The Times Herald du lieu suivant : Port Huron, Michigan • Page 17

TIMES HERALD SECTION Coming Tuesday: George Perles' Michigan State Spartans take on the Hawaii Rainbows today in the Aloha Bowl. Look for photos and complete game coverage Tuesday. INSIDE: FOOTBALL: NFL roundup2B HOCKEY: NHL. IHL standings2B COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Blue-Gray All-Star Classic3B WRESTUNG: Yale Bulldogs loaded with talent4B MONDAY, DEC. 25, 1989 Stoats ihowftime for Spavins, ainkows Michigan State, Hawaii hope to close season with a victory ALOHA BOWL FACTS WHAT: Michigan State vs.

Hawaii in Aloha Bowl. WHEN: 3:30 p.m. today. WHERE: Honolulu, Hawaii. TV: Channel 7.

HONOLULU (AP) Hawaii sees the Aloha Bowl as an opportunity to earn the national respect it has long sought. The 25th-ranked Rainbows (9-2-1), of the Western Athletic Conference, will try to add a bowl victory to a long list of 1989 accomplishments when they meet No. 22 Michigan State (7-4) of the Big Ten Conference on Monday. "This is a chance to show the country what we're all about," Hawaii coach Bob Wagner said. "I mean, they come from one of the oldest conferences in the country and we come from the youngest.

This is a very big step for our program." For Michigan State, making its fifth bowl appearance in six years, a win would help prove that despite four losses this is one of its best teams. "Obviously the 1987 Rose Bowl team was our best to date," Spartans coach George Perles said. "We won the championship and went to the Rose Bowl. I think this The game will be played in Aloha Stadium, where Hawaii has not lost in 12 games spanning two seasons. The only blemish is a 35-35 tie to Air Force in the Rainbows' regular-season finale Dec.

9. Hawaii should have a large crowd on its side. Aloha Stadium (50,000) is sold out for the first time in the bowl's eight-year history. "I don't see them as underdogs at all," Michigan State quarterback Dan Enos said. "They're playing in their home stadium and they won nine games." The Spartans allowed just 13.6 points a game least in the Big Ten and sixth best in the nation.

They ranked 11th in the nation in total defense, allowing 285.2 yards a game, and 11th against the run with 100.8 yards a game. Hawaii counters Michigan State's 4-3 stunt defense with its "spread" offense, a run-and-shoot passing attack and option running game. the recognition it deserved. The Rainbows were 9-3 last season. But a 56-14 rout of then No.

18 Brigham Young on Oct. 28 started a series of victories mat vaulted Hawaii into the rankings and the Aloha Bowl. Now that they have the spotlight, the Rainbows hope to live up to expectations. "The fact that this is our first real bowl game, that it will be nationally televised on Christmas, a lot of people around the country will see it those are the incentives," Wagner said. But will that be enough against Michigan State, featuring one of the nation's toughest defenses and All-American linebacker Percy Snow, winner of the Lombardi and Butkus awards? It's nice to have a chance to find out, Hawaii rover back Gavin Robertson said.

"To be known around the nation, we'll have to play teams like this, so we're excited to be playing them," Robertson said. is our next best team. The record indicates as well, with the caliber of the teams on our schedule and the scores of games we lost to top 10 teams. The Spartans lost to four of the top 11 teams Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan and Illinois by a total of 21 points. This has been a year of achievements for Hawaii, including its first national ranking since 1981, back-to-back nine-win seasons and a first-ever bowl bid.

Hawaii played its 10 home games this season long after most mainland contests had ended, and until late in the season Wagner thought Hawaii was not getting Tha Associated Press Michigan State's Blake Ezor, a senior tailback, will be the key to the Spartans' hopes in today Aloha Bowl against Hawaii. 24 y0DS DS(i 9 4 Sanders scores three TDs, but falls short of rushing title tr past 23 as general manager. Thomas was the team's honorary game captain and called the coin toss in the pregame ceremony at midfield. While less heralded, Richard Johnson caught seven passes, giving him 70 receptions for the season the most ever by a Detroit wide receiver. Pat Studstill caught 67 in 1966.

Fullback James Jones has the team record with 77 catches in 1984. Johnson scored Detroit's first touchdown on a 34-yard pass from Bob Gagliano in the first quarter. Ed Murray added a 39-yard field goal to tie the league record he shared with Mark Moseley for field goal accuracy in a season. Murray has made 20 of 21 in each of the past two seasons. On a more dismal note, only 7,792 fans turned out in freezing temperatures, making it the smallest home crowd ever to see the Falcons.

Atlanta sold 28,542 tickets. There were 20,750 no-shows. The Falcons didn't do much to inspire their fans. Chris Miller completed 37 of 66 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns 8 yards to Gene Lang and 6 yards to Michael Haynes. Keith Jones' 1-yard run accounted for the Falcons' other touchdown, and Greg Davis added a 25-yard field goal.

The Lions had a 14-10 lead at the intermission on Gagliano's scoring pass to Johnson in the first quarter and Sanders' touchdown run. Atlanta got its 10 points in the second quarter. Davis booted a 25-yard field goal, and Lang ran 9 yards with a screen pass from Miller. Detroit widened its lead steadily in the second half. Murray kicked a 39-yard field goal, and Sanders ran 17 yards for his second touchdown to make it 24-10 in the third quarter.

Sanders scored his third touchdown on a 19-yard run to make it 31-10. ATLANTA (GNS) Barry Sanders did everything but play Santa Claus in the Detroit Lions' going-away party on Christmas Eve. The rookie running back capped an outstanding season Sunday with three touchdown runs in Detroit's 31-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.t;, i Sanders ran 25 yards for a sec- ond-quarter touchdown and added scoring runs of 17 yards and 19 yards in the second half to cap the best season by a running back in Lions' history. Detroit ended with five straight victories its longest winning streak since it won its last five regular-season games in 1970 to rmake its 1989 record 7-9. Atlanta 'finished with a 3-13 record, guar-Tanteeing it will have the top pick next April's college draft.

you win, it's a great feeling," Lions coach Wayne Fon-tes said. "I thought parts of the "game we didn't play well. In the second quarter, we went through the motions. "We came in at halftime and had one of our more somber talks. We played much better in the third and fourth quarters." Sanders, like his teammates, looked forward to next season because of the team's fast finish.

"I honestly feel we're going to be a contender next year," he said. It was an historical day in many regards for the Lions, led by Sanders' exploits. He carried 20 times for 158 yards to set team records for rushing yards (1,470) and rushing touchdowns (14) in a season. Billy Sims, the Lions' No. 1 draft choice in 1980, held the previous marks.

Sims rushed for 1,437 yards in 1981 and had 13 rushing touchdowns in 1980. It was the last game for Russ Thomas, who is retiring at 65 after 43 years with the Lions the Ths Associated rass Detroit Lions' wide receiver Robert Clark is pulled down by Charles Dimry of the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter of Sunday's game in Atlanta. The Lions won their fifth straight game, 31-24. Playoffs start tonight for Vikings, Bengals MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Throw away the schedules that say the NFL playoffs begin next week. They actually start tonight at the Metrodome.

After the Cincinnati Bengals meet the Minnesota Vikings in the league's final regular-season game, one team will be done for file year while the other lives to play another day. "This is not a 'playoff-type' game," Vikings coach Jerry Burns said. "This is a playoff game." Because the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Vikings must defeat Cincinnati to win the NFC Central. times. Both teams have good defenses but have been vulnerable in key situations.

One area in which Cincinnati would seemingly have an edge is at quarterback, as Esiason has had his fifth straight passing season. Last year, Esiason was happy that he threw 28 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions a 2-to-l ratio. This year, he has improved that to better than 3-to-l, with 25 scoring passes and eight pickoffs. "The one thing that I am most happy with is the interceptions. That's the one statistic that I look at very closely," Esiason said.

playoffs. "There are a lot of great players on both teams. Each team has been inept at times. The frustrations that the Vikings are feeling are probably some of the same frustrations we are. "I think If you look at the rosters of both teams, you're saying to yourself, 'How can these teams have six or seven It's just unbelievable, unheard of." In all, 13 players recently named to the Pro Bowl seven Vikings and six Bengals will play Monday.

Both teams have some of the top offensive players in the league but have struggled to score at Minnesota (9-6) cannot be a wildcard playoff team. And because the Bengals (8-7) received much outside help during the weekend, a win Monday would give them an AFC wild-card berth. ABC-TV couldn't have asked for a better Monday Night Football finale: Two evenly-matched 1988 playoff teams desperate for victory. Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason looks at the Vikings and sees his own team. "Our season has been much like the Vikings' (season)," he said.

"Both teams came in with great expectations and both teams are fighting for their lives to make the Northern star 'extremely thankful' to be back on the court TODAY IN SPORTS portion of the tibia was cracked, necessitating the metal plate. The prognosis? "The doctor wouldn't be definite," Blomquist said. "There was a -I BRIAN MARSHALL I gratitude for Blomquist. Flashback to May 26, 1988: Blomquist and a friend are maneuvering their boat down the Black River when a surge of wind lifts a seat cushion into the air. Blomquist, who was driving, lunges for the cushion.

The steering wheel spins radically, the boat crashes into the shore and Blom-quist's left knee tears the console right out of the floor. "I remember my friend picked me up and I tried to walk on it and it gave out," Blomquist recalled. "It was pretty painful and it swelled immediately." Blomquist, who somehow avoided other injuries in the accident, underwent 3 Vi hours of surgery the following morning. The knee's medial collateral ligament had been shredded and a He sat out the first couple of weeks of practice, but on December 5 less than seven months after the accident Blomquist stepped back on a basketball court. "When the doctor cleared me, I jumped up and said 'Yes! It's over, Practicing for the first time was exhilarating.

It was like starting over again." Five days after that practice, Blomquist started for the junior varsity team in a game. Five games after that, the 6-foot-5 Blomquist was called up to the varsity where he joined his brother Eric, a senior. Ironically, Eric Blomquist had been through much the same agony as his little brother. As a Please see MARSHALL, Page 2, this section to work with weights. "I did more and more weights and it didn't hurt that much," Blomquist said.

"I figured if it's not going to hurt, I'd keep pushing it more and more." By this time, school was back in session and Blomquist, a sophomore in the fall of 1988, had a goal in mind. When basketball practice started in November, he'd be back on the court with the junior varsity team. Anyone who follows sports recognizes the medial lateral ligament as one of the potentially-career-ending injuries an athlete can suffer. Many a promising career has been snuffed out by a blown medial lateral. Through luck, hard work or a combination thereof, Blomquist made a miracle recovery.

By BRIAN MARSHALL Times Herald Todd Blomquist doesn't have far to search when he needs a shot of humility. Blomquist, a junior and starting center on Port Huron Northern's undefeated and top-ranked basketball team, is lucky he is able to walk without pain, much less play the sport he loves. A boating accident in the summer of 1988 turned his left knee into spaghetti. Blomquist beat the odds and is playing basketball. Just for a reminder, however, he uses the metal plate that was inserted into his leg as a key chain.

When life seems unfair or teenage pressures cause anxiety, Blomquist can whip out the six-inch, T-shape hunk of metal and reflect on his good fortune. Or, Todd Blomquist lot of damage. I knew in the mom provides the same service with a few well-chosen words. "If I start complaining at home, I always get reminded," Blomquist said. "She says 'You're so lucky.

Don't ever take this for I'm extremely thankful. Every time I go out on the court I think about it." Yes, the holiday season provides large of thankfulness and back of my mind it wasn't good. But I had it in my mind I was going to participate in sports again." Blomquist couldn't even walk on the leg for three months. From that point, he began walking and exercising and eventually began.