The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 44

C-4 THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRERFrlday, August 15, 1980 Out-Of-State Into Court UC Gridders Take Spill But Only Bruise Pride to make the public school people happy, Relsen feld said. That the rule Is arbitrary and capricious, thus violating Ohio case laws set up for independent organizations. That the rule Is unconstitutional. Reisen-. feld says it violates Article 4 bv denying the stu dents the privileges and Immunities to which' every other citizen is entitled.

It also violates the First Ammendment by denying the students the rignt to association. THE OHSAA lawyer will be Roger Healey, also from Cincinnati. Healey said he will argue' "i men for Saturday afternoon's practice. "IT'LL PROBABLY be worse when the other players get here," he sighed. "In the back of my mind I'm wondering If I can hit as hard as they can.

You hear stories about (senior linebacker Karl) Woods killing everybody. And that fullback (sophomore Larry Carthan) who weighs 230 pounds Fullbacks love to hit linebackers." Mercer's anxiety extends into the night. Although dormitory lights go out at 9:30 p.m., Mercer said he doesn't fall asleep before midnight. "I just He there thinking about everything," he said. At least no one is going to feed Mercer to the lions Immediately.

"We're not in a position where we need him to come In and start for us," Parker said. "We're not in that bad of shape. We have our MVP (Mike Brookins) returning. Dale has an advantage over linebackers In past years in that we can spend time to develop him. It's not right to put a freshman in right away.

That can ruin a kid. When he sees the other kids practice and perform, he'll learn from that. "It's like putting yeast in bread," Parker added. "You have to wait for it to rise. He Just hasn't risen yet." UC NOTE Greg Cook, a former Bearcat star whose promising career as a Cincinnati Bengal was cut short by a severe injury, will be lending his expertise to Bearcat quarterbacks during workouts this fall.

rolling his eyes. "He landed right on his behind." But Parker's bellows, though Intimidating, have carried no malice. "I tell him a little coaching goes a long way," Parker said. "It won't take much and he'll be a great one. He's learning a new position, and it's like going from a garage mechanic to a brain surgeon.

The kid's lost right now. And I've got him going nuts. I think It's the first time anybody's yelled and screamed at him. "I hope he has enough patience to put up with me. I have enough patience to put up with him.

He has a lot of athletic ability. He's a hard worker and he's very intent." Indeed, the 6-foot-l, 205-pound Mercer, was outstanding at Deer Park. He earned eight varsity letters in football, basketball and track. Last year, he made the Enquirer's second-team all-city squad at defensive tackle and finished fourth In the Class AA state meet in the 1 10-meter high hurdles. Past successes have not reassured him though.

He Is worried about learning his new position, worried about passing his sprint tests Saturday, worried about the start of school and worried about the arrival of upper class BY CINDY MORRIS Sports Reporter A few years from now, Dale Mercer will laugh about what happened to him dur-lng freshman football practice Thursday morning. But Thursday afternoon, the University of Cincinnati linebacker was still mortified. Mercer, who starred at offensive and defensive tackle for Deer Park High School, was struggling to learn his new position when the catastrophe occurred. On the last play of morning practice, he and another rookie linebacker back-pedaled, as instructed, to defend against the pass. Then, not as instructed, the linebacker near Mercer tripped and fell down backward.

Mercer promptly stumbled over him and also wound up sitting on the ground. To Mercer, a shy 18-year-old trying to adjust to college football, It was a painful ending to yet another worrisome day. If linebacker coach John Parker yelled at him, he was too overcome to notice. "They Just seem to yell at you for everything," he said, his brows furrowed. "I don't think coach even saw that." "OF COURSE I saw it," Parker said, BY RANDY HOLTZ Sports Reporter The Ohio High School Athletic Association will be in court again today, which isn't all that surprising.

The OHSAA is growing accustomed to defending itself. Today, It will defend Rule 92G, which prohibits out-of-state students from participating In sports in Ohio high schools. The trial (Thomas Menke, by his parents Dr. and Mrs. R.

Menke vs. the OHSAA), Is set for 9 a.m. today in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. It pits a group of eight St. Xavier students from Kentucky against the state's high school sports organization.

If Menke wins, all Incoming freshmen from out of state will be able to play high school sports in Ohio this school year. If the OHSAA wins, they can't. It's that simple. Like most trials, though, the arguments on both sides are complex. Let's look at the history of 92G of the OHSAA constitution: In December of 1978, the rule was placed on an OHSAA referendum for vote by the state's high schools.

It passed. Since the rule basically only affected schools in Cincinnati and Toledo, where out-of-state athletes have traditionally competed, its approval wasn't surprising. SINCE THE rule didn't go into effect until July of 1979, it didn't affect out-of-state students this past school year. But this year, it will affect Incoming freshmen. Unless the students can obtain the permanent injunction they're seeking today in court, no out-of-state student will be allowed to participate on an Ohio high school athletic team.

Naturally, any decision can be appealed to a higher court. Sylvan Relsenfeld, the Cincinnati lawyer representing the students, said Wednesday he will take this three-pronged approach into today's trial: That the rule was placed on the referendum as a compromise to appease the public schools. On the same referendum, a rule the public schools were pushing that would have set up different competitive divisions for public and parochial schools was defeated. So Rule 92G, designed to limit out-of-state recruiting by the state's parochial schools, was placed on the ballot that "there was a serious concern around the state that the rule was needed because of the; competitive advantage that schools which car) draw out-of-state students have." "Second," said Healey, "the association felt out-of-state students were coming In and taking spots on rosters of Ohio schools which should-have gone to Ohio students." Healey said the OHSAA has denied the rulfr was placed on the referendum as a Judge William Morrissey is scheduled to hear the case. Morrissey is the Judge who ruled In' favor of the OHSAA two weeks ago in a soccer lawsuit case, saying that OSHAA is "an organiza tlon that's been In existence for 60 years and has the best interests of interscholastlc sports at heart." But one source said Wednesday that Morris sey is scheduled to go on vacation starting' Friday, so a visiting Judge may hear the case.

REISENFELD SAID it doesn't matter who hears the case because the issues in the soccer' case and today's out-of-state trial are "complete- -ly different." "We think," said Reisenfeld, "that If a kid has a right to go to school in Ohio he should have the; right to play sports in that school. The constitu- tion of the OHSAA says that participating in athletics is an integral part of a student's total education. How do you comply with that If you deny a kid the right to participate in sports?" The OHSAA's traditional argument has', always been that participating in high school sports is a privilege, not a right. Seven Straight Birdies Only Worth Share Of Lead Hancock. That placed 11 players within two strokes of each other at the top.

Tom Watson, winner of the British Open and five American tournaments this year, could do no better than a 3-under-par 68 that left him three strokes back. "I DIDN'T play particularly well, but I didn't make many really bad mistakes," Watson said. "I fell like I left a lot of birdies out there on the golf course." While Watson may have let some birdies get away, Beau Baugh matched a season high with two eagles. He dropped a 15-foot putt for a 3 on the fifth and holed out an 80-yard wedge shot for a 2 on the 10th. He shot 70.

skill," said Burns, who scored his first tour triumph early this year In the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. "I got a lot of good breaks, a lot of good bounces. It was a very lucky day. It came as a total surprise," he said. "I'd missed three cuts In a row and I didn't feel all that good about my game coming In here." A single stroke off the pace was Mike Reid.

He birdled the last three holes for a solid 66, 5-under-par on the hilly little course in suburban New York which, as usual, yielded some of the lowest scores of the year. Approximately half the field of 156 matched or bettered par. The big group at 67 Included Bruce Lletzke, Bob Murphy, Tom Kite, former Masters champ George Archer, Rlk Massengale, David Edwards and Phil HARRISON, N.Y. (AP)-George Burns birdled seven holes In a row-one short of the all-time PGA tour record-but needed even more than that in an erratic 65 that placed him in a three-way tie for the first round lead Thursday In the $400,000 Westchester Golf Classic. He shared the top spot with David Graham, the slender Australian who won this tournament In 1976 and took the 1979 PGA national championship, and Tommy Valentine, who birdled his last two holes in the late afternoon haze.

"It was a total surprise," Burns said of his birdie burst that began on the third hole and didn't end until the 10th. It was the most consecutive birdies of the season and was a record on the 6,603 yard, par-71 Westchester Country Club course. IT WAS more miraculous than Final Summer Clearance ftp First quality merchandise from our regular stock Summer suits 2-piece, 3-piece or 4-piece two-pant, reversaDie vest, bizes 3b-bu None over $78.00 95 49 As low as IT'S A LONG WAY TO EMPTY DATSUII 200 SX Sport coats Summer Patterns and Solids. Long X-Long 35.95 as low as Our entire stock of Summer pants 2 pr. $19.95 Sizes 28-42 Dress shirts Summer Short-Sleeve, Conventional or Button-Down Solids, Stripes Patterns Three For $20.00 Sport Shirts Special Group.

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