MOKS Sports Talk

I will do my best to explain this…..it’s hard.  First of all, congrats to the Lady Pirates in making it to the State Tournament (State Semi’s and Finals) at Mizzou Arena!  We at NorN Productions/MOKSsports.com are excited for you and we certainly wish you well!  It’s a major accomplishment for your program!

We will not be broadcasting in any capacity from Mizzou arena….and we certainly wish we could.  We have the technology, assetts, and most importantly the people to make it happen, but it is something that we cannot provide.  The reason is due to an agreement that MSHSAA has made with another webcast company (internet broadcasting company).  They are exclusive and cannot allow anyone else as a result broadcast on the web from State Championship venues.

NorN Productions has run into this before, and we have worked with MSHSAA before.  We have been able to get our people on the air or through Prepcasts.com, but now it is not allowed.  Last year we worked it out through MSHSAA to get on this internet group that they have formed, and now it is not allowed.  We also tried to contact Prepcasts.com directly to allow someone from our group to broadcast, but they say that we will be biased. We have tried every avenue that does not involve a legal process….to no avail.  I can only say this….we only want to provide coverage for the team(s) that we followed…one of them being the Platte County Pirates Program…who we have covered for the last 6 years.  We are not trying to take anything away from Prepcasts or the MSHSAA internet Broadcast Network, we just want to follow and broadcast for the teams that we have covered for years.

Without getting into more trouble….I will stop it here with what the facts are, and I apologize that we cannot provide the broadcast coverage and knowledge that you are used to.  We will provide every bit of multi-media coverage possible otherwise.   My hope is that someday/somehow that this barrier can be broken, and we will keep trying.  I hope this explains things.

Prepcasts.com will cover the semi’s and 3rd place games..by video stream (computer), and the Fox Sports Network will be televising the finals.  If you do not want to do pay-per-view you can listen to Missouri Regional Radio Link  provided, or you can check on our score chat. We will provide pictures, and video clips (Including the HD Clips).

Updates to Follow!!

Jay Nower

NorN Productions

We had a delay in launching our video product this week.  For those of you expecting a video stream last Saturday (Saint Mary Girls & Boys Game Jan 10), I apologize.  We are having some technical challenges in this launch, but it will happen within the next 10 days.

It feels like I am at shuttle command and announcing another delay in a shuttle launch…but…we want to make sure the product is ready….give us another week and we will announce a launch.  Thanks for your patience!

Well, you have heard all of the excuses….1.  Not enough Bandwidth 2. Equipment Too Expensive 3. I have Red Hair (Sorry…could not think of another excuse!).  We made a New Year’s Commitment to start making on-line video productions for complete events (yes, that’s sporting events).  We will make our first attempt for this on Jan 10 with our Trial at Saint Mary, covering the Girls and Boys Basketball games vs. Friends University.

Now….I will say this with some qualification and expectations to explain.  This will be a Video production that will accompany the Audio Production.  In short…you won’t see the fancy graphics like what you see in a Television production, and the stats and etc that you would associate with a major TV network won’t be there.  You also initially will not see the multiple camera angles like what you would see with a TV production….there will just be one for the moment.  It will also not be a finished product until sometime next fall.  We will be going through a pilot and testing phase this winter/spring, so please “pardon our expansion” as we work to make this a viable product. 

We will make this a “Pay per Use” product, once established…the user will be able to log on and buy their “Ticket”, which now is typically $4.95 per day.  The DVD’s of the event should be available later, with a purchase price of $24.95.  Also, if we are shooting a video of the event, the “Live” portion will depend on the availability of High Speed Data.  If High Speed is not available, we will still be able to provide a download later to view and the DVD if desired.  We are also not going to video every event, just the “selected” ones that we feel should deserve multi-media coverage.

Now, with that printed I will say that we are looking forward to this product. This has been a great solution for events that are not televised, without the astronomical cost of a Television Crew or station. As technology improves this will do nothing but get better.  I don’t believe this product will replace TV in the short term..but it will be a great alternative to enjoy an event…especially if you cannot be there.

Jay Nower - President

NorN Produtions

Holy Moly…good golly miss molly… and get down James Brown it has been crazy busy. I have to go all the way back to the KW game and get caught up on the happenings with the Spires.

But before I can do that you must know it wasn’t because I don’t like blogging or that I have a broken computer. It’s because since the 24th of October the night before the KW game at USM I have called 7 games and driven over 1700 miles. Throw in a few toddler trips to the Dr. and everything else it gets hectic but after I finish up the next few games I will give a great synopsis of all of the Spires games this season and my feelings on their performance. Listen in this Saturday and see if the Spires can lnock off those unfriendly Friends University. Ill see you around and maybe at the games!

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If you take a look at the USM vs Kansas Wesleyan  game statistically, you will find they are both very close to each other in most offensive categories.

USM scores 30.3 points per game and KW 28.8

USM averages 416 yards per game and KW 410

USM Defense allows 210.7 yards passing KW allows 213

KW leads the conference with 256 yards per game rushing and is in the top 3 in most defensive statistics. The most telling are the 16 points and 85 rushing yards allowed per game.

Some interesting stats ….

Only Southwestern College has more opponent penalties (52) than USM’s (46) Sterling’s opponents have the least amount of penalties (30)

USM leads the KCAC with (12) Interceptions

Daniel Robles ranks 7th in the NAIA in total offense with 290.8 YPG and 9th in passing yards per game 275.7

USM Offense is the 25th ranked offense in the NAIA

Glen Wallin ranks 18th in the NAIA in receptions per game (5.8)

Rocky Rosales ranks 17th in scoring in the NAIA averaging 8 PPG and leads the KCAC

Tai Murray is 5th in the KCAC in scoring with 6 receiving TD’s

Gideon Anderson ranks 22nd in the NAIA in tackles per game (9.7)

USM’s 53 points against Tabor was their highest point total ever

USM only commits 47.7 penalty yards per game and is second to only Friends 44 YPG

Can’t wait to see the final results after the HUGE game this Saturday at Spires Field. See you there!

For those of you that have been around me, you understand that I love the small colleges.  I will even go so far as to say that I am pretty much a neutral NCAA Division I fan.  I do live in Missouri, and work in Kansas for the most part…..so it helps me in my 2-state comfort.  This really throws off some people from Nebraska, as it is given that if you live there you HAVE to be a Cornhusker fan.  People assume that since I have lived in Missouri that I should be a Missouri fan.  Once again…I keep my neutral stance….and boy do I get some dirty looks (including people from Missouri).  The reason why is that I CHOSE to go to a smaller college and I LOVED IT!  The other reasons….smaller classes, shorter lunch lines, closer parking, walk everywhere on campus within 10 minutes, and yes..smaller crowds.

I also like small college sports….Why?  It’s always a refreshing change to see people compete in sports because they WANT to with the absence (for the most part) of big money.  These kids more than likely will not play at the next level, so they give it all that they can for thier moment.   These people are true scholar athletes, because they know that they will be relying on thier classroom knowledge to make it in the real world, and the education on thier respective playing fields even further enhances thier educational experience…Wasn’t that why it was there to start with?

Support your local Small School….They are there for the Right Reasons!

Jay Nower - NorN Productions

If the reports and alligations are true then the running back for the Kansa City Chiefs Larry Johnson has no place in this city. There are few things more dispicable than a 230 pound millionaire pro football player out and about town slapping, spitting, threatening with a gun and pulling the hair of WOMEN. This can not be tolerated by the operators of this team or by the fans. What a sad situation that a person in the cherished role of starting pro bowl running back is intimidating females with physical violence. If I had my way I’d cut that guy today. If you have that same feeling I suggest you use whatever channels you have available to voice your opinion to the front offices of 1 Arrowhead Drive. And thats my opinion!

Apologies to all of the millions of faithful Mokssports.com listeners. The Spires Dominated the Tabor Blue Jays and you missed the second half of our broadcast Saturday. Seldom has our live and later platform actually failed on both ends and prohibited us from getting the rest of the game. This is that rare time. At some point near halftime some unseen electrical glitch at the facility (if you want to call it that) caused our broadcast to stop transmitting live and may have been responsible for the program recording the game for later upload failing too. I am working to thoroughly investigate and correct these issues so they never happen again. Thank you for your support of Norn Productions, Mokssports.com and Spires Football. This Saturday is Kansas Wesleyan and we will be live.

Well this year the top 2 teams from each district move on to the state playoffs. Platte County’s 4A District #15 foes include Staley (5-2), Central (4-3) and Westport (1-6). No district game poses a more challenging task than this weeks opponent Staley Eagles. Head coach Fred Bouchard has a 131-51 lifetime record and 3 of those wins were Show Me Bowl Championships in the last 3 out of 4 years as head coach of Harrisonville. The Eagles are in their very first year as a football program and growing pains were expected but haven’t come quite yet. Sure they lost to Raytown South and Kearney but who hasn’t? Well I guess Ft. Osage who is the only team to record a victory against either of those teams this year and that was against Raytown South who is ranked 9th in KC and of course Kearney who is in most polls top in the state. Staley has allowed 38 more pints than they have scored and P.C. has given up 34 more than they have scored. Both of these teams lost to Kearney and Raytown South and beat Ruskin, Grandview and Hickman Mills. Against these 5 common opponenets in Staley’s losses they scored 19 points and allowed 95 and P.C. scored 10 and allowed 61. In victories the Eagles average margin of victory was 19points per game as opposed to the Pirates average margin of victory of 11 points. 

OK the stats are in and the final analysis is…. this should be a very entertaining, hard fought important game from both teams.  With two teams from each district going to state it may very well be these two teams. The runner up would face the winner of district #16 Benton, Excelsior Springs, Kearney and Lafayette. One way or the other both of these teams could end up with the right to play Kearney again this season. So enjoy the action tonight and it should be a dandy of a game.

The only thing that made Saturdays comfortable, confidence building, defensively dominated, ground attack oriented lopsided victory over the Haskell Indian Nation University a tough game for Spires fans to watch was the injuries to at least two regulars, Kyle Jones (RB) and Willie Bright (DE). They both appeared to have suffered some significant injury to their leg. Of course we will get more information tonight when we talk to Lance Hinson on the Spires Coaches Show here on Mokssports.com. A loss of either one of them would be a test to this young Spires squad.

Despite the injuries USM looked fantastic all the way around. For the second week in a row USM ran the ball for over 220 yards and Daniel Robles was all the more efficient because of it. Robles actually got most of the second half off and Chris Jolly got some experience handing the ball off a bunch and running it himself. The offensive line was impressive as its been most of the season and Tye Murray was %100 on touchdown to catch ratio…2 catches 2 TD’s.

Despite their position in the article the biggest winner among the Spires was the defense. They forced a ton of turnovers, doubled their sack tally for the season and almost shut out Haskell if not for a 70yard pass play for a TD early in the game. The 70 yard pass comprised over half of the HINU passing total yards. The defensive line impressed more than at any point this season Tyler Schumann, Coulter Doherty, Johnny Sanders and Willie Bright were dominant. The linebackers pursued viciously as usual and the secondary shined thanks to 2 INT’s by Darold Harper and of course 4 other INT’s by various other Spires.

This was just what USM needed .. an easy game (no game is truly easy) .. but its a heck of a lot easier talent wise than the normal competition. During the broadcast I kept mentioning the game against Kansas Wesleyan this weekend but I guess I broke the golden rules of football cliche statements which are.. we take the games one game at a time… and of course the old reliable… never overlook any opponent. Well I did both and it somehow slipped my mind that the Spires actually play winless Tabor this weekend not K W like I said. Maybe the anticipation of a 2-2 USM team on Homecoming against a 2-2 K W squad froze my web browser during pre-game preparations. But the way it works USM now may be playing against K W for their 4th conference win of the season. The Spires already have reached their win total of last year in both, overall and conference record. Wesleyan also has to play against KCAC team of the year almost every year Friends.

It actually hit me that if USM plays to the game they are capable of for the next 3 weeks agains Tabor (0-5) KW (3-2) and Bethany (1-4) the Spires would be 5-2 in the conference going into the last 2 games of the season vs Sterling and Friends. This should be a very very interesting stretch for the Spires and Lance Hinson.

Jon Thomas

MOKSsports.com