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Show he Salt LakeTribune Section C SPORT @ HORSE RACING/C-2 .S. OPEN/C-3 @ BASEBALL/C.6 i@ NFL FOOTBALL/C-7 i SCOREBOARD/C-8 Mark McGwire — 59 0-3, no homers vs. Reds Sammy Sosa — 57 2-5, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER5,1998 DICK ROSETTA CBS Job Means Bolerjack Can See Family More Under normal circumstances, say like the past 13 years, Craig Bolerjack would be in somepress box along the Wasatch Front — often on the sidelines — to watch college football's opening Saturday. Until early summer,his fall schedule had himticketed for Logan and tonight's Utah-Utah State kickoff. His 1998 opener will come one day late, but his Beehive State fan base built through 13 years with KSL-TV can catch him Sunday on KUTV-Channel 2. His press box venue will be River- Utes, Ags, Cougs All Get Started Tonight Utah vs. Utah State: Old rivalry features plenty of new twists BYU: Alabama’s ever-speedy squad will pose problems Smith's departure for Louisville, followed by ex-Weber State Coach Dave Arslanian’s hiring at USU, has createda whole batch of guesswork for the Utes, who aretrying to snap a two-gamelosing streak agaist the Aggies. Will Arslanian run tailback Demario Brown at the Utes 30 times? Will Aggie quarterback Riley Jensen throw it 40 timesout of those four- andfive-receiver THESALT LAKETRIBUNE LOGAN — Utah and Utah State have played each other in football for over a century, and players and coaches on both teams know each other well, having grown up in the sameback yard. Yet, the Utes might as well be blindfolded and taking whacksat a pinata tonight when they open the season against the Aggies at Romney Stadium throw at him None of that, however, is what worries BYU Coach LaVell Edwards the most. It's the speed. From the defensiveline to the kick return squad, the Crimson Tidehas it — just as nearly every team in the South- eastern Conference has it. “That's the thing that always seems to set those sets Arslanian loved to use at Weber BY MICHAEL C. LEWIS teamsapart fromothers inthe country, State? Will the Aggies keep anyof THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Smith's old offensive wrinkles?Alittle bit of everything, perhaps? said Edwards And those “‘others” include BYU. The TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama Crimson Tide has a rich football history that dates back 103 years andincludes “It's kind of a tough deal,” said Utah cord-setting quarterbacks, but speed has seldombeen their game. Wide receivers from BYU aretraditionally known for their craftiness instead of their wheels. 12 national championships. It has a defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham. “We've been studying all of those aspects, and we're especially looking at a lot of Weber State tapes from last year. I'm sure there's going to be a Former Utah State Coach John L. Cougars have a wonderful litany of re- beautifully renovated stadium that will accommodate nearly 84,000 screaming fans. It has atailback who once shredded LSU for 291 yards, a middle linebacker and coaches only recently realized the need to recruit faster players for their defensive secondary. The difference in whoranks amongthenation’s best, and a bold cornerback who dares opponents to See UTAH, Page C-8 See BYU, Page C-8 Greed Nearly Proves Costly For Hillcrest front Stadium in Cincinnati, where sometime between 10:30 and 11 a.m., he will be beamed up by an- BY JAY DREW THESALT LAKE TRIBUNE other former Salt Lake TV star, Jim Nantz, for pre-gameinsight into the Bengals-Tennessee Oilers game. At MIDVALE — While proving 11 a.m., he becomesthe rookie playby-play member of the network's that speed kills on the football field Fridaynight, the Hillcrest football team. Huskies almost made true another adage: Greed Kills. My, how things have turned on a dime for the former No. 1 Utah The Huskies and their out- sports anchor. From KSL’s SportsBeat Sundaynight to national TV on Sunday morning. He still is trying to standing skill players had Clearfield routed at Del Schick Stadium, but let the Falcons backin the contest with a series absorb the fairy-tale transformation from 12-hour days in the Salt Lake of big mistakes. Hillerest hung marketto a three-hour CBStelecast. on to take a 28-26 win in the Notthat his pre-game preparation wacky non-region game, but only after letting the Falcons score three fourth-quarter for the Bengals-Oilers contest is a three-hour job, When we caught up with him by telephone Friday after- touchdowns. “Tt was crappy,” said Hill- noon, he was “buried in mounds of crest star Grant Smith. “Wegot paper” in a Cincinnati hotel room, He figured 36 more hoursof cram- too cocky and tried to blow ming would get himready for “the them out too bad. It almost hurt us, big-time. test of mylife.” He figured an NFL summit meet- After reminding his team ing two weeks ago in New York that “Weare still 2-0, right?” in a postgame huddle, Hillcrest coach Lee Leslie acknowledged that “we got greedy. Yeah, greed is a good wordfor it.” The Huskies led 28-5 in the fourth quarter, then tried to get might settle some of the butterflies. But seated in a room with the top namesin CBS sports — Nantz, Marcus Allen, Greg Gumbel, George Seifert, Phil Simms and Don Criqui — left him awestruck. Not to mention the feeling when NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue strode into the room for a yearly briefing. “I kept waiting for someoneto say, ‘You got that rookie? Don’t forget it.’ Really, no one said much of anything after Jimmy introduced me as the newest memberof the broadcast team.” Right then and there, Bolerjack found his repose. Thepervasive feeling, he says, was therelief everyone felt over CBS being back in the NFL family after yielding to NBC and Foxfor the past three seasons. “It was a homecoming atmosphere. Most of these guys had been there once and were devastated when they lost the rights. It was a big room full of ex- cited kids. There is no question I was the most excited kid.” The whole atmosphere,including the imposing presence of Tagliabue and his fatherly assertion that the league was happy to have CBS back in the fold, has helped him through the “separation” from his Salt Lake ties. “Honestly, this is something I never thought would happen to me.” Yet, he is reminded ofthe challenge from Star Trek's Capt. Kirk to go where no manhas gonebefore. Boler's dad, Don, a former Korean War drill sergeant and Boler’s mom, Wanda, sent a fax reminding him it just was another chapterinlife. “They told me to remember the | homer vs. Pirates toofancy. A successful fake puntled to Trent Nelson/The Salt LakeTribune East defender Ed Tuiono makesa desperate lunge and grabs West's Chris Alo by the underwear in prep action on Friday. Defense Points West in Right Direction Over East @ Details on Friday's Prep Football Action C-4,5 ALTLAKETRIBUNE The old industrial arts building that framed the west bleachers is gone, a new scoreboard is in place, lights are coming and Don Holtry is no longer a Panther coachafter all these years. Just the same,a lot of the same old stuff was happening Friday at West. The Panthers were playing relentless defense and scoring just enough in a 12-3 defeat of rival East in Region 5. “We played West High football,” said first-year coach SamAloia, West linebacker Johnny Hamilton calls Holtry “old-school” and gives Aloia a “"90s” label. The two made a good combination this week. Aloia invited Holtry to address the team Thursday, then coached the Panthers to theirfirst win after a loss at Bountifullast week. Holtrysaid only “the same things every- song that players and students sung together after the game. Aloia also stopped the referee coming out of the locker room, seeking a witness about how disciplined the Panthers acted on the field. The scoreboard offered more proof. The West defense allowed few big plays and madethree key stops and quarterback Rob Clark, who has come back from what he Scott Jones, and Clearfield got its first TD midwaythrough the fourth. Moments later, Clear- field linebacker Dave Whitecar intercepted a sereen pass and returned it 50 yards to the Hillcrest 6. When Jones went over from the 1 and quarterback Timm Donaldson added a two-point @ More Preps on Sunday Catch prep writer Jay Drew’s review of Friday's high school football action and Utah’s most comprehensive standings, complete with points scored and allowed, in Sunday's Tribune. The Tribune’s popular Prep Football Rankings also will appear in Sunday's Tribune for thefirst time, In a new partnership, KUTVChannel 2 will give prep football fans a sneak peak at the rankings during its 10:30 p.m. Saturday conversion, the Hillerest lead was just nine points. Hillcrest quarterback Shawn Kojima promptly fumbled the snap on the Huskies’ next play, and Clearfield capitalized again. However, the Huskies ran out the final 3:20. ‘I was getting sick to my stomach,” Smith said. The senior was Hillerest's star, scoring three ways. He had a 10-yard run, returned a fumble 50 yards and also turned a screen pass into a 45- called a “career-ending” knee injury, tossed two touchdownpasses. West's top running back was suspended for the game, but the Panthers overcame his absence mostly with defense. Players such as Kaulana Razo, SingaIloa, Kite Afeaki, Chris Alo andBilly Cruz joined Hamilton up front, while the secondary was solid. “I just don't knowwhy [East] tried to 53-yard punt return took East to the West fumble return in the second 9-yard line, but the Panthersforceda field “We just laid back in ‘prevent’ and let them goal. On the next possession, still leading 63, West stopped the Leopards on fourth and quarter, Kojima picked off Donaldson's pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown Early in the third quarter, Takim Agbor’s See WEST, Page C-4 See HILLCREST, Page C-4 throw the ball on us so much,” Aloia said. body else says,” reported Aloia, who’s reviving West traditions such as an old fight a 25-yard touchdown run by doit. Sports Den showwith David James. yard touchdown Three plays after Smith's three P's ... preparation, poise and patience. Man, how many times have Theard that?” Life could have dealt him a far worse hand. The long, long seven- days-a-week Salt Lake schedule has been repiaced by one that allows him national TV exposure plus am- ple time with his wife, Sharon, and three sons D.J., Nick and Brody at their Salt Lake home. “Hey, I get to sit down to dinner three nights a week with my family. And I want you to knowI'm a Little League football coaching assistait."’ D.J.'s Ute Conference team, the Brighton Bengals, won its opener last week, 28-6. “He's a bruising linebacker with speed,” says Boler. Sunday's gamewill afford him a Buzz Lose Yet Another Chance to Gain Ground on 1st-Place Fresno BY LAURENCE MIEDEMA THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Having a chance to make the playoffs in the closing days of the regular season is exactly where the Buzz Update Salt Lake Buzz were supposedto be. trot Jim Rantz told the Salt Lake 8 Minnesota Twins mi- B Highlight: Buzz openlast series nor leaguers as much this past spring training. Min- couple of Utah connections. Ex-Ute Kevin Dyson will see his first NFL nesota’s director of kicker Lee Johnson is with Cincy. By Sundaynight, Bolerjack hopes to be back in Salt Lake tucking his pected more out of a system that has action with Tennessee and ex-BYU sons into bed and getting the lowdown on D.J.’s second game. “By Tuesday morning, I'll be getting them ready for school. Never done that before because of my late-night assignments.” TV broadcast stars are dads, too. ‘ . & Sosa Goes Deep A silent day, a silent night for Mark McGwire. After skipping a pregame press conference, McGwire went 0-for-3 with a walk Fridayas St. Louislost to Cincinnati. His rival for Roger Maris’ record of 61, Sammy Sosa, hit No. 57 for the Chicago Cubsin a win at Pittsburgh. — Details, C-6 at last-place Tucson on Friday. Fresno’s magic number(the combina- tion of Grizzlies’ wins and Buzzlosses) to win the division standsatthree. “Tt boils down nowthat we have to win one more than they do this weekend,” said Buzz Manager Phil Roof. “We're looking for a tie, because if we end up tied, we're in.” That's because Salt Lake won 10 of the 18 head-to-head meetings. Despite losing a sloppily-played game (the teams combined for 30hits, 25 runs, 12 walks and five errors) to the Cubs in the first game ofits season-ending ho- BUZZ PLAYOFF CHASE Pacific Coast League Southem Division Fresno Grizzlies . Salt Lake Buzz WoL 79 61 78 62 @ Raptors Drop Playoff Opener failed to produce consistent winners at any level since the early 1990s. having a successful season. Salt Lake, on the other hand, is slowly runningout of chances to catch Fresno. pearance since 1996. That is all the Twins were hoping for from anyofits affiliates. Last year, noneof the six minor league teamsfinished higher than third place, and only two — the Buzz and Single-A The Buzz stayed one game behind the Southern Division-leading Grizzlies with three games remaining in the regular season. Thestruggling Grizzlies lost 8-6 Winning “is a criteria every year, but this year there was more emphasis on it,” said Roof. The Triple-A Buzz have done their part, even if their Pacific Coast League playoff hopes took a mild hit Friday night with a 17-8 loss to the Iowa Cubs. The Cubs clinched the Central Divi- 10 games. Fort Myers — did so in 1996. 4 netics, C4 nema mestand, Salt Lake still has a good chance to makeitsfirst postseason apthey gotit doneafter having lost seven of 557 towa 17, Salt Lake 8 Tucson 8, Fresno 6 nes Reming Baas — 2:lows Tonight Sunday. Monday resto — 3.41 Tuoon Tong Sunday. Monday Soe — Barz own tetreaker over Fresno minor leagues said the organization exsiontitle with the victory. It took them 17 hits and an eight-run fourth inning, but Pct GB 564 Friday's Games Salt Lake isn’t the only Twinsaffiliate Double-A NewBritain qualified for the playoffs, while Single-A teams Fort Myers and Fort Wayne are hovered around .500 mostof the season and rookie ball teams Fort Myers and Elizabeth- See BUZZ, Page 6-6 “ ‘ |