Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 11

o) Scoreboard 23 Tlgera blow big lead 33 Watson lets one slip away 48 Great Falls Tribune Monday, August 29, 1988 lASttM I They're not laughing at Weber St anymore ...11. i iu i i nm OGDEN, Utah (AP) Weber State coach Mike Price says pi I jt, I iwo games wiui injuries, ne neeus jusi la Cannes aim 400 OloKjfpreViewrOUro yaruS t0 become Weber State's all-time pass receiver in both vaivgui mat Orton was especially effective against the Treasure State out tun Weber I NtwOA 1 UNO I his Wildcats finally have some respect. Price, who endured three losing seasons in his first six years at the WSC helm, remembers when other Big Sky Conference football teams expected easy pickings when the Wildcats came around on their schedules. All that changed last year. Weber State came within a field goal of winning the conference title outright, tied Idaho for the title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division 1-AA playoffs before losing to eventual finalist Marshall University.

Now Weber State is one of the teams mentioned as a contender for the conference crown, and Price says it doesn't bother him that other teams are gunning for the Wildcats instead of anticipating an easy win. "No, 1 love it," said Price, who has good reason to be State optimistic about this season. For one, he returns senior Jeff Carlson, who passed for 3,044 yards and 19 touchdowns last year and became only the second Wildcat to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Carlson, a 6-foot-4 Cypress, native, was seventh in the nation in total offense last year, but only fourth in the pass-happy Big Sky. "Jeff Carlson is one of the premier quarterbacks in the nation," Price said.

"Some pro scouts have told me they expect to see him as one of the top 10 prospects." Carlson will work once again with Wade Orton, his favorite receiver last year. Orton, a senior from Kanab, Utah, caught 54 passes for 919 yards and four touchdowns despite missing schools, catching key touchdown passes in narrow victories over both Montana State and Montana. Price expects to complement his passing game with a running attack led by senior Fine Unga, who rushed for 1,032 yards on 173 carries last year and became the first WSC running back in 20 years to break the mark in a single season. Unga, who played at Dixie Junior College in St. George, Utah, and was signed by the Brigham Young program, was granted another season of eligibility by the NCAA.

"This means for the first time in his career, going back to See WEBER, 2B I Dodgers finish with flourish By Tribune Staff team batting average, the club's pitchers did set a new mark. Great Falls established a new Pioneer League record for team earned-run average (2.93). The old mark of 2.98 was set in 1979 by the Billings Mustangs. Great Falls finished with a team batting average of .319, just .001 short of the Pioneer record of .320, established last season by the Salt Lake City Trappers. The Dodgers also fell just short in team stolen bases, finishing three behind the record with 161, and in victories.

Great Falls won 52 and lost just 17, with one rainout, this summer. The 1985 Great Falls club set the Pioneer League mark with a 54-16 record. Great Falls scored one run in the first inning of the opener Sunday to provide the team's pitchers with more than enough support. Shortstop Jose Oferman walked and then stole Southern Division-winning Copper Kings. Games 1 and 2 will be conducted Tuesday and Wednesday at Montana Tech's Alumni Coliseum.

Game 3 will be played Thursday in Great Falls. If necessary, Game 4 Friday and Game 5 Saturday are also set for' Legion Park in Great Falls. The Dodgers finished the season with seven hitters batting over .300, led by first baseman Eric Karros (.369, 12 HR, 55 RBIs). Outfielders Jerry Brooks (.34460) and Eric Boddie also posted impressive numbers, as did infielder Ernie Carr The Dodgers pitching staff was led by right-hander Sean Snedeker (8-2 record, 2.20 earned-run average). James Wray (5-2, 2.04), David Dawson (5-2, 2.06) and Jeff Hartsock (7-2, 2.67) also posted impressive numbers.

his Pioneer record 57th base. Oferman later scored on a groundout by Jerry Brooks. In the second game, second baseman Bryan Beals banged out four hits, including two in the third inning, to pace the Dodgers. Beals led off the third with a single and later tripled home two runs as Great Falls scored 10 times in the frame. Eric Karros and Brett Magnusson had two hits each for the Dodgers.

Medicine Hat, meanwhile, established a Pioneer League record for futility with the double loss. The Blue Jays finished the season with just 12 wins in 70 games. The record is four games worse than the previous Pioneer mark of 16-54, established in 1983 by the Helena Phillies. Great Falls takes today off before opening the Pioneer's best-of-five series for the league championship Tuesday night in Butte against the MEDICINE HAT The record-setting Great Falls Dodgers concluded the regular season in style Sunday afternoon, sweeping a double-header from the record-setting Medicine Hat Blue Jays. The Dodgers, Pioneer League Northern Division champions, defeated the hapless Blue Jays 2-0 and 10-1.

Bill Wengert, Ramon Valdez, Cam Biberdorf and James Wray combined to hurl the first-game shutout. Valdez (4-1) got the victory, with Wray picking up his fourth save. The Dodgers scored 10 runs in the third inning of the nightcap en route to the easy victory. Jeff Castillo, the third Dodgers pitcher, gained credit for his first win in three decisions this summer. Although the Dodgers fell short in the team's attempt to set new league records for victories and It it 11 1 II jl 2 Coaches happy with girls' progress for two weeks.

Sometimes it's not TrlbwiM Photo by T.J. Olllei Just around the corner The football season starts this weekend, and scenes like this one from a typical Montana Class high school game will be repeated at sites around the state. The Tribune offers its annual preseason look at state college and high school programs with a special edition in Tuesday's newspaper. Previews of the University of Montana, Montana State, the Frontier Conference, more than 100 high schools, plus major colleges and the National Football League are included in Tuesday's section. too." Hatler said his starting lineup was about set with Stephanie Tollefson at center, Amy Kuntz and Shani Ren-ning at forwards, and Shawna Goh-rick and Jenny Johnson at guards.

Hatler said Staci Birkoski, Michelle Dunn and Marci Mackenstadt were; also pressing for playing time. The CMR starting lineup is just about set, said Lucero, as guards Koth and Campbell, and forwards St. Pierre and Nordrum are solids Pam Remsen will likely back up the guards, while Ryerson and Schaffer battle for the other starting spot. very intense, ne sam. ine scrimmage was dominated by the defense, and that's what 1 want at this point." Lucero said forwards Lacrissa St.

Pierre and Kellje Nordrum played especially well, and that inside players Shannon Schaffer and Cristy Ryerson were also impressive. "That was encouraging," said Lucero, who expects guards Renae Koth and Stacy Campbell to be a particular team strength. got to get in a little better shape. But it's a tough situation, because we've been working hard By Tribune Staff Great Falls High and CM. Russell High girls' basketball teams conducted intrasquad scrimmages last weekend, and both clubs looked sharp.

"I thought we played pretty well defensively," said CMR head coach Larry Lucero. "Our shooting wasn't quite as good as I want it to be, but I thought our posts and wings played really well defensively." v-Great Falls High coach Roger Hatler was also impressed with his team's defensive tenacity. "The girls were very aggressive, really the conditioning that needs work as much as it is that the girls are just tired." 1 Hatler, about to begin his first year as Bison head coach after replacing veteran GFH mentor Dick Kloppel, thinks the transition is going smoothly. "I thought it was a real positive experience," he said. "It was really the first time in a real organized situation that the girls would see how I react and I could see how they would react.

1 had a good feeling about it and I think the girls did, 9 Vl lJii. v. I v) i it i 1 1 Cr jef i 'i i 1 l.Jii tea 5 .1 nr' lc3 1 x'j. i ir jtrJD.J. I I 1 t' it:" 'ihi'it zJ fix i i rs 10 e--y.

1. 1 1 vttll have itC- 3 ta tfvidon, i i el 1 Bay r.B Erart twld Li tfivti: i ever fce Jut four VL" r'1 E3ir Coach f' I to ixr te challenge. ci we know i a k.TH t'e rt---J rd weak-' 1 1 i'Ji kswi Ltivker Wllber Jk.naiaf.ef nt and wkle receiver Cc- v-j Ha tjwi Walter Pay-ten and Ccry Fcrxli f'va wired. And he tm er.d i "l-S Refncra-Lrisrry Va i r.i'a tvb start the He knows he has Neal Anderson and Thomas Sarulsrs at nmnirrj back. Ke Kjh tiht eJ Jim Thornton and first rourJ draft picks Brad Muster, a fullback, and Wendell Davis, a wide receiver.

He's gsing to use different alignments in the defensive tackfield which Includes Dave Duerson, Shaun Gayie, Vestee Jackson, Maurice Douglass, Rc nUUps and Richardson. The Bears miit not be able to dominate the Packers, Buccaneers and Lions as they have in recent years. The Packers finished third a S4-1 record and have a new coach In Llndy Infante, who has made Randy Wright his quarterback over Marc Wilson and Don Majkowksi. Elsewhere, Infante sees improvement to such an extent that he said "I honestly feel there's a tiS-it at the end of the tunnel, and I don't think it's a train anymore." The Packer defense allowed only 300 points last season, fifth best In the league "Generally, I like the way the defense played last year," said Infante. "For us to be competitive, we need to be in the upper third in NFL defense." When Infante decides on the Packer quarterback, he will team up with some outstanding receivers including Phillip Epps, Walter Stanley and rookie Sterling Sharpe, the team's No.

1 draft pick, There is no guessing game at quarterback for either the Buccaneers or the Lions. Virmy Testa verde has been given full reign at hi it i -i i I It lUt) i rtv tt i 1 1 V. 'jt' tf 9 to ijr .11 Cat 1V. JilMl It r-" -i i i cr V. i -1 1 a is t.

C--- er 1 3 pri fcr 3 7 1: Lilt and Keith 9C eascn wiu.iit Van rJ ho. 1 rsal Z'Mir. AU are Injured. Cut he a'-4 fcoiw Jim McMahon Is fr fci T.xt tn rt and cap- Last sessan, the Vikiri cr3 czi hacked by l-Ja TomcJi a.J Jim Kar-, See CENTXAL, LA's success has made a believer out of former 'Dodger Basher Scott Mansch Mansch is a Tribune sports reporter. last year wrote that the Dodgers organization "is falling apart." Gammons and other seemingly sensible scribes wrote last summer of the Dodgers' decline in the National League West, putting much of the blame squarely on the team's minor-league department, headed by the since-retired William Schweppe.

Ah, those were the days. The Twins were on top, the Brewers were up-and-coming and the Dodgers were, at least on the big-league level, Dogs. But that was last year, pal. And so, since we've been quick to chastise the chumps in the past, I think it only fair that we now chant for the champs. Go Big Blue.

Go Big Blue. Go Big Blue. I think I feel a fever coming on. But really, though much of the country has been plagued by a summer-. long drought, has anyplace been as hot as LA? And I'm not talking temperatures.

When last I checked Los Angeles was 21 games over See MANSCH, 2B its people. The Beach Boys are cool, but surfer boys and valley girls and all those tanned bodies on the beach well, you know what I'm saying. It's like, you know, Califomians think they've got a special gift. And that goes, too, for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The greatest organization in baseball.

Ever hear anybody say that about the Dodgers? Of course. And, even if it's true, why should anybody have to brag about it? At any rate, it's been fun the past few years to lambaste Lasorda and chuckle as Los Angeles teams have floundered. We're talking some big-time laughs. There, for instance, was the famous Al Campanis thing on Nightline. And the infamous trouble that Steve Sax had throwing the baseball to first base.

And then there was the perceived deterioration of the team's farm department. (Of course, this was not so funny if a fellow lived in Great Falls. But if a guy resided in, say, Helena, it was amusing). No less an expert than Sports Illustrated's Peter Gammons, now also ESPN's expert baseball analyst, I could fight, but in this instance I think it is wiser to switch. This baseball season, you understand, has not gone the way I expected.

The Twins, the Brewers, the Cubs none have come through for me. At least the laughable plight of the Yankees has provided a reason to smile. But believe me, the giggles just haven't come so easily this summer. Heck, it's not even fun to be a Dodger Basher anymore. I mean, I'm even considering buying that blue cap with the LA on it.

A clarification is in order, for on the eve of the Pioneer League playoffs we've got to make certain that this is not misunderstood. And regular readers of this column surely realize that I am not one to intentionally stir up trouble. Great Falls Dodgers, you're the best. Great Falls Dodgers, you've made it a fun summer at Legion Park. Great Falls Dodgers, the best of the luck against Butte which is not to say that you'll really need it.

That said, the deal is this: I simply have never, ever cared much for the Los Angeles Dodgers and their image. And now, my reputation as a front-runner clearly at stake, I guess it's time to capitulate and lead the cheers for Tubby Tommy Lasorda's boys. Oh, this is going to hurt. You see, those of us with midwestern roots and, I suspect, many of you native Montanans don't care much for California, especially LA. Or rather what we perceive as the image of California, especially LA, and.