The Dispatch from Moline, Illinois • 19

Results and other information may be e-mailed to: sportsqconline.com Editor Marc Nesseler, 757-4972 nesselerqconline.com The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus Saturday. April 21, 2001 C3 Sideline -Ef- A Smoke sweep, will meet Mallards for Colonial Cup Staff report The Quad City Mallards already knew the when. Now, they know the who. The Asheville Smoke completed a three-eame sween of Father, son meet tonight in af2 showdown 4 "iiC3 OA A 1 Tonight is their first meeting as arenafootball2 head coaches, but the elder Haege holds a 4-1 edge on his son from their days coaching against one another as assistants in the Arena Football League. Their last game against one another also corresponds to their only meeting as coordinators, when Frank ran the offense for New Jersey and Art was the architect of Iowa's defense.

Therein lies the grudge. "What really sticks in my craw to this day is, late in the game, they're up by three touchdowns, and we're trying to run out the clock and he calls for a switch blitz," Frank said, ex plaining the defensive play calls for the pass coverage linebacker to rush the passer instead. "We had a backup center in there, and he didn't pick it up, so they got us for a safety on one of the last plays in the game. And, man, was I hot. I was cussing him out.

I called him every name in the book and he was yapping back. "After that, we didn't talk to each other for over a month, I was so mad. What he did to me was worse than any time he ever took my car keys away. So, I owe him at least one." The elder Haege says bring it on, junior. Please see ES 'Wheelers, C6 courtesy of the Iowa Barnstormers It will be a family affair as Iowa's coach Art Haege faces his son Frank in an af2 matchup in Des Moines.

I i i -M vAm 1 kMJ happy, but Alonzo says the approach and makeup of his team has prevented that. "They all know each other pretty well and they all know what they can contribute," Alonzo said of all of his Panthers, seven which are sophomores. "They've seen enough of each other during the summer season. "Keeping kids on board just to keep them is something different. We kept 20 solid players." Another possible drawback could be myopic parents, those who want to see their daughters in on all of the action.

Alonzo is more concerned about winning. The UT coach also says it makes for quite active practices. "Hopefully, it works," he said. It's worked so far. The Pan Todd Mizener staff While the five other Western Big 6 Softball teams played an average of 12.4 players per team last weekend, United Township did battle with a 20-player platoon system.

The players are, from left to right: Ashley Lawton, Samantha Knox, Nikki Serra, Sara Blair, Ashley Stover, Jessica Walker, Jennifer Simpkins, Lind-sey Smolenski, Brittany Patterson, Nicole Bogle, Paula Jones, Ashley Sandoval, Shelby Thompson, Liz Buchanan, Krystal Carmack, Brandi Ramos, Brooke Ramos, Christine Cooney, Stacy Willet and Katie Bealer. With UT's Softball platoon, everybody plays By Steve Tappa Staff sports writer Mulling in his mind the importance of tonight's game in Des Moines, Quad City Steamwheelers coach Frank Haege hit upon a key piece of strategy earlier this week. "Remind me to put in the switch blitz," Haege said to QC assistant Brian Schwartze. "We have to run it. At the right time, it'd be the perfect revenge." Understand, though, Haege is not seeking any sort of payback from tonight's foe, the Iowa Barnstormers.

Instead, Haege's plan for retaliation is directed solely at the Barnstormers head coach Art Haege, the father of QC's coach. Sports editor Marc Nesseler 3 For comparison's sake, Rock Island, Alleman and Quincy went through just 12 players in their first Western Big 6 dou-bleheaders. Galesburg played 11. Moline had 15 play in a pair of routs. "I don't think I could get away with it," Moline coach Mark Gerlach said of not only having a roster of 20, but also playing them all.

"There are some potential drawbacks." One is keeping everyone local interest Q-C natives Steve Tappa -flr to somewhere hi the third round, according to the experts. An hour to the west, Iowa's all-time leading receiver Kevin Kasper will learn how much impact a surprisingly quick 4.4-second 40-yard dash at February's NFL Scouting Combine has on his future. Also, three hours to the southeast, Illinois lineman Marques Sullivan is sure to get a second chance to fulfill the promise that earned him the tag "the next Brad Hopkins" upon arriving in Champaign. Those are just the main names local fans can hang their hats on this weekend while ESPN provides wall-to-wall TV coverage of the draft. Please see Draft, C6 the New Haven Knights with a 2-0 Game 3 win Friday night in New Haven, to win the UHL Eastern Conference Finals.

Asheville will Dlav the Mallards in the best-of-7 Colonial Cup Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. at The Mark of the Quad Cities. Game 2 will be April 28 it The Mark. The next three games will be played at the Asheville Civic Center.

Dates for those games have not been determined. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be at The Mark, which are tentatively set for May 7 and May 9. i i i Chargers trade Michael Vick pick it looks like Michael Vick yvill be a Falcon rather than a Ch'arger. San Diego, unhappy with its negotiations with the Virginia Tech quarterback, made the first move in the 2001 NFL draft Friday by trading the first overall pick to Atlanta. The Falcons will use it to take Vick.

The Falcons gave the Chargers the fifth overall pick in the first round; their third-round pick, the 67th overall; their second-round pick in 2002; and wide receiver Tim Dwight. On the Air Television Auto racing: NASCAR Winston Cup Happy Hour, FX, 11 a.m. WUSA soccer: New York Power at Atlanta Beat, TNT, 11 a.m. NBA playoffs: Eastern Confer- ence First Round Game 1 Indi- ana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers, KWQC, 11:30 a.m. Auto racing: NASCAR Grand National Busch Series 300, KUB, noon.

Baseball: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees, FX, noon. Baseball: Chicago Cubs at Pitts- i burgh Pirates, Fox-Chicago, 12:30 p.m. Baseball: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, WGN, 1 p.m. NBA playoffs: Western Confer- ence First Round Game 1 Dal- las Mavericks at Utah Jazz, KWQC, 2 p.m. NHL playoffs: Western Conference quarterfinal Game 5 Los Angeles Kings at Detroit Red Wings, WQAD, 2 p.m.

Major League Soccer: Tampa Bay Mutiny at Metrostars, ESPN2, 2 p.m. PGA: Houston Open Third Round, WHBF, 3 p.m. Horse racing: Lexington Stakes, ESPN2, 4 p.m. NBA playoffs: Western Conference First Round Game 1 Minnesota Timberwolves at San An- tonio Spurs, KWQC, 4:30 p.m. Senior POA: Las Vegas Classic Second Round, CNBC, 5 p.m.

'Baseball: Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies, TBS, 6 p.m. NHL playoffs: Western Conference quarterfinal Game 6 Dal- las Stars at Edmonton Oilers, ESPN, 6 p.m. XFL playoffs: Million Dollar Game San Francisco Demons at Los Angeles Xtreme, KWQC, 7 p.m. NBA playoffs: Eastern Confer ence First Round Game Charlotte Hornets at Miami Heat, TNT. 7:30 P.m.

Auto racing: Grand American Snnrtsracer. SPEED. 9 p.m. iBoxing: WCB: Lewis vs. Rahman Contreras vs.

Ledwaoa, mbu, 9 p.m. Radio Baseball: Chicago Cubs at Pitts burgh Pirates, Fox-Chicago, Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals at Houston Astros, WRMJ-FM mil 1-35 n.m. Midwest League: Peoria Chiefs vs. Quad City River Bandits, WKBF AM 1270, p.m.

af2: Quad City Steamwheelers at Iowa Barnstormers, WOC-AM 1420, 7 p.m. lwifiEP ft-. 2 Todd Mizener staff Frank Haege's undefeated Steamwheelers will battle the 0-2 Barnstormers tonight. L-" '1 sj; V' Ten Panthers saw action in both games, getting either pinch-hitting, pinch-running or defensive replacement duty in the game in which they didn't start. "I wouldn't say we have a 'first' team and a 'second' team," Alonzo said.

"I'd say they're both equal." The same goes for his pitchers. He also divides time equally between his three sophomore hurlers Stacy Willet, Lindsey Smolenski and Shelby Thompson (though Thompson was injured last weekend). "They're all No. Is to me," the coach said. Alonzo says he plans to continue the strategy of platooning lineups, at least until the postseason arrives.

Please see 3 Platoon, C6 NASCAR has required the plates used to decrease horsepower and keep the cars under 200 mph on its two longest and fastest ovals at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega. They obviously did their job Friday, slowing the cars dramatically and keeping the competition ultra-close. The laps times of the top 37 drivers were separated by less than one second. "There's not much you can do but put your foot to the floorboard and keep it there and see what the watch says when you're done," said Jeff Gordon, the defending race winner, whose Chevy qualified 13th. Fords took positions four through six, with Ricky Craven at 183.899, Mark Martin at 183.864, and Dale Jarrett, the series points leader and winner of three of the last four races, at 183.747.

Rounding out the top 10 were the I'ontiac of Tony Stewart at 183.702 and the Chevro-lets of Davtona winner Michael Waltrip at 183.575, rookie Kevin Harvlck at 183.508 and Joe Nomcchok at 183.483. 3 4 thers are 6-1. "John is a smart guy, and a very successful one," said Gerlach, whose Maroons face the Panthers in a Big 6 doubleheader today at 11 a.m. at UT. 'I wouldn't say we have a 'first' team and 'second' team.

I'd say they're both John Alonzo, UT coach In a Big 6 sweep over Alleman last Saturday, only one Panther started both games. Junior Ashley Stover was in left field in the opener and behind the plate in the second game. She went 3-for-6, batting cleanup. on Friday at 184.576, while Daytona pole-winner Bill Elliott's Intrepid will start third in Sunday's 43-car field after qualifying at 184.009. The Dodge domination Friday was something of a surprise after NASCAR took steps to slow the Intrepids down a bit after Daytona by raising the ends of the metal strip across the top of the cars to even it up with the other makes.

"I feel like the rule Stacy Compton change did hurt us about two tenths (of a second)," said Compton, whose first pole came in his 41st Winston Cup race. "Rut the guys went to work and worked hard to try to overcome the rule change in the shop with body dynamics and motor work. "You run a little different line in qualifying and you sort of hang it all out and hope you got a good lap, and we did." For more than a decade, 1 Compton leads Dodge qualifying sweep Platooning in football involves separate units for offense and defense. In baseball, it's splitting time at one position in order to match a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitching and vice versa. Platooning in softball, though, takes on a whole new dimension when it comes to the United Township Panthers.

In a doubleheader, the Panthers have two entirely different lineups. Even in a single game, UT coach John Alonzo has changed all nine positions halfway through. In those, he's become an official scorekeep-er's worst nightmare. "We kept a lot of kids, 20 in fact," said Alonzo, who goes to great lengths to make sure all 20 see varsity action. "Every kid is an athlete; every kid can achieve." Draft to have even without Live TV coverage today (11 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-noon) on ESPN.

Also on ESPN2 today (6-9 p.m.) and Sunday (noon-5 p.m.). For the first time in recent memory, a Quad-Cities native won't be waiting to hear his name called during the NFL Draft. Yet, there's still plenty of local intrigue to the seven-round draft that runs today through Sunday. For starters, there's R.J. Bowers.

Those who remember the now 26-year-old when he played outfield for a few seasons with the Quad City River Bandits are surely hoping to hear his name called among the few fullbacks expected to be taken. Meanwhile, 45 minutes to the north, Maquoketa prep product and Iowa State quarterback Sage Rosenfels will be sitting on pins and needles, awaiting an uncertain fate. Ninety minutes to the south, Western Illinois defensive standouts Edgerton Hartwell and William Peterson could go anywhere from the late first round For a complete list of Talladega qualifying results, see page C4. TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) Carburetor restrictor plates? No problem for the Dodge boys.

After sweeping the first three spots in qualifying for the season-opening Daytona 500 in its return to NASCAR's top stock car series after a 16-year absence, Dodge again grabbed the top three positions Friday for the Talladega 500. It was the same names, but the positions were scrambled, with Stacy Compton, second in Daytona, out front this time with a lap of 184.861 mph, the slowest pole qualifying run since Talladega Superspeed-way opened in 1969. The slowest previous Talladega pole was an unrestricted 184.926 lap In the fall of 1974 by David Pearson in a Mercury. "It may be the slowest, but it'll probably be the closest (race) at the end of the day," Compton said. Sterling Marlin, who started third in Daytona, was second.