Tag: St. Joseph

Watch: 5-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou hits buzzer-beater to beat Sierra Canyon

St. Joseph advanced past Sierra Canyon in the CIF Open Division playoffs behind five-star forward Tounde Yessoufou’s buzzer-beater.

A year after St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) fell in the California Interscholastic Federation State Open Division championship, the Knights returned with their eyes on reaching the top. In their way stood a brutal first-round matchup against Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), a nationally ranked opponent with a bevy of star talent.

But St. Joseph has stars of its own, and in the most critical moment, their five-star junior showed up. Tounde Yessoufou hit a buzzer-beater to lift St. Joseph over Sierra Canyon, icing the game at 69-68 and being mobbed by teammates on the court.

See his high catch point, control of the ball, release, and celebration in this video taken from the sidelines:

Yessoufou, a wing listed as 6-foot-5 on 247Sports and 6-foot-6 on MaxPreps, drilled the shot to allow the Knights to advance to the second round, where they will face Super 25-ranked Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.).

The two teams have faced off one time already this season, a Jan. 6 game in which Roosevelt eked out a 62-61 victory. That was one of just three losses the 31-win Knights have had this season.

St. Joseph has been largely dominant this year, posting more than 2,700 points over 34 games and outscoring opponents by an average margin of about 27 points per game.

They have one player ranked in the 247Sports Composite, Yessoufou. Listed on the composite as a five-star player, he is ranked as the third-best player in California and 20th-best in the class of 2025.

WATCH: Chiefs RBs Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire get creative with autographs

Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire got creative with their autographs at the #Chiefs’ training camp workouts on Friday.

Kansas City Chiefs running backs Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire got creative during the team’s autograph session in St. Joseph this morning, signing a young fan’s shoes after workouts concluded.

A video of their interaction hit Twitter on Friday morning when the Chiefs’ official page noted the backs’ hilarious walk up to the young fan.

Moments like this are part of the appeal for fans who make the trip to Missouri Western State University to watch the Chiefs run their drills at training camp. With a group of personalities like Kansas City hosts on its roster, these types of interactions are commonplace.

The team’s workouts on Friday were the last before their preseason schedule officially kicks off on Sunday when the Chiefs are set to face the New Orleans Saints in a highly anticipated exhibition matchup.

Watch for both McKinnon and Edwards-Helaire to be featured in Andy Reid’s game plan as the veteran head coach figure out his plan of attack for the 2023 regular season.

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WATCH: Chiefs TE Travis Kelce ‘making friends’ at training camp

#Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is having no problem making friends at training camp in St. Joseph.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is among the NFL’s most admired personalities and has had no problem getting back in his groove at training camp in St. Joseph. A leader in the Chiefs’ offense and one of the league’s most marketable stars, Kelce enters the 2023 season facing high expectations as Kansas City looks to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

The veteran tight end is entering his 11th season with the Chiefs and will look to reinvent himself to take Kansas City’s offense to new heights in the coming campaign. Kelce was spotted bonding with teammates at Chiefs training camp practice earlier in the week and told the camera about his desire to “make some friends” during the hot summer workouts at Missouri Western State University.

The appearance of second-year running back Isiah Pacheco in the short clip was a welcome sign for fans who are eager to see Kansas City’s offense back on the field together for the first time after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win back in February.

Though Kelce and Pacheco aren’t likely to see much action in Sunday’s preseason kickoff against the New Orleans Saints, the pair can be expected to continue growing closer as training camp draws to a close and the regular season approaches.

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WATCH: Isiah Pacheco works on touchdown celebration at Monday practice

#Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco took some time at Monday’s workouts in St. Joseph to practice his new touchdown celebration.

The Kansas City Chiefs plan on scoring touchdowns with regularity during their 2023 title defense campaign, and one player is already practicing his celebration dances at training camp in St. Joseph.

Second-year running back Isiah Pacheco came on strong for Kansas City last year and was spotted choreographing his latest touchdown dance ahead of the new season. Harold R. Kuntz of FOX4 KC got footage of Pacheco’s new moves during Monday’s workouts at Missouri Western State University and posted a video of the back’s diddy to Twitter.

Pacheco is primed to have an impressive sophomore season for the Chiefs as he looks to outdo his exceptional rookie performance. He became Kansas City’s leading rusher last season after unseating veterans Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon for the top spot on the Chiefs’ depth chart and became an integral part of the team’s march to Super Bowl LVII.

Watch for Pacheco to get plenty of opportunities to break out his latest celebration routine in 2023.

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WATCH: Chiefs WR Justyn Ross makes impressive one-handed catch at practice

Justyn Ross continued impressing fans at practice in St. Joseph, making a one-handed catch at the #Chiefs’ workouts on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs are hard at work honing their craft in St. Joseph, Missouri, and their group of talented wide receivers continues to impress all fans in attendance at training camp practices.

Justyn Ross made one of the best plays at Wednesday’s workouts, hauling in a pass from Patrick Mahomes with a spectacular one-handed grab. The good folks at Kansas City Sports Network got footage of Ross’ impressive feat and posted it to Twitter shortly after the play was whistled dead.

Ross is competing for a spot on Kansas City’s 53-man roster after missing his rookie season due to a lingering injury from his days at Clemson. Though plays like this from practice may seem insignificant to some, Ross has been making them with uncanny regularity, and he is certainly one of the Chiefs’ top players to watch as training camp and the preseason wear on through the end of August.

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Should Chiefs fans be worried about Chris Jones’ holdout?

Our @JohnDillonKC doesn’t think that #Chiefs fans should be overly concerned about Chris Jones’ holdout from training camp in St. Joseph.

The Kansas City Chiefs have hosted some of the most prolific pass rushers in NFL history, and Chris Jones is among the finest of the bunch. With sack numbers that put him in the same league as legends like Derrick Thomas, Tamba Hali, and Neil Smith, Jones’ current holdout has some Chiefs fans on edge about his future in Kansas City.

The team invested heavily in the middle of their defensive line after securing their Super Bowl LVII victory, signing veteran Charles Omenihu in free agency and picking rookie Keondre Coburn in the sixth round of April’s draft.

They also returned former first-round pick Danny Shelton from their championship roster, and have fan-favorite lineman Tershawn Wharton set to return from injury in the coming weeks. The team has even experimented with using Mike Danna at the defensive tackle spot and has veteran Derrick Nnadi to eat up space between the offensive tackles.

Add to that their selections of George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah in the first rounds of the past two drafts to fill out the edges, and Kansas City is loaded for bear up front ahead of the 2023 season, at least on paper.

While none of these players are likely to replace Jones’ production individually, the group has the potential to present offensive lines with plenty of precarious predicaments with their varied skill sets.

What is playing out between Jones and Kansas City’s front office is a negotiation where both sides have mutual interest, and one side has all the leverage.

Jones’ current deal is already the second-richest on the Chiefs’ books behind Patrick Mahomes, and while he deserves every bit of what he reportedly wants, the NFL’s salary cap is going to make it hard for the team to justify a deal worth $30 million or more per season.

Kansas City has prepared for a life without Jones if a split becomes necessary, and though it would be a huge blow to the Chiefs’ defense if the holdout extends into the regular season, Steve Spagnuolo certainly has contingency options at his disposal.

The Chiefs’ front office also has options and can choose to place the franchise tag on Jones at the end of the season to keep him in Kansas City through 2024, but they may have to pony up more money. He would be due a salary somewhere in the range of $32 million next season if the team were to tag him, so his demands for the extension aren’t totally without merit.

The reality of the situation, though, is that it would be in neither party’s best interest for Jones to continue sitting out through the entirety of the Chiefs’ training camp and preseason. If he is holding out for a massive payday, missed time to prepare for a contract-year campaign could hamstring his efforts to put up career-best numbers during the regular season and playoffs.

Fans who are more concerned about Jones’ immediate future in Kansas City can rest easy knowing that the team holds all the cards in a situation like this, even through the 2024 season. However, for those who want to see him stay with the Chiefs for the next half-decade, the current state of affairs should certainly seem worrisome.

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Rashee Rice, L’Jarius Sneed stayed after Tuesday’s practice to greet fans

Rashee Rice and L’Jarius Sneed stayed late after practice to greet #Chiefs fans at training camp in St. Joseph.

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St. Joseph, Missouri becomes the epicenter of Kansas City Chiefs football each summer when fans from across the midwest make memories that will last a lifetime at Missouri Western State University.

After practice on Monday, rookie receiver Rashee Rice and veteran defensive back L’Jarius Sneed took time to meet some of the Chiefs’ most faithful supporters, sharing some special moments with fans who braved the heat to watch Kansas City’s practice.

Rice has had a spectacular camp so far, hauling in passes from Patrick Mahomes with regularity. Sneed’s contributions at practices haven’t been as well-publicized, but as one of the most established players on the Chiefs’ roster, fans can rest assured that he will be ready to return to his starting role when the regular season starts in September.

Expect more interactions with fans to occur over the next several weeks in St. Joseph as Kansas City prepares for its first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints in August.

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Here is why Andy Reid had Michael Vick at Chiefs training camp on Sunday

The #Chiefs had former NFL QB Michael Vick out at training camp on Sunday. Here is what Andy Reid had to say about Vick’s visit to St. Joe:

The Kansas City Chiefs had a special guest out at training camp practice over the weekend.

Former NFL QB Michael Vick joined the Chiefs at training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri on Sunday. The team shared a photo of Vick, alongside both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce breaking the huddle during the course of practice.

Vick, of course, jump-started his NFL career in 2009, joining the Philadelphia Eagles with now-Chiefs HC Andy Reid. He played under Reid for four seasons in Philadelphia, recapturing some of the glory from his days in Atlanta. The former Virginia Tech star played 13 years in the NFL, setting the NFL record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback (6,109). That number could be even greater, but Vick missed two seasons due to a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

ā€œIā€™m a big Michael Vick fan,” Reid said when asked about his visit. “Iā€™ve watched him go through his trials and tribulations and come out on the better end. Heā€™s a great father and husband, he loves the game most of all.”

It’s not Vick’s first time with the team in St. Joseph, Missouri. Back in 2017, Vick was one of the team’s coaching interns throughout training camp. He was tasked with working with the quarterbacks, including working with Mahomes during his rookie season.

Vick wasn’t out visiting the team to do much in the way of coaching this time around, though. As a former NFL player, he was out at training camp to get a little taste of what he did for so much of his career. He got to spend some time with the team and with Coach Reid, just taking in the experience and sharing some experiences of his own.

“Heā€™s doing what you guys (the media) do, to get a little football fix,” Reid explained. “He was excited about that. And what a great player too, I mean he was a phenomenal player and a big heartā€” heā€™s got a great heart to him.ā€

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Here is why Andy Reid had Michael Vick at Chiefs training camp on Sunday

The #Chiefs had former NFL QB Michael Vick out at training camp on Sunday. Here is what Andy Reid had to say about Vick’s visit to St. Joe:

The Kansas City Chiefs had a special guest out at training camp practice over the weekend.

Former NFL QB Michael Vick joined the Chiefs at training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri on Sunday. The team shared a photo of Vick, alongside both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce breaking the huddle during the course of practice.

Vick, of course, jump-started his NFL career in 2009, joining the Philadelphia Eagles with now-Chiefs HC Andy Reid. He played under Reid for four seasons in Philadelphia, recapturing some of the glory from his days in Atlanta. The former Virginia Tech star played 13 years in the NFL, setting the NFL record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback (6,109). That number could be even greater, but Vick missed two seasons due to a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

ā€œIā€™m a big Michael Vick fan,” Reid said when asked about his visit. “Iā€™ve watched him go through his trials and tribulations and come out on the better end. Heā€™s a great father and husband, he loves the game most of all.”

It’s not Vick’s first time with the team in St. Joseph, Missouri. Back in 2017, Vick was one of the team’s coaching interns throughout training camp. He was tasked with working with the quarterbacks, including working with Mahomes during his rookie season.

Vick wasn’t out visiting the team to do much in the way of coaching this time around, though. As a former NFL player, he was out at training camp to get a little taste of what he did for so much of his career. He got to spend some time with the team and with Coach Reid, just taking in the experience and sharing some experiences of his own.

“Heā€™s doing what you guys (the media) do, to get a little football fix,” Reid explained. “He was excited about that. And what a great player too, I mean he was a phenomenal player and a big heartā€” heā€™s got a great heart to him.ā€

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Michigan State football extends PWO offer to 2022 RB Peter Schuh

Michigan State football extends PWO offer to 2022 RB Peter Schuh

Mel Tucker and his staff at Michigan State football have shown a commitment to recruiting in some areas of the country that were once practically off limits in the Mark Dantonio era. One of Tucker’s biggest recruiting wins was when he earned the commitment of now Spartan freshman Geno VanDeMark from St. Joseph High School in Montvale, New Jersey.

On Thursday, the Spartans extended a PWO offer to one of his former teammates, Peter Schuh, a 2022 running back from St. Joseph.

Schuh is unranked but has visited with Clemson, Duke, Yale and others and looks like a good PWO add for Tucker if he chooses MSU.

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