The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 37, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 October 1990 — Page 8

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., October 24,1990

Sports

Warriors fall from post-season play

I By MITCHELL STINSON Sports Writer Wawasee’s football season of transition came to an end at New Haven last Friday as the Warriors lost a 35-0 decision to the Bulldogs in opening round 4A sectional action. With the loss, rookie coach Troy Akers ended with a 1-8 record in his first season at the helm of the Wawasee football program. “I would have wished we could have played some more complete games,” Akers said. ‘‘We only played bits and pieces of games.” The sectional contest was a

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TOUGH TACKLER — Dan Smith earned an honorable mention selection to the NLC All-Conference Football Team, after leading the Warriors in tackles from his linebacker position. The 5-foot-9, 193-pound senior recorded 23 solo tackles and 50 assists during the regular season. (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

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TIME OCT — These Warrior gridders relaxed on the field as an injured teammate was tended to during last Friday’s sectional football game at New Haven. The Warriors stayed close in the first half but ended up on the short end of a 35-0 score. Pictured, from left, are: Jeremy Doerr, Rob Clingaman, Dave McClelland, Geoff Coburn and 1 Tim Schwartz. (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

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perfect illustration of that fact, as the Warriors played a strong first half before getting shelled in the second half. Junior quarterback Mark Nicolai guided the Warriors to an impressive nine-play, 43-yard drive in the opening series of the game. The drive stalled at the 25-yard line and the Bulldogs took over at the 20-yard line after a Wawasee punt found its way into the end zone. New Haven didn’t waste any time turning the momentum in its favor, going 80 yards in five plays for the first touchdown of the game. Running back Andy Durnell set up the score with a

57-yard run while Steve Hall did the actual scoring with an 8-yard touchdown jaunt. Dan Becker’s extra point kick made it 7-0 at 5:41 of first quarter. The Warrior defense rose to the occasion and held New Haven scoreless for the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, Wawasee’s offense appeared to be on its way to a score in the latter stages of the half. A 31-yard pass play from Nicolai to freshman Orlando Vallejo was the big play in a eight-play, 44-yard drive that gave Wawasee a first-and-10 at the Bulldogs’ 13-yard line. But a Warrior fumble brought a disappointing end to the drive and the score stayed at 7-0. It was a play that would come back to haunt Wawasee. “We lost the momentum when, we didn’t punch it in at the end ot the first half,” Akers said. It was all New Haven in the second half, from the opening kickoff to the final gun. Chris English set the tone for things when he took the second half kickoff and returned it 52 yards to the Wawasee 28-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Chris Hammon plunged into the end zone from the 1-yard line. The floodgates opened after that, as the Bulldogs scored on their next three possessions and won the. game going away. New Haven improved to 6-3 with the victory and will face Homestead in the second round of the sectional. Adult basketball league opens The Wawasee Adult Basketball League kicked off with two games on the slate at Wawasee High School on Monday. Pilcher’s Shoes notched a 75-51 victory over Warsaw Engineering and Fabrication, while Buhrt Builders/Don’s Excavating beat Wawasee Boat Company, 108-82. Kurt Duggins led Pilcher's with 26 points, while Steve Clampett scored a game-high 30 points for Warsaw Engineering in a losing cause. Brooks Koble poured in 33 points to lead Buhrt Builders to victory and Craig Cripe added 27 for Wawasee Boat Company.

“We kind of surprised ourselves with how well we did and then, when they got that se-

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WARRIOR STRONGMAN — Warrior linebacker Jeremy Doerr made the NLC All-Conference Football Team as an honorable mention recently. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound senior had 25 solo tackles and 37 assists during the 1990 regular season. (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

Schwartz named to all-NLC football team

By MITCHELL STINSON Sports Writer

Despite finishing with a final record of 1-8, the Wawasee football team did have a few highlights to look back on during the 1990 season. Tim Schwartz was involved in many of those highlights, and the Northern Lakes Conference rewarded him for his efforts by naming him to the all-conference football team recently. After playing several different positions for the Warriors, the 5-foot-8 inch senior earned an AtLarge selection to the honorary squad. Schwartz dished out some

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ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTION — Senior Tim Schwartz was a unanimous choice to the first team of the Northern Lakes Conference All-Conference Football Team. He earned an At-Large selection to the team because of his prowess in the defensive backfield, where he dished out some of the Warriors’ hardest hits of the season. Schwartz was a relative newcomer to high school football, having only one year of freshman football under his belt before the 1990 season. (Photoby Mitchell Stinson)

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cond touchdown, it seemed like there was a letdown,” Akers explained.

big hits as a defensive back and was second on the team in tackles during the regular season. On the offensive side of the ball, he used his speed at the wingback position and also returned kickoffs. Schwartz led the team in receiving, with 169 yards on 15 receptions. Schwartz was a candidate for team quarterback before speedy Geoff Coburn went down with an injury early in the season. That injury caused a vacancy at the wingback position and Schwartz was called on to fill the void. He still got to use his throwing touch now and then, completing two long passes on the halfback option play. One of those passes

Founded in 1820 Indiana University is one of the oldest state universities in the Midwest. It was founded in 1820, only four years after Indiana achieved statehood, and has grown to include eight campuses. Explosive popcorn If a kernel of popcorn were dropped on a neutron star, it would produce as much energy as a World War II atomic bomb.

The Warriors took a physical beating to go along with the beating they got on the scoreboard. Senior fullback Buster Clevenger suffered a badly broken right leg, and senior linebacker Jeremy Doerr broke his right ankle. Coach Akers took the two gridders to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. He said Clevenger’s break also caused tom ligaments and a dislocated ankle. On a brighter note, Vallejo raised a lot eyebrows with his fine sectional performance. In addition to two long gainers as a receiver, Vallejo returned a kickoff for 41 yards. Akers is looking forward to coaching the freshman phenomenon in the future. “He’s going to be a real good one,” Akers said. “He’s got a lot of potential.” The season may be over but Akers still has football on his mind. He says that the off-season is the time when a lot of behind-the-scenes work takes place. With a strong sophomore and freshman class, Akers is optimistic about the future. “You can’t look back — we’re looking ahead right now,” he concluded. *

came against the North Wood Panthers when Schwartz hooked up with Junior Cantu for a 79-yard scoring strike. Fellow seniors Buster Clevenger, Dan Smith and Jeremy Doerr made the all-NLC team as honorable mention selections. Smith led the Warriors in tackling from his linebacker position, with 50 assists and 23 solos. He also had a key interception that helped to clinch Wawasee’s only victory against Plymouth. Clevenger had a slow start because of an ankle injury but he began to shine at fullback as the season progressed. He gained 229 yards on 75 carries, including a

Bass are smart but they’re not human

The next time you’re bass fishing and can’t get a strike, don’t think the fish are smarter than you are. Instead, look at the conditions around you and try to imagine how a bass would react to them. Then, adjust your fishing accordingly. That’s the advice from Ken Cook, a member of the Evinrude Outboards Pro Staff and a former fisheries biologist who now ranks as one of America’s top professional tournament anglers. •‘Many fishermen tend to give bass human characteristics,” explains Cook, and this can actually hurt their fishing. Bass don’t think like people. They probably don’t‘think’at all. ‘lnstead, they react to their environment, especially to changing water conditions. They have a strong instinct to survive, but fish don’t think or reason and make choices.” What happens when anglers give bass human characteristics, the popular Evinrude pro notes, is that they’re thinking of how they themselves are reacting to the conditions. This prevents them from accurately focusing in on why they’re not getting any strikes. “Bass have very good vision, an excellent sense of hearing and a relatively good sense of smell,” says Cook. “The fish see, hear or smell things that repel them, but this is pure instinct, not any ability of the fish to reason. “How many times have you caught two bass on the same lure at the same time? If the second bass could reason, it would certainly realize the first one was in trouble and swim away, but instead, it runs in and strikes the same lure and makes the same mistake.” Cook advises anglers to learn as much about bass biology as

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STRONG RUNNER — Buster Clevenger was named to the Northern Lakes Conference All-Conference Football Team as an honorable mention choice recently. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior earned his spot on the team with a strong performance at fullback during the second half of the season. (Photo by Mitchell Stinson)

90-yard effort against Plymouth. Clevenger also caught 15 passes for 120 yards. Doerr had to endure a nagging shoulder injury early in the season but, like Clevenger, he got stronger as the season progressed. Playing linebacker, Doerr was the team’s third leading tackler, with 37 assists and 25 solos. All-NLC Team Offense: Bob Wagley (Warsaw), center; Chuck Oldham (Warsaw), lineman; Bob Metzger (North Wood lineman; Justin Bell (Concord), lineman; Dave Truman (Plymouth), lineman; Jeremy Markham

possible if they want to improve their fishing. This way, they can better figure out what bass are likely to be doing before they even start fishing. “As an example, Cook points out, remember that bass do have good color vision, so keep in mind what colors bass can see best in the water depth you’re fishing. I like to use natural shad-type colors in clear water, blues and purples in shade and brighter florescent colors in muddy water.” “It may have something to do with whaf the fish are seeing, hearing or smelling, but it doesn’t have anything to do with how bass are ‘thinking’.”

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INTRASQUAD FOOTBALL GAME — The Wawasee Middle School sixth grade football squad conducted an intrasquad scrimmage last week. The contest, between the Blue Knights and the Yellow Knights, ended in a scoreless tie.

Shown in front are the players from the Blue Knights team. From left, are: Jerry Thompson, Noah Simpson, Rod Holterman, John Hursh, Kevin Williamson, Terry Smith, Ryan Davis, Ryan Botts, J.C. Wogoman, John Merchant, Rob Burke and Kris Wiley. Not pictured, but also a member of the team, is Ryan Hoffman. In back are the members of the Yellow Knights squad. From left, are: Mark Haab, Troy Hendricks, Joe Schmitt, Mike Hay, Rob Pinney, Isaac Ritter, Tyler Amick, Jeff Nelson, Ryan Mikel, Brad Botts, Nathan Rogers, Carl Hepler, Jason King and Jeremy Walls. (Photo courtesy of Kai Siynal)

(North Wood receiver; Nathan Wiggins (North Wood receiver; Von Oxenrider (Northridge), receiver; Chad Bontrager (North Wood quarterback; Mike Strieby (Warsaw), running back; Kermit Imler (Warsaw), running back. Defense:Chris Neely (Warsaw), lineman; Brian Pfeil (Concord), lineman; Shane Sachs (Concord), lineman; Ryan Miller (Goshen), lineman; Scott Whitaker (Warsaw), linebacker; Craig Croy (North Wood linebacker; Marty Erschen (Concord), linebacker; Chris Frey (Northridge), linebacker; Scott Rooney (Warsaw), defensive back; Bryan Thursby (Concord), defensive back; Derrick Martin (Concord), defensive back. At-Large Selections: Tim Schwartz (Wawasee), Darren Skinner (Warsaw), Bob McLaughlin (Goshen), Chris Sheets (Northridge), Adam Zepeda (Goshen), Dirk Dodson (Plymouth). Honorable Mention: Paul Wingeart (Northridge), Ryan Thompson (North Wood Michael Schumaker (Goshen), Mike Arvesen (Plymouth), Dan Smith (Wawasee), Buster Clevenger (Wawasee), Brian Domer (Northridge), Jared Bardwell (Goshen), David Phillips (Goshen), Jason Frid (Plymouth), Mark Read (Plymouth), Jeremy Doerr (Wawasee). Final NLC Standings: Warsaw, 6-0; Concord, '4-2; North Wood, 4-2; Goshen, 4-2; Northridge, 1-5; Plymouth, 1-5; Wawasee, 1-5. Coach-of-the-Year: Ted Huber (Warsaw).