mursday, october 30, 2003
sports
the university daily kansan
5B
Fake football tickets found WHITTEMORE: Quarterback still involved
By David Skretta
Kansas State Collegiate via U-Wire Kansas State University
K-State will increase security and supervision at Wildcat football games after several counterfeit tickets were uncovered last Saturday. Athletics Director Tim Weisen announced yesterday.
The tickets were confiscated mainly in premium seating sections of KSU Stadium, but ushers have been advised to pay closer attention at all ticket locations.
"Any person utilizing counterfeit tickets will be immediately ejected from the stadium and face additional consequences." Weiser said in a prepared statement.
Those consequences, Weiser said, could include loss of season-ticket privileges and legal prosecution.
"We have an obligation to our
fans who have paid for their tickets. "Weiser said."
Weiser also maintained the solicitation or scalping of tickets on K-State property is prohibited, and violators will be removed.
EDMONDSON
Defensive end Scott Edmonds has begun making a push for playing time, moving into the two-deep behind incumbent Andrew Shull.
"He's playing consistently well," coach Bill Snyder said. "He's got good quickness and runs as good as any defensive end we have."
Edmonds, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound sophomore from Kansas City, had three tackles in the Wildcats' 42-6 victory over Kansas.
Edmonds caught the eyes of Snyder and other coaches in fall drills, and has been making steady improvement since.
"I don't think he ever did anything before that would get me
jumping up and down," Snyder said, "but he's become a much more complete player."
WILLIAMS STARTING TO ROLL
Garden City Community College standout Cedrick Williams was brought into K-State to replace Thorpe Award winner Terence Newman.
The West Riviera Beach, Fla., native has done just that, even assuming Newman's No. 4 jersey. But the transition wasn't that easy, defensive coordinator Bob Elliot said.
"It's been a slow process early," he said, "but somewhere, the third or fourth game, it clicked."
Williams has become entrenched opposite Randy Jordan at corner and continues to improve every week, Elliot said.
But he was quick to say Williams wasn't on the same level as Newman — at least not yet.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Now that the initial shock has worn off following the loss of Whittimore, the foreseeable future looks better than Mangino's original diagnosis of his senior quarterback's Jayhawk career being all but over. The signal caller said he was confident of his return to action this season. Mangino said the quarterback could possibly begin throwing and moving around in practice next week. For now, he is doing everything in his power to help the team. Whether it's dropping hints and tips to his backups at practice or going to Texas A&M with the team this weekend and playing the role of assistant coach, Whittimore wants to make sure he still has an influence.
"I've been watching film with them and helping them make their reads," Whittemore said. "just the little things that you get through game experience that they don't get. That's the most
important thing for me to do right now, not worry about me and try to help them go."
Fighting off injuries and doubts of his ability to stay healthy has been the quarterback's forte since his freshman year at Fort Scott Community College. That started a string of four years in which his seasons were cut short because of his health.
"I think the odds are going to be a little against me." Whitte-more said. "But there's a chance out there and I'm going to stay in high hopes."
Mangino's biggest concern is keeping his senior leader out of harm's way. Just knowing the cheap shots that go on between opposing players during the course of a game, he wants to make sure Whitemore is ready to handle it.
"We've seen time and time again clips over the past few weeks of guys twisting ankles under the pile, guys grabbing people by the throat," Mangino said.
"So ifsomebody knows where the injury is, what's to prevent an opposing player from taking a shot at that part of his body?"
Emotionally, Whittemore has experience in his corner for if and when he comes back. Not only experience with Mangino's offense, but also experience with having come back from a threatening injury. Last season, Whittemore suffered a season-ending knee injury against Missouri that forced him to miss the season's final stretch. It was a welcome sight to Kansas fans that he did not change his reckless playing style coming back this season after the injury, and Whittemore insists he'll be the same old gun-slinger when he returns this time around.
"Hopefully I'll be back to play a couple of games," Whittemore said. "If I'm back, I'll be healthy and I won't change a thing."
FOOTBALL: Heaggans aims for end zone
Edited by Abby Sidesinger
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
The occurrence of a kicker making a touchdown-saving tackle is rare and it's hard to believe even he was able to slow down Heaggans, who has been a blur to his opposition this season.
Heaggans is now 24th in the nation with an average of 25.9 yards per return.
More importantly, the Jayhawks have become one of the nation's most solid kick and punt coverage and return teams.
As a team, Kansas is 17th in Division-1 in yards per kick return with 25.9 yards a return. Freshman punt returner Charles Gordon has his unit ranking eighth in the country, with 15 yards a return. Additionally, the Jayhawks rank first in the conference in fewest yards allowed per kick return (18.1).
Heaggans, a self-proclaimed
perfectionist, has been a large part of the Jayhawk special teams resurrection. Now, even with the record, he has more accomplishments in mind for the 2003 season to truly consider it a personal success.
"I'm upset with myself." Heaggans said. "Even though I'm averaging 25 yards a return, that's not good enough for me. I have to score. I haven't even touched the end zone yet. It's going to happen sooner or later."
Scoring is what started Heaggan's career off with a bang just over a year ago.
In his first home game, the unassuming freshman returned the opening kick against Southwest Missouri State 100 yards for a touchdown that keyed a jayhawk victory.
The 100-yard run tied for the longest kick return in school history, and his 195 return yards in the game broke the old mark of 153.
While the return yardage record is impressive on a resumé. Heaggans' expectations for the remainder of his Jayhawk career include more than running back kicks.
"I want to accomplish a lot more than that," Heaggans said. "I'm happy I broke it already, but I don't think I'm doing too well this year. I have my standards too high. That's just always been me."
Future adventures Heaggans would like to embark on include earning some playing time at wide receiver, possibly as a junior.
Oh, and about that other thing. The whole getting tackled by a kicker situation. He's not quite so worried about that ever being an issue again.
"Never again will a kicker tackle me," Heaggans said. "Guarantee. Neveragain."
— Edited by Jonathan Reeder
VOLLEYBALL: Jayhawks lose two game lead
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Game two almost mirrored game one as Kansas took a 17-11 lead.
However, Wildcat setter Gabby Guerre didn't let Kansas run away with the game.
Her three consecutive service aces cut the lead to three, at 20-17. A kill by Joy Hamlin then gave K-State its first lead of the match at 21-20.
Kansas setter Andi Rozum then aced a jump serve that tied the match at 24 and had the sold out Horejsi Family Athletics Center in a frenzy.
Finally a kill by senior Sarah Rome bounced off a K-State player and the ceiling, before falling just out of the reach of two diving Wildcats.
"Coming off a loss to Colorado, I think that we had fire," Michaels said. "We showed that in the first two games."
The next three games were a different story. Even though a
block by Rozum had the crowd on its feet and tied the match at 13, it wasn't enough.
Lauren Goehring, Valeria Heijjas and Cari Jensen all had four kills for K-State in the back and forth game.
Leading 29-27, the Wildcats ended the game with a tap that bounced in between two Jayhawks and started the comeback.
"We started playing a little better, I feel like, and I think they got a little tentative," Goehring said.
The momentum started to shift on the court and in the crowd in game four.
The 300 or so Wildcats fans were louder than the 1,000 Jayhawk fans, as Heijas had six of her 17 kills. Kansas was never in the game, losing 30-22.
"I never think we are going to lose." sophomore Josi Lima said.
But K-State had other ideas heading into the fifth and final
game.
It was back and forth as Morris had three early kills, one that again landed just inches in bounds to tie the game at three.
But Jensen gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 4-3, with her 18th kill.
Rome tried to bring Kansas back with another kill that bounced of a K-State player into the crowd, but it wasn't enough.
The Jayhawks ended the match with a hitting error, as the Wildcats and their fans celebrated wildly on the Jayhawks home court.
"We were feeling so good," Lima said. "We were like, 'Let's get this job done.' I don't know what happened."
The 'Hawks next match is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Horejsi. Kansas will play border rival Missouri, who it lost to Kansas 3-2 in Columbia on Oct. 1.
— Edited by Nikki Overfelt