The Sheboygan Press from Sheboygan, Wisconsin • Page 16

B1 0 The Sheboygan Press, Friday, November 24, 1 995 SPORT Sports Editor: Mike Knuth 457-7711, Ext. 136 still in the game I Northwestern has declared the 18-year-old Knapp medically ineligible to play basketball because of a cardiac arrest he suffered 14 months ago, so he is suing for the right to play. He contends that four doctors have said he does not have a heart condition and have cleared him to play basketball. He and his parents have offered to waive Northwestern liability for any injury he might suffer. In the meantime, the 6-foot-5 Knapp sits, dreams of playing, and waits.

He has trouble sleeping and eating, from worrying about how instead of being on the court his future will soon be decided in court. "It really tears me up inside watch these guys at practice when I know I could be out there banging with them," said Knapp, recruited by the Wildcats along with Cedar Grove graduate Nate Pomeday to improve the program's shooting. On Sept. 19, 1994, Knapp was preparing for his senior season at Peoria (111.) Woodruff High School, where he had averaged 17.3 and 20.8 points per game in his previous two seasons. He was on the verge of breaking the state record for career three-pointers, having made 247 in three years as a starter.

Several college basketball coaches had come calling, but Nick had his sights set on playing in the Big Ten and attending Northwestern, although the Wildcats have lingered at the bottom of the conference for decades. The university had made an oral commitment to offer him a scholarship. "We recruited him to replace the perimeter shooting we lost when guys graduated," Byrd-song said recently. "He was as Turn to HEARTPage B12 DOWN AND OUT? Northwestern freshman Nick Knapp is fighting the school to play basketball. NU has declared him medically ineligible because of a cardiac arrest he suffered 14 months ago, but Knapp contends several doctors have said he does not have a heart condition.

ap off 'bresh is heart Northwestern freshman fights to stay on floor By BRIAN BERGSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER EVANSTON, III. The squeaking of shoes and grunts of coaches echo through Welsh-Ryan Arena as the Northwestern men's basketball team goes through a flurry of drills and sprints. Sitting on the bench, wearing a windbreaker and jeans, freshman guard Nick Knapp stares at the players running through a half-court play. He runs his hand over his crew-cut blond hair, smiles and comments to a teammate. In his heart, he wants to be out on the court.

But that's where the problem lies. Favre is the key to success By TOM MULHERN THOMSON NEWS SERVICE GREEN BAY This is the burden that quarterback Brett Favre carries on his shoulders into every football game. For the Green Bay Packers to have a chance to win, he must play well. It's really that cut and dried. "First of all, the way we're structured, he has to perform well," said general manager Ron Wolf.

"He's our bell cow offensively. We've built the team around him. For us to function as an offensive unit, Favre he has to perform. He has to." Most teams could say similar things about their quarterback, but in the Packers case, they may ask more of Favre than any other team asks of a single player. "Usually, if he's good we have a chance to win," said Holmgren.

"If he's not too good, then we haven't won." Holmgren offers no apologies for the dependency in his system on the quarterback. "I don't see a problem with that, putting too much on his shoulders or relying too much on him," he said "That's just that position as far as my way of thinking. Most teams, if their quarterback doesn't play well, they don't win. That's just kind of the way it goes. "We probably put a little extra on Brett's shoulders, but whether it's Brett Favre or Ty Detmer, whoever is playing that position for this team has to deal with that and has to know that." Still, the question arises, can the Packers somehow find a way to win a game if Favre doesn't play well? I don't Turn to FAVREPage B12 to i Smith was hurt on a somewhat routine play.

He took a handoff going right, saw no hole and spun 180 degrees to his left. He kept going for a few steps, then plopped down without being hit. "He's made that cut a thousand times," lineman Nate Newton said. "This time, his knee didn't hold up." Smith had to helped off the field and carted into the locker room. Within an hour, he was able to walk on his own.

"That's a positive sign," said Dallas trainer Kevin O'Neill. Team doctors are hopeful it's just a sprain because Smith was able to do things he couldn't do if it was something worse. "I said, 'Tell me what you think it is, not what the doctors told Dallas coach Barry Switzer said of his conversation with Smith. "He said, 'Coach, I think it is a sprained The calendar benefits Smith's recovery because Dallas doesn't play again for 10 days, and that game is at home. Brodsky said he wouldn't be surprised to see his star in the lineup Dec.

3. i i 1 i 4 )()r vfi. iifpili vlllSplllill ''v. -v flawless Losing Smith painful image for 10-2 team IRVING, Texas (AP) Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones learned his lesson about Emmitt Smith's value two years ago when a contract feud kept Smith out of the first two games of the season. "We had a Super Bowl team," Jones said, "and we lost both games." Dallas again has a Super Bowl-caliber team with a 10-2 record.

But they again may not have Smith. Smith sprained his left knee with 1:24 left in the third quarter of the Cowboys' 24-12 victory over Kansas City Thursday. An MRI scheduled for today would determine how bad it really is. "I pray the MRI says it's only (sprained)," running backs coach Joe Brodsky said. "I pray the good Lord will take care of my man and he will be OK." Mitchell in ueiroii ASSOCIATED PRESS The word around the NFL used to be that if you stop Barry Sanders, you stop the Detroit Lions.

That may not be true any more. Minnesota held Sanders to just 1 yard in the first half Thursday. By then, however, Scott Mitchell had thrown three touchdown passes. Arenz was hanging on the rim of a side basket. The rim snapped down and he fell suddenly face first with all his weight on his wrist.

He wrapped the sore wrist for the weekend, not realizing there was a fracture. He attended a morning practice Monday and ended up seeing a doctor that afternoon because of the pain. "I went to catch a ball and it hurt beyond belief," Arenz said. It's proven a pretty tough lesson in not screwing around. "It was pretty stupid," said Arenz, a guardforward who averaged 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5 assists last season for the Raiders.

"The cast goes about half way up my arm. If been shooting around left handed and working on my left-handed passing. It's depressing just to watch. Now I'm Dallas running back Emmitt Smith has his left knee wrapped tightly as he is carted off the field during Thursday's showdown with Kansas City. The.

Cowboys won the game, but tests today should reveal whether or not they'll lose Smith for any extended period of time. ap Kiel standout sidelined Lakeland's big season rewarded by conference victory Mitchell finished with record numbers and the Lions held on for a 44-38 victory over the Vikings. And, guess what? Sanders got his numbers anyway. He finished with 138 yards on 24 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown scamper that gave the Lions a 10-point lead with 5.18 left in the game. Turn to LIONSPage B12 more or less just a coach.

I'll do whatever I can." Arenz will be checked by a doctor in early December, and if his fracture is healing correctly he could get the cast off around the 4th, he said. "The doctor said once I get it off, I need to work on get my motions back," said Arenz, a multiple state medal winner in both cross country and track. "It was a very small fracture." Arenz isn't the only Kiel starter on the injured list. Sophomore Jeff Niesen dislocated an elbow in the middle of the football season, but he may be available for the season opener, Arenz said. The Raiders, who are hoping to challenge EWC favorites Plymouth and Two Rivers this winter, have four league games scheduled before Christmas.

By DAVID GALLIANETTI OF THE PRESS STAFF Since Kiel boys basketball coach Mike Schfoeder has up to four sophomores that could be playing big roles for his Raiders this winter, the 20-year veteran is welcoming any extra teachers he can get on the bench. Kiel senior Jamie Arenz is one teacher Schroeder would rather see on the floor. Arenz, a first team all-Eastern Wisconsin Conference selection as a junior, could miss up to four weeks with a broken Arenz right wrist he suffered a week ago today after practice. I I I 1 freshman linebacker Brian Thiry and freshman running back Kimani Chambers. Schultz was the team's leading receiver, Thiry was its leading tackier and Chambers was the leading rusher (with more than 1,000 yards).

Plymouth's Trevor Tagel, a senior offensive lineman, was a second-team choice. Other second-team selections were senior punter Dave Johnson, sophomore quarterback Mark Novara, sophomore receiver Brandon Lawson, sophomore defensive lineman Rich Rivard, sophomore defensive lineman Brian Wesoloski and freshman defensive back Eric Keranen. Three Lakeland players earned honorable mention recognition.They were senior center Jeremy Lueloff, senior running back David Drane and senior offensive lineman Brandon McCray. head-coaching stint at NCAA Division II team Kentucky Wes-leyan. Prior to the year he came to Lakeland, Awrey guided the Kentucky Wesleyan program to its first-ever winning season.

He was MVP of the 1975 NCAA Division II National Championship team at Northern Michigan. "I humbly accept this award, but it takes many people in developing a good football program," Awrey said. "I owe a lot of thanks to my coaches, Dan Enos, Chris Winowich, Jeff Hynes, Tom Edberg and Brian King, and the players for all the hard work they put in this season. I'm glad to see Lakeland's football program is respected in the Illini-Badger Conference." Four Muskies were named to the all-conference first team. They were: Senior offensive lineman Sal Moncada, sophomore receiver George Schultz, Randy Awrey, who guided the Lakeland College football team to its first winning season in eight years, was named the Illi-ni-Badger Conference Coach of the Year, the school announced.

In addition, 14 Muskies were, in some capacity, chosen to the all-conference team. Four Lakeland players made the first team all-conference list. "I was excited to have 14 student-athletes represented on the all-conference teams," Awrey said. "It was a great reward for them. They worked very hard.

We had a good year. It was great to see the conference recognize these young men." Lakeland, in Awrey's second year, went 6-3-1, 4-2 in conference play. That mark showed improvement over the 4-6 record the Muskies mustered in 1994. Awrey, now 10-9-1 at Lakeland, came to the school after a.