Banner Graphic, Volume 16, Number 317, Greencastle, Putnam County, 18 August 1986 — Page 8

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THE BANNERGRAPHIC. August 18,1988

sports

Tomczak leads Bears to3B-21 win over Colts

CHICAGO (AP) When the Chicago Bears take on the St. Louis Cardinals in their fourth exhibition game of the season next Saturday, Mike Tomczak will be at quarterback and Dennis Gentry could be a wide receiver. Tomczak for the second straight week passed for three second-half touchdowns, and Gentry was magnificent Saturday night as the Super Bowl champions defeated the Indianapolis Colts 38-21. Tomczak directed an 81-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to David Williams to open the second half. In the drive, Gentry rushed for 19 yards and caught three passes for 38 yards. He caught five passes for 81 yards in the game. Tomczak also threw touchdown passs of 1 yard to Gentry and 11 yards toE. J. Jones. Through it all, regular quarterback Jim McMahon was on the sidelines and out of uniform, although Coach Mike Ditka had said earlier in the week McMahon would play after having missed last week’s game with a groin injury. “It was his idea not to dress, not mine,” said Ditka, who announced Tomczak will start against St. Louis. “It wouldn’t have mattered, he wouldn’t have played anyway. He’s hurt, and that’s all I know.” Ditka repeatedly said, “You’ll have to ask him,” when pressed on questions concerning McMahon, but McMahon wasn’t around to answer. Ditka also indicated that Gentry, who has been backup to Walter Payton, will be given a shot at wide receiver now that No. 1 draft choice Neal Anderson has signed. Tomczak, claiming he is not a “wonder-boy story,” was pleased to learn he will start next Saturday. “It will be nice to work with the big guys,” said Tomczak.

Andretti finally victorious at Pocono International 500

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) Everyone who knew Mario Andretti’s racing history at Pocono International Raceway, including Andretti himself, was waiting for something to go wrong. “Believe me, I was worried,” the jubilant Andretti said Sunday after running away to one of the sweetest victories of his illustrious racing career in the Domino’s Pizza Pocono 500. It took the 46-year-old Andretti 14 tries to win the 500-miler on the 2.5mile tri-oval located just 30 miles from his home at Nazareth, Pa. And the long wait weighed heavily on the man who has won virtually every important race in the world at least once. “The fact is, I’ve been trying so hard here,” Andretti said. “People expected me to do well and I expected me to do well and something would always happen. . “It took one of my boys to break the ice.” He was referring to 22-year-old Jeff, who became the first Andretti to win a professional event at Pocono when he took the American Racing Series event on Saturday. ; In fact, it was an all-star weekend lor virtually everyone on the Newman-Haas team. Co-owner Paul Newman, the actor and driver, won a Trans-Am race Saturday at Lime Rock, Conn., and Carl Haas, the other co-owner of the Indy-car team, earlier Sunday watched on television as Team Haas drivers Alan Jones of Australia and Tambay of France finish ‘fourth and fifth in the Austrian •Grand Prix. * Michael Andretti, the other racing t*on of the former Formula One world champion, was happy for his father, but wasn’t pleased that engine problems doomed him to an llth-place finish. That cost him the lead in the CART-PPG championship series, with Mario moving

“Things went well again this week. I took what the defenses gave me. I had nice protection and the guys made some great catches.” Ditka, who could be getting his fill of McMahon’s antics, which last week included missing a meeting, in addition to not taking part in a practice, said, “I want to see how Tomczak performs against the Cardinals’ first defense.” McMahon wasn’t missed as the Bears went to 3-0 in pre-season play and left the Colts at 0-2. Payton scored on a 1-yard run behind the blocking of William “The Refrigerator” Perry in the first quarter. The Colts tied it late in the first half when Donnell Thompson stripped starting quarterback Steve Fuller of the ball, picked it up and returned 19 yards to the 3yard line. On the next play, Gary Hogeboom hit Keli McGregor with a touchdown pass. The Bears came right back with a 44-yard field goal by Kevin Butler to break the tie, and after rookie Vestee Jackson intercepted a pass, Fuller passed 9 yards to Keith Ortego for a touchdown and a 17-7 halftime lead. That’s when Tomczak took over, completing 9 of 11 passes for 115 yards. That gives him a pre-season record of 31 of 40 for 396 yards and six touchdowns. The Colts cut rookie Jack Trudeau loose in the closing minutes, and the former Illinois star led them to two touchdowns in the last 1:12 of the game against the Bear reserves. Although Colt Coach Rod Dowhower said Trudeau showed a lot of poise, he added, “I’m not happy with the outcome, and I’m not pleased by the score. I do see need for improvement. “The first half was competitive,” said Dowhower, “we had a good pass rush but we couldn’t take advantage of what little they gave us.”

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MARIO ANDRETTI Sweet victory on top 96 points to 91. The elder Andretti picked up $102,843 for averaging 152.106 mph in a race slowed by seven caution flags. Two weeks after only seven of 28 starters were running at the end of the Michigan 500, just 11 of 29 were on the track for the Pocono finish. But Andretti, who beat second-place Kevin Cogan to the finish line by more than a lap, didn’t feel attrition was the reason he finally won here. “We were competitive from the beginning,” he said. “It really felt good. It certainly wasn’t given to us.” There were several crashes in the race, the most serious a one-car accident in which Ed Pimm broke his right arm. Bobby Rahal, the Indianapolis 500 winner, was the last real challenger to Andretti, but he fell by the wayside on lap 177 when his car burst into flames as he pulled away from the pits.

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Senior running back Bill Neumann of Greencastle High School tries to get away from the grasp of Chris Miller during the Tiger Cubs' annual Purple and Gray scrimmage Saturday evening at

For Greencastle, North and South Putnam

Scrimmages go well

By KEITH E. DOMKE Banner-Graphic Sports Editor Eleven. That’s the magic number today as that’s how many days are left until the high school football season opens in Putnam County and across the state of Indiana. THE 11 DAYS will be filled with practices, preparations and jamborees on Friday, Aug. 22 as the four county schools get ready to open their seasons; seasons that hopefully will be successful ones. Last Saturday, three of the squads -- Greencastle, North Putnam and South Putnam - held intrasquad scrimmages open to parents and patrons of the school. The final scores were not important. The statistics were not important. What was important was the fact that the coaches got to see their players in action in game-like situations for the first time in 1986. “We looked good in spurts on both offense and defense,” said Greencastle coach John Fallis, whose annual Purple and Gray game was held beginning at 5:30 p.m. at DePauw’s Blackstock Stadium. “Sporadic is a good word to describe the scrimmage.” THE GAME WAS divided into four quarters with each side receiving nine plays per quarter on offense. There was no kicking or punting. “The scrimmage pretty much went the way I hoped it would go,” Fallis said. “One of the most important things was that we escaped without suffering any injuries.” The GHS coach went on to say that the problems he saw were a lack of concentration and a lack of second and third efforts by his players. “WE HAD A lot of one-effort plays,” he said. On the plus side was the fact that the Tiger Cubs did look good in spurts on both offense and defense, but, according to Fallis, there is much work to be done. “We seem to be a little behind schedule in learning assignments,” he said. AS FAR AS what worried the Tiger Cub coach the most, his response was one word: “Cloverdale.” Greencastle travels to the land of the Clovers for its opener on Aug. 29. At North Putnam, new head coach Rick Malone made his debut on the Cougar field and pretty much liked what he saw from his players. The NPHS scrimmage began at 6:45 p.m. “ONE THING THAT really pleased me was the fact that I saw a lot of improvement out there since Monday (the day practice began),” he said. “We have a long way to go but if we keep improving like we have, we should be in pretty good shape.” Malone was pleased with the overall effort given by his players and he liked the enthusiasm showed by the boys in the orange, blue and white. But, like in all preseason outings, there were some problems. “Toward the end, we seemed to be forgetting what we were supposed to do,” the coach said. “Technique wise, a lot of things were forgotten.” BUT MALONE WASN’T overly concerned with that as he said that’s what scrimmages like this are for, to iron out some of the early troubles.

Kelly agrees to be INIFL's highest paid player

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Quarterback Jim Kelly has agreed to a contract worth about $7.5 million over five years with the Buffalo Bills, according to a published report. The deal makes Kelly the highest paid player in the NFL. The Buffalo News reported in today’s editions that after about 10 hours of negotiations, Kelly and his

DePauw's Blackstock Stadium. Neumann played on the gray squad while Miller suited up for the purple. (Banner-Graphic photo by Keith E. Domke)

County football preview Aug. 28 The 1986 Banner-Graphic football preview will hit the stands on Thursday, Aug. 28 in tabloid form. The 20page section will include stories and pictures from Cloverdale, Greencastle, North Putnam and South Putnam.

“It’s good to get the kids in game-like situations,” Malone said. “I also liked the fact that we were able to get them under the lights some.” He also said things went pretty much as expected during the scrimmage. “WE GOT OUT of it what I thought we would,” the NPHS mentor said. “It showed us how far we still have to go.” Pleasing South Putnam coach Mark Wildman was the way his Eagles passed the ball during their 7 p.m. scrimmage. All four touchdowns recorded during the game came through the air as Chris Arnold found Brian Bridgewater twice and Kevin Sullivan once while Tege Lewis hit Mike Trusty in the endzone for the fourth score. “I was concerned about scoring,” Wildman said. “We showed ourselves that we can score some points and score some points through the air. That’s quite a few points for a scrimmage. I’m glad there was some good offense in there. We put on some good drives.” WILDMAN ALSO SAID he was pleased with the devensive quickness and the way his defenders hit. He was also happy that he escaped with no injuries. “We need to be more consistent on the ground,” he said. “But, it takes a while to get all the blocking patterns down so that’s always an early problem. The defense is a little ahead of the offense at this stage, but that, too, is expected. “I thought we did about how I expected us to do.” THE VARSITY PLAYED the second and fourth quarters of the scrimmage while the freshmen and sophomores (sophomores not moved up to the varsity) battled in the first and third periods. “Even the freshmen and sophomores hit pretty well,” Wildman said. Cloverdale hasn’t held an intrasquad scrimmage yet and may not have one until Friday. The Clovers do not participate in a jamboree but may suit up against each other that day. “COMPARED TO LAST year, the best thing we have going for us is that we’re ahead of where we were,” CHS coach Mike Parks said. “We are way ahead of last year. I don’t know how that will translate into wins and losses on the field but it has to help. We’re working hard in practice.” What’s also pleased Parks is that his team seems to be in shape. “Our overall condition is good,” he said. “Most of us, especially the juniors and seniors, reported in good shape. I hope that translates into better play on the field in games.”

agents reached an agreement with the Bills at about 2 a.m. EDT today in Houston. Kelly was expected to fly to Buffalo this morning and sign the contract at a news conference. Quarterback Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers is currently the highest paid player at $1.3 million a year.

Kelly was Buffalo’s first-round draft pick in 1983 but chose to sign with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League on June 9 of that year. That league has suspended play, at least until 1987, and the New Jersey Generals, who merged with Houston, had given Kelly the OK to negotiate with Buffalo, which holds his NFL rights.

Cowboys remain winless By The Associated Press Most of the headlines concerning the Dallas Cowboys this summer have had little to do with their play on the field. For the Cowboys, that’s probably a blessing. Dallas, which journeyed to London for a preseason game against the Chicago Bears earlier this month and signed USFL star runner Herschel Walker last week, dropped to 03 in NFL exhibition play. The latest defeat was 24-19 to the Los Angeles Raiders on Saturday as quarterbacks Jim Plunkett, Marc Wilson and Rusty Hilger each threw touchdown passes. With all NFL teams needing to be down to 60 players by Tuesday, this was the final chance for many prospects to make an impression. Elsewhere Saturday, it was New England 38, New Orleans 34; Chicago 38, Indianapolis 21; San Diego 45, Philadelphia 38; Atlanta 20, Tampa Bay 17; the New York Jets 28, Cincinnati 17; Minnesota 29, Denver 27; Kansas City 27, St. Louis 26; New York Giants 22, Green Bay 14; and Houston 23, Buffalo 20. On Friday, it was Cleveland 17, Miami 10, Washington 27, Pittsburgh 24 in overtime, and Detroit 30, Seattle 27, also in overtime. Raiders 24, Cowboys 19 Wilson’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Rod Barksdale gave the Raiders the lead for good in the third quarter and brightened Wilson’s outlook. Earlier, Wilson heard it from the fans when he threw an interception on his first pass attempt that set up Dallas’ first preseason touchdown. Walker did not play for Dallas. Patriots 38, Saints 34 New England built a 31-6 lead as Jim Bowman blocked a punt to set up a touchdown, then went 24 yards with an interception for another in a 21-point second quarter. But Bobby Hebert threw for two scores and Buford Jordan and Reuben Mayes each threw for one and the Saints stormed ahead 34-31. Then fourth-string QB Steve Calabria marched the Patriots 80 yards in seven plays for the winning TD, which came on a 21-yard pass to Greg Baty with 59 seconds left. Chargers 45, Eagles 38 The Chargers, who surprised Dallas 20-0 the week before, showed little on defense this time. But the Eagles, rebuilding under Buddy Ryan the mastermind of Chicago’s overwhelming “46” defense, now the head coach in Philadelphia were even worse. Falcons 20, Bucs 17 Veteran Mick Luckhurst booted a 29-yard field goal with three seconds left in his only appearance of the night. The kick came just one minute after second-year kicker Mike Prindle blew a chance to ice the game when he was wide left on a 34-yard attempt. Jets 28, Bengals 17 Michael Harper ran a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and set up another touchdown with a 52-yard effort. Ken O’Brien threw to A 1 Toon and Billy Griggs for first-half scores and backup QB Pat Ryan combined with Dennis Bligen on a 41-yard swing pass for a TD to clinch it after Harper’s second long run. Vikings 29, Broncos 27 Steve Bono, another third-string quarterback, threw two touchdown passes in the last six minutes for the Vikings. John Elway hit second-quarter touchdown passes of 31 yards to Clint Sampson and 24 yards to Butch Johnson for Denver. Chiefs 27, Cardinals 26 Nick Lowery’s 32-yard field goal with 4:58 left won a game in which the Cardinals missed two extra-point attempts. Giants 22, Packers 14 The Giants took a 17-0 lead as Phi! Simms and Jeff Hostetler each threw a touchdown pass. Tight end Zeke Mowatt, seeking to regain his starting job with the Giants after missing the 1985 season with a knee injury, caught seven passes for 112 yards. Oilers 23, Bills 20 Tony Zendejas kicked three field goals and Steve Brown returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown for Houston. Zendejas kicked field goals of 32, 24 and 23 yards, Larry Moriarty ran four yards for a touchdown and Brown picked off Art Schlichter’s pass for another score and a 23-3 lead. Buffalo rallied in the fourth quarter behind rookie quarterback Brian McClure. Scott Norwood kicked a 36yard field goal and McClure hit Walter Broughton with a six-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 to go in the game.