OCR Text |
Show Page ID North Edition Lakeside Review Wednesday, November 16, 1983 Prove They Can Come From Behind Huskies in Semifinal Game bw; KENT SOMERS used the pass to score on one of its most impressive drives of the Review Sports Editor SALT LAKE CITY It was as uncharacteristic as Charles Bronson reasoning with a criminal or Dirty Harry entering a group therapy session. The Davis Darts, whose forte' i? running and who usually took to the, air only two or three times each game, came out passing against the Hillcrest Huskies ia the semifinal round of the state tournament last Friday. And, get this, Davis actually season on the way to a 21-1- 8 win. ' The reason for all this passing was simple, said Davis Coach Ward Sawley: His club was doing its imitation of the Salvation just taking what it was Army I dont think they were ready for &ny kind of passing attack, and we can pass the ball pretty well. Hillcrests strategy was to stop the Davis run and force the Darts to win the game through the air. And thats exactly what Davis did with its dusted-of- f passing game. given. And the Huskies were giving the Darts the pass. They were putting 10 men up on the line and they werent covering the motion very well, Sawley said. And what a passing attack it was. Nothing like BYU, mind , you. But for Davis, the statistics were astronomical. Davis quarterback Steve Sargent completed 14 of 22 passes for, 239 yards and one interception. On the ground, the normal victory path for Davis, the Darts gained only 71 yards on the day a season low on 29 carries. They were coming up and playing the run, said Sargent, so we had to open it up. And therein lies one reason for the beauty of the doublewing offense. Davis is able to adjust to differing defensive formations and exploit the weak nesses caused by those defensive adjustments. And when the Darts have good players, as they usually seem to, the offense runs like an expensive, if somewhat antique, car with the Davis coaches acting as mechanics. For most of the game. was successful in playing the run, consistently closing off 7 lead holes, and opened an at halftime of the game. Smugness creeped into the pressbox and into the rows of Hillcrest fans used to seeing their club make it look easy. The Darts, it seemed, would be able to begin basketball practice on time, after all. After fumbling on their opening possession of the second half, Davis scored on its next possession when Sargent threw a touchhighlight film, down pass to wide receiver Mike Woodward, who briefly bobbled the ball before regaining control and sprinting into the end zone. But Hillcrest, with the score now started a drive of its own late in the quarter and faced a fourth down on the Davis line at the start of the third quarter. The Darts, however, held and took over. Two series later, still down by five points, Davis took control of the ball on their own line with 7:38 left in the Hill-cre- Just taking it easy, cruising, taking what the opposition gave st 18-- 80-ya- rd 18-1- 3, 20-ya- rd game. It was then that Sargent and the Davis passing game took control of the game and advantage of the Hillcrest defenders, who were packed into the middle of the field as if Davis linemen were distributing $100 bills instead of trap blocks. Davis, behind its previously unseen passing attack, moved the ball down the field. The Darts made it look easy as Sargent received plenty of time to throw the ball. Not that the Davis passing offense was intricate. No, it was more of short pass in the flats to Mark Miller here or a curl pass to Woodward there. No big fuss. THE DAVIS HIGH Once there, luck yes, it was fickle again and clutch performances on two crucial plays kept the drive going. The first one came when Steve Sargent, facing a fourth down and short yardage situa- tion, picked up the first down on a sneak. Four plays later, with a ' fourth and 13 situation, Sargent dropped back and hit Woodward with a pass that barely missed the artificial turf at Rice Stadium and brought the Darts down to the three-yar- d line. After watching Davis keep the drive breathing when it seemed to be lying in state, very few people in the stadium expected the Huskies to stop the Darts. They didnt. Two plays later, Mark Miller took the ball over the right side of the line for the touchdown. Miller also scored on a conversion to 8 make the score with 1:28 left in the game, a little too much time for Sawley. I thought we scored a little too early, said Sawley, who watched his prevent defense take the field. And the Huskies, behind the passing of Billy Robertson, did move the ball on a few plays in the final drive, prompting Sawley to add, You can see what they can do, throwing the ball like that. But the Davis defense, aided by a clipping call, kept the Huskies from reaching field goal range, putting the Darts in next weeks final game against Alta for the state championship. Davis has not won a state football title since 1976 when it won the state title and has never won the championship. go-ahe- two-poi- nt 21-1- 3-- A 4-- A The Davis-Alt- a game will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, fothe state llowing championship game between Jordan and Judge Memorial at 11 p.m. 3-- A The Tournament Road DE- FENSE, including Rody Meacham (51), collapse on a Hillcrest running back (above) in a goal- ALTA, 7-- 4 First Round Alta 30, Bountiful 0 stand the fourth quarter of last Fridays tournament game. At line the. Quarterfinals Alta 34, Box Elder 13 Semifinals Alta 25, Olympus 7 in left, Hillcrests Darin Vincent (22) catches a ball over Davis Highs Mark Miller. DAVIS, 12-- 0 First Round Davis 27, Brighton 7 Quarterfinals Davis 14, Roy 7 Semifinals Davis 21, Hillcrest 18 After 23 Years, Jacklin Takes the Whistle Off You can divide people in this world into two categories: those that can say okey dokey and get away with it and those that cant. Ernie Jacklin gets away with it, alt ii ways has. In the sports world where field deception and coyness are as common as l Japanese cars, Ernie Jacklin is genuine. But after 23 years in ing, 14 as head football coach at " . . off-th- e- f High Roy 4, Ernie Jacklin the coaching School,' Jacklin called it quits last week and resigned from position-a- t Roy. So Jacklin didn't tell anyone outside of his family that previous Sunday, except his wife of course, about the deci- said. But his family, Jacklin said, is the main reason for his decision. - It was obvious when he made the announcement last Thursday that resigning was an easy thing to do. It was an uncomfortable situation, announcing to everyone that it was time for you to get out of the business for awhile. And it was difficult listening to him tell you the reasons. No one wants to see a successful man step down. And'Jacklin was successful, begin-- 1 ning his coaching career in Park City, moving to North Summit High School for the next seven years and then' to Roy High School. Not that he was tired of working with kids, or sick of dealing with par- ents or burned out. During that time he won two state championships, on at Roy in 1981 and one at North Summit in 1964, six reThere is no burnout, at least in my gion championships and finished .secdefinition of burnout,? Jacklin said. ond in the state in 1980. But if you I think want to know Jacklins record, look it 'Maybe in some people's.have any up yourself. He didnt keep track. burnout means you dont f never really thought about a remore to offer kids. Jacklin wanted to spend some time' cord, he said last Thursday. The . -, ..... Oh, this talk goes on around here every year, and, hes doing well and wont quit, Jacklin said. with his three daughters, and to go hunting in the fall with his sons, something a football coach rarely gets to do. 1 like to hunt and fish and you' cant do that when you coach, Jacklin ; ,I sion. For the most part, his family was happy with the decision, he said. My boy in the seventh grade probably wishes I wouldnt. He wouldnt playing for his dad. thing that was my most primary concern was that the kids were making improvement every day and getting something out of football that would help them later in life and help them become better citizens. Corny stuff, but you cant help but feel the man means it. Jacklins record, for a .645 winby the way, was 92-5- 2 ning percentage. Jacklin first considered resigning two years ago, but was talked into staying by 'district officials, he said. Many Roy High fans, used to hearing rumors about Jacklins decision to hang his whistle up, dismissed this years scuttlebutt. Many people probably thought, And who can blame him? The last time a Jacklin was on the team, Roy won the state championship. Probably the biggest thrill was coaching my own son (Wade) and his team winning the state championship, Jacklin said. Even Wade, who quarterbacked the team and is now out of the country on an LDS Church Mission, was glad to hear the news, Jacklin said. I think he expected it and wanted to be free to do things with him. But the question of why he is retiring from coaching now, after 23 years, still remains. Jacklin tried to answer it. Everybody wants to go out on a winning year, he said, cracking a smile that spreads across his face t f I quicker than an artist could For now, Jacklin hopes to Roy High School and teach is keeping his options open future. draw it. stay on at math, but about the I might change my mind like Jack Robinson did and get back into coaching, Jacklin said, referring to an assistant coach at Utah State, who coached last year as Sky View High School. The hole Jacklin leaves in the Roy athletic department will be hard to fill, and no one realizes this more than Principal V.E. Griffin. Ernie has been on of the top coaches in Utah for a number, of years, said Griffin. He has done a tremendous job at Roy High School. Ernie has made a lot of friends in the Roy area and northern Utah and a lot of people are saddened to see him step down but we wanted to support his desire. Griffin said the district would open the job to applicants later in the year. The principal didn't mention the type of person the district will seek to fill the job, but here's a suggestion: Find one who can say okey dokey and get away with it. , |