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Show 'Looks gmd9 for 984 Experience and optimism characterize the 1984 Pleasant Grove High School varsity football team. Sporting several returning players from last year's third place state 3-A squad, the Vikes travel to West High Friday for a 3 p.m. game. When the Vikes take the field Friday afternoon, Eric Thomas will start at quarterback. Thomas was the starter in nearly every game last year on a team that posted a 7-4 record with playoff wins over West and Mountain View. All-state tackle, Brad Kitchen, returns to key the blocking for the explosive Viking option attack. Kitchen stands 6'4" and tips the scales at nearly 200 pounds. Along with Kitchen on the offensive of-fensive line, Don Parker, Mike Sumner and Jeff Hamner were starters last season and have been looking good in last week's two-a-day practice sessions. Scott Mosher led the team last year in the pass catching department depart-ment and will again start at the wide receiver spot. Heath Johnston alternated at fullback last year and after a year of weight training, Johnston is bigger, stronger and faster. Johnston, Thomas, Kitchen and Mosher were elected captains in a vote by the varsity team Thursday. Defensively, Tracy Flinders and Mark Clements return at cor-nerback. cor-nerback. Both players were important im-portant factors in last year's defensive effort. Another weight lifter who placed very high in the State Power Lifting meet in the spring, David Williams, will start at tackle on both offense and defense. Two juniors appear to be ready to take a starting position. Kerry VanDyke at free safety and Brent Larsen at strong outside linebacker. Shawn Jacobsen and Kevin Ash will give the Vikes depth at quarterback quar-terback and will play the junior varsity games. Coach Doug Bluth, in his fifth year at the Viking helm, reports that 45 players will make up the varsity team. Juniors on the team will play a seven game junior varsity schedule. On the sophomore level, Ray Fugal and Jack Hill report that 32 tenth grade boys came through last week's practices and will play an eight game schedule. The sophomores play the day before the varsity at the opposite school. Sophomore games start at 4 p.m. with the exception of the Sept. 27 game against Carbon. That game will be the first of a double header and will start at 1 p.m. with the junior varsity playing Carbon at 3:30 p.m. Both games will be at Pleasant Grove. Friday's varsity opponent has an impressive football tradition. Last year the Vikes opened the season against West and Gene Plaga's Panthers edged the Vikes 7-6 in overtime. Nine weeks later, again on Pleasant Grove's field, the Vikings edged West 21-20 in a state playoff game. The battle in Salt Lake Friday should be a good one and give both teams a chance to see how well prepared they are for the 1984 season. Pleasant Grove hosts Mountain View a week from Friday at 5 p.m. M 1 7 ffefl V"t V' S''"v' -j ' " ' ' ' Dan Phelon (facing camera) tangles with Alan Adamson during two-a-day drills last week. The Viking varsity travels to West Friday for a 3 p.m. game. |