BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

KANNAPOLIS — Todd Lipe, former East Rowan High Mustang, didn’t look at all out of place wearing green shorts and a blue baseball cap featuring a great big K.

“I’ve got no problem at all with being a Wonder,” laughed Lipe. “This is a very, very strong program and that’s exactly what I was looking for.”

Lipe is the Wonders’ new defensive backs coach, replacing veteran Buddy Amerson, who has switched his attention to the defensive line.

Lipe comes to the Wonders after a stint as a graduate assistant at the University of North Carolina and four years at mighty Richmond County, which is to N.C. high school school football what the Yankees are to baseball.

Lipe, in fact, is marching along the same career path as Wonder conditioning guru Todd Hagler, who also had tours of duty with Richmond County and the Tar Heels before becoming an overnight icon in Kannapolis.

“I know Hagler real well,” chuckled Lipe. “This is the third place I’ve followed him to.”

Lipe totes along an impressive resume wherever he hangs his helmet.

After battling his way to all-county honors with some struggling East squads, Lipe played defensive end and put together one of those storybook “local boy makes good” careers at Catawba College. Lipe bounced back from major knee surgery after his sophomore year to make second-team NAIA All-American in 1989 and improved to first team in 1990. He piled up 29 career sacks and was in on 280 tackles.

After leaving Catawba, Lipe coached a year at Charleston Southern University, then three at Washington (N.C.) High School.

“My first year at Washington we were 0-fer,” he said. “Then we went worst to first and won two conference championships.”

From there, Lipe stepped up the ladder to Richmond County. He coached defensive ends two years, then was defensive coordinator on two 4A state champs, before the Tar Heels lured him back to college coaching.

But then the Wonders checked in.

“The big thing was I wanted to get back into teaching and coaching at a high school,” Lipe said. “People say, ‘Ah, you’re spoiled. You’ve only been with the good teams.’ But then I remind them about that 0-fer at Washington. I’ve seen both sides of it and that helps me.”

At any rate, the vocal Lipe will help the Wonders, who now boast a gaggle of defensive coaches — Lipe, Amerson, Scott Rodgers and Aubrey Hollifield — who believe that a little old-fashioned yelling and screaming never hurt anyone.

“Lipe’s a real good coach,” said head coach Ron Massey. “He’ll shake things up a little.”

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NEW POSITION: Amerson’s not the only veteran Wonder coach who’s taken on new responsibilities.

Jeremy Ryan’s worked with linebackers the past few years, but this year he’s got the quarterbacks. That’s cool with Ryan, even though everything about his shaved head and stocky body shout LB, not QB.

“Actually, I used to be a quarterback,” said Ryan. “But that was before I learned to eat.”

He’s not entirely kidding. Ryan was indeed a backup QB in college at Mt. Union (N.Y.), a traditional power in Division III.

“Yeah,” said Ryan, “the Purple Raiders. I wasn’t that good, but the guy in front of me (Jim Ballard) made it as a backup in the NFL for five years.”

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ON TOP OF IT: The Wonders are one of the few high school teams in the world with a printed schedule that accounts for just about every minute — maybe every second — between now and August 31.

“Coach Massey is one heck of an organizer,” said Ryan. “Along with the X’s and O’s stuff, that’s what he does best.

“I think he knows when I’m sleeping and when I’m not.”

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SHAPING UP:As temperatures soared on Tuesday afternoon, it was easy to sort the Wonders into two groups — those who had been regulars at summer workouts (17 hadn’t missed a single one!) and those who’d been on sofa patrol with the remote control.

While a handful of hardbodies remained fresh as daisies after two hours, the moaning majority looked like they’d just experienced World War III.

“You lay on that couch and eat potato chips all summer, you pay the price now,” said Ryan with a wicked gleam in his eye. “Look at the guys who have been out here. Look at (star running back Chris) Carter. He’s laughing at this. This is just getting him loosened up a little bit.”

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SWEATHOG: While the young Wonders poured sweat, Hollifield, a massive former Wake Forest lineman, appeared to have just gone for a dip in the Atlantic. His gray sweatshirt had turned to a soppy and sloppy black.

“It’s either sweat or explode,” grinned Hollifield.

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FOOTBALLTOWN: Aundrae (Touche’) Allison is the best college basketball prospect the Wonders have had in many years, but the high-scoring guard says he attended just one hoops camp this summer.

That’s because he also projects to be a key Wonder wideout.

“Did go to a shooting camp over at Pfeiffer,” Allison said, as he fired up jumpers in Bullock Gym prior to the start of football practice. “But all summer, I’ve been doing football. Coach (Shelwyn) Klutz (the Wonders’ head basketball coach) said I’m getting some letters, but in this town, football’s gonna come first.”

And maybe that explains exactly why young John Peoples, Wonder sophomore, is a budding running back rather than a potential outfielder.

Rowan County Legion fans will remember Peoples’ dad of the same name. Rowan’s first black player, Peoples posted a career batting average of .396, the fourth best mark in the storied program’s history.

“Whenever we see people from Salisbury, they tell me how good my dad was,” beamed the younger Peoples. “But for me, it’s always been football. I love it and I’m learning a lot out here with these great coaches.”

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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .