Saturday, July 19, 1997

Coaches plot strategy to beat the heat

By BILL HART / Abilene Reporter-News

The all-star coaches in tonight's Dairy Queen All Americas Bowl Six-Man football game have their own way of beating the hot weather.

North coach Dean Means of Melrose, N.M., and John Poppert of Hildreth, Neb., plan to play one group the first quarter and another in the second quarter. Then in the second half, they'll play the ones who produced the most.

South coaches Don Miller of Allen Academy and Steve Woods of Abilene Christian High School plan to alternate three different groups in the first half, then go mainly with the best in the final half.

"I think Texas will have the advantage on us because they are used to the heat and the same rules," said running back Joey Jurenka of Blue Sky, Mont. "They also get to see each other play, so it's easy for them to come together as a unit. Not all of us (on the North team) play under the same rules, but I think we've adapted well. I can't wait for the game to start."

The South picked up a couple of area athletes, receiver Heath Clawson of Brookesmith and running back Matt Strickland of Lueders-Avoca when two players failed to show up. Jason Sizemore, who helped Gordon win the state championship last fall, has been slowed by a sore back suffered in the Texas Six-Man All-Star game in Lubbock last week. But he is expected to play.

Earlier in the week, the head coaches weren't sure who would be in the starting lineup, but John Estes of ACHS probably will quarterback in the spread offense and Craig Steele of Sidney when in the tight offense. Jim Kostiha of Gordon will play most of the game in the secondary.

Other area players on the South squad are backs Nathan Hayes of Blackwell, Charlie Parks of Rochester and Cody Muncy of Highland, ends Dusty Miller of Zephyr and Jesus Tijerina of Gordon, kicker Shannon Hopkins of Strawn and quarterback-safety Rory Peacock of Woodson.

"What's great about this game is that every guy is a good player," Miller said. "You can give them a new technique and they pick it up fast. We may have the advantages on the rules and the heat, but that'll last only the first half. A lot of that is pyschological, anyway."

"I've coached both the spread and tight offenses and go with what the material dictates," said Means, who will coach at Follett in Texas this coming season. "We'll use both in this game, but Texas spreads worry me because they use all the field."

This will be the third all-star game for Jurenka, who was one of two Six-Man players selected for the Montana Eight-Man all-star game. He also played in the Can-Am Game which featured a team from Canada against one from the United States. Most have played in at least one other game this summer.

"All three games had different rules, but I didn't have any problem adjusting to the Eight-Man game because our junior varsity played it when I was a freshman," Jurenka said. "The only thing I noticed different was the other players just clogged up the field."

O'Brien, which now sends its students to Knox City, won the first-ever Six-Man state championship (1972) in Texas, and that team will be honored at halftime. Twelve members have indicated they'll be here. The team is also holding a reunion today prior to the game. And Jarrell, the runner-up to O'Brien that year, has indicated there will also be a representative from that team here.

Also at halftime, then O'Brien coach C.H. Underwood and two of his players, Louis Conn and Danny Del Hierro, will be inducted into the Six-Man Hall of Fame. Also to be inducted is Fort Hancock coach Danny Medina, whose teams won 70 straight games and five state championships, including four in a row (1988-91) before losing in the 1992 finals to Panther Creek.