02/03/14 Issue

MiSSiLE Ramen: Healthy snack for students or dangerous heart attack in waiting?

>Page 4

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014

HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 15, ISSUE 19

In The Fold

Pro dancer visits campus studio

Sports

Dax Guilliams Staff Writer

The dance studio isn’t the most heavily-trafficked area on campus, but if a student found themselves there last week, they would find a professional dancer giving master classes.

Starting last Tuesday, master classes were given in Arkansas Hall from 3-4:30 p.m. by Cecil Slaughter, senior lecturer in dance at Washington University in St. Louis.

“I consider myself primarily a choreographer,” Slaughter said. “I am fascinated by the idea of ritual or community,” he said.

Slaughter has been a professional dancer in Ohio for over ten years and has been teaching dance for over thirty.

Slaughter also serves as a board member of the Missouri Dance Organization among many of his positions.

Along with master classes, Slaughter performed rehearsals on Monday through Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m.

This led up to a public performance that took place on Friday at 3 p.m. in the dance studio.

Minutes before the performance on Friday, Slaughter prepared his dancers by explaining the movements they should be performing in very fine detail.

Everything from the way they should stand to the emotion they convey to one another while performing was explained by Slaughter prior to taking the stage.

Though the performance was looming minutes away, Slaughter still had fun with the dancers as they prepared.

When appropriate, Slaughter found time to make jokes and funny observations to entertain the dancers and audience alike.

With his balance of seriousness and humor, Slaughter demonstrates how professional he is.

Jennifer Maddox, dance company director, welcomed Slaughter to campus.

“Cecil is very talented,” Maddox said. “Cecil has left the student’s with a lot of knowledge.”

Henderson boys basketball team wins despite receiving a technical foul before the game even started against Southeastern Oklahoma State for dunking during warmups last Saturday.

KILLER DANCE MOVES Professional dancer Cecil Slaughter gave master classes to dance students prior to a practice performance last Friday.

Maddox opened the public performance by briefly speaking with the audience before inviting Slaughter to the floor. Slaughter introduced himself and gave a preface to the upcoming performance, which he named Travelers, the dancers performed.

As soon as the show began, Slaughter’s use of ritual and community themes shone through the dancers’ interactions with one another and the music.

The music shifted from a tribal beats to a heavy electronic sound. The theme remained constant through the changing music and there were no missteps.

Although the show was technically a practice, it seemed to be a final product. The dancers showed no mistakes in their movements or expressions.

At the edge of the dance studio, Slaughter continued to give advice to the spectating dancers for their turns on stage.

One of the dancers in the performance, Jordan Burns, a junior theatre

major and dance minor, gave an incredible performance. Burns not only took to the floor with other dancers, but he also performed solo. When asked about his work with Slaughter, Burns had nothing but good things to say.

“He pushes us to bring the best out of us,” Burns said.

Once the performance ended, Slaughter returned to the dance floor to address the audience once more.

As the dancers rested, Slaughter took questions from the audience before thanking them and then invited them to watch the performance one more time.

Slaughter spoke with the dancers again before the next show to give them advice and constructive criticism.

The dancers once again put on an impressive show.

Mr. Slaughter’s presence on campus not only gave dance students a great performer and choreographer to work with, but also left the public with an awe-inspiring performance.

Henderson welcomes new Christian sorority to campus Megan Fowler Staff Writer

Sigma Phi Lambda has become the latest addition to Greek life and recruitment is in full swing.

Dec. 7 marked the founding of Sigma Phi Lambda’s Alpha Xi chapter on Henderson’s campus where five students were trained to become officers and 26 were initiated.

“It was totally a God thing,” said Meghan Bubulka, a third year early childhood education major.

Bubulka and two friends she had known since high school joked about the how one day they would buy letter shirts and be a “Christian sorority.”

After doing some research online, to Bubulka’s surprise, a Christian sorority was possible.

A phone call was made to Sigma Phi Lambda’s executive board to show in-

>Page 6

*Photo by Ryan Klare

terest in setting up a colony and meetings were held with Chad Fielding, assistant vice president for student affairs.

Sigma Phi Lambda was looking to expand and found Henderson to be a viable candidate.

“There are 31 active chapters of Sigma Phi Lambda across the nation,” Tobi McMillan, executive director of Sigma Phi Lambda, said. “We are currently working with women from several universities who are in the early stages of starting a new chapter on their campuses.”

As of now there are only nine states that have Sigma Phi Lambda chapters.

Sigma Phi Lambda is recruiting and looking for women of different backgrounds to join and share their love of Christ.

“Our personal goal is to bring campus ministry together. We want to mix ladies of the BCM, the Wesley Foundation, MBSF, and every other student ministry together as one,” Bubulka said.

“Our primary purpose is to glorify God and make his name great on college campuses across the nation,” McMillan said. “We seek to create healthy Christian communities in our chapters that develop Christian women leaders who will go on to impact, not only their campuses, but the whole world for Christ.”

The organization uses time to worship with their sisters. They spend time in prayer and devotional, as well as in testimony and bible study.

“My sisters are my right hand,” Macey Bonds, sophomore human services major said. “Through Sigma Phi Lambda we help each other grow spiritually in ways we can’t on our own. These girls are irreplaceable and truly a blessing from God.” These students have sought to establish the chapter to make a difference in the lives of their peers.

“It was never our thing, it was always his,” Bubulka said.

Features

Photographer and professor Beverly Buys recently held her last exhibit before her retirement from Henderson this spring. Buys has been teaching at Henderson for 19 years. Her photos of the Mississippi River delta region can be seen hanging in the Russell Fine Arts building until the end of Feb. >Page 2

Opinions

Kevin Rodgers shares his journey from a high school backup player with an ACL avulsion to star college quarterback and captain of the Allstate Good Works team.

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Find more news and information online at WWW.HSUORACLE.COM Monday

Tuesday

48

45

32

28

Wednesday

39

21

Thursday

34

23

Friday

39

25

Saturday

Sunday

48

41

INDEX Features: page 2 | Opinions: page 3| Diversions: page 4 | Sports: page 5 & 6

19

16

FEATURES

PAGE 2 February 3, 2014

Art professor shows final Henderson exhibition J. Scott McKinnon Staff Writer

The Mississippi River delta region is marked by tumultuous events.

Beverly Buys, professor of art, has attempted to capture the essence of the region in her final exhibition at Henderson.

A professor at Henderson since ‘97, Buys’ photo exhibition “Delta in Blue” showcases the delta region through her unique style and printing method.

Her decision to focus on the delta came from a road trip a few years ago with a friend.

“The delta region just really captured my imagination,” Buys said.

“There is such a tragic history to the area and the people that live there.”

David Stoddard has been a colleague of Buys’ for 15 years in the art department.

“Beverly’s love for the delta area is strong and you can really feel her love in her work,” Stoddard said.

“Beverly adds her own unique style to the images, which is incredibly interesting.”

One location in particular that helped inspire Buys was the small town of Elaine, Ark. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, in 1919 the town experienced one of the worst racial conflicts in United States history known as the Elaine Massacre. While no exact figure is known, it is believed that between 100-200 African-American sharecroppers were killed during rioting.

“Elaine really has a stain on its history from the riots,” Buys said.

“Understanding Elaine’s history while viewing her photograph of downtown Elaine brings a deeper

*Photos by Morgan Acuff

BLUE WITHOUT YOU Kaitlin Hood, freshman biology major, views the work of art professor Beverly Buys in RFA (above.) Buys’ final show at Henderson is called “Delta in Blue.” Buys guides her friend Jodi Norris in looking at her photos (bottom.) Dilapidated shack at Crossroads is on display (below.) level of meaning to the image.”

Buys decided to make her prints larger than she normally does.

“By using larger images, there is a real impact when you walk into the room,” Buys said.

She also chose to print her images with the cyanotype method.

The method involves painting photographic chemicals onto the image medium before exposing them to UV or sunlight to develop, leaving the photographs with a blue hue.

She chose to use cyanotype because she truly loves the process and is

very devoted to light sensitive materials and analog photography.

Buys treated every image differently, including leaving one outside for several days.

She hasn’t always been comfortable adding her own style and methods to her artwork.

Before her previous show opened, a broken pipe flooded her workspace while she was out of town. Devastated, Buys began throwing away the water-damaged images before realizing that she truly loved what the flood had created.

After seeing those unexpected results, she learned to let go of making perfect images.

“It taught me to be confident in my work,” Buys said. “It was a real turning point in my style.”

When making the final images for Delta in Blue, Buys used six sheets of film, instead of the traditional one.

She feels that her process makes the photographs more like drawings or paintings.

“While they are still photographic, they are interrupted and have a bit of artistic interpretation that really plays into the meaning of the work,” Buys said.

The final effect also creates a segmented image that she sees as almost

like the viewer is looking through a window. Some of her favorite images in the exhibition were what she calls “happy accidents.” “Something happened in the process that wasn’t planned and the result made me very happy,” Buys said.

This is Buys’ final exhibition before retiring from Henderson this spring. She began as an adjunct professor in ‘95 before moving up to a full time professor of art two years later.

“It’s going to be very hard to see her leave,” Stoddard said. “We’re all going to really miss her, but excited to see what she does.”

Stoddard isn’t the only one with mixed feelings.

“It’s been a real roller coaster of emotions,” Buys said.

She sees this as the start of a new chapter in her life.

“I feel like I’m 18 years old and I just told my parents that I’m quitting school and moving to California to be a hippie,” Buys said.

While she is sad to be leaving Henderson, she is looking forward to having the time to devote to her art.

Delta in Blue by Beverly Buys is on display in the Russell Fine Arts Gallery now through Feb. 24.

*Photo by Beverly Buys

OPINIONS

PAGE 3 February 3, 2014

From injury to ESPN, down on a knee Kevin Rodgers Guest Columnist

I quickly signed my name across the dotted line.

The pen shook with my clammy, nervous hands as I signed my life away.

My parents and head coach stood behind me watching me commit.

Clicks and abrupt flashes exploded around me as the moment unfolded.

My friends were across the room smiling as we sat in a corner of the library at Rockwall Heath High School in Texas.

How had I made it this far? It took long hours of hard work to get to this moment, to earn a college scholarship.

This was a dream I thought was out of reach after I hurt my knee in sixth grade.

God brought me through that moment to prepare me for my future.

There was no way of knowing that 10 years after my leg injury, I would be awarded at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show live on ESPN. I remember the date like it was my anniversary: August 5th, 2002. It was national night in Rockwall.

I put my pads in my pants for youth football practice. I had finally earned the position of starting quarterback while the usual starter was busy with baseball practice.

I ate my macaroni and cheese, my pre-practice ritual, so I had the carbohydrates and energy to get through it.

During the beginning of practice, we threw routes on air with the receivers. I was on point and in the zone.

Then came the dreaded drill that would forever alter the path I had laid out for myself.

L E T T E R S TO THE EDITOR

Have an opinion on a controversial issue or response to this week’s column? Write the Oracle at oracle@hsu.edu to have your voice heard. Opinions should be between 400 and 600 words and emailed as a word document. Include your preferred name. No anonymous submissions, please.

The Oracle Staff Co-editor-in-chief

Morgan Acuff newantiquity@gmail.com

Faculty adviser Mike Taylor taylorm@hsu.edu

Co-editor-in-chief

Stephanie Hartman stephwithahart@gmail.com

Sports editor

Kaitlyn Kitchens kk175413@reddies.hsu.edu

Photo editor

Ryan Klare rk167403@reddies.hsu.edu

Editorial cartoonist

Houston Fryer hf179598@reddies.hsu.edu

Graphic designer

Brett Little cblittle2010@yahoo.com

Web designer

Izhar Buendia izharbuen@gmail.com

Business manager

James T. Allen ja165078@reddies.hsu.edu

Distribution manager

Moe Skinner moeskinner954@gmail.com

The tackling drill. I absolutely hated this drill.

This drill required two people to run at an angle toward each other.

One player tackled the other with the ball.

It was my turn and a tight end waited on the other side. A quarterback going up against a tight end?

Sounds like a great idea.

I didn’t think about it as the coach blew the whistle and we raced toward each other.

We collided and I felt a pop in my knee. Pain shot up through my leg. I let out a scream and laid there wondering what had just happened.

My knee instantly filled with swelling.

Two of the team dads carried me off the field and the team clapped as they loaded me up. Off I went to the orthopedic doctor.

The doctors took an MRI and XRay and brought the results into the office.

Dr. Aldridge stared at the pages, then solemnly looked at my parents and I. “It’s an ACL avulsion,” he said.

My heart sank. My anterior crucial ligament had torn the top of my tibia off and was barely hanging there.

Everything I was involved in related to sports and running activities.

Now it was all gone, for at least ten weeks anyway.

A few days later, Dr. Aldridge performed surgery and repaired my knee.

That night, I woke up in the middle of the night agitated. I couldn’t move my knee and I panicked.

I cried all night. My mom woke up and found me sitting on the porch.

“What am I gonna do,” I said.

“I dunno,” she said. “But you will come back from this.”

I cried out to God. “Why me? Why now? What did I

do to deserve this?” I asked Him. I became angry.

I worked hard to earn that starting position just to have it taken from me in a flash.

While I was being a vegetable on the couch all day waiting for school to start, I played video games.

It’s a wonder that my old Xbox didn’t fry because of how much I played it. My brother would bring his high school friends over and I beat them in NCAA Football over and over again.

After I mastered the art of video gaming, it got old. I started to read my bible. God showed me that patience is a precious virtue, along with hard work.

Eight weeks later, the cast was removed and I started rehab. This period of my life was a hard one.

My mom drove me 30 minutes every day to the rehab center, encouraging me while I worked out.

Each day, I bent my knee a little further.

Eventually, I began walking normally, then running, then sprinting, and finally, making strategic cuts with my newly repaired knee.

Many prayers were sent up to God along the way. I found one verse to keep me going that whole time, Matthew 6:25-34.

In this verse, God tells us to not worry about tomorrow, because today brings enough trials and worries.

All I can do is work hard and let God show me the way. That is exactly what happened.

After signing my letter of intent to Henderson State University, God let me blossom. He surrounded me with phenomenal people.

In three years of playing football for Henderson, I was awarded first team all-conference for two years, first team all American, three conference championships, 10,000 passing yards and 90 touchdowns.

Not too bad for an average high school quarterback with a scarred knee, right?

I will say that I would not have any of these awards without the help of my tremendous receivers, offensive line, and running backs.

Throughout this time, God has used me to be a positive influence on people and spread His love.

On December 11th, 2013, I found my chair in the Atlantic City Dance Hall at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida after walking the red carpet.

My palms were sweaty.

AJ McCarron, Johnny Manziel, Nick Saban, Lee Corso, and others were in the crowd as I sat and looked around.

My brand new black suit enveloped me as I shook Samantha Ponder’s hand and waited for the countdown.

“Five,” I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer.

“Four,” I quickly cleared my throat.

“Three,” My heart was pounding like a drum.

“Two,” Slowly, I looked at the camera labeled ESPN. “One.” “Welcome back to the Home Depot College Football Awards Show,” ESPN reporter Samantha Ponder said. “I’m here with quarterback Kevin Rodgers of Henderson State University and now captain of the AFCA Allstate Goodworks Team.”

The whole interview seemed like a blur. I nailed it and I am still in shock that ESPN showed me on national T.V. God brought me from a knee surgery, to national television in seven years. I encourage everyone I meet to work hard and put their trust in the Lord.

Do not worry, because He always has a plan.

PAGE 4 February 3, 2014

DIVERSIONS

SPORTS

PAGE 5 February 3, 2014

Reddies win at home by 19 points Tyler Lennon Staff Writer

The Reddies defended their home court in style Thursday against East Central University with a final score of 75-56.

The Reddies won by their biggest margin this season on Thursday night.

The game wasn’t a blow out from the get-go however, the Reddies held a one-point lead going into the locker room at the half.

The Reddies were shooting 33 percent from the field in the first half which was actually 4 percent lower than ECU. The second half however was a different story.

ECU shot better in the second half bumping the field goal percentage to a little over 40 percent but HSU shot 14 of 23 from the field.

Another key to success was the ability of the Reddies to capitalize on turnovers.

The Reddies allowed just 5 points off turnovers, but were able to score 14 points on turnover possessions.

The Reddies also had better stats in second chance points and points off the bench. 39 of their 75 points came off the bench.

Leading the way was redshirt senior guard Deoirvay Johnson who had 23 points shooting 8-14 and 4-8 from behind the three point line.

Johnson’s season high is 26 but this was his fourth game with over

*Photo by Kristine Moore

NEVER BACKING DOWN Charles Wesley jumps to make a layup

shot in the game Thursday night against East Central University. The Reddies (10-11, 6-7 GAC) walked away with the win of 75-56 against ECU. Henderson shot right under 50 percent, making 11 out of 24 while ECU were only able to make 28 percent from behind the arc.

20 points. Johnson shoots 48 percent from the field and a stunning 47 percent from three-point land.

Johnson scored 19 of his 23 in the second half where he shot 6 of 7, 4

of 4 from behind the arc and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line, he was firing on all cylinders.

He added to his impressive statline with 2 assists. Junior Forward

Taylor Smith and freshman guard Kevin Kozan added 15 points apiece.

Smith earned his shooting 4 of 10, 2 of 5 from behind the arc and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.

Kozan however relied on the three, sinking all 5 treys, also leading the team.

Junior forward Reggie Murphy added 12 points, shooting 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

Other scorers were senior guard Melvin Haynes with 4 points, junior guard Ryan Yeates with 4, and junior center Alioune Mboup with 2.

The Reddies outshot ECU and took advantage of ECU’s struggles in the second half.

ECU was only able to shoot 28 percent from behind the arc, while HSU shot right under 50, making 11 of 24.

The Reddies added another to the win column with a 56-50 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday.

The win gave the Reddies record to 10-11 on the season and 6-7 in the GAC. With a few games remaining on the schedule the Reddies can get both their overall and conference record above .500.

The Reddies will face three teams they have already beaten as they enter the stretch.

Four of the seven remaining games are at home, giving the Reddies a better chance to end the season on a high note.

Lady Reddies fall to smooth-shooting Savage Storm Hunter Lvely Staff Writer

Coming off a disappointing home loss to ECU Thursday, the Lady Reddies (12-7, 7-6 GAC) hoped to get back on track against visiting Southeastern Oklahoma State (12-6, 8-4 GAC) Saturday.

HSU took the early 2-0 lead over the Savage Storm, as Dulincia Keener slashed through the lane for a layup off one of four Taylor Washington assists.

An intense first half followed, as the teams exchanged the lead nine times in 14 minutes of play.

Aungelique Sledge, the league scoring leader, connected on a 3-pointer at the 6:02 mark off of a Krystal Beachum assist. The Lady Reddies are still looking for answers to what went wrong after that bucket.

A barrage of 3-point baskets by the Savage Storm’s Emily Williams catapulted SEOSU past the Lady Reddies at half, as they went on a mind-boggling 17-2 run.

The Lady Reddies ended the half going 1 of 7 from the field in those final six minutes, and entered the locker room down 11 points, 35-26.

HSU pulled within seven at the 17:10 mark of the second half, as Beachum cashed in back-to-back free throws, but SEOSU would answer with a 3-pointer by Shelby Hill.

The closest HSU would get in the second half to regaining the lead was when Sledge nailed another three at the 13:10 mark, pulling the Lady Reddies within three points, 45-42, but SEOSU answered immediately with back-to-back treys of its own, push-

*Photo by Ryan Klare

SHOOT THE BALL FOR TWO Number 21 on the Lady Reddies basketball team, Krystal Beachum, steps up to make a free throw shot in the game against Southern Oklahoma State University. Henderson State fell short, losing 74-66 in the game against the Savage Storm. Beachum finsihed the game recording 24 points for the Lady Reddies and making 10 rebounds.

ing the lead to 51-42.

Each time the Lady Reddies would try to cut into the lead, the Savage Storm would counter. Time would run out for an HSU comeback, as the Lady Reddies fell short, losing 74-66.

Despite winning the rebounding battle 40-27, the Lady Reddies gave up 11 3-pointers to the Savage Storm, four of those from Williams.

“I thought we were a little sloppy with our zone defense tonight,” Beachum said. “We’ve got to clean that

up in practice and take the positives from this game to Southern Nazarene next week.”

Beachum finished with a doubledouble, recording 24 points and hauling in 10 rebounds.

Sledge was one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 15 points and collecting nine rebounds.

Keener pitched in 8 points and ripped down almost one-third of the team’s rebounds with 12.

“I’m pleased with the way our

team battled tonight, especially in the rebounding category,” Jill Thomas, head coach, said. “Usually when you win the rebounding battle, you come out with a victory. Unfortunately we didn’t hit shots when we needed to and they got hot at the right time.”

Thomas also mentioned that the team needs to make defensive adjustments to prepare for its road trip to Southern Nazarene on Thursday, as tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. in Bethany, Okla.

Softball team hosts HSU/OBU Invitational tournament Kaitlyn Kitchens Sports Editor

The Lady Reddie softball team began their season on Saturday in the HSU/OBU Invitational tournament.

The team beat Cameron 10-6 but fell to Delta State 7-0 and Tarleton State University 8-2 at the Dee White Field.

The schedule was changed so that the Lady Reddies were forced to play all three games the same day due to

bad weather.

The Lady Reddies played their first game of the season at 10 a.m against Delta State University.

Delta State was able to get 14 hits off of the Lady Reddies while finishing the game 7-0.

The Lady Reddies next played Cameron at noon where they came back and took the win 10-6.

Amber Klug had a home run and went 3-for-4 while driving in three runs for Henderson.

Cagen Medlock helped the Lady

Reddies win by striking out four batters.

The Lady Reddies totaled in 34 at bats while Cameron only had 31.

Henderson had 12 hits throughout the game while Cameron was only able to reach 9 hits in the game.

The final game of the day against Tarleton State University was played at 2:30 p.m. at the Dee White Field.

The Lady Reddies fell to Tarleton 8-2 while only getting 6 hits during the game. Halter and Klug were able to get two hits each off of Tarleton’s

pitcher while Kayla Williams and South were able to get one hit each.

Klug was the offensive leader for the Day going 6-for-9, with two doubles, a home run and a pair of RBI. Halter went 5-for-12 in the three games while South went 4-for-10 for the day.

Henderson State University will play Missouri Southern State University in Durant, Okla. on Friday, Feb. 7.

The game is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Additional reporting by Troy Mitchell.

SPORTS

PAGE 6 February 3, 2014

A friend, a punter and a Super Bowl Geoff Baker Seattle Times

Terry Young had a upside-down, between-the-legs view of the unlikely path his good friend took to the Super Bowl.

When Seahawks punter Jon Ryan first began kicking back in Regina, Saskatchewan, Young was his long snapper, first in youth football and then in high school.

Later, when Ryan punted for the University of Regina and the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he’d call on Young to long snap for him during offseason workout sessions. Their bond became so strong that when Ryan earned a trip to Sunday’s Super Bowl, where his Seahawks play the Denver Broncos, Young had be here.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Young, 31, an industrial mechanic and firefighter for an oil refinery who is visiting here for the first time. “When he initially texted me and said, ‘I’m going to the Super Bowl, buddy!’ he said he had one set of tickets left and asked me if I wanted them. “It’s surreal. I’m so happy for him. All the hard work and sacrifice that he’s put in, being away from home and his family, it’s great.

He’s now made it to the Holy Grail.”

Young still has trouble believing his good friend plays in the NFL. When Ryan broke in with the Green Bay Packers in 2006, after setting a CFL record for average yards per punt in two seasons with Winnipeg, Young was so excited seeing him on TV back home, he got angry when the cameras switched to quarterback Brett Favre. The pair continued working out together after Ryan’s first season in the NFL. They finally stopped after his second season with Seattle in 2009, but still hang out regularly in Regina, Seattle and during Young’s annual trip to Ryan’s second residence in the Phoenix area.

“We never talk about football,” Young said. “I’m more interested in how his life’s going, if he’s lonely being away from home, if he’s met anybody special in his life. That kind of thing. He’s always talking football with people and doesn’t need me to be doing that as well.”

They first met as ninth-graders at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate, when Young was nearly as tall as his current 6 feet 2.

“I saw him and I said, ‘Who’s that little redheaded guy?’ “But it soon

*Photo by George Bridges

HUGGIN’ IT OUT Kicker Steven Hauschka (4) and holder Jon Ryan (9) of the Seattle Seahawks celebrate his game-winning field goal in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 29, 2013, in Houston, Texas. (George Bridges/MCT)

became clear how good an athlete Ryan was. Ryan excelled at basketball and was also the star goaltender for a Midget AAA hockey team of 15-and16-year-olds in nearby Moose Jaw. He was invited to training camp by the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Playing junior hockey would likely have ended Ryan’s football career because of overlapping seasons, which is why Young was thrilled when his friend called to tell him he’d been cut. “I said, ‘Hey, that’s great news!”’ Young said.

“Then, when I hung up, my mom said, ‘You realize he was probably very upset over the news, right?’ And I said, ‘But now he can come back and play for us!’ “ Ryan once unfurled a 90-yard punt _ about 65 through the air _ for their high-school football team. Young had become his long snapper in 10th grade, and the two were inseparable. “We practiced all

the time,” he said. “Before practice, after practice.”

Punters need firm, accurate snaps during training sessions or it can throw their timing off.

That’s why, even once Ryan made it to the CFL and NFL, he and Young still headed off for workouts twice a week.

“He always tells me I could have long-snapped in college, or in the CFL and that I was silly not to,” Young said. “But I tell him I’m doing exactly what I want to do in life and don’t regret it one bit.”

Young first got to know Ryan’s family, including his late father, Bob, who contracted a rare form of bone cancer before Ryan’s first NFL season and died at age 54.

“I don’t know how he held it together,” Young said of Ryan. “Going through all of that in his first year with an NFL team. It was a hard time.”

Ryan’s father was wheelchairbound toward the end of his life, but a Regina businessman arranged to fly him and his wife to Green Bay on his private jet so he could realize his dream of seeing his son play in the NFL. The Packers arranged to have him brought down to the entrance tunnel to the field to surprise Ryan, who was overcome by emotion.

Ryan’s father died a month later, but Young said the visit gave Ryan an unforgettable memory.

“To have him there, down in the tunnel, was just something unbelievable,” Young said.

As was last week’s Super Bowl experience. Young caught a flight to Seattle, where he spent the week with his old friend.

“Hopefully,” Young said, “we’ll have something big to celebrate.”

And celebrate, they did.

Reddies topple Savage Storm in defensive battle Hunter Lively Staff Writer

After a blowout victory against ECU on Thursday, the Reddies (1011, 6-7 GAC) planned to keep the momentum as they faced visiting Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-12, 3-9 GAC) on Saturday.

The game had a bizarre start, as HSU was issued a technical foul before the clock even started, for dunking in pre-game warm-ups.

At tipoff, the Savage Storm led by 1, after John Balwigaire sunk the free throw.

The Reddies won the tip and got things rolling, as Aaron Harwell found Kevin Kozan for a tone-setting 3-pointer.

Over the next eight minutes, both teams locked down defensively, and Deoirvay Johnson broke the Reddie drought with another 3-pointer, the team’s second bucket, at the 12:32 mark.

SEOSU was holding an 8-6 lead at that point, when Melvin Haynes came back on HSU’s next possession to find Johnson, who canned another 3, giving the Reddies a 9-8 lead.

Much like the Lady Reddies, the men saw multiple lead changes in the first half, with SEOSU’s size and HSU’s hot shots trading licks.

As the buzzer sounded, both teams entered the locker room with

*Photo by Ryan Klare

MOVE IT DOWN THE COURT HSU’s forward, Taylor Smith dribbles down the court Saturday against Southeastern Oklahoma State. Henderson won 56-50. the score knotted at 27 apiece.

Once again, both teams began the half with a scoring drought, with HSU’s Taylor Smith scoring the first points at the 17:45 mark, knocking down two free throws.

As the Reddies clung to a 32-31 lead midway through the half, Kevin Kozan got cooking.

The next two HSU possessions belonged to him, as he buried 3-point baskets on each, extending the Reddie

lead to 38-31, giving HSU momentum.

“I think that definitely got us going,” Kozan said. “But we also played great defense the whole game. We got some easy buckets in transition.”

SEOSU tried to answer on a Balwigaire layup, but on the Reddies next possession, Ronald Lawson found Reggie Murphy on an easy high-low layup to put HSU up 40-33 with ten minutes to play.

As the second half came to a close, Johnson and Kozan provided the offense that the team had been lacking and propelled the Reddies to victory, 56-50.

Both guards poured in 14 points apiece, with Johnson also contributing four assists.

Taylor Smith also had a big night for the Reddies with 11 points and seven rebounds.

“I’m really pleased with how Kevin and Deoirvay played tonight,” Doug Nichols, head coach, said. “We had some matchup problems inside with their three big men on defense, but I felt like our guys did a good job of taking advantage of their mismatches on offense.”

The Reddies will look to continue their winning streak on Thursday as they travel to Bethany, Okla., for a matchup against Southern Nazarene University.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m Thursday night.