Regeln » pass-rush has been virtually

SALEM, Ore. -- Conner Mertens didnt want to pretend anymore -- especially with his teammates. So the redshirt freshman kicker at Division III Willamette announced Tuesday that hes bisexual. "It got to a point where I just got tired of it, trying to hide who I was and trying to pretend I was something I was not," he said. Mertens, 19, announced his sexual orientation to his teammates during a meeting on Monday. A story about him appeared on Outsports.com on Tuesday. Speaking on campus later in the afternoon, Mertens said he hopes his announcement helps dispel the stereotypes and stigmas associated with bisexual athletes -- and in turn let other LGBT athletes know they are not alone. "You can be real and you can be yourself," Mertens said. "That only starts when you can love yourself and let others love you. Thats kind of where I was going with this." Bearcats coach Glen Fowles said the players were overwhelmingly supportive of his decision. "Its been great to see the way our guys have rallied around," Fowles said. "For our guys, Conner is just a kicker." Team captain and junior inside linebacker Jack Nelson said: "It wasnt a big deal and we were glad he felt comfortable to tell us." While several LGBT athletes have come out, including former NBA player Jason Collins, WNBA star Brittney Griner and Major League Soccer player Robbie Rogers, its believed that Mertens is the first active college football player at any level to publicly announce his bisexuality. Willamette issued a statement supporting Mertens decision, saying the university "respects his contribution to a more humane and just world." Fowles joked about how Mertens first approached him: "He says, Coach, Im really going to utilize this open door policy." Mertens, who told his family just after Christmas, said he was humbled by the response. "It sounds corny, but I legitimately feel theres a weight off my shoulders. Its tiring to pretend your something else for 24-7, for 18 or 19 years of your life," he said. "So finally to be able to joke about it, to be honest about it, not have to put on this mask, Im finally able to take a deep breath." The Bearcats play in the Northwest Conference. The team went 7-2 overall last season and finished third in the league at 4-2. Mertens did not play his freshman season because he hurt his left knee while playing soccer. He will compete with two other kickers on the Bearcats roster. Scarpe Outlet Italia .Fucale will not only be one of the local boys, he is also a Montreal Canadiens draft pick and will have a huge cheering section when Canada opens the tournament Dec. Air Max 270 Economiche . The 22-year-old Kreider was injured Friday night in New Yorks win at Columbus, but played in the next two games -- including Monday nights win over Phoenix. But the left winger, who has 17 goals and 37 points this season, was limited to about 10 minutes of ice time in each of the previous games. https://www.scontatescarpeoutlet.it/nike...tlet-c3266.html. "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there. Air Max 95 Outlet Italia . With the Rangers already leading 2-0, Carey Price was taken down early in the second period of New Yorks 7-2 pounding of the Canadiens in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday afternoon. Air Max 720 Scontate Outlet . But Josh Bailey scored the shootout winner to lead the Islanders to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in a battle of the Eastern Conferences two worst teams.Hamilton, ON - The Calgary Stampeders will attempt to keep pace atop the West Division standings this afternoon when they travel to Ron Joyce Stadium to take on the struggling Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Stamps have come storming out of the gate this season with wins in five of their first six games, which has them tied for first place in the West with Edmonton. After suffering its first loss of the season on Aug. 1, Calgary bounced back at home last Saturday with an easy 38-17 victory over Ottawa, and now it heads back out on the road looking to win its third straight away game. You can watch the game live today on TSN starting at 2:30pm et/11:30am pt. Hamilton has undoubtedly been one of the most disappointing teams in the CFL this season. A season removed from an appearance in the Grey Cup Final, the Ticats have floundered, opening up just 1-5. Their 36-29 loss to British Columbia on Aug. 8 was their second consecutive setback (and their fourth this season coming by seven points or fewer), but the silver lining is that they are situated in the much-inferior East Division, where they are only a game and a half behind Toronto (3-4) for first place. The teams squared off in Calgary back on July 18, with a fourth-quarter field goal lifting the Stamps to a 10-7 victory, their fifth straight win over the Ticats. Calgary won last weeks contest fairly easily behind another outstanding performance from Bo Levi Mitchell, who threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another major. The third-year signal caller has been excellent this year, completing 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,421 yards. Hes also tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (11) and has tossed only two interceptions. Marquay McDaniel was Mitchells preferred receiving target last week, hauling in nine passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. McDaniel now has 24 receptions for 308 yards and three scores on the season, and he and Jeff Fuller (23 receptions, 307 yards, four TDs) make up a formidable receiving duo. The Stamps do not feature a true lead back but instead get solid production from a rotation of rushers. Matt Walter (139 yards) and Jock Sanders (136 yards) have earned the most work, while Martell Mallett (132 yards) has been the most explosive with 7.8 yards per carry. While Calgarys offensive production ranks in the middle of the CFL pack (341.2 ypg), it has shined on the defensive side of the ball, ranking third in allowing just 321.6 ypg, which includes the top-ranked passing defense (198.2 ypg). Brandon Smith anchors the unit in the defensive backfield, as he ranks second inn the CFL in tackles with 32.dddddddddddd Linebacker Juwan Simpson has also been a solid stopper with 22 tackles. Joining Smith in arguably the leagues most talented secondary are Joshua Bell and Fred Bennett, who have both collected a pair of interceptions on the young season. Leading the pass-rush is Charleston Hughes, whose six sacks ranks second in the league behind only John Chick of the Roughriders (nine). Freddie Bishop III, Micah Johnson and Simpson also have multiple sacks. Hamiltons lackluster season has been well-represented in the league standings, as its total offense (331.5 ypg) and total defense (374.2 ypg) both rank eighth in the league. Dan LeFevour was solid under center in last weeks loss, completing 23-of-34 passes for 298 yards, while also turning nine carries into 103 yards and a touchdown. The Ticats appear to have found their answer at quarterback after Jeremiah Masoli (14-of-35, 225 yards, TD, two INTs) and Zach Collaros (23- of-41, 212 yards, TD, two INTs) both struggled early in the season. LeFevour also has more interceptions (three) than touchdown passes (two), but he has completed more than 67 percent of his passes is an outstanding threat out of the pocket with 272 rushing yards and four majors. Samuel Giguere showed outstanding big-play ability last week by racking up 130 yards on just three receptions, upping his yearly totals to 16 catches for 248 yards in the process. Rounding out the deep group of pass-catchers are C.J. Gable (30 receptions, 138 yards, two TDs), Luke Tasker (17 receptions, 208 yards, TD) and Cary Koch (13 receptions, 199 yards). The Ticats running backs were lost in the gameplan against BC their last time out, rushing just three times for -3 yards. Gable is typically a solid rusher, as hes added 30 carries for 138 yards and two scores to his impressive receiving totals. Defensively, Hamilton has allowed 28.6 ppg in the three contests since allowing only 10 points to Calgary last month. Simoni Lawrence is in the midst of a breakout campaign at linebacker, as his 31 tackles ranks third in the league and is already more than halfway to his career high of 52 set last season. Rico Murray has also been solid at linebacker, collecting 18 tackles while picking off two passes. Hamiltons pass-rush has been virtually non-existent. The defense has just three sacks in six games, with Bryan Hall recording two of those. As the last line of defense, Brandon Stewart (22 tackles) and Emanuel Davis (20 tackles) have been put to the test on a defense that gives up the most passing yards per game (278.8). ' ' '