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Show 6A Emery County Progress Wednesday, November 2, 1983 Just wait li next year by Larry W. Davis Progress Editor Ive had a week completely away from football. Now its time to get back into it, Greg Crook, Emery County High School head football coach, said Monday. His team finished the season when it was knocked from the playoffs by Dixie on Oct. 20, and after several days away from the game, the coach said he is ready to begin on next season. If youre really interested in being a good football player and having a winning season, you have to be involved in the game year round, he said. As a result, the coach is presently organizing a weight program for players while encouraging all returning football players to participate in other athletic programs, either wrestling or basketball. Im hoping that our kids will start football next fall bigger, faster, and stronger than we did this fall, the coach said. He that he added is encouraging to attend summer If a kid can go to a camps. come and camp away a little better player than when he started, its worth the money, players he said. Coach Crook wont exactly be idle over the next 10 months either. He said that he wants to attend as many workshops and clinics as he can, especially those offering programs similar to what he hopes to use on the team next year. Ill be looking at the Baylor program and hope to study the BYU program, he said. Does that mean that the coach plans to put the ball in the air more next season? You bet. When you have a third-yestarting quarterback like weve got (Terry Thomas), you have to think you can pass more, he said. Also, the coach said that Emery will have experienced ar receivers as well as speed in the backfield to open the passing game up. Im basically a coach, Crook said, but as the season went on and we made adjustments, we turned into a passing club. We had success at it, and were going to continue in that direction next season. The coach is also optimistic about tiie success of the team next year because of the experience the Spartans will have. run-orient- When we entered the season this year, we had one returning player on offense and defense with any experience. It took several games for the kids to gain confidence in each other because of that inexperience. Next season, well have seven starters on offense and six starters on defense returning. This experience will have a very positive effect on the team, he said. Looking back over the season, I believe that our greatest area of improvement was in the confidence the players gained for each other. Many of the kids had to start the season at positions they had little or no experience at, and we didnt get the early success. The players failed to gain the confidence in each other that they needed. By the last three games, the players got that confidence, started to believe in themselves, and we began to play real solid football, Coach Crook said. during the season. Coach Crook said that quarterback Terry Thomas will be a i&- 'n ip" n'i f leading the Spartan passing attack. Photos by Larry W Davis Tupwwimwr mwmwwwf' ;'niwiwjiiisBM8H'ugiiiuwaia!nu(cwijai The coach said that his players progressed a great deal during the season and in the end played as a unit. , j.- t t fcfc. - I Saying that the this confidence really came into focus against Dixie in the final game, the coach said that when the Spartans gave up 21 points in the first half, it would have been easy to quit. Emery didnt, he said, because of the confidence gained through the previous nine games. He also praised his coaching staff for being able to keep the kids up for every game and helping to keep the players enthusiasm up. I believe our kids played their hearts out every game, the coach said. I feel that we didnt play a team which had better athletes either. There were some teams with better football players, but not better athletes. He added that the toughest team the Spartans faced this season was Millard which defeated Emery Another thing which the coach felt was positive this season was the development of the team concept. We saw the players counting more and more on each other this season. They got away from relying on just a couple of individuals to carry ' the load. We became more of a team. This will carry over next year too, he said. Coach Crook reiterated his coaching philosophy which stresses winning with class and expressing pride in all endeavors. Football makes kids grow into men, he said. It presents situations which are just like those faced in life where there are good days and bad and decisions which have to be made. A lot of lows have to be experienced, and the growth comes from being able to get back up and take pride in yourself. That leads to suc- V k k Everyone wants to have a 10-- 0 he added, but record, theres more to football than that. One of the big things is the friendships which develop. I want these kids to know that they can call on me for character references anytime. I know everyone of them and know that each is a first class v f individual. The coach will enter his second season next fall with an overall record at Emery of He said that he also learned a lot about being a head coach from the season. I dont , believe there was a game we werent prepared for, he said. Our game plans were as good as we could make them with the type of team we had. We had some weaknesses which took time to be adjusted, and maybe we could have made some changes a bit earlier. But during the season, we were able to weed out those things which didnt work for us :and added many that did. Well pick up from there next season. 1-- 9, He was thinking football then and he is thinking football now. Coach Greg Crook, shown along the sidelines this season, has already begun program, work on next ; year's and recreation tL Emery spikerg ok to nament, which finished first in the Region 10 tournament. Progress Editor Theres no tomorrow, only Coach Reed said that Manti and also very good today for the Emery High South Sevier are teams from Other School Lady Spartans who teams. 9 are Morgan entered State Volleyball Region entered the 10 has while Union and Region in Tournament on Wednesday five of one representatives. Delta. Emery is eight teams seeking the title which Emery enters the tournament will be determined Thursday off the heels of an impressive win at home against Union on evening I feel very confident about Oct. 25. In that match, the Lady our chances this year, Coach Spartans came within a hair of a with a Nancy Reed said of her team shutout in the first match ended second the while 1 win which finished the regular while 2 mark season with a It wasnt our best match of in Region 9. In the going outthe some season, but I was pleased had weve past the way we played, Coach with but individual players, standing this year I believe we have Reed said. She praised the talent. These communication and team work, better saying that it was a team effort girls play well together. in finish After the first place typical of the success was seeded the region, Emery throughout the season. In the first match, Michelle in the team as the top upper bracket of the tournament and Wickman got Emery off to a fast played Richfield, the number start, serving for six straight four team from Region 10, in a points. Roberta Black later 10 a.m. match on Wednesday. A added five while Julie Freeman win there would have put the and Diana Jones added two Lady Spartans in another each. Black and Freeman Wednesday match against the combined for 10 points in the n second game as Emery never winner of the South match at 6 p.m. trailed in either to record the by Larry W. Davis 2-- A 15-- 15-- 9. 14-- 8-- 0 all-arou- nd However, a loss to Richfield would have resulted in a 4:30 match against the loser of those two teams. We dont know too much about the teams from the other Coach Reed said. region, Emery, in playing 16 games this team season, did not play a outside Region 9 but defeated the four other teams in its own region twice each. The only losses for the Lady Spartans 2-- A came against A teams from Altamont and Green River. Should Emery win both matches on Wednesday, the team will slip right into the championship game at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Favored among the lower bracket teams is Delta, the host school for the tour- - wins. Suffering its first region loss of the season was the Emery JV which fell to Union 4 in two games. In the first match, Emery took a 5 lead as Black and Colleen Nelson dominated the scoring. However, Emery could not get that final 15th point as Union came back to win. Union also came from behind to win in the second 16-1- 14-- matchaswell. , r tournament In entering the this year, Coach Reed said that the tougher region schedule will be an advantage that Emery really hasnt had in the past. Last year the Spartans finished fifth in the state while the best finish for Emery came in 1979 when the girls finished second. - 0. cess. 4 -- Sevier-Morga- 27-- Having one of those friendly discussions" with an official was Coach Greg Crook during this preseason game in Castle Dale, Sports ff Bird hunters prepare for pheasant opener Utah upland game hunters are getting set this week for the pheasant opener, now just days away. The Nov. 5 opener should draw around 85,000 hunters for what Division of Wildlife Resources upland game biologists are predicting to be a 1983 good hunt. The season extends through Nov. 13 in much of the state; through Nov. 18 in Box Elder, Cache, Weber and Davis counties; and through Nov. 20 in Duchesne and Uintah counties. The daily bag limit statewide is two roosters, with a possession limit of four birds. Division Upland Game Supervisor Jay Roberson says 1983 spring pheasant production was good, in spite of the loss of some nesting habitat due to flooding along the eastern shoreline of the Great Salt Lake in Davis, Weber and Box Elder counties. Rising waters at Utah Lake also claimed some nesting areas in Utah County. But according to Roberson, habitat conditions are generally good elsewhere in the state, with plenty of feed and escape cover available to the ringnecks. Best northern Utah hunting is expected in Cache and Box Elder counties, where observers noted a good winter carryover of birds and excellent cover conditions. Weber, Davis and Utah counties, although affected by spring flooding, should offer good hunting on posted hunting units. Most pheasant hunting is on private ground along the Wasatch Front, where trespass permission is required. Roberson advises hunters to spend some time scouting the area they want to hunt, and to obtain the necessary per mission to hunt there before they go afield on opening day. Roberson expects tie total harvest this year to be around 200,000 birds, down slightly from last year. He cites losses along the Wasatch Front and in the Uintah Basin country of Duchesne County (where cool, wet spring weather hurt production) as responsible for the reduced harvest. While loss of habitat continues to be the number one long-term problem facing pheasants, Roberson says loss of access to hunting areas is the big problem facing Utah hunters. More and more of the prime pheasant hunting areas throughout the state are now posted no or no hunting. trespassing Many of those areas where public hunting has traditionally been allowed are being consolidated into posted pheasant hunting units where modestly priced permits are required, or leased to private hunting clubs which often charge, higher fees for hunting privileges. In spite of problems facing state-register-ed both hunters and quarry, Roberson says this years hunt should offer plenty of opportunity for pheasant hunters who dont mind doing a little homework before the hunt scouting areas, asking permission before tiiey hunt or, in some cases, obtaining trespass permits. He urges hunters on private land to respect the land and treat it as if it were their own. By closing gates, using caution while hunting around livestock, and avoiding trampling standing crops, Roberson says hunters may be allowed to hunt again another year. |