Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 37

Monday July 28 1997 A Star-Telegram Section DD Page 3 OACD DING SC '100L II Diminutive TCU signee plays big-time defense Sc oN: lei 1 BY JENNIFER FLOYD Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH Kendrick Patterson's pads dangled from his hand as he walked into practice yesterday afternoon his 5- foot-10 170-pound frame hardly befitting his reputation San Antonio Roosevelt's only representative in tomorrow's Texas High School Coaches Association Southwestern Bell All-Star football game hardly looked capable of being the same cornerback so highly touted by coaches so eagerly sought and finally won by TCIJ It was indeed him though the proof coming when he slipped on his pads and his jersey with No 21 and Patterson stitched in "To look at him in his shorts" South coach Alan Weddell said his shrug finishing his sentence "And then he puts on his pads and the lights come on and there are few better cover guys one on one He's a player" In a sport where size has become synonymous with potential Patterson has only performance in his corner "Patterson's probably one of the main reasons Roosevelt won state" said Victoria coach Mark Reeve who selects the 5A all-star representatives "He's one of the best cover kids I've seen" San Antonio Roosevelt snagged a 5A state championship by shutting down a good Marcus offense and leaving with a 17-10 victory Marcus had receiver Aaron Wright a University of Michigan signee and he became Patterson's responsibility "It's pressure" Patterson said "It's the kind of pressure you get used to and soon er or later start to crave It's something you want" And as for Wright he had his moments "One" Patterson said as in one catch as in one blemish on a perfect afternoon "You can live with And now he's headed for college cornerbacking where all of his challenges will be like he faced during his South squad practices Patterson snapped his chin strap and glanced at his responsibility North Shore's Cedric Cormier a couple of yards away The snap came and Colorado-bourtd Cormier bolted the first steps particularly important in this fly pattern Patterson went with him "Patterson was step for step with Reeve said "Step for step and Cormier runs a 427 second 40" "He's a big-time player" said a rather surprised Cormier Defenders usually follow a couple of steps behind "I expect him to step up and do real well at TCLI If they give him a shot and if he comes into the season in good shape I think he can fight for a starting job" Weddell has said as much and he has a little experience with talented cornerbacks He had Jamarcus Powers for four seasons at La Marque before graduation took his game to Blinn Junior College He has another season at Blinn and then his plans include KU "Jamarcus and Kendrick" Weddell said "KU has a lot of talent coming in Look for that to be an up-and-coming team" Patterson and his incoming freshman class plan to be a big part of that turnabout And in a couple of weeks Patterson will begin his journey to that end 1 QUESTION OF ME DAY Should the Class 3A playoffs expand to two tiers? Yes 54 percent (25 votes): if it can benefit the kids in 3A like in does the kids in 4A I think it would be great I'm all for it" David Nilson Cedar Hill High School basketball coach No 22 percent (10 votes): "I believe they should just stay at one I think it starts to thin out once you have all these different teams at different playoff levels" Kurt McGrath Alvarado High School Undecided 24 percent (11 votes): "I don't know I like it the old way but I would also like to see some extra games played" Bobby Azam Andrews High School 1 NOTESji I i I 1 'Funny' footballs irk QB 1 Top stars in unison for game Owens Sasser lead North squad i By DOUGLAS FOSTER Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH The battle at Austin's Frank Erwin Center in March has reached legendary proportions: The contest still lingers in the minds of all who witnessed it but defies decription for those who didn't see Dallas Kimball was back in the state tournament trying to win a second consecutive Class 5A state cc) 414( tor 4 111:5 '4IS 4 co 1 4 I I i -1 4 NI r4 I ''iwc 1 i I 4 4 1 i Star-Telegram Amarillo's Dan Belcher had a reputation for throwing a tight spiral It would twirl like a baton in the air only it hasn't been twirling much during the practices leading up to tomorrow's Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Football Game It's been more like a flailing kite caught in a cross wind "Man do something about the footballs" said Belcher one of three quarterbacks for the North squad "These Rawlings footballs are messed up in shape They're rounded funny I can't throw a spiral" Belcher was so upset about the footballs that he requested his coach at Amarillo High bring him a bag of more familiar Wilson balls As for the coaches they've come to expect such idiosyncrasies from their signal callers "Quarterbacks are always complaining" South coach Alan Weddell said "The food is too cold The water is too hot We learn to love them" DUNKING BLUFF? His dunks were always good enough to impress his teammates at Marcus but Chad Elsey isn't sure how well they'll play with his new crowd You see Tulane signee Chris Owens and SMU-bound Jeryl Sasser his teammates on the North basketball squad know a little about dunking "I'm not entering the dunk contest if they're in it" said Elsey also going to SW "I'll just wave them in or something" "Don't listen to him" Owens said "He's got some nasty dunks He's been planning something" Elsey's grin and simultaneous shoulder shrug indicated he may have a little something planned for the contest at halftime of the North-South All-Star basketball game FAMILIAR UNIFORM: If the South all-star basketball players caught a glimpse of the North team's workout yesterday they were probably a little concerned about one player dunking the ball at will After all the 6-foot-7 forward gliding across the hardwood was sporting former TCU star Damion Walker's purple Frogs jersey with the number 33 and Walker's last name on the back No Walker hasn't returned to high school That player was Duncanville's Chris Owens who wore the jersey when the team ran out of blue practice jerseys Maybe it wasn't Walker but is it any consolation knowing the South still has to contend with Owens Texas' "Mr Basketball" tonight at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center? READY FOR COLLEGE: The North all-star football players are already preparing for potential college games such as the Senior Bowl and the Blue-Gray game Much like the tradition college players have established at those games the North team is trading helmet logos among teammates with several players sporting three or four logos from across the state on their issued white helmets Trinity offensive lineman Moses Vakalahi had as many different logos as anyone covering his entire helmet with at least three large logos PREPARING UNDER A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES: Azle graduate Derek Dorris has realized that preparations for tomorrow's all-star football game at Amon Carter Stadium are quite different from than those for the recent Oil Bowl in Wichita Falls "We got to go out and mess around when we were up there at the Oil Bowl from 6 pm to midnight" said Dorris a member of the North all-stars "We got to go out and have fun "Here it's get to bed at 10:30 pm and get up at 6:30 am Everything is by the book I guess SQ they don't have something happen QUOTEABLE You see the Houston kids they're not even sweating This isn't hot to them It's the kids from West Texas who think this is hot" Victoria football coach I Mark Reeve commenting on the 100-plus degree heat at yester day's afternoon practice TODAY'S SCHEDULE 9 am to 5 pm Lect tures at Fort WorthTarrant Country Convention Center Li am Football advisory council meeting with Universi ty Interscholastic League 3:30 pm UIL new rules and policies meeting 7:30 pm All-Star basketball game Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center BY THE NUMBERS 9968: The number of coaches who pre-registered for the annual Texas High School Coaches Association Coaching School in the past five months Another 1500 to 2000 are expected to register today at the For WorthTarrant County Convention Center which would be a record turnout 294: The number of vendors and exhibitors spread out among the 522 booths in the giant exhibition hall The vendors are selling everything from lockers blocking sleds and jerseys to promotional magnets and brickstone graphics ODDS AND ENDS The All-Star basketball game scheduled for tonight at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center was originally scheduled for Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Why the switch? The ICU arena is without seats The seats are getting fitted with purple seatbacks to make it a more "classy" gym "The seats were fine but some of them were orange some yellow and some were green" ICU men's basketball coach Billy Tubbs said "We're just doing a little cosmetic surgery on this gym to make it a first-class arena It's a shame that we had to take them out right now but it's the best time to do it" Tubbs said the seats are expected to be bolted back in place by the beginning of September The slam-dunk competition 'scheduled before tonight's All-Star basketball game features two area players: Chad Elsey of Marcus and Chris Owens of Duncanville Other players in the competition are Leo McCalister of Stanton Chris Mihm of Austin Westlake and Derek Michaelis of Waco Midway Compiled by Donald Emmons Jennifer Royd Douglas Foster Andy Friedlander and Adam Schiffman title behind 6-foot-5 star Jeryl Sasser In the way was Duncanville i and senior Chris Owens a 6-7 Tulane signee and recent recipient of Texas' "Mr Basketball" title Coaches statewide watched fig: game dreaming of having Owens' and Sasser on the court wearing the same uniform Now Humble High School's Phil Eaton is living the nightmare of coaching against them Owens and Sasser are two of the biggest names on the North squad which faces the Eaton' coached South team at 7:30 tonight in the Southwestern Bell All-Star Basketball Game at Wilkerson' Greines Activity Center Eaton obviously isn't coaching a team of slouches but even he knows who the top players in this game are "I saw that game and those two guys were phenomenal" Eaton said "We've got some pretty good size inside but the athleticistti they have is tough to match They've got two guys who could have been 'Mr Basketball'" Some have said that clash was worthy of a photo spread in Sports' Illustrated For 32 minutes in tht state semifinal Owens and Sasser went head-to-head Owens did his share scoring 29 points and grabbing 13 rebounds but that wasn't enough Sasser in the end was the difference He scored 15 of his 24 points in th't fourth leading the Knights to a 63- 60 victory and eventually anothec state championship No doubt Sasser and Owens aie both drooling to get in a competitive game with the other on his team and the South is the unfortunate group that must defend them "I can't wait to play with Chris" said Sasser an SM11 signee "Just from the way he was dunking against us I know all I have to do is throw it up and he's going to take it down And we've got a good shooter in Marcus'l Chad Elsey Between those two I might just sit back and Sasser might be inclined Co relax a bit but Owens won't let him In his mind playing with Sasser is just going to make hirri better and give the spectators something to enjoy "It's gonna be Showtime" Owens said "I know we're going to give them a good show I know Jeryl can score any time he wants and I think I can too It's going to be a lot of fun playing and a lot of fun to STAR-TELEGRAMALLISON SMITH Duncanville's Chris Owens practiced yesterday sporting the jersey of former TCU player Damion Walker Owens was forced to don the jersey when the North team ran out of practice jerseys and is now somewhere else" Joseph said Joseph has been running the coaching school's registration for eight years but asked if the job has gotten any easier he replied quickly "No" POLL RELEASED: The THSCA released its preseason poll for each classification as voted by the media In Class 5A Tyler John Tyler took the top spot with 276 points and 17 first-place votes over Converse Judson (244 and 10) Duncanville was seventh one spot behind defending state Division I champion Lewisville In other classes Division 11 champ LaMarque is the choice to repeat in 4A with Stephenville fourth and Brownwood ninth Sealy is the top team in 3A and Grovetown edged Pilot Point for the No 1 ranking in 2A Tenaha got 23 of the 29 first-place votes in Class A while Itasca tied for 13th with Cross Plains and mess up the game's reputation" ANYTHING BUT EASY: Eddie Wolsld and Eddie Joseph are perhaps the two hardest working men at the coaching school Wols1d the THSCA's assistant executive vice president is in charge of running the exhibition hall during the convention and is responsible for operating the basketball and football all-star games today and tomorrow and the Hall of Honor luncheon Wednesday "My job here is to make sure everyone gets in the right booth and to make sure everyone's happy" Wolski said yesterday as the vendors set up their booth for the hail's opening today "Of course that never happens But if you really want to see a hard job go watch Eddie Joseph for a little while' Joseph the executive vice president manages the registration desk which likely will be flooded today by a horde of coaches who encounter last minute problems such as missing a badge or late seminar registrations "The biggest problem we have is a coach who pre-registered and then changed jobs Compiled by Donald Emmons Jennifer Floyd Douglas Foster and Andy Friedlander 1 i 1 Pk.