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The SAC preseason football notebook ...
It’s a new Chris Kotish who will hit the field for Lenoir-Rhyne this season, according to Bear coach Bill Hart.
“New” as in more outgoing. More talkative.
“Chris never said much,” Hart said during Operation SAC Friday at Salisbury’s Holiday Inn. “You had to slap him on the head to get him to say ‘Ouch!’”
But something happens to players as seniors.
“He came into the coach’s office cracking jokes,” Hart exclaimed. “It was good to see.”
Kotish, a former South Rowan stud, came to Lenoir-Rhyne as a fullback. “But that didn’t work out,” said Hart, who moved him to defense.
Now he enters the 2000 season as a 5-foot-11, 240-pound defensive lineman with large expectations. He was named preseason second-team All-SAC.
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QBLEAGUE: The South Atlantic Conference is full of quality quarterbacks. Presbyterian’s Todd Cunningham and Catawba’s Mitch Ellis were preseason first- and second- teamers.
Dustin Coats of Newberry will break every school record this season. He’s only 1,000 yards off the total passing yardage mark. Leonard Guyton doesn’t throw much but he led Carson-Newman to the national title game last year.
And is there any wonder why quarterbacks are so prominent? Look at the coaches:
- Tusculum’s head man Frankie DeBusk is a former star at Furman. His offensive coordinator is Deiter Brock of the CFLand Los Angeles Rams.
- Presbyterian’s Daryl Dickey quarterbacked at Tennessee.
- Catawba coach David Bennett was a quarterback at Presbyterian.
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HARLONWHO? Cunningham is up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is the Division IIequivalent to the
Heisman.
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LETITGO: Carson-Newman coach Ken Sparks said his team had a hard time getting over a 58-52 loss to Northwest Missouri in the Division IInational championship game, a title the Eagles appeared to have wrapped up going into the last minute of play. With time running out, a back went out of bounds, stopping the clock, forcing Carson-Newman to punt. It gave Northeast a chance to score the winning points.
“(The players) were asked about it so much,” Sparks said. “It just wouldn’t die. Once we got into spring practice, we told them they needed to let it go.
“But it put us on the map. More people will watch us to see how we respond. And we like that.”
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SECONDHOME: Sparks brought assistant coach Mike Turner to the press conference and Turner was more than happy to tag along.
A Randleman native, he coached at Catawba from 1975-78.
“My first child was born in Salisbury,” said Turner, who lived in Milford Hills.
In fact, while playing golf with Catawba coach Jamie Snider, he looked up and saw the house he lived in. It brought back memories.
“Playing at Shuford Field was always great,” Turner said. “I taught a football class and its assignment every Friday was lining off the field.”
Turner joined Sparks in Jefferson City in 1980.
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SHORTRETIREMENT: When the Newberry staff came into the press room, a familiar face trailed head man Mike Taylor: recently retired Thomasville High legend Allen Brown. He is the offensive line coach for the Indians.
“I’ll give them a good day’s work,” he said. “I’ll prepare them just like I would if I was at Thomasville.”
His son, Benjie, the former Davie County coach, has replaced him at Thomasville.
“Things are going fantastic for him,” Papa Brown said. “I’m real proud of what he’s done and how the players have handled it.”
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BRING ‘EMBACK: Gardner-Webb dropped out of the SACto go Division I-AA but when Bennett was asked if he was sorry to see the Bulldogs go, he responded with a resounding “No!” bringing on laughter.
You see, Catawba has kicked some Gardner-Webb butt.
“Over the last few years, we’ve been very pleased after that game offensively and defensively,” Bennett said. “They went I-AAand we said, ‘Let’s play one more year.’ They said no.”
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LOOKATUS: Tusculum, Presbyterian and Lenoir-Rhyne are getting new facilities.
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SMARTGUY: Bennett talked up lineman Ben Hepler, who had a 1390 SAT and turned down a scholarship offer to Harvard.
“Our dean of students loves that,” Bennett grinned. “Turned down Harvard to come to Catawba. We ain’t got many 1390s but by golly, we’ve got one of ‘em!
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Sports editor Ronnie Gallagher will cover Catawba football this fall.
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Ronnie