Show B2 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Friday November 21 2003 Get the ball to Cooley Fiefia By Shawn Harrison sports editor John Mackey Award voters He was recently named as one of eight semifinalists for the top tight end in the nation Comparing the stats Cooley should be a shoe-i- n as a finalist (top three) But a big game against Idaho Saturday would certainly help the Aggie against a talented field from As I sat pondering the end of another Aggie football season and beginning to prepare the weekly look at Utah State's upcoming opponent I decided to scrap my nonnal routine What is there to learn about the Idaho Vandals? They like to use two quarterbacks lead the Sun Belt Conference in passing yards are second in the league in pass defense and total defense have the : big schools Will Fiefia and Cooley get the hall a few extra times than normal? 7 "Our objective is to win the game -- second-leadin- first do what we have to to win the: ' game" Dennehy said "I hope along the line things are going well in the ' running game and the passing game” g rusher in Zach '7" Gerstner(918 V ' Mountain Brerrt StevensHerald Crest's Angela Thompson swims her way to victory during the 100-yar- d freestyle in yards a game) haven't won at home this year (0-4)andare2-- 9 Journal overall league a meet vs Layton on Thursday 2-- 4 in the Translated: Dennehy wants to win this game and get the road monkey off his team's back (seven straight losses and counting) But yes he would love to see Fiefia get 1000 yards If was Dennehy himself who brought up the subject two weeks ago Sure there is more to the Vandals than those simple facts But what is really important at this point in the " season? Remember we're talking 2:1459 and 5:3301 respectively CJ" about two teams with losing Edvalson took one for the team and - records playing their respec- turned in a solid performance in the grutive season finales I asked d freestyle as well Edval- eling USU head coach Mick Den- son finished in: a respectable fourth place nehy Thursday evening with a time of 6:2250 "Probably the most impor- "I think Our team this year is much tant thing is it is the last time closer" Edvalson said "And you've got to play together as a team in front to have that will ' And Cooley? "I don't think you do it to get him recognition per say" Dennehy said "He is such a vital part of our offense he is going to get his catches any- way If we are able to protect ' (quarterback) Travis (Cox) the and Chris is playing way he normally plays he's going to have a big night" 7 ' And yes Cox is back and ready to go That Ls good news for Cooley and Fiefia Noth- ing against back-u- p QB Bryan 500-yar- 1 push you people-- and back Aubrey Smith did more than her share by sweepipg all of her races Smith claimed wins in the freestyle breaststroke while helping the med- d freestylc and the finishes as ley relay learns to IYRUM — After suffering a some- what humbling loss (o Judge Memorial on Tuesday Mountain Crest took its IVus- (rations out on'an unassuming Layton team Thursday 7 The Mustangs lit- Mountain Crest erally swam away swimming' with the victory as the MC boys won ll(j-6(and the' " ) female Slangs top- ' pled the Lancers 1 s All eyes were on Drew Jenks as the ever improving swimmer attempted to set ' a 'newsclHiol record and maybe even a new sliile record in the " stroke!' ' Jenks blew 6m of the start as Mustang fans cheered wildly At the midway V piiiriL eycryiine cifuld sense it was going to he close— and indeed it was close Jenks just missed the school record of k()102 mmutes Vith a time 7 ''' : 2003"' Dennehy said "We've : - 50-ya- rd 1 00-ya- rd got a damn good group of £niors lhat have good leaders and done things the : 200-yar- 200-yard first-pla- ce well ’Today was a pretty good day" Smith said "I'm really excited about the team rr!' the team looks really good Mountain Crests Angela Thompson shaved three sondsoff her personal best in the freestyle with a time ofl :01 50Thompsonis one of the few StevensHerald Journal Drew jenks competes in the 100-yar- d Brerit IQO-ya- rd v' 'Tve been really impressed with the girlsthis yearandhowwell they've : done" Thompson said But the Mustangs domination was a true team effort as MC took first ih 19 of the 22 events fit 7 :L really surprised with f)ow wel I m : doing"- Jenks said Vv ''- -' Scott CriHikstrin' helped the Mulangs'eaiiiw by winning the 20()-yIM and d the freestyle with times of VI1'U I ni ai 5(K)-yai- By r— tTTlT The Associated Press MichacITinlcy scored sixof- his 7 piiritsduring agamc- - '' turning run in the third quarter and the Dallas Mavericks held oll' a fate 'charge' to heal the J 7Saii Antonio Spurs ' 'hopK' on Thursday night Firiley:s jumper less than two’ininiitcs into the see- ' ondhalf put thcMavericks It also ignited 9 ahead ' 95-92- at - (4-fi- 50-4- 2 the spurt that pul Dallas ' in the lead to sfav Dirk Nowitki Had 26 points and Antoine Walker had 22 1 2-- : points and i l rch(undsforthe MavcVicks wh) have won all Mvhonic games this season The Spurs trailed by as maps as 16 in (hi: fourth quar- ter before an spurt get on Manu ' ting to 8S-8- 2 ' with 2:46 Gihohili7 left By tunc Tim Duncan 1 ' drove down the lane virtually untouched Tor a dunkit was' 92-9- 0 with" 1 8 seconds left But the Spurs playing their first ggriw in Dallas since : clinching the Western Confer- - ence finals with an incredible ' Game 6 comeback here last May couldn't get closer Tony Parkerand Duncan niissed 3- pointcrsinthC final 10 sec- rinds Suns 96Magic 89 At Phoenix Shawii Marion led seven Suns players in dou- figures' with 16 points helping them spoil Johnny Davis" debut as Orlando's ' coach The liiss was the 1th in' a row for Orlando: which won ' its opener and has gone oh to the worst start in franchise history 1 -2 ! ' Practice Continued from Bl ' They're not so fair off any more Tonight USU will play its first game since March of 1987 when it takes on Southern Utah at 8 in the Spec- tnim It's been a long time coming for lixial fans of the women's collegiate game In a way it's been just as long for the fnurAggics (Tressler Jessica Freeman Stephanie Grant and Virginia Jennings) who were around a ' jear ago InfJctoherof 2fK)2 there were only five players on the roster (Salli Fiefia who left before the 2003-0- 4 school year began was on the squad as well ) so practices had to be creative The first order of business: finding more people to participate That meant Aggie players would ' ' 100-yar- m 300-yar- ! - 1 C: : of his redshirtseairon Tve gbiten a lot : 777 stronger and put on a lot of weight And coach Mpriill's system much better I think I've improved a ot frqm last year" 7 Continued from Bl Continued from Bl ' The Aggies willbe taking on a team consist kills and a block assist in that Nelson and Butler are all but certain to start' at jng of according to the Skyhawks' roster 13 power forward and shooting guard respective- - ’outside" players two "insideoutside" players and two "inside" players A longtime friend of ly and senior Mark Brown despite being harnpered by a sore hamstring will likely start Morriirs Fort Lewis head coach Bob Hofmaij the final one which put USU at point guard and log plenty of minutes fUllS 2'WidCOpCll bff(!nSQ up 2:0 on a Pacific team lhat tonight "They'll give us problems" Morrill said'' : "We've goi ggys with experience comingback has prevailed jn each of the shot 34 3's intheir exhibition game (a ' 'They ' 1 20-5- 3 last four meetingsat most of the positions but we'rt a little Onset- rout of the New Mexico and "Thiit was huge" Roth said tlcd at the three spot" Morrill noted! "We've ' made 22 of ’em" Morrill said They play real- "Zuzana conics through really beeh searching there a little hit in terms of what's ly 'fast and they lopkto get 3's in transition and ' 7 look to get 3's by penetrating and kicking” big for us a lot" going to be best but it wilfsort iLself but" : In Game 4 the Aggies led A fifth-yehaS senior Evans Oner those who’ll be shooting is junior spent most of 28-2- 6 before allowing two third second a or option giiard KevinWilliamswholeft theUSU proThisAggiecareeras ' at small forward 'but he's been slowed recent- - gram early last seasonafter playing with the Tiger kills one by Jennifer ' Joines the other by Ashley lyby a sprained ankle Williams a junior col- - team in 2001-0- 2 A walk-o- n with the Aggies Groothiiis (18 winners) Williams left on good terms in search of a lege transfer is still trying to find his way in r Joirics who had a game-hig- h Morrill's complicated System while Neil scholarship and more playing time 23 kills to go with nine Mocksstarted USU's second exhibition game againsi ’’Oftentimes I wish Kevin would have hung Hawai'i-Hif- o then served out of bounds after redshirting last season ' in there with us1 Morrill said "I understand "With the mission and the year off it's been : ' why he didn't but he coiild have helped us Ruddick touched the net to allow Pacific to tie it at 29 three years for me without real competition" because he's someone who clan shoot the ball Neil pointed but "But I'm having fun arid justbefore the Aggies ran oft the and knows how to play" ' filial two points 7 Yada yada: Utah Stale's early 6:05 pm tip-hardest" tryingto play my ' ' Ian McVey also sat out last season after The game winner: a three- -' off is due to the doubleheader with the Aggie w ay block by Roth Ruddick: women's team' Hofman who coached at transferring from a junior college andthe and Hodge junior center is understandably excited to final- - Eastern Washington when Morrill was at Mon-l- y ' "It was nice to end it on see some real action tana vjsited Utah State during the 1999-200- 0 "I think it helped me Out a lot" McVey said that" Fuller said season as head coach at Western (Colo) State take on additional duties They would become recruiters ' While playing pickup games at the HPER building Grant whose hus- band Dave was a regular participant would go against males more often than not If they weren't too full of them- selves-didn'show off incessantly" and were at least half-- ay disciplined she would extend an invite "If a guy would pass to me in a game I'd ask him to play" Grant t w said ' Perhaps her most successful roundball marketer was Freeman An offer from the tall attractive sophomore with long hair was somehad trouble thing the novice resisting "We sent Jessica over there to find some good players" Pebiey said "We just told her to bat her eyelashes and ask them to come over and play" About a half dozen male students ! 177-understan- All-Star- s) ’ ar : ! - showed up regularly for practice many tidies a week we practiced" This allowed the squad to compete Pebiey said back in February situations which But when Ocl18 2003 rolled in broke up the monotony of repeated around consistency would prevail drills All 14 of Pebley's athletes would be showed school ready to practice every in and "They up every day’ for said it" Pebley day (sometimes twice) so things got nothing could really get accomplished They didn't get a dime" Offensive plays would be absorbed Though she could count on those defensive schemes picked up Pebsix or so guys to show up for tice her schedule was another iey would have a full complement of thing She had seven or eight roster ' personnel to mix and match to determine which combinations match ' spots to fill so she hit the recruit' trail Sometimes assistant best ing coach John Bartleson (die other Problem was all 14 weren't two assistants Tricia Bader Bin- healthy ' ' ford and Bradley Dance were not At the first practice only 11 play- hired yet) would be gone as well ers were in action Sometimes there workout would only be 10 Tiffany Peterson were schedules meaning altered Brittany Hagen Grant and Jennings The idea at first was to practice-fouhave all honied injuries during the days a week Monday Tuesday preseason So much for being at full Thursday and Friday But sometimes it would he just three times Other strength "It was a little bit scary at the weeks it was two "It's hard to do a lot of teaching beginning" Freeman said "We were when we were inconsistent in how a little nervous and could have let it full-cou- rt r - take us out ofpur game' But we pulled through and I think that's what you need to doi "Some players might be out but other girls have to step up" ' So finally the wait ends tonight Six hundred twenty-si- x ' 7 days after it was announced women's basketball would return to Utah State the team will play a game that counts 7 The tedium will die down a bit "Now that it's almost here it's almost like it's not real' Freeman raid Thursday morning "It hasn’t really hit me yet to be honest But it will and I will finally realize that we're doing it far reaL" They'll still run for conditioning purposes Do weight room work Go through drills That won't change But there are games to play 'And something to chase ' "I " '7 chance to win "Each week it's our goal to d rusher and a get a " d passer offensive Vandertiiarle said ' guard Greg makesufe We to want ' ' as Fiefia gets' 1000 yards It Fiefia needs 97 yards would be a great testament to to reach j)00 for the season him and to gs for the season"The senior deserves to reach It would also be a great way this milestone to finish a tough season Of ' Cooley also asenior needs : course a win w0Uldbe nice toio'77"7-:'--':-7:-: a big game to impress the accomplish some individual accolades I know coaches hate to even talkabogt this the to hack David Fiefia and tight Mavericks hold off Bou nee Tonight late run 7 ' ' Blacki but we all know Cox gives the Aggies the best ‘ : : 7 |