OCR Text |
Show . -L rp, c ,,.,, ., Friday, October 5, 2007 SPORTS With Johnson out, W must ste Johnson fuming after chop block that ended his season, 'Cats still move forward to face Hornets 3 ci c ci i o sic By Dallas Stephens sr. sports reporter I The Signpost The Weber State University Football Team is working to improve its defense after senior defensive lineman Derek Johnson was injured in Montana. "Losing Derek is a big part of our defensive front," said WSU Defensive Line Coach Chad Kauha'aha'a. "He is a valuable leader so the other guys have really had to step up." The injury occured when University of Montana's Cody Balogh delivered an illegal chop block to Johnson's right knee in last Saturday's game; ending his season and possibly his collegiate career. After the game, the Big Sky Conference decided that the league would not suspend Balogh because there was no way to determine if the blow was intentional. The decision has many WSU fans and players upset, especially Johnson. "What Derek might do is try to appeal his senior year," Kauha'aha'a said. If successful, the appeal would give Johnson another year to play ball. However, it is not clear if he will be able to recover in time. In the meantime he will be missed. "He is a really cool guy, and I hate to see him go out like this," said WSU defensive lineman Jon Stewart. "He is arguably the strongest player on the team." The Clearfield, Utah native is well known for playing a crucial role in WSU's defense. "He is the rock of the defensive line," said WSU Assistant Coach Colton Swan. With the loss of Johnson, the Wildcats face yet another setback as they seek their first win of the season against California State University, Sacramento on Saturday. "We have to make them earn everything," Kauha'aha'a said. Throughout the week the defense has been improving upon what it learned in Montana, which was the Wildcats' closest game of the season. This week's theme was simple: Don't give away points. "Defensively we have to stop giving away stuff," Kauha'aha'a said. "We have gave up a few plays here and there, and it comes back See Football page 7 Derek Johnson Here come the . . . TTTT TTn ii ; if ii Wli teeun Wildcats By Jon McBride sports editor I The Signpost There's a new club sports team on campus and its players are ready to get rolling. They call themselves "The Wheelin' Wildcats," and they're the newest members of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Weber State University student David Francis organized the team last summer. The team consists of players of all different ages and backgrounds. Most of the team members aren't affiliated with the university, other than playing on the team. The players have competed together in different leagues, at different locations over the years, but when they decided to take a team to the next level, a professional level, they sought WSU's backing. "After speaking with David and Vern Burgess and got together with Weber State," said WSU guard Nick Hess, "they were very generous in making us a club and giving us the guidelines and all the tools to make it happen." Campus Recreation Director Clay Brown said the university allows teams with non-student participants to be backed by Weber State as long as they are a part of a league that allows non-students to play. Since the NWBA is a national organization, not exclusive to college and university teams, Brown said he had no problem backing the Wheelin' Wildcats. The NWBA does require that all participants must have an "irreversible lower extremity disability." The team practices twice a week at the Stromberg Gym, preparing for its first tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 2-4. "It'll be really interesting," Francis said. "Most of these guys we've been playing with for years. Some of us have been on a pro team, some of us haven't. Some of us have experience in tournaments, some of us do not." The NWBA has 181 teams in 22 conferences throughout the United States and Canada. There are divisions for men, women, intercollegiate athletes and youth. Wheelchair basketball is played with different rules and regulations compared to the traditional game of basketball with which most are familiar. There are four seconds permitted in the key, not three. A player gets two pushes of the wheels for every one dribble. There's no double dribbling, so a player can set the ball on hisher lap while using two hands to push. There's a longer shot clock. There is no center position on a team, just power forwards and guards. The game can get extremely physical as picks are set and players travel at extreme speed and fouls are committed. It's not a rare sight to see a player flip his chair over. The sport of wheelchair basketball has been around for a while. Injured veterans from the Vietnam War played outside of rehab clinics to combat depression and stay active. The same purposes motivate thousands of players today, throughout the world and at WSU. "For me, it's fitness and competition," Francis said. "Being in a wheelchair, it's pretty hard to get in shape, and this offers a good opportunity to do that and get some competition and fellowship too." Sandy Bebout's son, Bobby, plays for the Wildcats. She said she supports her son playing, even though it can get rough. She said the sport allows disabled athletes "to get out and let people see that disabled people can do these things, instead of just See Wheelin' page 7 i 7 r 1 f - r f t & X Jv rv. Wheelin' Wildcat Nick Hess dribbles the ball down the court at the Swenson Gym during a practice last week. PHOTO BY MATT GLASS THE SICNPOSJ LI' 'J n b i re rroa C v r 1 '. ;l f ''Ks j f Weber State University and Utah State University players battle for a loose puck in front of the Aggie net during a game at the Weber County Ice Sheet last season. w V ft - Wildcat fans can see arguably the biggest rivalry in Weber State University sports at its finest tonight at the Weber County Ice Sheet. The Utah Stale University Aggies come to town to rekindle a rivalry that puts fire on ice. "We're out to get them," said WSU defenseman Devon Benike, PI IOIO HY MATT CLASS IHt SIGNPOST "and they're out to get us. Every game's a hard game." The Wildcats are just two games into their season. They lost their first game to USU in Logan 3-2 in a heartbreaker. The See Hockey page 7 What to watch-at WSU ' j i Standing Out By Jon McBride sports editor The Signpost Happening at WSU this weekend: "Friday, 8:15 p.m.; WSU Hockey vs. Utah State University; Weber County Ice Sheet. Saturday, 1 p.m.; WSU Football vs. California State University, Sacramento; Stewart Stadium. Saturday, 3 p.m.; WSU Men's Soccer vs. Utah State University; Swenson RE. Field. What to catch up on after the weekend (See The Signpost next week for full coverage) Thursday, 7 p.m.; WSU Volleyball at University of Northern Colorado; Greeley, Colo. Friday, 8 p.m.; WSU Men's Soccer at Salt Lake Community College; Salt Lake City. Saturday, 8 p.m.; WSU Hockey at University of Utah; Steiner Ice, Salt Lake City. Saturday, 7 p.m.; WSU Volleyball at Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff, Ariz. What to keep on the radar: Oct. 12; WSU Hockey vs. University of Oklahoma; Ice Sheet. Oct. 12; WSU Volleyball vs. Montana State University; Swenson Gym. Oct. 18; WSU Women's Soccer vs. University of Northern Colorado; Swenson RE. Field Oct. 20; WSU Football vs. Northern Arizona University; Stewart Stadium Oct. 20; WSU Women's Soccer vs. Northern Arizona Univeristy; Swenson RE. Field. Nov. 10; WSU Cross Country hosts NCAA Mountain Regional Championships; Ogden, Utah. The Signpost Sports Editor Jon McBride's pick - This week's pick has got to be a no-brainer for Wildcat fans. The heated rivalry continues in what is the Weber State University vs. Utah State University hockey rivalry. See Standing Out pu;o 7 a rfri -i .Hfci rfc 1 ,1tr i-Tfc i rti (gn ,i tt- rr i-- rft- f it ii fcTii1-rr-rr-Tr------nilBi-iitlAt-1t--r----'irl-ai(tfciirftir-'' |