 2015

    POTTER – After a busy week that culminated in a MAC championship last Saturday, the Potter-Dix Lady Coyotes just might be dog tired. Despite their busy schedule of late, the Coyotes found enough wind to fight a talented Pine Bluffs (Wyo.) Hornets team to the bitter end Tuesday night before dropping just their third game of the season (12-3). The Hornets (11-1) turned back the Coyotes 44-38 in a non-district matchup in Potter Tuesday night. With a pressure defense that forced the home Coyotes i...

  • Pine Bluffs upends Coyotes

    Stephen McKay|Jan 28, 2015

    POTTER – With a talented sophomore center getting much of the attention for the Pine Bluffs High boys' basketball squad, the Potter-Dix Coyotes found out the Hornets are more than a team with just one stinger. Though they managed to stay toe to toe with the Hornets throughout several portions of the game, a dominating second quarter doomed the Coyotes chances in a 73-51 loss in a non-district contest at Potter on Tuesday night. The Hornets improved to 11-1, while the Coyotes slipped to 5-10. T...

  • Sidney freshmen stay unbeaten

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 27, 2015

    The Sidney High Red Raiders' freshman boys' basketball team didn't take long before sending the message that they intended to keep its perfect record intact. The Raiders stormed out of the gate at the Cabela's Athletic Facility on Monday night and cruised to a 55-34 win over the Alliance Bulldogs. The Raiders won their ninth game against no losses this season despite the absence of three players usually at their service. Jake Burke and Mitch Porter, who also play with the varsity and junior...

  • Lady Raider freshmen get past Alliance to push record to 8-1

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 27, 2015

    The Sidney High Lady Raiders' freshman basketball team continued its outstanding season Monday with a 38-26 win over the Lady Bulldogs of Alliance at the Cabela's Athletic Facility. The win advanced the Raiders' record to 8-1. Sidney was led in scoring by Christina Gay with eight points. A trio of Raiders disturbed the twine for five points, including Emily Secrest, Carissa Radtke and Ashlyn Christian. Marque Crowe was the top scorer for Alliance as she matched Gay's eight points. "I'm very...

  • Sidney boys topple Scottsbluff

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 26, 2015

    In front of a packed and raucous crowd at Cabela's Athletic Facility, the Sidney High boys' basketball team worked together to earn their biggest win of the season, 65-58, over the Scottsbluff Bearcats on Friday night. Sidney (13-2, 4-1) continued its perfection since New Years with its eighth consecutive win. For the Raiders, the win was not only critical to keeping pace with Scottsbluff in the district race, it was also a statement game. The Bearcats had defeated the Raiders earlier this...

  • Leyton boys upend P-D for 3rd place in MAC tourney

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 26, 2015

    Though the top prize had already escaped their grasps, the Leyton Warriors and Potter-Dix Coyotes still had a long-standing rivalry to settle. Though the Warriors couldn’t defend their MAC title of a year ago, they took the upper hand in their long-standing rivalry with the Coyotes with a 59-50 triumph in the boys’ consolation game Saturday at Sidney Middle School. The Coyotes (6-8) gave their rivals all they could handle throughout much of the contest before the Warriors (7-7) began to pull away in the second half. After 16 minutes of pla...

  • Lady Coyotes claim MAC championship

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 26, 2015

    By dethroning reigning champion Leyton, the Potter-Dix girls' basketball team realized a season-long goal Saturday by winning the MAC championship at Sidney Middle School. Though much of the game was closely contested, the Coyotes dominated the second quarter on its way to the 40-32 win. The Coyotes are now 12-2 on the season while the Warriors stand at 6-8. With the MAC title wrapped up securely, the Coyotes can now focus on fighting their way to a District D1 District 12 championship. "This...

  • Storm girls fall short vs. Bayard

    Stephen McKay, Sports Writer|Jan 26, 2015

    After Allie Blackwelder’s short jumper gave the Creek Valley Storm an early lead in the opening moments of the girls’ MAC consolation game, it was all down hill from there. With a consistent effort from start-to-finish, the Bayard Tigers topped the Storm 44-29 to earn third place at MAC. The Storm’s record fell to 5-8 while the Tigers advanced to 6-9. After Blackwelder gave her team an early lead, the Tigers ran off seven straight points to take the lead for good. But Creek Valley was still very much in the contest after the first quart...

  • Leyton, P-D boys come up short

    Stephen McKay|Jan 23, 2015

    The Bayard High boys' basketball team clawed its way back from a nine-point, first-half deficit to turn away Leyton's attempt at back-to-back MAC championships at Sidney Middle School on Thursday night. While Leyton had the upper hand throughout most of the first half, the game was razor close much of the second as Bayard took home the 58-56 win. The No. 3 seed Warriors record slipped to 7-6, while No. 2 Bayard advanced to 9-4. Leyton will be back to Sidney on Saturday to challenge the No. 5...

  • Potter-Dix falls to top-seeded, unbeaten Minatare

    Stephen McKay|Jan 23, 2015

    Though the fifth-seeded Potter-Dix High boys' team stayed with undefeated top-seeded Minatare in the first half, it eventually found themselves in the consolation round in the Minuteman Activities Conference Tournament. With strong second half, the Indians (11-0) reached the championship game with a 56-42 win over the Coyotes (5-8) at Sidney Middle School Thursday night. Minatare will meet the Bayard Tigers for the championship on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Tigers snuck past the Leyton Warriors,...

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