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Show f APRIL 13, 1983 Head And PREP BASEBALL Shoulders Above The Opposition Falcons In First And Coach Wants More CLEARFIELD Hicks decree that LAYTON -- - If there was ever a diamond in the rough, youd have to start with the story of Chuck Berwald and Layton High tennis. AFTER FOUR games in region, Clearfield stood with a 1 record and were to play both Sky View on Tuesday and Layton on Friday. Layton led the league as of Monday morning 3-- mark. Overall the pitching has been surprising, in that it hasnt been as good as it could be. Even though Gregg (Folk) has pitched two excellent games, giving up only one run, the quality pitching hasnt come around where I would have liked it to be. with a BERWALD, WHEN he had to get serious, crushed his No. 1 singles opponent from Bonneville But it was the same Berwald who was urging and cheering his teammates after he had put his racquet away. Nielsen, who will be the first to admit that he wont take credit for any of Berwalds tennis growth, likes to think of himself as Chucks best fan. IM ALWAYS impressed with him, said Nielsen, Even though he isnt the same caliber of player the other kids are, hes always congenial with them. He seriously tries to help them all he can. Doing well in region and state high school play is one thing, but both Berwald and Nielsen know all too well, that winning on the Tennis circuit is where it really counts. A GOOD SHOWING among competitors on the circuit is the genuine report card that major colleges scruitnize when they are interested in handing out scholarships. Berwald, incidentally, has done well on the old rankings circuit. When the new find Chuck very to be dont surprised emerge, near the top in singles play while he and his doubles partner, Dick Rampton of Boise, will be extremely high in doubles. 2-- 1. Chuck Berward, nicknamed Scosh as a youngster because of his lack of size, is now heads and shoulders above the competition. SCOSH (the nickname he took on as a youngster when he was much smaller, but still keeps despite standing 2 now) will do well in college. And we all know that his biggest emphasis is on tournaments that will ultimately get him there. But you can get were rooting for him to do well in state competition too, sajd 6-- ar A MIRAGE of trophies line his tennis wall at home, a collection that started from age 10' when he first began playing real serious tennis. Some of that real serious tennis took him to tournaments in Washington, St. Louis, Canada and other places throughout the West. Its been a dream of Chucks, right from age 10, that hed someday have the chance to play major college tennis. The dream could be fulfilled in the following months as Berwald has leaned heavily to a signing with either the University of New Mexico or perhaps Boise State on the north. Hes received plenty of generous offers, but the Layton High senior would like to get out of Utah for awhile. Nielsen the coach. Nielsen believes there is only a handful of prep players in th state that could beat his No. 1 singles player. In fact Chuck himself states that Brightons Dave Harkness will be his biggest challenge, since the two have met before in Intermountain play and Berwald lost that decision. THE ENTIRE Berwald family, from Dr. Charles Berwald to his wife Karol and to Chucks brother, love the game of tennis. With no tennis clubs in Layton, the family and especially Chuck, have spent hours of working out at the Pleasant Valley Sports Center in South Ogden. My parents have put up quite a bit of money for me to play, said Berwald, Even Cooper Denies Odds In Setting New Records COOPER APPEARS to be denying all kinds of odds in reaching new heights in the high jump. He first of all stands at only five feet and eight inches where most notable high jumpers are lean and towering basketball players. Webers Cory Swenson, who Cooper will battle later on in the Region One meet, is a good example of what most high jumpers look like. Hes 5 and springy as a slinky. Cooper has also been battling a nagging foot injury that prevents him from working out as much as hed like. 6-- COACH (RUSS) Jones tells me that speed . is the key to getting over the bar. Ive been concentrating on that more than anything 0 9, Inter-mounta- in 6 3-- BUT ON THE other hand, the hitting has come around a lot better than I thought it would. Of course we didnt score in the first loss to Layton) but we came back game (a to get 27 runs in the next three games. Everybody is hitting the ball and we havent had that many strikeouts and perhaps were getting a lot of swings in practice has had something to do with it. In action last week the Falcons clobbered belted Bonneville 15-- 5 and Weber 10-downed Roy 6-- 2. LAYTON Just a few days before the Icebreaker Invitational in Orem, it was the Lancers own Jerry Cooper who called it very reasonable" to fly six feet and seven inches in the high jump, goal enough to set a new school record. THERE WAS something in me that said it was going to be done, said Cooper, All I needed was a meet to do it in. : Well, talk became reality just 36 hours later as Cooper never missed in the Icebreaker high jump event until the bar measured out at 6 feet 9 inches. But Cooper, a Layton senior, did get the school record at 6--7 which broke the old standard set by Lane Sackett of 6-- just a few years ago. Despite Coach Ken ball. BERWALD isnt just an average and ordinary high school tennis player, in fact he is ranked as one of the elite olds in th Intermountain Tennis Association. But being a member of the high school, it was only natural that he help out Dave Nielsen and the tennis team. And though he is years ahead of his Lancer teammates in experience and tennis sense, Berwald has meshed in with that unit with uncanny ease. 6-- 1, -- his teams pitching efforts still aren't where he would like it to be, the Falcons continue to win in Region One base- else, said Cooper. Cooper, who also throws the javelin, has had a toss of over 166 feet. I feel confident that I can qualify for state in that too," he said. AND THATS not all. Coach Jones had had serious ideas of running Cooper in the mile relay, so serious in fact that this week has been a conditioning week for him to prepare. In recent weeks Cooper has run a 53 flat in the mile relay quarter which could help in Laytons chances to come closer to both and Clearfield in that event. Track is a little different this year at Layton, said Cooper, People are excited about it because they really want to be. Even the guys like me were coaxing other kids to come out. I think weve got something going that is really serious this year. Hill-cre- though some things have cost less because Ive gotten better at tennis, other things like travel have cost more. Its just the way it is, the better you get, the more it costs to travel. ROSSIGNOL sponsors Chuck on the circuit which cuts out costs for racquets and some discount on shoes, which he says has helped. Tennis is a definite year round thing for Berwald. He has a few tournaments through the winter months, but even if he didnt its still important that his skills are always toned. Its the summer when most of the big tournaments get underway, he said. JUST AS the dream to play major college tennis has been there, a dream also just as real is to be the No. 1 singles player for that college and do well in big tournaments. And as, Berwald states, My biggest ambition is to someday make the NCAA finals. WHAT WILL that take he was asked. About five hours a day of living on the courts, said Berwald. THERE ARE still a few kids that havent started hitting yet, said Hicks, That are better hitters. It remains to be seen. Were in a good position right now, said Hicks from his home last Saturday. Were one behind Layton and play them this week. IM IMPRESSED with the balance in the league. The team that wins it will probably get eight wins and the winner isnt going to lose less than a couple of games. Timely Hitting And Pitching Keep Lancer I THINK Jerry found out w hat track was all about last season. Its been this year that hes started to put together. up. Davis Expecting Better Weather and Hitting - When Layton High baseball LAYTON has needed a big bat this spring, the big bat has usually come in time. When theyve needed the one and only pitch, that one and only pitch has shown up at the right time too. ALL IN ALL, it has helped the Lancers to a perfect 0 record after three Region One games. This week the Lancers must meet Clearfield in a showdown that will take place on Friday. Layton and Weber were to have played last Tuesday. FIRST IT was Robert Ferneau or Paul Herald that came up in the final hour with the golden bat, and lately its been guys like Jeff Moon, Craig Kennedy or Brad Merrill that have done the job. Moons two hits against Bonneville, both a double and a triple, drove in At five runs which helped beat Bonneville last but not least, its been reliable Kenny Heath swatting away too. His game winning hit was the final blow that killed Bonneville. The leader on the mound so far this season has been senior Brett Talbot, who has gone two complete ganes in league play while allowing just two hits in either game. 7-- 6. WERE COMING around, but weve got a long way to go before this thing is over, said Brad Hawkins, the coach. "Weve got a lot way to go. Record Perfect KAYSVILLE The season is still young and the Davis Darts still arent out of the state playoff picture yet when it comes to springs baseball. AFTER THREE games, Kent Draayers with only a 0 club found themselves at shutout of East their only triumph. It was senior David Johnson who billed East a three-hitte- r, a pitcher who Coach Draayer calls one of the best around. Johnson had six strikeouts against the Leopards and pitched only 70 pitches before the game was finalized. AGAINST Viewmont the Darts left 14 men on base, but still fell to the Vikes This week the Darts were to play Highland on Tuesday and are to host the Bountiful Braves on Friday. OUR HITTING hasnt come yet, but Im very pleased with the kids defense, said Draayer, In three league games the guys have committed only four errors which isnt bad for the kind of spring weve had. As far as the hitting goes, Draayer says it will come, but it will have to come from more than just one player. RICK SECRIST, one of the clubs top hitters 2, 6-- 1. Folic Remains Calm, Others Get Excited - CLEARFIELD Gregg Folk isnt the kind to get real excited about things, but it just happens that the things he is doing for the Falcons baseball team is enough to excite anyone. st I COULDNT be happier with Jerry, said Jones the head coach. "He first of all broke the indoor record for the school and after his unbelievable effort last weekend, he now owns the outdoor one. The key to Jerry is working hard. If he doesnt put in the effort, it wont happen for him. But on the other hand, if he puts in the hours, theres no telling what he could do. last season, still hasn t found the mark, but as will be looking Draayer commented, Rick three games and will wonder back to these first world in the happened to him. Im really what confident that he and the others will pick it AS A JUNIOR, its been Gregg who has been the stabilizing factor for Ken Hicks crew who find themselves fighting for a state playoff spot, something which has eluded the school in recent years. As a fireman on the mound, Folk has totalled 28 strikeouts in three games including 13 against Layton. Two of those three games, the Falcons have won. BESIDES HIS pitching, you have to be impressed also with his patience at the plate. Through most of the season, Folk has been either the No. 2 or 3 hitter on a club that has scored 27 runs in its last three region games. I guess you could say, that we really want to turn it around, said Folk in an interview over the weekend. We are kinda tired of losing, especially after the kind of year we went through last season. If we win one more game, itll be as many as we won all last year in league play. ITS BEEN Folk who has been the catalyst of the pitching staff. Hicks calls him a competitor and a good team leader. Gregg does things that you really dont notice. He hustles, is a good talker and he usually produces. On the mound he can step off and run people back or he can pick others off, said Hicks about his top pitcher who now has two complete Region One games to his credit. I VE BEEN able to move the ball around a little more than Ive ever been able to, said Folk, And I ve been able to get some strikes as a result of it. Gregg isn t against playing any position where Hicks decides itll do the team best He has seen some time at shortstop, in the outfield and some at first base. Hes just willing to do anything that we want of him, said Hicks. BESIDES baseball, Folk played nose guard for the Falcons last fall in football where he improved vastly with each game that progressed. All in all, the guy who usually doesnt show his excitement about things outwardly, has a way of getting exciting things going all about him. |