CHADRON, Neb. -- September 6, 2023 -- For the second week in a row, the Chadron State College football team will be meeting a new opponent.  The Eagles will host the Augustana Vikings from Sioux Falls, S.D., for a noon kickoff Saturday at Elliott Field.  The teams have never previously met on the gridiron.

Both teams won their season openers last week but by much different margins.  The Eagles edged the Quincy Hawks in Illinois 35-34 by scoring with 36 seconds remaining, while the Vikings breezed to a 38-7 win over the Mary Marauders from Bismarck, N.D., at home.

Chadron State got off to a great start in its opener, scoring on its first three possessions to take a 22-0 lead. But the Eagles had a pair of passes intercepted that led to 27- and 19-yard touchdown drives and fumbled a handoff at the Quincy one-yard line that was returned 99 yards by linebacker Peyton Plunkett in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles trailed 34-29 before capitalizing on Quincey's 10-yard punt and driving 35 yards to the end zone for the victory.

"The turnovers cost us, but I was really proud of how we ended the game," Head Coach Jay Long said.  "It was a total team win. With just over three minutes left, we needed a great punt, a defensive stop and a game-winning drive. We did all three in a tough environment a long ways from home."

The Eagles finished with 366 total yards--219 passing and 147 rushing.  They limited the Hawks to 85 yards on the ground and 165 passing for a 250 total.

Augustana scored in every quarter, led 24-0 at halftime and added a touchdown in both the third and fourth periods.  Mary's only TD came in the third stanza. 

The Vikings had 25 first downs and 433 yards of total offense.  Mary was held to 12 first downs and 219 yards.

Augustana quarterback Casey Bauman, a 6-foot-7. 225-pound grad student, completed 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown. The Vikings rushed 37 times for 203 yards and three TDs. They also had an 85-yard punt return for their final score. 

Augustana, which was 7-4 last season, was picked to finish fourth in the Northern Sun Conference in the coaches' pre-season poll.  It returned 10 its offensive starters and six defensive players with starting experience.

During halftime of Saturday's game, the 1989 and 1990 Chadron State football teams will be inducted into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame.  It will be the first time since 1998, when the 1949, 1958 and 1978 teams were inducted, that this has occurred.

Volleyball in Florida for Rollins College Invitational

CHADRON, Neb. -- SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 -- The Chadron State College volleyball team is in Winter Park, Florida this week for an invitational at Rollins College.
 
Chadron State will open play on Friday at 9 a.m. against Florida Tech, before facing host Rollins College at 3:30 p.m. Saturday's schedule has Tusculum University at 11 a.m., and Auburn University – Montgomery, at 3:30 p.m.
 
Last week, the Eagles finished 2-1 in their home classic. The victories occurred against York Univeristy and Minnesota State – Moorhead. The lone loss was against South Dakota Mines in four sets.
 
Against the Hardrockers, CSC scored 15 straight points in set three to come back and earn the set victory.
 
Lexi Hurtado led the Eagles last weekend, recording double-digit kills and digs in each match. Bella Adams had eight total blocks.
 
Florida Tech started their season with a record of 0-4 at the Seawolf Volleyball Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska.
 
The Panthers fell in four sets in three matches and were swept in their other match. They were swept by St. Cloud State, who is ranked seventh in the nation. Fourteenth ranked Alaska-Anchorage defeated Florida Tech in four sets.
 
Rollins has a perfect 4-0 record after a weekend at the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament in Millersville, Pennsylvania.
 
The Tars defeated Millersville University and West Chester University of Pennsylvania in three sets. Their first match of the season was a five-set victory over Indiana University of Pennsylvania before most recently having a four-set victory against Chestnut Hill.
 
Tusculum is sitting at 4-1 on the season after playing three matches in a tournament and two others.
 
At the Erskine Tournament in South Carolina, the Pioneers finished 2-1 with three-set sweeps over Erskine and Clark Atlanta. Their loss occurred against Lee College in four sets.
 
Since the season opening tournament, Tusculum defeated UVA Wise in four sets on Tuesday and had a four-set victory over Emory & Henry on Wednesday.
 
Also at 4-1 is Auburn University at Montgomery. The Warhawks went 3-1 at the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational last weekend before winning a solo match on Monday.
 
The Warhawks have three-set victories over Francis Marion University and Belmont Abbey College. Their other wins took four sets against Newberry College and Albany State.
 
Lander University swept the Warhawks during the season opening tournament.

Eagle golf opens fall schedule tomorrow

CHADRON, Neb. -- SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 -- CSC golf opens their fall schedule tomorrow when they tee up at the Swan Memorial, held at the Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield, Colorado.
 
The Eagles return seven of the eight golfers on last year's roster, losing Alpine Hickstein who exhausted her college eligibility.
 
Five seniors and two sophomores make up this year's team, making experience a strength of the squad.
 
The seniors include Jordan Grasis of Yuma Arizona, Kenzey Kanno of Mitchell, Nebraska, Brooke Kramer of Aurora, Colorado, Allison Acosta of Oro Valley, Arizona and Kinsey Smith of Windsor, Colorado.
 
Each one has scored in multiple tournaments for the Eagles.
 
Kramer and Grasis finished second and third all-time in season scoring average for CSC golf after last season. Kramer played 14 rounds with an average of 80.36, while Grasis played 20 rounds with an average of 81.
 
While Hickstein holds the first and 4-6 spots, Kinsey Smith is seventh with an average of 82.29 in 17 rounds last season and Kanno is ninth with an average of 82.65 in 20 rounds.
 
For career scoring average in Chadron State history, Hickstein holds the number one ranking, followed by Smith, Kramer, Kanno, Grasis and Acosta, respectively.
 
The sophomores include Aubree Heinsma from Windsor, Colorado, and Payton Wise from Kimball, Nebraska.
 
Both competed in tournaments last season as individuals and are hopeful to find a spot in the top five this season.
 
Last season at the Swam Memorial, which was played at a different course, the Eagles shot their lowest 54-hole total in school history to start the season.