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Show Page IB South Edition port Lakeside Review October 12, 1983 Doubt Predictions? Look at Standings KENT SOMERS Woods records. Three teams are Cross, Bountiful and Viewmont records. As tied for third place with it looks right now, only two of them will make the tournament. But Viewmont has the unenviable the University task of facing UNK at home of Nebraska at'Kaysville this Friday, and then concludes the season at Bountiful. Its not exactly a schedule that makes visions of playoff games dance in the mind. Woods Cross will meet Bountiful this Friday, and then concludes the regular season at home against East. The Cats should beat East, but the Bountiful game will, no doubt, be tougher. Bountiful, as you have surmised by now, plays Woods Cross and Viewmont in the last two games of the season. The Braves need to win at least one of those game, preferably two, to have a chance for a state tournament berth. Davis, one the other hand, needs a win this week to set up the final game against Highland the following week for the region title. The Rams play East, 3-- Review Sports Editor Lets take a trip back in time, say about August, when high school coaches throughout the area were making their predictions. Balance, was one of the words coaches used. Tough from top to bottom was another popular saying. So much mularky, many people were thinking. After all, coaches are. supposed to say that sort of thing pre-seas- arent they? Dont they learn that in P.E. 101, Principles of Athletic Coaching? As it turns out, area coaches all looked like amazing soothsayers with their predications. With only two regular season games left on the schedule, all seven area high schools have a legitimate shot at the state playoffs. And it looks like all eight playoff spots available in' the two regions could be decided in next weeks games. The standings are tightest over in Region Four, where you have Highland and Davis tied for the league lead with pre-seas- 0 which should be a gimmee. this week and will probably enter the Davis game with a 0 region record. In Region One, Box Elder has rolled along and leads the region with a record. Roy is in second place with a 1 slate along with Bonneville, who the Royals beat in the second region game of the season. Box Elder has one of the toughest e schedules left in the region. The Bees play this week against Clearin league play along field, which is with Layton. Box Elder then finishes 4-- 0 2-- Lay-to- two-gam- -2 the season against Bonneville. Roy plays this Friday against Weber, who is last-plac- overall after winning its first four concludes the season at Weber. The Lancers have had troubles the last three games, and need to put things in order to make the tournament. A key to the playoff situation for n is how well the Lancers play against a team everyone in the region should beat Weber. A loss to the Warriors, who have improved this year, would be devastating to the Lancers. But it may be too early to talk about crucial games. Strange things can happen in high school football. Why, even East or Weber could win their last two games and vie for the playoffs. After all, Weber has played Box Elder close this year, and recently beat Logan by a lopsided score. And East came within a touchdown of Davis, and won its first game of the year last week, defeating 4-- 3-- 3 games, plays Bonneville this Friday and e in region play. The Royals conclude the season by hosting Clearfield, a team Roy Coach Ernest Jacklin picked during as one of the teams to beat in Region One. Although a variety of possibilities exist, only a miracle will keep, Clearfield out of the playoffs if it beats Roy and Box Elder. in league play and Layton, now 0-- 3 pre-seas- Tucker Likes the Fit Of Layton High School Mike Tucker has lived in Italy and Germany, where football means soccer and only Americans wear helmets when they play it. And Mike Tucker has lived in the plain(es) of Oklahoma, where football is football, and soccer is something that only comes on cable TV at midnight. And after all that traveling, Mike Tucker now lives at Hill Air Force Base, and thinks he has found his place in the world at Layton High School. This school fits me, Tucker says. Like an old soft sweatshirt worn on Saturday mornings, or the .old recliner in the living room, Tuckers feel comfortable at Layton High. Its the best South. And even if those two teams dont make it to the playoffs, many people will listen more intently to the coaches predictions next year. -2 Meservy Makes His Doubters Believe SCOTT MONSEN ' Review Correspondent Up until a year ago, most people Jeff Meservy as much chance to start as the Viewmont Viking quarterback as the last duck in a crowded shooting gallery has of sur' viving. As a neighbor told Jeffs father re- cently, If I would have been a true friend, L would have told you not to encourage him so much so he wouldnt be disappointed when he gave didnt make it. Someone forgot to tell Jeff. The neighbor has since eaten his words. Through hard work and desire to play, Meservy has become a hot commodity in area high school football and one of the premier high school passers in northern Utah. He has led the Vikings to a 3 overall record and a league mark, and Viewmont. is in the thick of the race for one of the four Region Four playoff berths. Meservy began writing his Cinderella story several years ago by deciding in little league football that he wanted to be a quarterback. Since, he has attended summer football camps and practiced on passing and leadership skills. It has paid off for him and for the Vikings this year. Until recently, one skeptic was first-yeViking Coach Warren Hatch. Hatch was formerly on the Bountiful High coaching staff and watched Meservy from the other, side of the field for two years. When he was a sophomore he didn't do too much, and as a junior I thought he was terrible. said Hatch. Except for his friends and a handful of people, no one really felt he had a ghost of a chance, Hatch , 3-- -2 . ar continued. That kind of thing would destroy the average person, but not him. No one has worked harder on his game than Jeff and he is a prime example of what hard place work and desire can do. His size is a disadvantage, but his intelligence and leadership make up for that. If he had time to throw every time, he ' would complete of his Hatch now regards Meservy as the best passer in the region and one of the five best in northern Utah. Hes what heroes are made of because little kids will see that, even though they arent very big or strong, hard work can make dreams come true. Instead of believing the critics, Jeff chose to believe in himself. Ever since little league Ive tried not to listen to those comments, Meservy said. You have to listen to the extent that you want to work harder and become a better player, but you have to let a lot roll off your back. The Viewmont offense is geared to passing about 0 percent of the time, which makes them a junior edition of the Cougars in Provo, so the quarterback is the crucial point in "the attack. " Success depends on ability of the offensive line to protect the quarterback for him to be able to complete pre-seas- Tucker moved to the Davis County area 16 months ago from Italy when his dad, Mel, Sr., was transfered to Hill Air Force Base. Mike first checked into Clearfield High School last fall, too late for football season, and then transfered to Layton because his family moved on base. Tucker first met Hansen at a power-liftin- g contest last spring and informed the coach he was attending Layton next year. Hansen, naturally, wanted to know if Tucker planned to play football for the Lancers. Tucker, who had played football since the fourth grade in Oklahoma, couldnt see himself missing another year of football and told the 60-7- coach yes. passes. ' VIEWMONT QUARTERBACK Jeff Meservy has made his, doubters and critics reverse their beliefs by having a successful senior season for the Vikings. coaching staff has been great not only on the field but in the halls too. They have stressed that our success doesnt depend on any one person but that we all have to work togeth- -- er. - Playing football for anyone will build character, said Meservy. Any sport will, because it teaches you discipline and how to set a reach goals. We have a lot of unity on our team this year and the new Jeff is a young man that has set goals for his future and is working toward reaching them. He would like to go on and play football at the, college level and have a chance to play in the pros. Ever since I was little and watching football on TV I have wanted to play pro football, and I am still working toward that, he said. But Im planning on a career in physical therapy in case I dont make it. Jeff has good junior college potential, according to Hatch, but his small size may hurt him at higher levels. ' : Review Sports Editor ' , In bizarre Region Four football, where Rod Serling would even have problems explaining the unusual offenses, Woods Cross and Bountiful will play the Return to Normalcy Bowl this Friday at Bountiful. The Wildcats and Braves run two of the more conventional offenses, at least by modem stadards, among teams that run offenses that sound like the anat-- . omy of the main course at Thanksgiva double wing, a single wing and ing a wishbone. And both Woods Cross Coach Larry Eldracher and Bountiful Coach Kim Peterson agree their offenses are some what alike. We are similar in that we try to balance our running and passing, said Eldracher. By Region Four standards, were fairly conventional. The similarities continue. Both teams records in region play, and have both teams losses have come against Dathe two top teams in the region vis and Highland. The Braves are coming off two straight losses, the last one to Clearfield Bountiful last Wednesday night, was in. trouble early in the game, trailing 14-- 0 by the first of the second ' quarter. We didnt expect them to run or pass that well, said Peterson. We knew -2 24-1- 4. - . However, what he has achieved so far has surprised people. behind 0 at the time. they were a good football team and that was better did talent. had a good They they The Wildcats defense also played job against our defense than we expec- well, forcing three Tiger turnovers. ' ted them to. "Our offense turned the ball over five The Braves, however, managed to times and we gave up only 10 points, score two touchdowns on the Falcons, so our defense played pretty well. but could never overcome the early defOne of the Wildcats main defensive icit. Our offense moved the ball pretty this week will be to contain Bounwell, but we had a couple of mistakes. goals tiful Rob Faddis, according quarterback Bountiful had a drive going late in the a big part of their Eldracher. to Hes Jeff Clearfields it when ended game but offense. Hes a good athlete. Faddis a Rob pass. Parry intercepted on the Woods Cross, however, handled OgAlthough both clubs are den last Wednesday for its fourth win season, Eldracher thinks its too early to of the season. The Wildcats were aided talk about must games. I dont know TD interception by Ju- if I would put the must on it, said by the Avei in the first quarter.It was a Eldracher. There are a lot of possi-blitinior still. big turnover, said Elracher, whose club 3-- -2 76-ya- rd es Darts Must Contain Meservy, Says Sawley SCOTT MONSEN Review Correspondent It will be strength against strength this Friday in Region Four football at Viewmont High School. The potent Viking offense will go up against the best defense in Region Four when the Davis Darts come to town. With a league record, the Vikings are in need of a victory to propel them to the state playoffs, while the Darts are assured of playing Highland for the region title the following week, ,but dont expect them to roll over. Davis is 0 on the year and would like to sustain the momentum into the, state tournament. The Viewmont team and staff have been disappointed so far this year with vhe region recordbut both losses have -2 7-- come late in the game. Also, the Vikings have had some injuries which have hampered their play, but with a ttye last week, Coach Warren Hatch feels everyone will be ready to play against Davis. We hoped we would have a better record at this point in the season, but we feel that the record does not indicate the true quality of our team, Hatch said. We have been inconsistent this year on defense and in pass protection. But, we have improved, In order to beat the g Darts, Viewmont will have to plug those holes. Davis has an explosive offense so we need to slow them down and not give them the big play, Hatch said. No one has stopped them (the Darts) frm scoring yet and I doubt we wil, high-flyin- but we have to control the ball and put some points on the board. Davis won a game last week against Bonneville, 28-gaining over 300 yards on the ground. The defense did not allow a touchdown, but Bonneville did score on an punt return. For the Vikings, the objective in Fripass protection. days game is simple Winning or losing depends on how well we protect our quarterback, Hatch commented. Passing is percent of our offense and we feel if we complete 60 percent of our passes win should win most games. Davis Coach Ward Sawley is aware of the potential of the Viewmont offense, but feels that his defense is the Darts biggest strength. non-leag- To our advantage we have played three teams in Bountiful, Clearfield and Woods Cross that are geared to throwing the ball, said Sawley. The disadvantage is that the Vikings do it better than the other teams. ue 7, 80-ya- rd 60-7- 0 . This week we are going to spend a lot of time working on sustaining our moves and blocks so we dont slip off too soon, Sawley continued. We need to keep the pressure on their quarterback and not let him run around too much in the. backfield. Other than that, we will prepare for them just like any other team. Were not going to change anything. The Davis passing game consists of one or two attempts a month, according to Sawley. Mt Although Hansen could see Tucker had the equipment, to be a good football player size, speed, quickness a coach is never sure of his talent until the pads are on. You cant tell how good they are until the violence starts, Hansen said. They can look great in shorts, but sometimes kids turn green around the gills when contact starts. Tuckers gills, fortunately for the Lancers, are their natural color. But Tucker has not been a perfect running back this season, mostly because of a lack of consistency, said Hansen. Hes been on and off, Hansen commented. He has a good game, then a bad game. And Tucker shares-fhwith quality inconsistency the rest of the Lancers, who have lost three straight games after winning their first four games of the year. But when Tucker is on he can be dazzling. One particular touchdown run against Roy demonstrated his ability. It as an audible, explains Tucker. It was supposed to go to the left side to Tom and then Brian (Bailey) called it to the other side. But from then on it was Tucker Time. Tucker broke a few tackles at the line of scrimmage and moved into the secondary. Finding nothing there to keep him hanging around. Tucker dodged a few more tacklers and hit the end zone grass. And the back is not content to leave the game on the grass. After a ball game, he and his father will stay up late discussing the games, which Tuckers family rarely misses. Tucker is hoping that college scouts will come calling after the season, giving him a chance to further his career. Another move. Just when he was get-- , ting comfortable. THIS WEEKS PICKS Woods Cross at Bountiful This game appears to be one of the weeks closest matchups. Based on a guess, Woods Cross wins by three points. Davis at Viewmont O.K., so everyone must be thinking its time for Davis to join the real world of high school football and lose a game. But the Darts have looked so good lately, they should win this one by 10 points. Weber has tried to Roy at Weber be a passing team this year, but has had trouble against good defensive clubs like Davis and Clearfield. The Royals also have a good defense, and will win by six points. The Lancers Layton at Bonneville have had problems the last three weeks and need to win the final two games to enhance their playoff hopes. They will get the first one, beating the Lakers by three points. Box Elder at Clearfield The Falcons looked superb last week against Bountiful, playing perhaps their best game of the year. Box Elder,' however; has also looked good and should win this game by six points. at raves, WX Set For Normalcy Bowl KENT SOMERS he says. best backfields in the area. All that from a kid Gary Hansen had never seen play football until this years drills. passes. life as well. been, third-dow- n three-fourt- To run this offense you need fine players in all positions, said Hatch. Our success really revolves around the ability of the line to protect and the quarterback has to be consistent and lead the team. On some teams that use a basic running offence the QB is not that critical but it is on ours, and Jeff does very well considering this is the first year we have run this kind of attack. Jeff regards his football experience as a plus, not only in sports but in Ive The feeling, thank you Mike, is mutual. Anyone who has seen Tucker play running back for the Lancers knows that. He is the man they rely on in situations, and he and running mate Tom Kidd form' one of the 180-pou- ' |