The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana • Page 17

MONDAY, MAY 17, 1999 3C THE TIMES College Baseball Football NS stays alive Knights: Defense key to victory over Thunder in tournament low and easily blocked. "Coach called me on Thursday," said Rush, a Demons rally past Southeastern Louisiana 13-11 in SLC event. By Robby Edwards Special to The Times MONROE For the first five innings, and part of the ninth, it looked like the Southland Conference Tournament baseball curse would continue for Northwestern State. But what a difference a day makes. NSU (38-20) rallied for a 13-1 1 win over Southeastern Louisiana in an elimination game, but history looked to be repeating itself.

"It was the same type of game as down completely, finishing with zero yards rushing in the second half. Fhilyaw and the Knights heated up on the second drive of the third quarter. Philyaw completed passes of 28 and 37 yards, and Norman Bradford busted around the right side for a 28-yard run. He followed that burst with 7-yard scoring run, during which he pulled a muscle in his back cutting back to the outside. Philyaw stayed hot after the Knights defense forced a punt on the Thunder's next possession.

He held the safeties with a great play-action fake and handled a heavy blitz perfectly by finding a wide open Gil Carillo streaking down the left sideline en route to a 61-yard touchdown reception to put the game away. Bradford finished with 40 yards on just five carries for an average of 8.0. He's listed as day-to-day, as are running back Gil Carillo (separated shoulder), tight end Adam Settle (shoulder) and James Gillyard (ankle). Marquette Smith led the Knights with 53 yards on 12 carries. Seven different receivers caught passes, including two each by Anthony Eubanks (47 yards) and Shawn Timms (13).

Continued from 1C to 183 yards in the game, and just 83 in the second half. The Knights dropped Thunder quarterback Doug Coleman four times for combined losses of 55 yards. They've got a very aggressive defense," said Coleman, who completed 10 of 23 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. "They didn't show anything different than what we saw on film but they just kept coming and we couldn't stop them." Akers said the dominating defensive performance was even more impressive because they did it without three starters in the lineup. Linebacker Louis Adams and defensive backs Kwame Ellis and Anthony Fogle are the latest players to leave the team because of the recent salary cuts aimed at keeping the struggling league alive.

"They kept the pressure on the quarterback all game," Akers said. "And they did it without three or four starters. Some other guys stepped up and made New Orleans work for everything they got in the second half." After Coleman's 17-yard touchdown pass to Nicky Savoie with 1:01 left in the first half gave the Thunder a 14-13 lead heading into the break, New Orleans was shut NEW ORLEANS There were more football fans in Tad Gormley Stadium Sunday than there were degrees on the thermometer, but just barely. The estimated temperature on the field at game time was 94 degrees, cooled a bit by a slight breeze. The estimated attendance in the bleachers was 125, and aided somewhat by counting the equipment manager's wife and daughter.

"It's because not enough people know about us," says Thunder public relations consultant Rusty Kasmiersky, who has been with the team for four weeks. "We only had a couple of months to get up and going and we didn't make real good use of the time. "We've spent in excess of $50,000 in advertising, but I've always believed you never introduce a sports franchise through advertising. The only way to introduce yourself as an entity is through the coverage by the media, and that's been lacking New Orleans." Thunder fan Doug Arena also understands why so few people are attending. "It's not getting promoted enough," Arena said.

"There's nothing in the paper, nothing on TV. I have some friends who think I'm pulling their leg when I say there's another professional football team in New Orleans." After place kicker Teddy Garcia was cut two weeks ago, and with Mark Schultis returning to his full-time position in Dallas last week, the Knights were still trying to fill the position on Thursday. Coach Fred Akers was in a serious rush. Now he has a serious Rush. Newly acquired kickerpunter Clay Rush showed a powerful leg by booting a 38-yard field goal that would have been good from 50.

He proved that by drilling a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter that would have made it from about 60 yards. "We asked our contacts in the NFL if they had any players in mind that might be invited to NFL camps this summer," Akers said of the search. "Longtime kicking coach Ray Pelfry who has kicking camps all over the country couldn't praise him enough." Rush, whose longest career field goal was 56 yards, also showed a strong leg on a high-hanging first half punt, but he was not consistent (averaged 30 yards on three punts) and his final field goal attempt was very Missouri Western alum who was in the Detroit Lions training camp last year but failed to beat out All Pro veteran Jason Hansen. 'It was my first game, I was very nervous and I never felt comfortable. "Once I get a week of practice to work on a few things like getting used to the rush, then I'll be OK." Thunder tight end Nicky Savoie, a former LSU Tiger and New Orleans Saint, takes a back seat to his girlfriend's driving.

Angelle Seeling races motorcycles as a part of Team Winston. She competes in a drag racing series which travels the country to National Hot Rod Association sanction events. Last Monday, Savoie and Seeling were together for a photo shoot done by People Magazine for a story about Angela and her dangerous occupation. "Angelle has been interviewed three times for this piece, and we spent the whole day on the shoot, so you know it will be big story," Savoie said. The Thunder.public relations office is promoting a new unofficial website members.aol.comjacin-tron2RFLIN as "the best source for information and fun about the Regional Football League available anywhere." The fan-generated site has stories from each team, links to the teams' hometown newspapers, real-time broadcast information about member teams, stats, RFL chat links and "just about anything else that is known about the league and its teams." New Orleans scored its first rushing touchdown of the season when Horace Raymond scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.

But the team's running troubles were far from solved. The Knights defense held the Thunder to 0 yards on 10 carries in the second half. New Orleans lost 55 yards on four Knights sacks in the game, including a fourth-quarter sack by Gaylon Hyder which dropped the Thunder for a loss of 18. For the game, New Orleans averaged 1.7 yards per carry, finishing with 39 yards on the ground and 183 total. John McCloskey (NSU) runner made contact with the ball and then ran outside the baseline," assistant coach Johnny Brechtel, who took over for Marten, said.

"Up to that point, the momentum was in our favor. After that, it went in their favor." NSU padded its lead when Tyler Dunlap hit a two-run homer and Chris Cox a solo blast in the seventh, and Ronnie Quintana a run-scoring double in the ninth for a 13-6 lead. "We're more line drive and groundball oriented," Cohen said. "Here, in these conditions, we wanted to get under the ball." The Lions, who went down in in the seventh and eighth, made it interesting with a five-run ninth. Ryan Hoffman had a two-run single, and Tidwell and Jaren Owen had RBI hits.

With runners on first and second, Fingleson, who was 4-for-6 with a home run, ended the game by grounding out to second. South-eastern missed Waguespack. He would have batted third in the inning with runners on first and second, but Van Foster filled in and hit into a Southeastern choice. "If they don't lose Waguespack, Cohen said without finishing his thought. "That was a huge play when he was ejected." The teams combined for a tournament game record 39 hits, including a record 20 by NSU with three each by Bell, Quintana and Josh Hoffpauir.

Brad Stephens joined Fingleson with four hits for Southeastern. Adam Stout, the SLC newcomer of the year, went the distance to improve to 9-2. All 11 runs were earned, pushing his SLC second-best ERA from 3.06 to 3.74. "They were hitting me," Stout says. "They are a good hitting team.

They caught on that I was throwing first-pitch fastballs, then I adjusted and started mixing in changeups and curves." tax Saturday, NSU head coach John Cohen said. "This time, things went our way." NSU plays Southwest Texas at 3 p.m. today in an elimination game. In Saturday's 11-8 first-round loss to -Texas-Arlington, the Demons blew a 5-0 lead and lost in the first round of the tournament for the seventh straight year. Steven Bell's RBI single in the top of the fourth gave Northwestern a 5-0 lead, but three of six Lion batters homered in the next two innings to give Southeastern a 6-5 lead.

Chase Tidwell hit a three-run shot in the fourth, and Gavin Fingleson hit a solo shot and Macky Waguespack a two-run blast in the fifth. Unlike Saturday, however, the Demons played long ball themselves and battled back. Bell hit a two-run homer, his 10th of the year, in the sixth to give the Demons a 9-6 lead. SLU head coach Greg Marten was ejected for arguing a call in the top of the sixth and Waguespack, who hit his 23rd homer of the year in the fifth, was tossed when he threw his bat and helmet after striking out with two runners on to end the bottom of the inning. "Coach Marten was arguing that a College Basketball 14( not included SPECIAL DID THE WEATHERMAN FORECAST RADIO? I SENIOR WEEKDAY SPECIAL-Age 65 tax $12( not included I Includes green fee 12 cart Vaild weekdays anytime (Except Holidays) After 1:00 p.m.

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742-7447 CHRC AOL COM Where they are headed The spring signing period for college basketball prospects ended Saturday. And, with the signees in the fall and spring, several of the state's top prospects have opted to leave Louisiana. Name Ht. Pos. High School College choice Torris Bright 6-3 Slidell LSU Draper Housley 6-4 GF Coushatta Lee JC Shawnson Johnson 6-9 Green Oaks Lee JC Zach Johnson 6-9 FC Woodlawn Louisiana Tech Bernard King 6-3 Texas Antonio Meeking 6-8 Farmerville Louisiana Tech Clarence Moore 1 6-5 GF S.Lafourche Georgia Tech Hollis Price 6-1 St.

Augustine Oklahoma Victor Tarver 5-8 Southern Lab Southern Derrick Zimmerman 6-2 Wossman Miss. State Xi Linings from Meridian (Miss.) Junior College. Guards Marcus Drewry and Shohn Williams come to Centenary from the Chicago area. "We got some maturity with the junior college kids," Centenary coach Kevin Johnson said. "I like that aspect of it.

The young kids we signed, I think they all can play but anytime you step up from high school to Division I you always worry if they are strong enough or tough enough or physical enough. Those are the things you worry about with the high school kids, but I'm excited about all of them." The most impact could come from Drewry, a point guard from Evanston (111.) High School who averaged 12 points and nine assists per game as a senior. He was recruited by Marquette, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State and Lamar. "Even though he is coming out of high school, he is 19 years old. To have a guy 6-1, 6-2, playing the point guard position is an asset.

To me, he is one that could be an impact player," Johnson said. Northeast Louisiana signed only two players this year. Neither was named Derrick Zimmerman. Instead, the Indians were left with a pair of junior college players Brian Lubeck and Sidney Williams who figure to be complementary players next season. Grambling State didn't hire a coach until a couple of days before Continued from 1C last season 6-7 forward Karelius Paul and 6-5 swingman Marco Cole.

"They're going to be new players next year, so we're in good shape," Richard said. LSU coach John Brady has found himself juggling scholarships this fall and spring because of NCAA sanctions. Brady can have only 11 players on ship and is allowed to sign just four in two seasons. The Tigers signed Ronald Dupree, a 6-6 guard-forward from Biloxi, during the early signing period. 'Then, in the spring, LSU added 6-4 guard Torris Bright of Slidell and junior college transfer Lamont Roland.

The Tigers signed Bright, but also missed on Zimmerman, who signed with Mississippi State. While Bright, a 30-point per game scorer, was the most-publicized Tiger recruit, the 6-4 Roland may have the most immediate impact. "He can not only shoot the basketball and score, but he can also be creative off the dribble," Brady said. Centenary, meanwhile, added some guards as well as some experience. The Gents signed junior college players Miroslav llic from Pratt (Kansas) Community College and Olufemi Odvkoya PERMANENTLY PROTECTS AGAINST RUST AND CORROSION Resists Abrasion, Even Under Heavy Use Not a Paint-Like Wont' Peel.

Crack or Warp I Out Performs All Drop-In Liners 1 Helps Keep Your Gear 2 from Sliding fll I Sprays on up to 14" Thick All Colors Available With everybody coming back, we were limited in numbers." One reason for such mixed results for area basketball programs was the exodus of top prospects and academic difficulties of others. Two of the state's top players Green Oaks' Shawnson Johnson and Coushatta's Draper Housley signed with Lee (Texas) Junior College. And the annual exodus also continued with Gibsland-Coleman's Bernard rung signing with Texas South Lafourche's Clarence Moore choosing Georgia Tech and Zimmerman signing with Mississippi State. the end of the spring signing period. The coaching change hampered the Tigers' recruiting efforts.

Northwestern State also had a coaching change and the Demons signed just one recruit in the spring. Chris Thompson, a 6-7 forward from Bossier Parish Community College, signed with the Demons and joins former Southwood star Pooh Davis, who sat out last season transferring from North Texas. "We're just kind of on hold," NSU coach Mike McConathy said. "When you come in late, sometimes you can gamble on players. We elected to stay in this position.

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