The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 68, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 23, 1992 Page: 11 of 52
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Inside
JV Volleyball Page 12A
CCCC's new Aggie Club Page 12A
Sports
BETS Football
Aug. 22
9 a.m.
at N. lobby
New season ticket purchases
The Allen American -Sunday, Aug. 23, 1992
Page 11A
La
Eagles excited about opener
By SAM JACKSON
Sports writer
This is the best team I’ve seen since I was a freshman’
The Allen Lady Eagles served one upon them, several Lady Eagles ex- loss in the season finale. And even
into the net at Monday’s scrimmage pressed great relief that the year though Allen will move from 4A to
session in Mesquite with inconsis- was actually beginning. 5A this year, Foster believes this
tent play. Even a strong perform- “I’m really excited about Satur- team has a chance of surprising a lot
ance in the second tuneup didn’t par- day,” senior Christy Foster said dur- of people.
ticularly send a charge into Coach ing Wednesday afternoon’s work- “This is the best team I’ve seen
Dawn Smithey. out. “We’re all working really well since I was a freshman,” the outside
Unlike real games, however, together and have no problems with hitter said. “We have that much ta-
Allen had another chance to fine tune each other. At the scrimmage we lent. I’m really optimistic and we’re
its play Friday with a second scrim- got the kinks out so we should have all ready to get going.”
mage in Azle before the real show everything set by this tourney.” With the jump in class, it will be
got under way Saturday in the Cop- Foster is just one of the four re- imperative that the Lady Eagles not
pell Tournament. turning starters from last year’s dally getting out of the blocks. While
With the opening of the season squad that missed the playoffs with a the squad returns a strong nucleus,
be a bit premature. This group’s
effort in Coppell will be the true
barometer of where the Lady Eagles
it is still essentially a young group move. The scrimmage may have are headed.
making the sometimes difficult tran- shown why. Junior Jennifer Stein theorized
sition. “We were a little rough in the that Allen will only know how good it
scrimmage, but that was the first can be when the pressure is on in
real competition we’d seen. It was game situations. A few weeks of
important in Mesquite to see how toying with the junior varsity might
we worked together and the scrim- have given the elder Lady Eagles a
mage should make us gel,” Klauer false sense of security, something
added. “We kept each other up all that could only be cured by playing
night. Even when we messed up, we quality opponents. Monday was the
were still there to pick the other girls perfect time for just such an occa-
up.” sion.
She added later that determining
just how good this team is now may
“It will be very important for us to
get off to a good start and keep it that
way,” senior Katrina Klauer said.
“For me, I’m sort of nervous about
making the jump (to 5A). I really
haven’t seen a lot of 5A teams, but
I’ve heard the game is a little faster.
We’ll just have to try and keep up
with the tempo.”
Klauer, like Foster, seems to be-
lieve this group will handle the
Turn to AHS, Page 12A
Runners
plan to
raise level
ALL
Marco Medina/Staff photo
Allen football Head Coach Ken Purcell gives instruction to his team during practice this past week at the Eagles’ field. Allen opens play Sept. 4 against Madison.
Two offensive starters on injury list
By SAM JACKSON
Sports writer
As the first scrimmage looms on
the horizon and the season opener
moves closer, the normally opti-
mistic Ken Purcell is getting a little
nervous.
With his team’s jump from 4A to
5A, the Allen Eagle head football
coach knew things wouldn’t be
easy. But he assured himself and
the team that if this bunch stayed
healthy, Allen could surprise some
folks.
It took all of a week for the
Eagles to receive some unkind
news. Two starters — wide re-
ceiver Shannon Purcell and offen-
sive tackle Sean White — have
gone on the sidelines indefinitely
with ailments.
Shannon Purcell, White to sit on sidelines indefinitely
Purcell, the coach’s son, tore a
muscle in his chest and found out
Thursday the problem won’t re-
quire surgery. White had an
emergency appendectomy and will
be out at least until Allen’s Sept. 4
opener with Madison.
While the injuries are a bit
easier to accept before the season
than when actual game play starts,
Purcell hopes this injury trend
ceases to continue very soon.
“I’ve said all along that injuries
were a very big key,” the coach
said. “I knew we couldn’t afford
many injuries and we’re already
going to be without our starting
tackle and wide receiver for the
first scrimmage next Thursday
(against Highland Park). There’s a
great possibility I could get both
back at full strength this year. But
. I’m still toying with the depth
problem we have.”
Allen is the state’s smallest 5A
school, with approximately 50
players on the varsity squad. Pur-
cell already knows he will have to
employ several players on both
sides of the ball.
And while Purcell wanted to get
all of his players in shape quickly
and could do so with a few players
out, the injury bug, if it keeps
reappearing, will quickly begin to
have a less than positive effect.
Many of his starters in other
positions are being tried at new
slots. Were Purcell, White or any
other players sidelined at some
point in the year, Purcell would be
forced to make more players line
up on both sides of the ball.
That translates into less prepa-
ration time in practice and greater
wear on the two-way players as
the games and season continue.
“We’re having to scramble a bit
right now,” Purcell noted. “I think
you can find positves by saying the
kids will get in shape quicker. But
it’s also kind of a Catch-22. We’re
getting looks at players in other
areas. But these people are
already players in other areas.”
Purcell had a heavy load re-
lieved from his mind Thursday
afternoon. It was at this time the
coach learned his son would not
have to go under the knife as had
originally been feared. While the
younger Purcell won’t play in next
Thursday’s scrimmage against
Highland Park, he may make it
back to the season opener.
“We had a pretty positive report
on Shannon,” a relieved Purcell
said Friday. “He had ruptured his
abdominal muscle over a month
ago and felt sore but a bruise sud-
denly came up in his chest last
week. We were told by a specialist
that a bruise in that area will stay in
the muscle four or six weeks.
Then it will start to disperse as
part of the healing process.”
Shannon felt some pain after the
Turn to INJURIES, Page 12A
By SAM JACKSON
Sports writer
For those who have been up early
enough to catch a glimpse of those
roving packs of runners trampling
through Allen neighborhoods early
in the morning, don’t worry.
Approximately 60 Allen High
School athletes are just beginning:
early workouts for the fast-
approaching cross country season.
And the tradition-rich program, now
under the watchful eye of Steve
Whiffen, doesn’t plan on breaking its
stride with the jump from 4A to 5A.
“We’ve been to state five years in
a row and are a perennial district
champ and regional champion,” the
second-year coach said Friday.
“We’ve been working out since Aug.
3 and I’ve been really impressed
with the turnout. I’m proud to have
this many out here.”
Quality hasn’t been a problem in
Allen recently, although numbers
were usually a concern. Last year,
Whiffen began the season with nine
runners and finished with 21. His
girls squad won District 9-4A and
made state as the Region II runner-
up to Highland Park. The boys we-
ren’t slouches, placing second in the
district and sixth at the region race.
The large number of athletes will-
ing to join the team’s 6 a.m-. work-
outs has Whiffen extremely enth-
used about the new year.
“The kids this year are pumping
me up so much that I’m always on
cloud nine. I’m always riding a rock-
et,” the coach said. “I can’t wait to
get out and start the season. This
group really has some good-looking
runners.” :
With the number of high-quality
people returning, Whiffen’s excite-
ment is understandable.
The Lady Eagles will look for lead-
ership from senior Heather Hurlburt
and Tracy Crane. Hurlburt has been
to state every year she’s competed.
Crane, who missed most of last sea-
son with an injury, has still lettered
all three years in the program.
Whiffen has some strength with
the Eagles, too. Senior Dennis
Humble and Judd Moody, a sopho-
more, are just two of the Eagles
coming back. Moody, who lettered
as a freshman, provides the Eagles
with ability as well as emotional
spark, according to Whiffen.
Webb Spriggs might just be the :
most interesting story of all. On Fri-"
day nights, the senior suits up with
the football team. He gets a few
hours of sleep and then laces up the
Turn to EAGLES, Page 12A
In sports, numbers mean more than words can tell
There are two types of people
in this world. There are those who
prefer numbers, and those who
prefer words.
As a writer, I prefer words.
Words can have personality, char-
isma. The same word can have
several meanings. Words can harm
as well as soothe. Words are both
powerful and weak.
Numbers, on the other hand,
• are just numbers. Numbers are
unchanging. Two plus two will al-
ways equal four. The most you
can do with numbers is add, sub-
tract, divide and multiply. But they
will always mean the same thing.
In the sports world, however,
numbers can have power. Like a
.300 hitter, a 1,000-yard rusher or
a seven-foot center. Numbers are
a way to measure value in sports.
© The number 169 would be a good
rushing total, but move the decim-
al and it’s the batting average of a
soon-to-be unemployed baseball
player.
Some people like sports strictly
because of the numbers. The boon
of rotisserie leagues is based on
numbers. The owner of a fantasy
team might draft a player he de-
spises, but if the player can hit 30
homers, who cares?
No fun
The fantasy leagues take all the
fun out of rooting for one particu-
lar team. It makes it hard to cheer
for your favorite player if someone
else has him in their lineup.
Then again, the fantasy leagues
are a savior for all those fans
whose teams don’t win. The local
team may be out of the pennant
race by June, but a fantasy team
can contend indefinitely.
Then there are numbers that
represent more than quantities.
WHITMIRE
Commentary
In the sports world,
however, numbers can
have power. Like a .300
hitter, a 1,000-yard
rusher or a seven-foot
center. Numbers are a
way to measure value in
sports.
The number 12 to any Dallas
Cowboy fan will always mean Ro-
ger Staubach. In Pittsburgh, it’s
Terry Bradshaw.
I remember when the jerseys
were being passed out for my first
pee-wee football team. I desper-
ately wanted 74, the number of
my hero, Bob Lilly. The coach
handed me 75 and said, “All right,
that’s Jethro Pugh’s number!”
Jethro Pugh? Wasn’t he the guy
who slipped on the frozen tundra
of Lambeau Field and allowed Bart
Starr to score the winning touch-
down in the Ice Bowl?
Actually, Jethro Pugh was a
pretty good player. But he wasn’t
Bob Lilly. Maybe that’s why I nev-
er grew up to be a Hall of Fame
tackle.
No special numbers
In nearby Plano, jersey numbers
can mean a great deal. The quar-
terback at Plano Senior High nev-
er wears a number in the single
digits or teens, like most quarter-
backs. It’s usually a number in the
20s.
As one coach explained it to
me, “We don’t have quarterbacks.
We just have another running back
who lines up behind the center.”
If a quarterback were allowed to
wear, say, number 12 at Plano,
good gosh, that would make him
stand out from the rest. The num-
ber 12 connotes stardom for a
quarterback. At Plano, the team is
supposed to be the star.
Some call it tradition, but really
it’s just another example of the
power of numbers. Hotshot foot-
ball recruits sometimes insist on
wearing a certain number before
signing with a school. That’s why
Jesse Armstead, a Miami lineback-
er, wears number one.
Then there was Brian Bos-
worth, who terrorized ballcarriers
at the University of Oklahoma
while wearing a running back’s
number, 44. When Bosworth was
.1
drafted by the Seahawks, he re-
quested the same number.
But the NFL said no. For its
own peculiar reasons, the NFL re- :
quires linebackers and linemen to
wear certain numbers. Bosworth
protested, but ultimately chose to
wear the next best thing, 55.
Bosworth didn’t want 44 out of
mere superstition, although that
was part of it. He also had several
endorsements tied into number
44. The number was part of his
image.
Of course, you know the rest of
the story. Bosworth didn’t have to
wear 55 or any other number for
very long. Shoulder injuries ended
his career.
If Bosworth had been able to
wear 44 in the NFL, who knows
how it would have turned out? Call
it the power of numbers.
Keith Whitmire is a sports writer for
Harte-Hanks Newspapers.
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Hutchison, Mark & Epperson, Wayne. The Allen American (Allen, Tex.), Vol. 23, No. 68, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 23, 1992, newspaper, August 23, 1992; Allen, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1694727/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Allen Public Library.