The Salina Journal from Salina, Kansas • Page 23

Kansas, K-State to begin grid drills Thursday Joyhawks hove 32 14 starters return to Wildcats 23 LAWRENCE With 32 lettermen and 12 starters set to return, Kansas begins preparations for its 88th season of football with the start of 3-a-day drills Thursday. Excluding freshmen but including several walk-ons approximately 90 hopefuls are expected to greet 3rd-year coach Bud Moore. "Naturally we're anxious to get started," Moore said. "We have a very young football team with several questions to answer before Sept. 10." Tough schedule That is the date that Kansas begins what is considered by many as the school's most difficult schedule ever.

Three of the first 4 weeks are on the road against highly regarded teams. Included are 6 bowl teams from a year ago Texas A-M, UCLA, Oklahoma, Colorado, Oklahoma State and Nebraska. "Much has been made of the schedule," Moore added, "but we can't worry about that. The only thing we are going to worry about is developing into the best football team we can. We have some very obvious problems but I also think we have some good young talent." Heading the list of problems is the defensive secondary followed closely by questions at quarterback and split end.

Another area far from solid is linebacker. "I feel much better about the line- backing situation than I thought I would at this time," Moore said. "That was one area where I felt we made some progress last Spring. Still, we have to have more improvement for us to be competitive." Only one proven veteran Academic All-American Tom Fitch, a 2-year letterman returns in the secondary. Inexperience is particularly evident at the cornerbacks where the top 2 on both sides are sophomores.

Only Leroy Irvin, one of 6 freshmen last year to Tom Fitch earn letters, has experience. Perhaps one of the most hotly contested positions is quarterback where junior college transfer Brian Bethke is expected to battle junior letterman Mark Vicendese for the starting job. Vicendese will go into Fall drills listed No. 1 partly because of his performance in the season finale a year ago (41-14 KU victory over Missouri) and partly because Bethke injured a hand in Spring drills causing him to miss more than half the sessions. Inconsistent "We were terribly inconsistent in the Spring," Moore said about the quarterbacking situation.

"For us to even have a chance at being successful we have to see considerable improvement here. I think both Mark and Brian can be very good quarterbacks. Both give us an added dimension that we have been lacking in that they potentially are better passers." Moore is hopeful the other half of that phase of the game receiving will also be improved. Two transfers, Rodney Olson and Rob Fulton, will open drills listed No. 1 and No.

2 at split end. Kansas is not without strengths. Bill Campfield Moore is optimistic the Jayhawk stable of running backs, headed by halfbacks Bill Campfield and Mike Higgins, along with fullback Norrisw Banks, will be equal to last year's when KU finished as the nation's 4th best rushing team. To go along with that the Jay- hawks have what is expected to be one of their best offensive lines in recent memory. Other strengths listed by Moore are the kicking game and defensive line.

Coach Moore already received some news he didn't want to hear before drills begin. Two young players, both being counted on to play offensive guard, will probably miss the entire season because of knee injuries. They are sophomore Al Roberts, 6-3, 240-pounder from Lithonia, who played tight end last year, and red-shirt sophomore Kirk Tushaus, 6-3, 235-pounds, from Bishop Miege in Kansas City. Official activities for Kansas begin Wednesday with physical exam- inatioins. That afternoon players and coaches will go befoe the media for Photo and Interview Day activities.

MANHATTAN Thanks to a "reasonably successful" Spring, Kansas State's football team can bypass some of its personnel matters and move right into preparing for the 1977 season. At least that's the way Wildcat head coach Ellis Rainsberger plans it. Rainsberger and his troops being 1977 Fall drills Thursday. The Cats' season opener is Sept. 10 at Brigham Young.

"Hopefully, we ironed out some of our position and personnel headaches during Spring ball," Rainsberger notes. "That means, except for fortifying a few positions, we intend to busy ourselves with becoming a fundamentally sound football team." K-State's mentor says the Wildcats will toil 3 times daily for "a few days" before cutting down to twice-daily drills. Offensive unit returns With all 11 offensive starters, and 3 defensive regulars returning, there will be plenty of familiar faces in Kansas State's Fall Camp. However, some new faces will be among the ones attracting much of the attention of the K-State staff. "We'll be looking hard at several newcomers, hoping some of them can help us at the 3 positions where we are critically short of depth linebacker, defensive end and the down defensive positions," Rainsberger adds.

Top names among the linebacker-defensive end candidates are prep all- stars Ben Landry, a 235-pounder from Port Arthur, Tex; James Walker, a 210-pounder from Wichita (East), and Gary Cummings, a 225-pounder from Columbus, Ohio. At nose guard and the tackle spots, freshman Monte Bennett, a 220-pound- er from Sterling, Mike Long, a 240- pounder from Ulysses, Ray Bradley (a hardship freshman), 275-pounder from Men's Boys' 1000 SHIRTS Nationally Advertised Gingham Chambray Banlon Dacron Cotton Ultressa Polyester. Sleeves. Knit Crew Collars if Short Sleeves Dress Sport Shirts Turtle Necks Tank Tops Values to $20 Boys Tom Sawyer, Donmoor, VanHeusen Men-'s- Puritan, Arrow, Levi, Van Heusen, Elderado, Oxford, Milwaukee Knit, Collageman, Kennington, Jantzen $799 or for Values to $10 or 3 for 10 Values to $5, $199 or 3 for 5 Sizes: to 20 to and XL Men's and Boys' Inc. Clothing Shoes OPEN EVENINGS Mon.

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and Mark Laak, a 260- pounder from Brown Deer, should be under early scrutiny of the KSU staff. Top returnees among K-State's defenders are honors candidate Gary Spani at linebacker, Clyde Brinson at cornerback, plus Mike Osborn and Keith Nelms at the ends. Offensively, Kansas State's show is expected to revolve around the throwing talents of Wendell Henrikson, and the speed of tailback Mack Green. Both should be greatly assisted by a more-experienced and heftier offensive line. Plus, K-State returns it top 8 receivers from last season.

Rainsberger also is excited about having some quality depth at quarterback for a changed. "Remember last year? We started Fall drills without a proven quarterback. Right now, I'd say we have complete confidence in Wendell, Dan Manucci, Steve Parish and probably Ron Lampkin." Manucci, a transfer from Mesa, junior college, wound up the Spring No. 2. Parish, a sophomore, Wendell Henrikson saw action in 2 KSU varsity contests in 1976.

Lampkin is a highly-regarded frosh from Youngstown, Ohio. Such confidence isn't necessarily the case for Rainsberger in assessing his kickers, however. Gone is Bill Sinovic, who handled all the K-State booting chores a year ago. Only short-range place-kicker Kris Thompson returns. "We will be taking a long look at several walkon kickers," Rainsberger says.

"We need a punter, a long-range field goal kicker, and a kickoff man." Rainsberger says quarterback Roy Jones and defensive lineman Ken Smith will not be back this Fall. Both were scholastic caualties. Also not in camp is freshman Lee Archer of Shawnee Mission North, who has decided to concentrate on academics. The Wildcats unofficially open the season Wednesday with the annual Media Day scheduled for 9 am at KSU stadium. Media Day is open to the public.

Autograph and amateur photo seekers will be able to join the players at 11 am. your banker after hours, or before. You are why we keep open at odd hours. Because you sometimes need to bank early or late, or after other banks open or close for the day. And even though you are in a hurry, you want to bank with a real person whose face you can see, and who can also see you.

That person is our NBA and you are the audience of one an NBA customer who needs a banker; Now. Night wasn't always so convenient in Salina. In the early days, you couldn't even take a train west after dark, because the locomotive's headlamp was too dim to pick up great herds of buffalo headed toward the track and the engineer couldn't stop his train in time. Travel came to a halt right here "when the shade of night was falling" in our bank-was just beginning. But this is 1977, our 90th year of service.

And we keep open whenever the drive-in lanes are too busy, or closed for the night. From 7:00 Monday morning till midnight Saturday, our bank never really closes. For you. Hitch your wagon to our and be ready to go wherever and whenever you like. Even west, where the buffalo roamed.

1887 1977.