September 09, 2011

At the Friday, Sept. 9 home football game, Kirkwood High School (KHS) will welcome the St. Louis Rams.

Rams tight end Lance Kendricks and cheerleaders are scheduled to appear at 6:45 p.m. The Rams will have cards available for autographing but fans are also encouraged to bring cameras and personal items for autographs.

The Rams will be on hand to promote Kirkwood School District Day at the Edward Jones Dome at the Rams home opener on Sunday, Sept. 11 at noon against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Prior to the Rams game on Sunday, Sept. 11, the KHS Pioneer Pride Marching Band will be performing America on Parade arranged by Ken Dye (medley of America the Beautiful and Battle Hymn of the Republic). In addition, a thousand Kirkwood Pioneers will cheer on KHS graduate Jeremy Maclin (’06) as he makes his St. Louis NFL debut as a wide receiver for the Eagles.

The band was initially slated to perform the National Anthem, but the NFL will now be playing on the videoboard the nationally synchronized pregame salute from Shanksville, Pa., commemorating the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.

By BJ Kissel

– Staff Writer

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Aug 26, 2011 – The Kansas City Chiefs take on Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams Friday night in Kansas City. Despite being shutout 56-13 in the first two games of the preseason, the Kansas City Chiefs can take some positives away from their loss last week against the Baltimore Ravens.

It was the first time the entire starting defense played together in the preseason and Kelly Gregg showed Chiefs fans why they have a reason to feel good about the nose tackle position, finally. But heading into the game against the Rams the Chiefs still have questions that need to be answered.

Here are a few things to watch for Friday night.

Matt Cassel

For the second time in two years Matt Cassel faces the Rams with a lot of questions surrounding him heading into the game. Last season he was playing less than two weeks removed from surgery that had his appendix removed, and played quite well in that game that proved to be one of the key victories late in the season that helped the Chiefs win the AFC west division.

This preseason, Cassel has been far from impressive in just the limited action he saw last week against the Ravens. It may have been his first real game action of the preseason, but he’ll need to go out and play well Friday night or more questions, and more pressure will follow him to the regular season.

Cory Greenwood and Micah Johnson

Brandon Siler’s injury that will cost him the entire 2011 season was unfortunate for the Chiefs, who had thought Siler would push Belcher for a starting role and contribute on special teams. Instead, the Chiefs get to take a closer look at Johnson and Greenwood. Both have been impressive at times so far this preseason and both should see plenty of action Friday night.

They are both fighting for roster spots that will become more clear on Tuesday, when teams have to shrink their rosters from 90 players, to 80 players. There are always surprises every year but depth at insider linebacker just got a little more thin with the injury to Siler. Greenwood and Johnson are two players to keep your eyes on.

Verran Tucker and Keary Colbert

Tucker was very impressive last week against the Ravens at wide receiver and if he can build on that performance and take it to Friday’s game, along with his special teams ability, he’s going to make it a very difficult decision for Todd Haley and the Chiefs.

Colbert is also in the mix at wide receiver and the veteran, who hasn’t played in a NFL regular season game since 2008, needs to make an impact in Friday’s game to solidify his spot on this team.

Wallace Gilberry

Gilberry has been one of the more quiet pieces of the Chiefs defensive puzzle so far this preseason. He was second on the team in sacks in 2010, behind Tamba Hali, and was looked at prior to the draft as one of the key defensive lineman in 2011. Teams know about Tamba Hali and they started to notice Gilberry towards the end of 2010, but Allen Bailey, Andy Studebaker and Justin Houston need to become consistent threats to get after the quarterback.

Tyler Palco and Ricky Stanzi

The backup quarterback position is currently open and Palco and Stanzi will have some time on Friday night to show that they are ready to be the guy to step in should something happen to Cassel. It’s been a hot topic over the last week that the Chiefs should look for a veteran quarterback to backup Matt Cassel. Stanzi is a rookie and will be given time to develop should he become 3rd string.

So Palco is playing for his career Friday night and the following week should he make it that far. Palco led the Chiefs of an impressive touchdown drive against the Ravens that ended with a touchdown pass to Terrance Copper. If he can put together another drive or two like that on Friday, some of those doubters may go away.

These are just a few of the players to keep an eye on Friday night against the Rams. Generally the 3rd game of the preseason is when the starters will play the longest for most NFL teams. The first half of this game should give Chiefs fans an indication of where exactly this team is in their maturation process.

It should be fun to watch.

Read More: Kelly Gregg (DT – KAN), Matt Cassel (QB – KAN), Wallace Gilberry (DE – KAN), Micah Johnson (LB – KAN), Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Cory Greenwood (LB – KAN), Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams

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By Ray Brewer (contact)

Saturday, June 11, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.

During a ceremony Friday at the Orleans Arena to induct Steven Jackson into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Rams running back was praised for his many successes on the gridiron.

The Las Vegas native shined at Eldorado High, rushing for 6,396 career yards with 81 touchdowns in leading the Sundevils to the 2000 state championship game.

He went on to have a record-breaking career at Oregon State, gaining 3,625 yards and 39 touchdowns in a three-year career.

With the Rams, he broke Eric Dickerson’s franchise record for rushing yards last fall as part of a career that includes three Pro Bowls.

Yes, all those accomplishments are nice.

But for Las Vegas area high school football players, Jackson’s most significant accomplishment was simply excelling at the next level.

Before Jackson burst onto the scene at Oregon State, Southern Nevada was lightly recruited and several players with college-level talent went under-recruited. But after Jackson shined with the Beavers, college coaches starting including Las Vegas on the recruiting trail.

Over the last three years, almost 40 locals have received scholarships to Division I schools. A decade earlier, when Jackson led Eldorado to the state championship game, the area was lucky to have five players earn a full ride.

Thank you, Steven.

“I definitely helped pave the way for the other guys,” Jackson said Friday before the induction. “You have to give Oregon State credit for being the first to come here and bring guys out. Now, all kind of schools are finding guys here.”

But it is tough to find those with Jackson’s talents.

In the 2003 Las Vegas Bowl, his five-touchdown performance led Oregon State to a lopsided victory against New Mexico. Following the game at Sam Boyd Stadium, on the same field Jackson played on during halftime of UNLV games in exhibitions with his Pop Warner team, Jackson announced he was leaving school early to go pro.

After backing up Marshall Faulk during his rookie year, Jackson has become one of the league’s most utilized running backs — equally dangerous receiving and rushing the ball. In his breakout season of 2006, Jackson rushed for 1,528 yards and 13 touchdowns; he also caught 90 passes for 806 yards.

Being inducted into the Southern Nevada hall is another accomplishment he’s proud of. Jackson mingled prior to the event with past inductees and spoke with great pride about being included alongside the likes of local legends Freddie Banks, Greg Maddux, David Humm and others.

“This hall is filled with great individuals,” Jackson said. “Being part of this group mean a lot. It’s a legacy I’m proud to be part of.”

The other inductees included: the 1944 Las Vegas High football team, Olympic gymnast Tasha Schwikert, major UNLV donor Christina Hixson and longtime Las Vegas 51s executive Don Logan.

The Las Vegas High football team amazingly wasn’t scored on in going undefeated. Schwikert won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics, and Logan has operated the Las Vegas Triple-A franchise for more than 25 years.