Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Random musings...

Well it's been a while since I last shared my scintillating insights into the world of sports...which I'm sure has been a welcome break for our readers! Anyway, with football coming up on Monday (MONDAY!) I thought I might throw out a few odds and ends that have been running (or jogging, yogging maybe, could be a soft j) through my mind.

First of all it was disappointing to hear that former Mulvane LB Huldon Tharp will take a medical redshirt this season after reaggravating an ankle injury that he apparently hurt in the spring. He had 59 tackles last season for the Jayhawks and so I was really looking forward to seeing what he could do this season. More than that though I'm really hoping that Hutch's Josh Smith and Collegiate's Blake Jabslonski find themselves on the Jayhawks roster this year. They're two of the most talented football players to come out of our local schools recently and it would be a shame for them to not make the team. Coach Gill talks about wanting Kansas kids and wanting to build his program with in-state talent so hopefully he stays true to that.

I'm looking at the schedule for the first Friday night of high school football and trying to pick out which game I really want to shoot. The first one that sticks out at me, of course, is Heights vs. Bishop Carroll at Heights. I went to that game two years ago, when Blake Bell made his debut at quarterback. Carroll won that year and won last year at Carroll. However this year I think Heights is going to cream the Golden Eagles. Not just because Blake Bell now resides in Norman but because the Falcons return most every integral player from last season. I love the job that Rick Wheeler does at Heights and I know that Alan Schuckman will have the Eagles about as well-prepared as a college team; however Heights has a definite advantage this year and I think the Falcons will take this game easily.

Second game I'm looking at is Andale vs. Wellington at Wellington. Not only do I want to go because I think it'll be a good game but I just love Linn Hibbs. Coach Hibbs is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. He makes me want to brave the 100+ degree temperatures to shoot a football preview. Plus he always promises me free hamburgers every time I go down there! I'm a sucker for a good hamburger.

How many games will Collegiate win this year? Honestly, I don't think they'll win a lot. I see them finishing at 6-3, 2-1 in league losing to Andale at Andale. Without Jablonski and Brett LeMaster I don't think Collegiate has enough going for it this year. The Spartans had an insane advantage last year because of their air-attack power. Unless they've got a kid with Jablonski's arm and an O-line that is solid the Spartans will not be the 'perfect storm' they were last year.

The only bad part about football season starting is lugging around equipment in this stifling heat to get interview and do football previews. This time of year I truly envy newspaper writers who can just make phone calls from the comfort of the air-conditioned desks. But I am ready, so ready, for football to start.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris Parker just razzed me for not putting the Hutch vs. Rockhurst game in there. Point taken, that game will be awesome. However, odds of me covering it are slim to none. Also I named it random musings for a reason. There is no flow to my train of thought!

Anonymous said...

You don't think Collegiate is going to be good?! Nice Bates. How can you call yourself a reporter. The Spartans are going to make a lot of noise in Div. IV. I don't see any way they don't repeat as state champs either. 3A should be as weak as your opinions when compared to the Spartans!

Jenn Bates said...

Didn't say they wouldn't be good, I said they wouldn't be as great as they were last year.

Anonymous said...

2-1 in district? Really?

Is that Belle Plaine, Independent, or Douglass that beats them?